Chapter XXVIII (continued, part 7)
7-10. 44. appear not, Ac.—As one might unconsciously walk over a grave concealed from view, and thus contract ceremonial defilement, so the plausible exterior of the Pharisees kept people fi'om perceiving the pollution they contracted from coming in contact with such corrupt
Christ's Echorlatum against Hypocrisy, LUKE XII. against Covetousness, and to Watdifvluest,
characters. See Psalm 5.9; Romans 3.13. (A diflerent
(4.) As Clirist's "meekness and gentleness" were not compromised by such harsh notes as these, so those servants of Christ want their Master's spirit who soften down all such language to please ears ' polite.' See on Mark 9. 43-48, 6, 7. Ave for two farthings—in Matthew 10. 29 it is "two for one farthing;" so if one took two farthings' worth, he got one ' in addition'—of such small value were they, than many sparrows—not ' than millions of sparrows ;' the charm and power of our Lord's teaching (is') very much in this simplicity. 8, 9. confess . . . deny, &c.—The point lies In doing it " before men," because cue has to do it "despising the shame." But when done, the Lord holds Himself bound to repay It in kind by confessing such " before the angels of God." For the rest, see on ch. 9. 26. 10. Son of man . . . Holy Ghost—See on Matthew 12. 31, 32.
Illustration from Matthew 23. 27.) 46. burdens grievous, &c.—Referring not so much to the irksomeness of the
legal rites (though they were irksome. Acts 15. 10), as to the heartless rigour with which they were enforced, and by men of shameless Inconsistency. 47, 48. ye build, Ac.—Out of pretended respect and honour, they repaired and beautified the sepulchres of the prophets, and with whining hypocrisy .said, " If we had been in the days of oui fathers, we should not have been partakers with them
In ll.e blood of the prophets," while all the time they " were witnesses to themselves that tliey were tlie children
of them that killed the prophets," Matthew 23. 29, 30 ; convicting themselves daily of as exact a resemblance in
spirit and character to the very classes over whose deeds they pi-etended to mourn, as child to parent. 49-51. said the Wisdom, <tc.—a remarkable variation of the words
13-53. Covetousness — Watchfulness—Superiority TO Earthly Ties. 13. Master, &c.—q. d., ' Great Preacher of righteousness, help; there is need of Thee in this rapacious world; here am I the victim of injustice, and that from my own brother, who withholds from me my rightful share of the inheritance that has fallen to us.' In this most Inopportune intrusion upon the solemnities of our Lord's teaching, there is a mixture of the absurd and the irreverent, the one, however, occasioning
In Matthew 23. 34, "Behold I send." As there seems plainly an all usion to anclen t warni ngs of what God would do with so incorrigible a people, so here Christ, stepping majestically Into the place of God, so to speak, says, ' Now
I am going to carry all that out.' Could this be other than
the Lord God of Israel in the Jlesh f all required of this generation—As it was only in the last generation of them
that "the iniquity of the Amorites was full" (Genesis 15.
thf^ other. The man had not the least idea that his case was not of as urgent a nature, and as worthy the attention of our Lord, as any thing else He could deal with. 14. Man, &c. Contrast this style of address with "my friends;"
16), and then the abominations of ages were at once com-
pletely and awfully avenged, so the iniquity of Israel was allowed to accumulate from age to age till in that generation it came to the full, and tlie whole collected vengeance of Heaven broke at once over its devoted head. In the
V. 4. Wlio, &c.—a question literally repudiating the office which Sloses assumed. (Exodus 2. 14.) T?ie influence of religious teachers in the external relations of life has ever been immense, when only the indirect effect of their teadting ; bat whenever they intermeddle directly with secular and political matters, tlie spell of that influence is broken. 15. uikto them—The multitude around Him, v. 1. of covetousness—The best copies have "all," i.e., "every kind i f covetousness ;" because as this was one of the more plausible forms of It, so He would strike at once at the root of the evil, a man's life, &o.—a singularly weighty maxim, and not less so because its meaning and its truth are equally evident. 16-19. a certain man, &c.—Why Is this man called a "fool?" (1.) Because he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human felicity. (2.) Because, possessing the means of this, through prosperity in his calling, he flattered him-
first French Revolution the same awful principle was exemplified, and Christendom has not done with it yet. prophets—in the New Testament sense (Matthew 23. 34); see 1 Corinthians 12. 28. blood of Zacliarlas—Probably the allusion is not to any recent murder, but to 2 Chronicles U. 20-22, as the Uisl recorded and most suitable case for
Illustration. And as Zacharias' last words were, "The
IiOrd require it," so they are warned that " of that genera-
tion it should be required." 53. fcey of knowledge—not the key to open knowledge, but knowledge, the only key
to open heaven. In Matthew 23. 13, they are accused of thuUing heaven; here of taking away the key, which was worse. A right knowledge of God's word is eternal life (John 17. 3); but this they took away from the people, substituting for it their wretched traditions. 53, 54. Exceedingly vivid and affecting. They were stung to the quick—and can we wonder?—yet had not materiais for the charge they were preparing against him. provoke him, &c.—
self that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, and nothing to do but give himself up to it. Nothing else is laid to his charge. 20, 21. this night, &c.—This sudden cutting short of his career is designed to express not only the folly of building securely upon the future, but of throwing one's whole soul Into what maj'' at any moment be gone. " His soul being required of him " is put in opposition to his own treatment of it, "I will say to my soul. Soul," &c. whose shall those things be, &c.—cf. Psalm
' to harass him with questions.'
Ver. 1-12. Warnino AGAINST Hypocrisy. 1-3. meantime—in close connection, probably, with the foregoing Bcene. Our Lord had been speaking out more plainly than ever before, as matters were coming to a head between
39. 6, " He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them." so Is he, <fec.—Such Is a picture of his folly here, and of its awful issue. Is not rich, &c.—Lives to amass and enjoy riches which terminate on self, but as to the riches of God's favour, which is life (Psalm 30. 5), of "precious" faith (2 Peter 1.1; James 2. 5), of good works
Him and His enemies, and this seems to have suggested
to His own mind the warning here. He had just Himself
illustriously exemplified His own precepts, his disciples first of all—afterwards to "the multitudes," t'. 54. covered—from the view, hid—from knowledge. ' 'Tis no use concealing anything, for all will one day come out. Give free and fearless utterance then to all tlie truth.'
(1 Timothy 6. 18), of wisdom which is better than rubies (Proverbs 8. 11)—lives and dies a beggar! 54;J-31.—See on ?iattliew 6. 25-33. 35, 36. which of you, &c. -' Corroding solicitude will not bring you the least of the things ye fret about, though it may double the evil of wanting them. .\nd if not tlie least, why vex yourselves about things of more consequence?' of doubtful, &c.—
(Cf. 1 Corinthians 4. 3, 5.) 4, 5. I say, &c.— ' You will say. That may cost us our life.' ' Be it so;' ' but, " my friends," there their power ends.' He calls them " friends" here, not In any loose sense, but, as we think, from the feeling he tlien had that in this "killing of the body" Jle and they were going to be affectlngly one with each other. P'enr Him . . . fear Him—how striking the repetition here ! Only the one fear would effecluaUy expel the other, after he hath killed,
' unsettled ' mind, put off your balance. 33. little flock, &c.—How sublime and touching a contrast between this tender and pitying appellation, "Little flock" (In the original a double diminutive, which In German can be expressed, but not In English)—a^d the "good pleasure" of the Father to give them the Kingdom; the one recalling the tnsignlflcunce and helplessness of that then lit«ral handful of disciples
iic.—Learn here—(1.) To play false witli one's convictions
to save one's life, may fail of its end after all, for God can
Inflict a violent death in some other and equally formidable way. (2.) There is a it seems, for the body as wel 1 as the soul; consequently, sufferings adapted to tl)e one as well as the other. (3.) ^ear of hell is a divinely nuMiorlzed and needed luo'.ive of action even to Ciirist's " friends."
tlie other holding up to their view the eternal love tlial encircled them, the everlasting arms that were underneath them, and the high Inheritance awaiting theral—
An Exhortation to be Ready. LUKE XIII. The Parable of the Ban-en Fiij Tree.
wnat a pre.ssure of spirit is upon me.' till It be accompllslied— till it be over. Before a promiscuous audience, such obscure language was fit on a theme like this; but oh what surges of mysterious emotion in the view of what was now so near at hand does it reveal! peacel nay—the reverse of peace, in the first instance. See on Matthew 10. 34-36. The connection of all this with the foregoing warnings about Hypocrisy, Covetousness, and Watchfulness, is deeply solemn: 'My conflict hastens apace; Mine over, yours begins; and then, let the servants tread in their Master's steps, uttering their testimony entire and fearless, neither loving nor dreading tho world, anticipating awful wrenclies of the dearest ties In
"the kingdom :" 'grand word ; then why not " oreaa, ' v.
31.' IBengel.] Well mieht He say, " Feiir not!" 33, 34.
stll, &o.—This is but a more vivid expression of Matthew
6. J9-21 (see note there). 35-40. loins girded—to fasten up the long outer garment, always done before travel and work (2 Kings 4.29; Acts 12. 8). The meaning is, Be in readiness, lights, &c.—See on Matthew 25. 1. return from the wedding—not come to it, as the parable of the
"Virgins. Both have their spiritual significance ; butprcparedness for Christ's coming is the prominent idea—gird
himself, (fee—'a promise the most august of all: Thus will the Bridegroom entertain his friends [n&y, servants] on the solemn Nuptial Day.' [Bengel.] second . . .
tlili-d watch—To find them ready to receive Him at any hour of day or night, when one might least of all expect Him, Is peculiarly blessed. A servant may be truly faith-
life, but looking forward, as I do, to the completion of their testimony, when, reaching the haven after the tempest, they shall enter into the joy of their Lord.'
54-59. Not Discerning the Signs of the Time. 54, to the people—'the multitude,' a word of special warning to the thoughtless crowd, before dismissing them. See on Matthew 10. 2. 3. how . . . not discern, &c.—unable to perceive what a critical period that was for the Jewish Church, why not of yourselves, (Sc.—Tbey might say. To do this requires more knowledge of Scripture and providence than we possess; but He sends them to their own conscience, as enough to show them who He was, and win them to immediate discipleship. when thou goest, ifec.—See on Matthew 5. 25, 26. The urgency of the case with them, and the necessity, for their oum safety, of in>- mediate decision, was the object of these striking words.
ful, even though taken so far unawares that he has not everything In such order and readiness for his master's return as he thinks is due to him, and both could and would have had if he had had notice of the time of his coming, and so may not be willing to open to him "immediately," but fly to preparation, and let his master knock again ere he admit him, and even then »to< with full
joy. A too common case this with Christians. But if the servant have himself and all under his charge in such a
stiite that at any hour when his master knocks, he can open to him " immediately," and hail his "return "—that
is the most enviable, " blessed " servant of all. 41-48. to
Its or to all 1—us the Twelve, or all this vast audience? Who then, &c.—answering the question indirectly by another question, from which they were left to gather what it would be:—'To you certainly in the first instance, representing the "stewards" of the "household" I am about to collect, but generally to all "servants" in My house.' faithful and Fidelity is the first requisite in a servant, jw'srfom (discretion and judgment in the exer-
Ver. 1-9. The Lesson, ' Repent ob Perish,' Suggested BY Two Recent Incidents, and Illustrated by thb Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. 1-3. Galileans— possibly the followers of Judas of Galilee, who, some twenty years before this, taught that Jews should not pay tribute to the Romans, and of whom we learn, from Acts
cise of his functions), the next, steward—house-steward, whose it was to distribute to the servants their allotted portion of food, shall make—will deem fit to be made, made Iilm ruler over all he hath—will advance htm to
5. 37, that he drew after him a multitude of followers, who on his being slain were all dispersed. About this time that party would be at its height, ,md if Pilate caused thla detachment of them to be waylaid and put todeatn as they were offering their sacrifices at one of the festivalsthat would be "mingling their blood witli tlieir sacri-
the highest post, referring to the world to come. (See Matthew 25. 21, begin to beat, Ac—in the confidence that his Lord's return will not be speedy, throws off the servant and plays the master, maltreating those faithful servants who refuse to join him, seizing on and revelling in the fulness of his master's board ; intending, when he has got his fill, to resume the mask of fidelity ere his master appear, cut him In sunder—a punishment not unknown in the East ; cf. Hebrews 11. 37, " Sawn asunder;"
fices." [Grotius, Webster and Wilkinson, but doubted by De Wette, Meyer, Alford, &c.] News of this l>eing brought to our Lord, to draw out His views of such, and whether it was not a judgment of Heaven, He simply points them to the practical view of the matter: 'These men are not signal examples of Divine vengeance, as ye suppose; but every impenitent sinner ye yourselves, except ye repent—shall be like monuments of the judgment of Heaven, and in a more awful sense.' The reference here to the impending destruction of Jerusalem Is far from exhausting our Lord's weighty words; they manifestly point to a "perdition" of a more awful kind future, personal, remediless. 4, 5. tower In Slloam probaljly one of the towers ol the city wall, near the pool of Siloam. Of its fall nothing is known. 6-9. flg tree Israel, as the visible witness of God in the world, but generally all within the pale of tho visible Church ol God
1 Samuel 15. 33; Daniel 2.5. the unbelievers—'the un-
faithful,' those unworthy of trust; Matthew 24.51, "the hypocrites" — falsely calling themselves "servants." knew not—i. e., knew but partially ; for some knowledge
is presupposed both in the name "servant" of Christ, and his being liable to punishment at all. many . . . few stripes—degrees of future punishment proportioned to the knowledge sinned against. Even heathens are not without knowledge enough for future judgment; but the reference here is not to such. It Is a solemn truth, and though general, like all other revelations -of the future world discloses a tangible and momentous principle in
Its awards. 49-53. to send—'cast.' Are—'the higher spiritual element of life which Jesus came to intriHince Into this earth (ef. Matthew 3. II), with reference to its mighty effects in quickening all that is akin to it and destroying all that is opposed. To cause this element of life to take up Us abode on earth, and wholly to pervade human
a familiar figure, cf. Isaiah 5. 1-7; John 15. 1-8, Ac rlneyard—a spot selected for its fertility, separated from the surrounding fields, and cultivated with special care, with a view solely to fruit, came and souglit fruit—a heart turned to God; the fruits of righteousness; cf. Matthew
21. 33, 34, and Isaiah 5. 2, "He looked that It should bring forth fruit:"^He has a right to It, and will re<juire It. tliree years—a long enough trial for a fig tree, and so denoting probably just a sufficient period of culture for spiritual fruit. The supposed allusion to the duration of our Lord's ministry is precarious, cut It down—indignant language, cumbereth—not only doing no good, but wasting ground. He answering, Ac.—Christ, as Intercessor, loth to see it cut down so long as there was any hope, see v. 34. dig, Ac.—loosen the earth about it and enrich it with manure; pointing to changes of method in the Dlvlue treatment of the Impenileut, lu order to fresb
heai-ts with its warmth, was the lofty destiny of the Redeemer.' [Olshausen: so Calvin, Stier, Ai.ford, Ac] what will I, &c.—an obscure expression, uttered under deep and half-smothered emotion. In its general Import
all are agreed; but the nearest to the precise meaning Beeras to be, 'And what should I have to desire if it were once already kindled?' [Bengki. and Bloomkiei.d.] But ... a baptism, &c.—clearly. His own bloody baptism,
first to take place, how straitenednot, 'how do I long for Its accomplishment,' as many understand It, thus making it but a repetition of the former verso; but 112
The Iftistard Seed and the Leaven. LUKE XIV. Healing of a Dropsical Man,
•pirltual culture. U fruit, well—Genuine repentance, however late, avails to save. (Ch. 23. 42, 43.) after tbat,
31-35. Message TO Herod. 31. and depart hence—and 'go forward,' on. He was on His way out of Perea. east of Jordan, and in Herod's dominions, "journeying towards Jerusalem" (u. 22). Haunted by guilty fears, probably, Herod wanted to get rid of Him (see on Mark <!.
&c.—The final perdition of such as, after tlie utmost limits of reasonable forbearance, are found fruitless, will be pre-eminently and confessedly just. (Proverbs 1. 24-31
14), and seems, from our Lord's answer, to have sent these Pharisees, under pretence of a friendly hint, to persuade Him that the sooner He got beyond Herod's jurisdiction the better it would be for His own safety. Our Lord saw througli both of them, and sends the cunning ruler a message couched in dignified and befitting irony, that fox—that crafty, cruel enemy of God's innocent servants. Behold I cast out devils and I do cures q. d.,
Ezeklel 24. la)
lO^n. Woman OF Eighteen Ykars'Infiemitv Healed ON THE Sabbath. U. spirit of lullriiUty— Cf. v. 17, "whom Solan hath bound." From this it is probable, though not certain, that her protracted infirmity was the
effect of some milder form of possession ; yet she was "a daughter of Abraham," in the same gracious sense, no doubt, as Zaccheus, after his conversion, was "a son of Abraham." (Ch. 19. 9.) la. 13. said, 'Woman . and laid—both at once. U, witli Indl^^atiou—not so mucli at the sabbath violation as at the glorification of Christ.
' Plot on and ply thy wiles; I also have My plans; My works of mercy are uearing completion, but some yet remain; I have work for to-day and to-morrow too, and the third day; by that time I shall be where his jurisdiction reaches not; the guilt of my blood shall not lie at his door; that dark deed is reserved for others.' He does not say, I preach the Gospel—that would have made little impression upon Herod—in tlie light of the merciful character of Christ's actions the malice of Herod's snares is laid bare. [Bengel.] to-day, to-morrow, the third day—remarkable language expressive of successive steps of His work yet remaining, the calm deliberateness with which He meant to go througli with tiiein, one after another, to the
Cf. Matth,ew 21, 15, [Tkench.J said to tlie people—' not daring directly to find fault witli the Lord, ne seeks circuitously to reach Him through the people, who were more under his iufluence, and whom lie feared less.' (Trench.] 16. tlie Iiord—see on ch. 10, 1. hypocrite J— How " the faithful and true "vyitness" tears off tlie masits which men wear! his ox, &c.—see on Mattliew 12. 9-13; and ch. 6. 9. ought uot, <fec.—How gloriously the Lord vindicates tlie superior claims of this woman, in consideration of the sadness and long duration of her suffering, and of her diguity notwithstanding, as an heir of the promise
last, unmoved b.v Herod's threat.yet the rapid march with which they were now hastening to completion. (Cf. John
22. 18.) I shall be perfected—'I finiali my course,' '1 attain completion.' It cannot be thett a prophet, &Q.—
18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings. 18-ai. muistard need . . . leaven—see on Mark 4. 30-32. The parable of "The Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while " tlie Mustard Seed" seems
q. d., ' It would never do that,' <fec.—awful severity of satire this upon "the bloody city!" 'He seeks to "Kill me," does he? Ah! I must be out of Herod's jurisdiction for that. Go tell him I neither fly from him nor fear him, but Jerusalem is the prophets' slaughter-house.' 34, 33. O Jerusalem, &c.—See on Matthew 23, 37, 39.
to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that " the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leaven. Nor does it yield much satisfaction to understand the "three measures of meal" of that three-
fold division of our nature into "spirit, soul, and body," alluded to in 1 Thessalonians 5. 23, or of the threefold par-
'Ver. 1-24. Hbaung of a Dkopsical Man, and Manifold Teachings at a Sabbath Feast. 3. Man before him—Not one of the company, since this was apparently before the guests sat down, and probably the man came in hope of a cure, though not expressly soliciting it. [1)b Wette.] 3-6. See on Matthew 12. 11, 12. 7-11. a parable —showing that His design was not so much to inculcate mere politeness or good manners, as underneath this to teach something deeper (v. 11). chief room^—' principal
tition of the world among the three sons of Noah (Genesis
10. 32), as some do. It yields more real satisfaction to see In this brief parable just the all-penetrating and assimi-
latino quality of the Gospel, by virtue of which it will yet nould all institutions and tribes of men, and exiiibit over the whole earth one "Kingdom of our Lord aud of
ais Christ." (See on Revelation 11. 15.) 33. Lord, Acone of those curious questions by talking of which some
flatter themselves they are religioiis. said unto tUeiu vhe multitude; taking no notice of the man or his ques-
seats,' in the middle part of the couch on which they rcr clined at meals, esteemed the most honourable, wedding —and seating thyself at the wedding-/ea*Z. Our Lord avoids the appearance of personality by this delicate allusion to a different kind of entertainment than this of his host. [Bengel.] the lowest^not a tower merely. [Bengel.] with shame—' To be lowest is only ignominious to him who affects the highe^.' [Bengel.] friend—said to the modest guest only, not the proud one, v. 9. [Bengel.
tion, save as furnishing the occasion of a solemn warning not to trifle with so momentous a matter as "salvation." strive—The word signifies to ' contend' as for the mastery, to 'struggle,' expressive of the diJficuUi/ ol being saved, as If one would have to force hit way in. strait gate another figure of the same. See note on Mattliew 7. 13, 14. for many tv I II seek desire, i. e., with a mere wish or slothful endeavour, and shall not be able—because it must be made a li/e-and-death struggle. Master of the house is risen up and liath shut to the door—awfully sublime and vivid picture! At present he is represented as in a sitting posture, as if calmly looking on to see who will "strive," while entrance Is practicable, and who will merely "seek" to enter in. But this is to have an end, by the great Masterof the house Himself rising and shutting the door, after which there will be no admittance. Lord, Lord—emphatic reduplication, expressive of the e.irnestness now felt, but too late. See on Matthew 7. 21, 22. 26, XT. See on the similar passage, Matthew 7. 22, '2H. eaten and drunk, &c.—we have sat with Thee at the same table, taught In our streets—Do we not remember listening in our own streets to Thy teaching 7 Surely we are not to be denied admittance? But he shall say, etc.—iVb nearness of external communion with Christ will avail at the great daj). In place of that "holiness wiiJumt which no man shall see the Ijord." Observe the which Christ intimates that He win then assume.thatofabsolute Disposer of men'seternal destinies, and contrast it with His "despised and rejected"
| worship—honour. The whole of this is but a reproduction of Proverbs 25. 6, 7. But it was reserved for the matchless Teacher to utter articulately, and apply to the regulation
of llie minutest features of social life, such great laws of the Kingdom of God as that of v. 11, " 'Whosoever," Ac.— couching them in a chaste simplicity and proverbial terseness of style which makes them "apples of gold In a setting of silver." See on ch. 18. 14. 13-14. call not thy friends—Jesus certainly did not mean us to dispense with the duties of ordinary fellowship, but, remitting these to
tlieir proper place, inculcates what is better. [Bengel.]
lest ... a recompense be given thee—a fear the world la not afflicted with. [Bengel.] The meaning, however, is that no exercise of principle is involved in it, as selfishness
itself will suffice to prompt to It (Matthew 5. 46, 47). call the poor—'Such God Himself calls,' v. 21. [Bengel.] blessed—acting from disinterested, god-like compassion
for the wretched. 15-24. when one ... . heard ... he said, Blessed, &c.—As Our Lord's words seemed to hold
forth the future "recompense" under the idea of a great
Feast, Uie thought passes through this man's mind, how
ywdltlon at that time. 38, 39. See on Matthew 8. 11. 12.
2Ti« Parable of the Great Supper. LUKE XV. The Parable of the Lost Sheep.
final journey to Jerusalem. The "great multitudes" were doubtless people going to the Passover, who moved along in clusters (ch. 2. 44), and who on this occasion falling in with our Lord had formed themselves into one mass about Him. 26, 'il. If any man, Ac—See on Matthew 10. 34-36, and Mark 8. 34, 35. !J8-33. wblcU of you, &c.—Common sense teaches men not to &ej/in any costly work without
blessed they would be who should be honoured to sit down to it. Our Lord's reply is in substance this: 'The great Feast Is prepared already; the Invitations are issued, but declined; the feast, notwithstanding, shall not want abundance of guests; but not one of its present contemners who shall yet come to sue for admission—shall be allowed to taste of it.' This shows what was lacking in the seemingly pious exclamation of this man. It was Balaam's, " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be
first seeing that they have wherewithal to finish. And he who does otherwise exposes himself to general ridicule. Nor will any wise potentate enter on a war with any hos-
like his" (Numbers 23. 10), without any anxiety about living his life; fondly wishing that all were riglit with him
tile power without first seeing to it that, despite formidable odds (two to one), he be able to stand his ground ; arkd
at lUJst, while all heedless of the precious jM-eseni. a great sapper — Cf. Isaiah 25.6. bade many— historically , the Jews (see on Matthew 22. 3k generally, those within the pale of professed discipleship. supper-time . . . all uow ready—pointing undoubtedly to the now ripening preparations for the great Gospel call. See on Matthew 22. 4. all began to make excuse—Cf. Matthew 22.5. Three ex-
if he has no hope of this, he will feel that nothing remains for him but to make the best terms he can. " Even so," says our Lord, ' in the warfare you will each have to wage as my disciples, despise not your enemy's strength, for the odds are all against you ; and you had better see to it that, despite exery disadvantage, you still have wherewithal to hold out and win the day, or else not begin at
cuses, given as specimens of the rest, answer to " the care
all, and make the best you can in such awful circumstances.' In this simple sense of the parable—(Stier, AlFORD, &c.,go wide of the mark here in making the enemy to be God, because of the "conditions of peace," v. 32) two things are taught: (1.) Better not begin (Revelation
of this woi-ld" {v. 18), " the deceitfulness of riches" {v. 19 j, and " the pleasures of this life" (v. 20), which " choke the word" (Matthew 13. 22 and ch. 8. 11). Each difl'ers from the other, and each has its own plausibility, but all come to the same
result: ' We have other tilings to attend to, more pressing just now.' Kobody is represented as saying, I will not come; nay, all the answers imply that but for certain things they woidd come, and when these are out of the way they will come. So it certainly is in the case intended,
3. 15), than begin and not finish. (2.) Though the contest for salvation be on our part an awfully unequal one, the human will. In the exercise of that "faith which overcometh the world" (1 John 5. 4), and nerved by power from above, which "out of weakness makes it strong" (Hebrews 11.34;1 Peter 1.5), becomes heroical and will come otl'"more tlian conqueror." But without absolute surrender of self the contest is hopeless, v. 33. 34, 35. salt, &c.—See on Matthew 5. 13-16; and Mark 9.50.
for the last words clearly imply that the refusers will one day hQcoma petitioners, came and told, &c.—saying as in Isaiah 63. 1. ' It is the part of ministers to report to the Loi'd in their prayers the compliance or refusiU of their
hearers.' [Benuei,.] angry— in one sense a gracious word, showing how sincere lie was in issuing his invitations (Ezekiel Ai. 11). But it is the slight put upon him, the sense of wliicli is intended to be marked by this word, streets and lanes hisloricallj/, those within the same pale of " the city" of God as the former class, but the despised and outcasts of the nation, tlie " publicans and sinners" [Tkench]; generally, all similar classes, usually overlooked in the first provision for supplying the means of grace to a community, half heaihen in the midst of revealed liglit, and in every sense miserable, yet there Is room—Implying that these classes /(ati embraced the invitation (Mallliew 21.32; Mark 12.37, last clause ; John 7. 48,
CHAPTER XV,
Ver. 1-32. Publicans and Sinners Wblcomed by Christ—Three Parables to Explain this. 1. drew near all tlie publicans and sinners, &c.'—drawn around Him by the extraordinary adaptation of His teaching to their case, who, till He appeared—at least His forerunner —might well say, " No man careth for my soul." 3. murmured, saying, &c.—took it ill, were scandalized at Him, and Insinuated (on tlie principle that a man is known by the company he keeps) that He must have some secret sympathy with their c/Kj»'(ic«(?r. But oh what a truth of unspeakable preclousness do their lips, as on other occasions, unconsciously utter! Now follow three parables representing the sinner: (1.) in his stupidity ; (2.) as all-unconscious of his lo^t condition ; (3.) knowin<;ly and willingly estranged from God. [Benqel.] The first two set forth the seeking love of God ; the last, His receiving love. [Trench.] 3-7. I. The Lost Sheep—occurring again, Matthew 18.
49); and beautifully expressing the longing that sliould
fill the hearts of ministers to see their Master's lalile filled. lUgliways and liedgea—outside the city altogether ; liis-
torically, tlie heathen, sunk in the lowest depths of spirit-
ual wretchedness, as being beyond the pale of all tliat is revealed and saving, " without Christ, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and witliout God in the world" (Ephesians 2.12); generally, all such still. Thus, this parable proplietically contemplates the extension of the kingdom of God to tlie whole world ; and spirit-
12-14 ; but there to show how precious one of His sheep Is to the Good Shepheni ; here, to show that the shepherd, though it stray never so widely, will seek it out, and when he hath found will rejoice over it. leave the ninety and nine—bend all His attention and care, as it were, to the one object of recovering the lost sheep; not saying, "Tis but one; let it go; enough remain.' go after . . . until, &c.—pointing to all the diversified mt'ans wtiicii God sets in operation for recovering sinners. 6. Rejoice witU nie, Ac.—Tlie principle here is, tliat one feels vxulni-anijoy to be almost too much for hiinself to bear alone, and is positively relieved by having otliers to .ihare it ivith him. (See on 1'. 10.) nlnety-nUkc just . . . needing no repentance —not angels, whose jilace In these parables is very different from this; but those representeil by the prodigal's wellbehaved brother, who liave "served their Father" many years and not at any time transgressed His commaudmenl (in the outrageous sense of the prcnltgal). See on v.
ually, directs tlie Gospel invit^ioiis to be carried to the lowest strata, and be brought in contact with the outermost circles, of human society, coiikpel tbem to come In—not as if they would make the "excuses" of the first
class, but because it would be hard to get them over two
difficulties: (1.) 'We are not fit company for such a feast.
(2.) We have no proper dress, and are ill in order for such a presence.' How fitly does this represent the dilKculties and fears of the si/ico'e .' How is this met? 'Take no excuse—make them come as they are— bring tliem along with you.' Whatadlrectory forministersof Cluist! tbat my Itouse maybe fllled—'Grace no more tlian naluro will endure a vacuum.' [Benqkl.] I say unto you, that none—Our Lord here appears to throw otl' the veil of the parable, and proclaim tlie Supper Jlis own, inlinialing that when transferred and transformed into its final glorious form, and the refusers themselves would give all for anotlior opportunity, Jie will not allow one of them to taste it. (JN\ li.—Tills parable must not be confounded with that of I'rovorbs 1.24-33; The Marriage Supper, Matthew 22.2-14.)
2i), 31. In other words, such as h<ive grown up from childhood in the fear of Uml and as the sheep of His pasture. Out Lord does not say " the Pharisees and .scribes" were such ; Init as there was undoubtedly such a class, while "the )>ul)llcans an<l sinners" were confessedly tliestrayed sheep and the prodigal-children, He leaves them to fill up tht< place of the other class, if they coiUd. 8-10. II. TUE Lout
I'y-V). AnniiKss to Great Multitudes Tkavki.lino WITU lIiM. 'M. great multitudes wltU Uim—on His 114
37ie Parable of the Losl Coin. LUKE XV. Tin Parable of Uie Prodigal Son.
world, and ready to disappear from it unmissed! But this is just the blessed turning-point; midnight before dawn of day (2 Chronicles 12. 8; 3:3. II.'IS; Jeremiah 2. 19). came to himself—Before, he had been "beside himself" (Ecclesiastes 9. 3), in what sense will presently appear, how many hired, Ac—What a testimony to the nature of the home he had left! But did he not know all this ere he departed and every day of his voluntary exile? He did, and he did not. His heart being wliolly estranged from home and steeped in selfish gratification, his father's house never came within the range of his vision, or but as another name for bondage and gloom. Now empty, deso-
Com. sweep the house—' notdoue without du3l on man's
part.' [Bkngbl.] I-ikewlse—on the same principle, joy, &c.—Note carefully the language here—not 'joy on thepart,' but " joy in the presence of the angels of God." True to the Idea sf the parables. The Great Shepherd, Tlie Great Owiicr Himself, is He uiliose tlie joy prvperly is over His own reeovtred properly ; but so vast and exuberant is it (Zecharlah 3. 17), that as if He could not keep it to Himself, He "calleth His friends and neighbours together"—His whole
celestial family—saying, "Rejoice with Me, for 1 iiave /onnd My sheep My piece," &c. In this sublime sense it
is "joy," before "or in the presence oj the angels;" they only 'catch the flying joy,' sharing it with Him! The application of this to the reception of those publicans and sinners that stood around our Lord is grand in tlie extreme: 'Ye turn from these lost ones with disdain, and because I do not the same, ye murmur at it: but a very different feeling is cherished in heaven. There, the recovery of even one such outcast is watched with interest and hailed with joy; nor are they left to come home of themselves or perish ; for lo ! even now the great Shepherd is going after His lost sheep, and the Owner is making diligent search for the lost property; and He is finding it too, and bringing it back with joy, and all heaven
late, withered, perishing, home, with all its peace, plenty, freedom, dignity, starts into view, fills all his visions as a warm and living reality, and breaks ills heart. 18. "I WILL ARISE AND GO TO MY FATHER!" The change has come at last, and what a change!—couched in terms of such exquisite simplicity and power as if expressly framed for all heart-broken penitents. Father, AcMark the term. Thougli " no more woi-lhy to be called his son," the prodigal sinner is taught to claim the degraded and defiled, but still exUling relationship, asking not to be made a servant, but remaining a son to be made "ew a servant," willing to take the lowest place and do the meanest work. Ah ! and is it come to this? Onceitwas, 'Any place rather than home.' Now, ' Oh that home ! could
Is full of it.' (Let the I'eader mark what sublime claims Himself our Lord covertly puts in here—as if in Him they beheld, all unknown to themselves, nothing less than heaven in the habiliments of earth, the Great Shepherd above, clothed in a garment of flesh, come " to seek and to save that which was lost")! U-3a. IIL The Prodigal Sou. 13. the yoiutger—as the more thoughtless, said, &c.—weary of restraint, panting for independence, unable longer to abide the check of a father's eye. This is man, Impatient of Divine control, desiring to be independent of God, seeking to be his own master; that 'sin of sins, in which all subsequent sins are included as in their germ,
I but dare to hope that the door of it would not be closed against me, liow gladly would I take any place and do any work, happy only to be there at all.' Well, that is conversion—nothing absolutely new, yet all new; old familiar things seen In a new light and for tlie first time as realities of overwhelming magnitude and power. How
this is brouylU about the parable says not. (We have that abundantly elsewhere, Philippians 2. 13, &c.) Its one ot> ject is to paint the welcome home of the greatest sinners, when (no matter for the present how) they "arise and go to their Father." 30. a great way off—Oh yes, when but the face is turned homeward, tliough as yet far, far away, our Father recognizes His own child in us, and bounds to meet us—not saying. Let him come to me and sue for pardon first, but himself taking the first step, fell on his neck and kUsied him—What ! In all his filth ? Yes. In all his rags? Yes. In all his haggard, shattered wretchedness? Yes. "Our Father who art in heaven,"
for they are but the unfolding of this one.' [Trench.] he divided, &c.—Thus ' God, when His service no longer appears a perfect freedom, and man promises liimself something far better elsewhere, allows him to make tlie
trial, and he shall discover, if need be by saddest proof, that to depart from Him is not to throw oS the yoke, but to exchange a light yoke for a heavy one, and one gracious Master for a thousand imperious tyrants and lords.' [Tkench.] 13. not many days—intoxicated witli his new-found resources, ami eager for the luxury of using them at will, a far country-beyond all danger of interference from home, wasted, &c.—So long as it lasted, the inward monitor (Isaiah 55. 2) would be silenced (Isaiali 9.
is this Thy portraiture? It is even so (Jeremiali 31. 20). And because it is so I wonder not that such incomparable teaching hath made the world new. 31. Father, I have sinned, &c.—'This confession is uttered a/ter the kiss of reconciliation' (Ezekiel 16. 63). [Trench.] 33. but the Father said, &c.—The son has not said all he purposed, not so much, because the father's demonstrations had rekindled the filial, and swallowed up all servile feeling [Trench] (see on the word " Father," v. 18), but because the father's lieart is made to appear too full to listen, at that moment, to more in this strain, the best robe CH. Zechariah 3.4,5, "Take away the filthy garments from him ; behold 1 have clothed thee with change of raiment
10; 57. 10; Amos 4. 6-lU). riotous living-v. 30, "with harlots." Ah ! but this reaches farther than the sensual-
ist; for 'in the deep symbolical language of Scripture fornication is the standing image of idolatry ; tliey are in
fEict ever spoken of as one and the same sin, considered now in its fleshly, now in its spiritual aspect' (Jeremiah
8; Ezekiel IC. and 17). [Trench.] 14. when he had •pent all ... a mighty famine — a mysterious providence holding ba<;k the famine till he was in circumstances to feel it in all its rigour. Thus, like Jonah, whom the storm did not overtake till on tlie mighty deep fl.t the mercy of the waves, does the sinner feel as if "the stars in their courses were flghting against" him (Judges 5. 20). In want—the first stage of his bitter experience, and preparation for a change. 15. Joined himself, &c.—his pride not yet humbled, unable to brook the shame of a return, to feed swine—Glad to Iteep life in anyhow, behold the son sunk into a swineherd—among the Jews, on account of the prohibition of swine's flesh, empliaticaUy vile! He who begins by using the world as a servant, to minister to his pleasure, ends oy reversing tlie relationship. [Trench.] 16. would Cain have lUled—rather, ' was fain to flU,' ate greedily of the only food he could get. the husks—'the hulls of a leguminous plant which in the Kiist is the food of cattle and swine, and oflen the nourishment of the poorest in times of distress.' [Stier.] no man gave him—not this fuoU, for that he had, but anything belter (Jeremiah 30. 14). 9bl8 was his lowest d^:pt\\—perishing unpUied, alone in the
and they clothed him witli garments" (Isaiah 61. 10; Kevelation 3. 18). a ring—Cf. Genesis 41. 42; James 2. 2. shoes—slaves went barefoot. Thus, we have here a threefold symbol ot freedom and honour, restored, as the fruit of perfect reconciliation. 33. the fatted calf—kept for festive occasions. 34. my son—now twice his son. dead
. . . lost—to me; to himself—to my service, my satisfaction; to his own dignity, peace, profit, alive again . . . foaitd—to all these, merry—See on v. 10. 35. In the field—engaged in his father's business: cf. 29, "These many years do I serve thee." 38. came his father out and entreated him—"Like as a fatlier pitictli his children, so tiie Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Psalm 103.
13). As it is the elder brother who now errs, so it is the same patei-nal compassion which had fallen on the neck of the younger that comes forth and pleads with the elder. 39. these many years . . . neither transgressed at any time, &c.—Tlie words are not to be pressed too far. He is merely contrasting his constancy of love and service with the conduct of his brother; just as Job, resenting the charge of hypocrisy by his friends, speaks as if ECthinc 115
The Parable of the Unjust Steward. LUKE XVL The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
33 ; II. 13, 14. mammon of unrighteousness—treacherous, precarious. (See on Matthew 6. 24.) ye fail—in respect of life, they may receive you—not generally, 'ye may be received' (as ch. 6. 38, 'shall men give'), but 'those ye have relieved may rise up as witnesses for you' at the great day. 'Then, like the steward, when turned out ot one home shall ye secure another; but better tlian he, a heavenly for an earthly, an everlasting for a temporary habitation.' Money Is not here made tlie key to heaven, more than " the deeds done in the body" in general, according to which, as a test of character—but not by the merit of which—men are to be judged (2 Corinthians 5. 10), and see Matthew 25. 34-40. 10. He, &c.—a maxim of great pregnancy and value; rising from the prudence which the steward had to the fidelity which he had not, the "harmlessncss of the dove, to which the serpent" with all his " wisdom" is a total stranger. Fidelity depends not on the amount entrusted, but on the sense of responsibility. He that feels tliis in little will feel it In much, and conversely. 11, 13. unrlgliteous mammon—To the whole of tliis Ho applies the disparaging term " what is least," in contrast witli " tlie true riches." anotlier man's . . . your own —an important turn to the subject. Here all we have Is on trust as stewards, who have an account to render. Hereafter, what the faithful have will be their own prop-
could be laid to his charge (Job 23. 10-12), and David too (Psalm 18. 2(>-2i). The father attests the truth of all lie says. uever a kid—I say not a Calf, but not even a kid. tliat I might make merry with my friends—Here lay his mlsappreliension. It was no entertainment for the gratification of the prodigal : it was a father's expression of the joy he felt at his recovery, thy son . . . thy living How unworthy a reflection on tlie common father of both, for the one not only to disown the other, but fling him over upon his father, as if he should say. Take him, find have joy of him! 31. Son, &c.—The father resents not the insult—how could he, after the largeness of heart which had kissed the returning prodigal? He calmly expostulates with him, 'Son, listen to reason. What need for special, exuberant joy over thee? Didst thou say, "Lo, these many years do I serve thee?" In that saidst thou truly; but just for that reason do I not set the whole household a-rejoicing over thee. For thee is reserved what is higher still — a. tranquil lifelong satisfaction in thee, as a true-hearted faithful son in thy father's house, nor of the inheritance reserved for tliee is aught alienated by this festive and fitting joy over the once foolish but now wise and newly-recovered one.' 33. It was meet—
' Was it possible he should simply take his longvacant place in the family without one special sign of wonder and delight at the change? Would that have been nature f But this being the meaning of the festivity.
erty, being no longer on probation, but in secure, undisturbed, riglitful, everlasting possession and enjoyment of all that is graciously bestowed on us. Thus money la neitiier to heidolized nor despised ; we must sit loose to it and use it for God's glory. 13. can serve be entirely at the command of; and this is true even where the services are not opposed, hate . . . love—showing that the two here intended are In uncompromising hostility to each other: an awfully searching principle! 14-18. covetous
It would for that verj' reason be temporary. In time, the dutifulness of even the younger son would become the law and not the exception; he too at length might venture to say, "Lo, these many years do I serve thee;" and of him the father would sa.v, "Son, thou art ever with me." In tliat case, therefoi'e, it would not be "meet that they should make merry and be glad." The lessons are obvious, but how beautiful ! (I.) The deeper sunk and the longer estranged any sinner is, the more exuberant is tlie
. . . derided him— sneered at him; their master-sin being too plainly struck at for them to relish. But it was easier to run doivn than to refute such teaching. Justify yourselves—make a show of righteousness, highly esteemed among men—generally carried away by plausible appearances. (See I Samuel 16. 7; and ch. 14. 11.) The Law, &c.—See on Matthew 11. 13. every man pressetli, Ac. —Pulilicans and sinners, all indiscriminately, are eagerly pressing into it; and ye, interested adherents of the mere forms of an economy which is passing away, "discerning not tlie signs of this time," will allow the tide to go past you and be found a stranded monument of blindness and obstinacy, it Is easier, &c.—See on Mattliew 5. 17, 18. puttetli away his wife, &c.—See on Matthew 19. 3-9. Far from intending to weaken the force of the law, in these allusions to a new economy, our Lord, in this unexpected way, sends home its high requirements witli a pungency which the Pharisees would not fail to feel. 19. purple and Ane linen, Ac—cf. Esther 8.15; Revelation 18.12, wanting nothing which taste and appetite craved and money could procure. 20, 21. laid-having to be carried and put down, full ofsores—open, running, " not closed, nor bound up, nor mollified with ointment." (Isaiah 1. 6.) desiring to be fed with-but was not. [Grotius, Bk:^- GEL, Meyer, Trench, <fec.]: the words may mean indeed
joy which his recovery occasions. (2.) Such joy is not the portion of those whose whole lives have been spent in the service of their Father iu heaven. (3.) Instead of grudging the want of tliis, they should deem it the highest testimony to their lifelong fidelity, that something better
is reserved for them—the deep, abiding complacency of their Father in heaven.
Ver. 1-31. Parables of the Unjust Steward and of THE Rich Man and Lazarus, or, tub Right Use of Money. 1. steward—manager of his estate, accused Informed upon, had wasted—rather, ' was wasting.' 3. cannot dig ... to beg, ashamed—tlierefore, when dismissed, shall be in utter want. 4. may receive me, &c.—Observe his one object when cast out of one home to tecure another. This is the key to the parable, on which
tlicre have been many diflering views. 5-7. fllly . . . fourscore—deducting a half from the debt of the one, and a fifth from tliat of the other. 8. the lord—evidently
tlie steward's lord, so called in v. 3, 5. commended, &c. not for his " injustice," but " because he liad done wisely," or prudently; with commendable foresight and skilful adaptation of means to end. children of this worl«l—so oh. 20. 31; cf. Psalm 17.14 ("their portion in this life"); Philippians 3.19 ("mind earthly things"). Psalm -1.6, 7. In (or for) their generation—i.e., for tlie purposes of the " world" they are "of." The greater wisdom (or shrewdness) of the one, in adaptation of means to ends, and in energetic, determined prosecution of them. Is none of it for God and eternity—a region they were never In, an atmosphere they never breathed, an undiscovered world, an unborn existence to them—but all for tlie purposes of their own grovelling and fleeting generation, children of light-so John 12.36; Kphesians 5. 8; 1 Tliessalonians
' was fain to feed on,' or 'gladly fed on,' as ch. 15. 16. [Afford, Webster and Wilkinson, &c.] But the context rather favours the former, licked, Ac—a touching act of brute pity, in the absence of human relief. It is a case of heartless Indifiference, amidst luxuries of every kind, to one of God's poorest and most afflicted ones, presented daily before the eye. 32. died—his burial was too unimportant to mention; while "the rich man died and u>a« buried"—his carcass carried in pomp to Its earthly restingplace, in Abraham's bosom—as if seen reclining next to him at the heavenly feast. (Mattliew 8. II.) 33. in hell —not the final place of the lost (for which another word
Is used), but as we say ' the unseen world.' But as the object here is certainly to depict the whole torment of the one and the perfect bliss of the other, it comes in this case to much the same, seeth Abraliam—not God, to whom therefore he cannot cry. [Bengel.] Father Al>raham— a well-l'ounded, but unavailing, claim of natural dosoenl (ch.3,8; Joiin8.37). 34. mercy on me—who never showed
6. 5. Yet this is only 'as night-birds see better in the dark than tliose of tlie day—owls than eagles.' [Cajetan and Trench.] liut we may learn lessons from them, as our Lord now sliows, and " be wise as serpents." 9. make friends of—turn to your advantiige; i. e., as the steward did, " by showing mercy to the poor" (Daniel 4. 27); cf. 12. 116
LUKE XVII.
The Coming of the Kingdom,
TKt Ten Lepers Cleansed.
rather, were not the ten cleansed? t. e., the whole of then —an example (by the way) of Christ's omniscience. [B^:nGEL.] this stranger— ' this alien' (literally, 'of another
any. (James 2. 3.) send Ijazarua—the pining victim of
Hl3 merciless neglect, that he may—take me hence? No; that he dares not to ask. dip . . . tongiie—i. e., the
race'). The language is that of wonder and admiration, as is expressly said of another exhibition of Gentile faith, Matthew 8. 10. 19. arise—for he had " fallen down on bia face at His feet," v. 16, and there lain prostrate, faith made thee whole—not as the others, merely in body, but in that higher spiritual sense with wliich His constant language has so familiarized us.
least conceivable and the most momentary abatement of
his torment; that is all. But even this he is told is (1.) xmreasmiable. 25, 86. Son—stinging acknowledgment of the claimed relationship, thou . . . Lazarus, &c.—As it
Is a great law of God's kingdom, that the nature of our
present desirci shall rule that of our future bliss, so by that law, he whose " good things," craved and enjoj'ed, were
20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God and of thb Son of Man. 30-25. When, Ac—To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different aspects. " It Cometh not with observation"—'with watching' or ' lying in wait,' as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itself. Lo here! lo there!—Shut up within
all bounded by time, could look for none after his connection with time had come to an end. (Ch. 6. 24.) But by
tliis law, he whose "evil things," all crowded into the present life, drove him to seek, and find, consolation in a
life beyond the grave, is by death released from all evil and ushered into unmixed and uninterrupted good (ch. 6.
21). (2.) It is impossible, besides all this—' independently
of this consideration.' a gxeat gulf fixed—6^/ an irrevo-
tliis or that sharply-defined and visible geographical or ecclesiastical limit, within you—is of an internal and spmYuai character (as contrasted with their outside views of it). But it has its external side too. the days—rather 'days.' will come—as ch. 19. 43—when, amidst calami-
cable decree there has been placed a vast impassable abyss between the two states, and the occupants of each. 97-31. Then he said—now abandoning all hope for himself—send him to my father's house, &c.—no waking up
of good in the heart of the lost, but bitter reproach against Gotland the old economy, as not warning him sufficiently. [Trench.] The answer of Abraham is, They are sufJiciently warned, nay—giving the lie to Abraliam. If, <tc.—a principle of awful magnitude and Importance. The greatest miracle will have'no effect on those who are determined not to believe. A real Lazarus soon "rose from the dead," but the sight of him by crowds of people. Inclined thereby to Christ, only crowned tiie unbelief and hastened the murderous plots of the Pharisees against tiie Lord of glory; nor has His own resurrection, far more overpowering, yet won over that "crooked and perverse nation."
ties, &c., you will anxiously look for a deliverer, and deceivers will put themselves forward in this character, one of the days of the Son of man—Himself again amongst them but for one day ; as we say when all seems to be going wrong and the one person who could keep them right is removed. [Neander in Stier, &c.] 'This
is said to guard against the mistake of supposing that His visible presence would accompany the manifestation and establishment of His kingdom.' [Webster and Wilkinson.] they shall say. See here . . . Go not, &c.—'a warning to all so-called expositors of prophecy and their followers, who cry, Lo there and see here, every time that war breaks out or revolutions occur.' as lightning . . . so the Son of man—i. e., it will be as manifest. The Lord speaks hereof His coming and manifestation in a jirophetically indefinite manner, and in these preparatory words blends into one the distinctive epochs. [Stier.] When the whole polity of the Jews, civil and ecclesiastical alike, was broken up atonce, and its continuance rendered impossible by the destruction of Jerusalem, it became as manifest to all as the lightning of heaven that the kingdom of God had ceased to exist in its old, and had entered on a new and perfectly different form. So it may be again, ere its final and greatest change at the personal coming of Christ, and of which the words in their highest sense are alone true. But first . . . suffer, <fec.—This shows that the more immediate reference of the previous verse is to an event soon to follow the death of Christ. It was designed to withdraw the attention of "His disciples" from the glare in which His foregoing words had Invested the approaching establishment of His kingdom. 36-30. eat . . . married, planted, Ac.—all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it
Ver. 1-10. Offences—Faith—Humility. 1, 3. See on Matthew 18. 6, 7. 3, 4. See on Matthew 18. 1.5-17, 21, 22. Beven times-not a iower measure of the forgiving spirit than the "seventy times seven" enjoined on Peter, which was occasioned by his asking If he was to stop at seven times. 'No,' is the virtual answer, 'though
It come to seventy times that number, if only he ask forgiveness in sincerity.' 5. Lord—See on ch. 10. 1. Increase our faith—moved by the difficulty of avoiding and forgiving "offences." Tliis is the only instance in which a spiritual operation upon, their souls was solicited of Christ by the Twelve; but a kindred and higher prayer had been offered before, by one with far fewer opportunities. See on Mark 9. 24. 6. sycamine mulberry. See on Mark U. 22-24. 7-10. say unto him by and by—The " by and by" (or rather ' directly') should be Joined not to the saying but the going: 'Go directly.' The connection here is: ' But when your faith 7km been so lncrea.sed as both to avoid and forgive ofTences, and do things impossllde to all but faitli, be not puffed up as though you had laid the Lord under any obligations to you.' I trow not—or, as we saj', when much more is meant, 'I should think not.' nnprolUable — a word which, though usually denoting the opposite of profit, is here used simply in its negative sense. 'We have not, as his servants, profited or benefited God at all.' (Cf. Job 22.
is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and Indifference to the future, their unpreparedness. that is here held up as a warning. N. £.—These recorded events of Old Testament history—denied or explained away now-a-days by not a few—are referred to here as
facts. 31-33. to take It away . . . remember, &c.—
2, 3; Romans 11. 3o.)
warning against that lingering reluctance to part with pres-
11-19. Ten Leper.9 Cleansed. 11-13. through midst of Samaria and Galilee— probably on tlie confines of both stood afar off—Cf. Leviticus 13. 45, 46. they lifted up—llieir common misery drawing these poor outcasts together (2 Kings 7. 3), nay, making them forget the fierce national antipathy of Jew and Samaritan. [Tkench.] Jesus, (tc—Cf. Matthew 20. 30-3-3. How quick a teacher is
ent treasures which Induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article
till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here supposed, though different, are similar. Iiot's wife—her "look back," for that Is all that is said of her, and her recorded doom. Her heart was in Sodom still, and the "look" just said, 'And must I bid it adieu?' whosoever, &c.—See on ch. 9. 23-27. 34-. two In one bed—the prepared and unprepared mingled in closest intercourse together in the ordinary walks and fel.owships of life, when the moment of severance arrives. Awful truth! realized before the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Christians found themselves forced by their Lord'i directions (ch. 21. 21) at once and for ever away from their
felt misery, even though as here the teaching may be Boon forgotten ! 14. show yourselves—as cleansed persons. See on Matthew 8. 4. Thus too would the Samaritan be taught that "salvation is of the Jews." (John 4. 22.) aa they went, were cleansed—In how many different ways were our Lord's cures wrought, and this different from all the rest. 17, 18. Were there not ten cleansed-
Parable of the Importunale Widow. LUKE XVIll. Little Uldldren brought In Christ,
old associates ; but most of all when Uie second coming of Christ shall burst upon a heedless world. 37. where Bhall this occur? -wlieresoever, &c.—'As birds of prey scent out the carrion, so wherever is found a mass of incurable moral and spiritual corruption, there will be seen alighting the ministers of Divine judgment,' a proverbial saying terrifically verified at the destruction of Jerusalem, and many times since, though its most tremendous Illustration will be at the world's final day.
reconciliation" by sacrifice, Hebrews 2. 17. There may therefore, be some allusion to this here, though not likely, a sinner—literally, 'the sinner;' q.d., 'If ever tliere was one, I am he.' 14. rather than tlie otiier—the meaning
is, 'and not the other;' for the Pharisee was not seeking
justification, and felt no need of it. This great law of the Kingdom of God is, in the teaching of Christ, inscribed, as in letters of gold, over its entrance-gate. And in how many different forms is It repeated. (Psalm 138. 6 ; 147. fi; ch. 1. 53.) To be self-emptied, or, "poor in spirit," is the fundamental and Indispensable preparation for the reception of the "grace which bringeth salvation: ' wherever this exists, the " mourning" for it which precedes " comfort" and the earnest "liungerings and thirstings after righteousness" which ai-e rewarded by the " fulness" of it, will, as we see here, be surely found. Such, therefore, and such only, are the justified ones. (Job 33. 27, 28; Psalm 34. 18 ; Isaiah 57. 15.)
Ver. 1-8. Pakable of the Importunate Widow. 1-5. always—Cf. V. 7, " night and day." faiut—
' lose heart,' or 'slacken.' feared not . . . nor regarded—defying the vengeance of God and despising the opinion of men. widow—weak, desolate, defenceless. (I Timothy 5. 5, which is taken from this.) came—'kept coming.' See u.
5, " her continual coming." avenge me i. e., rid me of the oppression of. continual coming—
15-17. Little Children Brought to Christ, infanta —showing that some, at least, of those called in Matthew
' coming for ever.' 6-8. the liord—a name expressive of the authoritative style In which He interprets His own parable, shall not God—not unjust, but the infinitely righteous Judge, avenge—redeem from oppression, his own elect—not like this widow, the object of indifierence and contempt, but dear to Him as the apple of the eye (Zechariah 2. 8). cry day and night—whose every cry enters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5. 4), and how mucli more their incessant and persevering cries! hear long with them—rather, 'in their case.' or—'on their account' (as James 5. 7, " for it"). [Grotius, De Wette, &c.] speedily —as if pained at the long delay, impatient for the destined moment to interpose. (Cf. Proverbs 29. 1.) nevertlieless, &c. q. d.,
(19. 13) and Mark (10. 13) simply "little" or "young children," were literally "babes." touch them—or, as more fully in Matthew, " put his hands on them and pray," or invoke a "blessing" on them (Mark 10. 16), according to venerable custom (Genesis 48. 14, 15). rebul&ed tliem—Repeatedly the disciples thus Interposed to save annoyance and interruption to their Master; but, as the result showed, always against the mind of Christ. (Matthew 15. '2S; ch. 18.
39, 40.) Here, it is plain from our Lord's reply, that they thought the intrusion a useless one, as infants wero not capable of receiving anything from Him. His ministrations were for gi-ownpeople. But Jesus—" muc/t displeased," says Mark (10. 14) ; an invaluable addition—said—" Suffer the little children to come unto Mb"—"and foubii> them not," is the important addition of Matthew (19. 14) and Mark (10. 14). What words are these from tlie lips of Christ ! The price of them is above rubies. But the reason assigned, "For of such is the Kingdom of God," or "of heaven," as in Matthew 19. 14, completes the previous Information here conveyed; especially as interpreted by what immediately follows: "And He took them vv in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessbd them," Mark 10. 10. It is surely not to be conceived that all our Lord meant was to inform us, that seeing grown
' Yet ere the Son of man comes to redress the wrongs of His Cliureh, so low will the hope of relief sink, through the length of the delay, that one will be fain to ask. Will He find any faith of a coming avenger left on the earth? From this we learn, (1.) That the primary and
historical reference of this parable is to the Churcli in its
uridotijed, desolate, oppressed, defenceless condition during the present absence of her Lord in the heavens; (2.) That in these circumstances importunate, persevering prayer
for deliverance is the Church's fitting exercise ; (3.) That notwithstanding every encouragement to this, so long will the answer be delayed, while the need of relief continues the same, and all hope of deliverance will have nearly died out, and "faith" of Christ's coming scarcely to be found. But the application of the parable lo prayer in general is so obvious as to have nearly hidden its more direct reference, and so precious that one cannot allow it to disappear in any public and historical interpretation.
people must become childlike in order to be capable of the Kingdom of God, therefore they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed the infants themselves. Was it not just the grave mlslakeof the disciples that infants should not be brought to Christ, because only grown people could profit by Him, which "much displeased" our Lord? And though he took the Irresistible opportunity of lowering their pride of reason, by informing them that, in order to enter the Kingdom,
9-14. Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
11, 13. stood—as the Jews in prayer. (Mark H. 25.) God, &c.—To have been kept from gross iniquities was undoubtedly a just cause of thankfulness to God; but instead of the devoutly humble, admiring frame whicli this should inspire, he arrogantly severs himself from the rest of mankind, as quite above them, and, with a contemptnous look at the poor publican, thanks God that he has not to stand afar off like him, to hang down his head like a bulrush and beat his breast like him. But these are only his moral excellencies. His religious merits complete his grounds for congratulation. Not confining himself to the one divinely-prescribed annual fast (Leviticus 16. 29), he was not behind the most rigid, wiio fasted on the second and fifth days of every week [Lightfoot], and gave the tenth not only of what the law laid under tithing, but of "all his gains." Thus, besides doing all his duty, he did
' instead of the children first becoming like them, they must themselves become like the children' [Richter in Stier], this was but by the way ; and, returning to the children them-
selves. He took them up in His gracious arms, put His hands upon tliem and blessed them, for no conceivable reason but to show that they were thereby made capable, A3 infants, of the Kingdom of Ood. And if so, then "Can any man forbid water Vml these should not be baptized which have received tlie Holy Ohost as well aswef" (Acts 10. 47.) But such application of the baptismal water can have no warrant here, save where the infants have been previously brought
to Christ Himself for His benediction, and only as the tigi* and seal of that benediction.
18-30. The Rich Young Ruler, and Discoursb Thereon. This case presents some remarkable points.