Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
25le Rich Young Ruler. LUKE XVIII. 27(6 Blind Man Healed.
left all—' The workmen's little is as much his " all" as the prince's much.' [Bengei,.] In Matthew (19. 27) ho adds, "What shall we have therefore?" How shall it fare with us? there ts no man, &c.—graciously acknowledging at once the completeness and the acceptableness of the surrender as a tiling already made, house, &c.—the specification is still more minute in Matthew and Mark, to take in every form of self-sacrifice, for the kingdom of God's sake—in Mark, " for my sake and the Gospel's." See on ch. 6. 22. manifold more In this present time—In Matthew (19.29) "an hundred-fold," to which Mark (10.30) gives this most Interesting addition, " Now in this present time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions." We have here the blessed promise of a reconstruction of all human relationships and affections on a Christian basis and in a Christian
(Mark 10. 17)—the high-ro.nl, by tt.ls tirao crowded with travellei's to tlie Passover; uiuleterred by the virulent opposit' on of the class he belonged to as a " ruler" and by the Bhame he might be expected to feel at broaching such a question in tlie hearing of a crowd and on the open road.
19. wl»y, &C.—Did our Lord mean then to teach that God only ought to be called "good?" Impossible; lor that aad been to contradict all Scripture teaching, and His own too. (Psalm 112. 5; Matthew 2-3. 21; Titus 1. 8.) Unless therefore we are to ascribe captiousness to our Lord, he could have had but one object — to raise the pouth's ideas of Himself, as not to be classed merely with otlier " good masters," and declining to receive this title apay-t from the "One" who is essentially and only "good." This indeed is but distantly hinted; but unless this is seen In the background of our Lord's words, nothingworthyof Him can be made outof them. (Hence, Socinianism, instead of liaving any support here, is only state, after being sacrificed, in their natural form, on the altar of love to Christ. This he calls "manifold more"—"an hundred-fold more" — than what they sacrificed. Our Lord was Himself the first to exemplify this new adjustment baffled by it.) 20. thoii Itiiowest, &o.—Matthew is more full here: " But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him. Which?—as if he had of His oum relationships. (See on Matthew 12. 49, 50 ; and on 2 Corinthians 6. 14-18.) But this "with persecutions;" for how could such a transfer take place witliout the most cruel wrenches to fiesh and blood? but the persecution would haply follow them into their new and higher circle, breaking that up too! But best of all, "in the world to come life everlasting." And said, ' Point me out one of them which J have not kept?' —Jesus said, Thou shalt," Ac. (Matthew 19. 17, 18.) Our
Iiord purposely confines Himself to the second table, which He would consider easy to lieep, enumerating them alitor in Mark (10. 1'J), " Defraud not" stands for tlie ler Uhelse the eighth is twice repeated). In Matthew the sum of this second table of the law Is added, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," as if to see if he would venture to say he had kept that. 21. All these, &c.—"what lack I yet?" adds Matthew. Ah! this gives us a glimpse of his heart. Doubtlesshe was perfectly sincere; but something within wliispered to him that his keeping of the commandments was too easy a way of getting to heaven. He
When the shore is won at last
Who will count the billows past! Keble.
These promises are for every one who forsakes his all for
Clirist. But in Matthew (19. 28) this is prefaced by aspecial promise to the Twelve: "Verily I say unto you. That ye which have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit on twelve thrones Judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Ye who have now adhered to me shall, in the new kingdom, rule, or give law to, the great Christian world, here set forth in Jewish dress as the twelve tribes, presided over by the twelve apostles on so many judicial thrones. In this sense certainly the promise has been illustriously fulfilled. [Calvin, Gbqtius, Lightfoot, &c.] But if the promise refer to the yet future glory (as may be thought from ch. 22. 28-30, and as most take it), it points to the highest personal distinction of the first founders of the Christian Church.
felt something beyond this to be necessary; after keeping all the commandments he was at a loss to know what that could be; and he came to Jesus Just upon that point. "Then," says Mark (10. 21), "Jesus beholding him loved him," or 'looked lovingly upon him.' His sincerity, frankness and nearness to the kingdom of God, in themselves most winning qualities, won our Lord's regard even though he turned his baclt upon Him—a lesson to those who can see nothing lovable save in the regenerate. 23. lackeat one thing—Ah! but that a fundamental, fatal lack, sell, &c.—As riches were his idol, our Lord, who knew it from the first, lays His great authoritative grasp at once upon It, saying, 'Now give Me up that, and all is
31-34. FuLiiER Announcement of His AppROACHiNtt Death and Resukrection. See on Mark 10. 32-34. 31. all written by the prophets concerning the Son of man be accomplished—showing how Clirist Himself read, and would have us to read, the Old Testament, in which some otherwise evangelical interpreters find no prophecies, or virtually none, of the sufferings of the Son of man. understood none, &c.—The Evangelist seems unable to say strongly enough how entirely hidden fi'om them at that time was the «e7i«e of these exceeding plain statements: no doubt to add weight to their subsequent testimony, which from this very circumstance was prodigious, and wltli all the simple-hearted irresistible.
right.' No general direction about the disposal of riches, then, is here given, save that we are to sit loose to them and lay them at the feet of Him who gave them. He who does this with all he has, wliether rich or poor. Is a true heir of the kingdom of heaven. 23-25. was very soi-rowfiil—Matthew more fully, "went away sorrowful;" Mark still more, "was sad'' or 'sullen' at that saying, and " went away grieved." Sorry he was, very sorry, to part with Christ; but to part with his riches would have cost him a pang more. When Riches or Heaven, on Christ's t«rms, were the alternative, the result showed to which side the balance inclined. Thus was he shown to lack the one all-comprehensive requirement of the law—the abso-
35-43. Blind Man Healed. In Matthew 20. 29, <fec., thej' are two, as in the case of the Demoniac of Gadara. In Matthew and Mark (10. 46, &c.) the occurrence is connected with Christ's departurefrom Jericho ; in Luke with His approach to it. Many ways of accounting for these sliglitdivergences of detail have been proposed. Perhaps, lute subjection of the heart to Ood, and this want vitiated all his other obediences, when Jesus saw—Mark says. He " looked round about"—as if first following the departing youth with His eye—" and saith unto His disciples." how hardly, &c.—with what difficulty. In Mark an explanation is added, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches," &c.—i. c, with what difficulty is this Idolatrous trust conquered, without which they cannot enter; and this is Introduced by the word "children"—sweetdiminutlveof affection and pity. (John 21. 5.) easier for a camel, 4«.—a proverbial expression denoting literally a thing Impossible, but figuratively, very difficult. 26, 27. for, Ac— ' At that rate none can be saved:' 'Well, it does pass hMman power, but not Divine.' 28-30. Lo, <fec.—in tlie Bimplicity of his heart (as is evident from the reply), conscious that the required surrender had been made, and generously taking in his brethren with lilm "we;" not In the spirit of the young ruler, "All these liave I kept," if we knew all the facts, we should see no difficulty; but that we have been left so far in the dark shows that the tiling is of no moment any way. One thing is plain, there could have been no collusion among the authors of these Gospels, else they would have taken care to remove these 'spots on the sun.' 38. Son of David, &c. See on Matthew 12. 23. 39. rebuked, &c. See on v. 15. so much the more—that importunity so commended in the Syroplicenician woman, and so often enjoined (ch. 11.5, Ac;
18. 1, Ac). 40. commanded, Ac.—Mark has this interesting addition : "And they call the blind man, saying unto him. Be of good comfort, rise. He calleth thee"—just as one earnestly desiring an interview with some exalted