Teks -- Matthew 5:19 (NET)

5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

Robertson: Mat 5:19 - Shall do and teach

Shall do and teach ( poiēsēi kai didaxēi ).

Jesus puts practice before preaching. The teacher must apply the doctrine to himself before he is qualified to teach others. The scribes and Pharisees were men who "say and do not"(Mat 23:3), who preach but do not perform. This is Christ’ s test of greatness.

Wesley: Mat 5:19 - One of the least

So accounted by men; and shall teach - Either by word or example; shall be the least - That is, shall have no part therein.

JFB: Mat 5:19 - Whosoever therefore shall break

Rather, "dissolve," "annul," or make "invalid."

JFB: Mat 5:19 - one of these least commandments

An expression equivalent to "one of the least of these commandments."

JFB: Mat 5:19 - and shall teach men so

Referring to the Pharisees and their teaching, as is plain from Mat 5:20, but of course embracing all similar schools and teaching in the Christian Church.

JFB: Mat 5:19 - he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven

As the thing spoken of is not the practical breaking, or disobeying, of the law, but annulling or enervating its obligation by a vicious system of interpretation, and teaching others to do the same; so the thing threatened is not exclusion from heaven, and still less the lowest place in it, but a degraded and contemptuous position in the present stage of the kingdom of God. In other words, they shall be reduced by the retributive providence that overtakes them, to the same condition of dishonor to which, by their system and their teaching, they have brought down those eternal principles of God's law.

JFB: Mat 5:19 - but whosoever shall do and teach them

Whose principles and teaching go to exalt the authority and honor of God's law, in its lowest as well as highest requirements.

JFB: Mat 5:19 - the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven

Shall, by that providence which watches over the honor of God's moral administration, be raised to the same position of authority and honor to which they exalt the law.

Clarke: Mat 5:19 - Whosoever - shall break one of these least commandments

Whosoever - shall break one of these least commandments - The Pharisees were remarkable for making a distinction between weightier and lighter matters in the law, and between what has been called, in a corrupt part of the Christian Church, mortal and venial sins. See on Mat 22:36 (note)

Whosoever shall break. What an awful consideration is this! He who, by his mode of acting, speaking, or explaining the words of God, sets the holy precept aside, or explains away its force and meaning, shall be called least - shall have no place in the kingdom of Christ here, nor in the kingdom of glory above. That this is the meaning of these words is evident enough from the following verse.

Calvin: Mat 5:19 - Whoever then shall break // The kingdom of heaven

19.Whoever then shall break Christ here speaks expressly of the commandments of life, or the ten words, which all the children of God ought to take as the rule of their life. He therefore declares, that they are false and deceitful teachers, who do not restrain their disciples within obedience to the law, and that they are unworthy to occupy a place in the Church, who weaken, in the slightest degree, the authority of the law; and, on the other hand, that they are honest and faithful ministers of God, who recommend, both by word and by example, the keeping of the law. The least commandments is an expression used in accommodation to the judgment of men: for though they have not all the same weight, (but, when they are compared together, some are less than others,) yet we are not at liberty to think any thing small, on which the heavenly Legislator has been pleased to issue a command. For what sacrilege is it to treat contemptuously any thing which has proceeded from his sacred mouth? This is to sink his majesty to the rank of creatures. Accordingly, when our Lord calls them little commandments, it is a sort of concession. He shall be called the least This is an allusion to what he had just said about the commandments: but the meaning is obvious. Those who shall pour contempt on the doctrine of the law, or on a single syllable of it, will be rejected as the lowest of men. ³⁸⁴

The kingdom of heaven means the renovation of the Church, or the prosperous condition of the Church, such as was then beginning to appear by the preaching of the Gospel. In this sense, Christ tells us, that “ he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John,” (Luk 7:28.) The meaning of that phrase is, that God, restoring the world by the hand of his Son, has completely established his kingdom. Christ declares that, when his Church shall have been renewed, no teachers must be admitted to it, but those who are faithful expounders of the law, and who labor to maintain its doctrine entire. But it is asked, were not ceremonies among the commandments of God, the least of which we are now required to observe? I answer, We must look to the design and object of the Legislator. God enjoined ceremonies, that their outward use might be temporal, and their meaning eternal. That man does not break ceremonies, who omits what is shadowy, but retains their effect. But if Christ banishes from his kingdom all who accustom men to any contempt of the law how monstrous must be their stupidity, who are not ashamed to remit, by a sacrilegious indulgence, what God strictly demands, and, under the pretense of venial sin, to overthrow the righteousness of the law. ³⁸⁵ Again, we must observe the description he gives of good and holy teachers: that not only by words, but chiefly by the example of life, they exhort ³⁸⁶ men to keep the law.

Defender: Mat 5:19 - least in the kingdom

We "in the kingdom" are held accountable (especially when we teach others) for believing and obeying all God's commands. There are no insignificant or non-inspired statements in the Bible."

TSK: Mat 5:19 - shall break // these // shall teach // the least // do // great

shall break : Deu 27:26; Psa 119:6, Psa 119:128; Gal 3:10-13; Jam 2:10,Jam 2:11

these : Mat 23:23; Deu 12:32; Luk 11:42

shall teach : Mat 15:3-6, Mat 23:16-22; Mal 2:8, Mal 2:9; Rom 3:8, Rom 6:1, Rom 6:15; 1Ti 6:3, 1Ti 6:4; Rev 2:14, Rev 2:15, Rev 2:20

the least : Mat 11:11; 1Sa 2:30

do : Mat 28:20; Act 1:1; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14-24; Phi 3:17, Phi 3:18, Phi 4:8, Phi 4:9; 1Th 2:10-12, 1Th 4:1-7; 1Ti 4:11, 1Ti 4:12, 1Ti 6:11; Tit 2:8-10, Tit 3:8

great : Mat 19:28, Mat 20:26; Dan 12:3; Luk 1:15, Luk 9:48, Luk 22:24-26; 1Pe 5:4

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

Poole: Mat 5:19

Whosoever shall in his practice violate but one of the commandments of God, which the Pharisees judge of the least, and which possible are so compared with others, and shall teach men that they may do as he doth, making such false interpretations of the law as may warrant such a practice, he shall be accounted of the least value and esteem in the church of God, and shall never come into the kingdom of glory: but he who shall strictly and uniformly obey all the commandments, and teach others to do the like by his doctrine and example, that man shall have a great renown and reputation in the church, which is the kingdom of heaven upon earth, and shall have a great reward in the kingdom of glory hereafter.

Haydock: Mat 5:19 - He shall be called

He shall be called; i.e. (by a frequent Hebrew idiom) he shall be the least in the kingdom of heaven; that is, according to St. Augustine he shall not be there at all; for none but the great in sanctity and virtue shall find admittance into heaven. (Witham) ---

Do not then imitate the Scribes and Pharisees, who content themselves with instructing other in the precepts of the law, without practising them themselves, or if they observe the letter, neglect the spirit of the law, performing what it ordain, not to please God, but to satisfy their vanity. (Calmet)

Gill: Mat 5:19 - Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments // And shall teach men so // he shall be called // the least in the kingdom of heaven // whosoever shall do and teach // the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,.... Which are to be understood not of the beatitudes in the preceding verses, for these were not delivered by Christ under the form of commandments; nor of any of the peculiar commands of Christ under the Gospel dispensation; but of the precepts of the law, of which some were comparatively lesser than others; and might be said to be broke, loosed, or dissolved, as the word here used signifies, when men acted contrary to them.

And shall teach men so; not only teach them by their example to break the commandments, but by express orders: for however gross and absurd this may seem to be, that there should be any such teachers, and they should have any hearers, yet such there were among the Jews; and our Lord here manifestly strikes at them: for notwithstanding the great and excellent things they say of the law, yet they tell us, that the doctors of the sanhedrim had power to root anything out of the law; to loose or make void any of its commands, for a time, excepting in the case of idolatry; and so might any true prophet, or wise man; which they pretend is sometimes necessary for the glory of God, and the good of men; and they are to be heard and obeyed, when they say, transgress anyone of all the commands which are in the law ^h. Maimonides says ⁱ, that the sanhedrim had power, when it was convenient, for the time present, to make void an affirmative command, and to transgress a negative one, in order to return many to their religion; or to deliver many of the Israelites from stumbling at other things, they may do whatsoever the present time makes necessary: for so, adds he, the former wise men say, a man may profane one sabbath, in order to keep many sabbaths. And elsewhere ^k he affirms,

"if a prophet, whom we know to be a prophet, should order us לעבור על אחת מכל מצות, "to transgress anyone of the commands", which are mentioned in the law, or many commands, whether light or heavy, for a time, we are ordered to hearken to him; and so we learn from the former wise men, by tradition, that in everything a prophet shall say to thee עבור על דברי תורה, "transgress the words of the law", as Elias on Mount Carmel, hear him, except in the case of idolatry.''

And another of their writers says ^l,

"it is lawful sometimes to make void the law, and to do that which appears to be forbidden.''

Nay, they even ^m say, that if a Gentile should bid an Israelite transgress anyone of the commands mentioned in the law, excepting idolatry, adultery, and murder, he may transgress with impunity, provided it is done privately. You see what reason Christ had to express himself in the manner he does, and that with resentment, saying,

he shall be called, or be

the least in the kingdom of heaven; meaning either the church of God, where he shall have neither a name, nor place; he shall not be in the least esteemed, but shall be cast out as a worthless man; or the ultimate state of happiness and glory, in the other world, where he shall not enter, as is said in the next verse; but, on the other hand,

whosoever shall do and teach; whose doctrine and conversation, principles and practices agree together; who both teach obedience to the law, and perform it themselves: where again he glances at the masters in Israel, and tacitly reproves them who said, but did not; taught the people what they themselves did not practise; and so were unworthy of the honour, which he that both teaches and does shall have: for

the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven; he shall be highly esteemed of in the church here, and be honoured hereafter in the world to come. The Jews have a saying somewhat like this;

"he that lessens himself for the words of the law in this world, נעשה גדול, "he shall become great" in the world to come ⁿ,''

or days of the Messiah.