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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 10:23

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 10:23

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

23. when they persecute you ] Such words indicate that these “instructions” have a far wider range than the immediate mission of the Apostles. They are prophetic, bringing both warning and consolation to all ages of the Church.

till the Son of man be come ] The passage in Luke 21, which is to a great extent parallel to this, treats of the destruction of Jerusalem; and no one who carefully weighs our Lord’s words can fail to see that in a real sense He came in the destruction of Jerusalem. That event was in truth the judgment of Christ falling on the unrepentant nation. In this sense the Gospel had not been preached to all the cities of Israel before Christ came. But all these words point to a more distant future. The work of Christian missions is going on, and will still continue until Christ comes again to a final judgment.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

When they persecute … – The apostles were not permitted to throw away their lives. Where they could preserve them without denying their Lord, they were to do it. Yet all the commands of Christ, as well as their conduct, show that they were rather to lay down their lives than deny their Saviour. We are to preserve our lives by all proper means, but we are rather to die than save ourselves by doing anything wrong.

Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel … – That is, in fleeing from persecutors from one city to another, you shall not have gone to every city in Judea until the end of the Jewish economy shall occur. See the notes at Mat 24:28-30. By the coming of the Son of Man, that is, of Christ, is probably meant the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened about thirty years after this was spoken. The words are often used in this sense. See Mat 24:30; Mar 13:26; Luk 21:27, Luk 21:32.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Mat 10:23

But when they persecute you in this city.

-They may go out of the way of danger, though they must not go out of the way of duty. (Matthew Henry.)

An exception to flight

Polycarp (the friend and pupil of St. John) was eighty-six years old at the date of his martyrdom, and this took place, it seems almost certain, in 155 or 156. There had been a long and bitter persecution of the Christians in the East, and the reports of martyrdom after martyrdom reached the aged man in his bishopric of Smyrna, but, we are quoting Mr. Holland, he was not disturbed at the reports, and wished to stay in the city at home; but at the entreaties of his friends, he withdrew to a little field-house, not far from the town, and stopped there, with a few companions, praying continuously for all men, and for the Churches as was was his habit. As he prayed, he saw a vision his pillow seemed to him all burning in flames, and he turned to those with him, and said, I shall be burnt alive. And to escape the pressure of his pursuers he moved to another field-house, and they, the pursuers, came just after to his first hiding-place, and caught two boys, one of whom, under torture, confessed where his hiding-place was It was the hour of the evening meal when the officer of the peace came with fourteen horse and arms, as if against a thief Polycarp could have fled again, but he refused. His prediction came true, he was burnt, but God caused his sufferings to be brought to a speedy end by a providential circumstance, which, on first reading it, one is inclined to think too miraculous to be true, but which seems well-authenticated, though the description given by his biographer is probably unintentionally exaggerated. The wind so caught the flames that were to consume him that they took the shape of a hollow, or a sail swollen by the wind, and they despatched him with a sword. Polycarp is thought to have been the angel (i.e., messenger)

of the Church of Smyrna addressed in Rev 2:8.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 23. But when they persecute you] It is prudence and humility (when charity or righteousness obliges us not to the contrary) to avoid persecution. To deprive those who are disposed to do evil of the opportunities of doing it; to convey the grace which they despise to others; to accomplish God’s designs of justice on the former, and of mercy on the latter, are consequences of the flight of a persecuted preacher. This flight is a precept to those who are highly necessary to the Church of Christ, an advice to those who might imprudently draw upon themselves persecution, and of indulgence for those who are weak. But this flight is highly criminal in those mercenary preachers who, through love to their flesh and their property, abandon the flock of Christ to the wolf. See Quesnel.

In this city, flee ye into another] There is a remarkable repetition of this clause found in the MSS. DL and eight others; the Armenian, Saxon, all the Italia except three; Athan., Theodor., Tertul., August., Ambr., Hilar., and Juvencus. Bengel, in his gnomon approves of this reading. On the above authorities Griesbach has inserted it in the text. It probably made a portion of this Gospel as written by Matthew. The verse in the MSS. is as follows:-But when they shall persecute you in this city, flee ye into another; and if they persecute in the other, flee ye unto another.

Ye shall not have gone over (ended or finished, margin) the cities, c.] The word here is generally understood as implying to go over or through, intimating that there should not be time for the disciples to travel over the cities of Judea before the destruction predicted by Christ should take place. But this is very far from being the truth, as there were not less than forty years after this was spoken, before Jerusalem was destroyed: are used by the Septuagint. 1Co 25:8, for those who teach and those who learn. And is used by the apostle, 1Ch 2:6, for those who are perfectly instructed in the things of God. Ovid has used the Latin perficio, which answers to the Greek in exactly the same sense.

Phillyrides puerum cithara perfecit Achillem.

“Chiron TAUGHT the young Achilles to play on the harp.”

For these reasons some contend that the passage should be translated, Ye shall not have INSTRUCTED, i.e. preached the Gospel in the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be came. The Greek divines call baptism or initiation. See Leigh. Crit. sacr. Edit. Amst. p. 326, 328.

Dr. Lightfoot supposes the meaning to be: “Ye shall not have travelled over the cities of Israel, preaching the Gospel, before the Son of man is revealed by his resurrection, Ro 1:4 compare Ac 3:19-20; Ac 5:26. To you first, God, raising up his Son, sent him to bless you, c. The epoch of the Messiah is dated from the resurrection of Christ.” After all, the place may be understood literally for , to finish the cities, is only a concise mode of speech, for , to complete the journey through the cities. To finish the survey, to preach in every one: – till the Son of man be come, may refer either to the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of pentecost, or to the subversion of the Jewish state. See Rosenmuller.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Whether this text at all warrants ministers flight in a time of persecution I doubt; it seemeth to be a special command given to the apostles, that they might have a time before the coming of Christ, here spoken of, to preach the gospel over all the cities of Israel. But that in some cases it is lawful to flee I do not at all doubt, though I do question whether it be to be warranted from this text. What those cases are is largely discoursed, particularly by Mr. Torshell. Generally it is said, wherever the glory of God, or the good of others, calls to us for such a flight. But what may be judged such cases is a more particular question. Augustine to Honoratus speaketh well in the case. Ministers ought not to flee rashly, nor out of cowardice, nor that they might live elsewhere lazily, nor when their flight will betray the church of God: not where the persecution is general; but where the persecution is particular, against some of them, and there will be enough left for the care of the church in their absence, and with the consent of the church, they may flee. But this is too large a case to be spoken to here; especially considering (as I said) that I do not think that any flight is to be justified from this text, the precept being particular for special reasons.

Till the Son of man be come. There is a wonderful variety of interpreters senses of this text, founded upon the various comings of Christ mentioned in holy writ. He was already come in the flesh, so as it, speaking of a time to come, could not be meant of that: nor can it be understood of his second coming to judgment, for they have gone through the cities of Israel long ago. Christ is therefore said in Scripture to come, when he appeareth in some great work of providence, whether of judgment or mercy. This makes some interpret it of the destruction of Jerusalem; in which sense some think the coming of Christ is mentioned, Mat 24:1-51. Some, of the resurrection of Christ, from whence they say Christs epocha commenced. Others understand it of the effusion of the Spirit in the day of Pentecost; this they ground on Joh 14:17,18, where they think Christs coming, promised Joh 14:18, is the coming of the Spirit, promised Joh 14:17. Undoubtedly, in the general, our Saviour means, till the time be accomplished when you must leave preaching to the Jews and go to the Gentiles, and my kingdom shall be further extended than it is at present; which dispensation of God may for aught I know be called the coming of Christ, being an eminent act of Gods providence, by which Christ was more showed to the world, and his kingdom further extended.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

23. But when they persecute you inthis city, flee ye into another“into the other.”This, though applicable to all time, and exemplified by our LordHimself once and again, had special reference to the briefopportunities which Israel was to have of “knowing the time ofHis visitations.”

for verily I say untoyouwhat will startle you, but at the same time show you thesolemnity of your mission, and the need of economizing the time forit.

Ye shall not have goneoverYe shall in nowise have completed.

the cities of Israel, tillthe Son of man be comeTo understand thisas LANGEand others doin the first instance, of Christ’s ownperegrinations, as if He had said, “Waste not your time uponhostile places, for I Myself will be after you ere your work beover”seems almost trifling. “The coming of the Son ofman” has a fixed doctrinal sense, here referring immediately tothe crisis of Israel’s history as the visible kingdom of God, whenChrist was to come and judge it; when “the wrath would come uponit to the uttermost”; and when, on the ruins of Jerusalem andthe old economy, He would establish His own kingdom. This, in theuniform language of Scripture, is more immediately “the comingof the Son of man,” “the day of vengeance of our God”(Mat 16:28; Mat 24:27;Mat 24:34; compare with Heb 10:25;Jas 5:7-9) but only asbeing such a lively anticipation of His second coming for vengeanceand deliverance. So understood, it is parallel with Mt24:14 (on which see).

Directions for the Service ofChrist in Its Widest Sense (Mt10:24-42).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

But when they persecute you in this city,…. Or any city into which they went, and preached the Gospel; and would not suffer them to go on in their work, they were not to desist, but to go elsewhere, where they might hope for a better reception, and a longer continuance, and so of doing more good:

flee ye into another; not so much for their own safety, though this, according to the circumstances of things, is lawful, but for the further spreading of the Gospel. The exhortation is not to take methods to avoid persecution, or to make an escape from it, but to perseverance under it: the sense is, they were not to be discouraged, and to leave off, because of persecution in one place, but to persist in the ministration of the Gospel, by carrying it to other cities; and it seems to be a spur to them to make haste, and fulfil their office of preaching the Gospel, in the land of Judea: nor need they fear going on too fast, lest they should have no places to preach in;

for verily I say unto you, this is a certain and indisputable truth not to be called in question, being strongly affirmed by truth itself,

ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, or “finished” them; that is, their tour through them, and their ministry, or the preaching of the Gospel in them,

till the son of man be come; which is not to be understood of his second coming to judgment, but either of his resurrection from the dead, when he was declared to be the Son of God, and when his glorification began; or of the pouring forth of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost, when his kingdom began more visibly to take place, and he was made, or manifested to be the Lord and Christ; or of his coming to take vengeance on his enemies, that would not have him to rule over them, and the persecutors of his ministers, at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Till the Son of man be come ( ). Moffatt puts it “before the Son of man arrives” as if Jesus referred to this special tour of Galilee. Jesus could overtake them. Possibly so, but it is by no means clear. Some refer it to the Transfiguration, others to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, others to the Second Coming. Some hold that Matthew has put the saying in the wrong context. Others bluntly say that Jesus was mistaken, a very serious charge to make in his instructions to these preachers. The use of with aorist subjunctive for a future event is a good Greek idiom.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) “But when they persecute you in the city,” (hotan de diokosin humas en te polei taute) “Then when they persecute you in this city,” city of rejection, where you have shaken off the dust of your feet against them, Mat 10:14-15.

2) “Flee ye into another,” (pheugete eis ten heteran) “You all flee to another kind of place,” where people are more receptive to your testimony. The fleeing is not to be of fear, but because of rejection of your message, Act 13:50-51; Act 14:1; Act 14:6-7.

3) “For verily I say unto you,” (amen gar lego humin) “For truly (for a fact I tell you),” disclose to you beforehand, that you may be forearmed, not shocked when it occurs. Do not throw away your life where your testimony is rejected.

4) “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel,” (ou me telesete tas poleis tou Israel) “You all will not by any means complete the cities of Israel,” not have finished visiting all of them, as places where you witness.

5) “Till the Son of man be come.” (heos elthe ho huios tou anthropou) “Until the heir-son of man comes.” Or before He comes to be fully rejected by His own people; The ministry of you to Israel only is short, as certified by Dan 7:13; 1Th 2:15-16 further describes His rejection, even at the end of this age.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

23. And when they shall persecute you. He anticipates an objection that might arise. If we must encounter the resentments of the whole world, what shall be the end of all this? (593) Though it may not be safe for them to remain in any place, yet Christ warns them not to despair, but, on the contrary, when they have been driven from one place, to try whether their labors in some other place may be of any avail. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that this is a bare permission: for it is rather a command given to the disciples, what it is the will of Christ that they should do. He who has sustained one persecution would willingly withdraw as a soldier who has served his time. But no such exemption is granted to the followers of Christ, who commands them to fulfill their whole course with unabated zeal. In short, the apostles are enjoined to enter into fresh contests, and not to imagine that, when they have succeeded in one or two cases, they have fully discharged their duty. No permission is granted to them to flee to a retired spot, where they may remain unemployed, but though their labor may have been unsuccessful in one place, the Lord exhorts them to persevere.

And yet the command implies also a permission. As to avoiding persecution, it ought to be understood in this manner: we must not condemn without distinction all who flee, and yet it is not every kind of flight that is lawful. Some of the ancients carried their zeal in this matter to an extreme and condemned flight as a species of disavowal. Were this true, some part of the disgrace would fall on Christ and his apostles. Again, if all without distinction are at liberty to flee, a good pastor could not be distinguished from a hireling during a season of persecution. We must abide by the moderation which Augustine recommends, when writing to Honoratus: No man must quit his station through timidity, either by betraying the flock through cowardice, or by giving an example of slothfulness; and yet no man must expose himself precipitately, or at random. If a whole church is attacked, or if a part of them is pursued to death, the pastor, whose duty it is to expose his life in place of any individual among them, would do wrong in withdrawing. But sometimes it may happen, that by his absence he will quell the rage of enemies, and thus promote the advantage of the church. In such cases, the harmlessness of the dove must be his guide, that effeminate persons may not seize on his conduct as an excuse for their timidity: for the flesh is always too ingenious in avoiding what is troublesome.

For verily I say to you. These words cannot be understood in the sense which some have given to them as relating to the first mission, (594) but embrace the whole course of their apostleship. But the difficulty lies in ascertaining what is meant by the coming of the Son of man Some explain it as denoting such a progress of the gospel, as may enable all to acknowledge that Christ is truly reigning, and that he may be expected to restore the kingdom of David. Others refer it to the destruction of Jerusalem, in which Christ appeared taking vengeance on the ingratitude of the nation. The former exposition is admissible: the latter is too far-fetched. I look upon the consolation here given as addressed peculiarly to the apostles. Christ is said to come, when matters are desperate, and he grants relief. The commission which they received was almost boundless: it was to spread the doctrine of the Gospel through the whole world. Christ promises that he will come before they have traveled through the whole of Judea: that is, by the power of his Spirit, he will shed around his reign such luster, that the apostles will be enabled to discern that glory and majesty which they had hitherto been unable to discover.

(593) “ Que sera ce a la fin, et que deviendrons-nous ?” — “What shall be in the end, and what will become of us?”

(594) “ Touchant le premier voyage, ou la premiere commission qu ont eue les apostres;” — “respecting the first journey, or the first commission which the apostles had.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(23) When they persecute you The counsel is noteworthy as suggesting at least one form of the wisdom of the serpent. Men were not to imagine that they were enduring to the end when, in the eagerness of their zeal, they courted martyrdom; but were rather to avoid danger instead of courting it, and to utilise all opportunities for the continuance of their work. The effect of the command thus given may be traced in all the great persecutions under the Roman Empire, Polycarp and Cyprian furnishing, perhaps, the most conspicuous examples.

Till the Son of man be come.The thought of another Coming than that of the days of His humiliation and of His work as a Prophet and a Healer, which had been implied before (Mat. 7:21-23), is now explicitly unfolded. The Son of Man should come, as Daniel had seen Him come (Dan. 7:13), in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to complete the triumph of His kingdom. It is more difficult to understand the connection of the words with the preceding limit of time, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel. The natural result of such a promise was to lead the disciples to look forward to that coming as certain to be within the range of their own lifetime, and was the ground of the general expectation of its nearness which, beyond all doubt, pervaded the minds of men in the Apostolic age. Explanations have been given which point to the destruction of Jerusalem as being so far a day of the Lord as to justify its being taken as a type of the final Advent, and they receive at least a certain measure of support from the way in which the two events are brought into close connection in the great prophetic discourse of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21. But the question meets us, and cannot be evaded, Were the two events thus brought together with a knowledge of the long interval by which they were in fact to be divided from each other, and if so, why was that knowledge kept from the disciples? Some reasons for that reticence lie on the surface. That sudden widening of the horizon of their vision would have been one of the things which they were not able to bear (Joh. 16:12). In this, as in all else, their training as individual men was necessarily gradual, and the education of the Church which they founded was to be carried on, like that of mankind at large, through a long succession of centuries. The whole question will call for a fuller discussion in the Notes on Matthew 24. In the meantime it will be enough humbly to express my own personal conviction that what seems the boldest solution is also the truest and most reverential. The human thoughts of the Son of Man may not have travelled in this matter to the furthest bound of the mysterious horizon. He Himself told them of that day and that hour, that its time was known neither to the angels of heaven, nor even to the Son, but to the Father only (Mar. 13:32).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

23. Persecute you in this city Our Lord now momentarily reverts to the present trial and specimen mission upon which they are just proceeding. It is to towns and cities, rather than to rural districts, that they are going. Nay, they are commencing, as it were, the entire circuit (which they will never complete) of the cities of Palestine. They have no time to delay and fight the battle in cities that reject them. Driven from one city, let them hasten to another. They will not have visited even then all the cities of Israel before their special mission to Israel will be closed. Jesus will come at his resurrection, and give them a new commission for all the nations of the earth.

The command to flee was little accordant with a false human courage. But a heroism such as the world admires is not what Christ required. Christians who acted from the spirit of opposition, or the love of glory, were very apt to apostatize in the time of danger. The true martyr never sought death; never made a display of heroism; and never failed when, reposing faith in Christ, he meekly suffered for his name.

The Son of man We have before remarked that this epithet was usually applied to our Lord by himself alone. See note on Mat 8:20. Its first application to the Messiah is in Dan 7:13: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,” etc.

Upon this passage we may remark:

1 . The Jews of all ages applied this pictorial description to their future Messiah. Our Saviour, therefore, in claiming this title, and habitually applying it to himself, claimed the title of Messiah.

2 . This picture and title intimate that the Messiah would possess a human nature, and spring from a human origin, and therefore refer primarily to the humility of the Messiah. With a pure humility, therefore, does our Lord make it his own habitual epithet for himself.

3 . Yet the title includes also his exaltation and glorification. He is seen “in the clouds of heaven.” He is led as a Son into the presence and before the throne of his Father Almighty. There is he invested with a divine royalty. Beneath him is placed a kingdom universal and eternal. This is the kingdom of heaven, yet it rules over the earth, comprehending authority over all nations.

4 . This scenic picture has a complete fulfilment in the resurrection and ascension of Christ; when coming in body from the tomb, and in soul from Hades, he announced that all power was given to him, and ascended to the presence in glorified state of the Father Almighty. There was he invested with a universal kingdom, and took his seat on the right hand of the majesty of God. There shall he reign until he has subdued all enemies under his feet. Compare note on Mat 16:28, and Mat 28:18.

Till the Son of man be come The apostles will not have gone over the cities of Israel till that coming, foreseen by Daniel, shall have withdrawn them from their special mission to Israel, and given them a mission to the world.

Of this expression, till the Son of man be come, very different interpretations have been given by commentators.

It has been referred to the judgment day, or second advent of Christ to judge the world. But this event did not take place in a shorter period than was requisite for the apostles to have gone over all the cities of Israel.

It is referred, however, by the great body of commentators, to the destruction of Jerusalem. Thus Stier gives a very plausible exposition, importing that the apostles will not be able to complete the circuit of Israel before that Christ, by his providence, will have overthrown the Jewish state, and have abolished the externalities of the Jewish dispensation. Nevertheless I am unable to adopt this view, as I shall show more fully in my notes on Matthew 24, 25. I will here remark, that the destruction of Jerusalem is, I think, nowhere called the coming of Christ. There is nothing in that event to render it a terminus of the past, or a commencement of the future. Judaism ended at the crucifixion. At that moment her ritual, her sacrifices, her temple, her priesthood, her whole status, were null, and nothing in the world. The resurrection and ascension were the inauguration of the new dispensation. And what explains this clause specially is, that then the cities of Israel were no longer the circumscribed field of the apostolic mission, but a universal commission was given. Hence it is that our Lord charges his apostles that, with the speediest circuit, they would not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come. Compare note on Mat 16:28, and Mat 28:18.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for truly I say to you, You will not have gone through (literally ‘finished’) the towns of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”

The disciples are not to allow persecution to depress them, rather they are to see it as a spur driving them on. The principle is clear. Where a whole city is against them they are to move on to the next. For the task is so great, and the labourers are so few, and there are so many towns to be reached, that they will not have covered all that need to be covered prior to the ‘coming’ of the Son of Man. It should here be noted that the emphasis of the words is not on the coming of the Son of Man, but on the urgency and size of the task ahead. It is a never ending one which will never be fully accomplished, and one in which the most fruitful opportunities must be taken, while on the other hand the dogs must not be given what is holy, and pearls must not be cast before swine.

Note especially Jesus’ command not to invite persecution. They are if possible to flee from it. Not because they are cowards but because they are thinking of what is best for the spreading of the truth (compare how Jesus also knew how to strategically withdraw – Mat 12:15; Mat 14:13; Mat 15:21; Mat 4:12). Many a Christian has died in persecution who should have fled and lived, just as many have lived (by renouncing Christ) who should have died. Some have stood and bravely faced martyrdom because they felt that their position required it of them. It encouraged the flock who might have been devastated by desertion. And in many cases they were right. The balance is a fine one, but we must ever remember that Jesus did teach us to pray, ‘do not lead me into testing’ (Mat 6:13). Courting persecution for its own sake is not godly. Accepting it humbly and with joy when it necessarily comes is extremely godly. Then we should ‘rejoice and be exceedingly glad’ (Mat 5:11). (Although in the end our judgments on others in this regard, once their decision is made, should be left to God. He guides some in one way and some in another. None, however, should actually seek persecution).

This ‘difficult’ verse has been interpreted in a number of ways, although the principle behind it is clear, and the main difficulty rests on the meaning of the words ‘until the Son of Man comes’. But this must certainly be seen in the light of the context (as revealed by the chiasmus) where there is a great emphasis on heavenly realities (Mat 10:26; Mat 10:32-33) and on eternal judgment (Mat 10:26; Mat 10:28), and on man’s accountability to the Father in Heaven, where the ‘confession’ or denial by the Son will be so important to every one (Mat 10:32-33). This suggests that ‘Son of Man’ must therefore be seen in this ‘heavenly’ context. With that in mind we must now ask ourselves, what does ‘the coming of the Son of Man’ refer to?

* One possibility is that ‘the Son of Man’ is the equivalent of ‘I’. Compare its use in Mat 8:20; Mat 16:13 where He is simply referring to Himself by the title, although undoubtedly with the humiliation that the Son of Man (and Servant) must suffer in view. Thus on this view He would be saying, ‘I am sending you out and will not be with you for a while, for I also am going out to preach (Mat 11:1), but I will shortly come to you again, and you can be sure that that will be long before you have been able to cover all the towns in Israel who are open to receiving you, even if you move quickly from one to the other. Do not therefore be held up by towns who are unwilling to listen to you, but go on to those who will welcome you, for you will certainly not have time even then to cover them all’. This view is strongly supported by the fact that up to this point Matthew has only depicted Jesus as speaking of ‘the Son of Man’ as Himself as One Who is present on earth (Mat 8:20; Mat 9:6). But it does ignore the stress on the heavenly in the context.

* Some think that in these words He is seeing ahead to the fact that Galilee and Israel as a whole will not have been fully evangelised before the invasion of Palestine and the siege of Jerusalem forecast by Jesus have taken place. They suggest that in the light of Mat 23:37 to Mat 24:22; Mat 26:64 that event itself may then be seen as ‘the Son of Man coming’ in order to manifest to the chief priests and elders the fact that He has indeed received His power and authority as the Son of Man at the throne of God (Mat 26:64; Dan 7:13-14). Indeed some see Mat 24:27 (compareLuk 17:22-37) as speaking of those events, that is as indicating that the destruction of Jerusalem will happen as a result of ‘the Son of Man coming with the speed of lightning’ (with lightning emphasising suddenness rather than light, although any light could be a spiritual one as in Mat 4:16, and only observed by those who ‘see’). The siege of Jerusalem may not shake us, but it certainly shook the world of that day, and its ramifications were in different ways huge, both for Jewish Christianity and for Judaism. It freed the church from its last ties with Jerusalem.

We should notice that the connection of the siege of Jerusalem with ‘the coming of the Son of Man’ is also further supported in the context of chapter 24, for it then goes on to speak about the Son of Man manifesting even greater power in a further glorious appearance (Mat 24:30) when the believers among those scattered people who have since been evangelised have to be gathered in (Mat 24:31). We should note in this regard that Matthew uses the expression ‘the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule’ where Mar 9:1 speaks of ‘the Kingly Rule of God coming in Power’ (i.e. in the resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit), and Luke speaks of ‘seeing the Kingly Rule of God’ (Luk 9:27; compare Mat 26:64). The idea there would seem to be of the manifestation of His Kingly Rule in power by the events that result in Acts onwards. But it supports the idea that to Matthew ‘the coming of the Son of Man’ is parallel to ‘the coming of the Kingly Rule’.

Thus Jesus may be seen as arguing for the need for haste, with no delay, because of the fact that the scattering of the lost sheep of the house of Israel far and wide at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem will leave even more towns to be visited. Indeed He may be seen as declaring that in order to reach them it will then be necessary for the Gospel to be proclaimed in ‘the whole inhabited earth’ (Mat 24:14; compare Act 2:5), with the final result being that at His second coming He will have to gather the elect from the four winds of Heaven.

That being so the ‘coming of the Son of Man’ here in Mat 10:23 may be intended to signify that the Son of Man will shortly come in speedy judgment on Palestine and Jerusalem (Mat 24:27, there could be no siege of Jerusalem without a bitter war throughout the whole of Palestine, as events would prove), which would explain why at present there can be no delay allowed in their outreach. For once the people are scattered to all nations (Luk 21:24), and that happened to a shattered Galilee as well as to a devastated Jerusalem, the evangelisation of them will depend on going to all nations (Mar 13:10).

For while it is true that He has not yet spoken of it we must remember here that later on He will make clear in no uncertain terms the devastating judgment that is coming on Jerusalem (Mat 23:37 to Mat 24:22) and should note in this regard the warning that He will give to the chief priests concerning their seeing ‘the Son of Man come to receive heavenly power on the clouds of Heaven’ (Mat 26:64), an event which will in some way be manifested to them. And what greater demonstration could there have been than the destruction of their holy city?

* Others think that He is talking of the time when He will come as the Son of Man to His Father’s throne immediately after His resurrection (Dan 7:13-14), to be declared both Lord and Messiah (Act 2:36), after which He will return in person to be with His disciples in glorious power as they go out to reach all the towns in the world (Mat 28:19-20), and will then reveal Himself as the Son of Man to His people through Stephen, being then revealed in all His glory (Act 7:55-56). This interpretation would be typical of Matthaean eschatological language (compareMat 16:28; Mat 26:64 with Mar 9:1; Luk 9:27; Luk 22:69). We should remember again in this regard that Matthew uses the expression ‘the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule’ where Mar 9:1 speaks of ‘the Kingly Rule of God coming in Power’ (i.e. in the resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit), and Luke speaks of ‘seeing the Kingly Rule of God’ (Luk 9:27; compare Mat 26:64). The idea there would seem to be of the manifestation of His Kingly Rule in power by the events that result in Acts onwards.

* Others think that He had a foreboding that the towns of Israel would never be satisfactorily evangelised, simply because of the historical events that would overtake them, even by the time of His second coming. Thus He knew within Himself that they would never run out of towns to evangelise. Certainly their full evangelisation was never accomplished, and has not been to this day, so that the promise cannot be said to have failed in fulfilment. (We must also remember that He specifically stated that He did not know the time of His second coming, a statement that no one else could possibly have made up – Mar 13:32).

* One thing, however, we should note, and that is that at the time of writing Matthew must have had no doubt that either this had been fulfilled, or that it was a valid claim which he saw as still capable of fulfilment. For in a passage where he was very much selecting his material, he would hardly have cited it otherwise.

Whichever view we take we should note the truth behind all the views. There were certainly so many to be reached that they would not be able to cover them all on their present mission; the shadow of the destruction of Jerusalem and Galilee by the Romans certainly did hang over them until that destruction was accomplished, and it did catch the towns of Galilee not properly prepared and certainly not sufficiently evangelised (otherwise they would not have rebelled) and it did result in the mass slaughter of many of their inhabitants and the scattering of others; the resurrection and enthronement of Jesus did certainly reveal a new impetus in carrying forward the Gospel, which would include the insufficiently evangelised towns of Galilee (Act 9:31), and would then result in going beyond Galilee so that if all the towns had not been ‘finished’ it would be too late as far as the Apostles were concerned; and finally we are reminded that even today the evangelisation of the towns of Israel is one of the urgent tasks facing Jesus followers. For the more that His disciples have sought to evangelise them the more their sinfulness and stubbornness towards the Gospel has been revealed. And it is so to this day. Thus Jesus’ words have indeed proved true, fulfilling His expectations. And it may well be that He intended it to have plural application, so that the Apostles could take it with a local reference, and then when they later thought about it in the light of all that happened, an eschatological reference.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

They Are To Preach Boldly, Remembering Whose They Are, And Are Not To Be Afraid For Three Reasons (10:23-33).

Having warned His disciples of the opposition that they will face, Jesus now puts everything in the light of eternity. They are to consider everything in the light of eternal realities, and recognise that there is nothing more important than proclaiming His message to the world, remembering also the watchfulness of their heavenly Father over them.

Analysis of Mat 10:23-33 .

a “But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for truly I say to you, You will not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Mat 10:23).

b “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!” (Mat 10:24).

c “Do not be afraid of them therefore, for there is nothing covered, that will not be revealed, and hid, that will not be known” (Mat 10:26).

d “What I tell you in the darkness, speak you in the light, and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops” (Mat 10:27).

c “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mat 10:28).

b “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall on the ground without your Father, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows” (Mat 10:29-31).

a “Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Mat 10:32-33).

Note that in ‘a’ their mission is not finally to end, and will not be completed, until ‘the Son of Man be come’, and in the parallel that is when men will either be confessed before the Father, or denied before Him by His Son, the Messiah. In ‘b’ disciple and servant have a close relationship with their teacher and master, and must expect similar treatment, and in the parallel they need not be concerned because of their heavenly Father’s watch over them because they are members of His household. In ‘c’ they need not be afraid because in the end what they do will be revealed in its true light, as will what their opponents do, and in the parallel they need not be afraid because the One to fear is the One Who has power over the eternal future, and knows the truth about both, and will deal with them accordingly. Centrally in ‘d is the necessity to widely proclaim Jesus’ words.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Advice and comfort during persecutions:

v. 23. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another; for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come.

v. 24. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

v. 25. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master and the servant as his lord.

If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household! There is a far cry from shunning martyrdom to abandoning prudence and inviting the enemies to wreak their vengeance. Self-appointed martyrs often seek self-glory. Where flight during persecution is possible without a denial of truth, without abandoning a flock of souls to the wolf, it should be chosen. It will be in the interest of the cause, if the work is stopped by persecution in one city, to flee to another, where the reception is likely to be different and the cause of Christ thus furthered. Christ here makes a solemn declaration. The “coming of the Son of Man” is a term referring to the founding and propagating of the kingdom of Christ after His glorification, beginning with the Pentecostal miracle. Ye shall not have finished or completed the cities, there will be abundant room for your labors till the time of My entering into glory and the beginning of My work as the almighty Head of My Church, according to My divinity and humanity. The time is short and the work is great. Energy and courage are sorely needed. In the form of a proverb, Jesus adds another comforting admonition. They should not expect to be better off than their Lord and Master, the Head of the Christian household. To endure the same persecutions, to suffer the same injuries, to be heaped with the same maledictions, is their natural as well as their honorable lot. The enemies had gone so far as to apply the epithet Beelzebub, lord of idolatry, prince of devils, to Christ. It would be presumption for His followers to expect less. “When a person accepts the Word of God, the Gospel, let him think nothing else than that he in that hour comes into peril with reference to all his goods, his house, home, farms, and meadows, his wife, children, father, and mother, also his own life. When danger and misfortune then strike him, it will be so much easier for him, since he thinks: I knew very well before that it would happen thus.”

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mat 10:23. But when they persecute you, &c. “Let not the persecutions that you are to meet with, in any period of your ministry, discourage you: but when you are sore pressed in any one city, flee to another, where you will meet with an asylum: for I assure you, in spite of all opposition, your labours shall be attended with such success, that you shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come;” that is to say, according to the general interpretation, “before he comes to execute vengeance upon the Jews, by the destruction of their devoted city.” The destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is often called the coming of the son of man. See ch. Mat 24:27; Mat 24:37; Mat 24:39; Mat 24:44. Luk 18:8. Macknight differs from this interpretation, and gives the following: “Before ye have carried the glad tidings of the Gospel to the several cities of Israel, my kingdom shall be established in many places; so that in the midst of the hottest persecution, you may always expect to find some who will befriend you.” See Olearius, and Whitby.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Mat 10:23 . and are to be understood . Jesus points with the finger in the direction of various towns. Your sphere is large enough to admit of your retreating before persecution in order to save others.

] A ground of encouragement for such perseverance.

, . . .] You will not have completed your visits to the towns of the people of Israel; i.e ., you will not have accomplished in all of them your mission, associated as it will be with such flights from town to town Comp. the analogous use of (Raphel, Krebs, Loesner, on this passage), explere , in Tibull. i. 4. 69 (Heyne, Obss . p. 47); consummare , in Flor. i. 18. 1 (see Ducker on the passage). The interpretation: to bring to Christian perfection (Maldonatus, Zeger, Jansen, following Hilary; Hofmann, Weissag. u. Erfll . II. p. 267 f.), is an erroneous makeshift, by way of removing the second coming farther into the future. Observe that here, too, as in Mat 10:5 , the apostolic ministry is still confined to Israel.

] until the Son of man will have come, i.e . the Messiah, such as He has been promised in Daniel’s vision (Mat 8:20 ), who will then put an end to your troubles, and receive you into the glory of His kingdom. Jesus means neither more nor less than His second coming (Mat 24 ), which He announces even at this early stage, and as being so near, that Mat 24:14 , and even Mat 26:28 , are not to be reconciled with this view. Different elements of the tradition, which, in the course of experience, came to view the prospect as more remote, a tradition, however, that was still the product of the existing (Mat 24:34 , Mat 14:28 ). The interpretations which explain away the final coming, content themselves, some with the idea of a vague coming after or coming to their help (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euth. Zigabenus, Beza, Kuinoel; even Origen and Theodoret, Heracleon in Cramer’s Cat . p. 78); others with the coming through the Holy Spirit (Calvin, Grotius, Calovius, Bleek), or with supposing that the, as yet too remote, destruction of Jerusalem is referred to (Michaelis, Schott, Glckler, Ebrard, Gess); and others, again, explaining it allegorically of the victory of Christ’s cause (Baumgarten-Crusius). On the prediction of the second coming itself, see on ch. 24.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

7. Flight in Persecution, the means of spreading Christianity.

First warning and comfort. Mat 10:23

23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another [the other, ]:31 for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come [shall have come].

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Mat 10:23. For verily, .The here is of the greatest importance. The flight of an Apostle from a city where general persecution had arisen, was in reality not flight, but removal to a larger sphere of usefulness. This duty may be deduced from the fundamental principle formerly enjoined, of turning away from those who were hardened, and addressing themselves more and more to those who were impressible.Shake off the dust of your feet. But, on the other hand, this alone must be the motive for their flight. Subordinate considerations (such as employment, home, etc.) must not retain, nor fear of suffering drive them away. Their flight must be determined by concern for the best means of spreading the name of Christ, that so the natural instinct of self-preservation may be transformed into a spiritual principle.

Ye shall not have gone over, ended, finished, completed, .Scarcely equivalent to, Ye shall not have been in all the cities. Meyer.To bring them to Christian perfection. Maldonatus, Hoffmann, etc. The expression implies an active finishing of their mission. Hence the interpretation of Meyer is too narrow; that of Maldonatus, too wide. The meaning is: ye shall have abundant room for your labors.

Shall have come, .1. Until the victory of the cause of Christ (Baumgarten-Crusius); 2. to the destruction of Jerusalem (Michaelis, etc.); 3. to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit (Calvin and others); 4. till help shall have been afforded by the Son of Man (Chrysostom); 5. till the second coming of Christ (Meyer). But the commentators forget that the Apostles only preceded Christ, and that this passage refers in the first place to that particular mission. Hence we explain it: till the Son of Man shall overtake you. (So also Heubner.) The expression is, however, also symbolical, and applies to the Church generally. In this sense, it points forward to the second coming of Christ; including at the same time the idea, that their apostolic labors in Juda would be cut short by the judgment impending upon Jerusalem.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. Having set before the disciples the sufferings and dangers of their work, the Lord now encourages and comforts them. The verse under consideration furnishes the first consolation. Their sufferings would be diminished from the higher obligation incumbent on them to spread the gospel, whereby flight became a sacred duty.
2. But what constitutes their highest comfort in this respect, is the promise, that the witnesses of Christ shall always find new spheres of labor, and that the Lord shall ever follow them, both with the baptism of the Spirit and of grace, and with that of fire and of judgment. The fundamental idea of this statement, so far as the kingdom of heaven is concerned, is, that the work of Christ shall not be completed by quiet and calm progress, until the last place and the last individual shall have been converted, but by great contests between light and darkness, and amid great catastrophes which shall usher in the judgment.
3. If it be asked, how this direction can be reconciled with the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, where, as He knew, death awaited Him; we reply, that Christ left Galilee, where, from the hostility of the Jewish priesthood, every door was shut against Him, and went to Jerusalem, where a multitude was prepared to receive Him. In His care for the people, the Messiah readily encountered every danger, which, indeed, required to be met in the accomplishment of His work. He went to keep the feast at Jerusalem, in order to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel in the midst of wolves. This may serve to furnish a rule and a precedent for our conduct under persecution. If we are bound by promise, by duty, by our ministry, or by the prospect of carrying out our calling, we must not flee from danger, nay, if necessary, go to meet it. But if these very motives point beyond the reach of danger, it is our duty to flee. To labor, is the object; to suffer, only the means toward it. It was an error of the Montanists to regard the obligation to suffer as paramount to that of working. Thus Tertullian (De fuga in persecutione) disapproved of flight under any circumstances, and regarded this commandment only local and temporary. In this respect, however, the Apostle Paul, and, at later periods, St. Athanasius (Apologia pro juga sua), Luther (on the Wartburg), and Calvin [who fled twice from France, and was once expelled from Geneva], may serve as our models.

[Flight in persecution, from selfish regard to personal safety and comfort, is an act of cowardice and sin; but flight from conscientious conviction of duty to God and to the Church, is right, and commanded by Christ, and sanctioned by the conduct of the Apostles and martyrs (as Polycarp and Cyprian). The ancient Church rejected the fanatical and Montanistic view of Tertullian, which condemned the flight in persecution without qualification. Augustine says, a minister may flee if his flock is scattered by flight, or if he can do more good by fleeing than by remaining (quandocumque plus fugiendo quam manendo juvare potest). Chrysostom thinks, we may flee, provided we do not thereby deny Christ, or endanger the faith; otherwise, we must risk our life for the sheep, which the hireling will not do. Maldonatus ad loc.: Cum Evangelium ipsum, propter quod fugiendum non est, postulat ut fugiamus, fugiendum est. Tunc fugere non metus, sed pietas: non fugere non fortitudo, sed pertinacia est. Hoc de causa D. Paulum fugisse legimus. Major gloria Dei et Ecclesi utilitas regula nobis esse debet; cum aut utraque, aut alterutra ut fugiamus a nobis exigit, non fugere peccatum est. Wordsworth on , Mat 10:23 : It was a question discussed in early times, whether fuga in persecutione was under any circumstances allowable. Tertullian (De fuga in persecutione) argues that our Lords permission was only temporary; but this is contravened by St. Jerome (Catal. Script. in Tertullian). See also Gregory Nazian. (Orat. i. in Julian.), and the excellent directions on the subject in St. Athanasius (Apol. de fuga sua, p. 258266; cp. Lapide). The answer seems to be given in our Lords words: The hireling fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep (Joh 10:13). The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (Joh 10:11). If a person has a flock committed to his care, and that flock will be scattered or torn by wolves, if he flies, then he must not fly.Comp. Mat 24:15-20; Php 1:20-25; 2Ti 4:6-8; Act 8:1; Act 9:25; Act 14:6; Act 15:38; 2Co 11:33; and Schaffs History of the Christian Church, vol. i., p. 179.P. S.]

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

In how far flight in persecution is not only lawful, but duty.When a Christian has to flee with his Master, he may likewise flee by himself.Holy flight: 1. Its motive; 2. its conduct; 3. its aim.All Christianity a flight, to the end of the world: 1. From city to city; 2. from country to country; 3. from world to world (from the old to the new).Flight an act of faith: 1. An act of Wisdom 2. an act of sparing love; 3. an act of faithfulness; 4. an act of enduring hope.The flight of the Church, its spread.The flight of the fearful and that of the courageous.When the disciples are expelled from a place, they are succeeded by the judgments of the Lord.The witnesses of Christ shall never want new spheres of usefulness, if they leave at the right time such as have been closed to their labors.Whether to stay or to go, must in every instance be learned from the Lord.Whithersoever we go with the gospel, Christ will follow us.The laborers of Christ shall neither want a field nor a blessing, till the Lord comes. [Similarly Wordsworth: the missionary work of the Church will not cease till the second coming of Christ. Comp. Mat 24:14.P. S.]

Footnotes:

[31] Mat 10:23.Griesbach with many Codd. minusc.: , , . A later amplification. [Lachmann reads: , and puts the words from to in brackets. Tischendorf, Alford, Wordsworth read simply: . The Cod. Sinait.: . The def. art. before or denotes the next city in order which had not yet been visited, and shows that there will be always some other city to fly to.P. S.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Ver. 23. Flee ye into another ] That is, make all the haste that may be, as Son 8:14 . Fuge, fuge, Brenti, cito, citius, citissime, so friendly did a senator of Hala advise Brentius. He did so, and thereby saved his life. There was one Laremouth, chaplain to Lady Ann of Cleve, a Scotchman, to whom in prison it was said, as he thought, “Arise, and go thy ways.” Whereto when he gave no great heed at first, the second time it was so said. Upon this, as he fell to his prayers, it was said the third time likewise to him; which was half an hour after. So he, arising upon the same, immediately a piece of the prison wall fell down; and as the officers came in at the outer gate of the prison, he leaping over the ditch escaped. And in the way meeting a certain beggar, changed his coat with him, and coming to the sea shore, where he found a vessel ready to go over, was taken in, and escaped the search which was straitly laid for him all the country over. Tertullian was too rigid in condemning all kind of flight in time of persecution ( Lib. de Fuga Persecutionis ).

Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel ] This is another comfort to the apostles and their successors, that though forced to flee from city to city, yet they shall still find harbour, and places of employment. They shall not have finished, that is, taught and converted, all the cities of God’s Israel, both according to the flesh, and according to the faith, till the Son of man be come to judgment. SeeMat 24:30Mat 24:30 ; Luk 21:27 .

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Mat 10:23 . : the thought takes a new comforting turn, much needed to reconcile disciples to the grim prospect. With courage and loyalty effort for self-preservation is quite compatible. Therefore, when they persecute here flee there. , in this city, pointing to it, this standing for one . , flee, very un-heroic apparently, but the bravest soldier, especially an old campaigner, will avail himself of cover when he can. : the reading of [62] [63] is to be preferred to of the T.R., the idea being: flee not merely to another city numerically distinct, but to a city presumably different in spirit ( vide Mat 6:24 and Mat 11:16 ), where you may hope to receive better treatment. Thus the flight, from being a mere measure of self-preservation, is raised to the dignity of a policy of prudence in the interest of the cause. Why throw away life here among a hostile people when you may do good work elsewhere? : reason for the advice solemnly given; an important declaration, and a perplexing one for interpreters. , have no fear lest, ye will certainly not have finished . In what sense? “gone over” (A.V [64] ) in their evangelising tour, or done the work of evangelising thoroughly? (ad fidei et evangelicae virtutis perfectionem Hilary). The former is the more natural interpretation. And yet the connection of thought seems to demand a mental reference to the quality of the work done. Why tarry at one place as if you were under obligation to convert the whole population to the kingdom? The thing cannot be done. The two views may be combined thus: ye shall not have gone through the towns of Israel evangelising them in even a superficial way, much less in a thorough-going manner. Weiss takes the word . as referring not to mission work but to flight = ye shall not have used all the cities as places of refuge, i.e. , there will always be some place to flee to. This is beneath the dignity of the situation, especially in view of what follows. . . Here again is the peculiar title Son of Man : impersonal, but used presumably as a synonym for “I”. What does it mean in this connection? And what is the coming referred to? The latter question can be best answered at a later stage. It has been suggested that the title Son of Man is here used by Christ in opposition to the title Son of David . The meaning of Mat 10:23 on that view is this: do not think it necessary to tarry at all hazards in one place. Your work anywhere and everywhere must be very imperfect. Even success will mean failure, for as soon as they have received the tidings of the kingdom they will attach wrong ideas to it, thinking of it as a national kingdom and of me as the “Son of David”. No thorough work can be done till the Son of Man has come, i.e. , till a universal Gospel for humanity has begun to be preached (Lutteroth). This is a fresh suggestion, not to be despised, on so obscure a subject. We are only feeling our way as to the meaning of some of Christ’s sayings. Meantime, all that we can be sure of is that Christ points to some event not far off that will put a period to the apostolic mission.

[62] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.

[63] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.

[64] Authorised Version.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 10:23

23″But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”

Mat 10:23 “But, whenever they persecute you” This is missing in Luke, but has a parallel in Mar 9:1. See note and Special Topic at Mat 10:22.

“flee to the next” Believers must avoid conflict and confrontation when possible. Evangelism must be the constant goal!

“Truly” See Special Topic at Mat 5:18.

“you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes” This was probably initially understood as

1. Jesus will rejoin the Twelve after their mission

2. Jesus asserts His authority in Jerusalem

3. inauguration of the church (i.e., Pentecost)

4. Jesus fulfilling His promises to them (i.e., upper room event of Joh 20:19-23)

5. the judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (NASB Study Bible, p. 1382)

6. Jesus’ Second coming in power as Judge (i.e., Dan 7:13-14), inaugurating the eternal kingdom

See Special Topic: the Any-Moment Return of Jesus vs. the Not-Yet (NT paradox) at Mat 24:27.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

another = into the other: i.e. the next. Greek. allos (App-124.), but all texts read heteros. App-124.

not = by no means; in no wise. Greek. ou me.

gone over = completed, or finished [going over].

till. See the four: Mat 10:23; Mat 16:28; Mat 28:39; Mat 24:34.

the Son of man. See App-98.

be come = may have come. This is rendered hypothetical by the Particle an (which cannot be translated), because His coming depended on the repentance of Israel (Act 3:19-26). It would then have been (and will now yet be) the judicial coming of “the Son of Man”. Compare Act 17:31.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Mat 10:23. – , the other[469]-and if they persecute you from this city, flee ye into another) This is the most ancient Latin reading,[470] and also that of Orige[471][472] contra Celsum (p. 51, Ed. Hoesch.[473]), where, instead of [as in E.M.], we find , . Flee ye into the other;[474] and if they persecute you in that other, flee ye again into the other.[475] Francis Lucas[476] of Bruges quotes old Latin Codices in favour of that reading. Thence, too, the Anglo-Saxon version has-and thonne hi on thre eovv ehtath, fleoth on tha thryddan; i.e. and when they persecute you in that [city], flee to the third. Ambrose[477] also, in his treatise, De Fug Seculi (ch. 4), says, But if they shall persecute you in one, flee ye into another. And Juvencus[478] renders the passage thus:-

[469] E. V. another.-(I. B.)

[470] The words – are not found in E. M.-(I. B.)

[471] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.

[472] ORIGEN was born at Alexandria, in Egypt, about A.D. 185; and died at Tyre, about A.D. 254.-(I. B.)

[473] DAVID HOESCHELIUS, born at Augsburgh 1556. He was a laborious and successful Editor. Among the authors he edited were Origen, Philo Judus, Basil, and Photius. He died 1617.-(I. B.)

[474] .- signifies originally, other in opposition to one, though it has also the force of other in opposition to many.-(I. B.)

[475] .- signifies originally, other in opposition to many, though it is used also to represent other in opposition to one. Here appears to have the force of the former.-(I. B.)

[476] FRANCIS LUCAS was born at Bruges in the sixteenth century. He studied under Arius Montanus, and became a Doctor of Louvain, and Dean of the Church of St Omer. He was profoundly skilled in the Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and Chaldee languages, and is considered a judicious critic. he died in 1619.-(I. B.)

[477] Born at Treves A.D. 340; consecrated, in 374, Bishop of Milan, where he died in 397. he was an eloquent preacher, and an able and voluminous writer.-(I. B.)

[478] C. AQUILINUS VETTIUS (al. VECTIUS, or VESTIUS) JUVENCUS, a Spanish priest of good family, who flourished in the fourth century. He wrote, besides other works, a history of our Lord in good hexameter verse, considered both poetical and faithful, and published it about 330.-(I. B.)

Profugite e tectis qu vos sectabitur urbis

Inde aliam, mox INDE ALIAM, conquirite sedem.

Flee from the roofs of the city which persecutes you; thence seek another and THEN AGAIN ANOTHER abode. Thus Augustine; thus the Armenian Version. The Codex Cantabrigiensis, the Codices Colbertini 2467 and 3947, Parisiensis 6, and the Codex Stephani (to which some add the Codex Gonvillianus), contain this passage in various forms of words. The variety of the Greek words[479] suggests the suspicion that this verse has been rendered from Latin into Greek: on the other hand, the antiquity and celebrity of the Latin text is proved by the very multitude and discrepancy of these Greek codices. The omission appears to have arisen from the carelessness so frequently manifested by transcribers, where similar words recur: the facility with which the mistake may occur, appears from the fact that Gelenius, in his Latin version of Orige[480], omits this very clause [which undoubtedly exists in the original]. Athanasius more than once substitutes for , as is at present the case with the Codex Colbertinus, and from which you may conjecture, that another omission[481] might soon be made by other transcribers.

[479] Lachm. reads , with Bd Orig. 1,295; 380; 3,473c; 709; cod. 4,398. But Tischend. , with Dabc Vulg. Origen 3,709, and Rec. Text. Lachm. adds in brackets, , , with DL ( -. ) ab Orig. 1,295b; 380a; Hil. 656. But Bc Vulg. and Rec. Text omit these words. Probably they come from a transcriber who fancied that , sc. a second city, was incomplete without a clause, And when they persecute you in that second city, flee into another, i.e. a third city. To avoid the need for this, I believe the reading for arose. The shorter is generally preferable to the longer reading, as it was the tendency of transcribers to insert all added matter, lest their copy should be incomplete.-ED.

[480] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.

[481] hiatus, hiatus, gap. See Authors Preface viii. 14, and App. Crit. Part I. xxii., obs. xxvii., etc.-(I. B.)

, ye shall not finish[482]) cf. ,[483] in 2Ch 31:1.- , the cities) not to say, villages, of Israel.-See Mat 10:6. Our Lord tells them that there was no fear of their not having where to preach, and that they were not to remain long in one place, as they would have the opportunity of remaining longer in other places.- , until the Son of Man be come) Concerning this coming, see Mat 10:7; Mat 11:1.[484]

[482] E. V. Ye shall not have gone over.-(I. B.)

[483] -(1) To be completed, finished.-GESENIUS.-(I. B.)

[484] To wit, there is here meant that very advent, whereby. through His full presence, beneficence, and preaching, the preparatory announcement of His ambassadors in those days was, as it were, completed and fulfilled by Him, whom it behoved to come, to proclaim the Gospel, and to see that it was proclaimed by others, Mat 11:3; Mat 11:5. In a similar manner, He commanded the Seventy disciples also to announce the approach of the divine kingdom, and followed up that announcement by His own very presence in those same places, Luk 10:1; Luk 10:9.-Harm., p. 293.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Son of man

(See Scofield “Mat 8:20”).

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

when: Mat 2:13, Mat 4:12, Mat 12:14, Mat 12:15, Luk 4:29-31, Joh 7:1, Joh 10:39-42, Joh 11:53, Joh 11:54, Act 8:1, Act 9:24, Act 9:25, Act 13:50, Act 13:51, Act 14:6, Act 14:7, Act 14:19, Act 14:20, Act 17:10, Act 17:14, Act 20:1

have gone over: or, end, or, finish

till: Mat 16:28, Mat 24:27, Mat 24:30, Mat 24:48, Mat 25:13, Mat 26:64, Mar 13:26, Luk 18:8, Luk 21:27

Reciprocal: Exo 2:15 – fled 1Sa 19:10 – and escaped 1Sa 22:4 – in the hold 2Ch 17:9 – throughout Jer 26:21 – he was Jer 37:12 – went Mat 5:10 – are Mat 5:18 – verily Mat 14:13 – General Mar 3:7 – Jesus Luk 4:31 – taught Joh 4:3 – left Act 8:4 – General Act 9:30 – when Act 12:17 – And he Act 22:18 – Make Rev 2:13 – denied

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

A COUNSEL OF PRUDENCE

When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come.

Mat 10:23

The text is a counsel of prudence. The Gospel is no hare-brained or star-gazing enthusiasm, but a religion sober, healthful, and sensible, taking account of circumstances, discriminating between means and ends, embracing in its view time as well as eternity, the life that now is as well as that which is to come. Such is the counsel of prudence.

I. The reason.For verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over, or, more literally, ye shall not have finished or completed the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come. The general idea is plain. Do not court martyrdom; do not make it a point of duty to stay out a local persecution. If one place refuses you, flee to another.

II. What coming of the Son of man is in view?These disciples were being sent out, it seems, on a sort of experimental mission through a region through which Christ Himself was about to follow them in person. The text might mean that they must be expeditions, or He would overtake them before the business on which they were sent was done. So narrow and prosaic an interpretation will satisfy no one. It might mean that they must press forward on their life-journey as heralds of Christ to the chosen people, or they would be overtaken ere that life-journey was accomplished, by the catastrophe which must for ever close the opportunities of grace for the national Israel. But this explanation also is felt to be inadequate. The coming spoken of is the great Advent, and the warning, parabolical and typical in its language, is applicable to all Christian work and to all Christian workmen in every land and age.

III. The work of Christ in the world will never be finished till He comes.Why?

(a) One reason for this lies in the mere sequence of human generations. Births and deaths are incessant. Every birth introduces new work, and every death removes, or ought to remove, an old workman. One generation goeth, and another generation cometh, but they are both on the stage at once during a large part of the lifetime of each, and the board is never cleared for a new beginning.

(b) Another and a deeper reason lies in the nature of the work. The most real work of allperhaps the only kind of work which is quite realis that intangible, impalpable thing which we call influence. The work that can be finished is always more or less mechanical. Influence is the thing which Christ looks for, and it is an indefinite and so an interminable thing.

(c) We can see one other reason: it is the security thus given for the salubriousness of labour.

There might be something of elation, something certainly of satisfaction, in the contemplation of work done. True indeed it is that when the dead has died in the Lord, his works follow him, still influencing and to influence a few that miss and mourn him, a few more than these, perhaps even a Church or a nation stirred by his memory into a brighter zeal and a deeper devotion. But where is boasting? It is excluded. By the thought, by the fact of the multitude of the cities of Israel, and of the impossibility of compassing them, of the incompleteness of all work that is worth the name, and of the surprise which interrupts it by the Advent or by the death.

Dean Vaughan.

Illustration

Henry Martyn died at the age of one-and-thirty. Into those few years were crowded, first the Grammar School of Truro, with its noble memories of Cardew, the master, and Kempthorne, the monitor; then the early start at Cambridge, developing into the senior wrangler of nineteen; then the awakening piety, under influence of friendship and sorrowthe two most powerful factors the fathers death and the sisters pleading, the dead Brainerd and the living Simeon; then the self-dedication of the Ely ordination, and the Sunday and weekday ministries at Lolworth and in Cambridge; then the resolution for a missionary life, and the thrilling anguish of the severance; then the nine months voyage to India, with the battle scenes of the Cape and the fighting with beasts on ship board; then the four years ministry at Dinapore and Cawnpore, with its long toils in translating and its eager efforts to evangelise; then the baffled hopes and humble self-resignations; then the cruel journeyings through Persia and Asia; at last the desolate death at Tokat, and the silence settling down upon the tomb in the land of strangers. How mournful a commentary upon the unfinished work among the cities of Israel! How incomplete man must acknowledge that work, that toil, that achievement! But were there, or were there not, twelve hours in that day?

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

0:23

To endure persecution does not mean that one must needlessly expose himself to possible death. If he can escape without compromising any truth or evading any duty, he should do so and thus be able to do good elsewhere. The apostles would have plenty of places in which to preach, therefore when their work was rejected and their lives endangered in one city, they were to flee into another. Even then they would not have time to visit all the cities in Israel until their period for working would be ended. That was the reason for the restrictions mentioned in verse 11.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

[Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, etc.] “Ye shall not have travelled through the cities of Israel preaching the gospel, before the Son of man is revealed by his resurrection,” (Rom 1:4. Lay to this Act 3:19-20; “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, that the times of refreshment may come” (for ye expect refreshment and consolation under the Messias); “and he may send Jesus Christ first preached to you.” And Mat 10:26, “To you first God, raising up his Son, sent him to bless you,” etc. The epoch of the Messias is dated from the resurrection of Christ.

Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels

Mat 10:23. This city the next. General expressions, though in particular form.

Flee ye. Here the wisdom of the serpent was to be exercised. Flight in persecution, from selfish regard to personal safety and comfort, is cowardice and sin; but flight from conscientious conviction of duty to God and to the Church, is commanded by Christ, and sanctioned by the conduct of the Apostles and martyrs (as Polycarp and Cyprian). It often transfers to a wider field of usefulness.

Ye shall not have gone, etc. The Son of man shall overtake you while performing this duty. Before they finished their labors in Judea, the judgment impending over Jerusalem should come, and the old economy be entirely set aside. This prophecy has, however, a typical or symbolical reference (as chap. 24). The literal fulfilment foreshadowed what is yet to take place. In general, there will always be a new sphere of labor for Christs people when excluded from the old one; this succession of opportunities will not cease until the end comes; the missionary work of the Church shall continue till the second coming of Christ.

Till the Son of man be come, refers first of all to the destruction of Jerusalem, since the last verse pointed to that event. The more remote reference, however, is not excluded.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Our Saviour here directs his apostles to a prudent care for their own preservation, and allows them to flee in time of persecution; assuring them, that before they had gone through all the cities of the Jews, preaching the gospel, he would certainly come in judgment against Jerusalem, and with severity destroy his own murderers and their persecutors.

Learn, That Christ allows his ministers the liberty of flight in time of persecution, that they may preserve their lives for future service. Surely it is no shame to fly, when our Captain commands it, and also practises it, Matthew 2. Christ by his own example has sanctified that state of life unto us, and by his command made it lawful for us.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mat 10:23. But, &c. As if he had said, I do not say this with a view to encourage you to rush upon martyrdom before you have a plain and lawful call to it; on the other hand, it will rather be your duty to prolong your useful lives to the utmost limits you lawfully may. Therefore, when they persecute you in one city, flee to another And though this may contract the time of your abode in each, be not discouraged at that, which may, on the whole, be no inconvenience: for ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel To preach the gospel in each of them, make what haste you will, until the Son of man shall come To destroy their capital city, temple, and nation. The destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is often called the coming of the Son of man. See Mat 24:27; Mat 24:37; Mat 24:39; Mat 24:44; Luk 18:5.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Verse 23

Till the Son of man be come; till the Messiah be come; that is, until his coming and kingdom shall be openly proclaimed to all, both Jews and Gentiles, and thus the whole world be opened as the scene of the apostolic labors. They were to preach not that the kingdom of the Messiah had come, but that it was at hand.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have {i} gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

(i) Bring to an end, that is, you will not have gone through all the cities of Israel and preached in them.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Jesus promised that He would return for His disciples before they had finished preaching the kingdom throughout the cities of Israel. If Israel had accepted Jesus as her Messiah, this would have happened at the end of seven years of persecution following Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Since Israel rejected her Messiah, it will happen at the end of the Tribulation yet future from our perspective in history (Dan 7:13). Obviously it did not happen after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Commentators have offered many other explanations of this verse. There is great diversity of opinion concerning what Jesus meant mainly because there is failure to take Jesus’ offer of Himself and the messianic kingdom literally. Some interpreters believe Jesus meant He would return to the Twelve before they completed the mission He sent them on here. The problem with this view is that there is no indication in the text that that happened. Others interpret the Son of Man coming as a reference to the public identification of Jesus as the Messiah. However that is not what Jesus said, and it is not what happened. Some believe Jesus made a mistake, and what He predicted did not happen. Obviously this view reflects a low view of Jesus’ person. Still others believe what Jesus was predicting was the destruction of Jerusalem, but this hardly fits the Old Testament prophecies or the context of this verse. Carson summarized seven views and preferred one that equates the coming of the Son of Man with the coming of the kingdom. He viewed "the end" as the destruction of Jerusalem. [Note: Carson, "Matthew," pp. 250-53.]

"What was proclaimed here was more fully demonstrated in the apostles’ lives after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) in the spread of the gospel in the church (e.g., Act 4:1-13; Act 5:17-18; Act 5:40; Act 7:54-60). But these words will find their fullest manifestation in the days of the Tribulation when the gospel will be carried throughout the entire world before Jesus Christ returns in power and glory to establish His kingdom on the earth (Mat 24:14)." [Note: Barbieri, p. 42.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)