The Scribes and Pharisees bare inveterate malice against Christ, for his searching Doctrines, by which he detected them of gross Hypocrisy: and the more confirmation he gave thereunto by his Miracles, the deeper rooting did their prejudice take in their hearts; and because his spotless Conversation secured him from any impeachment, referring to the Law of God: they sought occasion against him with respect to the Customs of men: accordingly in the beginning of this chapter, they are brought ⟨p. 2⟩In picking a quarrel with him because his Disciples did not wash their hands before they sat down to their meals: the pretence on which they ground their contest, is, that it was against the tradition of the Elders; they plead Antiquity for it, and the Authority of the Sanhedrin, which to neglect, they account a scandal: and they suppose that Christ was to blame for this Omission of his Disciples, either for prohibiting, or at least not commanding them: Christ therefore undertakes the Justification of them and himself; they did well to omit this Ceremony; and that, not only because it was an indifferent thing, and for that reason it ought not to be accounted a matter of scandal for any to neglect it: But also, as it was, in the circumstances of it, a thing unlawful for them to do; as the whole of his reply carrieth it: This Custom among the Jews was not a thing merely civil, but was made Religious, and had a Symbolical Holiness affixed to it, and by prescription, it was now grown a Ceremony in Worship; and men were esteemed Ceremonially defiled, who did not attend it; and by this means it became unlawful.
THe Scribes and Pharisces bare inveterate malice against Christ, for his searching Doctrines, by which he detected them of gross Hypocrisy: and the more confirmation he gave thereunto by his Miracles, the deeper rooting did their prejudice take in their hearts; and because his spotless Conversation secured him from any impeachment, referring to the Law of God: they sought occasion against him with respect to the Customs of men: accordingly in the begining of this chapter, they are brought ⟨p. 2⟩In picking a quarrel with him because his Disciples did not wash their hands before they sat down to their meals: the pretence on which they ground their contest, is, that it was against the tradition of the Elders; they plead Antiquity for it, and the Authority of the Sanhedrim, which to neglect, they account a scandal: and they suppose that Christ was to blame for this Omission of his Disciples, either for prohibiting, or at least not commanding them: Christ therefore undertakes the Justification of them and himself; they did well to omit this Ceremony; and that, not only because it was an indifferent thing, and for that reason it ought not to be accounted a matter of scandal for any to neglect it: But also, as it was, in the circumstances of it, a thing unlawful for them to do; as the whole of his reply carrioth it: This Custom among the Jews was not a thing meerly civil, but was made Religious, and had a Symbolical Holiness affixed to it, and by prescription, it was now grown a Ceremony in Worship; and men were esteemed Ceremonially defiled, who did not attend it; and by this means it became unlawful.
