Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: Matthew
Ver. 30. As the angels. Not in every respect, for the body shall be likewise raised with the soul, whilst the angels are pure spirits: but in this we shall be like unto angels, we shall be endowed with immortality, and impassibility; and our joys, like those of the angels, shall be wholly spiritual. (Jansenius) --- If not to marry, nor to be married, be like unto angels, the state of religious persons, and of priests, is justly styled by the Fathers an angelic life. (St. Cyprian, lib. ii. de discip. et hab. Virg. sub finem.) (Bristow)
Ver. 32. He is not the God of the dead. Jesus Christ here proves the resurrection of the body by the immortality of the soul; because in effect these two tenets are inseparable. The soul being immortal, ought necessarily to be one day reunited to the body, to receive therein the recompense or punishment which it has merited in this same body, when it was clothed with it. --- By this text St. Jerome refutes the heretic Vigilantius, and in him many of modern date, who to diminish the honour Catholics pay to the saints, call them designedly dead men. But the Almighty is not the God of the dead; of consequence these patriarchs, dead as they are in our eyes as to their bodies, are still alive in the eyes of God as to their souls, which he has created immortal, and which he will undoubtedly have the power of reuniting to their bodies. --- The Sadducees were a profane sect, who denied the resurrection of the body, and the existence of angels and spirits, and any future state in another world: (see Acts xxiii. 8.) nor did they receive any books but the five books of Moses. Christ therefore, from a passage Exodus iii. 15, shewed them that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, had still a being; because God, 200 years after the death of the last, said thus to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, &c. He did not say, (as St. Chrysostom takes notice) I was the God of Abraham, &c. Therefore these souls had a being: for the Lord would not call himself the God of those who were not at all: no one calling himself lord or king of those who are no more. (Witham)
Ver. 34. The Pharisees heard that he had silenced their adversaries, the Sadducees, &c. Some of them, says St. Luke, (xx. 39.) applauded him, saying, Master, thou hast said well. (Witham) --- The Pharisees assembled themselves together, that they might confound him by their numbers, whom they could not by their arguments. Wherefore they said one to another: let one speak for all, and all speak by one, that if one be reduced to silence, he alone may appear to be refuted; and, if he is victorious, we may all appear conquerors. Hence it is said, And one of them, a doctor of the law, (St. Chrysostom) asked him, tempting him, if he were really possessed of that wisdom and that knowledge which people so much admired in him. (Bible de Vence)
Ver. 40. On these two, &c. Whereby it is evident that all dependeth not upon faith only, though faith be the first, but much more upon charity, which is the love of God and of our neighbour, and which is the sum of all the law and the prophets; because he that hath this double charity, expressed here by these two principal commandments, fulfilleth all that is commanded in the law and the prophets. (Bristow)
Ver. 45. If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? It was allowed of as a certain truth, that the Messias was to be the son of David. Christ shews them by David's own words, that he was the Lord as well as the son of David: and this is what they could not answer to. (Witham) --- Jesus Christ here inculcates to the Pharisees, that two natures must be admitted in the Messias; in one of which, viz. in his human nature, he is the son of David, and as such inferior to him; and in the other, viz. in his divine nature, he is the son of God, and consequently superior to David; whence this latter, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, justly calls him Lord. (Tirinus) --- Jesus Christ does not wish them to think that the Messias is not the son of David, but only wished to rectify their opinion concerning him. When therefore he asks how he is the son, he teaches them that he is not after the manner they understand it, the mere Son, but what is much more, the Lord also, of David. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. lxxii.)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
The parable of the marriage feast: Christ orders tribute to be paid to Cæsar: he confutes the Sadducees: shews which is the first commandment in the law: and puzzles the Pharisees.
1 And *Jesus answering, spoke to them again in parables, saying:
2 *The kingdom of heaven is like to a man being a king, who made a marriage for his son.
3 And he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come.
4 Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the wedding.
5 But they neglected, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise.
6 And the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death.
7 But when the king heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city.
8 Then he saith to his servants: The wedding indeed is ready; but they that were invited, were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite to the wedding.
10 And his servants going out into the highways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was filled with guests.
11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment.
12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? But he was silent.
13 Then the king said to the waiters: *Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
15 *Then the Pharisees going away, consulted among themselves how to ensnare him in his speech.
16 And they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou dost not regard the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore what dost thou think? is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not?
18 But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the coin of the tribute. And they offered him a penny.
20 And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this?
21 They say to him: Cæsar's. Then he saith to them: *Render therefore to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's: and to God, the things that are God's.
22 And hearing this, they wondered, and leaving him went their way.
23 The same day the Sadducees came to him, who say *there is no resurrection: and asked him,
24 Saying: Master, Moses said: *If a man die having no son, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up issue to his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first having married a wife, died: and not having issue, left his wife to his brother.
26 In like manner the second, and the third, and so on to the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 At the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage: but shall be as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you:
32 *I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And the multitudes hearing this, were in admiration at his doctrine.
34 And the Pharisees hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, came together:
35 *And one of them, a doctor of the law, asked him, tempting him:
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said to him: *Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.
38 This is the greatest and first commandment.
39 And the second is like to this: *Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.
41 And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying: What think you of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him: David's.
43 He saith to them: *How then doth David in spirit call him Lord: Saying:
44 *The Lord said to my Lord: Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no man was able to answer him a word: neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
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*
1: about the year A.D. 33.
2: Luke xiv. 16.; Apocalypse xix. 9.
15: Mark xii. 13.; Luke xx. 20.
21: Romans xiii. 7.
23: Acts xxiii. 6.
24: Deuteronomy xxv. 5.; Mark xii. 19.; Luke xx. 28.
32: Exodus iii. 6.
35: Mark xii. 28.; Luke x. 25.
37: Deuteronomy vi. 5.
39: Leviticus xix. 18.; Mark xii. 31.
43: Luke xx. 41.
44: Psalm cix. 1.