Teks -- Matthew 7:22 (NET)

7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Mat 7:22 - Did we not prophesy in thy name?

Did we not prophesy in thy name? ( ou tōi sōi onomati eprophēteusameṉ ).

The use of ou in the question expects the affirmative answer. They claim to have prophesied (preached) in Christ’ s name and to have done many miracles. But Jesus will tear off the sheepskin and lay bare the ravening wolf. "I never knew you"(oudepote egnōn hūmās ). "I was never acquainted with you"(experimental knowledge). Success, as the world counts it, is not a criterion of one’ s knowledge of Christ and relation to him. "I will profess unto them"(homologēsō autois ), the very word used of profession of Christ before men (Mat 10:32). This word Jesus will use for public and open announcement of their doom.

Vincent: Mat 7:22 - not

Have we not ( οὐ )

That form of the negative is used which expects an affirmative answer. It therefore pictures both the self-conceit and the self-deception of these persons. " Surely we have prophesied," etc.

Wesley: Mat 7:22 - We have prophesied

We have declared the mysteries of thy kingdom, wrote books; preached excellent sermons: In thy name done many wonderful works - So that even the working of miracles is no proof that a man has saving faith.

JFB: Mat 7:22 - Many will say to me in that day

What day? It is emphatically unnamed. But it is the day to which He had just referred, when men shall "enter" or not enter "into the kingdom of heaven." (See a similar way of speaking of "that day" in 2Ti 1:12; 2Ti 4:8).

JFB: Mat 7:22 - Lord, Lord

The reiteration denotes surprise. "What, Lord? How is this? Are we to be disowned?"

JFB: Mat 7:22 - have we not prophesied

Or, "publicly taught." As one of the special gifts of the Spirit in the early Church, it has the sense of "inspired and authoritative teaching," and is ranked next to the apostleship. (See 1Co 12:28; Eph 4:11). In this sense it is used here, as appears from what follows.

JFB: Mat 7:22 - in thy name

Or, "to thy name," and so in the two following clauses--"having reference to Thy name as the sole power in which we did it."

JFB: Mat 7:22 - and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works

Or, miracles. These are selected as three examples of the highest services rendered to the Christian cause, and through the power of Christ's own name, invoked for that purpose; He Himself, too, responding to the call. And the threefold repetition of the question, each time in the same form, expresses in the liveliest manner the astonishment of the speakers at the view now taken of them.

Clarke: Mat 7:22 - Many will say to me in that day

Many will say to me in that day - Εκεινη τη ημερα, in that very day, viz. the day of judgment - have we not prophesied, taught, publicly preached, in thy name; acknowledging thee to be the only Savior, and proclaiming thee as such to others; cast out demons, impure spirits, who had taken possession of the bodies of men; done many miracles, being assisted by supernatural agency to invert even the course of nature, and thus prove the truth of the doctrine we preached?

Calvin: Mat 7:22 - Many will say to me

22.Many will say to me Christ again summons hypocrites to his judgment-seat, as we showed a little ago from Luke. So long as they hold a place in his Church, they both flatter themselves and deceive others. He therefore declares, that a day is coming, when he will cleanse his barn, and separate the chaff and straw from the pure wheat. To prophesy in the name of Christ is, to discharge the office of teacher by his authority, and, as it were, under his direction. Prophecy is here, I think, taken in a large sense, as in the fourteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Corinthians. He might have simply used the word preach, but purposely employed the more honorable appellation, in order to show more clearly, that an outward profession is nothing, whatever may be its brilliancy in the eyes of men. To do wonderful works in the name of Christ is nothing else than to perform miracles by his power, authority, command, and direction: for, though the word ὁμολογήσω, powers, is sometimes confined to one class of miracles, yet in this and many other passages it denotes every kind of miracles.

Defender: Mat 7:22 - wonderful works

There are actually prophets and miracle workers who - perhaps sincerely, perhaps not - profess to be Christians but instead are unsaved, deluded and even enabled to do "wonderful works" by Satan in order to lead people to follow a false Christ."

TSK: Mat 7:22 - to me // have we

to me : Mat 7:21, Mat 24:36; Isa 2:11, Isa 2:17; Mal 3:17, Mal 3:18; Luk 10:12; 1Th 5:4; 2Th 1:10; 2Ti 1:12, 2Ti 1:18, 2Ti 4:8

have we : Mat 10:5-8; Num 24:4, Num 31:8; 1Ki 22:11-20; Jer. 23:13-32; Luk 13:26; Joh 11:51; Act 19:13-15; 1Co 13:1, 1Co 13:2; Heb 6:4-6

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

PBC: Mat 7:22

See PB: Job 8:13 

Haydock: Mat 7:22 - Have not we prophesied in thy name?

Have not we prophesied in thy name? The gift of prophecy, and of doing miracles, many sometimes be granted to bad men, as to Caiphas, and Balaam. (Witham) ---

Under the name of prophets, the Hebrews comprised not only such as predicted future events, but also in general all such as gave themselves out for inspired, or who undertook teaching and interpreting the holy Scriptures; and here by prophesying is understood, in a general acceptation, all public functions, predicting futurity, expounding Scripture, instructing the people, preaching, &c. (Bible de Vence)

Gill: Mat 7:22 - Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord // Lord, Lord // have we not prophesied in thy name // And in thy name have cast out devils // And in thy name done many wonderful works

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,.... That is, in the last day, the day of judgment, the great and famous day, fixed by God, unknown to angels and men, which will be terrible to some, and joyful to others; the day in which the faithful ministers of the Gospel shall be owned by Christ, and received into the kingdom of heaven: "many", not of the common people only, but of the preachers of the word, who have filled up the highest station in the church below; not one, or two, or a few of them only, but many of them "will say to me"; to Christ, who will appear then as the judge of quick and dead, to which he is ordained by his Father,

Lord, Lord; not "my Lord, my Lord", as the Syriac version reads it; for they will not be able to claim any interest in him, though they will be obliged to own his dominion, power, and authority over them. The word is repeated to show their importunity, sense of danger, the confusion they will be in, the wretched disappointment they will have; and therefore speak as persons amazed and confounded, having expected they would have been the first persons that should be admitted into heaven. Their pleas follow;

have we not prophesied in thy name? This may be understood either of foretelling things to come; which gift wicked men may have, who have never had any experience of the grace of God, as Balaam, and Caiaphas, and others; or rather of preaching the word, which is sometimes called prophesying, Rom 12:6 and which may be done in the name of Christ, pretending mission and authority from him, and to be preachers of him, and yet be no better than "sounding brass", or "a tinkling cymbal"; yea, nothing at all as to true grace, or spiritual experience.

And in thy name have cast out devils? Diabolical possessions were very frequent in the times of Christ; no doubt but they were suffered, that Jesus might have an opportunity of showing his power over Satan, by dispossessing him from the bodies, as well as the souls of men; and of giving proof of his deity, divine sonship and Messiahship: and this power of casting out devils was given to others, not only to the twelve apostles, among whom Judas was, who had the same power with the rest, and to the seventy disciples; but even to some who did not follow him, and his disciples, Mar 9:38 and some did this in the name of Jesus, who do not appear to have any true faith in him, and knowledge of him; as the vagabond Jews, exorcists, and the seven sons of Sceva, Act 19:13. An awful consideration it is, that men should be able to cast out devils, and at last be cast to the devil.

And in thy name done many wonderful works? that is, many miracles; not one, or a few only, but many; such as speaking with tongues, removing mountains, treading on serpents and scorpions, and drinking any deadly thing without hurt, and healing all manner of diseases and sicknesses. Judas, for one, was capable of pleading all these things; he had the gift of preaching, and a call from Christ to it, and yet a castaway; he had the power of casting out devils, and yet could not prevent the devil from entering into him; he could perform miracles, do wonders in Christ's name, and yet, at last, was the betrayer of him. These pleas and arguments will be of no use to him, nor of any avail to any at the great day. It may be observed, that these men lay the whole stress of their salvation upon what they have done in Christ's name; and not on Christ himself, in whom there is salvation, and in no other: they say not a syllable of what Christ has done and suffered, but only of what they have done. Indeed, the things they instance in, are the greatest done among men; the gifts they had were the most excellent, excepting the grace of God; the works they did were of an extraordinary nature; whence it follows, that there can be no salvation, nor is it to be expected from men's works: for if preaching the word, which is attended with so much study, care, and labour, will not be a prevailing argument to admit men into the kingdom of heaven; how can it be thought that ever reading, or hearing, or any other external performance of religion, should bring persons thither?