Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets;

then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten in thy presence and drunk, and thou hast taught in our streets;

Then ye will begin to say, We have eaten and drank in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

then ye may begin to say, We did eat before thee, and did drink, and in our broad places thou didst teach;

"Then you will plead, "'We have eaten and drunk in your company and you have taught in our streets.'

Then you will say, We have taken food and drink with you, and you were teaching in our streets.

Thou hast taught in our streets Christ expressly states, that it will be of no advantage to the Jews, that he approached near to them, and permitted them to enjoy familiar intercourse with him, if, when called, they do not answer at the appointed day. But he does not follow out his comparison: for, after having spoken about the master of a house, he now states, without a figure, that he is himself the judge; and indeed the words, thou hast taught in our streets, can apply to no one but himself. We now perceive his design, which was, to warn the Jews not to allow themselves to lose, by their own neglect, the salvation which it is in their power to obtain.

We have eaten - Compare Matthew 7:22-23. To have eaten with one is evidence of acquaintanceship or friendship. So the sinner may allege that he was a professed follower of Jesus, and had some evidence that Jesus was his friend. There is no allusion here, however, to the sacrament. The figure is taken from the customs of people, and means simply that they had professed attachment, and perhaps supposed that Jesus was their friend.
In thy presence - With thee - as one friend does with another.
Thou hast taught - Thou didst favor us, as though thou didst love us. Thou didst not turn away from us, and we did not drive thee away. All this is alleged as proof of friendship. It shows us:
1. On how slight evidence people will suppose themselves ready to die. How slender is the preparation which even many professed friends of Jesus have for death! How easily they are satisfied about their own piety! A profession of religion, attendance on the preaching of the word or at the sacraments, or a decent external life, is all they have and all they seek. With this they go quietly on to eternity - go to disappointment, wretchedness, and woe!
2. None of these things will avail in the day of judgment. It will be only true love to God, a real change of heart, and a life of piety, that can save the soul from death. And oh! how important it is that all should search themselves and see what is the real foundation of their hope that they shall enter into heaven!

(7) Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
(7) It is vain to be in the Church if one is not of the Church; and whether or not one is in the Church is shown by the purity of life.

Then shall ye begin to say,.... Or ye shall say; in favour of themselves, and in order to be admitted within, the following pleas will be made by them:
we have eaten and drank in thy presence: which may be understood both literally of many, who were miraculously led by Christ, or at whose tables he had ate and drank, and they with him; as did not only publicans and sinners, but some of the Pharisees, who invited him to their houses; and in a religious sense, of many who eat of the legal sacrifices; and of others, who eat the bread, and drink the wine at the Lord's table; all which will be insufficient to introduce men into the kingdom and glory of Christ: natural relation to Christ, which the Jews may claim, being born of them, and personal acquaintance with him, and a bare profession of him, will be of no avail another day:
and thou hast taught in our streets; in the streets of many cities in Galilee and Judea: it was customary with the Jewish doctors to teach in the streets:
"says Rabba, behold I am as Ben Azzai, in the streets of Tiberias (a);''
the gloss upon it is,
"who was , "expounding in the streets of Tiberias."''
And it is said (b) of Rabban Jochanan ben Zaccai,
"that he was sitting in the shade of the temple, and expounding all the whole day;''
the gloss on the place is,
"the temple being an hundred cubits high, its shade went very far "in the street", which is before the mountain of the house; and because "the street" was large, and held abundance of men, he was expounding there by reason of the heat, for no school could hold them:''
and it is also said of R. Chija (c), that
"he went out and taught his brother's two sons, "in the street".''
So that what our Lord did, was no other than what was usual with their doctors; nor is this contrary to what is said in See Gill on Matthew 12:19, this is also a fruitless plea and which will be of no service; it will signify nothing, to have heard Christ preached, or Christ himself preach, unless there is faith in him, which works by love; for not hearers of the word only, but doers of it are regarded.
(a) T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 29. 1. (b) T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 26. 1. (c) T. Bab. Moed Katon, fol. 16. 2.

See on the similar passage (Matthew 7:22-23).
eaten and drunk, &c.--We have sat with Thee at the same table. (See on Matthew 7:22).
taught in our streets--Do we not remember listening in our own streets to Thy teaching? Surely we are not to be denied admittance?

We did eat and drink in thy presence. Compare with Matthew 7:22, where see notes.