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COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 GOSPEL OF LUKE. 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE R. BLISS, D. D. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 1420 Chestnut Street. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884., by the 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATIOl^ SOCIETY, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The work of a commentary, so far as exposition is concerned, is superseded, 
 to a considerable extent, by an adequate translatiou. The volumes in the series 
 to which this belongs proceed on the basis of our Common Version (C. V.). This 
 requires amendment in many places, and the attempt is often made in this work 
 to effect the necessary modification, in citing the portion of the text to be com- 
 mented on. Changes are j)laced in parentheses, or are separated from the general 
 text by the use of the dash, and substitutions are printed in Italics. These are 
 generally taken from the Revised Version (R. V.), which also stands at the head 
 of the page. A commentary on the familiar version thus improved may become 
 practically a commentary on the Revised Version. The different renderings 
 afforded us from that source, are by no means always absolutely the best, especially 
 as the ground-work of an interpretation ; but their relation to the context can be 
 conveniently seen, and they carry with them the authority of that very able body 
 of scholars by whom the recent revision was effected. However far their work 
 may seem to have fallen below perfection, regarded as a substitute for the 
 Testament of King James' Revisers, the present writer, at least, is confirmed in 
 the o])inion that it very seldom deviates from the latter without more adequately 
 conveying the sense of the text which it adopts. This is assuredly one prime ex- 
 cellence of a translation. 
 
 As regards the Greek Text here followed,^ the author has made constant 
 reference to the critical editions of Lachmann, Tregelles, Tischendorf, AVestcott 
 and Hort, and occasionally, to the beautiful pages of Griesbach, (4 Parts in 
 2 Vols. fol. : Leipzig, 1803-1807). He has also had easy access, in cases where 
 it seemed important, to the magnificient fac-simile editions of the Codices N and B, 
 the former by Tischendorf, the latter by Vercellone and several coadjutors; to 
 Cowper's edition of Codex A; to Kipling's fac-simile, and Scrivener's better 
 edition in common type, of Cod. D. These are largely superseded for practical 
 use by the critical editions of Tischendorf and Tregelles. Very convenient for 
 comparison of manuscript readings is E. PI. Hansell's Novum Tedamentum 
 Grace, in 4 volumes, 8vo, showing in parallel columns the texts of A B C D, with 
 a separate collation of readings of the Sinaitic manuscript. 
 
 The full use of these manuscript materials presupposes, beside a rare natural 
 gift for such work, an amount of special devotion to their study, to which the 
 
 ' See tho General Intiodiicfion to the Complete Commentary, by the General Editor, 
 pp. xxxiv.-xliil., preceding Rev. Dr. W. N. Clark's Commentary on Mark. 
 
 6 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 writer makes no pretension. One may find them helpful sometimes, in weighing 
 the diverse opinions of the great experts above named, to whom Scrivener, on 
 account of his abundant work in aid of textual criticism, should by all means be 
 added. He contends bravely and ably to guide and check the tendency which, 
 since Griesbach began, a hundred years ago, has moved steadily toward the 
 substitution, in place of the truly hap-hazard form of the New Testament which 
 was first published in print in A. d. 1516, and, with no material change, again and 
 again, until it became in 1624 the Received Text — toward the substitution for 
 this of a text established on the earliest attainable authority of manuscript, con- 
 firmed by the earliest versions and testimony of the Christian Fathers. The recent 
 edition of Westcott and Hort shows the issue of this tendency, in a Greek New 
 Testament which restores, indeed, some words and jihrases omitted by previous 
 editions, but more often shocks our feeling of attachment to passages familiar 
 and edifying to us, by proving them the work of mistaken or officious copyists of 
 later times. Protracted familiarity with this work, however, seems to us calculated 
 to give one the impression of a peculiar homogeneity and intrinsic consistency, so 
 that one becomes almost ready to think it could not be expanded by many additions 
 without manifest deterioration. As a contribution to Textual Criticism of the 
 New Testament, their work, as explained in the Introduction and Appendix, has 
 the virtue of proposing objective, tangible, and apparently scientific reasons why 
 a very few early uncial manuscripts should outweigh in authority a multitude 
 of later ones, whether uncial or cursive. In particular, they present a view of the 
 character of the two earliest manuscripts, N and B, which can be deliberately 
 tested, and their judgment that " readings common to K and B are virtually 
 readings of a lost manuscript above two centuries earlier " (as early therefore as 
 the last years of Polycarp), oflfers a definite, and most important, topic of argument. 
 A decisive discussion of this point, and of some other characteristic views of 
 Westcott and Hort is now natui-ally to be expected, and, if it can be conducted 
 thoroughly on the other side by Scrivener and men like him, is much to be 
 desired. It may either confirm the principles on which all progress in criticism 
 has been made, and on which, as at last stated, a Text may solidly stand, or (absit 
 omen) will leave us still under the necessity of counting the manuscripts, pro and 
 con, on each verse, and of choosing, after all, which readiug we like best. Men 
 competent to do this work are notoriously few, and. considering the native char- 
 acter, the irksome training, and, we may add, the divine grace required for its 
 eflTectual accomplishment, are not likely ever to be numerous. Dr. John Brown 
 McClellan, in his learned work. The New Testament, a New Translation, etc.. 
 Vol. I. : London, 1875, pp. xxi.-xxxvii., and passim, evinces much attention to the 
 Text, and zeal for its purity, but also a passionate perturbation of judgment, 
 almost as if his devotion to the Internal Evidence had carried him into a belief 
 in himself as an original source of revelation. Still more truly is the great learning 
 of the Quarterly Reviewer' lost on men of deliberation, through the frantic 
 1 Qvarterly Beviuw, Oct. 1881. Tlie Revised New Testament : the New Greek Text. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 outbursts of what seem personal griefs and hostilities in which it abounds. It is 
 evidence which is needed, not personal feelings; evidence mainly external, docu- 
 mentary; but at all events evidence which carries light, dry light, to the under- 
 standing of those who are interested to know what is the word of God. 
 
 In tills Coninieutary, wijere the writer's judgment in legard to the text agrees 
 with that of the Anglo-American Revisers, he has often followed that without 
 remark. The deliberate conclusions of such a body of scholars, including within 
 tiieir number the names of Tregelles (too soon removed from earthly work). 
 Scrivener, Westcott, Hort, Bishops EUicott and Lightfoot, and, in the American 
 section, that of Dr. Ezra Abbot, certainly, carry with them a very strong presump- 
 tion in their favor. Did we not know that, under the Rules which governed their 
 action, any number of the names above mentioned might be in the minority 
 upon each question decided concerning the Text, it would seem presumptuous 
 to question its validity. As it is, good reasons may justify any one in forming a 
 different judgment. 
 
 The commentary on the text in this volume aims simply to aid the reader 
 to understand the Gospel as one of its first readers would supposably do. This 
 involves, besides correctness of the translation, and the due grammatical explana- 
 tion of clauses and sentences, special care in tracing the continuous train 
 of thought, and the needed historical, local, and archteological information, 
 something of which even the first readers of the Gospel may have required. 
 Through and beyond all this the purpose has been to make plain Luke's own 
 conception of the person, the life, the character, and the achievements of Him 
 who was the glorious and beloved theme of this most beautiful record. Did 
 any one ever attempt such a task without being made ashamed of his failure 
 to accomplish it aright? 
 
 Greek words have been quoted only where it seemed necessary; but the 
 original text has been constantly regarded as the ultimate source of the sense. 
 
 To hit the proper medium of copiousness in annotation, where a wide variety 
 of readers is in view, is difficult; and here will be occasion for charity of 
 judgment on the part of those who would prefer less, or more. 
 
 On a few points of Biblico-theological importance the author has indulged 
 in somewhat extended remarks, but generally little has been attempted of 
 })ractical or homiletical comment. It has seemed best to stop with trying to 
 help each reader to a position where he can make his own comments. 
 
 Only occasional and partial attention has been given to the harmonizing of 
 Luke's narrative with those of the other evangelists. This, which is conceived 
 to be a matter of real importance, as it would be where there is a })lurality 
 of testimonies about any matter of history, requires, in the more perplexing 
 cases, an exhibition of fundamental principles, as well as of the details proj^r ro 
 an independent work, and need not intervene to hinder our distinct appre- 
 hension of the view of each sacred author. 
 
 Tiie prescribed limits of the volume, and the varied circles of readers 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 contemplated, alike forbade the full discussion of particular expositions. The 
 writer has carefully considered, on all points of doubt, the views of many 
 authorities, for and against, and has set down his own conclusions. Indeed, 
 the exegetical apparatus furnished in the Bucknell Library of this Seminary, 
 reaching from Origen to Plumptre and B. Weiss, almost of the present year, 
 warrants the writer in saying with fullest confidence, that he has uttered no 
 thought that has not for substance been said before him ; and that some- 
 thing to the contrary has been said by somebody on every point. His most 
 useful helpers, after all, have been, naturally, among the more recent. Van 
 Oosterzee, in Lange's Commentary, has produced a very valuable work, especially 
 in his Doctrinal Ethical additions. His exegesis is able, and occasionally 
 suggests the hand of a systematic theologian rather than of a strict interpreter. 
 Meyer and Godet are the two great lights on this Gospel, but each needing 
 complement and correction from the other. The former, with great depth of 
 intellectual discernment, and exactness of exposition, often betrays a disbelief 
 of the full credibility of the evangelist, and a lack of spiritual appreciation 
 of the truth which he discloses to us; the latter shows cordial reverence and 
 love for the inspired word, which, however, leaves him occasionally to attempt 
 real tours de force in gaining a desired, possibly a novel and fanciful, sense. 
 Together they have done so well that where they are both at hand, no scholar 
 will suffer for lack of Commentaries on Luke. Farrar's Commentary, in the 
 Cambridge Bible for Schools, is interesting, of course, applying to this use 
 much matter condensed from his Life of Christ, and in various respects has 
 been useful here, in the final revision of what had been written. 
 
 The writer cannot put the finishing touch to his present work without 
 emotion. For several years, in fragments of the time, and in vacation periods, 
 through solid weeks of continuous application, it has been before his mind 
 and on his heart. No man can see so clearly as he how much more perfect 
 the result ought to have been. But he thanks the Supreme Author of the 
 Gospel for having been enabled even thus to bring it to a close, and devoutly 
 prays that it may be made the means of some good. He can say with Bishop 
 Home, in the Preface to his Commentary on the Book of Psalms : " Could the 
 author flatter himself that any one would take half the pleasure in reading 
 the following exposition which he hath taken in writing it, he would not fear 
 the loss of his labor." He might add, slightly changing the Bishop's words: 
 "Happier hours than those which have been spent on these meditations upon 
 the Gospel of the Son of man, he never expects to see in this world. Very 
 pleasantly did they pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along; for when 
 thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but have left a relish and 
 a fragrance on the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet." 
 
 GEORGE R. BLISS. 
 Crozkr Theological. Seminary, Jan. 10^ IS84. 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 The name Luke occurs three times in the Epistles of Paul — Col. 4 : 14; Philcru 24 ; 
 2 Tim. 4:11. In all these it represents some faithful and highly esteemed fellow-laborer 
 of the apostle, in the gospel. In the first passage the latter associates him with 
 himself in the salutations to the Church at Colosse : " Luke, the beloved physician, and 
 Demas, salute you." Here we learn that he was by profession a physician, to whom the 
 apostle was tenderly attached ; and, from the description of those named with him, that 
 he was engaged in the furtherance of the gospel. It is also extremely probable, in fact 
 almost certain, from the way in which Paul, in verse II, distinguishes those previously 
 mentioned as "of the circumcision," that Luke, with Epaphras and Demas, was of 
 Gentile birth. This perfectly agrees with all the other indications concerning him. The 
 reference shows that he was with the apostle in Rome at the date of the letter to the 
 Colossians, A. D. 63 or 64. The mention of him in Philemon 24 only adds evidence that 
 he was in Rome about that time, as a fellow-laborer with Paul, with Mark also, and 
 Aristarchus. That he is not mentioned in the salutations of the letter to the Philippians 
 written also from Rome during that imprisonment, renders it probable that he was not 
 with the apostle, although it cannot show whether this was earlier or later. Second 
 Timothy 4:11, was written three or four years later, and proves Luke to have been in 
 the same place, as the only helper present with Paul, in his second imprisonment, and at 
 the last stage of his life. 
 
 This Luke has been recognized, from the earliest times, and still is, by a great 
 majority even of the most unrestrained Biblical critics, as the author of our third Gospel. 
 
 While he is not named elsewhere in the New Testament, he presents himself freely 
 in those parts of the Acts of the Apostles, where the writer speaks in the first person 
 plural ("we came," etc.) 16: 11-17; 20: 5, and passim. We sec plainly, from such 
 passages, that the author of the Acts traveled with the apostle on his second mis- 
 sionary journey, from Troas to Phillppi. There he appears to have tarried until Paul, 
 after six or seven years, returned from Achaia through Philippi, on his last visit to 
 Jerusalem. After that we find him in company with Paul as far as to Jerusalem. At 
 the close of the two years' imprisonment in Cesarea, the author again appeare as one of 
 the company of Paul, ready to sail for Rome. Although it is not distinctly stated, we 
 may well sujipose him to have been in the neighborhood of his teacher during the whole 
 two years ; the more readily as we are told that Paul's friends had free access to him 
 all the time, and as Luke's profession would, if he were dependent on it, in any town 
 secure him the means of subsistence. Thenceforth he was with the apostle on the long 
 and eventful voyage to the capital, and through the first two years of his captivity, as we 
 have seen, and again in a probable second imprisonment. 
 
 Those, indeed, who assume that the writer of the whole work has only incorporated 
 into it the passages containing "we," from the travels of some companion of Paul, 
 escape the conclusion that the actual author was such a companion. But the assumptioa 
 
 9 
 
10 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 
 
 involves an impeachment of his Uterary skill, entirely gratuitous and inconsistent with 
 his manner in general, or a slander on his honesty, which, considering the spirit of the 
 writing, is little creditable to the morality of such critics themselves. Few deny any 
 longer that the obvious and long received interpretation of these passages is the 
 correct one. 
 
 The interest to us of this information lies in the fact that the writer of the Acts (1 : 1) 
 represents himself as being, and is universally admitted to have been, the author of the 
 Gospel bearing the name of Luke. We thus gain some incidental knowledge of him 
 beyond, and strikingly congruous with, the import of Paul's allusions before cited. This 
 renders us morally certain that the writer of our Gospel accompanied the great apostle, 
 or acted in co-operation with him, for the promotion of the gospel, during ten or twelve 
 years of his life. The relation between them was affectionate, and so close and confiden- 
 tial as to give Luke a most favorable opportunity to acquire whatever knowledge his 
 teacher could impart, concerning the earthly history of our Lord. We may be sure, 
 also, that from his intimacy with the apostle to the Gentiles, as well as from his own 
 personal and professional character, he enjoyed special advantages, in their long journey- 
 ings together, at Antioch, Corinth, Cesarea, Jerusalem, Rome, to meet eye-witnesses of 
 the Saviour's work, who could give him exact knowledge of the facts of the Gospel. 
 
 Of the life of Luke prior to the time when he joined Paul, at Troas, nothing is 
 certain ; and it is scarcely possible to repeat the conjectures embodied in early traditions, 
 still less to hazard new ones, without danger of leading many minds to ascribe greater 
 probability to them than they at all warrant. That he was of Greek origin, is supported 
 not only by the natural interpretation of Col. 4:11, and by his name, but by the purity 
 of his Greek style, free from Hebraisms, except where he is apparently handling 
 Aramfean reports, which he may have needed to have translated by others. Of his 
 family, we do not know that there is even any tradition. Some later stories located his 
 birth at Antioch, others, in southern Italy. Both suppositions are backed up with 
 about equal force by modern writers, when they respectively urge the evidence from his 
 special acquaintance with places in and near Italy, Acts. 28 : 11 ff, on the one part, and 
 with the aifairs of the Church at Antioch, on the other, as indicated in Acts 11 : 19, and 
 the chapters following. We think these latter passages might justify the hypothesis 
 that he had resided at Antioch, and there become acquainted with Paid, whom he 
 afterward met, by design or otherwise, at Troas. His name cannot be identified with 
 that of Lucius of Cyrene, Acts 13 : 1, by any legitimate process of transmutation. That 
 he was converted to Christianity through Paul, is extremely probable, and that he must 
 have sympathized with the latter in his distinguishing views of the gospel, is not only 
 practically certain from what we have already seen, but is put beyond question by the 
 character of the Gospel before us. So clearly was this seen, at an early day, that 
 Eusebius, and Origen before him, assumes that when Paul used the phrase "my 
 gospel," he meant the Gospel according to Luke, as expressing his particular view. 
 This, however, was mere fancy. That Luke was "the brother whose praise is in the 
 gospel throughout all the churches" (2 Cor. 8 : 18), is a supposition, plausible at least, 
 considering that Paixl was probably writing from Macedonia, during the time that Luke 
 seems to have tarried in Philippi, and that we hear of no other one in that region likely 
 to have merited that description. As a physician, he would naturally have had an 
 education above that which was common. We cannot, however, hence infer any 
 superiority of birth, since trained freedmen, or even slaves, sometimes practiced medi- 
 cine. His company in this character might be a special help and comfort to the apostle, 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 11 
 
 who suffered much with bodily infirmity, the pain of which was to him sometimes as 
 "a thorn," or, more properly, "a sharp stake," "to the flesh." 
 
 Of the fortunes of the evangelist, after the date of Paul's second letter to Timothy, 
 we can with certainty say nothing, nothing at all, of the time, place, or manner of his 
 death.* 
 
 OCCASION AND DESIGN. 
 
 The occasion was, primarily, the religious need of a convert to Christianity, of the 
 name of Theophilus, whose name (repeated by Luke, 1:3; Acts 1:1), is all that we 
 know concerning the man. Of this, and of his apparent station and character, as we 
 may infer from the prologue of the Gospel, we have spoken in the Notes on 1 : 3. It 
 is commonly assumed that he had embraced the gospel as presented by Paul and those 
 who sympathized with him ; a doctrine, namely, of perfectly free, gratuitous, and 
 complete salvation, on the ground of faith in Jesus, the Son of God, as crucified for sin 
 and raised again from the dead. At all events, within the sphere of Paul's evangelical 
 labors, any thoughtful man would be exposed to the disturbing influence of Judaizing 
 legalists, who would tell him that he ought to be circumcised also, and to keep the 
 Mosaic law. Heathen skepticism also, the current philosophy, habits of early thinking, 
 might, if he were of Gentile origin, as his name of Theophilus slightly intimates, 
 suggest doubts and perplexities in his new faith. These, in the absence of documentary 
 information as to the origin and history of the Christian doctrine, when, moreover, the 
 testimony of apostles, or other eye-witnesses, was for him a rare and transient privilege, 
 miglit become a serious temptation. Whatever the reason of his necessity, whether 
 external or from within, from Jewish bigotry or from heathen associations and prejudices, 
 our author addresses him as needing to have his foith clarified and confirmed in those 
 teachings on which he had rested his eternal hope. He may have requested the 
 assistance of Luke, as a friend and well known teacher, toward this end. The latter 
 indicates (1 : 1-4) that he thought a good way to supply the want of Theophilus would 
 be to set forth, first, in a narrative, well ordered, chronologically, and according to 
 rational sequence of the facts, those teachings, works, sufferings of the Founder of 
 Christianity which the apostles were wont to present to men, as best suited to prove 
 him the fulfillment of prophecy and the Author of salvation for the world. 
 
 We need not suppose that Luke was moved to this work simply to do a favor to 
 Theophilus. He had probably, from what he saj^, been long engaged in researches for 
 something of this kind, and dedicated his work to his respected friend, not as a private 
 letter, but with the expectation that an extensive section of the church, in the same 
 necessity as he, would share the same help. He intended to give not only a truthful, 
 full, consistent view, but also a somewhat different view from what others had 
 attempted in writing, of the history of Jesus and, ultimately, of the Christian eau.se. 
 
 Such being the occasion, as we confidently infer, the design, as plainly stated by Luke 
 
 *It may be worth the space here to append .some of the things reported, ancienflv, without anv tangible 
 ground of credibility, respecting Luke. Among them are, besides those just mentioned coneerning'the place 
 of his birth, etc., that he was one of the seventy disciples; the companion of Cleopas on the way to Emmaus; 
 that he labored in the gospel in Dalniatia, Italy, (iaul, Africa; that he was a painter, and painted pictures of 
 the virgin lAIaryand others named; that he died when ciKlity-four years old, in Constantinople, in Achaia, in 
 Bithynia; that his remains were taken to Constantinople by the Emperor Coustantine, and buried in the 
 Church of the Apostles ; that he suflTered martyrdom, by decapitation, by crucifixion, etc.. etc. Of course, there 
 may have been a grain of truth in some of these legends— in some of ihem there could not be ; but without any 
 contemporary evidence to distinguish between the true and the fictitious, we most safelv leave it all in the 
 region of fables. 
 
12 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 
 
 in his Preface, was simply involved in that His object in writing at all, and in writing 
 as he did, was that Theophilus might thereby " know the certainty, " the "unshakable 
 truth," (o<r(fraA€ca)^ conceming the words in which he had been instructed. Of course, 
 he designed that the same benefit should accrue to as many as possible, to whom, 
 through Theophilus, the knowledge of his Gospel should come. The full accomplish- 
 ment of his purpose would require the carrying forward of the work begun by Jesus, 
 through the Book of the Acts. This, we think, was distinctly in his mind from the 
 first, but not so as to hinder the Gospel, as introduced by its Preface, from being intended 
 as a separate work. 
 
 THE GOSPEL. 
 
 This, on a particular examination, seems admirably suited to accomplish such a 
 design, and lends powerful support to the views already expressed, by its perfect 
 consistency with the supposition of such an author writing to such a friend. We note — 
 
 (1) Special familiarity with the Greek language. The first sentence of the Gospel 
 presents us a finished period, worthy of any classical writer of the time, and such as can 
 hardly be thought of from the hand of any other New Testament writer, unless it be 
 the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This quality appears, as might be expected, 
 more commonly in the Acts, in those parts, as the journey to Rome, M'here there was 
 least of Jewish fact or discourse. In the Gospel, the subjects were so exclusively 
 Palestinian and Hebraistic ; the records of them, and the oral accounts, were so entirely 
 in Aramaean, or in Aramaic Greek, that the faithful delivery of them to his readers, 
 whether through his own translations or those furnished by others, would leave little 
 room for his own unhampered style. Still, the general character and literary spirit of 
 the Gospel may strike the mind even through a translation, as more free and flowing than 
 that of either of the other evangelists. The narrative frequently bespeaks an intellectual 
 as well as a doctrinal catholicity, born of the liberty of Greek thought and utterance, 
 rather than of the stereotyped and meagre formality of Aramaean, or the rigorous 
 inflexibility of Roman speech. 
 
 (2) The influence of Luke's profession, as a phj^sician, on the literary character 
 of his Gospel, is less obvious from special traits than is the case with the Book of Acts. 
 In that, several observations occur which are very likely to have been suggested by bis 
 medical experience. The judgment of Jerome that his education for his calling 
 contributed to the superiority of his Greek style, is very probable. And scholars 
 have noticed the coincidence of his mention of " a great fever" in the case of Peter's 
 mother-in-law (4: 38) with the language of Galen, Hippocrates, and Celsus, in dis- 
 tinguishing fevers and other diseases. See the citations in Wetstein on the passage. 
 The mention of the " sweat like clots of blood" (22: 44) has been thought to evince 
 the intelligence of a physician, in selecting the particulars of Christ's agony in the 
 garden. Yet he does not hesitate, in the account of the woman with the issue of blood 
 (6 : 43), to tell us that the physicians had not been able to help her, though he does not 
 add, like Mark, that, besides spending her fortune in vain, she had grown worse. 
 
 It is more in the general tone of his writing, the wide interest which he betrays in 
 people of every quality, of both sexes, and of all ages and conditions, that we seem to 
 see the spirit of a physician, experienced, genial, and kind, according to the epithet 
 "beloved," (Col. 4: 14). It was, to be sure, Christ's own universality of concern for 
 all humanity which Luke is faithfully relating ; but it is because he also thinks nothing 
 human foreign to himself that he, pre-eminently, is led to bring forward these traits of 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 13 
 
 the Saviour's ministry and life. He must, probably, have obtained from Mary, or other 
 members of the family of our Lord, the particulars of the birth, infancy, and boyhood 
 of Jesus, and of John the Baptist, which he gives as additional to those presented by 
 Matthew. In his case, too, it is not from a necessity to show the fulflllmont of prophecy, 
 and the evidence of a divine origin, so much as to satisfy a human interest in the complete 
 history of the Son of man. He, too, preserves the language of Jesus wliich shows him 
 attentive to the sports of children, (7 : 31 if). He alone mentions that when Jesus 
 commended the example of a child to his disciples (9 : 47), " he took the little child and 
 set him by his side." In Luke alone (10 : 38-41), we have trea.sured for us that gem of 
 the Gospel, the fireside scene with Jesus in the midst, at the house of Martha and Mary. 
 He also tells, what we should not otherwise know, of the ministry of certain faithful 
 women, who cared for the comfort of Jesus and his di.sciples in their journeys, following 
 him even to Jerusalem, to the cross, to the tomb, (8: 1 if; 23: 49, 55). These and 
 other women, as Luke informs us, Jesus addressed — "daughters of Jerusalem" — while 
 on the way to Calvary, although his lips were sealed toward every one besides, 
 (23 : 28). His social quality appears in the ea.sy affability of some of the parables and 
 instructions of the Saviour, as reported by him, (7:40fF; 14:7-14; 18 : 2-(')). The 
 gentleness of Christ, his consideration for the deficiencies and failures of men in their 
 imperfect piety, his charity, in short, toward such as others would condemn, appears in 
 several peculiar traits of Luke's narrative, and reflects its light on the disposition of the 
 compiler. See 5 : 39 ; 9: 54-56; 12 : 48 ; 15: 28-32; 22: 24-30; 23: 34; comp. 
 Acts 3:17. 
 
 (3) The indications of intimate companionship and co-operation with Paid. It is not 
 strange that some of the Fathers, as was said, suspected that the apo-stle referred to 
 Luke's writing, when he said "my gospel." The character and training of Luke led 
 him, in providing for the satisfaction of the inquiries of Theophilus, to produce just 
 such an account of Jesus Christ as is pre-supposed in all the Pauline doctrine of salvation. 
 The indispensabloness to all men of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus ; the 
 provision of salvation for all ; and the free offer of it to all, — appear as distinctly in our 
 Gospel as in the Ejiistle to the Romans. It is not. as has been sometimes represented, a 
 Gospel specifically adapted to the Gentiles — Marcion had to mutilate it to render it such — 
 still less, perhaps, is it for the Jews, although dwelling much on the teachings and 
 institutions of the Old Testament. It refers to "the law" more frequently than 
 Matthew; Mark does not once name it. Particular expressions in unu.sual number 
 might suit the views of a Gentile, but others would please a Jew. even a Pharisee. As 
 a whole, the writing was for neither, but for both. It was for and against Jew ; for and 
 against Gentile ; because it was for the human race. 
 
 Not only as between Jew and Gentile, but between the various classes, grades of 
 society, and temporal conditions within those two comprehensive sections of humanity, 
 the Christ of Luke maintains the most complete impartiality of good will. To high 
 and low, to master and slave, to rich and poor, to Pharisee and pul)lican, to man and 
 woman, to parcjit and child, the offer of sympathy, in.struction, physical euro, and soul 
 salvation, is held forth with absolute freeness and benevolence of desire. In this respect 
 the Gospel is fully in the .spirit of Paul Christ's blessing is here "unto all and upon 
 all them that believe." There is also to be seen in Luke something of the Pauline 
 qualification, "to the Jew first"; but yet this does not in the least impair the sufficiency 
 and acccssibleness of salvation to men of every sort. Nay, we easily trace the peculiar 
 warmth of our author's interest in the welfare of the least favored of human beings, 
 
14 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 
 
 the least happy, the least good. The grace of God "which bringeth salvation to all 
 men ' ' is celebrated by him in its beneficient bearing on the most deeply lost — even on 
 the corrupt and benighted heathen. Our Gospel welcomes every one to the rich 
 provision of eternal life, but goes forth most intensely toward the needy, helpless, 
 diseased, and outcast of the earth, rejoicing, with the angels in heaven, over one sinner 
 that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous, who have no need of 
 repentance. 
 
 This Pauline universality of the theory of salvation, with a preponderance of personal 
 interest in the classes and individuals who seemed most to need the gospel, determines 
 to some perceptible extent the selection and distribution of material throughout Luke's 
 narrative. This opens with an account of the birth of our Lord's forerunner, of a 
 priestly stock, in connection with the national temple, yet far removed in character and 
 station from the Sadducaic magnates, or the religious nobility of the time. Jesus 
 himself is born of a humble maiden, in circumstances below those of ordinary poverty ; 
 and angels celebrate the fact as one of supreme joyfulness to heaven and earth, in the 
 presence of humble shepherds. The Genealogy traces back his line, beyond the begin- 
 ning of the Hebrew stock in Abraham, through the whole course of humanity, and 
 thence to God, whom it binds, through Jesus, to all mankind. Zacharias had dimly 
 seen (1 : 79) that his coming was to- ' ' give light to them that sit in darkness and in the 
 shadow of death," and Simeon, with the infant in his arms, thanked God for him as 
 "a light (Revision) for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." 
 The infancy, childhood, and early maturity of Jesus were spent, as Luke causes us to see, 
 in the retirement of domestic village life. His first reported discourse, 4 : 16-27, revealed 
 him as the Messiah promised in the prophecy, and implied, at its close, that God might 
 send the salvation which he had announced to their dull, though wondering ears, to 
 heathen sinners as well as to them. The Sermon on the Mount (ch. 6) omits all that 
 concerned the law (comp. Matt. 5 : 17-43). In the house of a Pharisee he receives the 
 adoration of a repenting woman "which was in the city, a sinner" (7: 36-50), and shows 
 the proud and self-righteous, how her faith and love won blessings unattainable for 
 them. In the instructions to the twelve apostles (9 : 1-6), no prohibitions against crossing 
 the boundaries of the Jews are recorded; and the mission of the seventy (10: 1-11), 
 at a time when access to the fields which he had so faithfully striven to occupy in 
 Galilee seemed to be cut off, might indicate that their rejection of his salvation 
 (10: 12-16), was preparing for the wider diffusion of the blessing in other lands. He 
 had no scruple against entering the territory of the Samaritans, in the course of his 
 journeys (9 : 52) ; and when he would picture brotherly love such as the law required 
 (10: 25-37), he presents it in the conduct of a worse than heathen — a Samaritan. By the 
 parable of the barren fig-tree (13: 6-9), he warned the Jewish nation that the mercy 
 which yearned over them would soon turn to condemnation ; and solemnly predicts their 
 sorrow and dismay when they find themselves shut out of the banquet of his kingdom, 
 where men from every quarter of the earth will be the guests. The lesson of the great 
 supper (14 : 15-24), should have impressed the truth that the privileges which they had 
 scorned and forfeited, would be given to people whom they despised. The three 
 beautiful parables in chapter 15, although they do not directly celebrate the joy of God 
 in the conversion of heathen men, yet refer directly to men who were worse than 
 heathen in the view of Pharisees, and indirectly might well suggest the widest appli- 
 cation to all mankind. Of the ten lepers who desired cleansing (17 : 12-17), Jew and 
 Samaritan shared alike in the physical blessing, but the Samaritan alone is shown to 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 15 
 
 have received spiritual cure. The parable of the vineyard (20 : 9-17), reveals in startling 
 terms that the theocracy, which had been entrusted to the unwilling Jews, was about 
 to be taken from them and given to others — but to whom ? The ominous word "Gen- 
 tiles," in the solemn prophecy uttered on the JMuunt of Olives, that same day at 
 evening, showed to whom: "and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, 
 until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (21 : 24). In his parting charge (24 : 47), 
 the risen Master orders that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached 
 among all nations." We need not quote evidence that Jesus in this Gospel offered salva- 
 tion to the seed of Abraham of every class. None of the Gospels could prove this more 
 plainly. The above passages, additional, for the most part, to what it has in common 
 with the rest, may serve to show the peculiar sympathy of the writer with the sentiment 
 of Paul, that the blessing was provided and sent to the Jew first, indeed, but also 
 and unstintedly to the Greek. 
 
 SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 Our author himself has happily given the needed explanation on this point, in 
 his opening sentence. That is discussed in the Commentary. A few remarks may 
 here be allowable, to show how the present writer conceives of the circumstances 
 attending the origin of this Gospel. Luke probably knew nothing of the writing of 
 Matthew, or of Mark, (of course not of John's). As a Greek (in the wide application 
 of that name), he would feel none of those scruples, and be liable to none of those 
 hindrances which naturally kept the original apostles from early attempting written 
 memoirs of their glorified Lord. Some interested hearers of the apostles (Mark was 
 such toward Peter), probably first put in writing what they heard told of the works 
 and words of Jesus. The apostles, laboring together, principally in Jerusalem, for 
 several years, had, in the absence of written records, fixed upon such parts of the 
 boundless subject of Christ's mission as experience had proved most useful in bringing 
 men to believe in him as their Saviour. His most striking words would be repeated 
 with literal exactness, and his language, generally, would be more nearly stereotyped in 
 a common form, than the accounts of facts. The discourses would, some of them, be 
 illustrated by connection with the related events in Christ's life. Thus groups of 
 associated facts and discourses would become cr^'stallized in combinations such as we 
 may see in our Synoptic Gospels, substanstantially the same with all, j'et not precluding 
 liberty in the individual relators, according to their several recollections of the subject 
 matter. The foundation of all this, to a great extent the execution of all, was the work 
 of the apostles. Its use was not intended as a history of Christ's life, or a biographj% 
 in any proper sense, but for practical instruction — "preaching," or the relation of such 
 truth from and about Jesus, as would on each occasion be best suited to produce faith 
 and conversion. Such was for many years the preached "gospel." When it came to 
 be written, each recorder would take down more or less of it, from the lips now of one, 
 now of another apostle, and his work might grow to be of considerable length. Before 
 any one of the original apostles hud accomplished the writing of a complete narrative (it 
 was early believed that Matthew did this first, in the Aramncan tongue), "many" had, 
 according to Luke(l: 1), done something of this preliminary work, whose attempts, 
 though only partially satisfactory, were known to him. In regard to these, he had 
 opportunity during his travels through the scenes of Christ's life to learn how fiir they 
 presented the apostolic teaching. He saw, doubtless, different apostles personally, and 
 
16 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 
 
 other eye-witnesses, as Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, with whom he could 
 compare and complete the accounts which he was gathering. These included some not 
 communicated to us in other Gospels, but specially suited to his purpose, and interesting 
 to his turn of mind. Finally, let us recall what we have seen of his close association 
 with the Apostle Paul, and we may be at no loss as to how Luke, though not an apostle, 
 or one directly acquainted with Jesus, acquired the rich store of truth which has 
 rendered his charming narrative a treasure of the Christian world. His account of 
 the Lord's Supper, compared with 1 Cor. 11: 24-26, shows an identity of view, as does 
 his mention (24: 34) of the Lord's appearance to Peter after the resurrection (comp. 
 1 Cor. 15: 5). It is doubtful whether Paul ever saw a complete Gospel in writing, but 
 we cannot doubt that if he had read that of "the beloved physician," it would have 
 answered to the conception of his own heart. 
 
 DATE. 
 
 The limit below which this cannot fall, is indicated by Luke himself It must 
 have been earlier than the composition of the Acts (see Acts 1:1), and the Acts 
 may have been completed about A. D. 64 (see Hackett, Commentary on the Acts, 
 Intro, p. 19). However the Gospel could not have been written later than about 
 A. D. 70, when Jerusalem was captured and the temple destroyed. This appears from 
 the eschatological discourse in 21 : 20 ff. In the other Synoptics Jesus appears 
 to associate directly the destruction of Jerusalem with his second advent for the 
 full, eternal redemption of his followers, so that the latter shall follow "immediately" 
 upon the other. In Luke, the report of the discourse, diiFering in other respects from 
 Mark, and still more from Matthew, makes a period of the subjugation of Jerusalem by 
 Gentiles (v. 24) to intervene after its capture, before the redemption shall draw nigh. 
 But that Luke does not understand this to mean any long period, is evident, since he 
 also gives, in ver. 32, the declaration: "This generation shall not pass away, till all 
 things be accomplished" (Revision). Compare for a like understanding of what 
 naturally seems to be a long period, 2 Thess. 2 : 3-8, with 1 Thess. 4 : 15, 17. We 
 might suppose, in consistency with this, that Luke wrote a short time after A. D. 70 ; 
 but the general identity, in matter and form, of his work with that of the other 
 Synoptics, its contrast with that of John, which ivas written later; the ftict that neither 
 in the Gospel, nor even in the Acts, does he make allusion to any thing of later date 
 than Paul's first captivity ; that he was ignorant of Matthew's Gospel, in its present form, 
 and of Mark's, so far as appears ; lastly, that his representation of the state, organiza- 
 tion, and officers of the church in his day, is so widely diiferent from what we find 
 existing in the second half of the second century, all render it decidedly more likely that 
 the Gospel was written not later than the destruction of Jerusalem. As to the place of 
 the writing, conjecture has ranged from Cesarea, through Asia Minor and Greece, to 
 Rome. 
 
 GENUINENESS. 
 
 There was never any question of the authorship of this Gospel, until within about 
 the last one hundred years. The skeptical disposition which has so largely prevailed in 
 Biblical criticism during this period, has taken offence at the miraculous account of the 
 origin and of the apostolic history of Christianity, and both writings of Luke, like the 
 rest of the Bible, have been subjected to violence. Some have labored to show that this 
 Gospel was only an adaptation of that which the heretic Marcion fabricated toward the 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 17 
 
 middle of the second century. Others have supposed that as late as that, or later, some 
 entirely unknown person, desiring to appease an assumed belligerency between a'strong 
 Jewish and Pauline party in the early church, had palmed himself off as a companion 
 of Paul while tlie latter was alive, and had made up a narrative concerning Jesus and his 
 first followers, pretending that they taught essentially in the spirit of Paul, when, in 
 reality, it was far otherwise. The view underwent many modifications, being refuted at 
 every new turn, as one may see in Fisher's Beginnings of ChrUtianity, or Glider, Art. 
 Liika^, in Herzog and Plitt's Real Encydopddie. The latter writer, after stating the 
 chief supjiositions of recent criticism on the subject, reverent and irreverent, concludes 
 with the judgment that the reasons for the authorship of the Acts, and so of the Gospel 
 also, by Luke, are incomparably stronger than for any other supposition which has been 
 advanced ; and even that the very working out of these suppositions, tends ever still to 
 confirm the hereditary view of Christendom. That view began to find distinct and 
 foruKil expression soon after the middle of the second century, when the Muratorian 
 Canon plainly refers the third Gospel to Luke, a companion of Paul. Justin 3Lirtyr had 
 still earlier quoted from the Gospel in passages conveniently copied by S. Davidson in his 
 Introductiim to the JVcin TeMoment (2 : 19-22), and had been used by Marcion, as we have 
 already seen, probably Basilides also (about A. D. ]2r)). See Sanday, Gospch in the Second 
 Centarrj, p. 382. Before this time it had been translated in the Old Latin, and in the 
 earliest Syrian version of the New Testament. The Muratorian Canon is rightly supposed 
 to have expressed the judgment of the Church at Rome, and its extensive dependencies, as 
 the Syrian did that of the Eastern Church, and the Old Latin that of all Northern 
 Africa. A little later. Ircnncus names Luke as the author {Adv. Hteres, 1.14. Enseb. 
 E. H. 5. 8), see Davidson Ibid p. 24. '* Clement of Alexandria adopts the same 
 opinion, and the Fathers generally follow it." Ibid. When David.son adds: "It (the 
 Gospel) does not appear to have been known much out of Rome in their time ; nor was 
 it preferred by them to an extra-canonical gospel or gospels which they employed along 
 with it," he probably does not intend to place it on any other footing than our other 
 Synoptical Gospels, and has no authority for denying that it was already, as in the 
 Muratorian Canon, separated from all books of other than apostolical authority. 
 Enough that before the middle of the second century, while Christian teachers were yet 
 living who had conversed with the apostles and their associates, and were deeply inter- 
 ested in whatever was of importance to the cause of Christ, the Gospel of Luke was 
 familiarly known and ascribed to Luke as its author. As such it has been used by the 
 whole church ever since. It has been often said, and will bear repetition, that for no 
 writing of clas.sieal antiquity have we anything like the same proof of its genuineness 
 as we have for the Gospel of Luke. On the basis of the New Testament itself, Godet, 
 in chapter 3, sect. 3, of his Conclusion, makes out a convincing argument i'ov Luke's 
 authorship, from a comparison of the proem to the Gospel with other information from 
 the Gospel, the Acts, and the Epi.stles of Paul. In that Conclusion will be found also a 
 very full, able, and generally satisfactory discussion of most of the questions pertaining 
 to an Introduction to the writings of Luke. 
 
 PLAN. 
 
 That Luke followed a distinct aim in the arrangement of his material, is indicated 
 beforehand, by the "in order" (icoScf^?), of his Preface, and a plan was obviously neces- 
 sary to reach that aim, in giving immovable certainty to Theophilus. The aim was to 
 be reached by showing the divine origin of Jesus the Christ ; his manifestation in 
 
 B 
 
18 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL. 
 
 humanity, as a babe, a boy, a young man (conversant with all these experiences of men) ; 
 his external inauguration to his public office by his baptism ; the intrinsic, personal 
 inauguration by his triumph over Satan in the great temptation. This portion of the 
 Gospel we have, in the Commentary, treated as Part First (1 : 5 — 4 : 13). Then follows 
 his ministry in Galilee, Part Second (4 : 14 — 9 : 50), by which he gave the people abund- 
 ant proofs of his Messiahship, and desire to save them ; was believed on temporarily by 
 multitudes without a true appreciation of his real character ; but was distrusted, by 
 degrees hated and persecuted by the ruling classes, and abandoned by the deluded 
 masses, only a few of whom remained faithful. In Part Third (9: 51 — 19 : 11), the 
 author has gathered a mass of most valuable material, from a source or sources not used 
 by the other evangelists, without apparent chronological or geographical sequence ; but 
 treated as pertaining to a slow journey toward Jerusalem, on which Jesus had resolved 
 (9 : 59), that he might, through his sufferings, be raised to the position of a universal 
 and an eternal Saviour. 
 
 The present incorrigibleness of the Jews, as a body, has now become hopelessly 
 manifest ; but he is, if possible, still more abundant and earnest in endeavors to save 
 some. He takes care for an increase of laborers in the field from which he is about to be 
 removed, and rejoices that through the ministry of such, the reign of Satan over men is 
 in effect broken. He teaches his servants much about the work before them, the 
 dangers and pains to which they are appointed; but assures them of ever present, 
 effectual help from on high, of a success that shall fill the world, and of a glorious 
 recognition by himself when he shall return (as he will) in royal majesty, for the full and 
 eternal blessedness of his kingdom, and the separation from it of those who would not 
 have this man to reign over them. 
 
 Part Fourth relates his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem as acknowledged Lord of 
 the Temple; his victorious contests with the ruling sects and authorities; his clear 
 testimonies to the truth ; his provision for the fellowship of his followers in remembrance 
 of him ; his propitiatory death ; accompanied with fresh and amazing proofs of his 
 divine mission ; his resurrection from the grave ; his charge that the gospel should be 
 proclaimed in his name among all the nations ; and his ascension to glory (19 : 12 ; 24 : 53). 
 
 The evangelist thus leaves the Author of Christianity where, through the very 
 unbelief and murderous cruelty of the Jews, he can, without respect of persons, save 
 all alike who call upon him, and carry forward to the ends of the world that glad 
 announcement, which has already reached as far as Rome. What could be better suited 
 to give Theophilus that "certainty " in regard to the elementary teachings of the Gospel 
 which he desired ? 
 
THE 
 
 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set I 1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw 
 forth in order a declaration of those things "which up a narrative concerning those matters which have 
 are most surely believed among us, I 
 
 Ch. 1: 1-4. Preface. 
 
 1. Forasmuch as. A conjunction of the 
 same force as "since, indeed," it serves to 
 connect the main verb of the sentence, "it 
 seemed good," ver. 3, with the chiuses which 
 here follow, as in some sense its ground, or 
 condition. In explaining why he has set 
 out to write his Gospel, the author saj's he 
 does it forasmuch as others have done the 
 same, or a similar, thing. — Many have taken 
 in hand — more exactly, took in hand. The 
 tense, is a preterit, or indefinite past. "To 
 take in hand" is "to undertake," "to at- 
 tempt"; but the familiar phrase is more 
 nearly true to the etymology of the original 
 verb, "to lay hand to." It might be used 
 equally of a right or of a reprehensible 
 attempt, denoting a certain amount of reso- 
 lution, and of itself suggests no disparage- 
 ment of the effort, or intimation that it has 
 failed of intended success. That the attempts 
 had not resulted in such a declaration as 
 Luke thought suitable for his time and purpose 
 is all that we need suppose. That lie refers 
 to them in a past tense may possibly indicate 
 that he thought of them as obsolete, or no 
 longer serviceable, even in the degrees in 
 which they might once have been so. The 
 "many" were Christian men unknown to 
 us; almost certainly not including either of 
 the authors of our Canonical Gospels. John 
 and' Matthew are out of the question, for 
 other reasons and because they were them- 
 selves among the "eye-witnesses" as after- 
 wards spoken of, whose testimony constituted 
 the rule according to which the "many" 
 attempted to compose their narrations. He 
 could not have had our Mark in mind, 
 because, as we suppose him to have used out 
 of those earlier "declarations" what was 
 germane to his plan, we should find in his 
 
 Gospel more of, and more like, Mark. — 
 To set forth in order a declaration, 
 
 etc. The Revised Version is preferable here, 
 in several points. "7b draw up,'' or "to 
 arrange,^' is better than to set forth in 
 order. A declaration should be under- 
 stood as "a narration," or "historical revela- 
 tion." • — Those things which are most 
 surely believed among us, should be, con- 
 cerning the things which have been fully 
 accomplished among us. The Greek verb 
 means primarily "to bring full," then "to 
 make full," "to complete." This is spoken 
 of things, (2Tim. 4:5, 17). "Make full proof of 
 {fully perform) thy ministry ; " "that by me 
 the preaching {proclamation) might be fully 
 known {fully accom.plished)." In the Bible, 
 and in later Christian writers, it was used to 
 signify specially "to cause full belief," so 
 that in the passive it is rightly translated "to 
 be fully persuaded," "let every man be fully 
 persuaded," (Rom. i4:5;comp. 4:2i). But for this, 
 manifestly, a person must be the subject. Of 
 things, it is only said that they "are com- 
 pletely done." Whether in our passage it is 
 employed in the sense of a cognate Greek 
 verb, "to fulfill," as if Luke had in mind 
 the fulfillment of prophecy in the things, 
 facts, or topics treated of in the Gospel, or 
 matters of which he speaks, is uncertain. 
 So the Revised Version seems to view it. 
 Those things — as appears from what fol- 
 lows, are the facts concerning Christ's life, 
 words, works, suflTerings, humiliation, death, 
 resurrection, and a.scension to glory ; all, 
 in short, which constituted the theme of 
 the original preaching. These had, before 
 the time of Luke's writing, and before that 
 of the previous attempts, fully come to pass, 
 or been accomplished. Among us — as 
 Christians, whom Luke identifies as being 
 
 'It has been doubted even whether their "declaration," which must of course be understood distributively — 
 the declaration of eachi — was a written or an oral account. The fact that Luke in proposing to " write " (ver. 3), 
 supports himself by their example, would seem to settle the question. 
 
 19 
 
20 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 2 "Even as they delivered them unto us, which 'from I 2 been 'fulfilled among us, even as they delivered 
 
 the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the 
 word; 
 
 a "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect 
 understanding of all things from the very first, to 
 write unto thee ''in order, «most excellent Theophilus, 
 
 them unto us, who from the beginning were eye- 
 
 3 witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good 
 
 to me also, having traced the course of all things 
 
 accurately Irom tho first, to write unto thee in order. 
 
 a Heb. '2:3; 1 Pet. 5:1; 2 Pet. 1: 16; 1 John 1 : 1 i M:irk 1:1; John 15: 'll c Acts 15: 19, 25, 28; 1 Cor. 7 : 40 d Acts 11: 4 
 
 « Acts 1 : 1. 1 Or, fully established. 
 
 all one body, from the time of the first disci- 
 ples. The many who had previously written 
 are included. 
 
 2. Even as they delivered them unto 
 us which from the beginning, etc. The 
 persons here referred to were the companions 
 and servants of Jesus. If the authority of 
 the apostles exclusively had been appealed 
 to, they would certainly have been named as 
 such; but now we are referred to them and 
 other disciples of the Lord, including, prob- 
 ably, "the seventy," and many others like 
 Barsabas, and those referred to by Peter as 
 possible apostles, (Acts i: as. 21). They authori- 
 tatively delivered (handed down) informa- 
 tion concerning Christ. This information 
 furnished the standard, as to the substance 
 and manner, of the narratives which the 
 "many" had composed. This is denoted 
 by, even as. They undertook each one 
 to draw up a narrative concerning "those 
 things" according to what, and even as 
 those personally intimate with Jesus had 
 instructed them. — The same persons were 
 eyewitnesses (of the facts) from the be- 
 ginning, (i. e., of the public work), and 
 [became] ministers of the word; namely, 
 the gospel of Christ's kingdom. This word 
 they dispensed, "ministered," as the servants 
 of Jesus, in the office of apostles and of other 
 witnesses for him. But while private Chris- 
 tians, like Mary, the mother of Jesus, or 
 Lazarus and his sisters, are excluded from 
 any share in determining the substance and 
 form of the gospel proclamation, we are not 
 hindered from thinking that a subsequent 
 investigator, like Luke, might derive light 
 as to details and minute points from such 
 sources. Especially does this apply to 
 matters like the Nativity, which lay outside 
 of the earliest contents of the oral gospel. 
 3. It seemed good to me also. This is 
 the apodosis, and principal clause of the 
 sentence, as we have said, to which all the 
 foregoing is introductory and subordinate. 
 Forasriiuch as they did that, it seemed good 
 to me also to do this. If others had not, it 
 
 might seem presumptuous in me to attempt 
 such a thing. It seemed good to me is 
 nearly equivalent to "I resolved" to, "I 
 thought I would." — Having had perfect 
 understanding of all things from the 
 very first. The Revision is nearer to the 
 original. The participle signifies properly 
 "to follow along with," either a person, so 
 as to become intimate and well acquainted 
 with him, or a subject of investigation, so as 
 to have mastered it, have followed it through. 
 Of this process, the Common Version gives 
 substantially the result: "to have clear and 
 full understanding," overlooking the process. 
 A question arises as to the relation of time 
 between this participle and the author's 
 determination to write. It might be equiva- 
 lent to "because I already had understand- 
 ing," or to "after I should come to have." 
 Examples of the former use need not be 
 repeated. The latter would be like Acts 
 15: 22, where the Greek is: "Then it seemed 
 good to the apostles, . . . having chosen men, 
 ... to send them to Antiooh," rightly trans- 
 lated, "to choose men and send them." So 
 Luke 9: 59, Greek, "suffer me first, having 
 gone, to bury," meaning, "suffer me first to 
 go and bury"; comp. Matt. 8: 21, where it 
 is so expressed in the Greek. (Comp. also the 
 Greek of ver. 9 in this chapter). After this 
 analogy, which we think most apjiropriate 
 here, our passage would mean, "I resolved to 
 acquire a full and exact understanding of all 
 things, and write." — From the very first. 
 Very might be omitted, and still leave us to 
 gather that Luke determined to extend his 
 investigation beyond the ordinary beginning 
 of the evangelical proclamation, the preach- 
 ing of John the Baptist, (Mmk 1 : 1 ir; Acts i: 21, 22). 
 He is going back to the birth of John, and of 
 the Lord Jesus. — To write unto thee in 
 order, most excellent Theophilus. Who 
 this Theophilus was, is entirely unknown, 
 although a variety of uncertain traditions 
 was afterwards hatched to supply the place 
 of knowledge. They may be read in the 
 1 Bible Dictionaries, great care being taken to 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 21 
 
 4 "That thou niightest know the certainty of those 
 things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 
 
 4 most excellent Theophihis; that thou niightest know 
 the certainty concerning the ' things 2 wherein thou 
 wast instructed. 
 
 I Gr. teordt. . . .2 Ur, toAicA tliou watt taught by word of mouth. 
 
 scrutinzc the alleged authorities. The name 
 signifies "dear to God," or "friend of God." 
 That a real person was intended, and not 
 a mere imaginary representative of Chris- 
 tian piety, is much more probable, both from 
 tiie nature of the case, in introducing a real 
 history, repeated again in the .second section 
 of Luke's work (Actsi:i), and from the com- 
 monness of the name in that day, which would 
 make it less suitable for an allegorical effect. 
 The name, being Greek, aftords some prob- 
 ability that its bearer was of Gentile origin, 
 and in this respect falls in with the whole 
 impression made by all other circumstances 
 connected with the book. The epithet, most 
 excellent, has encouraged the speculation 
 that he was of high rank, or stood in high 
 official position, especially as it is applied to 
 Felix and Festus. (Aots23: 26; 24:3; 26:25). That 
 use of it shows that it mlgkt be employed 
 to ascribe excellence, howeve'r falsely, to 
 potentates; but it is not likely that we should 
 be left to so slender evidence, if there had 
 been at that time a convert to Christitinity, 
 within the knowledge of Luke, of any such 
 standing. It is enough to accept it as denot- 
 ing intelligence and moral excellence becom- 
 ing to an influential Christian man. The 
 evangelist writes to him, not simply for his 
 personal satisfaction and behoof, but as a 
 good medium through whom to communi- 
 cate, to a certain circle of believers, the full 
 and exact truth concerning Christ and the 
 beginnings of his religion. This was a 
 common mode of making public their writ- 
 ings by ancient authors, to dedicate them to 
 some friend, or eminent man whose name 
 would give them credit with other readers. 
 To Theophilus, Luke proposes to write in 
 order, i. e., in an orderly way. It would 
 most naturally be understood of a chrono- 
 logical order, and indeed it is hard to see 
 what order could have been intended not 
 including that; but as Luke, on a compari- 
 .son with the other evangelists, sometimes 
 appears to fail of the more probable succes- 
 sion of events in time, we may perhaps in- 
 terpret his word more generaily,as denoting a 
 consistent series according to u lo(jical prin- 
 
 ciple; such an arrangement of topics as shall 
 best conduce to the object at which he aims. 
 The argument in favor of this latitude of 
 signification of the adverb ((coetf^?), is well put 
 by Dr. J. B. McClellan {New Translation 0/ 
 the New Testament, I., 424-26); only he per- 
 haps too confidently assumes that Luke was 
 distinctly aware that he followed an order 
 not chronological. This object, at which 
 Luke aims, he gives in the next words. 
 
 4. That thou mightest know the cer- 
 tainty of ((;o?irt'/w/H^) those things where- 
 in thou hast been {wast) instructed. The 
 terseness of the original it is hard to express 
 idiomatically in English with equal vigor: 
 "That thou mightest know clearly, concern- 
 ing what words thou wast taught, the solid 
 trutii." Know here represents a com- 
 pound w<jrd, sometimes " recognize," but 
 more generally, "know definitely," accu- 
 rately, clearly. For the Greek noun here 
 (AoyioK), literally, vx)rds. Versions and many 
 other authorities give "things," as the term 
 is often used metaphorically for the subject 
 matter of the words. But here there seems 
 to be no sufficient reason for thinking of any- 
 thing else than the "words," that is, dis- 
 courses, accounts, reports, of Christ, his deeds, 
 and his doctrine, which Theophilus had been 
 taught. This teaching (KaT»;x>)fl>)«) had been 
 oral, as the special word here used most 
 naturally signifies. It is that from which, 
 through the practice of the earl 3-^ Greek 
 Christians, our word "catechize" and its 
 cognates come, although that practice was 
 only gradually developed from the simple 
 plan of communicating the truths of the 
 gospel, publicly and privately, bj* word of 
 mouth, which is called "preaching" in the 
 New Testament. These words Theophilus 
 had already believed ; but, lest he should be 
 hesitating between variant statements, Luke 
 assumes that for him to have the whole 
 narrative of the origin of Christianity pre- 
 sented in writing, with accuracy, in an or- 
 derly consecution of facts, would give cer- 
 tainty and firmness to his faith. 
 
 Remark.— This short Preface is of special 
 interest to a student of the New Testament 
 
22 
 
 LUKE 
 
 LCh. I. 
 
 in several respects. There is nothing else- 
 where in Scripture in any degree like it, 
 except the mere address to the same The- 
 ophilus in the first verse of Acts. It throws 
 important light — 
 
 1. On the author. He was thoroughly at 
 home in the Greek language; which was 
 not the case with most of the New Testament 
 writers. By a single sentence he sets forth 
 the reasons which encouraged him to write, 
 the sources of his matter, the competency 
 which he had sought for the task, and the 
 precise aim of his effort. He does it clearly, 
 simply, tersely, and with a grammatical skill 
 in the development of his thought which 
 results in a period scarcely to be excelled in 
 the Greek of that age, and which even Demos- 
 thenes need not have despised. A like quality 
 of style appears elsewhere, occasionally, in 
 his writing, especially in the Acts, by com- 
 parison of which passages we may infer that 
 he more commonly translates out of Hebrew 
 (Aramsean) sources, preserving something of 
 their foreign quality, or copies documents 
 of such origin. A noble modesty breathes 
 through his language He makes no claim 
 to original authorship, but only to the collec- 
 tion of facts which others had given, and the 
 arrangement of them in an appropriate narra- 
 tive, suited to serve a very important pur- 
 pose. Intelligence, honesty, and care in all 
 the processes of his work are unmistakably 
 evinced. He does not stop short of the 
 authentic, and, when it was necessary, the 
 divinely accredited sources of knowledge, 
 which he studies patiently, perseveringly, 
 thoroughly, sparing no labor by which he 
 may assure certainty on the most important 
 subjects to his readers. We are thus pre- 
 pared to expect in his narrative consistency 
 with all other known truthful accounts of 
 the same matters ; and, uniformly finding 
 this, we reasonably accept his historical state- 
 ments in cases, such as "the enrollment" 
 by order of Augustus, under Cyrenius as 
 governor of Syria (2:1.2), the Tetrarchy of 
 Lysanias in Abilene (3:i), where we lack the 
 express confirmation of other writers. 
 
 2. On the origin of our Canonical, par- 
 ticularly of the Synoptic, Gospels. In solving 
 the very interesting problem here presented, 
 to account at once for the remarkable simi- 
 larity of those writings, amounting in occa- 
 sional passages to complete identity, while 
 
 explaining at the same time the striking dif- 
 ferences, amounting sometimes almost to con- 
 tradiction, the view most prevalent, though 
 with endless modifications, has latterly been, 
 that they, the first three Gospels, are so many 
 forms in which was preserved the spoken gospel 
 of the apostolic preaching. This had fastened 
 itself on a comparatively scant selection of 
 fivcts, out of the Saviour's life and discourses, 
 and especially his passion. They were chosen 
 because of their fitness to represent his whole 
 work and teaching, chiefly to show on the 
 one hand that he was the Messiah of the 
 Jews, and on the other that he was the 
 Saviour of the whole world. These would 
 be elaborated with care that they might 
 truly report the facts, would naturally ex- 
 press in substance the view common to the 
 apostles, who remained some years together 
 in Jerusalem, and, when giving Christ's 
 more important sayings, would nearly or 
 exactly coincide. Thus, "those who were 
 eye-witnesses and became ministers of the 
 word," delivered to their contemporaries and 
 successors the things that had been accom- 
 plished among them. 
 
 But not in writing, until a considerable 
 number of years had passed. Even the 
 Gospel according to Matthew, as we now 
 have it, dates from thirty-five or more years 
 after Christ's death, and John, still a good 
 deal later. "When, therefore, Luke, as is 
 revealed in his Preface, desired a complete, 
 self-consistent, and reasoned account of the 
 themes of the original preaching, for the 
 benefit of believers who, like Theophilus, 
 had received the word, as the spoken testi- 
 mony of men that knew their truth, and felt 
 their power, he could find no such account. 
 He knew of severAl faithful attempts at 
 something more or less approaching what 
 he wished for, and, as a Greek, would feel none 
 of that scruple against writing down divine 
 truths, which would hamper an ordinary 
 Hebrew of that day. He had close associa- 
 tion with the Apostle Paul, who, although, 
 like himself, at the second remove from 
 Christ, had enjoyed special revelations of 
 the gospel, besides unusual opportunities for 
 the natural acquisition of knowledge about 
 the Lord; he could avail himself of the 
 work of those many previous writers; and 
 finally he could still have access in his re^ 
 searches to some now well advanced in years. 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 23 
 
 THERE was " in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, 
 a certain priest named Zacharias, 'of the course ot 
 Abia: and his wife wiix of the daughters of Aaron, and 
 her name w/u Klisabelh. 
 
 6 And they were both = righteous before God, walk- 
 ing in all the commandments and ordinances of the 
 Lord blameless. 
 
 5 There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a 
 certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of 
 Abijah : and he had a wife of the daughters of 
 
 6 Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they 
 were both rigliteous before (iod, walking in all the 
 commandments and ordinances of the I^rd blame- 
 
 aMatt. 2:1 6 1 Cbron. 24: 10,19; Neb. 12: 4, 17 e Gen. 7:1; 17: 1 ; 1 Kiug9 9: 4; 2 Kingn 20: 3; Job 1:1; AcU23: 1; 
 
 24: 16; Pbil. 3 : 6. 
 
 who could supply deficiencies in his accounts 
 from their own memory, and perhaps fur- 
 nish documents of highest authority not 
 generally known. From all indications con- 
 cerning Luke, and from his known intimacy 
 with the Apo.<tle Paul, we may well suppose 
 that he would welcome those accounts, espe- 
 cially, of Christ's teaching and conduct, which 
 most clearly bespoke his catholic and uni- 
 versal interest in the sah'ation of the men 
 of every nation, and of every grade. 
 
 The view of the origin of the (lospels above 
 intimated, is ably maintained, with a criticism 
 of counter views which have been held, by 
 
 B. F. Westcott, in his Introduction to the 
 Study of the Gospels, chap. 3. 
 
 The scholar will find the interpretation and 
 significance of this Preface well discussed in 
 the same work, pp. 196-108, Am. Edition ; 
 in G. Fisher, Beginnings of Christianity; 
 
 C. F. Nosgen, in the Studien und Kritiken, 
 1876, pp. 260-275; and above all, C. L. W. 
 Grimm (the lexicographer), in the Johrbiicher 
 fur deutsche Theologie, B. 16, 1871, pp. 33-78. 
 
 Part I. Ch. 1:5-4:13. Preliminary 
 TO THE Public Ministry of Jesus. This 
 p:irt is plainly divided into three sections by 
 the careful indications of date. (ch. i:5;2:i; 
 
 3: I ff). 
 
 Sect. 1, ch. 1: 5 80, presents (1) the annun- 
 ciation of the birth of John the Baptist as 
 our Lord's forerunner; (2) the annunciation 
 of the birth of Jesus; (3) the birth of John 
 — with the attendant circumstances of each 
 event. 
 
 1:5-23. Annunciation of the Birth 
 OF John. 
 
 5. There was in the days of Herod, 
 the king of Judea. It is better, with the 
 Revision, to omit the article before king. 
 Herod I., surnamed the Great, son of Anti- 
 pater, an Idumaean, came, through the favor 
 of the Romans, to reign over Judea, from 
 A. u. 0. 714, and afterward over Samaria and 
 other districts also, until A. u. c. 750, when 
 he died. The days of Herod, therefore, 
 
 covered about thirty-si.x years, and what is 
 here recorded took place very late in that 
 period. — A certain priest named Zach- 
 arias, of the course of Abia. As a priest, 
 he would at that time be reckoned of the 
 nobility of the Jews. (See Josephus' Life, (J 1. ) 
 There might be thought some significance in 
 his name, which in Hebrew meant "Jehovah 
 remembers." Abia is projierly given in 
 the Revision as Abijah, on the principle that 
 the names of Old Testament personages 
 should be in the New Testament the same as 
 in the Old. This would require that Zach- 
 arias should be changed to Zachariah, or 
 Zechariah, if the person here intended had 
 been mentioned in the Old Testament. 
 Abijah was the head of one of the twenty- 
 four "courses" or divisions (iChron. 24: i, lo) into 
 which David distributed the priests of his 
 day, for the more orderly performance of 
 their duties. Abijah stood first in the eighth 
 of them, and as the date of the destruction of 
 .he temple (a. d. 70) is known, and the course 
 of the priests (that of Joarib) then oflUciating 
 is known, it has been supposed that something 
 definite could be concluded by reckoning 
 backward from that date, as to the week here 
 intended, then, as to the time of John's birth, 
 then, as to the year, the month, the week, 
 and even the day, of the birth of Jesus. How 
 precarious such inferences must be is obvious. 
 Any opinion even as to whether the order of 
 the courses was the same now as when they 
 began is, for one thing, so uncertain as scarcely 
 to deserve the credit of slight probability, 
 whatever that opinion may be. — And his 
 wife was (he had a wife) of the daughters 
 of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 
 Both parents of .John were thus of the 
 priestlj- class. Their character was that of 
 the highest type of Old Testament religion. 
 
 6. They were both righteous before 
 God. Under a system of legal requirements 
 "righteousness" is the natural description of 
 piety. That would apply to a person as he 
 most fully met those requirements, and con- 
 
24 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 7 And they had uo child, because that Elisabeth was 
 barren, and they both were 7wic well stricken in years. 
 
 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the 
 priest's office before God " in the order ot his course, 
 
 9 According to the custom ol' the priest's office, his 
 lot was 'to burn incense when he went into the temple 
 of the Lord. 
 
 7 less. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth 
 was barren, and they both were j/ott'i well stricken in 
 years. 
 
 8 Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's 
 
 9 office before God in the order of his course, according 
 to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to 
 enter into the i temple of the Lord and burn incense. 
 
 a 1 Chron. 24 : 19 ; 2 Chrou. 8 : 14 ; 31 : 'i 6 Ex. 30: 7. 8; 1 S.im. 2 : 28 ; 1 Chrou. 23 : 13 ; 2 Cliron.29; II. 
 
 their days.... 2 Or, sanctuary. 
 
 1 Gr. advanced iji 
 
 formed his disposition and conduct to the 
 standard of the law. He would so be right, 
 i. e., righteous, and this quality of his char- 
 acter would be called righteousness. Be- 
 fore God, not in their own view, or in that 
 of their neighbors, merely, but as seen by 
 God. Yet it was a legal righteousness, as 
 appears from the description following. — 
 Walking is a Hebrew metaphor for "living," 
 "conducting oneself," in the various rela- 
 tions of men to each other and to God. — The 
 commandments are particular precepts. — 
 Ordinances may be, more generally, the 
 appointments of God, his statutes or decisions 
 of any form, indicative of his will concern- 
 ing his people. — Blameless, as Paul speaks 
 (Phil. 3:6) of his owH character as having been, 
 according to the law, and no more exclusive 
 of the need of justification by faith, or im- 
 plying absolute perfection on the part of 
 Zacharias and Elisabeth. It was the right- 
 eousness of supreme reverence for Jehovah's 
 will and sincere endeavor to comply with it, 
 often claimed by pious men under the old 
 covenant (comp.Psi 18:2024; 7:8), and ascribed to 
 them in a multitude of places. 
 
 7. And they had no child, because that 
 Elisabeth was barren. The one great 
 trouble, apparently, of their lives, and espe- 
 cially severe in the estimation of a married 
 pair among the Jews, where childlessness was 
 esteemed almost a curse.— And they both 
 were noAvwell stricken in years, literally, 
 were advanced in their days, and so, doubt- 
 less feeling that there was less and less reason 
 to hope for oftspring. Still, there is nothing 
 to indicate the natural impossibility that they 
 might yet be so blessed, or to forbid their 
 prayers. 
 
 8-23. The Annunciation. Ver. 8-12 
 give the occasion and mode; ver. 13-17 the 
 annunciation itself; and ver. 18-23 the token 
 by which Zachariah should know that it was 
 to come true. 
 
 8-12. 8. Executed the priest's office, 
 (discharged the duties of a priest) before 
 
 God. A different expression in the Greek 
 from that in ver. G, "in God's presence, as 
 manifested in the temple," "as unto God." — 
 In the order of his course, i. e., on some 
 day of that week in which, twice in the year, 
 the course of Abijah would be on duty at 
 the temple. The twenty-four courses would 
 have to take their turn at least twice every 
 year. 
 
 9. According to the custom of the 
 priest's office. This custom, as Jewish 
 authorities declare (see Winer, Real-Wor- 
 terbuch, 2, 323, n. 3, 2 ed.), was for the 
 "course" to distribute themselves into six 
 sections, one of which had charge of the 
 temple duties for each secular day, while on 
 the Sabbath the whole course joined in the 
 services. It is natural to suppose that each, 
 section would then divide by lot the several 
 functions necessary to be performed each 
 day. Thus it was that on the particular day 
 in question his lot was 'he obtainid by lot) 
 to burn incense, etc. The Revision renders 
 rightly. (See on ver. 3). The purpose of his 
 entering into the temple was to ofier incense. 
 This function was regarded as of special 
 privilege and solemnity, both from the signi- 
 fication of the act (Rev. 5:8), and because it 
 brought the priest officiating into near prox- 
 imity to God's seat. For "the temple" here 
 is the sacred edifice itself, into which none 
 but the priests might enter, in the outer 
 chamber of which stood the altar of incense, 
 separated by nothing but the second vail 
 from that mysterious gloom of "the holy of 
 holies," where the Shekinah and the cheru' 
 bim over the ark had once betokened the 
 special presence of Jehovah (ex.30:i, 6), and 
 where he was still thought to receive the 
 odors of the incense as an acceptable symbol 
 of the prayers of the people. Much more 
 commonly in our English Bible, the word 
 "temple" stands for another Greek word, 
 denoting the whole congeries of sacred build- 
 ings (Mark 13:1) aiid courts, wlilch surrounded 
 the temple edifice proper, and does not really 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 25 
 
 10 "And the whole nuiltitude of the people were 
 praying without at the time of incense. 
 
 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the 
 Lord standing on the right side of <■ the altar of incense. 
 
 12 And when Zacharias saw kiin, <■ he was troubled, 
 and fear fell u(>on him. 
 
 i:{ Hut the angel sai<l unto him Fear, not, Zacharias; 
 for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Kli.saheth shall 
 bear thee a'sou, and ''thou shall call his name .John. 
 
 14 And thou shall have joy and gladness: and « many 
 shall rejoice at his birth. 
 
 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying 
 
 11 without at the hour of incense. And there appeared 
 unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right 
 
 12 side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was 
 troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 
 
 13 But the angel said unto him, Kear not, Zacharias: 
 because thy su]>plication is heard, and thy wife 
 Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call 
 
 14 his name John. And thou shall have joy and glad- 
 
 aLev. 16: 17; Her. 8: 3, i b Ex.30: 1 c Judg. 6: 22; 13: 22: nan. 10: 8; ver. 29; ch. 2:9; Acts 10: 4; Rer. 1 : IT d ver. 
 
 60, 63 e vei'. 5tt. 
 
 apply to that at all. It is a pity that the 
 Revision has not indicated tlie distinction by 
 using for the latter word referred to, "temple 
 courts," "temple buildings," or some suitably 
 distinctive term, as Dr. McClelian lias done. 
 
 10. The whole multitude. Whether 
 greater than the ordinary attendance of wor- 
 shipers, as if it were some festival day, we 
 have no intimation. — Were praying with- 
 out. Simultaneously with the otlering of 
 the incense, (comp. rcv.8:3, 4). — At the time 
 [hotcr] of incense. There were two hours 
 of incense daily — one in the morning, when 
 the lamps were trimmed, after the niglit's use, 
 the other at evening, when they were lighted 
 (Ex. 30:7, 8); but wliich this was we can only 
 conjecture. Meyer is scarcely' warranted in 
 deciding for the morning, on the ground that 
 "the casting of the lots has just preceded." 
 
 11. An angel of the Lord. Ver. 19 
 shows that among the numerous host of 
 Buper-earthly messengers who did the bid- 
 ding of God in heaven, and on earth when 
 the interests of his kingdom here required, 
 the one now sent was Gabriel, who had 
 already long before appeared to Daniel 
 (Dan. 8: 16; 9:21), to enlighten and comfort him. 
 His coming now was indicative of another 
 crisis in the history of redemption, where 
 supernatural tokens from above were most 
 natural. — Standing on the right side of 
 the altar. The altar of incense stood near 
 the curtain which vailed the most holy place, 
 centrally, in front of the sacred ark beliind, 
 the vail. The right side miglit have been 
 so named with reference to the altar, which 
 would be at the left hand of the priest as he 
 entered, an honorable position in relation to 
 the divine presence represented by the altar; 
 but quite as probably the angel stood at the 
 right side with reference to Zacharias facing 
 the altar, in which case the fact was mentioned 
 as of good omen to the servant of God. 
 
 12. He {Zacharias) was troubled, and 
 
 fear fell upon him. His trouble and fear 
 was not so much alarm or dread of danger, as 
 the holy awe which naturally rises in tiie 
 heart of one conscious of sin before any un- 
 usual, especially a sudden, manifestation of 
 the near presence of God. 
 
 13-17. Fear not, Zacharias; fur thy 
 prayer (supplication) is heard {was heard). 
 Not harm, but ratlier blessing to hJ:n is 
 portended. Not the usual word for prayer 
 is employed, but one more specitic in its 
 import, and implying earnestness; and it 
 probably points to the entreaties which Zach- 
 arias had urged before God for a son. If we 
 knew that public praj'er on his part attended 
 the burning of the incense, we might sujjpose 
 (althougli the special word supplication is not 
 so suitable to this view) that he had been 
 asking for the advent of the Messiah, and that 
 the granting of this request was assured to 
 him in the announcement of the birth of the 
 forerunner. But it is too much of hypothesis 
 to assume that there was some prayer, and 
 then that it was this particular prayer. There 
 was rather a revelation of a domestic blessing, 
 primarily, which grows to be of great public 
 influence also. — Thy wife Elisabeth shall 
 bear thee a son. Not merely a cliild, but 
 a son, who may continue the j)ateriial name 
 among the families of Israel, and more than 
 remove that stain which was felt to attacli 
 to cliildlessness. From the view wiiich we 
 have taken of ver. 7, it is not necessary to 
 understand a miracle, as in the case of Abra- 
 ham and Sarah, but only a remarkable in- 
 terposition of the divine favor. — And thou 
 shalt call his name John, {Jehovah is 
 c/raciaus). The name was well suited to con- 
 firm hope. 
 
 14. And thou shalt have joy and glad- 
 ness {r.riilt'ifioti); and many shall rejoice 
 at his birth. The rejoicing jiredicted for 
 Zacharias and his frieiuls, al the birth of a 
 son to him in his old age, is historically 
 
26 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and 
 "shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he 
 shall be filled with the Holy Gliost, 'even from his 
 mother's womb. 
 
 16 cAnd many of the children of Israel shall he 
 turn to the Lord their God. 
 
 loness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he 
 shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall 
 drink no wine nor i strong drink; and he shall be 
 tilled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's 
 
 16 womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he 
 
 o Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4; ch. 7 : 33... .6 Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1 : 15... .c Mai. 4 : 5, 6. 1 Gr. «*era. 
 
 realized in ver. 64-66 [con.p. ver. ss], and it there 
 runs into religious delight in the character 
 and work of the future herald. Such a high 
 destination is indicated here by the i'or in 
 ver. 15. 
 
 15. For he shall (will) be great in the 
 sight of the Lord. Of him, that is, "who 
 louketh on the heart" ; truly, inwardly great, 
 —great in character, as well as in work.— 
 Strong drink. That of the Hebrews was a 
 liquor produced by fermentation from the 
 juice of other fruits than grapes; from honey, 
 and from decoctions of various grains. The 
 use of this and of wine was absolutely for- 
 bidden to the Nazarites of the Old Testa- 
 ment, whose obligations seem to have been 
 now revived and laid on the expected off- 
 spring of the priest. They were men who 
 consecrated themselves specially to Jehovah, 
 as his possession, for his service only, either 
 for a definite period, or for the whole of life, 
 as the case might be. Sometimes, as with 
 Samuel (isum. i: ii), the vow of consecration 
 was made for one by another (comp. Judges is :5); 
 thus in effect constituting him a Nazarite, 
 though he is not expressly so called. The 
 law of the Nazarite is laid down in Num. 
 6: 1-21, and its requirements of abstinence 
 from strong drink, and wine, and evtry- 
 thing pertaining to the grape, as well as that 
 no razor should ever touch the hair or beard, 
 were partly ascetic, to cultivate a character 
 and habit of life able to bear hardships and 
 privations, and partly symbolical of the 
 peculiar separation from everything else to 
 God, which was the burden of his vow. This 
 was all very appropriate to one who was to 
 stand in a peculiar nearness to the coming 
 Lord, Messiah, and especially as he was to 
 follow in the line of the heroes of the nation, 
 of whom Samuel was an example. — And he 
 shall (will) be filled with the Holy Ghost, 
 (Spirit) even from his mother's womb. 
 
 The Holy Spirit is here mentioned in the Old 
 Testament sense, as that divine force which 
 imparted to men high and special qualifica- 
 tion for the service of God, in works of the 
 hand, the understanding, the heart. Its 
 power should influence John from his birth. 
 This is what is meant by even from his 
 mother's womb. We see no need of going, 
 as do even Meyer and Godet, beyond the 
 statement of the sacred writer and make him 
 mean "in" his mother's womb, when he 
 says "from." The latter is a strongly hyper- 
 bolical expression of the truth th.at, whereas 
 most men became the agents of the Holy 
 Spirit at a more advanced stage of life, John 
 should be an organ of his operations from his 
 earliest rational consciousness. The other 
 view suppo.ses either an immaculate con- 
 ception of the forerunner, in which case 
 there might, doubtless, have been a hypos- 
 tatic union between the embryo human spirit 
 and the divine, but surely not even then in- 
 volving intelligence, in any sense appre- 
 hensible to us, or, a purely local presence of 
 the Divine Spirit, in effect disunited from the 
 human, and not apparently of any rational 
 use. If the Scripture told us plainly of such 
 a fact, we might accept it without question ; 
 but to put it into the narrative of Scripture on 
 so shadowy a ground as that of the particle 
 even (cti), is another thing. The support for 
 it drawn from ver. 41, 44, we will consider 
 at that place. We add only that "from the 
 mother's womb" is so frequently and so ex- 
 clusively used in the Old and New Testa- 
 ments to signify "from the time of birth," 
 that one wishing to express a different idea, 
 as, for example, that of being filled with the 
 Spirit before birth, would naturally avoid that 
 phrase, or so modify it as to prevent misunder- 
 standing. ' 
 
 16. His work described in reference to 
 its effects. — And many of the children 
 
 1 The Greek adverb («Tt), meaning commonly "yet," "still," which has been supposed to imply that being 
 still so he must have been so before, is rather used here with a transfer of position, like that in Ro?ii. 5 : 6 (in 
 most texts), in the modified sense of "already." So Grimm's Clnvi.i s. v., rightly, where examples are cited from 
 Plutarch, Consol, p. 104; '^cti a-n' apxJjs), "already from the beginning," and from the Aiilhol.,^,5(>l i en « 0pe<fr'os), 
 already from a babe. Kypke in loc, has accumulated passages from classic authors, several of which fairly 
 sustain the view here adopted. 
 
Cii. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 27 
 
 17 "And he shall go before him in the spirit and 
 power of Ellas, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the 
 children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the 
 just ; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 
 
 ' turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall igo 
 before his face in the spirit and power of Llijah, to 
 turn the hearts of the fathers to the cliiKlren, and 
 the disobedient lu wall: in the wisdom of the just: to 
 make ready for the Lord a people prepared j'ur him. 
 
 a HhI. 4:5; Mntt. II : 14 ; Hark 9 : 12. 1 Some ancient autboritirs reud, come nigh be/ore hit/aee. 
 
 (sons) of Israel shall he turn to the Lord 
 their God. The Hebrew and the Hebraistic 
 Greeli almost always says "sons" in naming 
 offspring, or descendants, quite regardless 
 whether daughters also are intended. "Sons 
 of Israel" are all descendants of Jacob. 
 (Compare for the sense Matt. 3: 5 if; 21: 26; 
 Markl: 5; 11: 32; Luke 3: 7 ff; 20: 6; John 
 5: 35). It is an application to John of the 
 prophecy in Malachi 4: 6, and shows that this 
 man, "greater than a prophet," shall effect 
 such a change in the views and purposes of 
 many of his countrymen concerning God 
 and their duty to him (which is repentance), 
 as would lead them to more humble and 
 spiritual lives, and so prepare them for a 
 place in the Messiah's kingdom when he 
 should appear. This is conversion ; and the 
 verb turn here used is that which is often 
 translated "convert" or "be converted." 
 How truly this was fulfilled, the citations 
 above show. 
 
 17. And he shall go before him. He 
 is strongly emphatic, nearly equivalent to 
 "he himself," as distinguished from "many 
 of the sons." By him is intended "the 
 Lord their God," mentioned in the preceding 
 verse; not directly, 'therefore, Jesus the 
 Christ, but indirectly, as from the prophetic 
 point of view. In that view the opening of 
 the Messianic age was a glorious and fearful 
 manifestation of Jehovah himself— "a day of 
 Jehovah." That we know Jesus of Nazareth 
 to be intended as the representative and 
 equivalent of Jehovah, proves plainly, as 
 Godet says, that "in the view of the Old as 
 well as of the New Testament, the coming 
 of the Messiah is the supreme Theophany." 
 Shall go before, namely, as a courier, a 
 forerunner, to lead the way, and in the eye 
 of him that follows. The mode and particu- 
 lar objects are specified in the following 
 clauses. — In the spirit and power of Elias. 
 In a spirit imparted by God, and with a 
 power resulting from the possession of that 
 spirit, of which the spirit and power opera- 
 tive in Elijah was the type. This was the 
 sense of the prediction in Mai. 4: 5. From 
 
 this language it is not strange that the Jews 
 should have drawn the inference that Elijah 
 was literally to return to life and make him- 
 self known as the precursor of the Messiah. 
 ( John 1 : 21 ; Matt. 17 : 9). But the Saviour after- 
 Ward showed (Matt. 17 : 10-12 ; Mark 9 : 12, 13), that 
 
 they should have understood it typically of 
 one like Elijah, and that such a one had 
 appeared in the Baptist. Like Elijah, John 
 was to be a stern reformer of the morals and 
 religious practice of his age; and like him 
 he should be fitted for the task by a proved 
 superiority to the fashions and indulgences 
 of his age. — The first aim of iiis precursor- 
 ship is To turn the hearts of the fathers 
 to the children, or, more correctly, omitting 
 the article, "of fathers to children." This 
 obscure passage was probably intended by 
 Malachi to denote one of the most important 
 features of a great moral reformation, looked 
 at from the midst of such a disordered con- 
 dition of domestic and social life, as he inti- 
 mates (ch. 2) inconsequence of the scandalous 
 license of divorce. Its application to the state 
 of the people at the time of Christ's advent, 
 after ages of belligerent partisanship and of 
 civil and foreign wars, would be still more 
 significant of a radical .social amendment. 
 This idea was completed in the prophecy by 
 showing the change reciprocated, "and the 
 heart of children to their fathers" (Hebrew) ; 
 but the angel finishes his prediction inde- 
 pendently, by a general mention of the con- 
 version of sinners. — And the disobedient 
 to the wisdom of the just. The article 
 here again in connection with the persons is 
 strictly unwarranted. "Wisdom" is .specifi- 
 cally practical wisdom, "prudence," which 
 eminently characterizes those who make 
 their peace with God and walk in his fear. 
 The preposition rendered to is properly in, 
 and looks back to "shall turn." By a com- 
 mon abbreviation of the Greek phrase it 
 notes the state into which the disobedient 
 -shall turn and in which they shall remain: 
 "and disobedient men into the prudence of 
 just, [or, righteous] men." Disobedient 
 persons were those who refused to hear the 
 
28 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, "Whereby 
 shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife 
 well stricken in years. 
 
 19 And the augi-l answering said unto him, I am 
 *({abriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am 
 sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad 
 tidings. 
 
 20 And, behold, 'thou shalt be dumb, and not able to 
 speak, until the day that these things shall be per- 
 formed, because thou believest not my words, which 
 shall be fulfilled in their season. 
 
 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and mar- 
 velled that he tarried so long in the temple. 
 
 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I 
 know this? for I am an old man, and my wife i well 
 
 19 stricken in years. And the angel answering said 
 unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence 
 of God ; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to 
 
 20 bring thee these good tidings. And behold, thou 
 shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day 
 that these things shall come to pass, because thou be- 
 lievedst not my words, which shall be fuUilled in 
 
 21 their season. And the people were waiting for 
 I Zacharias, and they marvelled - while he tarried in 
 
 a Gen. 17: 17 6 D:in. 8: 16; 9: 21, 22, 23; Malt. 18: 10: Heb. 1 : 14 c Ezek. 3: 26; 24: 27. 1 Gr. advanced in her days.. 
 
 2 Or, at his tarrying. 
 
 Lord's call to repentance and a righteous life; 
 and the prudence of the just was celebrated 
 especially in the Proverbs, in Job also, and 
 was exemplified in Zacharias and Elisabeth, 
 in Martha and Mary, and in all their kind. 
 Godet's very ingenious view of the passage is 
 quite abstruse, and is set aside by the absence 
 of the article with "fathers" and "chil- 
 dren" in both the Hebrew and Greek.' — 
 To make ready a people prepared for 
 the Lord. The Revision is right in placing 
 "for the Lord" after "ready." This is a 
 further purpose of John's going before the 
 Messiah. To bring about such a character 
 and state of mind among the whole people, 
 completed the ideal function of the great 
 herald. They would thus be made ready for 
 the Lord, as intellectually and morally pre- 
 pared to welcome the glad news of the king- 
 dom at hand. 
 
 18. And Zacharias said unto the angel. 
 Whereby shall I know this ? His question 
 appears at first sight very natural and blame- 
 less, especially in view of the age of himself 
 and wife, which he alleges as a reason for de- 
 siring a sign whereby, or a criterion accord- 
 ing to which, he might be assured that what 
 was predicted W(.'uld indeed come to pass. 
 
 19. The answer shows that the evidence 
 afforded in the verj' appearance of the mes- 
 senger must have been so clear and strong as 
 to make the priest in some degree culpable 
 for even questioning the certainty' of the 
 promise. — I am Gabriel, that stand in the 
 presence of God. The name is evidently 
 
 symbolical — "God's hero" — and accommo- 
 dated to our need of having some designation, 
 if we would identify a particular heavenly 
 being through his various manifestations 
 
 (Compare Michael, i.e., Who is lllse God 7 Dan. 10: 13-21 : Jude9). 
 
 Gabriel also had been named in Dan. 8: 16; 
 9: 20. — That stand in the presence of 
 
 God — a position of exalted dignity, implying- 
 capacity for the most important services, and 
 readiness to overtake them whenever required. 
 " Tliey also serve who only stand and wait." 
 The manner of his appearance, and probably 
 something quite superhuman in his very look, 
 awe-inspiring to the beholder (seever. 12), should 
 have prevented the need of special confirma- 
 tion of the glad tidings, which he was sent to 
 
 show. Somethingof the gospel (evayye\ioa<T$ai). 
 
 is involved in this initial promise. It is a 
 favorite word with Luke. 
 
 20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb 
 (silent), etc., until the day that these 
 things shall be performed (come to pass). 
 Tliis might have seemed merely a sign ap- 
 pointed by God in his pleasure, if the follow- 
 ing clause — because thou believest not my 
 words — had not distinctly made it a penalty'. 
 — Which shall be fulfilled in their season. 
 The day of the performance of the things is 
 thus shown to be the season, the fit and 
 proper time, when the words of the predic- 
 tion shall be fulfilled. It means that Zacha- 
 rias must remain dumb, till the birth and 
 naming of the child. 
 
 21. And the people waited (werev)altin(j) 
 for Zacharias. From this it would appear 
 
 1 He thinks that "The true sense of these words may be gathered from other prophetic passages, such as 
 these: Isaiah 29: 22: 'Jacob shall not be ashamed, neither shall his face wax pale when he seeth his children 
 become the work of my hands'; 6:?: 16: ' Doubtle.ss thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and 
 Israel acknowledge us not; thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemcrl' Abraham and .lacob, in the place of 
 their rest, had blushed at the sight of their guilty descendants, and turned away their faces from them; but 
 now they wiuld turn again towards them with satisfaction, in consequence of the change produced by the 
 ministry of .lohn." . . . "With this m;>aning, the modification introluced into ths second member of the 
 phrase is easily explained. The children who will turn towards their fathers (Malachi), are the .Tews of the 
 time of the Messiah, the children of the obedient, who return to the wisdom of the pious patriarchs (Luke)." 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 29 
 
 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto 
 them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in 
 the temple- lor he beckoned unto them, and remained 
 speechless. 
 
 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as " the days of 
 his ministraliou were accomplished, he departed to his 
 own house. 
 
 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, 
 and hid herself five months, saying, 
 
 2.") Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days 
 wherein he looked on me, to *take away my reproach 
 among men. 
 
 22 the 1 temple. And when he came out, he could not 
 speak unto them: and they perceived that he had 
 seen a vision in the i temple: and he continued 
 
 2.3 making signs unto them, and remained dumb. And 
 it came to pass, when the days of his ministration 
 were fulhlled. he departed unto his house. 
 
 24 And alter these days Klisabeth his wife conceived ; 
 
 2;3 and she hid herself five months, saying. Thus hath 
 the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he 
 looked upon me, to take away my reproach among 
 men. 
 
 a See 2 Kings 11 : 5; I Chroii. 9: 25 } Geii.30: 23; Isn. 4: 1 ; 54: I, 4. 1 Or, sanctuary. 
 
 that custom required them to remain until the 
 priest came out, perhaps to disrnis.s thom with 
 some formality. — And marvelled that 
 (while) he tarried so long in the temple. 
 
 Jewish triidition tells us that the priests were 
 accustomed to hasten from the holy place as 
 soon as possihle, fearing the fatal consequences 
 of any irregularity, as intimated in Lev. 16: 
 1-5. The w<jnder of the people was not les- 
 sened when^ on coming out, they noted his 
 manner. 
 
 22. He could not speak unto them. — 
 They perceived that he had seen a vision. 
 This is accounted for hy the fact that the 
 strange effect had been wrought within the 
 holy place, where a supernatural manifesta- 
 tion might be thought most likely, and partly 
 al.so by his signs and gestures, intended to 
 convey that knowledge. We are not, how- 
 ever, to understand that he beckoned 
 (was nodding or making signs) to them, to 
 convey this special information (Meyer). In 
 this clause he is emphatic, equivalent to "/te 
 himsr/f," "he on his part," "as for him, he" ; 
 and the strongly imperfect form of the Greek 
 verb, " was beckoning" goes with remained 
 speechless [dumh], to show that his dumb- 
 ness was permanent, and that this was his 
 habit through the period "foretold by the 
 angel."— For is utterly without support in the 
 (ircok. That has '' nnd the angel." 
 
 23. The days of his ministration were 
 the week through which his "course ' would 
 have to perform the services of the sanctuary 
 — from one yabl)ath evening to the morning of 
 the next. — He departed to his own house. 
 Wc may supj»ose that his functions as jiriest 
 would end altogether until so serious a bodily 
 rntirmity as had been put upon him should 
 cease. Thus it is with reason supposed that 
 at the next half-yearly term of service, he 
 WIS absent from his "course," and that there 
 was a .symbolic import in his deprivation of 
 sjieech. Wliile John and Jesus were to come 
 
 in the line of the Mosaic economy, repre- 
 sented eminently in the priesthood, the latter 
 would terminate with the glorification of the 
 Great High Priest, and it was now shown to 
 be ready to vanish away. Bengel well says: 
 "It was the prelude to the abolition of the 
 ceremonial law at the coming of Christ." 
 His own house was in the hill country of 
 Judea (ver. 39); but whether at Hebron, or in 
 some neighboring priest -city, or whether, 
 necessarily at this time in a priest-city at all, 
 is quite unknown. 
 24, 25. The Fulfillmext. 
 
 24. And after those days his wife Elis- 
 abeth conceived. How long after is mere 
 
 I matter of gue-ss-work ; so that all attempts to 
 ; make out of the fact related an element in the 
 ! calculations concerning the precise date of 
 j the Saviour's birth, are utterly frustrated ])y 
 the vagueness of this statement.— And hid 
 herself five months. Why she hid her- 
 self, and why for five months, has been 
 variously conjectured by tho.su who have 
 ch().sen rather to guess than to note the reason 
 given by Elisabeth horsclf 
 
 25. Thus hath the Lord dealt with me 
 {done unto me). Here emphasis lies in the 
 Lord. We need not insert "because" be- 
 fore thus (Meyer); the logical sequence lies 
 in the order of the clauses. Her argument 
 seems to be: "In a special way, the Lord 
 has brought about this state of things. I will, 
 in quiet seclusion, await the further develop- 
 ment of /ii.s will, and let him reveal the fact." 
 It may be intended in ver. 58 that her kin- 
 dred and friends even were not acquainted 
 with her condition until the birth of her son. 
 At all events, the evangelist almost certainly 
 connects the five months of her complete 
 retirement with the date of the annunciation 
 to Mary, in the sixth month (ver. =«), when 
 God did reveal for Elisabeth the true state of 
 the case. — He looked on me. Nearly the 
 same as the Hebrew cxjiression, " //e visited 
 
30 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was 
 sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 
 
 27 To a virgin "espoused to a man whose name was 
 Joseph, of the house of David ; and the virgin's name 
 was Mary, 
 
 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was 
 sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Naza^ 
 
 27 reth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name 
 was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's 
 
 a Miitt. 1 : 18 ; oh. 2 : 4, 5. 
 
 me" (i. e., in a friendly sense). It is of God's 
 blessing that she has hope of oftspring. — To 
 take away my reproach among men. 
 
 The reproach of childlessness (Gen. so: 23; is^im. 
 1: 4-8). The language touchingly implies that 
 she had been taunted with her barrenness by 
 her acquaintances. The taking this away 
 was, in effect, accomplished by the communi- 
 cation to Mary (vcr.ssj. 
 
 On the foregoing passage, it is proper to. 
 remark how the opening of the gospel record 
 is illustrated by the extraordinary interposi- 
 tion of God in the affairs of man. Centuries 
 had elapsed since the occurrence of divinely 
 reported or well authenticated facts of the 
 special revelation of God to his people. All 
 had gone on according to the course of ordi- 
 nary history, of government and anarchy, of 
 peace and war, of victory and defeat, inde- 
 pendence, oppression, prosperity, and misery. 
 Now, again, the vail is parted between the 
 visible and the unseen world; and the great- 
 ness of the crisis is intimated by the angelic 
 declaration of God's plan. Such unusual 
 deviation from the familiar course of things is 
 not at all improbable in a series of develop- 
 ments which was to culminate in the presence 
 among us of God Incarnate — Emanuel. At 
 those points in that series which it was most 
 important to authenticate, and to impress on 
 the thoughts of men, supernatural events 
 were most natural. Nothing could be so 
 difficult to accept as the one supreme miracle 
 of Christ, if it stood absolutely alone. Further, 
 that the miraculous phenomena should be of 
 a nature and style best adapted to the social 
 and religious state of those whom they were 
 • intended to impress, lay in the very concep- 
 tion of a historical revelation. 
 
 Again, the temple and the priesthood are 
 the passage-way between the Old Testament 
 and the New. Christianity is a growth out of 
 the soil of Hebraism. 
 
 John's ministry was a necessary link be- 
 tween the sacred activity of the two Dispensa- 
 tions. While he arose on the ground of 
 Jewish prophecy, and there remained, his 
 agency was indispensable, and efficacious to 
 
 prepare the way for the Messiah of the world. 
 We may see, in some measure, as we proceed, 
 hoy) he served "to prepare the way of the 
 Lord," and how inaccessible even God's 
 chosen people would have been to the gospel, 
 without the work of John. 
 
 26-38. Announcement to Mary of 
 THE Birth of Jesus. 
 
 Appearance to Her of the Angel 
 Gabriel, 26-29. 
 
 26. And in the sixth month — reckoning 
 from the starting point of the five months 
 in ver. 24. Gabriel, as the messenger of 
 cheer and comfort (ver. i9). — -Galilee, at the 
 opposite extremity of the land of Pales- 
 tine, northward. It embraced most of the 
 territory assigned by Joshua to the tribes 
 of Issachar, Zebulon, and Naphthali, and 
 had the Sea of Galilee and the River 
 Jordan north and south of it for its east- 
 ern border. Of great fertility and flourish- 
 ing traffic, at the period now before us, it 
 had a numerous population, inhabiting two 
 hundred and forty towns and villages, each 
 containing not less than 15,000 inhabitants, 
 if we may trust Josephus. (See his Life, 45; 
 Jew. Wars, 3. 3, 1. 2.) It became the scene 
 of our Saviour's early life, and of the greater 
 part of his recorded ministr3^ — Nazareth, a 
 town near the southern border of Galilee, not 
 mentioned in the Old Testament, but hence- 
 forth, as the home of the parents of Jesus, and 
 "place where he was brought vjp," to be 
 forever remembered with tender interest by 
 the countless multitudes to whom he shall 
 have been found "the chiefest among ten 
 thousand, and the one tiltogether lovely." 
 
 27. A virgin espoused (betrothed, or 
 plighted). Betrothal, in Jewish custom, was 
 equivalent to marriage in its power to bind 
 the parties to each other. In reference to the 
 Romish dogma of the perpetual virginity of 
 Mary, and of the superior sanctity of the un- 
 wedded state, it is worthy of notice that their 
 almost divine pattern of saintship was, in an 
 ordinary way, plighted in marriage to another 
 saint (Joseph), and without the appearance of 
 any objection on either side. — Joseph, of 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 81 
 
 28 Aud the angel came in unto her, and said, "Hail, 
 thoti Unit art hi};lily I'avoiiri'd, 'the Lord is with thee: 
 blessed «rMhou a:iiong women. 
 
 2'J And when she saw A/hi, >= she was troubled at his 
 sayiuK, and east in her mind what manner of saluta- 
 tion this should be. 
 
 3UAnd the an^el said unto her. Fear not, Mary : for 
 thju hast found favour with (iod. 
 
 31 ''And, behold, thou slialt eonceive in thy womb, 
 and bring forth a son, and "shalt call his name JI';SU.S. 
 
 32 He shall bepreat,/and shall be called the Son of 
 the Highest: and f the I^ird God shall give unto him 
 the throne of his father David: 
 
 28 name was Mary. And he came in unto her, and 
 said, Hail, thou that art ' highly favoured, the Lord 
 
 29 li with thee.- Hut she was greatly troubled at the 
 saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salu- 
 
 30 talion tliis luight be. And the angel said unto 
 her. Fear not, Mary: for Ihou hast founds favour 
 
 31 with tjod. And behold, thou shall conctMve in thy 
 womb, aud bring forth a sou, and shalt call his name 
 
 32 Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the 
 Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give 
 
 a nun. 9: 2.1 ; 10: 19.... 6 Jiiiig. 6 : 12.... ever. 12.... d Im. 7 : 11; Matt. 1 : 21.. . .« ch. 2 : 21... ./ Mnrk 5: 7....</ 2 Sum. 7 : 11. 12; 
 
 Ph. 132 : 11 ; I.<a. 9 : 6, 7 ; 16 : 5 ; Jer. 23 : 5 ; Rev. 3 : 7. 1 Or, endured witli grace. 2 M;in> i.uthorities aU.l, bletaed uii lltou 
 
 among women. See ver. 42 3 Or, grace. 
 
 the house of David, i. e., one of David's 
 
 descendants (Xiatt. i: 6 lo), as it had been abund- 
 antly intimated that the Messiah should be. 
 This assigned him, ostensibly on Joseph's 
 part, and actually on Mary's part, if she was, 
 as we hold jtrobable, of the line of David, to 
 the tribe of Judali, and to the royal family of 
 that tribe. — Mary — in the Aranuean Greek 
 Mariam — another pronunciation of Miriam, 
 which we first find apjilied (kx. i6:20) to the 
 sister of Moses. It signifies bitterness, trouble, 
 sorrow. 
 
 28. Came in unto her. What the manner 
 of his apparition was we can only guess. We 
 naturally think of him as taking the human 
 form, and may reject all accessories of wings 
 and other appurtenances with which the fancy 
 of poets and painters has teemed. — Hail, 
 {joy to thee). A common salutation of that 
 time, but here appropriately significant. — 
 Highly favoured. One who hast been re- 
 garded with favor, i. e., by God. This the 
 messenger from God is able to affirm, and 
 in consistency with it he adds, The Lord is 
 with thee. With thee to bless thee, and to 
 confer that distinction which will rank thee 
 above the daughters of Israel. — Blessed art 
 thou among women — is left out of the text 
 with good reason by the Revision. The words 
 rightly stand in ver. 42. 
 
 29. She Avas troubled (disturbed inmind) 
 at his (the) saying. The word of blessing 
 which he spoke. — When she saw him has 
 been inserted by a later hand, probably to 
 make a correspondence with ver. 12. — Cast 
 in her mind. Deliberated, or reasoned. — 
 What manner of salutation this should 
 be. How it was to be classed in her think- 
 ing; what it meant; how it was to be ac- 
 counted for. It was so extraordinary in its 
 source, the abruptness of its manner, the 
 singularity of its apparent purport, that she 
 
 was very naturally at a loss. Not only per- 
 plexity, but an anxiety amounting to fear, 
 must have appeared in her countenance. 
 
 30. And the angel said unto her, Fear 
 not, Mary. My appearance portends no 
 harm to thee, (as was the case with Zach- 
 arias, ver. 13). Here, as there, the reason fc^r 
 confidence and cheerfulness is introduced by 
 for. — For thou hast found favour with 
 God — more exactly, did at find. Favour is 
 the same as is often rendered "grace" ; so 
 also in ver. 28. 
 
 31. And — in consequence of that favor — 
 behold — it is a fact deserving particular 
 attention. How noteworthy must it have 
 seemed to her as one after another the items 
 were enumerated. She should bring forth 
 a son— a special blessing— and shalt call 
 his name JESUS— as significant of the liigh 
 office to which he is destined— "becau.se he 
 shall save his people from their sins" 
 (Matt. 1:21). Jesus was fhe equivalent, in the 
 Alexandrine Greek, of Joshua, in the 
 Hebrew, originally, "Jehoshua," meaning 
 "Jehovah is salvation." This already' in- 
 volved his Messiahsliip, which is more clearly 
 brought to view in what follows. 
 
 32. He shall be great- great in holiness 
 and all excellence of character, great in the 
 works which he will perform, and in the 
 dignity of his relations— and shall be called 
 the Son of the Highest, /. e.. Son of God, 
 as that was one of the recognized designa- 
 tions of the coming Messiah, (Mnti. 26:a; 
 John 1:49); yet the designation did not yet 
 convey the metaphysical and Trinitarian 
 idea which we now attach to it. That was 
 brought out in the New Testament itself 
 Mary may have thought only of some ex- 
 traordinary and mysterious relationship be- 
 tween the being now promised as a son and 
 the God of Israel. His extraordinary emi- 
 
32 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 33 " And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 33 
 ever; and of liis kiugdom there shall be no end. | 
 
 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, 34 
 seeing 1 know not a man? I 
 
 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The 35 
 Holy lihosl shall come upon thee, and the power of the i 
 Highest shall overshadow thee: tlierefore also that j 
 holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called • 
 "the Son of Ood. i 
 
 unto him the throne of his father David: and he 
 shall reign over the house of Jacob i for ever; and 
 ol his kiugdom there shall be no end. And Mary 
 said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know 
 not a man? And the ano;el answered and said unto 
 her. The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the 
 power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: 
 wherefore also 2 the holy thing that is begotten shall 
 
 a Dan. 2 : 44 ; 7 : 14. 27 : Obad. 21 ; M 
 John 1: 34; 20: 31; Acts 8: 37; Roin. 
 
 ::Lh 4:7; Joho 12: 34; Heh. 1 : 8....iM:ilc. 1: 20.... c Matt. U: 33; 26: 63, 64; Mark 1:11; 
 
 L : 4. 1 Gf. unto the ages 2 Or, that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son 
 
 of God. Some aticieni authurities insert, of thee. 
 
 nence is farther indicated in the function 
 predicted of him^a function consonant with 
 all those attributes of majesty.— The Lord 
 (iod shall give unto him the throne of 
 his father David. 
 
 33. And he shall reign over the house 
 of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom 
 there shall be no end. The thought and the 
 language are thoroughly in the strain of Old 
 To.'itament prophecy. "Thethrone of David " 
 is in the prophecies the seat of the Messianic 
 rule over a people chosen out of the Jewish 
 nation, and of those who should join them, 
 of whom that nation was a type — as David 
 was of the Christ— and not a type merely, 
 but, in the divine plan, the substance. "When 
 they should have been purified from their 
 dross in the fires of chastening, and should 
 turn unto Jehovah from all their rebellion 
 and unrighteousness, the Spirit of God would 
 be poured out upon them, they would receive 
 a new heart, and serve the Lord in inward 
 obedience and holiness; then "the King's 
 Son," "the sprout out of the root of Jesse," 
 should sway over them the peaceful sceptre 
 of his beneficent reign. Their unbelief 
 balked this plan, indeed, so far as the body 
 of the nation was concerned ; but we are here 
 in the age of anticipation and hope of the 
 ideal kingdom; and the New Testament will 
 show how God brought about the substantial 
 accomplishment of the old oracles, through 
 the medium, but not in the experience, of his 
 ancient people. 
 
 The house of Jacob— as explained by 
 the facts, is the company of those, whether 
 Jew or Gentile, who, under the Messiah's rule, 
 stand toward God in the relation of faith and 
 obedience, in which Jacob stood, in the typi- 
 cal theocracy. — "He shall reign over the 
 house of Jacob forever," etc. His king- 
 dom, having been witnessed by the fleeting 
 types and shadows of the earlier time, is itself 
 permanent, and shall continue without end. 
 The promise would commonly be understood, 
 
 then, of an endless duration of the earthly 
 reign, over the actual but converted Israel. 
 
 34. Then [and] said Mary unto the an- 
 gel. How shall this be, seeing I know 
 not a man? Her question does not, like that 
 of Zacharias, demand proof of the fact an- 
 nounced, but only desires to know how this is 
 consistent with her conscious virginity. It is 
 evident that she thinks of the promised birth 
 as taking place soon, before her marriage. Her 
 assertion of her virginity is of a present fact 
 and not of any vow, or future state, as Ro- 
 manists have sometimes claimed. That would 
 be strangely inconsistent with the fiict of her 
 espousal to a future husband. 
 
 35. In the answer of the angel, Marj''? 
 doubt is resolved. — The Holy Ghost {Spirit) 
 shall come upon thee, and the power of 
 the Highest shall overshadoAV thee. It 
 has been often noticed how the sublime state- 
 ment clothes itself in the peculiar form — paral- 
 lelism of the clauses — of Hebrew poetry. 
 Holy Spirit, Power of the Highest, 
 and come upon (overshadow), in the two 
 members repeat, and at the same time, diver- 
 sify the leading thoughts. The idea of 
 coming upon, and of overshadowing, is 
 probably drawn from the fact of the Sheki- 
 nah, or mysterious .symbol of Jehovah's 
 presence over the ark, between the cherubim 
 in the tabernacle, whither he went and when 
 he settled down (£.1.25:22). The purport of 
 the whole account is that the origination of 
 that extraordinary life of which Mary was to 
 be the mother, would, in the entire absence 
 of the ordinary, human, conditions, be ef- 
 fected by the direct agency of God himself — 
 she being still, and remaining, so far as this 
 birth was concerned, an unsullied virgin. 
 This may possibly aid us to understand how 
 the human germ, impregnated without any 
 particle of human passion, by God's own 
 power, should come to be a man without 
 blemish or spot, and able to live without sin. 
 Such a person would evidently be, as never 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 33 
 
 3(5 And, behold, thy cousin Ehsabeth, she hath also 
 conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth 
 mouth with her, who was called barren. 
 
 37 Kor " with God nothing shall be impossible. 
 
 38 And Mary said, liehold the handmaid of the Lord; 
 be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel 
 departed from her. 
 
 3ii And Mary arose in those days, and went into the 
 hill country with haste, 'into a city of Judah ; 
 
 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and 
 saluted Elisabeth. 
 
 36 be called the Son of (iod. And behold, Elisabeth 
 thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in 
 her old age: and this is the si.xlh mouth with her 
 
 37 that ' was called barren. For no word from God 
 3S shall be void of power. And Mary said. Behold, the 
 
 -handmaid of the Lord; be It uuto me according to 
 thy word. And the angel departed from her. 
 
 39 And Mary arose in these days and went into the 
 
 40 hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and 
 entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted 
 
 .6 Josb. 21:9, 10, 11. 
 
 was another of woman born, fitted to be the 
 partner and vehicle of the Divine Person, the 
 Eternal Word, in his becoming flesh. — There- 
 lore also — seeing that God himself is here 
 the father— the holy thing which shall be 
 born of thee — the pure embryo — shall— 
 wlien born — be called the Son of God. 
 Shall be called is equivalent to shall he, 
 and thus the proper metaphysical Sonship, 
 growing out of identity of nature with God, is 
 asserted of Jesus. To remove, in a measure, 
 the natural improbability of such a thing, 
 the angel voluntarily gives to Mary a sort of 
 sign by which her trustful mind might be al- 
 together assured. 
 
 3t>. And, behold — another very remark- 
 able fact — thy cousin Elisabeth {Elisabeth 
 thy kinstvomnn), she hath also conceived 
 a son in her old age. What the degree of 
 relationshi[) between the two women was, is 
 not intiiTiated by the Greek word, and cannot 
 be more definitely known. Elisabeth was of 
 the tribe of Levi ; and Mary's father, of the 
 tribe of Judah, had probably married into 
 that tribe, so as to bring her into relationship 
 to Elisabeth. That the latter had conceived 
 in her old age, was a thing .so much out of 
 tlie natural way as to constitute an Instance 
 calculated to confirm Marys confidence. 
 "Behold an example in thy own family!" 
 (Grotius, cited by Meyer.) — Who was called 
 barren. Called so in the way of reproach 
 and taunt. This throws light on the joy of 
 Zacharias promised in ver. 14, above. 
 
 37. For with God nothing shall be im- 
 possible. This is more accurately given 
 in the Revision. — For no word from. God 
 shall be void of power. This exj)lains how 
 so strange a thing could have taken place 
 with Elisabeth. God promised, and was Able 
 to fulfill; and, at the .same time, guarantees 
 that the prediction to Mary shall be accom- 
 plished. Every word which he has spoken j 
 will have power from God. 
 
 38. Behold the handmaid [bondmaid] of 
 the Lord ; be it unto me according to 
 thy word. There was no more struggle of 
 mind or hesitation; but, at the same time, 
 there was no forwardness. She has come, in 
 some measure, to understand what is foretold, 
 and doubtless feels a corresponding humility, 
 as well as a sense of the honor. She is the 
 Lord's servant, and let it be, however amazing 
 to her, as to him seems best. 
 
 39-45. Mary's Visit to Ellsabeth. 
 
 39. In those days— almost immediately, 
 or, at least, within a month after what was 
 just related, as would appear from considering 
 the dates (ver. 36. 56, 57). — The hill country — or 
 moimtnin country, is a natural, though un- 
 common, designation of the tract of high 
 land .surrounding Jerusalem for a considerable 
 distance, especially northward and southward, 
 rising in many places nearly three thousand 
 feet above the level of the Mediterranean, 
 and much more than that above the Jordan 
 and the Dead Sea. So strikingly was this the 
 case, that in approaching Jerusalem from any 
 direction bot the south, they were in strict 
 propriety said to "go up." Most of the terri- 
 tory of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Judah lay on 
 this long mountain ridge. — With haste — in- 
 dicates the eagerness with which ^fary sought, 
 as soon as possible, an interview with the 
 aged relative who shared with her the special 
 favor of God. A city of Judah {Jii(hn). 
 Luke seems not to have known what city, 
 and we know not. It is doubtful whether i.t 
 this time the priests lived, as a matter of 
 cour-e, in the priest-cities anciently' allotted 
 to them. Hebron was such a city, near Jeru- 
 salem, and may have been the one intended, 
 the more probably since it is described in 
 Joshua 21 : 11, as in the mountain (hill 
 country) of Judah. 
 
 40. .Vnd entcrod into the house of 
 Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. The 
 onumeration of particulars marks the eager- 
 
34 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard 
 the saUitatiou ol Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; 
 and Elisabeth was (illed with the Holy Ghost: 
 
 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, 
 "Blessed urt thou among women, and blessed is the 
 fruit ot thy womb. 
 
 43 And whence « this to me, that the mother of my 
 Lord should come to me? 
 
 ..'. ?cr, ' J, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sound- 
 ed in mine ears, the babe leaped in my wouib for joy. 
 
 45 And blessed /.y she that believed : for there shall 
 be a performance of those things which were told her 
 from the Lord. 
 
 41 Elisabeth. And it came to pass, when Elisabeth 
 heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in 
 her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy 
 
 42 Spirit; and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, 
 and said, Blessed ail thou among women, and blessed 
 
 43 is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, 
 that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? 
 
 44 For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came 
 into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 
 
 45 And blessed is she that i believed ; for there shall be 
 a fulfilment of the things which have been 'spoken 
 
 a ver. 28 ; Judg. 5 : 24. 1 Or, believed that tkere shall be. 
 
 ness with which Mary, weary and foot-sore, 
 hastened to the object of her journey. 
 
 41. When Elisabeth heard the saluta- 
 tion of Mary, the babe leaped in her 
 womb. The salutation was more, certainly, 
 than a mere " Hail,'' or " Peace to thee." It 
 must have indicated who the visitor was, and 
 probably may have been the first announce- 
 ment to Elisabeth from any woman that her 
 condition was known. Thus God had him- 
 self dealt with her, in his own strange way, 
 to terminate her reproach among men. The 
 movement of the babe has generally been 
 treated as the proof to Elisabeth that the 
 mother of her Lord was present. It was 
 rather an incident of the discovery. Elisa- 
 beth's excitement of mind under all these cir- 
 cumstances may quite naturally account for 
 the phenomenon (although it may well have 
 contributed to Mary's exultationjwhich she in- 
 terpreted as a distinct experience of the uncon- 
 ciousbabe (ver. u). " The emotion which posses- 
 ses her is communicated to the child, whose life 
 is as yet one with her own ; and at the sudden 
 leaping of this being, who she knows is com- 
 passed about by special blessing, the veil is 
 rent." (Godet). Meagre support can ration- 
 ally be got from this occurrence for the 
 opinion of those who find, in ver. 15, that 
 John was filled with the Holy Spirit before 
 he wasi born. Just as little does it warrant 
 the old figment of desperate advocates of 
 infant baptism, that unconscious babes can 
 exercise gospi;! faith.— Elisabeth was filled 
 with the Holy Ghost (Spirit). She was 
 miraculously confirmed in the supposition 
 that Mary was the mother of the Messiah, 
 and qualified to pour forth, like an ancient 
 prophet, God's truth concerning the virgin, 
 her son, and his work. 
 
 42. Thus she spake out (exclaimed) with 
 a loud voice (or .s/(o?f/)— showing the over- 
 . mastering strength of the prophetic impulse 
 
 which urged her — Blessed art thou among 
 
 women — peculiarly favored by God, over all 
 other women, as selected to be the mother of 
 the Christ — blessed is the fruit of thy 
 womb. Elisabeth is enlightened as to the 
 fact of the conception foretold in ver. 35. 
 This fact is to be referred to a point of time 
 between ver. 38 and 39. 
 
 43. And whence is this to me — from what 
 source have I the privilege? The lowly 
 wonder of her soul desires explanation. — 
 That the mother of my Lord should 
 come to me? That equivalent nearly 
 to "in order that," depends on the preceding 
 this in such a way as to make the latter 
 include the reason for, quite as much as the 
 fact of, Mary's coming. The mother of 
 my Lord. — Elisabeth recognizes in the future 
 son of Mary, whom her own son was to pre- 
 cede and assist (ver. i-) her own Lord (ve.-. i«), 
 whom she already accepts in the person of his 
 mother. 
 
 44. For. The womanly heart finds in 
 this experience a confirmation, or reason, of 
 that knowledge of the dignity of the embryo 
 son of Mary, which was due to the prophetic 
 inspiration mentioned in ver. 41. 
 
 45. And blessed is she that believed : for 
 there shall be a performance (accomplish- 
 ment) of those things, etc. The alternative 
 rendering of the Kevision— "believed that 
 there will be"— seems decidedly preferable, 
 not only because the main thing promised 
 Mary is, in eflTect, already accomplished 
 (Meyer), but because it is too palpable a 
 truism to say that one is happy because such 
 great promises- are to b^ fulfilled, while the 
 real happiness is in having cherished such 
 a ^ith as did not doubt, when Mary might 
 have doubted, like Zacharias, that such 
 things could be, and so have lost the bless- 
 ing. 
 
 4G-55. Mary's Hymn of Praise to God. 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 35 
 
 46 And Mary said, <" My soul doth magnify the Lord, I 46 to her from the Lord. And Mary said, 
 
 47 And luy spirit hath rejoiced in Ciod my Saviour. My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 
 I 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savioar 
 
 a 1 Sam. 2 : 1 ; Ps. 34 : 2, 3 ; 35 : 9 ; Hab. 3 : 18. 
 
 46. And Mary said. Note the culm sim- 
 plicity of stylo, as compared with the almost 
 tumultuous vehemence of Elisabeth. Her 
 whole effusion is an echo of the lyrical poetry 
 of the Old Testament, especially of the song 
 of praise of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, 
 (1 aani. ch. 2). (Meyer). Of analogous aim, but 
 immeasurably lower in tone, is the laud as- 
 cribed to Judith in the fiction of the Apoch- 
 rypha, (Ju<tiihi6: in). It is rightly printed in 
 poetic stichoi, or lines, and displays that 
 rhythm of thoughts, leading to a variant repe- 
 tition or parallelism of members, which 
 appears so conspicuous in many of the Psalms, 
 in the Proverbs, and the prophetic poetry 
 of the Old Testament. A loosely strophical 
 character of the piece may be discerned, 
 according to which Mary utters her senti- 
 ments of joyous praise to God for his per- 
 sonal favors to her; and celebrates the far- 
 reaching influences of this visitation on 
 society, in its various grades, and on the 
 nation of Israel. (Compare Godet, p. 100 f). 
 
 46, 47. My soul. Distinguished from 
 "spirit," in the next member, as the middle 
 element of the human constitution between 
 the body on one hand and tlie spirit on the 
 other. It may be regarded, generally, as the 
 Beat of the sensations, perceptions, understand- 
 ing, emotions, and will of the individual man. 
 [For another view of the terms "soul" 
 {^vxri), and "spirit" (n-ceO/na), in the New 
 Testament, see a brief article by Prof. D. R. 
 Goodwin, D. d., in the "Journal of the 
 Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis," 
 June and December, 1881. He reaches the 
 following conclusions: "(1) The words soul 
 and spirit are generally employed in the 
 Scriptures in an indiscriminate way, each as 
 denoting the whole mind or inner man. (2) 
 In some few cases spirit may be used to 
 denote especially the higher faculties or 
 functions of the mind or .soul, but even then 
 not in direct contrast with the soul itself. 
 (3) In some cases spirit is used for what does 
 not at all belong to man in his natural state; 
 but, for a certain temper, disposition, and 
 direction of the heart, imparted by the 
 Divine Spirit in the life of Christ, by virtue 
 
 of which Christians are called spiritual (or 
 pneumatic) men. But (4) there is no ground 
 in the Scripture use of the words soul and 
 spirit for the trichomistic doctrine of a sharp 
 and radical distinction between the two, as 
 co-ordinate facts of man's nature — much less 
 as distinct substances in his constitution." — 
 A. Hj. — Doth inagnify=make great, exalt, 
 and celebrate with praises. The verb repre- 
 sents the word which comes first in the sen- 
 tence of the Latin Vulgate — ynagnificat — from 
 which the whole hymn received that title in 
 the musical service of the early churches, and 
 has retained it ever since. — My spirit — the 
 highest and specifically human element of 
 man, among earthly creatures, by virtue of 
 which he has knowledge of realities above 
 the objects of sense, forms ideas far transcend- 
 ing the bounds of the understanding, and is 
 capable of sentiments akin to those of angels 
 and of God. It is the subject of fiiith; the 
 meeting-place where all the faculties and 
 experiences of our being may come into 
 intercourse with God. It is not always used 
 thus in Scripture, as sharply discriminated 
 from soul and body, but is frequently so used, 
 and especially when, as here, one or both the 
 other terms are used in connexion with it. 
 Nothing in this, and nothing in Scripture, 
 warrants us in aflSrming that the human soul 
 and spirit are distinct entities, or separable 
 elements of the mental constitution. When 
 Bishop Ellicott, in his note on 1 Thess. 5: 23, 
 {Commentaries^ p. 90), and still more elabo- 
 orately in Sermon V. on the Destiny of th« 
 Creature (p. 99 ff. ), solemnly argues that the 
 mention of "body, soul, and spirit," binds 
 us to believe that they are really different 
 essences composing the human being, he 
 seems to urge a claim, not only groundless, 
 but perilous to faith. He is in danger of 
 branding the whole science of psychology as 
 antichristian. We think of the distinction 
 intended by the terms here in question as 
 analogous to that between the understanding 
 and reason ; or, between either of these and 
 sense; or, between mind and heart. See 
 again Dr. Hovey's comment, above. — Hath 
 rejoiced (rather, did exult) in God my 
 
36 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 48 For "he hath regarded the low estate of his hand- 48 
 uiaiden : for, behold, from henceforth * all generations 
 shall call me hlessed. 
 
 49 For he that is mighty "hath done to me great 
 things; and ''holy ?'»■ his name. 49 
 
 50 And «his mercy is on them that fear him from 
 generation to generation. | 
 
 51 /He hath shewed strength with his arm: s'he hath 50 
 scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 
 
 52 '' He hath put down the mighty from Iheii- seats, 
 and exalted them of low degree. 51 
 
 53 'He hath tilled the hungry with good things; and 
 the rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, * in remem- 52 
 brance of his mercy ; 
 
 55 ' As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to 53 
 his seed for ever. 
 
 54 
 
 For he hath looked upon the low estate of his 
 1 handmaiden : 
 
 For behold, from henceforth all generations 
 shall call me blessed. 
 
 For he that is miglity hath done to me great 
 things ; 
 
 And holy is his name. 
 
 And his mercy is unto generations and genera- 
 tions 
 
 On them that fear him. 
 
 He hath shewed strength with his arm ; 
 
 He hath scattered the proud ^in the imagination 
 of their heart. 
 
 He hath putdown princes from Ifieir thrones, 
 
 And hath exalted them of low degree. 
 
 The hungry he hath filled with good things; 
 
 And the rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
 He liath holpen Israel his servant, 
 
 That he might remember mercy 
 
 (As he spake unto our fathers) 
 
 Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. 
 
 ol Sam. 1: 11; Ps. 138: 6....ftMal. 3 : 12 ; ch. 11: 27....cPs. 71 : 19; 12« : 2. 3....(iPs. Ill: 9....e Gen. 17: 7: Ex. 20- 6- ?•< 103 
 17, 18. . . ./ Ps. 9H : 1; 118:15; Is.i. 40: 10; 51 : » ; 52 ; 10... .g Ps. 33: 10; 1 Pet. 5: 5. .. .ft 1 Sum. 2 ■ 6, etc. : Joh 5 : 11; Ps. 113: (i. ... 
 
 il Sam. 2:5; Ps. 34 : 10....* Ps 98: 3 ; Jer. 31 : 3, 20 ( Gen. 17: 19; Ps. 132: 11; Rom. U : 28; Giil. 3 : 16. 1 Gr. bond-maiden. 
 
 ....2 Or. by. 
 
 Saviour. Mary's present extolling of God 
 as Lord, is an expression of her understand- 
 ing and heart through her vocal organs, and 
 is rooted in a former experience, recorded in 
 ver. 36-38, where her spirit was entranced in 
 a revelation of him as now her Saviour, and 
 in what sense a Saviour, is explained by ref- 
 erence to a definite act. 
 
 48. For he hath regarded (rather, has 
 looked iipo7i, preterit again) the low estate 
 (the humiliation) of his handmaiden. 
 Though he is high, yet had he respect unto 
 the lowly. Upon her in her common lot, of 
 poor parents, as would seem, and betrothed 
 to a man of a class despised by the high and 
 religiously influential among the people, has 
 he bestowed the greatest distinction ever con- 
 ferred on a mortal. This is confirmed by the 
 wonderful truth that follows. — Behold, 
 from henceforth all generations shall 
 call me blessed. Surely he has taken her 
 out of her humiliation, and placed her on 
 high. Elisabeth, in declaring her "blessed 
 among women," has but anticipated 
 the judgment of all who shall hear truly 
 concerning her to the end of time. Mary's 
 humility of spirit in all her adoring grati- 
 tude for God's great favor, is the best proof 
 how she would have revolted at the thought 
 of being herself deified in subsequent ages, 
 and made to stand between the millions of 
 worshipers and God her Saviour. 
 
 49. She ascribes it all to him that is 
 mighty — thus bringing forward the power of 
 him who has done these great things (comn. 2: 35), 
 "power of the Highest," according to the 
 promise in ver. 35 above. And holy is 
 
 his name. This designation, "The Mighty 
 One," reflecting one phase of his character, 
 is to be associated in our minds with the idea 
 
 of holiness (Ps.89; 19; 111:9; Rev. 15:4). 
 
 50. And his mercy is on them that fear 
 him from generation to generation. And 
 
 hi.s mercy is unto generations and generations. 
 
 Kevision (comp. Ps. 89: l, 4; Oen. U: 9; Ex. 20). This 
 
 appears to be a general truth to which Mary 
 is led by a consideration of God's gracious 
 dealing with her. 
 
 51-53. These verses are specially like the 
 strain of Hannah (1 Snm. 2:4r-.), and may be 
 viewed as Mary's prophetic historj'' of the 
 blessings to be experienced through the reign 
 of her Son. The verbs are all, as far as ver. 
 55, in the aorist (preterit) tense, and repre- 
 sent the Hebrew perfect, as expressive of 
 general truths, or of future events, regarded 
 in prophecy as having already taken place. 
 They anticipate the beatitudes of the Sermon 
 on tha Mount, especially as given by Luke, 
 where the promises are directly of temporal 
 gifts to them that are physically needy and 
 wretched; but to them, doubtless, as being 
 therefore prepared in spirit for the gifts which 
 the spiritual nature craves. The proud, the 
 mighty, and the rich, in these verses, are the 
 leading class of the Jewish nation represented, 
 in their haughtiness, arrogance, and tyranny, 
 by the scribes and Pharisees and chief priests 
 of that age.— Those of f.ow degree and the 
 hungry — are such as Zacharias, Simeon, 
 Anna, Lazarus, and his sisters, and the com- 
 mon people who heard Jesus gladly, yet 
 were despised by the self-righteous rulers. 
 
 54,55. In all this Mary finds the fulfill- 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 37 
 
 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and 
 returned to her own house. 
 
 57 Now Elisal)etirs full time came that she should be 
 delivered ; and she brought lortli a son. 
 
 38 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how 
 the Lord liad shewed great mercy upon her ; and « they 
 rejoiced with her. 
 
 59 And it came to pas.s, that ' on the eighth day they 
 came to circumcise thfe child; and they called him 
 Zacharias, after the name of his father. 
 
 60 And his mother answered and said, 'Not so; but 
 he shall be called John. 
 
 61 And they said unto her. There is none of thy 
 kindred that is called by this name. 
 
 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would 
 have him called. 
 
 03 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, 
 saying, ''His name is John. And they marvelled all. 
 
 50 And Mary abode with her aljout three months, 
 and returned unto her house. 
 
 57 Now Klisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should 
 
 58 be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And 
 her neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord 
 had magnified his mercy towards her; aud they 
 
 59 rejoiced with her. And it came to pass on the 
 eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child ; 
 aud they would have called him Zacharia.s, alter the 
 
 00 name of his father. And his mother ai)swere<i aud 
 
 61 said. Not so ; but he shall be called Johu. And they 
 said unto her. There is none ol thy kindred that is 
 
 62 called by this name. And thev made signs to his 
 
 63 father, what he would have him called. Aud he 
 asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying. His 
 
 a ver. U b Gen. 17: 12; Lev. 12: 3 e ver. 13 d ver. 13. 
 
 nient of the ancient promises of help to 
 Israel through the reign of the Messiah. 
 The Revision is a decided improvement, al- 
 though strict fidelity requires all these narra- 
 tive verbs to be expres.sed in the preterit 
 tense. 
 
 56. Marys Rkturn. The three months 
 brought her ni^ar to the birth of John. To 
 some it will seein strange that she should 
 leave before Elisabeth had passed her trial; 
 and it has been supposed by some that this 
 statement is placed by anticipation before its 
 true order. But had it been true that Mary 
 had staid so long, it could hardly fail to have 
 been related distinctly. 
 
 57-06. Birth of John the Baptist. 
 
 58. And her neighbours and her cousins 
 {kinsfolk), family connections of all degrees, 
 heard how (that) the Lord had shewed 
 great mercy (ratiier, was mag)iifyi?ig his 
 mercy) npon her. The blessing is not men- 
 tioned as though it had been an instantaneous 
 thing, already past, but it was permanent in 
 the presence and preservation of the child, so 
 remarkable a boon to its aged parents. "We 
 have nothing said to intimate that they knew 
 anything as yet to distinguish the birth from 
 any other in extraordinary circumstances, 
 where ottspring had been greatly desired. 
 
 59. On the eighth day— the regularly ap- 
 pointed time (c.eii i7:t2:Phii.3:5). The parents 
 walked here in the ordinances of the Lord 
 blameless (ver.e). Only by circumcision did 
 the son of a Jewish family become a citizen, 
 a member of the nation, and so, indirectly, 
 a sharer in important religious privileges of 
 that people. That the rite was directly of 
 civil significance only, suits with its exclusive 
 applicability to the male sex. It was performed 
 by the parents, or one appointed by them, and 
 
 the occasion was regarded as a domestic festi- 
 val. And they called him Zacharias — 
 
 ("would have called," Revised Version," were 
 for calling," Davidson) ; literally, ''were in 
 the act of caltiny." They may have used the 
 word, but before it had been formally applied 
 to the child, the mother inter{)osed, and pre- 
 vented its being done. The naming took place 
 in connection with the circumcision, as Abra- 
 ham received his full name (as also did Sarah) 
 at ihe time of his circumcision. 
 
 60. And his mother answered— to their 
 proposal of the name Zacharias— and said, 
 Not so; but he shall be called Joim. 
 Some have thought this mention of John 
 implied a supernatural, prophetic, coinci- 
 dence with the name given by the angel 
 (ver. 13); but it secms not at all unlikely that 
 during the subsequent months Zacharias had 
 communicated to his wife what occurred with 
 him in the temple, including the name. He 
 could do this by writing, as we see just below. 
 
 61. Early in the Jewish history, names were 
 applied to their children almost always with 
 direct reference to the appellative significance 
 of the words used, and without any regard to 
 the names of parent or ancestt)rs. Now, the 
 neighbors of Elisabeth took it for granted 
 that she would use for her child his fathers 
 name, or that of some relative. Nor would 
 they desist from their intention until they had 
 applied to the father for his wish in the matter. 
 
 62. And they made signs. That they 
 consulted him by making signs, literal Iv, 
 by ''nodding to" him, appears to indicate 
 that he had become deaf as well as speechless. 
 Yet it is not a decisive proof 
 
 63. On a writing table (tablet), he very 
 positively confirms the direction of the angel. 
 — His name is John-which heaven had de- 
 
38 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 64 "And his mouth was opened immediately, and his 
 tongue loused, and he spake, and praised God. 
 
 65 And lear came on all thai dwelt round about 
 them: and all these ''sayings were noised abroad 
 throughout all "^the hill country of Judea. 
 
 66 And all they that heard Ihem, •'laid them up in 
 their hearts, saying. What manner of child shall this 
 be! And 'tlie hand of the Lord was with him. 
 
 67 And his father Zacharias /was filled with the 
 Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 
 
 68 ? Blessed 6e the Lord God of Israel; for* he hath 
 visited and redeemed his people, 
 
 64 name is John. And they marvelled all. And his 
 mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue 
 
 65 loused, and he spake, blessing God. And fear came 
 on all that dwelt riniud about them: and all these 
 sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill 
 
 66 country of Jud;ea. And all that heard them laid 
 them up in their heart, saying. What then shall this 
 child be? l-'or the band of the Lord was with him. 
 
 67 And his father Zacharias was tilled With the Holy 
 Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 
 
 68 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel ; 
 
 For he hath visited and wrought redemption for 
 his people. 
 
 a ver. 20 6 Or, things c ver. 39 d cli. 2: 1», 51 e Gen. :19 : 2 ; Ps. 80: 17; 89: 21 ; Acts H : 21.... /Joel 2 : 28 o 1 Kiiies 
 
 1:48; Ps. 41:13; 72: 18; 106:48. ...* Ex. 3:16; 4:31; Ps. Ill :9; ch. 7:16. » » 
 
 clared that it should be. — And they mar- 
 velled all, because of this inexplicable agree- 
 ment between the parents in a purpose so sin- 
 gular. Now had the day come (ver. 20) in which 
 the things promised to the priest, in the holy 
 place, were accomplished, so that his penalty 
 of dumbness might be remitted. 
 
 64. And his mouth was opened im- 
 mediately, and his tongue was loosed. 
 The divine power which had inflicted on him 
 that silence for a definite period, now that the 
 period was precisely complete, released him 
 from all restraint on his speech. — And he 
 spake, and praised God. Doubtless even 
 the penalty which he had endured, seen now 
 in its connection with all God's working in 
 the matter of his Son, would seem a proper 
 theme of praise, and his whole soul would go 
 out in thoughtful adoration (praising or bless- 
 ing) in his recovered utterance. 
 
 65, 66. These verses describe the natural 
 effects of such an interposition of God's hand, 
 in an age of lively expectation of Messianic 
 events; effects which immediately began to 
 be experienced, and are here summarily re- 
 lated, as extending through a considerable 
 period of time. — We may note in the brief 
 record how widely the report spread, so that 
 the natural fear extended not only to all 
 the neighboring people, but in the whole 
 mountain land of Judea all these sayings 
 ■were noised abroad {talked over and over 
 fiteAaAeiTo) ; while among those who had heard 
 them the heart- wonder deepened as they pon- 
 dered, and they asked, What manner of 
 child shall this be? See Kevised Version. 
 Surely such a birth imports an exalted 
 destiny. Thus was the way preparing for 
 that reception which John should meet, when 
 he came forth at last with his call to re- 
 pentance and preparation for the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 67-79. Prophetic Hymn of Zacharias. 
 
 67. And his father Zacharias was filled 
 with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), and prophe- 
 sied. The latter statement again defines and 
 explains the former; he was filled with the 
 Holy Spirit so as to qualify him for the pro- 
 phetic utterances which follow, and in which 
 his inspiration appears. The time of this is 
 probably that of the circumcision and nam- 
 ing, and may be part in the discourse which 
 then he spake, blessing God. Luke's fre- 
 quent manner of introducing proleptically 
 historical facts led him first to follow out the 
 impression made by what had so far occurred 
 ^Ter. 65, 66), and iiow lie resumes the psalm of 
 Zacharias. This suits better with the neces- 
 sity of assuming s(>7ne special occasion for the 
 discourse, and with the address (ver. 76 n.) to the 
 " little child," as present. 
 
 68. Saying, Blessed be the Lord (the) 
 God of Israel, etc. In this noble psalm 
 Zacharias celebrates, first (ver.68-70), the fulfill- 
 ment of God's ancient promises, through the 
 gift of the Messiah, whose coming and its 
 consequences are present to him as an ac- 
 complished fact; next (ver. 71-75), the blessings 
 that follow from it to Israel; then (ver. 76, 77), 
 the connection of his own Son with this 
 epiphany and its blessed results; and, finally 
 (ver. 78, 79), he traces all back to God's mercy, 
 and forward to the enlightenment of them 
 that sit in darkness (including, though per- 
 haps not consciouslj', the heathen world), and 
 the attainment of the path of peace. The 
 form of the expressions, the character of the 
 imagery, the quality of the salvation, all are, 
 as we should expect, still Hebraistic, as is true 
 of the utterances of all participants, human 
 and celestial, in this prelude to the gospel. 
 Everything is conceived as would be natural 
 to a pious son of Abraham, to whom "the 
 things which God has prepared for them that 
 love him" were only partially revealed by 
 his Spirit. (Comp. 1 Cor.2:9, 10). We are still in 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 39 
 
 69 "And hath raused up an horn of salvation for us 
 in the house of his servant David; 
 
 70 *As he spake by the uiouth of his holy prophets, 
 which have been since the world began: 
 
 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and 
 from the hand of all that hate us; 
 
 72 <^To perform the mercy promuied to our fathers, 
 and to reniemlKir his holy covenant; 
 
 73 ''Tlie oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
 
 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being de- 
 livered out of the hands of our enemies might 'serve 
 him without fear, 
 
 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us 
 In the house of his servant David 
 
 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets 
 
 that liave been of old), 
 
 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand 
 
 of all that hate us ; 
 
 72 To shew mercy towards our fathers. 
 And to remember his holy covenant; 
 
 73 The oath which he sware unto Abraham our 
 
 father, 
 
 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of 
 
 the hand of our enemies 
 
 ft Jer 23-5,6; 30: 10: Dnn. 9: 24; Acts 3: 21; Rom l:2....c Lev. 26:42; Ps. 98:3: 105.8.9, 106: U, Exek. 
 16:60; ver. 54....<i Gen. 12 : 3 ; 17:4; M: 16, 17; Heb. 6: 13, 17 ...eKoni.6: 18.22; Heb. 9: 14. 
 
 the twilight, amid the shadows of a prepara- 
 tory era. The tenses of verbs are in the pre- 
 terit of Hebrew prophecy. Things future 
 are seen as already realized. The trun.slation 
 of this pas.sage, as used in the Latin and 
 other liturgies, is called, from the Latin of 
 the first word, the Bcncdictus.—\is\tcA and 
 redeemed his people— rather, wrotight re- 
 demption for (Revised Version), or, 7nade a 
 ransom. 
 
 6D. An horn of salvation — a designation 
 of the Messiah— horn in the Old Testament, 
 being a familiar symbol of strength and vic- 
 tory. Of salvation, as affording salva- 
 tion. This appears in the house of David, i. e., 
 as one of the family of David. Zacharias 
 would appear to have thought of the poster- 
 ity of David. 
 
 70. As he spake, etc. This great boon is 
 thus characterized as the fulfillment of the 
 prophecies in all the Old Testament, from the 
 beginning of human history. 
 
 71. That we should be saved (literally, 
 salvation) from our enemies, in loose appo- 
 sition with "horn of salvation," ver. 69, the 
 intervening verse being parenthetical. The 
 provision for salvation has passed into the 
 idea of salvation experienced. It is con- 
 ceived of as a national blessing, as was natural 
 to a Hebrew, and its character is evolved in 
 the following verses to 75 inclusive. That 
 rescue from external enemies (see also ver. 74), 
 appears so prominent in the description of 
 "salvation," is thoroughly consistent with a 
 multitude of expressions in the Old Testa- 
 ment, and most natural in the mouth of a 
 pious Israelite, living in the distressed circum- 
 stances of his people, oppressed and degraded 
 under a Pagan rule, at the time of John's 
 birth. 
 
 72. To perform the mercy promised 
 to our fathers. This is involved in that 
 salvation, and is now spoken of as divinely 
 
 intended in the gift. The literal translation 
 would be: " <o do mercy with our fathers" ; 
 but it is not obvious hou> affording salvation 
 to this late age was doing "mercy with the 
 fathers." The thought may possibly be that 
 the fathers are ever present in their children, 
 mercy shown to whom, in fulfillment of 
 promises in which the former trusted, is 
 mercy to them. But Isa. 29: 22, 23, ascribes 
 shame to Jacob and paleness of face, (on ac- 
 count of the unrighteousne.-s of his posterity), 
 which will he removed when they repent and 
 sanctify their father's God. (Comp. Mic. 
 7: 20, and Lange's note on the place.) In the 
 New Testament, also, Abraham rejoices to 
 see the day of Christ (JoUas: 56); is represented 
 as conversant with the fortunes of men on the 
 earth (Lukei6:25ff) ; and all the fathers live 
 unto God (20:38). In conformity with this 
 view, which might be much enlarged by 
 references to the Apocryphal literature of the 
 Jews, we may, perhaps, best understand the 
 language before us as practically meaning, 
 that the procurement of the Messianic salva- 
 tion is literally showing mercy to the fathers, 
 who are waiting for it, "to Abraham and his 
 seed" (ver. 55, Revised Version). — And to remem- 
 ber his holy covenant — a parallel, in which 
 nearly the same thought is brought out in 
 other terms. The covenant always involved 
 promises, if it did not really consist in them 
 
 (Gcii. 15; 1«; 17:2 (T; Ex. 24.7, 8). The prOmiseS, 
 
 hitherto unfulfilled, God now remembers so 
 as to accomplish. 
 
 73. The oath which he sware, etc., is 
 only another designation of the same engage- 
 ment of the Lord, made pointedly specific by 
 reference to Abraham (Gen. 12 : 1-3 ; n : 4 ; 22 : 16 r. 
 
 Comp. Heb. 6: 13, 17). 
 
 74. That he would grant unto us, that 
 we being delivered, etc. This also is a part 
 of the salvation (ver. 71). Being in the par- 
 ticipal form, it views the deliverance from 
 
40 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 75 "In holiness and riglueousness before him, all the 
 days of our life. 
 
 76 And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the 
 Highest: for ' thou shall go belore the face of Ihe Lord 
 to prepare his ways; 
 
 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people ""'by 
 the remission of their sius, 
 
 78 Through the « tender mercy of our God ; whereby 
 the/dayspring from on high hath visited us, 
 
 Should serve him without fear. 
 
 In holiness and righteousness before him all our 
 
 days. 
 Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet 
 
 of the Most High : 
 For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to 
 
 make ready his ways ; 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people 
 In tne remission of their sins. 
 Because of the i tender mercy of our God, 
 
 2 Whereby the dayspriug from on high n shall 
 
 visit us. 
 
 o Jer. 32 : 39, 40 ; Eph.4: 24; '^Thess. 2: 13; 2Tiin. 1: 9, Tit. 2: 12; 1 Pet. 1 : 15 ; 2 Pet. 1 : 4.. .ftlsa. 40: 3; Miil. 3 : 1; 4:5; Miitt. 
 
 11 : 10; ver. 17.... c Mark 1:4; ch. 3 : 3....(i Or, /or e Or, bowels of the mercy / Or, sun-rising, or, branch , Num. 21 : 17 ; 
 
 Isa. 11: 1; Zecta. 3: 8; 6, 12 , Mul. 4: 2. 1 Ov, heart of mercy... 2 Or, Wherein.. .3 Many uucieut uutUorities read, hath 
 
 visited us. 
 
 human foes as a condition of the higher 
 blessings next mentioned. It is not gram- 
 matically dependent on "the oath," etc.; 
 but is parallel to "to perform," and "to re- 
 member" (ver. 72). That WG might [shoidd] 
 serve him without fear — fear of unsympa- 
 thizing, worldly, sometimes hostile and in- 
 tensely cruel rulers, such as had so often 
 afflicted the nation for generations past. 
 
 75. In holiness — not the ordinary word 
 for holiness, nearly equivalent to purity — 
 and righteousness, such as that ascribed to 
 Zacharias and Elisabeth (ver. 6). This immacu- 
 late religiousness of service the prophet sees 
 destined for the Messianic worsliipers as a 
 perpetual distinction, not, as heretofore, an 
 occasional, transient, partial quality, which 
 faded away as the early dew.— Before him 
 all the days of our life. As long as the 
 nation continues. All our days, omitting "of 
 our life," is the correct text. 
 
 76. And thou [al.so], child, shalt be 
 called the prophet of the Highest. He 
 has celebrated the Messiah and his benefits, 
 first, but is not allowed to omit a notice of the 
 preparatory part which his son is to play in 
 this great fulfillment of eternal plans. "And 
 thou, also, ciiild," (the Kevised Version would 
 givetheforceof rt/.S'oby the preceding "Yea"), 
 implies that his announcement is not cotnplete 
 without adding something concerning him. 
 Child, my ofl'spring, child, though thou art. 
 Shalt be called, equivsilent to shall be, as 
 in ver. 35. "The prophet" is, primarily, the 
 spokesman for God, who, uttering the divine 
 counsels generally, incidentally /o?'P^e^^s some 
 things.— For thou shalt go before the face 
 of the Lord. The for explains and confirms 
 the designation of prophet. To go before 
 the face is, as in ver 17, to precede in time, 
 and to go in the view, under the eye, on the 
 errand, of another. The Lord here is, 
 
 probably, to Zacharias the same person as "the 
 Highest" in the preceding sentence, and yet 
 the event shows him to be the Messiah. — To 
 prepare his ways, viz., to make ready for 
 his coming, by teaching the people the true 
 nature and necessary conditions of the salva- 
 tion which he will bring; for the very idea of 
 evangelical salvation had died out of the 
 minds of the proud and work-righteous seed 
 of Abraham, as a mass. How indispensable 
 such a preparation was appears from the fact 
 that neither Zacharias himself, nor Mar}', nor 
 Elisabeth, has distinctly noticed, in these in- 
 spired utterances, the subject of repentance, 
 the new heart, the spiritual transformation, in 
 whicli the blessings promised by them would 
 really be found. The "salvation" of which 
 tliey catch a glimpse, is national, mainly ex- 
 ternal, and its conditions are expressed in 
 terms of Old Te.stament jjrophecy. They 
 scarcely see these things so clearly now as, in 
 occasional visions, did Daniel, Isaiah, Jere- 
 miah, Micah, Ezekiel. " It is darkest just be- 
 fore day." 
 
 77. To give knowledge of salvation . . . 
 by (in) the remission of their sins. Here 
 is the nearest approach to an essentially gospel 
 view. This was John's first aim, "preaching 
 a baptism of repentance for the remission of 
 sins." He should teach that salvation in- 
 volved pardon; that pardon was required 
 because of sins, and could be received through 
 a new view, a new heart, new purposes, a new 
 life before God. Even those who were to 
 prove "his people," were ignorant of these 
 things now. 
 
 78. Through the tender mercy of our 
 God. God already appears more in his special 
 relation to the heart of his worshipers, as 
 our God. Tender mercy is literally, "the 
 bowels of mercy," as in Phil. 2: 1. The 
 „ bowels," like our word "heart," denotes, 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 41 
 
 79 " To give light to them that sit in darkness and in i 79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the 
 the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of shadow of death; 
 
 peace. j To guide our feet into the way of peace. 
 
 80 And 'the child grew, and waxed .strong in spirit, I 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, 
 and ' was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto | and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing 
 Israel. j unto Israel. 
 
 a Mark 1: 4; cb.3:3, & Ian. 9: 2; 42:7; 49:9; Miitt. 4 : 16; Acts 26: 18....& cb. 2: 40....C Matt. 3 : 1 : 11 : 7. 
 
 metaphorically, in Hebrew, the seat of affec- 
 tions, emotions, strong, especially tender, feel- 
 ing. It is this tender compassion of God 
 through, literally, "on account of," which, 
 all these provisions of blessing are furnished 
 us. — Whereby — ("wherein,'^ in the exercise 
 
 the yoke of Jesus (Matt. Il: 32; comp. Johu 14 : 27 ; 16:S3). 
 
 Toward this the shining of that light would 
 guide (literally, direct) our feet. Zacharias 
 includes himself among those who needed 
 this direction. 
 
 80. And the child grew, and wuxed 
 
 of which feelings of mercy) — tlie dayspring ; strung (lyr/.s- strengthened) in spirit. This 
 from on high hath visited us.— Kutiier, "a! verse I'oritaitrs ail that we are jjerniittcd to 
 dayspring,'' literally, "a rising," as of the j know further concerning the private life of 
 sun. or, possibly, of a briglit star. The word | John; and the.se words give the whole account 
 also means sometimes an upspringing, viz., of | of his domestic development. He grew nor- 
 
 the shoot of a plant; then " tln^ dawn," as 
 occasioned by the ajiproaching rise of the sun. 
 It is here plainly a Hgure for the Messiah; 
 (compare Malachi 4: 2 — ^"sliall the Sun of 
 Righteousness arise" ]., It might, indeed, have 
 been used in the sense of "the branch" 
 (zech.3:8;6:i2); "the rod out of the stcm of 
 Jesse" (isa.ii:!); but here all the adjuncts 
 visited, literally " looked upon," and — 
 from on high, favor the sense of "dawn" 
 or "sunrise." Wliat metaphor could be more 
 expressive of the joyfulness of the promised 
 salvation? The preterit tense of the verb, 
 hath visited, properly, visited, is in precise 
 accordance with the usage througii this whole 
 psalm, and has strongly the support of tiie in- 
 ternal evidence. On the other hand, the best 
 manuscripts favor the reading followed in the 
 Revised Versit)n, "will visit us"; and unless 
 other light arises on the passage, that will 
 probably be accepted b^'-and-by. 
 
 mally, in body, and mentally and morally 
 he became strong. The clause, in spirit, 
 here expresses the whole complement of the' 
 body in making up the man— soul being in- 
 cluded. Strength is the qualitj' which seems 
 to have attracted attention in his character 
 from the first, and this agrees with the stern- 
 ne s and severity of his public function. ISot 
 a word of grace or favor, either as a trait of 
 his disposition, or existing in the regard had 
 for him by God or man. The other quality 
 was the conspicuous one, remembered in the 
 narratives of his home life, which were pre- 
 served. Compare and contrast the two some- 
 what analogous cases of Samuel (1 S:ini. 2: i«. m. 26) 
 and Jesus (i.iike2: 40-52). — And was in the 
 deserts till the day of his shewing unto 
 Israel. This was all that could be told of 
 his life from the time when he left the shelter 
 of his home. That home, considering the 
 age of his parents, may have been broken up 
 
 79. To give light to {to shine forth upon) j while he was yet young, and his seclusion 
 
 them that sit in darkness. The infinitive 
 marks the result of the day-spring visiting 
 us. Darkness is the symbol of ignorance, 
 moral corruption, and consequent misery. — 
 The shadow of death is a Hebrew expres- 
 
 from the world may have continued a num- 
 ber of years, before he began, at the age of 
 thirty, to i)reach and baptize. His natural 
 disposition would, it seems, make such seclu- 
 sion congenial; but he probably adopted it in 
 
 sion for the deepest gloom (?« 23 <)— such part from a desire to cultivate a religious life, 
 gloom as the imagination associates with the , and to prepare himself, like Elijah and other 
 idea of death.— To guide our feet into the | early prophets, for that office which he recog- 
 way of peace Peace was to the Hebrew i nized a call to perform. Nobody of any 
 a summary designation of complete welfare. ! consequence now pretends to connect John 
 This way of peace was in the Old Testa- with the Essenes, or any other known ascetic 
 
 ment the way of wisdom, or the pious con- 
 formity of all one's spirit and conduct to the 
 requirements of JehoVah (Prov. .i: i:u7) ; in the 
 New Testament it will be found in wearmij: 
 
 and recluse school or sect of men ; but we 
 perceive a degree of individual asceticism, 
 such as has been popularly associated in all 
 ages with the conception of eminent piety. 
 
42 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 CHAPTEK II. 
 
 AND it came to pass in those days, that there went 
 out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the 
 World should be ° taxed. 
 
 1 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out 
 a decree from Caesar Augustus, tliat all Uhe world 
 
 '. Or, enrolled. 1 Gr. the inhabited earth. 
 
 The deserts here referred to were parts of 
 the '"wiiderness of Judea' (Matt. 3: i; Luke:<: .>, 
 •■ihewiiiieruess"). It lay southcast of Jerusalem, 
 within the borders of Judah, and since John 
 was baptizing in the Jordan "in the wilder- 
 ness," the term would seem to have embraced 
 a certain portion of the desert country bor- 
 dering that river from its mouth northward. 
 It was not a desert like Sahara, but an arid, 
 barren country, much of it mountainous, 
 with treeless, rocky slopes and summits, 
 broken through by deep chasms worn by the 
 waters of occasional rains, uncheered by ver- 
 dure, except for a short time in the spring, 
 and at other seasons along the beds of streams 
 that might still trickle down the ravines, or 
 around the much-prized springs, and. rare 
 perennial brooks. In a very narrow strip, 
 close on the banks of the Jordan, vegetation 
 flourished, bord(Ted by the parched desert. 
 Many natural caves and hollows of the rocks 
 afforded shelter for hermits, whether ceno- 
 bites or solitaries. Somewhere in this quarter 
 dwelt the strange sect of the Essenes, a monk- 
 ish community of the Jews, who in that 
 period had retired thither from the world, to 
 avoid its contamination, and to cultivate a 
 more religious life. All attempts, however, 
 to identify John with thenj, in principles or 
 practice, have so utterly failed, that they are 
 only remembered as things of the past. John 
 would find the rough and uninviting solitudes 
 of the wilderness suitable for abundant com- 
 munion with God ; and its privations would 
 train him to that sturdiness and independence 
 which were needed in facing the worldly and 
 self-indulgent ways of a stiflT-necked and 
 gainsaying people. Whether he returned at 
 all to his birthplace, during the years before 
 his shewing to the people; whether he took 
 part in feasts and fasts, or any solemn rites of 
 his nation, we cannot tell. There he abode 
 mainly, at least, till the day of his shew- 
 ing unto Israel. It was God that showed 
 him, or pointed him out, "when the word of 
 God came unto" him, and sent him forth 
 among the people (•■2:'A3). 
 
 Part I. Sect. II. Ch. 2: 1-52. Birth 
 
 AND Private Life of Jesus. This section 
 of the Gospel treats (1) of the birth of Jesus 
 (veriT); (2) the announcement of the fact to 
 shepherds, and joy of the angels thereupon 
 (814) ; [S) visit of the shepherds to the babe and 
 his mother in Bethlehem (i5-2o) ; (4) the cir- 
 cumcision (21); (5) the presentation in the 
 temple, and the prophetic recognition of the 
 Messiah by Simeon and Anna (•■ii-as); (6) the 
 private life of Jesus through childhood and 
 
 youth (39-52). 
 
 1-7. The Birth op Jesus. In those 
 days. A loose designation of the period 
 within which the birth of John the Baptist 
 fell — ^overlooking the brief statements in ver. 
 80 of the preceding chapter. — There went 
 out a decree. What the decree ordered was 
 an enrollment, or registration of all the popu- 
 lation of the empire — the whole world. 
 Literally "^Ae inhabited world," which, so far 
 as definitely known, was then mostly included 
 within the Roman Empire. This enrollment 
 was not properly a "taxing," as we now 
 understand that term; but might have been 
 only to secure such an enumeration of per- 
 sons, with their age, their occupation, stand- 
 ing, and property — a census, in short — as 
 would afl'ord a basis for taxation, for enlist- 
 ment into the army, and other measures. 
 The credibility of Luke's statement that such 
 a census was then ordered, has been impugned 
 on the ground that profane history gives no 
 account of it, and that if there had been one, 
 it could not have taken place in Judea, which 
 was not yet made a province, but was gov- 
 erned by Herod as an "associate" king. In 
 reply to the last objection, it may be remarked 
 that Tacitus expressly names {Annai.i-.u) king- 
 doms {regna) as well as provinces, among the 
 subjects included in the great Domesday 
 Book of the whole empire, which Augustus 
 had drawn up with his own hands. And 
 certainly Herod, who was the mere creature 
 of the emperor, would not be spared the 
 necessity, as he would not lack the willing- 
 ness, to contribute to the revenues by which, 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 43 
 
 2 (a And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius I 2 should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment 
 was governor of Syria.) I 
 
 in effect, his own government would be sus- 
 tained. As to tlie manner of it, the emperor 
 would naturally allow Herod to conduct the 
 enrollment in conformity with Jewish customs, 
 and the latter would probably be able to show 
 that it was not made with reference to any tax 
 immediately to be levied. That Augustus 
 required such a census to be taken about that 
 time is supported by the authority of Luke 
 himself, a historian as trustworthy, for all that 
 appears, as any of his age. His testimony 
 cannot be canceled by the mere silence of 
 others, considering how scanty details we 
 have of the transactions of that period. But 
 we are not left without other evidence. The 
 Roman historians mention an enrollment as 
 occurring in the year of Rome 740. Now it 
 is not at all likely that this would be effected 
 simultanoou-sly throughout the vast empire; 
 and in the uncertainty as to the precise year 
 of the Saviour's birth, that one may have 
 been yet unfinished in Palestine at our present 
 point of time. 
 
 To this may be added that the Christian 
 apologists, in the second century, appeal to 
 census lists as existing, taken in Palestine by 
 Quirinius, which all persons could examine 
 for themselves, and none of their acute and 
 learned opponents disputed them on this 
 point. 
 
 2. And this taxing was first made. 
 Omit the and, and read, T/iis enroUmenf, 
 first — or, as a first one — took place — when 
 Cyrenius was governor of Syria. The 
 translation will vary as we receive or reject, 
 according to different texts, the article, the 
 first, or a first. There seems to be a plain 
 reference to another enrollment made, as a 
 second, under the governorship of Cyrenius 
 over Syria in a. d. 6, about ten years after 
 this, when Judas the Galilean raised an insur- 
 rection (Act»5:S7). To the accuracy of this 
 statement it is objected that Cyrenius (in 
 Latin, Qnirinus or Quirinius) was governor I 
 (proconsul) of Syria in and after A. D. 6. It 
 is assumed then that Luke has mistaken the 
 governor of the time. Surely not of neces- 
 sity, unless we know that Cyrenius was some- 
 where else at the time when Christ was Imrn, j 
 or that somebody else was then in that office. I 
 
 Assuming that he could not have held it 
 twice, a great variety of violent grammatical 
 expedients have been hazarded to obviate the 
 discrepancy. These have been treated in 
 Godet (who unfortunately adds one of his 
 own), and other extended commentaries; and 
 it is hardly worth while to discuss them here. 
 If Godet were right in saying (I., p. 12!^), 
 "history proves that Quirinius did not be- 
 come governor until the year 4," in any 
 sense of the word governor, we should have 
 simply to admit that, in the scarcity of in- 
 formation as to the actual circumstances of 
 that province at the time in question, we 
 must fall back on the authority of Luke, and 
 not try to explain how the fact here asserted 
 by him consists with the other fact, that 
 Quirinius is known to have been governor 
 there ten years afterward (acu. 6:37), "in the 
 days of the taxing." Comp. Joseph., Jew. 
 Antiq. 18: 1. 1 f.). But since the arguments 
 of A. W. Zumpt on this subject {Commenta- 
 iio Epigraphica de Syria Ro7nanorum pro- 
 vincia. etc., V. 2, Berlin, 18o4', it is tliought 
 by many not at all improbable, that Quir'n- 
 ius was first governor of Syria ahont the 
 time of Christ's birth, say, from some time in 
 the year 750, u. c. So probable is this, that 
 if it were not that Matthew informs us that 
 the nativity occurred while Ilerod was yet 
 alive, little difficulty won id be felt. (See a 
 synopsis of Zumpt's rorsoning in Smith's 
 Diet, of Biography, p. r)25 f.) But President 
 Woolsey, in his candid consideration of the 
 matter in that Article, shows clearlj' that 
 however nearly he has made out what we 
 should be glad to have proved, his result does 
 not relieve us, because we seem to see in 
 Josephusthat Quintilius Varus was president 
 of Syria during the last years of Herod, and 
 until after his death. But we may .«till sup- 
 pose that Quirinius, being in that part of the 
 empire, was employed as a special commis- 
 sioner to superintend the enrollment, he 
 having proved himself a vigorous and effi- 
 cient officer, which Varus was not. AVe 
 should then have to suppose further that 
 Luke had employed the Greek word (ijyeMwf), 
 which may designate any leadership, in a 
 more loose sense than he is in the habit <»f 
 
44 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own 
 city. 
 
 4 And Joseph also went up from (ialilee, out of the 
 city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto "the city of David, 
 which is called Bethlehem ; (' because he was of the j 
 house and lineage of David ;) 
 
 5 To be taxed with Mary" his espoused wife, being 
 great with child. 
 
 3 made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And 
 all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own 
 
 4 city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of 
 the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of 
 David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of 
 
 5 the house and family of David; to enrol himself 
 with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great 
 
 a 1 Sum. 16: I, 4; John 7: 12 b Halt. 1: 16; ch. 1 : 27 c M»tt. 1 : 18; ch. 1 : 27. 
 
 doing. This view is regarded with favor by 
 Farrar (Com. on Luke in the Cambridge Bible 
 for Schools, p. 64) ; and Meyer, who has no 
 objection to finding Luke, or any other Bibli- 
 cal writer, out of harmony with facts, admits 
 and maintains that it is probably correct. It 
 may be added that to Luke's own authority 
 (compare remark, p. 43), may be added the 
 
 4. And Joseph also went up . . . On 
 went up, see on 1: 39. — Out of the city of 
 Nazareth, see on 1 : 26. — Into Judea, from 
 
 the northern to the southern district of the 
 Holy Land. — City of David, where David 
 was born, or at least where his father, Jesse, 
 lived (1 Sam. 16: 1), and from which David came 
 forth to the public view.— Unto Bethlehem, 
 
 testimony of some of the earliest Church 
 Fathers, who appeal to evidence as existing 
 in their day, of the historical accuracy of our 
 passage (Justin Martyr, Apol. 1, 34, 46; Ter- 
 tul. Adv. Marcion, 4, 7. Cited by McClellan, 
 Translation of the New Testament, I. 895 f. , 
 where the whole question is copiously dis- 
 cussed), 
 
 3. And all went to be taxed (enrolled), 
 every one into his own city, viz., the city 
 of his ancestors, where the family records 
 were kept. This was according to the Jewish 
 custom, which, as we have seen, the emperor 
 would be likely to respect. 
 
 NAZARETH. 
 
 about six miles south of Jerusalem. It was 
 on even higher ground than the capital city, 
 was hallowed from very early times as thei 
 burial place of Rachel, and the scene of many 
 interesting events. — Because he was of the 
 house and lineage (family) of David. 
 The house was the immediate family and 
 descendants of David; the lineage (itnrpii) 
 was the clan, family in a wider sense, that 
 sprang from one of the immediate sons of 
 Judah. 
 
 5. To be taxed (to enroll himself ) with 
 IWary his espoused wife {irho iras betrothed 
 to him), being great with child. Omit 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 45 
 
 6 And 80 it was, that, while they were there, the 
 days were accoiuplished that she should be delivered. 
 
 7 And «she brought forth her firstborn son, and 
 wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a 
 manger; because there was no room for them in the 
 inn. 
 
 6 with child. And it came to pass, while they were 
 there, the days were fulfilled that she should be de- 
 
 7 livered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; 
 and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid 
 him in a manger, because there was no room for 
 them in the inn. 
 
 great. Msiry may have gone with him 
 simply from unwillingness to be separated 
 from her espoused, or, possibly, that she 
 might be in the place (Bethlehem, Mie. 5: 1) 
 foretold in prophecy; but we can only con- 
 jecture. Their journey, from all that we 
 know of their circumstances, must have been 
 on foot; but this would not then be regarded 
 as a special hardship. 
 
 6. While they were there, etc. How 
 long a time they had spent there, we cannot 
 tell. If they were dependent on the meagre 
 accommodations of an inn, we could hardlj' 
 suppose them to have tarried very long. But 
 the word translated inn is very different 
 from that emploj'ed in ch. 10: 34. It is that 
 which is rendered "guest chamber" (22:11); 
 so that it is as likely, perhaps, to mean the 
 room allotted to visitors in a private house. 
 Whether so or not, privacy at the critical mo- 
 ment could be afforded to the expectant mother 
 only in a place which was probably common 
 in use to the family and to domestic animals. 
 Such were often found or prepared in the 
 natural or artificial hollows of the rock, of 
 which the hills about Bethlehem consi.«ted. 
 We are in no case to think of a house of en- 
 tertainment, such as our word now suggests; 
 but, at the most, of a simple structure fur- 
 nished by the hospitality of the neighborhood, 
 in which travelers might shelter themselves 
 and their beasts, supplying themselves, for 
 the most part, with bedding and food. 
 
 T. And she brought forth her first-born 
 son. Plainly implying, and i)roving, unless 
 some reason can be shown for taking the 
 adjective in a sense different from the obvious 
 one, that she afterward bon* other sons, or 
 another, in reference to whom this was the 
 first. These appear often in the gospel liistory 
 as sons of Joseph and >[arv. — .\nd wrapped 
 him in swaddling clothes. This early 
 suggested to some expositors that Marypa.ssed 
 thri>ugh her trial without the pains and in- 
 firmity of ordinary child-birth, that she 
 should be able to act as her own nur.«e, and 
 the child's. — And laid him in a manger. 
 
 Manger cannot mean stable, here, as some 
 have supposed ; it is what we commonly un- 
 derstand by the word, the feeding trough for 
 the cattle; but it implies that the scene was a 
 place which partook of the character of a 
 stable. This was, in its circumstances, a 
 lowly entrance upon life, as became one 
 whose home was to be lowly, and whose 
 friends would be the poor and despised, 
 chiefly; and whose earthly end, a thousand 
 times more pitiable than his birth. As we 
 have already intimated, it would not seem so 
 .squalid to the people of that time, and of the 
 condition of Joseph's family, as to us; yet 
 few who have at any time since experienced 
 the hardships of poverty, loneline.«.s, and 
 neglect, could think of the birth of the Saviour 
 without feeling that he could sympathize 
 with all their griefs. It is not related here as 
 any notable privation or distress, but is calmly 
 explained by the statement that there was 
 no room for them in the inn, or lodging 
 place. Was ever an event of literally infinite 
 consequence told in words so unambitious 
 and plain? 
 
 The date of this event has occasioned dis- 
 cussion enough to fill a library, if the record 
 of it could be got together in books; but with 
 no proper definiteness of result. The year 
 assumed in making Christ's birth the epoch 
 of the Christian Era, is very generally agreed 
 now to be too late by at least four years 
 (Herod having died in the spring of ToO \j. c, 
 and not in 753), and possibly by five or seven. 
 If we arrive at the exact date of Herod's 
 death, we have not a particle of testimony as 
 to how long before that was the Nativity, and 
 every point from which men would, by long 
 and intricate inferences, reach the day, or 
 month, or year, is itself unstable, so that no 
 certainty results. It is sad to think that so 
 much learning, historical, mathematical, 
 astronomical, has failed of the desired result 
 in the treatises of Ideler, Browne, Wieseler, 
 Zumpt, McClellan, Greswell, and others. 
 But each one generally aims to destroy the 
 conclusions of his predecessor, and effectually 
 
46 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 8 And there were in the same country shepherds i 8 And there were shepherds in the same country 
 
 abiding in the tield, keeping "watch over their tlock by 
 night. 
 
 y And, lo, the angel of the liOrd came upon them, 
 and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: 
 *and they were sore afraid. 
 
 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, be- 
 hold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, »wh'eh 
 shall be to all people. 
 
 abiding in the tield, and keeping 'watch by night 
 9 over their flock. And an aifgel of the Lord stood by 
 them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about 
 10 them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel 
 said unto them, Be not afraid ; for, behold, I bring 
 you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the 
 
 a Or, th6 night watches. 
 
 ..*ch. 1: 12....cGen.l2:3; M:ilt. 2S: 1!» ; M:i 
 night-watches. 
 
 1 : 15 ; ver. 31, 32; ch. 2-t : 47 ; Col. 1 : 2i. 1 Or 
 
 does it; while a critical examination shows 
 his own process to be an enumeration of 
 probabilities to his mind, ending in a verdict 
 which might fairly be interpreted: "I guess 
 that this opinion is a demonstrated truth." 
 Does he think that by increasing the weight 
 and number of links, he can strengthen the 
 chain while yet every link, where the strain 
 come.%, is as weak as the first that was ever 
 tried? One thing has now, perhaps, been 
 sufficiently proved— that God has not been 
 pleased to allow us a certain knowledge of 
 the day or the hour of the first advent .of his 
 Son, any more than of that which is yet to 
 take place. Hence we may infer with prac- 
 tical, assurance, that it is of no serious con- 
 sequence that we should have such knowl- 
 edge. It could hardly have been a matter of 
 care to Luke, or his researches would have 
 brought him to a statement clear and unques- 
 tionable; for almost certainly the truth would 
 have been within the knowledge of any of 
 those who personally associated with Christ. 
 
 8-14. ANaELic Announcemknt of the 
 Birth to the Shepherds. 
 
 8. And there were in the same country 
 shepherds abiding in the field. The nar- 
 rative concerns not itself about kings or 
 princes, or the great and rich of the earth, 
 in palaces, which angels had seldom visited, 
 except on errands of retribution ; but with 
 shepherds^ men of the people, of such 
 grade as were most intently expecting the 
 promised salvation, and would be found most 
 ready to welcome it. — Abiding in the field 
 (living in the open air). In the same 
 country, i. e., Judea, where Abraham had 
 ranged with his family, and his flocks and 
 herds, and where David had for j'ears tended 
 his father's sheep; for the region about 
 Bethlehem, for some distance, seems to have 
 been adapted to nothing so well as nomadic 
 
 pasturage.— Keeping watch by 
 
 night. This statement would not, indeed, 
 prove that it was not now mid-winter; for 
 
 shepherds may have had to be in the fields, 
 sometimes in the most inclement weather. 
 But when we consider that the night air made 
 a charcoal fire necessary to those who were 
 standing out in a palatial court, in the heart 
 of Jerusalem, on an April night (John i8: is), it 
 is certainly very hard to think of shepherds 
 exposed to the rigors of mid-winter, on the 
 lofty mountains of Judea. The number of 
 the shepherds may have been considerable, 
 although there was but one flock; for the 
 flocks were often very large. 
 
 9. And the (an) angel of the Lord came 
 upon them. This better expresses the no- 
 tion of some suddenness and surprise attend- 
 ing the visit, which the Greek verb often in- 
 timates (10:40; 24:4; Acts4:lilThess.5;!l), than the 
 
 Revision. All at once there was present to 
 them an angel. Lo secins not to have been 
 in the original text. — And the glory of the 
 Lord shone round about them. The 
 glory was probably a brightness, a radiant 
 glow, such as others had been conscious of, 
 who had been allowed special visitations of 
 the divine presence, such as we may imagine 
 as constituting the light of heaven, where 
 there is no light of the sun, neither of the 
 moon. — And they were sore afraid. It was 
 again that awe which smites the mind in the 
 more sensible nearness of God, or of any- 
 thing plainly supernatural. 
 
 10. And the angel said unto them. 
 Fear not. The real design of the revela- 
 tions of God in the Bible, particularly the 
 New Testament, is to remove fear from the 
 human heart. It aims rather to kindle a love 
 which casts out fear, by not only showing 
 God reconciled, but bringing us to recon- 
 ciliation. — For, behold — it is an important 
 announcement — I bring you good tidings. 
 In the form of a verb (tvayye\iioixai), the Greek 
 announces that "good news"— the gospel — 
 which was henceforth to constitute the bur- 
 den of revelation unto the end, th.e news of 
 salvation for sinners, amply provided, freely 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 47 
 
 11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of 
 David 'a Saviour, = wliich is Christ the Lord. 
 
 12 And this.v/«(/; he a si^'n unto you; Ye shall find 
 the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a 
 manger. 
 
 i;i<i And suddenly there was with the angel a multi- 
 tude of the heavenly host praising (jod, and saying, 
 
 14 "tilory to God in the highest, and ou earth /peace, 
 vgood willtoward men. 
 
 11 people: for there is born to you this day in the city 
 
 12 o( Uavid a Saviour, who is Hhrist the Lortl. And 
 this is the sign unto you; Ye shall tind a babe 
 wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. 
 
 13 And suddenly there was with the an;;el a njultitude 
 of the heavenly host praising (jod, and saying, 
 
 14 Glory to God in the highest, 
 
 And on earth -peace among ^meu iu whom he 
 ia well pleased. 
 
 aU«. !>•« h M^itt. 1: 21.... c Malt. 1 r 16; 16 : 16 ; 1 : 43 ; Acs 2: 36; 10:36; Phil. 2: 11. . ..d (;cn. 2S: 12; 32: 1.2; 103:20. P-. 
 21- lis- 2;" l):.ii. 7: 10: Hel.. \:U. Kev. 5: ll....e ch. I'J : :)» ; Kphe-. 1: «; 3: 10. 21 ; Rrv. 5: 13..../ Isa. 57 : 1:); ch. 1:79; 
 
 Kom. 5:1; Eph^^. 2: 17; Col. 1 : 20 g John 3: 16: Kphe< 2: 4, 7; 2 Thess. 2. IK; 1 John 4: !), 10. 1 Or, Anointed Lord 
 
 2 Many aucleiil authorltien read, peace, good iiUaaure among men 3 Gi-. men uf guud pleasure. 
 
 offered, and available for all, without dis- 
 tinction of nationality, rank, or condition. 
 This is fully brought out in the following 
 clauses. — Of great joy, i. c, suited to oc- 
 casion great joy.— Which ((/reat joy) shall 
 be to all (the) people, i. e., the Jewish na- 
 tion. Such it was tit to be in its intrinsic 
 nature and in the design of its Author; such 
 it became transiently to the mass of that 
 people (John 6: to), and eternally to a prepared 
 few (John 1:12. 13); and such it is to be, finally 
 and permanently, to the nation as a whole 
 
 (Rom. 11: 26.31). 
 
 11. For unto you is born, etc., — prop- 
 erly, "teas born^ The promise long de- 
 ferred and waited for has been fulfilled. The 
 birth is stated first (as in the Revision) as 
 nearest to the heart. — This day, since the 
 sunset which closed yesterday. In the city 
 of David, as the ancient prophecips foretold 
 (Mic. 5:2; compare Matt. 2: G; John 7: 42). 
 This sentence stands last in the original, be- 
 ing reserved until what was more important 
 had been told. — A Saviour — a Greek word is 
 used, equivalent to Jesus, the Grecized He- 
 brew, as in ch. 1 : 31 ; Matt. 1:21.— Which 
 (who) is Christ the Lord. — Christ is equiv- 
 alent to anointed. This, may accordingly be 
 taken as anointed Lord, which view West- 
 cott and Hort indicate in their form of the 
 Greek text, though the sense before given is 
 probably correct. Either way, the Saviour 
 born is declared to be the Messiah, and di- 
 vine. The angelic ken discerns as already 
 realized that which the Apostle Paul long 
 after celebrates as the result of the incarna- 
 tion, death, and ascension of the Saviour, 
 "that everj' knee should bow, and every 
 tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to 
 the glory of God the Father." 
 
 Vl. And this shall be (is) a sign unto 
 you; i. c, the statement which I will now 
 make is a token by which you can test the 
 verity of my anouncement. — Ye shall find 
 
 the (a) babe wrapped, etc. The extraordi- 
 nary fact of a babe just born lying in a 
 manger, swathed in bands wrapped round and 
 round, in lack of more comfortable clothing, 
 would prove to them that the angel had spoken 
 with superhuman knowledge. 
 
 13, 14. And suddenly there was with 
 thcangel. The language gives the impres- 
 sion of a mavelous apparition. In an instant, 
 without an intimation of how, or whence, in 
 place of a single angel amid the vacant night, 
 there came to be a multitude of the heav- 
 enly host, or armj'. With reference to the 
 number of his angels, Jehovah is named the 
 Lord God of Sabaoth. They are called a host, 
 as a convenient way of indicating a vast num- 
 ber — not a confused throng — but in ordered 
 ranks, and, perhaps, with leadership of well- 
 adjusted grades. While earth slept, not 
 dreaming even of the change initiated in its 
 moral situation and eternal prospects, all 
 heaven is seen astir and thrilling with un- 
 wonted interest. — Praising God, and say- 
 ing. Glory to God, etc. Verse 14, is to be 
 regarded as a declaration by the angels that 
 glory is rendered to God in heaven on ac- 
 count of the birth of Jesu.s. — Glory to God is 
 adoring honor, the expressed rccogniti(m of 
 those excellences which God has displayed in 
 this gift of a Saviour, as being worthy of uni- 
 versal worship. This was manifested in the 
 highest, viz., '^places," the loftiest heavens 
 
 in which he resides (Jnl> 1G: lO; ?». US: l; Matt. 21:9; 
 
 Eph. 1:3). — And on earth— as opposed to the 
 highest — peace, viz., '^i.i prepared." Such 
 had been promised to be the fact in the Mes- 
 
 Sinaic times (I«'i.9:6.7; 52:710; Mic.5:2-5). The 
 
 predictions would have led us to expect a 
 cessation of war and conflicts among men, as 
 one fruit of the advent of Christ. We may 
 still hope that the expectation .shall sometime 
 be fulfilled, although blood still flows in rivers, 
 and hearts still break, by myriads, through 
 the atrocities of war. But it was peace in a 
 
48 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 higher sense that was chiefly intended — the 
 cessation of conflict with God through sin, and 
 / of his anger toward the sinner in Christ (Rom. 
 1:7; 5:1; Kph. 2 : u-17). To Jews, familiar with the 
 comprehensive significance of the Hebrew 
 word Shalom, Greek (etp^vjj), "peace" would 
 still more broadly suggest all welfare and 
 blessing, even all of salvation. Jesus himself 
 seemed so little to expect it in the other sense, 
 as a speedy result of his influence, that he 
 rather spoke of himself as come to send a 
 sword. Yet his peace, once generally estab- 
 
 glory — peace — good will.". But as it is all said 
 "praising God" (ver. is); as the glory is in 
 "the highest" places unto God, and as "the 
 good will " to men is hardly now a matter of 
 prayer, it seems better to regard the whole as 
 a declaration of what is in heaven, and is por- 
 tended on the earth. But it will be noticed 
 that the Revised Version gives quite another 
 rendering of the last clause. This depends on 
 the addition of a letter, in excellent author- 
 ities for the Greek text, to the word translated 
 "good pleasure,' turning it into a possessive 
 
 Bl'.THLlillKM. 
 
 lished in human souls, is the sure and only 
 hope of all peace. — Good will (rather, good 
 pleasure) toward (or, among) men. The 
 "good pleasure" is God's gracious regard for 
 men as manifested in the gift of salvation to 
 them in their lost and wretched condition. 
 Compare 12: B2; Phil. 2: 13, where salvation, 
 in another aspect, is the fruit of God's good 
 pleasure. Such is the apparent sense of this 
 brief and comprehensive song, according to 
 the familiar form of the text, in its last clause. 
 Some prefer to understand the expre.^sions in 
 an optative or hortatory sense : " Let there be 
 
 case, "of good pleasure." Then the strict 
 translation becomes, "c/zirf on earth peace in 
 men of good pleasure.'' This sounds strangely 
 to our ears, but the evidence in its favor is so 
 weight}' that most of the greate.-^t critics of the 
 age have been constrained to accept it as what 
 was actually written. Indeed, if this sentence 
 had been familiar to us, and seen to be con- 
 sistent with the context, the reasons in favor 
 of the old reading would be easily answered. 
 In this form, too, the parallel between the 
 two members of the hymn is m(>re satisfactory 
 — on earth answering to in the highest ; peace. 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 49 
 
 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away 
 from them into heaven, " the sheplierils said one to 
 another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see 
 this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath 
 made known unto us. 
 
 IG And they came with haste, and found Mary, and 
 Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 
 
 17 .\nd when they had seen tV, they made known 
 abroad the saying wiich was told them concerning this 
 child. 
 
 l.S And all they that heard it wondered at those 
 things which were told them by the shepherds. 
 
 19 * Hut Mary kept all these things, and pondered 
 Ihem in her heart. 
 
 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and prais- | 
 ing (ii)d for all the things that they had heard and 
 seen, as it was told unto tlieni. 
 
 21 « And when eight days were accomplished for the 
 circumcising of the child, his name was called << JKSUS, 
 which was so named of the angel before he was con- 
 ceived in the womb. 
 
 15 And it came to pass, when the angels went awaj 
 from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to 
 another. Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and 
 see this > thing that is come to pass, which the Lord 
 
 16 hath made known unto us. And they came with 
 haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the 
 
 17 babe lying in the manger. And when they saw it, 
 they made known concerning the saying which was 
 
 18 spoken to them about this child. And all that heard 
 it wondered at the things which were spoken unto 
 
 19 them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these 
 2J -sayings, pondering tlic.ii in her heart. And the 
 
 shepherds returned, glorifying and praising (iod for 
 all the things that they hsid heard and seen, even aa 
 it was spoken unto them. 
 2; And when eight days were fulfilled for circum- 
 cising him, his name was called Jksus, which was so 
 called by the angel before he was conceived in the 
 womb. 
 
 . the men, the thepherdt ft Qen. 37 : 11 ; ch. 1 : 66; ver. 51 e Gen. 17 : 12; Lev. 12: 3; cb. 1 : 59 d Matt. 1 : 21, 25: 
 
 1 : 31. 1 Or, taying J Or, thiagt. 
 
 to glory ; in men, to to God. The clause tnen 
 of good pleasure is certainly singular and ob- 
 scure. Yet to the Hebrew mind it would 
 naturally convey the idea of "men whose 
 good pleasure it was," viz., to receive the 
 peace provided in Christ, or, as the connection 
 might require, "men who were the objects of 
 good pleasure," viz., God's, described above. 
 This is much the more probable sense, and is 
 given more idiomatically by the Revision, 
 as "men in whom he is well pleased." It 
 does not refer to particular men in distinc- 
 tion from others, but to all men, regarded now 
 as objects of God's good pleasure, in that he 
 has sent them a Saviour. Meyer substan- 
 tially adopts the other view. Neither of the 
 two texts is so unquestionably certain as to 
 nullify the other, and we have thought it 
 right to comment on both, while we strongly 
 incline, as a matter of documentary evidence, 
 with the light now afforded, to accept as genuine 
 the reading, "men of good pleasure." 
 15-20. Visit of the Shephkkds. 
 
 15. Such an announcement must be followed 
 up, especially as the departure of the angels, 
 now distinctly visible, through the upper re- 
 gions of the atmosphere, into heaven, gave it 
 additional solemnity. — Let us now go even 
 unto Bethlehem— a way of speaking which 
 implies that it was a considerablt" journey for 
 them to undertake. They w^i..d not stop 
 short of the very spot. — And see this thing 
 — strictly, " this sar/ing" — interpreted by the 
 last clause of the verse — which the Lord, etc. 
 
 16. And found — discovered, after search — 
 
 and they saw what God had made known to 
 them. That they should be permitted to 
 intrude on the privacy of such a scene, may 
 have been partly owing to the simple man- 
 ners of the time; but more to the unavoidable 
 freedom of the phice — whether a stable in our 
 sense, or the broad, open court of the inn, or 
 a cave for the shelter of beasts; and some- 
 what, perhaps, to a preliminary intimation of 
 the reason of their visit. 
 
 17. And — they made known abroad — 
 to those who were present, nut abroad. 
 The word abroad is better omitted. — The 
 saying — concerning the child. The llcvi- 
 sioii is better: " Concerning the saying which 
 was spoken to them about this child.'' 
 
 18. Until this intelligence from the shep- 
 herds, we have no reason to suppose that any 
 person there, except Joseph and Mar^', knew 
 that anything out of the way of nature had 
 taken place. 
 
 19. But Mary kept all these things {say- 
 ings) and pondered {ot, pondering) them 
 in her heart. Her mother-heart, not com- 
 prehending clearly yet what it was to have 
 borne the Messiah, suffered not a word that 
 could afford light to fall; "pondering," 
 strictlj', "putting together." "comparing" 
 them all to see what conclusion they would 
 warrant. The process was carried on in her 
 heart. 
 
 20. The complete correspondence of what 
 the shepherds heard and saw at the manger, 
 with what was said to them by the angel, 
 cleared their knowledge, confirmed their 
 faith, and filled them with a livelier spirit of 
 
 Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in 
 a {the) manger. Insert both before Mary, j thanksgiving and praise. 
 The sign (ver. 12) was thus literally realized, 21. Thk Circumcision of Jesus 
 
 D 
 
 And 
 
50 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 22 And " when the days of her purification accord- 
 ing to the luw of Moses were accomplished, they 
 brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord ; 
 
 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every 
 male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the 
 Lord;) 
 
 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to ' that which is 
 said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or 
 two young pigeons. 
 
 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose 
 name wax Simeon; and the same man wa.s just and 
 devout, d waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the 
 Holy Ghost was upon him. 
 
 22 And when the days of their purification according 
 to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him 
 
 23 up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord (as it is 
 written in the law of the Lord, Every male that 
 openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), 
 
 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said 
 in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two 
 
 25 young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in 
 Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon ; and this man 
 was righteous and devout, looking for the consola- 
 tion of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 
 
 a Lev. 12: 2,3, 4, 6 5 Ex. 13: 2; 22 : 29; 34- 19; Num. 3: 13; 8: 17; 18:15....c Lev. 12: 2,6,8 Isa. 40: 1; Murk 15: 43; ver. 38. 
 
 when eight days were accomplished {ful- 
 filled) for the circumcising of the child 
 (of him), his name was called Jesus. It 
 
 ■will be noticed that the fact of his being 
 circumcised is simply assumed, and that 
 everything about it claims little attention, 
 compared with the case of John (i: ^f)- This 
 has led some to surmise less subserviency to 
 the ritual law; but is it not rather from the 
 overwhelming interest in that name, Jesus, 
 Saviour, which, however common previously, 
 as an appellation of men, was thenceforth to 
 be holy as "the name above every name" in 
 heaven and on earth, for time and for eter- 
 nity? Yet our Lord, "being made of a 
 woman, made under the law," must be cir- 
 cumcised, that he might in every sense fulfill 
 the law. 
 
 23-24. The Purification in the 
 Temple. 
 
 22. And when the days of her [their) 
 purification were accomplished {ful- 
 filled). The law of Moses regarded the wo- 
 man who had given birth to a child as ceremo- 
 nially unclean, in the case of a son, for forty 
 days; after which certain purifying rites, 
 involving a sacrifice, were to be performed, 
 before she could be regarded as ritually clean. 
 Purification was not required of the child; 
 but as another ceremony was appointed for 
 the first-born son on such an occasion, both 
 mother and child are associated here in the 
 pronoun "their" of the correct text. The 
 law for the mother, may be read in Lev. 12: 
 2-4; for the child, in Ex. 13:2; 22:29; 34: 
 20; Num. 3:13.— They brought him to 
 .ferusalem. Circumcision might be per- 
 formed in private; but the purification and 
 presentation must take place at the .sanctuary, 
 through the priest. — To present him to the 
 Lord, as it is written, etc. (See Ex. 13: 2.) 
 This presentation was in order to the ceremo- 
 nial redemption, by which every first-born 
 
 son must be bought oflP by his parents. The 
 ground of this necessity is, with much proba- 
 bility, supposed to have been that, before the 
 limitation of the priesthood to the family of 
 Aaron, the Lord had claimed every first-born 
 son for a priest. After that institution, the 
 claim was not enforced, but was kept in re- 
 membrance by requiring that such son, at the 
 age of a month, should appear at the sanc- 
 tuary, and be "redeemed" by paying five 
 shekels to the sacred treasury, for the priests 
 who took his place (Num. is : 15, 16). If the claim 
 of five shekels (more than three dollars in 
 silver), still held, it must have been a heavy 
 tax on those who, like Joseph and Mary, had 
 to avail themselves of the Cf)ncession in the 
 law (Ex. 13:8), which allowed those who could 
 not aflPord a lamb for the purification sacrifice, 
 or even the pair of turtle doves, to present 
 what was still cheaper and more easy to pro- 
 cure, two young (unfledged) pigeons. The 
 oflTering required, for the redemption of their 
 Son from the ritual priesthood, that he might 
 become the High Priest of God for all man- 
 kind, may well have forbidden the expense of 
 a lamb for the mother (Lev. 12:6). 
 
 25--38. Prophecies of Simeon and 
 Anna. 
 
 1. Of Simeon, 25-35. 
 
 25. And behold — calls attention to a re- 
 markable coincidence.— There was a man 
 in Jerusalem, apparently residing there, 
 and well known for his piety and his great 
 age. — And the same {this) man was .just 
 {rifjhteous) and devout, belonging to the 
 same class of worshipers as Zacharias and 
 Elisabeth (i:5, 6), and Joseph of Arimathea 
 (Mark 15: 43). Righteous in the same sense 
 as in the passage cited, while devout cor- 
 responds to "walking in the commandmentH 
 and ordinances of the Lord blameless." — 
 Waiting for the consolation of Israel, 
 i. c, for the great relief to Israel from their 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 51 
 
 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, 
 that he should not <• see death, before he had seen the 
 Lord's Christ. 
 
 27 And he came 'by the Spirit into the temple: and 
 when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do tor 
 him after the custom of the law, 
 
 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed 
 God, and said, 
 
 29 Lord, 'now let test thou thy servant depart iu 
 peace, according to thy word : 
 
 30 For mine eyes ■^have seen thy salvation, 
 
 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
 people ; 
 
 32 ' A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of 
 thy people Israel. 
 
 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those 
 things which were spoken of him. 
 
 I 26 And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy 
 
 I Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had 
 
 [ 27 seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit 
 
 into the temple: and when the parents brought in 
 
 the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him 
 
 I 28 after the custom of the law, then he received him 
 
 into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 
 
 29 Now lettest thou thy i servant depart, O^Lord, 
 According to thy word, in peace ; 
 
 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
 
 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
 
 peoples ; 
 
 32 A light for 3 revelation to the Gentiles, 
 And the glory of thy people Israel. 
 
 33 And his father and his mother were marvelling at 
 
 ».- i8; Hi-h. 11: 5.... 6 M»lt. 4: I....cGeii. 46: 30; Phil. 1 : 23. ...dUn. 52: 10; cb.3: 6....1! Isa. 9: 2; 42: 6; 49:6; 60: ] 
 2, 3; Matt. 4: 16; Acts 13: 47; 28: 26. 1 Gr. bondtervant 2 Matter 3 Or, tke unveUing o/tke GentUet. 
 
 prostration, ungodliness, and suffering. (Com- 
 pare Gen. 49: 18; Isa. 40: 1 ; 49: 2=3), which 
 he looiced for as coming through the Mes- 
 siah — And the Holy Ghost (Spirit) was 
 upon him. This seems to be stated as if it 
 were habitually qualifying him for the revehi- 
 tion next spoken of, and for the special dis- 
 cernment which he now displayed. 
 
 26. And it was (had been) revealed nnto 
 him that he should not see death, etc. — 
 and with the addition, as we may Judge from 
 ver. 29, that when he had seen the Lord's 
 Christ he would die 
 
 27-29. And he came by (in) the Spirit 
 into the temple — not of his own personal 
 impulse, therefore, but moved by the Spirit 
 of God to visit the temple just at that time. — 
 And when the parents — as they were both 
 taken to be — brought in the child Jesus to 
 do for him after the custom of the law; 
 namely, to redeem as described, on ver. 22, 
 23, then took he him up (received him — 
 strictly, it — ) in his arms ; received as 
 though it had been offered to him for his 
 blessing; into his arms, with affectionate 
 tenderness. — And blessed God; returning 
 thanks with praise. — Now, Lord, lettest 
 thou thy servant depart in peace, ac- 
 cording to thy word. The order of the 
 words is correctly represented in the Re- 
 vision. The Greek for Lord (S«<j-)rdTjjs), is 
 not the one ordinarily used, but one which 
 names the master in relation to the servant. 
 It recurs often in Luke. Lettest thou thy 
 servant depart (fhnu dost dismiss, or set him 
 free). Thy word is the saying in which 
 the revelation of ver. 20 had been expressed. 
 The whole verse is thus a joyful and adoring 
 recognition of the fact that the term of his 
 detention on the earth is fulfilled, and that 
 
 with the appearance of the infant Messiah 
 his release is beginning. Now — after so long 
 a time — art thou at last setting thy bond- 
 servant free, O Master, as thy long cherished 
 promise foretold, in blessed peace. He is di- 
 vinely assured that this infant is the promised 
 Saviour, and finds in the fact a proof that he 
 may now go to his rest. 
 
 30. For mine eyes have seen thy salva- 
 tion. Thy salvation is more nearly, "thy 
 provision for salvation," the Greek word 
 (tratTrjpiov) being different from that which 
 ordinarily expresses the idea (<rur>)pta). 
 
 31. Which thou hast prepared (pre- 
 paredst) before the face of all people 
 (peoples), as lying open to their acceptance 
 also. 
 
 32. A light to enlighten (for revelation 
 to) the Gentiles. This is a still more distinct 
 statement of the design to extend the benefits 
 of salvation to all the peoples, so that none 
 should be left without a knowledge of the 
 will of God and the way of life. His declara- 
 tions are as explicit as those of Isaiah, and in 
 respect to evangelical largeness, quite throw 
 the utterances of Mary and Zucharias (ch. 1) 
 into the shade. The universal scope of the 
 mercy in Christ is thus indicated at his first 
 appearance among men. — And the glory 
 of thy people Israel. What a glory if 
 only they had so accepted the offered blessing, 
 that the rest of the world should have looked 
 up to that nation as the perpetual leaders of 
 salvation ! 
 
 33. And Joseph and his mother mar- 
 velled (trere marvelling). Joseph, in a 
 later Greek text, in place of his father, 
 betraj's the care of men to speak more pre- 
 cisely than the inspired writer had done. 
 They were wondering at what he was saying. 
 
52 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his 
 mother, Behold, this child is set lor the <■ fall and rising 
 again of many in Israel; and for 'a sign which shall 
 be spoken against; 
 
 3ij (Yea, ' a sword shall pierce through thy own soul 
 also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be re- 
 vealed. 
 
 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the 
 daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of 
 a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years 
 from her virginity ; 
 
 34 the things which were spoken concerning him ; and 
 Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, 
 Behold, this child is set lor the falling and the rising 
 of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken 
 
 35 against ; yea and a sword shall pierce through thine 
 own soul ; that thoughts out of many hearts may be 
 
 36 revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the 
 daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was 
 lof a great age, having lived with a husband seven 
 
 olsa. 8: 14; Hoseal4:9; Mate. 21: 44; Rnni.9: 32, S-S : 1 Cor. 1 : 23, 24: 2 Cor. 2 : 16; 1 Pet. 2 : 7 3 b Acts 
 
 Jofau 19 : 25. 1 Gr. advanced in many days. 
 
 :22....cP». 42: 10; 
 
 both as coming from a stranger, and because 
 of the boundless extent of benefits which he 
 predicted from it, reaching to the ends of the 
 world. 
 
 34. And Simeon blessed them, (invoked 
 God's blessing on the7n)—and said unto 
 Mary — to her in particular, as if with a divine 
 perception of her peculiar relation to the 
 child, and certainly with a prophetic fore- 
 sight of her future experiences— Behold this 
 child is set for the fall and rising again 
 {falling and rising up) of many in Israel. 
 Is set— is placed, appointed. The fall and 
 rising again, may be taken as referring to 
 the same, or to different persons. In the 
 former view the phrase would foretell the 
 moral prostration into which many would 
 fall, the repentance and humiliation which 
 they would experience, when made conscious 
 of sin, in the light of the Messianic preaching, 
 and the elation of spirit, a rising up of the 
 he.art, through pardon, justification, and adop- 
 tion, which in that light would be found 
 possible. In the latter, and more probably 
 correct view, the fall was to happen to 
 the worldly, proud, self-righteous, and obsti- 
 nately unbelieving — the scribes and Pharisees 
 and rulers ganerally, who would be crushed, 
 and carry down the nation with them — while 
 yet many of the lowly, penitent, seeking 
 ones would rise_ through faith in Jesus to true 
 dignity, happiness, and glory ; and in the end a 
 great multitud;i of the nation, yea, "all Israel 
 should be saved" (Rom. 11: 26. Comp. Isa. 
 8: 14; Rom. 9: 32, 33; 1 Cor. 1: 23, 24; 1 Pet. 
 2: 7, 8). — And for a sign which shall be 
 spoken against. Omit which shall be. 
 How tjrue this was in the first age, on the part 
 of both Jew and Gentile, is obvious to every 
 one. "Gainsaying," in Rom. 10:21, is the 
 action of those who were doing what is here 
 predicted. It culminated in the taunts and 
 ribaldry of the day of crucifixion, when he 
 
 who was given as a sign (M^tt. i2:S9. 40) of 
 God's counsel concerning his kingdom, was 
 rejected in favor of an infamous malefactor. 
 35. Yea, a sword shall pierce through 
 thy own soul also. The Revision prop- 
 erly omits the parenthesis, and substitutes 
 "and" in the beginning for also at the end. 
 This clause joins closely with the preceding, 
 and the following one depends on this. A 
 sword shall pierce, strictly, go through, etc., 
 is a metaphor to express strongly the pangs 
 which would rend the mother's heart, in view 
 of that contradiction of sinners against her 
 Son (Heb. 12: 3), under which she would see him 
 expire on the cross. The order of the Greek 
 words makes this only a complementary 
 phase of the suffering to Jesus himself; he is 
 set for a sign snoken against, and through 
 thy own soul also will go a sword. — That 
 the thoughts {reasonings, or process of 
 thought) of [out of) many hearts may be 
 revealed. That, distinctly equivalent to 
 in order that. It is of the divine purpose 
 that as a result of Christ's death of agony, 
 the views and conclusions of men concerning 
 him should be brought to light in their words 
 and conduct. So it proved from the Day of 
 Pentecost. 
 
 36-38. Testimony of Anna, a Pro- 
 phetess. 
 
 35. And there was one Anna, a pro- 
 phetess — a successor to Hannah and Hulda 
 and Deborah, of the olden time^proving 
 again, how, at this turning period of the 
 Jewish history, the special sources of com- 
 munication from heaven to men, were opened 
 anew. — Daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe 
 of Aser {Asher) — showing that in the oblite- 
 ration of tribal boundaries, the lineage of 
 women also was, in some cases at least, ao- 
 i curately preserved. — She was of a great 
 I age, and had (having) lived with a hus- 
 ' band seven years from her virginity. 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 53 
 
 37 And she iva.i a widow of about fourscore and four 
 years, which departed not from the temple, but served 
 iiod with fastings and prayers " night and day. 
 
 as And she coming in that instant gave tliauks like- 
 wise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that 
 * looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 
 
 3'J And when they had performed all things ac- 
 cording to the law of the Lord, they returned inio 
 Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 
 
 40 '■And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, 
 filled with wisdom: and the grace of Uod was upon 
 him. 
 
 37 years from her virginity, and she had been a widow 
 even unto fourscore and four years), who departed 
 not from the temple, worshipping with fastings and 
 
 38 supplications night and day. And coming up at that 
 very hour she gave thanks unto (jod, and spuke of 
 him to all tliem that were looking for the redemption 
 
 39 of Jerusalem. And when they had accomplished all 
 things that were according to the law of the Lord, 
 they returned into Galilee, to their own city Naza- 
 reth. 
 
 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, ' filled with 
 wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 
 
 a Acts 26: 7 ; 1 Tim. 5:5 b Hark 15: 43; ver. 25; ch. 24: 21....e ch. 1 : 80; ver. 52. 1 6r. becoming /uU of wiidom. 
 
 37. And she was a widow of about 
 fourscore and four years. Rather, even unto 
 eighty-four years. The description emphasizes 
 her single marriage and long widowhood. She 
 had been married but a short time, and ever 
 since had remained a widow, which was re- 
 garded as religiously honorable to her. The 
 reckoning of her age at this time is a little un- 
 certain. The English Revision, in rendering 
 "she had been a widow even for," etc., would 
 suppose her full age to have been at least one 
 hundred and five years. The Greek seems 
 hardly to warrant, certainly docs not necessi- 
 tate, the "even for," and the intention of the 
 writer more probably was to say that, after 
 being left a widow in early life, she had lived 
 as a widow even on to eighty-four years of 
 age. So Meyer, (rodet, Farrar. — Which (?/;Ao) 
 departed not from the temple — was there 
 wlienever it was open to worshipers. — But 
 served God {worshiping — performing ser- 
 vice to Qod) in fastina^s and prayers {sicp- 
 plications) night and day. Fastings were 
 a main part of the practical righteousness of 
 that day, treated by our Lord (Matt. 6: is, tr.] as 
 standing on a level with almsgiving and 
 prayer. Thej' were not commanded in the 
 divine law; only one in the year, on the Day 
 of Atonement, being required. Some others 
 had been brought in to commemorate great 
 national calamities; and in the ascetic .sj^stem 
 of tlie PiiaristH^s two weekly fasts, on Monday 
 and Tlnirsday, had become sacred among 
 them. The special word used for prayers 
 here, "supplications," or entreaties, implies 
 special earnestness and fervor. Night and 
 day marks the continuance of worship in 
 the temple, and may possibly mean that she 
 had a place of lodging in the temple enclosure, 
 though this can be only conjecture; and the 
 probable view is that, being there late and 
 early, "all the time," as we say, she spent 
 parts of the night, as well as the day time, in 
 ber devotions. '" 
 
 38. And she coming in (the verb was 
 translated "came upon ' ver. 9, see note) that 
 instant (at that very hour, when, namely, 
 Simeon was speaking of the Christ-child), 
 gave thanks likewise unto the Lord. 
 She thanked God for his wonderful gift, and 
 spake of him to all them that looked for 
 (the) redemption in {of) Jerusalem. Re- 
 demption of Jerusalem was equivalent to 
 the consolation of Israel, for which Simeon 
 waited (ver. 25), only not so directly referring to 
 the person of the Messiah. The language im- 
 pliesthat there were numbers of pious expect- 
 ants in the city — all them — and Anna, as a 
 prophetess, would now be able to assure them 
 that the redemption was drawing nigh. [The 
 tense of the verb translated spake indicates 
 continued action — was speaking — doubtless to 
 one after another, or to group after group, as 
 she had opportunity to do, as devout persons 
 came into the temple courts — persons whom 
 she knew to be waiting for the redemption of 
 Jerusalem. — A. H.] 
 
 39. Return of the Holy Family to 
 Nazareth. All things according to the 
 law, particularly the purification, and the 
 presentation of the child (ver. 22--24). — They re- 
 turned into Galilee, to their own city 
 Nazareth. Luke writes as if entirely un- 
 aware of the visit of the wise men, the flight 
 into Egypt, the recall, and the intention of 
 Joseph to settle in Judea — incidents of this 
 period mentioned by Matthew (2: 1-23). 
 
 40. Bodily and Spiritual Develop- 
 ment OF Jesus. And the child grew, 
 and waxed strong. Or, was strengthened, 
 pliysically, after the manner of other chil- 
 dren ; whether with freedom from those acci- 
 dents and maladies to which most are subject, 
 we are left to conjecture. Perhaps the nega- 
 tive is involved in the statement that "he 
 bare our sicknesses" (Matt.s: 17). — Filled with 
 wisdom — more exactly, becoming filled. There 
 was as truly normal a strengthening and ex- 
 
54 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem ° every year 
 at the feast of the passover. 
 
 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up 
 to Jerusalem alter the custom of the feast. 
 
 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they 
 returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; 
 and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 
 
 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the 
 company, went a day's journey ; and they sought him 
 among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 
 
 45 And when they found him not, they turned back 
 again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 
 
 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they 
 found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
 doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 
 
 41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at 
 
 42 the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve 
 years old, they went up after the custom of the feast ; 
 
 43 and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were 
 returning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusa- 
 
 44 lem ; and his parents knew it not; but supposing 
 him to be in the company, they went a day's jour- 
 ney ; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk 
 
 45 and acquaintance: and when they found him not, 
 
 46 they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him. And 
 it came to pass, after three days they found him in 
 the temple, sitting in the midst of the ' doctors, both 
 
 a Ex. 23 : 15, 17 ; 3i : 28 ; Deut. 16 : 1. 16. 1 Or, teacher: 
 
 pansion of his intellectual powers and endow- 
 ments as of his bodily frame. He advanced 
 in knowledge of his Father's works and will 
 and ways and word, and in the right applica- 
 tion of such knowledge to the conduct of life, 
 for himself and others, for time and eternity, 
 (isa. ii:2f). And the grace of God was 
 upon him (johni:u). He enjoyed the fruits 
 of God's favor in all his experience. It was 
 the necessary result of the fact just before 
 stated. This prepares us for the remarkable 
 relation concerning him in the next para- 
 graph. 
 
 41-51. Attendance on the Passover 
 AT Twelve Years of Age. 
 
 41. Now (and) his parents went to 
 Jerusalem every year at the feast of the 
 passover. This was required of every male 
 Jew above twelve years of age (ex. 23: 15 ; Deut. 
 16; 1-8; 1 Sr.m. 1 : 3. 2i). After the building of the 
 temple, the Passover could be celebrated 
 nowhere but in Jerusalem. It began on the 
 14th of the month Abib, afterward Nisan, 
 and continued through an entire vk'eek. 
 Women were allowed, in the later ages even 
 recommended, to attend; and in regard to 
 younger children, it was probably optional 
 with parents to take them or not. 
 
 42. And when he was twelve years old. 
 A-t this age, the Jewish boy began to assume 
 a position in the community which he did not 
 occupy before. He was now called "a son of 
 the law "; began to practice the fastings, and 
 prescribed prayers ; to wear the phylactery, 
 like adult men. Scrupulous, but not Phari- 
 saic regard for the Mosaic law, is marked in 
 the piety of this family. 
 
 43. Fulfilled the days, viz., the well- 
 known seven (Ex. nie). — The child (boi/) 
 Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and 
 Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 
 We are left uncertain whether it was un- 
 
 awares to the boy that they departed without 
 him. Nor does anything indi'cate whether 
 this was his first visit to Jerusalem at the 
 Passover. It may have been only the first 
 at which anything specially noteworthy oc- 
 curred. 
 
 44. They went a day's journey — i. e., 
 without making special effort to find him. 
 This day's journey would be but a few miles, 
 perhaps not more than six or eight. — The 
 company was what we should call a caravan, 
 made up of the inhabitants of Galilee, who, 
 for greater security from marauders, would 
 join sometimes scores, if not hundreds, of 
 families journeying slowly to and from the 
 holy city. In order to rest during the heat 
 of noontide, it was their custom to start before 
 light in the morning. To get all together on 
 the road, and to settle arrangements for the 
 night's encampment, might occui>y a consid- 
 erable part of one day. — And tliey sought 
 him. The Greek is nearly like our "tried to 
 hunt him up." — As their kinsfolk and ac- 
 quaintance may have been widely scattered 
 through the train, the task would goon slowly 
 and imperfectly ; and, even after the halt for 
 the night, was continued in vain. The boy 
 was not with them. 
 
 45. And when they found him not, there 
 was nothing to do but to go back to Jerusa- 
 lem, seeking him. Some make this clause 
 simply mean "to seek him there"; but it may 
 su-pose a search on the way back, as well as 
 after they arrived. The next morning they 
 would begin their scrutiny of the city. From 
 the question of Jesus (ver. 49), we may, per- 
 haps, infer that they did not go directly to 
 the temple; but in the course of the day they 
 reached the place. 
 
 46. The phrase, after three days, reckon- 
 ing them to begin with the departure of the 
 company, would bring us near to the close of 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 55 
 
 47 And «all that heard him were astonished at his 47 hearing them, and asking them questions: and all 
 understanding and answers. that heard hiiu were aiua/.cd at his understanding 
 
 48 And when they saw iiini, they were amazed: and 48 and his answers. And when they saw him, they 
 his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus were astonisticd: and his mother said uiilo him, 
 dealt with us? behold, thy lather and I have sought i Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy 
 thee sorrowing. * 49 father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said 
 
 VJ And he said unto them, IIow is it that ye sought j unto them. How is it that ye sought me? knew ye 
 me? wist ye not that I must be about '•my Father's; 
 business? I 
 
 a M»tt. 7 : 28; Hark 1 : 22 ; ob. i: 22. S2; John 7 : 15, 46 6 Johu 2 : 16. 1 Or. Child. 
 
 the third day, according to our way of speak- 
 ing. But with the Hebrews, one day, with 
 any part of the day before and after it, would 
 freely be called three days. Meanwhile 
 Jesus, enjoying the hospitality of some who 
 would be interested in his character and man- 
 ners, was availing himself of the religious 
 privileges afforded at the temple, which he 
 would be able to compare with the worship 
 and instruction of the rural synagogue of 
 Nazareth. In some one of the courts of that 
 great and splendid structure, some of the 
 renowned rabbis of the day were frequently 
 found teaching the disciples, who sat below 
 them, reverently drinking in the wisdom that 
 fell from their lips. The names of a crowd 
 of these teachers of the law have come down 
 to us. It is sufficient to mention the illus- 
 trious Hillel, Nicodemus, "the teacher of Is- 
 rael" (Revision), and Joseph of Arima- 
 thea. It is possible, also, that Gamaliel, 
 Paul's future teacher, may have been now 
 pursuing his preparatory studies for his life 
 work. [Is it more likelj', in view of the lan- 
 guage which Luke etnploys (Acts 5: 34 ir.), to 
 describe his position, a few years later, that 
 Gamaliel was already a member of the San- 
 hedrim, and therefore one of the teachers or 
 rabbis, if present at all on this occasion? — 
 A. H.] If not of these, of such men we are 
 to think when we read that his parents found 
 Jesus sitting: in the midst of the doctors 
 {teachers). An ordinary boy of twelve years, 
 however religious, would be little at home in 
 such a place, and would at the most wait 
 outside the circle, to catch what instruction 
 he could. Jesus was not only in the midst of 
 them, but apparently one of the ring of 
 disciples— both hearing them and askin§: 
 them questions. Here is opened a wide 
 field for the imagination, in which expositors 
 have freely expatiated, touching the attitude 
 and manner of the child, the topics on which 
 he discoursed and asked questions. The nar- 
 rative does not indicate that he discoursed. 
 AVe are simply told that he listened to them 
 
 and asked them questions. This was the 
 manner of teaching at the time. Purely 
 oral, it was catechetical in its nature, by 
 question and answer, yet involving some 
 liberty of following out trains of thought 
 suggested, and the proposal of personal ideas, 
 in the waj- of questions at least. 
 
 47. That he thus intimated views of the 
 truth of God quite different from the stereo- 
 t\'f)('d dicta of the ordinary teachers, is plainly 
 taught us, when we are told that all that 
 heard him were astonished at his under- 
 standing — as displayed in the questions which 
 he propounded, and answers which he gave; 
 in both which equally he betrayed his ac- 
 quaintance with the very spirit of the truth. 
 Everything was consistent with the modesty 
 of youth, while expressing more than the 
 common wisdom of age. Even then he "spake 
 as never man spake." 
 
 48. And when they (his parents) saw 
 him, they were amazed. The Greek verb 
 here denotes a still greater excitement of 
 wonder than that for " astonished " in ver. 
 47 — ("amazed," Revision). This freedom and 
 boldness of the child, as it would seem to 
 them, was very different from the retiring 
 modesty to which they had been accustomed. 
 His mother spoke first. — Son (child), why 
 hast thou thus dealt with us? Thy 
 father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 
 Her grieved, motherly kindness speaks in the 
 word "child," and mingles with her sudden 
 joy, in the form of a gentle rebuke, when the 
 look and tone must have been of contentment 
 and admiration. 
 
 49. Why is it that ye sought me (were 
 seeking me) ? His mother's words, not simply 
 "have sought thee," but wei-e seeking, im- 
 plied that they had searched the city. His 
 answer says, in effect, "Why should you spend 
 time in such a quest? — Wist ye not (did ye 
 7iot know) that I must be about my Fath- 
 er's business? or '" affairs"; strictly, ''the 
 things" of my Father. The latter phrase is 
 given in the Revision by "must be in my 
 
56 
 
 LUKE 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 50 And "they understood not the saying ■which he 
 spake unto them. 
 
 51 And he went down with them, and came to 
 Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother 
 *keiJt all these sayings in her heart. 
 
 52 And Jesus ''increased in wisdom and stature, and 
 an favour with God and man. 
 
 50 not that I must be in my 'Father's house? And 
 they understood not the saying which he spake unto 
 
 51 them. And he went down' with them, and came to 
 Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his 
 mother kept all Ihexe. - sayings in her heart. 
 
 5? And Jesus advanced in wisdom and •* stature, and 
 in * favour with God and men. 
 
 a ch. 9. 4j; 18: 34 b ver. 19; D:iii. 7 : 28 c\ S:ini. 2: 26; ver. 40. 1 Or, ihovA r-iy Father's &««ii 
 
 of my Father. 2 Or, (Aings 3 Or. a^e- ..4 Or, grace. 
 
 Gr. in the things 
 
 Father's house," and certainly direct ex- 
 amples from the Greek can be more clearly 
 and abundantly adduced of that sense of the 
 phrase. At the same time, expressions like 
 this — the things of God, the things of Cesar, 
 the things of a child, the things of the Spirit, 
 and (1 Tim. 4:15), "meditate on these things 
 (see preceding verses) ; give thyself wholly to 
 them," Greek, "be thou in these things" — are 
 so common, that the phrase here may well 
 have meant, "in the things of my Father," 
 in his affairs, his business. It is said with 
 reason that the other meaning agrees well 
 with his implied correction of them for seek- 
 ing him elsewhere than in his Father's house; 
 but, if we understand his thought to be that 
 his Father's affairs in Jerusalem had their 
 seat in the temple, we reach the same point, 
 with a broader description of his interest 
 there. The question is somewhat evenly 
 balanced, and we do not think there is a 
 necessity for abandoning the familiar phrase. 
 The other should stand, however, as an alter- 
 native rendering. The order of words in the 
 original gives an emphatic prominence to the 
 pronoun I: "that it behooves me to be in 
 my Father's business?" His mother had 
 said. Thy father and I have sought thee. 
 Was there, in his phrase "my Father's busi- 
 ness," an intimation to her that she should 
 remember wlio his Father really was? 
 
 50. And they understood not, etc. Was 
 it the ambiguity of the clause just corsidered 
 that perplexed them? If it plainly desig- 
 nated his Father's house, the perplexity would 
 be at its minimum. The objection to the truth 
 and consistency of Luke's record of the nativ- 
 ity, which has been based on this verse, and 
 which even Meyer urges, assumes that Joseph 
 and Mary must have clearly understood, frotn 
 the miraculous birth of Jesus, that he was 
 God's Son in the sense which he seemed to in- 
 timate now (and that this is hardly accordant 
 with ver. 33) ; that there was nothing in the 
 manner of his saying to perplex them now, 
 tmd that all which they had at any time di- 
 
 vined concerning him would be present to 
 them at all times, so as to exclude surprise or 
 questionings at any of the prodigious mani- 
 festations of the divine child. No one of these 
 assumptions can be upheld. (Compare God et.) 
 
 51. And he went down with them. All 
 appearance of independence which his answer 
 might suggest is dissipated by this immediate 
 exhibition of filial attachment; and the true 
 relation is still more distinctly confirmed in 
 the next clause. — And was subject unto 
 them. He subjected himself, was obedient, 
 habitually, continuously, while abiding with 
 them, as the Greek expression indicates. — But 
 {and) his mother kept all these sayings in 
 her heart. This is nearly the same jihrase 
 as in ver. 19; only there the verb signifies 
 rather she "was keeping them together," as 
 the materials of more perfect knowledge; 
 and here that "she was keeping them persist- 
 ently," or each in addition to the preceding. 
 The use of but in the Common Version, is en- 
 tirelj' without warrant. 
 
 52. Summary Account of the Further 
 Development of Je.sus in his Individual 
 Life. And Jesus increased (adiimiced) in 
 wisdom and stature. Increased = made 
 progress. In Avisdom — that is, in intellect- 
 ual acquirements and moral ada]>tation of all 
 to the uses of life. And stature — his physi- 
 cal growth was proportioned to his improve- 
 ment in the inner man. To translate "in 
 age," which the Greek word would in itself 
 allow, would be insippropriate here, where 
 advancement in age is self-evident. — And in 
 favour with God and man [men). Favour 
 isc^esame as "grace" in ver. 40— the friendly 
 and complacent disposition towards Jesus 
 with which God constantly beheld and helped 
 him, and the good will which such a spectacle 
 of innocence, uprightness, and benevolence 
 awakened in the men of his acquaintance. 
 
 How little the gospel narrative was designed 
 to gratify the curiosity of men, appears strik- 
 ingly from the fact that these few words con- 
 vey almost everything that is known of Christ 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 57 
 
 during a period of about eighteen j'cars — from 
 the passover visit to Jerusalem until his com- 
 ing forth to the baptism of John. This is the 
 more noticeable from contrast with the Apoc- 
 ryphal Go,-;pels of the first centuries. They 
 consist very largely of strange and mythical 
 stories of prodigies, often extremel3' puerile 
 and absurd, which are connected with the 
 nativity and early life of Jesus. And we may 
 easily imagine that fuller knowledge concern- 
 ing just tliese years, of which we are told 
 nothing, would have been of special value to 
 us. Here his history, as that of a nuituring, 
 and then a ripened private life, might have 
 afforded us examples suited to our own copj^- 
 ing, whereas afterward we more easily lose 
 sight of the man in tlie Messiah. But the 
 first preachers of his truth were too much 
 occupied with him as the Saviour of sinners, 
 the Recovererof the lost, to allow much space 
 for any other views, however interesting. 
 
 Remark. — The preceding account of the 
 birth and early life of our Saviour has laid 
 the ground for various questions which will 
 often arise as we proceed in our task. The^' 
 connect themselves with the peculiarity of 
 the nature originated by the immediate action 
 of the Spirit of God upon a woman, as the 
 result of which it could be said "that the 
 Word became flesh," and the oflTspring could 
 be called, in a unique sense, "the Son of 
 God." It might seem that in this early 
 stage of such a being, the mode of that dual 
 entity in one person would betray itself by 
 some utterance or act of the unredecting 
 child, or the ingenuous youth. Or, could we 
 think, in his case, of an unreflecting child, 
 or, with an implied possibility of the oi)po- 
 site, of an ingenuous youth? Doubtless, if 
 we could, at any period of his life, get any 
 explanation of the enigma, it would be here, 
 through the intimation of something seen or 
 heard by his mother (from whom these narra- 
 tives concerning him must have come), or 
 the other conipanions of his domestic life. 
 But we get none. The mystery is fully es- 
 tablished with the first manifestation of his 
 rational consciousness. Everything related 
 concerning him obliges us to think that if we 
 had seen him with our own eyes, and directly 
 heard him, our perplexity would have been 
 H.'. great as it is now. Certainly his mother 
 did not understand him yet. as far as we have 
 gone with them. That look of wonderinjr ' 
 
 and almost awe-struck delight with which 
 she embraces him in Raphael's " Sistine 
 Madonna," is justified by the weird, un- 
 earthly, yet eminently human, glance with 
 which he looks out on us from the immortal 
 canvass. The painter would delude us in 
 regard to the material surroundings, but we 
 can scarcely doubt that, if we had seen her 
 and her infant Son in their lowly domestic 
 hut, we should have stoj)ped in silence, as 
 they do before the picture, to gaze into that 
 divine human reality. But we could not 
 comprehend it. We could, at most, join in 
 the sacred curiosity with which the mother 
 pondered every saying and movement of 
 her child. From this indecision of hers at 
 the time, her testimony concerning him be- 
 comes the more convincing to us who have 
 the light of subsequent developments con- 
 cerning Christ's character and works. That 
 she did not know him as God manifest in the 
 flesh, in a dogmatic sense, gives to her account 
 of his development the force of a moral 
 demonstration that he was so, without at 
 all solving the my.stery how. Had .«he set 
 out to establish that view, she could hardly 
 have given us a narrative so unintentionally 
 suited to establish it in our thoughts. The 
 phenomenon of a faultless child developing 
 by normal stages into the phj-sical frame of 
 bo3'hood, youth, manhood; growing with 
 equal pace in strength, distinctness, compass, 
 symmetry- of all appropriate intellectual 
 l)()vvers; able to receive aid from what helped 
 others, yet often able to give back more to 
 hishcilpers; interested in the matters which 
 engaged the studies and excited the pleasures 
 of others, while alwaj's betraying a conscious- 
 ness of higher interests than generally oc- 
 cupied them ; and with a sensibility that 
 answered, in its emotions, to every per- 
 ception, every attainment, everj- communi- 
 cation from without— this he must have been 
 to those who noticed him then. Above all, 
 there was a moral purity and elevation, a 
 fervid glow of religious sentiment, animating 
 every thought and action, and crowning the 
 whole expression of his being. It would 
 seem more than human, more than had been 
 apparent in any prophet; but what was it 
 more, and how was it more? There was no 
 act that could be separately predicated of 
 God, none at nil bespeaking corrupted hu- 
 manity, many which were perfectly human, 
 
58 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. hi. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 "IVTOW in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius I 
 ll Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, 
 and Herod being tetrarch of t.alilee, and his brotlier I 
 Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trach- 
 onitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 
 
 2 "Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the 
 word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in 
 the wilderness. 
 
 I Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius 
 CiBsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and 
 Herod being tetrarch of (ialilee, and his brother 
 Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturtea and Trach- 
 2 onitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the 
 high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of 
 God came unto John the son ol Zacharias in the 
 
 a John 11 : 49, 51 : 18 : 13 ; Acts 4 : 6. 
 
 while not merely human. The whole was 
 consistent only with the conception that he 
 was at once God and man. At no time did 
 God act alone, or man suffer alone. Every 
 experience was that of the God-man. His 
 own revelations concerning himself afterward 
 interpret the prior utterances of prophets and 
 angels, with a distinctness to which his 
 mother could not yet, if ever, attain. These 
 revelations, to be sure, while giving us all 
 needed, perhaps all possible, light, might 
 still be expressed in " Behold, I shew you a 
 mystery! " We have the fact that he was at 
 once equally and truly God and man — the 
 two perfectly and inseparably identified, two 
 without confusion of natures one. This one- 
 ness of God .and man in Jesus of Nazareth 
 our minds can receive as a fact, and our 
 hearts rejoice in. What is behind and below 
 that fact is of the secret things which belong 
 to God. We have seen the fact exhibiting 
 itself in the seclusion of an humble, laborious 
 home, and we shall now see it displayed in 
 the activity, patent to a whole nation, of 
 Christ's brief public career. 
 
 Part I. Sect. III. Ch. 3: 1-4: 13. 
 
 From the Beginning of John's Ministry 
 
 TO THAT OF JeSUS. 
 
 1. The public ministry of John the Baptist, 
 including the baptism of Jesus. Thisaccount 
 embraces: 1. The date of the beginning of his 
 public work (ver. 1,2). 2. The nature of it 
 (ver. 3.9). 3. Its effects (ver. 10 17). 4. The fate 
 of John (ver. 18-20). 5. The baptism of Jesus 
 (ver. 21-23). 6. The genealogy (ver. 2338). 7. The 
 temptation (ch. 4: 1-13). 
 
 1, 2. The Date. This is given with a 
 particularity quite consistent with the purpose 
 of Luke to "write in order," which would 
 lead him to fix times and places, whenever 
 his resources furnished him the means. He 
 defines this point by six circumstances of 
 ever-narrowing circuit. 
 
 (a) The reign of Tiberius Cesar. This 
 began, strictly, Aug. 19, in the year 767 of 
 the Roman era, on the death of his step-father 
 Augustus, the first emperor. Much use is 
 made of this datum in researches concerning 
 the year of Christ's birth. It is the year in 
 which John began to preach and baptize; and 
 if we knew at what time in the year he began, 
 and that Jesus was baptized soon enough 
 after he began, and if we disregard the 
 "about" in ver. 24, assuming that Jesus was 
 just "thirty years of age when he began to 
 teach" (ver. 23, Revisinii), we might possibly 
 know that Jesus was born between the 19th of 
 August, 7'j1, and the same day in 752 u. c. For 
 the fifteenth year of Tiberius would reach 
 to 781-82 u. c, thirty subtracted from which 
 gives the date just named. But that encoun- 
 ters the difficulty that Herod had then been 
 some time dead ; for a heavy preponderance 
 of authority favors the opinion that he died 
 in the spring of 750 u. c, and Jesus was born 
 some time, perhaps near two years, before. 
 In this state of the case, it is convenient to 
 find that Tiberius was, "two or three years" 
 before the death of Augustus, raised by the 
 latter to a partnership in the dominion. This 
 might reduce the fifteenth year of his reign to 
 779-80 TJ. c, and retaining all the suppositions 
 before enumerated, would render it possible 
 that he should have been born from four to 
 five years before A. d. 1. With this sup- 
 posed date agree well the results of what 
 other lines of conjecture have most proba- 
 bility; and we are practically safe in resting 
 in it as a hypothesis. As we have before said 
 (p. 46), all pretence of demonstrating defi- 
 nitely the day, month, and even the j'ear of 
 our Lord's birth, is mere pretence. Geikie 
 (Life and Words of Christ, Vol. I., p. 559, 
 note S), gives the elements of the calculations, 
 expresses his own view, and closes with the 
 sensible remark : "Still the whole subject is 
 very uncertain. Ewald appears to fix the 
 date of the birth as five years earlier than 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 59 
 
 our epoch. Potavius and Usher fix it as on 
 the "ioth of December, five years before our 
 era ; Bengel, on the 25th of December, four 
 years before our era; Auger and Winer, four 
 years before our era, in the spring; Soaliger, 
 three years before our era, in October; St. 
 Jerome, three years before our era, on De- 
 cember 25; Eusebius, two years before our 
 era, on January 6; and Ideler, seven years 
 before our era, in December." 
 
 (/>) Pontius Pilate being governor of 
 Judea. He was procurator, i. c, imperial 
 administrator of the revenues of Judea for 
 ten 3'ears, a. d. 25-36. 
 
 (c) Herod, (Antipas, son of Herod the 
 Great), being tetrarch of Galilee. A te- 
 trarch was, originally, as the name itself 
 indicates, a governor of a fourth part of what 
 had been a kingdom ; now it designated a 
 petty monarch of a small country, dependent 
 on the general dominion of Home; "a tribu- 
 tary prince, not of sufficient importance to be 
 called a king." (Smith, Diet, of Bib., on the 
 word). 
 
 id) His brother Philip tetrarch of Itu- 
 rea. This was a small district northeast of 
 the Sea of Galilee, extending half way to 
 Damascus, settled by Jetur, son of Ishmael 
 (Geo. 25: 15. 16), from whoiii it took its name — the 
 modern El-Jedur. — And of the region of 
 Trachonitis. (El-Lejah), nearly identical 
 with tlie ancient kingdom of Og; a rough, 
 rocky land, as its Greek name signifies, and 
 inhabited still from the earliest tiiries by a 
 wild and predatory race of people. It was 
 situated soutlioast of Iturea, nearly east of 
 the sea. Around it, on the west, lay the 
 wider country of Hauran (Auranitis), land of 
 Bashan, which also was included in the 
 tetrarchy of Herod Philip. 
 
 (c) Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene. 
 Since Josephus (.tn«..i9:5. i), mentions Abilene 
 as called "of Lysanias," about sixty years 
 before this (comp, Antiq., 20: 7. 1), and is 
 supposed by some, in this last passage, to 
 refer to another of the same name, in the 
 time of Claudius Cesar, Luke has, of course, 
 been suspected here of mistaking the time of 
 the rule of Lysanias. Scarcely anything is 
 known of the history of that region during 
 the nearly eighty years between these two 
 dates. The answer to the charge is obvious, 
 that if there v)a.t another Lysanias in the time 
 of Claudius, it shows that tiie name, and prob- 
 
 ably the line, had been kept up through the in- 
 terval. Either the second one supposed, may, 
 therefore, have been tetrarch twenty years, 
 before («bouiA. d. so), or his father, or some other 
 member of the family may, which would be 
 just what Luke relates. If, as is more i)rob- 
 able, Josephus does not intend a second Ly- 
 sanias in Antiq., 20: 7. 1, then Luke simply 
 informs us of one, whose existence would 
 otherwise be unknown to us. (See Smith, Diet. 
 of Hib., and Winer, R. Wdrterb, art. Abilene). 
 Little is known of him or of his country, 
 "Abilene." The latter, however, from the 
 site of its capital, the ruins of which have 
 been identified, must have lain west of Da- 
 mascus. 
 
 The sacred writer, having described the 
 civil state of all the region of country per- 
 taining even remotely to Jerusalem, comes 
 now to the religious rule. 
 
 (/) Annas and Caiaphas being the 
 high priests, (rather, in the high priesthood 
 of Annas and Caiaphas). The word in the 
 Greek for high priest, is now universally 
 agreed to be singular; but as two men are 
 named, the words can be consistently joined 
 only in the way here given. That the high 
 priesthood is ascribed to both, when only one 
 high priest at a time is contemplated by the 
 law, shows the disorder of the age now before 
 us. Annas is called high priest, (Acts 4: 6; 
 John 18: 19; comp. 13); while in John 11: 
 49, 51, we are told that Caiaphas was high 
 priest the same year. The explanation seems 
 to be given by the history of that time in 
 Josephus, (xni.. 18:?. 1: 20:8,9). From that we 
 learn that Annas, a rich Sadducee. had been 
 high priest (appointed by a Roman governor), 
 but deposed several years before our date ; yet, 
 that being a man of great wealth, ability, and 
 influence, he continued to enjoy much esteem 
 from the people, and had five sons, besides 
 Caiaphas, his son-in-law, successively in the 
 office during his life time. (joHd is : !.■)). Jose- 
 phus shows, also, with what capricious fre- 
 quency the office was filled and vacated by 
 the hated Romans, so that it became, appar- 
 ently, not uncommon for two or more simul- 
 taneously to be entitled high priest. The 
 respect in which Annas was held, with the 
 consideration naturally given to such a man 
 by his own sons in the office, would especially 
 conduce to his being called high priest, and 
 sharing in the deliberations of the acting high 
 
60 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. hi. 
 
 3 ''And he came into all the country about Jordan, 
 preaching the baptism of repentance " lor the remission 
 of sius; 
 
 3 wilderness. And he came into all the region rovind 
 about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance 
 
 a Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:4 b cU. 1 : 77. 
 
 priest for the time. Compare our practice of 
 still calling an ex-governor or judge by his 
 former title. 
 
 The result of this enumeration of contem- 
 porary rulers, civil and religious, is to show 
 that the ancient realm of David and Solomon 
 has fallen into a state of distraction and 
 decay, pitifully inferior even to Herod's un- 
 principled and cruel, but vigorous and power- 
 ful, reign; while the religious institutions, 
 representing the law and the prophets of 
 better day.s, are now the foot-ball of a pagan 
 power, and void of everything like a sincere 
 and earnest life. 
 
 The word of God came unto John the 
 son of Zacharias in the Avilderness. 
 The wilderness was the region famous as 
 "the wilderness of Judea," called "the de- 
 serts" (1:80), into which, as we have seen, 
 John withdrew while yet a boy, and where he 
 had lived, so far as appears, until now. We 
 can easily suppose, therefore, that John had 
 Geen very little, in the course of his life, if 
 anything at all, of Jesus, notwithstanding 
 their family relationship. The word of the 
 liord came unto (Greek, ^^came to be 
 upon") John Of the manner of this 
 revelation we can know nothing, and may 
 only reverently conjecture. It would seem 
 that he became conscious of the possession of 
 religious truth which he was specially called 
 by God to publish to the people. This was 
 the form of speech by which the prophets in 
 the Old Testament sometimes described the 
 occasion of their most weighty utterances 
 (Joel 1:1; Hos. 1: 1; jer. 4: 4). We may Icam from 
 the connection in such cases, that the mode of 
 impartation was various— by a dream, a vision, 
 possibly by words heard, or a sudden flash of 
 intellectual light, or deep and prolonged study 
 — and that the constant feature of their expe- 
 rience was a recognition that the truth present 
 to the mind of the prophet was not of his own 
 authorship, but a message from God. 
 
 3-9. His Work.— Its Nature. 
 
 3. And he came into all the country 
 {round) about {the) Jordan, This expres- 
 sion implies that he left now the " wilderness," 
 although it bordered closely on the lower end 
 of the Jordan valley, and may have included 
 
 so much of this as lay near the northern end 
 of the Dead Sea. The country round about 
 
 the Jordan was the arid plain which stretched 
 along the river, from a few miles below the 
 Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea; bounded by 
 the steep wall of the highlands of Bashan and 
 Gilead on the east, and on the west by the 
 more gradual and less elevated slopes of the 
 central ridge which ran north and south 
 through Judea and Samaria. Its ancient 
 name was The Arabah, which is still applied 
 to the southern prolongation of this very re- 
 markable ravine, from the Dead Sea to the 
 Elanitic Gulf The natives now call the por- 
 tion extending north from the Dead Sea, 
 even to the sources of the Jordan, El Ghor. 
 It was, in its southern portion, for the most 
 part exceedingly barren and desolate, with 
 only small strips and patches of verdure where 
 the river itself gave moisture, being scorched 
 with a tropical heat. Jericho lay in an expan- 
 sion of its width near the Dead Sea; and be- 
 sides that, scarcely a town flourished in it. 
 When it is said that John came into all 
 this country, we must understand that he 
 moved from place to place, up and down the 
 river, to meet the convenience of people who 
 lived opposite to, but not near, its several 
 stages. — Preaching the (n) baptism of re- 
 pentance for the (unto) remission of sins. 
 This might be paraphrased: "Proclaiming 
 the duty of all people to repent, and on the 
 ground of their repentance to l)c baptized, 
 and all with a view to the foregivness of 
 their sins." Preaching meant, properly, 
 publicly proclaiming what was to be commu- 
 nicated, as news, to the hearer. Repent- 
 ance was the main thing in the requirement 
 of John, explained by him in its grounds 
 (ver. 7), its sanctions (ver. 9), and its varied fruits 
 and manifestations (vei-. lou) ; but as it expressed 
 itself visibly in the rite of baptism, this is 
 mentioned first in Luke — the reverse in Mat- 
 thew. The baptism which he preached was 
 an immersion of the professed penitent in 
 water, at first that of the river Jordan (Matt. 
 3;B), the neighborhood of which John seems 
 to have frequented just because it alone in all 
 that region would furnish the supply of pure 
 water needed for the vast crowds who came 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 61 
 
 to the rite. The word baptism is simply 
 the Greek noun written, with slight change, 
 in English letters, because it had been so trans- 
 ferred, not in the earliest Latin versions, but 
 in the Vulgate, from which it came into the 
 early religious vocabulary of England. Va- 
 riety of modern usage has unhappily made 
 the English word ambiguous; but that the 
 
 Worterbuch, Sophicles {Lexicon of the Byzan- 
 tine Greek), Stephanus' Thesaurus, etc., etc.; 
 the chief commentaries, Meyer, De Wette, 
 Godet, McClellan (see note on Matt. 28: 19), 
 etc., etc. Or, he may refer, as an example of 
 all, to Conant on Baptizein, where all the 
 known instances of tlie use of the word which 
 could bear on the Scriptural usage are col- 
 
 RIVER JORDAN. 
 
 Greek terjn expressed the notion of dipping, 
 plunging, immersion, whelming (any one of 
 which terms would suggest the true intent, so 
 far as the New Testament rite is concerned), 
 a scholar learns upon simply consulting the 
 chief dictionaries of the Greek language: 
 Liddell and Scott, Cremer {Biblical-Theologi- 
 cal hex. of the New Testatnent Greek), Grimm 
 (Clavis"!, Rost and Palm's edition of Passow's 
 
 lected and printed, with enough of the context 
 to enable any one to make the right defini- 
 tion for himself. But the plain English 
 reader, with no authority but his Bible, may 
 arrive with equal certainly at the same con- 
 clusion, by noticing that wherever the word 
 baptism occurs in the New Testament to de- 
 note the Christian rite, he may substitute im- 
 mersion, or one of the synonomous words, ia 
 
62 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 perfect consistency with the context ; thus 
 proving to a demonstration that the meaning 
 not only may be, but must be, what these 
 English words directly convey. He need only 
 reflect that the chances against one of these 
 words being appropriate in five or ten cases, 
 when some other sense had been intended 
 by the Greek, would be innumerable; whereas 
 they are appropriate in every case of the use 
 of the noun or the corresponding verb. 
 
 A ceremony of immersion was introduced 
 by John, in connection with his demand for 
 repentance; primarily, it is possible, to sig- 
 nify the moral purification implied in re- 
 newedness of heart and life. In the subse- 
 quent course of Christian revelation, other 
 meanings, other power, shone forth from 
 the simple and expressive rite. John may 
 have seen only its fitness to symbolize the 
 putting away of sin, and the preparation for 
 a life of profound and resolute ri hteousness. 
 "Repentance" is, etymologically, that change 
 of view and feeling which results from re- 
 flection on one's past conduct and inward 
 character, as wrong, and which leads to a 
 radically diff"erent course. Chalmers gave 
 a good description of it: "renewedness of 
 mind." Deep moral thoughtfulness on the 
 past, resulting in the eff"ective purpose to so 
 live as to please God, is directly suggested 
 by the Greek word. A.s such an exercise of 
 the mind must needs occasion much dissatis- 
 faction with oneself, it is not strange that 
 the word is often associated with regret and 
 self-reproach. The thorough renovation of 
 the life-purpose, ho'.vever, is what the Scrip- 
 ture makes to be its essence. It must be 
 largely because our translation takes the tone 
 of the Latin Vulgate, in which the words for 
 repentance and. its cognates express directly 
 the notion of regret, rue, sorrow, that this 
 element of dissatisfied feeling has apparently 
 become in many minds the very signification 
 of repentance. It is only an incident of it. 
 
 more or less of which is of little consequence, 
 if only the practical resolution to serve God 
 with the whole heart is thoroughly estab- 
 lished. The essential change of moral state 
 has then taken place. It should be added 
 that the Greek verb to repent may have sug- 
 gested to Hebrews in Christ's day more of 
 the idea of feeling than to the native Greeks, 
 from its having been used in their Greek 
 translation to render a Hebrew verb, which 
 was appropriate to express deep and painful 
 emotion. [Compare the excellent note of 
 Dr. Con:int on Matt. 3 : 2, in the Revised Ver- 
 sion of the American Bible Union, quarto 
 edition.] 
 
 Perhaps the notion of repentance was hard- 
 ly so comprehensive in John's conception as 
 that which we form under the clearer light 
 of the gospel. He was not the one that should 
 come, and could not offer the immersion in 
 the Spirit. What he would have the people 
 do was to consider their ways, that they 
 might see how far they were from the ideal 
 of duty, piety, and privilege, which their in- 
 stitutions and their Scriptures set before them. 
 That ideal was to be realized under the reign 
 of the Messiah. To undergo such a change 
 as would prepare them to welcome his ex- 
 plicit teachings and control, to prepare them 
 for faith in him — that might be acceptable 
 repentance to John. 
 
 For remission of sins, z. e., unto, in order 
 to, with a view to obtaining, remission, or 
 "release from," "forgiveness." The baptism 
 of repentance thus grammatically looked for- 
 ward to the forgiveness, and was not based 
 upon it. If the pledge given in baptism was 
 truly kept, forgiveness would follow at the 
 coming of the Messiah, when this change of 
 mind would have prepared the subject of it 
 for faith in Christ.' 
 
 It has been made a question whether John 
 found a rite of immersion existing, by which 
 proselj'tes to Judaism professed their conver- 
 
 1 May there not be a better explanation of the words, unto the remission of siiist For it is certainly difficult 
 to believe that there was no remission of sins before the historical Christ was known and accepted. It is difficult 
 to see how forgiveness could be withheld from one who had truly turned to the Lord, and was ready to welcome 
 the Christ as soon as he should be revealed. The baptism of repentance looked, we think, to the forgiveness of 
 sins, because entrance upon the new life, symbolized by this rite, was the condition of forgiveness, and because 
 no man enters into that new life without spiritual union with Christ and preparation of heart to rely on his 
 grace. Compare the language of Peter to the multitude in Acts 2: 38, where repentance and baptism upon the 
 name of .lesus Christ are still enjoined, "in order to the forgiveness of sins"; and the words of Peter to 
 Cornelius, Acts 10: :!4, .'i5. The inward change was supposed to be genuine when it led to obedience in the 
 prescribed outward expression. — A. H. 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 63 
 
 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias 
 the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the 
 wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, luuke his 
 paths straight. 
 
 5 Kvery valley shall be filled, and every mountain 
 and hill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be 
 made straight, and the rough ways shall be made 
 smooth: 
 
 6 And 'all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
 
 4 unto remission of sins; as it is written in the book 
 of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 
 
 The voice of one crying iu the wilderness, 
 Make ve ready the way of the Lord, 
 Make his paths straight. 
 
 5 Every valley shall be filled, 
 
 And every mountain and tiill shall be brought 
 
 low ; 
 And the crooked shall become straight, 
 And the rough ways smooth ; 
 
 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
 
 alsa. 40: 3; Matt. 3 : 3 ; Uark 1:3; Jotiii 1: 23....b Ps. 98: 2 ; Isa. 5'2 : 10; ch.2: 10. 
 
 sion, and were instiilled members of the select 
 nation. There is no mention, certainly, of 
 any such usage in the Old Testament, nor in 
 the Apocrypha, or in Josephus or Philt), 
 or in the other Jewish writings prior to, or 
 contemporary with, the age of John. Nor 
 have the deepest researches of scholars re- 
 sulted in any clear proof that anything anal- 
 ogous to baptism then existed. That certain 
 ablutions may have been practiced by prose- 
 lytes on their coming to the passover, and 
 that, in the first or second century, the cus- 
 tom of immersing proselytes came to be 
 thought necessary, is generally admitted. See 
 the authorities, jo?*o and con., briefly condensed 
 and judiciousl3' estimated in Winer, Real \V6r- 
 terbuc.h. Art. Proselyten-taufe. A very recent 
 writer. Dr. L. Schultze, says (in Zockler's 
 Handbuch de.r Theologische Wissenschaften, 
 1883, p. 404), without qualification, "proselyte 
 baptism is of a later time" — than John. 
 (Comp. Edersheim, Life of Jesits, App. XI.) 
 Again, dogmatic interest has discussed the 
 question whether John's baptism was Chris- 
 tian baptism. It was, and it was not. The 
 act of immersion was the same, when prac- 
 ticed by Christ and his apo.stles, as when 
 practiced by John, being designated every- 
 where by the same word. But the significance 
 of the rite, as expressive of a sense of sin and a 
 determination to take a new moral position, 
 so as to be prepared for the reception of 
 the coming of the Messiah— this, on the part 
 of John's disciples, was not just the same as 
 the sentiment, the aim, and the effect with 
 which, after the resurrection of Christ, the 
 believer was baptized into the name of the 
 Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 
 His sentiment is that of grateful devotion to a 
 Saviour already well known; his purpose is 
 to die with that Saviour to all sin, that he 
 may live with him a new life of holine.ss; and 
 the effect is the reception, in love and hope, 
 of the end of his faith— the salvation of his 
 
 soul (Mark 16: 16; Acta 2 : 38 ; R in.6: 3, 4 ; 2 Cor. a: 19; 1 Peu 
 3: 21; 1: 8,9). 
 
 4. As it is written in the book of the 
 words, etc. The position :ind work of John 
 is compared with the description, in Isa. 40: A, 
 of the imaginary herald who precedes, and 
 orders the road prepared for, Jehovali at the 
 head of his people, returning joyfully to 
 Jerusalem from their long captivity in Baby- 
 lon. Here is a figure drawn from the custom 
 of Oriental monarchs, before whom, in tiieir 
 stately procession, the most extravagant pains 
 are taken to clear their path of all impedi- 
 ments and difficulties. The herald, supposed 
 thus to be going before Jehovah to see that 
 the march was made easy for him and his 
 ransomed people, is seen in the gospel to have 
 been a type of John the Baptist preceding the 
 Lord's advent as Messiah, and preparing for 
 him access to the confidence and love of men. 
 John's appearance is the only actual realiza- 
 tion of that grand and beautiful description 
 of a herald, as the advent of Jesus alone 
 fulfills that promise of deliverance to distressed 
 and despairing men. 
 
 5. The expressions of the prophet, every 
 valley shall be exalted, etc., were meta- 
 phorical hyperboles, literally' applicable only 
 partially even to the preparations made for 
 the most jiowerful civil or military potentate. 
 We cannot, with any confidence, apply them 
 severally to the particular moral tasks of 
 John as forerunner. Thej' are a poetical ex- 
 pansion and variation of the thought, that 
 John, by promoting sincere repentance, has 
 to make ready the way for Jesus to the hearts 
 of the people whom he comes to save. 
 
 6. In the old, temporal deliverance, the 
 manifestation of divine power and faithfulness 
 was to be so conspicuous, that ail flesh shall 
 see the salvation of God— which, in John's 
 case, would mean that eternal life should be 
 provided for, and offered to, the whole world. 
 
 6. Then said he (rather, he said, therefore)^ 
 
64 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. Ill 
 
 7 Then said be to the multitude that came forth to be 
 baptized of hiui, "O generation of vipers, who halh 
 warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 
 
 s Bring forth therefore fruits <• worthy of repentance, 
 and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abra- 
 ham to our father; for 1 say unto you, That God is able 
 of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
 
 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the 
 trees: "every tree therefore which bringeth not forth 
 good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the lire. 
 
 7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out 
 to be baptized of him. Ye offspring of vipers, who 
 
 8 warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring 
 forth therefore fruits worthy of i repentance, and 
 begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abra- 
 ham to our father: for 1 .say unto you, that God is 
 able of these stones to raise up children unto Abra- 
 
 9 ham. And even now the axe also lieth at the root 
 of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not 
 forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 
 a Mutt. 3 : 7 b Or, meet for ... .c Mutt. 7: 19. 1 Or, yowr repentance. 
 
 namely, in conformity with his errand to pro- 
 duce repentance, by convincing of sin. To 
 the multitude that came forth — strictly, 
 were coming forth. Tliey had to leave their 
 homes in the wide circuit of towns and cities 
 to which the tidings of John's preaching had 
 reached, and come forth into the wilderness. 
 But a great many of them, not merely "of the 
 Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matt. 3:7), as we 
 should conclude from Luke's account, came 
 to him with no proper sense of what they 
 were doing. It was as if a fashion had soon 
 set in to go and be baptized by the hermit 
 preacher. Not individually, thoughtfully, 
 each in the seriousness and humility of con- 
 scious guilt and craving for a better spiritual 
 life; they went in holiday crowds, as Mussel- 
 man hordes now go, at Easter, to dip them- 
 selves in the Jordan. 
 
 7. O generation of vipers — John .says to 
 them — not "children of Abraham" as ye 
 imagine yourselves; but people of malignant 
 and detestable disposition, not in the least 
 prepared for friendship to the Christ, but 
 needing to be transformed before ye can see 
 him in peace. — Who hath warned (sug- 
 g-.sted to) you to flee from the wrath to 
 come (or coming wrath)? In the spirit of 
 the closing prophecy of the Old Testatnent, 
 concerning himself, John sees first the "great 
 and terrible day of the Lord," connected with 
 the coming of the Messiah, a day "which 
 shall burn as an oven," a day of wrath to 
 the impenitent and ungodlj'. He was so 
 stirred by the religious declension and moral 
 corruption of his time, that the penal charac- 
 ter of "the day of the Lord," was to hitn, 
 as to the ancient prophets, very prominent. 
 In this view the Jews also shared, though 
 generally they referred that feature of the 
 day of judgment to the heathen. But in the 
 present case, John seems to see them flocking 
 to him, as if under the delusion that tliey 
 could avoid the penalties and secure the 
 blessings of the Messiah's advent, by merely 
 
 sharing in the outward ceremony of his im- 
 mersion. His question, thus, amounts to this: 
 " Who suggested to you that you could escape 
 from the just consequences of your sins by a 
 mere physical act? Was it the great adver- 
 sary, whose brood ye are?" 
 
 8. Bring forth therefore — since the mere 
 sign of repentance cannot help you, without 
 its transforming operation in your lives — 
 fruits worthy of repentance. Such fruits 
 would be ifiward exercises of the soul — such 
 as hungering after true righteousness, com- 
 passion, mercy toward the erring and unfor- 
 tunate, purity of heart, a humble purpose to 
 wait only on Jehovah in all his requirements 
 and ordinances, a desire for his mercy, and 
 outward conduct consistent with such a state 
 of mind. — And begin not to say within 
 yourselves, equivalent to, Do not start with 
 saying; otherwise real repentance will be 
 precluded as unnecessary. — We have Abra- 
 ham to {for or ns) our father, and are of 
 course objects of God's favor, and sure of a 
 place in the kingdotn of heaven. — God is 
 able of these stones, etc. Sooner than 
 recognize you, in your hardness of heart and 
 impenitence, as heirs of his promise to Abra- 
 ham, God will prepare for that blessing other 
 hearts which you would think as little ca- 
 pable of sharing it as the stones which lie 
 along these banks. Nor can your rejection 
 be long delayed. 
 
 9. And now also {enen now), while ye are 
 so lightly pressing toward an outward hj'po- 
 critical righteousness, the axe is laid unto 
 the root of the trees. The trees repre- 
 sent the proud, self-righteous members of the 
 Jewish nation. The axe is the symbol of 
 divine punishment. Its being laid unto the 
 root signifies that the "feller" (isa. i4:8) is 
 already come up against them, and holds his 
 instrument directed toward the trunk of one 
 and another, ready to level them with the 
 ground. — Is hewn down and cast into the 
 fire. The action is future, the tense is pres- 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 65 
 
 10 And the people asked hioi, saying, 'What shall we 
 do then '! 
 
 11 He answereth and saith unto them, 'He that hath 
 two coals, let hiui impart to hiiu that hath none; and 
 he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 
 
 12 Then "^canie also publicans to be baptized, and 
 said tinto hlin, Master, what shall we do? 
 
 \'.i Anil he said unto them, ■'Exact no more than that 
 which is appointed you. 
 
 14 And tile soldiers likewise demanded of him, say- 
 ing, And what shall we do? And he said unto them. 
 Do violence to no man, neither accuse wiy falsely; 
 and be content with your wages. 
 
 10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then 
 
 11 must we do? And he answered and said unto them. 
 He that hath two coats, let him impart to liini that 
 hath none; and he that hath food, let him do like- 
 
 12 wise. And there came al.so ' publicans to be baptized, 
 and they said unto him, * Master, what must we do? 
 
 1.3 .\nd he .said unto them, E.\ti)rt no more than tliat 
 14 which is appointed you. And ^soldiers also asked 
 him, saying. And we, what must we do? And he 
 said unto them. Extort from no man by violence, 
 neither accu.se any one wrongfully ; and be content 
 witii your wages. 
 
 .6 ch. II : 41 : 1 Cor. 8: 14: James 2: 15, 16; 1 John 3: 17; 4: "20 c Matt. 21 : 32 ; ch. 7: 29 doh. 19: 8.- 
 
 luargiiial uute on Mult. v. 46.... 2 Or. Teacher 3 Gr. aoldiera on service. 
 
 ent; strictly, "is in the act of being cut down 
 and cast Into the Jire." Every fruit tree will 
 yield fruit of some kind, and every man will 
 exhibit some charsicter; unles.s this be good 
 in God's sight, it will meet only rejection and 
 punishment. 
 
 10-17. Particular Teachings of John. 
 This general teaching, so well suited to 
 awaken compunction and alarm in hearts- 
 of any susceptibility, led some to ask for more 
 particular instruction concerning the fruits 
 retiuired of them. 
 
 10. And the people (multitudes, Revision) 
 asked him, saying, What shall we do 
 then? The answer is, in general, that they 
 should practice love and beneficence to fel- 
 low-men in need. 
 
 11. Into ver. 11 is doubtless condensed the 
 body of his doctrine applicable to all. It sup- 
 presses selfisline.ss, calls out self-den^nng sj'm- 
 pathy, practical love of tine's neighbor. 
 
 12-14. Specimens of the manner in which 
 the prophet applied the general principle to 
 particular cases of inquiry. Then there 
 came also publicans. These were among 
 the first inquirers attracted by John, and most 
 generally prepared to welcome the Saviour at 
 his coming. The office of the publicans, who 
 appear so frequently in the Gospel, namely, 
 that of tax collectors of the revenue required 
 by tlie Roman Government, was in itself con- 
 sistent with personal uprightne.ss, and intrinsic 
 worth, on the part of the incumbent. But 
 while it is not really agreeable to the most 
 contented community, in the best govemec* 
 state, it was for special reasons peculiarly 
 odious, abominable, to the Jews at that time. 
 They had to meet the cost of a burdensome 
 religious system, which should, in Gods 
 original plan, have atlorded them also civil 
 security and order. In addition, here were 
 the grinding taxes levied for the benefit of a 
 foreign, pagan government, a galling olTcnce 
 
 to their independence — a flagrant scandal to 
 their monotheistic principle of religion. The 
 instruments for exacting these taxes were 
 Hebrews — more shame to them ! — who, by un- 
 dertaking such service, made themselves 
 renegades, more despicable even than the 
 Romans, whose tools they were. As a rule, 
 men of good character would not put them- 
 selves in such a position; and if they did, so 
 little likely are men to hold themselves above 
 what they generally have the credit of being, 
 they would be in great danger of falling to 
 the level of the popular estimation. But that 
 their occupation was not essentially immoral, 
 is indicated by John's not requiring of them 
 unconditionally to quit it. Yet in answering 
 their question he did point out the very peril 
 in which they stood. 
 
 13. Exact no more than that which is 
 appointed you. The Roman dominion was 
 made hateful and destructive to its subject 
 provinces, n(;*. merely bj' the severity of its 
 own exaction \ but more by the additional 
 extortions of 'he rapacious collectors (publi- 
 cans), who, through all stages of the process, 
 from the bend farmer of the revenues that 
 undertook to raise them from a whole pro- 
 vince, down to the petty local underling, 
 sought to enrich themselves. The people 
 were, to a great extent, at the mercy of these 
 arbitrary minicms of a detestable tyranny. 
 The case of a Turkish province, sity Arme- 
 nia, at the present day, afl^ords the life-like 
 parallel to the condition of the Jew.s, in refer- 
 ence to tax gatherers. John faithfully tells 
 them to refrain from any demands beyond 
 what were included in the law under which 
 thej' served. 
 
 14. And the soldiers likewise. More 
 exactly, and men in the military service also. 
 These were apparently Jews engaged in some 
 campaiirn of which we have no certain ac- 
 count, but not in the Greek called, technically, 
 
66 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all 
 men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were 
 the Christ, or not; 
 
 16 John answered, saying unto them all, »I indeed 
 baptize you with water; hut one mightier than I 
 comelh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to 
 unloose; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and 
 with fire : 
 
 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all 
 men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, 
 
 16 whether haply he were the Christ ; John answered, 
 saying unto them all, 1 indeed baptize you with 
 water; but there couieth he that is mightier than I, 
 the latchet of whose shoes I am not i worthy to un- 
 loose : he shall baptize you * iu the Holy Spirit and 
 
 a Malt. 3 : 11. 1 Gr. sufficient. . . .2 Or, with. 
 
 "soldiers." — Do violence to no man. 
 
 Perhaps the meaning is nearly equivalent to 
 terrify or harrass no man, in order to wring 
 from him what is his. — Neither accuse any 
 falsely {wrongfully), that is, in order to 
 extort from him his property. — And — as the 
 antithesis, observe, to both these prohibitions 
 . — be content with your wages. In these 
 two cases, the fruit of repentance which the 
 Baptist requires is no more than common 
 morality enjoined in the law of Moses; but it 
 is in such a form, as to each, that the honest 
 attempt to practice it would evince something 
 of self-denial, charity, and the general dispo- 
 sition to do right. On the other hand, the 
 difficulty of even partial obedience to those 
 requirements, and the impossibility of more in 
 one's own strength, would, promote humility 
 and awaken a longing for that righteousness 
 which could be found only in "the kingdom 
 of heaven." 
 
 1.5, 16. John's Proclamation Concern- 
 ing THE Messiah. As John had said not a 
 word hitherto, in Luke's report, about the 
 Messiah, it was not unnatural that questions 
 should arise in the popular mind concerning 
 his relation to that personage. 
 
 15. And as the people were in expecta- 
 tion — not merely of some word of explana- 
 tion from John about himself, but, more 
 generally, of the coming of the Messiah — 
 and all men mused {reasoned) in their 
 hearts . . . whether {ha-ply) he were the 
 Christ. It shows how vague was their pre- 
 conception of the Christ, that there hovered 
 a universal suspicion {nil men) that John 
 himself might possibly be "'he that is to 
 come." 
 
 16. John answered — their unspoken 
 question — I indeed baptize {am baptizing) 
 you with water — and in requiring this as 
 the symbol of moral purification, and the 
 pledge of a new life, ,you might think me to 
 be performing Messianic functions. — But one 
 mightier than I cometh — a potentate so 
 much more exalted than I, that I am not 
 
 sufficient to perform for him the most menial 
 service. — The latchet of whose shoes 
 {shoe-strings) I am not worthy to unloose 
 
 — not fit to perform the task of a domestic 
 slave with a rich Roman. — He (strongly em- 
 phatic, he himself) shall baptize you with 
 {in) the Holy Ghost {Spirit) and with fire. 
 
 Omit the latter with. This will be the work 
 of him whom you are expecting. He will 
 be the Christ. The element of an immer- 
 sion is naturally preceded by in, and that 
 the Greek expresses with the Holy Spirit. 
 In measure so ample will he be bestowed on 
 the recipients of this blessing, that they are 
 said to be baptized — immersed — in the Holy 
 Spirit. The word for "in" is not used with 
 the word "water" in the first clause of the 
 verse, according to the certainly correct text, 
 and, although the American Eevisers judged 
 that it should be expressed in English, where- 
 ever baptism "with" water is spol<en of, it is 
 somewhat doubtful whether it should so 
 stand, except in Acts 1:4. In Matt. 3: 5, 
 also, it stands "baptized in the river Jordan," 
 and that is the normal usage. The Greek 
 view could equally well contemplate the 
 enveloping element, locally, as that in 
 which, or, instrumentally, as that with 
 which, the dipping was eft'ected. And while 
 it is awkward for us to speak of immersing 
 a thing with water, it is simply a matter of 
 familiarity, of idiom; and we need only take 
 a synonomous verb, "to whelm," and it is 
 perfectly natural for us to speak of "whelm- 
 ing with water." And fire (without " in '' 
 or "with") is part of the promise to the same 
 persons, supposed believers. He will immerse 
 you in the Holy Spirit and fire, in both. 
 Fire may be added as figuratively .synono- 
 mous with Holy Spirit, in one of his func- 
 tions, the removal of all that is carnal and 
 sinful in the soul, as, in another view, he 
 supplies all renewing and sanctifying grace. 
 The renewed man is refined, as silver tried in 
 the fire. The Spirit may in this make use of 
 trials and afflictions, sometimes called a fire; 
 
Cu. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 67 
 
 17 Whose fan ix in his hand, and he will thorougly 
 purge his floor, and "and will gather the wheat into his 
 garner; liut the chuif he will burn with fire un- 
 quenchable. 
 
 18 And many other things in his exhortation 
 preached he unto the people. 
 
 17 in fire: whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to 
 cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat 
 into his garner; but the chart' he will burn up with 
 unquenchable fire. 
 
 18 With many other exhortations therefore preached 
 
 iMic. 14: 4, 12; Mate. 13: 30. 
 
 but to think of these as directly intended, is 
 less congenial witli John's standing-point. 
 He means, rather, the self-denying and dis- 
 ciplinary efficacy of the Spirit in elucidating 
 and enforcing the truth of God on a partially- 
 sanctified soul. Those who refer the fire to 
 Gehenna — future punishment — must under- 
 stand the pronoun you as equivalent to 
 "some of you," which must then be repeated 
 in thought, and that would require the repe- 
 tition of "with" (in) before "fire." He will 
 immerse some of you in the Holy Spirit, and 
 some of you in fire. Meyer, on Matt. 3; 11, 
 takes this view, and iidds: " Both are denoted 
 as a baptizing (jSaTrTi^eti/), since they are the 
 two opposite sides of the Messianic lustration, 
 by which, like those baptized, one part are 
 overflowed by the Holy Spirit, the others by 
 hell-fire." With him agree a long series 
 of expositors from the earliest times. An 
 equal number, perhaps, including Calvin 
 and Godet, support substantially the view 
 here advocated. This supposes that John has 
 reserved the mention of bell-fire to the next 
 verse, where he carefully distinguishes that 
 fire V)y the adjective "unquenchable." It is 
 quite unlikely that there is any direct refer- 
 ence to the tongues "a.« of fire," in Acts 2: 3. 
 17. Whose fan is in his hand, and 
 he will thoroughly purge (thoroughly to 
 cleanse) his (threshing) floor. — This floor 
 was a smooth surface of rock or leveled, 
 compacted earth, by preference on an eleva- 
 tion, where the grain was trodden out of 
 the sheaves by cattle, and, after raking off 
 the straw, the grain »vas separated from the 
 chaff, by repeatedly throwing it up into the 
 breezy air. The fan, by which this toss- 
 ing up was effected, was a broad and light 
 wooden shovel. The process is an expressive 
 metaphor of that judgment for which the 
 Christ was come into the world (John 9: 39), 
 such that he who believed in him would not 
 be condemned ; but be who believed not was 
 condemned already, because he did not be- 
 lieve (oh. 3:18).— And will gather the wheat 
 into his garner. The wheat is the 
 
 humble, penitent, believing portion of the 
 chosen people, the Simeons and Annas, and 
 Marthas and Marys; his garner is the king- 
 dom of the Messiah, with its duties and trials, 
 as well as privileges and blessings here, 
 and its unmixed felicities in the perfected 
 state. The chaff' indicates the worldly- 
 minded, self-complacent, work-righteous 
 Jews who, having rejected their Messiah, will 
 be rejected by him "in that day," and over- 
 whelmed with deserved irremissible punish- 
 ment— Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, the 
 Scribes and Pharisees, and all Gentiles like 
 them. Tiie unquenchable fire is probably 
 the "hell fire" (Gehenna of tire) spoken of 
 by our Saviour (Man. 5:22; 10 : m). Fire had 
 been adopted by the Old Testament prophets 
 as a symbol of divine punishment for sin and 
 transgression (i«.33: 12-14.), and its intermin- 
 ableness to the utterly incorrigible and im- 
 penitent was signified by the epithet un- 
 quenchable, or everlasting (i«. 66:24. rer.). "We, 
 after the lapse of a long time, postpone the ful- 
 fillment of the.se declarations to a still future 
 day. It is probable that John and his hearers 
 interpreted his words as about to take effect at 
 the appearing of the Messiah. 
 
 18-20. FciRTHEB Work and Fate of 
 John. 
 
 18. And many other things in his ex- 
 hortation preached he unto the people. 
 Rather, with many other erhortntions. there- 
 fore; strictly, with many and other, i. e., dif- 
 ferent, relating to different subjects, or to 
 different aspects of the same, and expressed 
 in different terms. The preceding statements 
 are regarded as a selection and sample of the 
 teachings with which he warned and stimu- 
 lated the people to true, practical, heart piety. 
 Preached (or, proclaimed the good tidings) 
 of the Messiah's near approach to those who 
 waited for him. 
 
 How long the active ministry of John con- 
 tinued before the baptism of Jesus, is un- 
 known. The common supposition is, that it 
 was only a few months— about the difference 
 between the age of John and Jesus. But 
 
LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 19 "But Herod the tetrach, being reproved by him for 
 Herodias his brother Philip's wile, and lor all the evils 
 which Herod had done, 
 
 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in 
 prison. 
 
 ■z\ Now when all the people were baptized, ^ it came 
 to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the 
 heaven was opened, 
 
 19 he 1 good tidings unto the people; but Herod the 
 tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his 
 brother's wife, and for all the evil things which 
 
 20 Herod had done, added this also to them all, that he 
 shut up John in prison. 
 
 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were 
 baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and 
 
 a Matt. U: 3: Mnrk 6 : 17 b Mutt. 3 : 13; Juhu 1 : 62. 1 Or. the gospel. 
 
 when we consider what he was to do (Luke i: is, 
 
 17, 76-79; Matt. 3:4-6), what he had doDC (Miitt. 3 : 5, 6, 
 
 p<»r-), and the impression that he had made 
 upon all Israel, even to their remote settle- 
 ments (Malt. U : 7 ff; 21: 25, 26; Luke 7: 24 ff; Acts 13; 24, 25), 
 
 it seems quite as likely that his ministry lasted 
 years as mouths. 
 
 19. But Herod the tetrarch being re- 
 proved by him, etc. Luke writing to The- 
 ophilus "in order," having now finished his 
 account of the public work of John with the 
 people, gathers up what he knew concerning 
 his subsequent fortanes, prior to his death, 
 and tells us at once how his public labors ter- 
 minated in a prison. Herod the tetrarch, 
 that is, Herod Antipas (ver. i). — Herodias, 
 his brother Philip's wife. Omit Philip's 
 and read brother' s. See an account of the affair 
 in Josephus {Antiq., 18: 5.4). Herod Anti- 
 pas had taken the wife of his brother, Herod 
 Philip (ver. 1), from her husband, while he was 
 Philip's guest, and formed a pretended mar- 
 riage with her, on condition of putting away 
 his own wife. For this unhallowed conduct 
 he had, as we here learn, been reproved by 
 John, the stern preacher of righteousness, as 
 well as for all the evils (evil things) which 
 Herod had done. The notices of him in 
 Jo.sephus will show that, worthily of his 
 origin, half Edomite and half Samaritan, he 
 had done enough, both in contempt of He- 
 brew law and customs, and in the promotion 
 of pagan practices, to furnish texts for many 
 rebukes. 
 
 20. Added yet this above all — namely, 
 of his evil deeds; nearly equivalent to copped 
 the climax with jfAis.— That he shut up John 
 in prison. Josephus tells us (Anttq., is: 5. ■->) that 
 this treatment of John, a good man, by Herod, 
 was popularly believed to be the ground of 
 great misfortunes which befell the latter; and 
 that the prison was the Castle of Macha?rus, 
 
 near the shore of the Dead Sea; where, in a 
 most dismal region, the ruins of such struc- 
 tures have been recently found. The incar- 
 ceration really took place, not till a consider- 
 able time, perhaps some months, after Christ's 
 baptism. (Comp. John 2: 13; 8: 22, 23; 4:1). 
 But all this period the Synoptic Gospels leave 
 out of their account. From this moment 
 John is lost to view in the Gospels, except 
 one glimpse (v; i ff), and then a reference to the 
 violent death at the hands of Herod (»:7-9), 
 for whom, however, the stern spirit would 
 not down at his bidding. Some general notice 
 of his character and influence will be more 
 appropriate on 7 : 1 ff. ^ 
 
 21, 22. Baptism of Jesus. Having thus 
 carried the narrative concerning John to a 
 natural resting-place, the writer comes back 
 to the baptism of Jesus, in connection with 
 which, observe, John is not named. Luke 
 gives some interesting details not mentioned 
 by the other evangelists, while he omits some 
 of theirs. 
 
 21. Now when all the people were bap- 
 tized, it came to pass, etc. It will be 
 noticed that Luke does not, in form, relate 
 the baptism; but assuming that, as known to 
 the reader, he particularly mentions as follow- 
 ing it, the descent of the Spirit upon him, 
 with the Bath Col, or voice from heaven, and, 
 incidentally, gives two circumstances attend- 
 ing the baptism. The first' of these vaguely 
 defines the time of it. It was when all the 
 people were baptized. The Greek does 
 not allow us to think of this as equivalent to 
 "when all the people had been baptized," 
 making Jesus the last to whom John adminis- 
 tered the rite (comp. John 3:23), nor, as 
 meaning "when all the people were being 
 baptized." (so Meyer). Tliis would require 
 the Greek infinitive to be in the present tense, 
 as the other would require it in the perfect, 
 
 'We would here call attention to a valuable monograph on John, in the Conpregational Union Lecture for 
 1874: John the. linpdsi, by H.R.Reynolds, D. D., London, 1874. In this large volume almost every aspect o| 
 John's character ami work is learnedly treated. Interesting and instructive on this subjec. is also the neglected 
 work of C. S. Matthies, Baptumalis Exposilio Biblica, Hislorica, Dogmalica, Berlin, 1840, pp. 44-71, ed. 2. 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 69 
 
 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bo lily shape 
 like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, 
 which said. Thou art luy beloved tSou ; iu thee I am 
 well pleased. 
 
 22 prayins, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit 
 ueseeuued in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and 
 a voice came out of heaven. Thou art my beloved 
 Sun ; in thee 1 am well pleased. 
 
 while the indefinite preterite simply places 
 the transaction back somewhere in that time 
 when John baptized all the people as they 
 came to him. It gives no hint whether any 
 person was present as a spectator. As one of 
 the people, Josus was baptized among all 
 the rest. — And praying. The second circum- 
 stance clearly brought out by Luke alone, 
 was, that after the baptism, and evidently 
 (comp. Mark 1 : 10, 11) while the Saviour was 
 coming up from his symbolic burial, he was 
 engaged in prayer. This appears from a 
 literally adequate rendering of the Greek: 
 Jesus also hncing been baptized, and being in 
 the act of prayer. We may reverently im- 
 agine what was the subject of his requests to 
 his Father. From the fact that this is men- 
 tioned as immediately preceding, or rather, 
 simultaneous with the opening of the heavens, 
 is it not intimated that he was looking for 
 some recognition of his Messiahship to be 
 given, and that he earnestly besought this 
 now? At all events it came. — The heaven 
 was opened. An ineffable fact is intimated 
 to us in an expression shaped to meet human 
 capacity of comprehension. Jesus saw through 
 the blue depths of ether, into the very home 
 of God. 
 
 22. And the Holy Ghost descended in 
 a bodily .shape (form) like a dove upon 
 him. This was symbolically represented to 
 .Jesus and to John, the impartation to the 
 former of the Spirit of God to be his perma- 
 nent and distinguishing possession, in some 
 sense additional to that element of divinity 
 which pertained to him as the Incarnate 
 "Word, sealing and qualif3Mng him for all the 
 functions and experiences of the office of 
 Messiah — Redeemer. — Shape like a dove, 
 probably clear, resplendent white, beautifully 
 fit to signify the purity and soaring energy 
 of that power which was to be his, without 
 measure, in the new economy of redemp- 
 tion—the Dispen-sation of the Spirit. That 
 this bestowment was figured as a dove, a 
 living and complete creature, and that it 
 "abode on him" (johoi:.i.i\ may have been 
 designed to show that the Third Person of the 
 Trinity entire was associated with the Son of 
 man as a permanent endowment, for his per- 
 
 sonal behalf, and for the salvation of all the 
 subjects of his kingdom. — And a voice came 
 out of heaven. It came to Jesus himself, 
 evidently, and probably to John also. There 
 is no intimation, in either of the narratives, 
 that it wils audible to any other person. The 
 Jewish theologians designated as Bath Kol 
 (daughter of a voice), the lowest stage of reve- 
 lation, after the cessation of prophecy in 
 Malachi, coming through a miraculous voice 
 from heaven. Some have (but without any 
 tangible proof) reckoned this occurrence 
 with that recorded in John 12: 18, also Luke 
 9: 35, as belonging to that category. — Thou 
 art my beloved Son. This was probably 
 the testimony which, or something equiva- 
 lent, Jesus had desired in his pra^'er. There 
 had already grown up in his consciousness, 
 when he was twelve years of age (2: 49), the 
 recognition of God as his Father iii a special 
 sense. That had doubtless become clearer, 
 with his increase in wisdom respecting all 
 subjects during the years that had passed 
 until now. But now there is given to him 
 further the testimony, which assurod him of 
 sonship in the high and peculiar sense of the 
 .second Psalm : "Thou art mj^ Son, this day 
 have I begotten thee." It came to him now 
 as an announcement, also, that the moment 
 of his entrance on that ofBce which had 
 brought him hither was come, and the full 
 equipment for its functions had been bestowed. 
 It was his ordination to the office of the Christ 
 of Israel, and Saviour of the world. — In thee 
 I am well pleased, rather, ftras well pleased' 
 The verb is in the aorist, or indefinite jireter- 
 ite, and may rarely be used where a perfect 
 ten.se would do as well, but not (except the 
 so-called gmmiic use, or in similes) for a pres- 
 ent. Yet the familiar English present gives 
 an effect so suitable that we are ready to 
 think no other could have been intended, and 
 translators have from the beginning dealt 
 with the phrase as though (with reverence be 
 it spoken) the All-wise had blundered; and 
 commentators have had to labor to show why 
 it might be so. Had they rendered it as a 
 perfect, "I have been well pleased," it might 
 be said, in its favor, that the state of mind ex- 
 pressed plainly continues to the time of speak- 
 
70 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 ing. That is so ; it is not shown, however, by 
 the tense of the verb, but by the nature (^f the 
 case, and would be shown with the English 
 preterite just as it is in the Greek. (See Butt- 
 man, Gram, of New Testament Greek, p. 198 ; 
 and compare Dr. Conant's note on Matt. 
 23: 1, Version of American Bible Union, 
 Quarto Edition.) It may be said, that if we 
 allow the verb to refer us to the past, we do 
 not know to what point to go back ; and that 
 may well incite us to more study of the ques- 
 tion, but is no reason why we should preclude 
 it. Perhaps the divine thought is: "In the 
 adoption of that plan of human redemption, 
 of which thou wast to be the Mediator and 
 Finisher, I was well pleased with thee." Such 
 references of the aorist tense to counsels of 
 eternity are common. But we would only 
 suggest, not attempt to decide. What recog- 
 nition and consecration, more satisfactory, 
 could the Son of man have desired, or possi- 
 bly have received? 
 
 Note on thk Significance of Christ's 
 Baptism. — Since Luke calls John's baptism 
 "a baptism of repentance," thus implying 
 a recognition of guilt on the part of its recip- 
 ients, while Matthew and Mark tell us ex- 
 pressly that they were baptized "confessing 
 their sins" (Matt. 3:6; Mark i:5), qucstious nat- 
 urally arise touching the baptism of the sin- 
 less Jesus. Why should it be sought by 
 him? How could it be allowed by John? 
 Yet neither Mark nor Luke speaks of any 
 doubt felt by the parties to the act, or inti- 
 mates any of his own. Luke might seem to 
 intend an explanation in some sense by con- 
 necting this baptism with that of all the 
 people, as though he felt that Jesus, by rea- 
 son simply of his being of the people, needed 
 to identify himself with them in their move- 
 ment toward the Messiah's kingdom. He 
 also (like Mark) places the baptism at such a 
 point in the history of Jesus as to show that 
 the act was regarded as denoting the transi- 
 tion from the private life of the latter to his 
 public and oflacial function. But our sur- 
 prise remains that he should not have noticed 
 the difference, in respect to this rite, between 
 him who "knew no sin" and the sinful 
 crowds. 
 
 A variety of dogmatic answers to the per- 
 plexing question have been offered through 
 centuries past. After the plan of redemption 
 had been accomi)lish(;d, and the full light of 
 
 revelation thrown upon it, such answers 
 would occur to one and another thoughtful 
 man, and be carried back to the beginning of 
 "the gospel of Jesus Christ" (Micrki.i). A 
 number of these have been equally and so 
 diversely plausible as largely to cancel each 
 other, and none of them satisfies inquiry, as 
 suggested by the historical record of the 
 event. Could they have been in the minds 
 of the evangelists? Yet it would seem as 
 if something had been in their minds, to 
 account for their reporting the baptism of 
 Jesus as a matter of course. 
 
 Must we not suppose that, while they spoke 
 of John's baptism in its ordinary application 
 as significant of a sense of sin, and as a 
 pledge to repentance, they saw also that it 
 was initiatory to the new religious dispensa- 
 tion which was dawning on the world? The 
 repentance professed and promised in this 
 symbol was, if sincere, a prelude to forgive- 
 ness of sin at the hands of the Messiah, and 
 to eternal life. But this presupposed mem- 
 bership in the kingdom of the Messiah. This 
 kingdom in its earthly realization involved a 
 social system, a governmental polity, an or- 
 ganization. It would have its distinctive forms 
 and peculiar rule. Into this baptism would in- 
 troduce its meiiibers. Baptism, in other words, 
 was, as the rite guaranteeing repentance, a 
 door of entrance into the kingdom, for those 
 whose hearts had been so prepared. It was 
 thus both and equally an expression and 
 pledge of renewedness of mind on the one 
 hand, and on the other of adherence to the 
 cause and company of the Messiah. It was 
 suflScient for John to present the former 
 aspect in urging it on the wicked and self- 
 righteous multitudes; the latter was that in 
 which it would be equally appropriate to 
 Jesus also. He was to be the head of that 
 very kingdom, and it was fit that he should 
 honor its appointed rites, and especially honor 
 this rite by receiving in connection with it 
 that last requisite sign and bestowment, the 
 dove-like form and the measureless fullness 
 of the Holy Spirit. This, while unnecessary 
 for him, perhaps, in his individual capacity, 
 was the indispensable anointing with the 
 Holy Spirit (Acts 10: 38), the chrism, by which 
 he became the Christ, and so duly quali- 
 fied for the unique and supremely exigent 
 office of Saviour for mankind. 
 
 Is not this answer to the. question which 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 71 
 
 23 And Jesus himself began to be "about thirty years 
 of age, being (as was supposed; *the son of Joseph, 
 which was Ihe .vort of Heli, 
 
 24 Which wxs Ike son of Matthat, which was the, son 
 of I^vi which was lAe son of Melchi, which was the 
 son of Jauna, which was the son of Joseph, 
 
 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was Ihe 
 son of Aiuos, wliich was the son of Nauiii, wliich was the 
 son of Esli, which was the son of Naggc, 
 
 26 Which was the son of Maath, wliich was tfie son of 
 Mattathias, which was Ihe son of ."^eiiiei, which was the 
 son of Joseph, which was Ik/: son of Juda, 
 
 23 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was 
 about thirty years of age, being the son (as was sup- 
 
 24 posed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, 
 the so)i of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, 
 
 25 the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the 40/4 of 
 Aiuos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of 
 
 26 Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the 
 
 aNum. 4:3, 35, 39, 43, 47.... t Malt. 13: 55; JobD6:4.(. 
 
 we are following out (an answer latent in 
 Murk and Luke), expressly sanctioned by 
 our Saviour himself, in his reply to John's 
 statement (»f the very difficulty which raises 
 our question? John had implied tluit it was 
 improper for him to baptize one whom his 
 moral instinct, as we might say (not to speak 
 of some acquaintance which he probably had 
 with the holy life that Jesus had led), showed 
 him to be exempt from those sins with which 
 all other men, including himself, were charge- 
 able. Jesus says, in effect: " Lay aside such 
 scruples in this matter note. It is not un- 
 becoming to either of us — to thee as implying 
 arrogance, to me as acknowledging inferiority 
 — that I should receive baptism at thy hands. 
 It is altogether fit. I am yet a private person. 
 Thou art. in closing the preparatory economy, 
 to inaugurate the new, and it is incumbent 
 on me formally to assume my official head- 
 ship of the latter through the ordinance by 
 which all my subjects are to enter in. This 
 is directly required of us both by my Father." 
 Righteousness is, in general, conformity with 
 the declared will of God. The "righteous- 
 ness" of which our Lord here speaks is thus 
 — and what else can it be? — compliance with 
 God's declared will in the matter of his bap- 
 tism, declared to John as he tells us (Jnhni:3s), 
 and to Jesus in whatever indication had 
 moved him to go to the baptism, and to pray 
 as he did in coming up from the water. It 
 was thus on both sides the performance of an 
 appointed duty, an act of righteousness, per- 
 fectly consistent with Christ's complete holi- 
 ness, if not even assuming it, and resulting 
 in the full discharge of "all" obligation 
 preliminary to his public recognition as the 
 Son of God. 
 
 The becomingness, amounting to a solemn 
 obligation on his part to submit to this ordi- 
 nance, would be clear to our Lord, if he saw 
 even then that significance of it to every 
 worthy recipient, which the apostles after- 
 
 wards discerned as lying in it, namely, a 
 death and resurrection. Paul (Rom.6:«, and 
 repeatedly) sees baptism to be a symbol of 
 the believer's burial, consequent upon a 
 death to sin and a resurrection to a new 
 and holy life. To Jesus it would be a symbol 
 of tliat actual death of shame and agony, a 
 sacrificial death, to which in entering on his 
 Messianic course he consciously devoted him- 
 self. It is hard to believe that John did not 
 himself gain this conception of what he did, 
 especially in connection with the Father's 
 testimony to the Sonship of Jesus, when we 
 hear him the next day saying of him: "Be- 
 hold the Lamb of God, which taketh away 
 the sin of the world." 
 
 With the fuller record of Matthew and of 
 John before us, there thus seems plainly a 
 sufficient explanation afforded how Jesus 
 could consistently be baptized, while the 
 rite in general signified a sense of sin, and 
 of the need of a new birth to a holy life. 
 Luke and Mark, not bringing in that addi- 
 tional information, simply, as narrators, 
 leave the facts recorded by them to suggest 
 the explanation. John's baptism was, in its 
 general aspect, a baptism of repentance. 
 But even in this, their readers knew, lay the 
 idea of a baptism of self-consecration to the' 
 kingdom of God, and in so far it was appro- 
 priate to the sinless Jesus as Head of that 
 kingdom. Thej', as probably did their 
 sources of information, simply leave the 
 facts to disclose the v)hole significance of 
 the rite. 
 
 23-38. Genealogy of orR Lord. Hav- 
 ing reached the point where Jesus steps forth 
 from his private sphere, fully prepared to 
 enter on his work of salvation for the world, 
 our author, mentioning his age, goes on to 
 give his lineage. His motive in doing this 
 was not the same as that of Matthew, who, to 
 prove Je-sus the promised seed of Abraham 
 and son of David, the Messiah, King of 
 
72 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. hi. 
 
 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of 
 Rhesa, which was Ifie son of Zorobabel, which was the 
 son of Salathiel, which was th'' son. of Neri, 
 
 28 Which was * jon of Melchi, which was the son of 
 Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of 
 Elniodam, which was the son of Er, 
 
 29 Which was Ihe son of Jose, which was the son of 
 Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the so7i 
 of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 
 
 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son 
 of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son 
 of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 
 
 31 Which was Ihe son of Melea, whicli was the son of 
 Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the 
 son of" Nathan, 'which was the son of David, 
 
 32 'Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of 
 Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of 
 Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 
 
 27 son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the 
 son of Joanan, the son of Hhesa, the son of Zerub- 
 
 28 babel, the son of ^ Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of 
 Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of 
 
 29 Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Jesus, the son of 
 Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son 
 
 30 of Levi, the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son 
 
 31 of Joseph, the s07i of Jouani, the son of Eliakim, the 
 son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, 
 
 32 the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, 
 the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of ^Salmon, 
 
 «Zech, 12: 12 b 2 Snm. 5: 14; I Chron. 3:5 c Ruth 4: 18, etc.; 1 Chron. 2: 10, etc.- 
 
 autborities write, Sola. 
 
 -1 Gr. Salathiel 2 Suiue ancient 
 
 Israel, traces his descent, the first thing, from 
 the ancestor of the nation down, through its 
 royal line, to Joseph, the commonly supposed 
 father of Christ; Luke, from the desire 
 rather to make his readers acquainted with 
 the human derivation of Jesus from God, 
 through the whole line of that humanity 
 which he came to redeem, cannot allow him 
 to pass the point at which it would still be 
 natural to introduce this item, without carry- 
 ing his parentage back to the first man, and 
 to his parentage, namely, to God. 
 
 23. And Jesus himself began to be 
 about thirty years of age. This verse 
 should read : And Jesus himself, when he began 
 to teach, was about thirty years of age. This 
 is now very generally agreed by scholars to 
 be the meaning of the Greek sentence, only 
 some might prefer to supply, instead of "to 
 teach" in the Kevision, "his ministry," or 
 his "work." Luke gives us the age as 
 nearly as his sources of information would 
 enable him; but the term "about" is so 
 elastic in its qualifying power, as to frustrate 
 all attempts to fix the precise age of Jesus at 
 his baptism, or the time which had elapsed 
 since the beginning of John's ministry. The 
 age of thirty was reckoned by both Jews and 
 Greeks as the point of full maturity of the 
 powers of men, both physical and mental, 
 for both sacred and civil functions. — Being 
 (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, 
 which was the son of Heli, etc. The 
 order of the Kevision, the son (as was sup- 
 posed), is right. Here we see that Luke 
 begins with Jesus and goes back through a 
 series of progenitors, the natural order of an 
 inquirer into his special parentage : while 
 Matthew, as if following the series of the 
 
 public records, comes down from a known 
 ancestor to Christ. The existence of tliis 
 latter kind of records is evident from the 
 fixed custom of resorting for enrollment to 
 each man's own city, (s:3). That the means 
 of tracing the pedigree of a particular indi- 
 vidual back were extant also, appears from 
 cases such as that of Anna (2:3fi), and Paul, 
 (Phil. 3:5). Other diff'erences between the two 
 genealogies are obvious. Matthew makes, 
 from Abraham, three sections of fourteen 
 (twice seven) names, down to Christ; while 
 Luke mentions fifty-four between the same 
 limits, no pairs of which are identical in the 
 two lists, after David, except in the case of. 
 Shealtiel and Zerubabel. What was the 
 relation, then, between the two series of 
 names? That there was no irreconcilable 
 diflference may be assumed, because there was 
 no such allegation made in the early age 
 when inaccuracy and contradiction, if ex- 
 isting, could easily be demonstrated. The 
 absence, as to us, of all sources from which 
 the two evangelists drew, leaves us to con- 
 jecture only how they stood toward each 
 other. Two leading hypotheses have been 
 employed to effect harmony, neither of which 
 is free from serious deficiency, but either of 
 which may help to show that there is no 
 necessary incompatibility between the two 
 accounts. 
 
 I. Both give an account of the lineage of 
 Joseph, Christ's father, as supposed in his 
 day. Of this supposition there are two varie- 
 ties. (1) Matthew gives the royal line of 
 David, showing the reigning, or ruling per- 
 sonages, as long as there were such, and theii» 
 legal heirs, through whom the blood royal 
 came to Joseph, without attempting to give 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 73 
 
 33 Which was Ihe son of Aniinadab, which was the son 
 of Aram, which was the son of Ksroiu, which was the son 
 of Phares, whicli was the son of Jiida, 
 
 34 Which was Ihe son of Jacob, which was the son of 
 Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, "which was the 
 son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 
 
 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the. son of 
 Raeau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son 
 of Hebcr, which was the son of Sala, 
 
 36 ' Which was the son of Cainau, which was the son of 
 Arphaxail, " which was the son of Seiii, which was the 
 son of Noe, which was Ihe son of Lauiech, 
 
 37 Whidi was Ihe son of Mathiisala, which was the son 
 of Enoch, which wiis the son of Jaredj which was the 
 son of Maleleel, which was the son o( Cainan, 
 
 38 Wliich was the son of Enos, which was the son of 
 Seth, which was the son of Adam, ''whicli was l/u: son of 
 God. 
 
 33 the son of Nahshon, the .son of Amminadab, ^thc son 
 of ' Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son 
 
 34 of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the .von 
 
 35 of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the 
 son of SiTui;;, the son of Hen, the son of Peleg, the son 
 
 36 of El)er, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son 
 of Arphaxad, the son of Sheni, the son of Noah, tlie 
 
 37 .vo« of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of 
 Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalcel, the 
 
 38 son of Cainan, the son of Enos the so7i of beth, the 
 son of Adam, the son of God. 
 
 a Gen. 11 : 24, 26 6 See Oen. II : 12 c Gen 5: f>, etc.; II : 10, etc d Gen. 5 ; 1, 2. 1 Manr ancient authorities iusert, the 
 
 SOD of Admin: MDd one writes, Admin for Amminadob....'i Some uucieut uutliurities write, Aram. 
 
 the actual series of his immediate forefathers; 
 while Luke gave just this, the true paternal 
 descent, not concerning himself with the offi- 
 cial lineage. This is the view advocated labori- 
 ously by Lord Hervey, among many, (see 
 Smith's Diet of the Bible, Am. Ed., p, 884,ff;. 
 He thinks the case so plain, according to that 
 view, that it scarcely needs discussion. "One 
 has only to read them [the two genealogies] 
 to be satisfied of this." "St. Luke's is Jo- 
 seph's private genealogy."' "This is capable 
 of being almost demonstrated." Where a 
 conjecture might be ventured, he says, "it is 
 perfectly certain," etc. 
 
 (2.) Vice versa, it is maintained with much 
 force that Matthew's word "begat," repeated 
 so many times, implies the actual generation 
 of the several descendants, while Luke's 
 phrase "son of," is freely applicable to one 
 legally brought (hy adoption, or otherwise) 
 into the family of David. This supposition is 
 maintained with much fullness of discussion, 
 learning, and confidcmce, by Dr. J. B. Mc- 
 Clellan, in a note to his Neio Translation of 
 the New Testament, (Vol. I., p. 408, ff.) 
 
 II. Luke presents the family record of Mary 
 the mother of Jesus, with the design rather 
 of exhibiting our Lord's common descent with 
 all men, according to the flesh, from Adam, 
 the father of all. In doing this he shows 
 incidentally that Mary too was truly of the 
 offspring of David. As the ancient genealo- 
 gies, Jewish or Roman, would not start from 
 the mother, Luke begins with Joseph (as 
 representing Mary), who thus becomes, in a 
 loose sense, son of her (assumed) father, Heli. 
 Some would facilitate this hypothesis by ex- 
 tending the parenthesis in the verse before us, j 
 so as to make it, " Being the son (as was sup- i 
 posed of Joseph) of Heli." Thus the sonship 
 
 of Jesus would be directly referred (through 
 Mary, who could not be named in the series) 
 to Heli, supposed to be her father. The ab- 
 sence, in the Greek, of the article before 
 Joseph, which precedes every name in the 
 series after that, slightly favors that view, 
 grammatically. The explanation afforded, 
 however, is on the whole not satisfactory ; and 
 if the alternative view, in either aspect of it. 
 did not involve a number of vicjlent a.<sump- 
 tions, this would meet with little favor. If it 
 be accepted, no other difficulties are suggested 
 by the comparison with Matthew's pedigree, 
 except that the two lines coincide in the two 
 names, Shealtiel and Zorobabel, about which 
 the difficulty is much the same on either sup- 
 position. To the objection that the Jews and 
 Romans took no account of women in their 
 family records, it may be answered that the 
 case of Anna (2:36) shows that a woman's 
 derivation could be traced, as is proved by 
 Paul's case also, ("a Hebrew of Hebrews"), 
 and that Luke cared little about the legal or 
 official record; but much about the connec- 
 tion of Jesus with all that was highest in the 
 Hebrew line, and all that was most ancient in 
 the ancestry of mankind. There might seem 
 a special rea.'^on why custom should be de- 
 parted from in this ca.se, because the Messiah 
 was to be born of a virgin. This would show, 
 also, how the prophecies concerning "the 
 seed of Abraham" were fulfilled, and how 
 " Jesus Christ our Lord " " was made of the 
 seed of David according to the flesh " (R.mi. i:3)^ 
 and not merely by legal succession; a thing 
 which, as the companion of Paul, Luke'might 
 have an interest in maintaining. This view, 
 in the main, is advocatetl by Godet, preceded 
 by Knapp, Bengel, Spannheim, and others. 
 If we must adopt either of the harnionittic 
 
74 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AND <" Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned 
 from Jordan, and ' was led by the Spirit into the 
 
 2 Being forty davs tempted of the devil. And "in 
 those days he did eat nothing: and when they were 
 ended, he afterward hungered. 
 
 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from 
 the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit ii^ the wilder- 
 ness during forty days, being tempted of the devil. 
 
 2 And he did eat nothing in those days: and when 
 
 a Mitlt. 4:1: Mark 1: 12.... 6 ver. U; ch.2: 27.... c Ex.34: 28; 1 Kings 19: 8. 
 
 methods above mentioned, we should hesi- 
 tatingly decide for the latter, notwithstanding 
 the absence of direct mention of Mary, which 
 alone hinders it from being unquestionably 
 valid. But we prefer to leave the final de- 
 cision in abeyance, while resting confidently 
 in the accuracy of both accounts, as drawn 
 from sources of evidence open to the writers, 
 but lost to us. 
 
 Some differences in the forms of names will 
 be noticed in comparing the Revised with the 
 Common Version. These result, either from 
 following more ancient and better copies of 
 the Greek text in the former version, or from 
 the plan of conforming proper names of an- 
 cient personages in the New Testament to 
 those with which we are familiar in the Old. 
 
 Ch. 4: 1-13. The Temptation. 
 
 1. Full of the Holy Ghost {Spirit) as the 
 
 result of that singular endowment which he 
 had just received at the baptism; for this is 
 to be understood, in Luke's order, as following 
 close upon that event. That gift becomes the 
 element, support, and moving power of his 
 whole life henceforth (see ver. 13.)— Re- 
 turned from (the) Jordan. The word trans- 
 lated returned, was a favorite with Luke, 
 who used it thirty-two times out of the thirty- 
 five in which it occurs in all the New Testa- 
 ment. It would, here, naturally lead us to 
 the conclusion that Jesus returned to Galilee, 
 from which he had come ; and when we read 
 instead, that he was led by the Spirit into 
 {in) the wilderness, we are left in doubt 
 whether this is related as an incident and in- 
 terruption of the journey back, the account 
 of which is then resumed in ver. 14, with a 
 repetition of and Jesus returned, etc., or 
 whether the verb is here used in a diflTerent 
 ■ sense, of a separate movement "toward the 
 wilderness," equivalent to "turned away." 
 The former is much more probable, (ionsider- 
 ing that in every other instance the verb <vno(r- 
 rpe^u) is distinctly used of the movement 
 
 back to the place or state from which it began. 
 — He was led by the Spirit — strictl^^, in the 
 Spirit. This shows, as in the parallel passages 
 of Matthew and Mark, that his movements 
 were animated, directed, impelled by the 
 Spirit, which he had received without meas- 
 ure. — Into (literally, in) the wilderness. 
 That he is here said to have been " led in the 
 wilderness," shows that our record contem- 
 plates a later stage of his experience than 
 that where it was said he was led up"(MH[thew), 
 and that the Spirit "driveth him" (Mark), into 
 the wilderness. Together they show that his 
 entering upon this trial, and his continuance 
 in it, and through it, were not against, but in 
 obedience to, the influence and control of the 
 divine Power which had sealed and conse- 
 crated him to his Messianic office. 
 
 3. Forty days. This connects itself pri- 
 marily with the preceding clause (see the 
 Revision), showing that the impulse of the 
 Spirit was upon him all that time. He was, 
 as it would seem, caused to move from place 
 to place in his solitude. Who can tell the 
 thouglits that occupied his mind? It was 
 equally a period of protracted temptation; 
 for the following clause, being tempted of 
 the devil, is also connected with the "forty 
 days." Mark again makes the temptation run 
 through the whole time, while Matthew, 
 overlooking this, fixes attention on the tliree 
 grand assaults of the adversary, which all the 
 Synoptists speak of as closing up the long 
 season of trial. — And in those days he did 
 eat nothing. It was a voluntary fast, con- 
 sistent with the concentration of the thoughts 
 of Jesus upon themes connected with that 
 work which was now formally devolved upon 
 him. His case was comparable to that of 
 Moses in the mount (ex. 24: is), and of Elijah 
 on his long journey through the wilderness 
 to Horeb (i Kings 19 : s). We can hardly be mis- 
 taken in imagining that there pa.ssed under 
 his .survey a variety of possible methods for 
 the conduct of his work, and the attainment 
 of its divinely appointed end. And all, we 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 75 
 
 3 ADd the devil said unto him, If thou l)e the Son of I 
 God, coiuiuaud this stone that it he luaile hread. 
 
 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, » It is written, | 
 
 3 they were c()nij)leted, he hungered. And the devil 
 said unto him, it thuu art the Son of (jod, cnuimaud 
 
 4 this stone that it become i bread. And Jesus 
 
 a Deut. 8 : 3 1 Or. a loaf. 
 
 may be sure, was in prayerful coiuniuuiou 
 with his Father in heaven.— And when they 
 were completed, he afterward hungered. 
 
 During the h)iig mental toil, nut vvitliuut con- 
 flict, he might be comparatively uncon.scious 
 of physical needs. But when the limit of 
 endurance was reached, there would nat- 
 urally be an awful craving for food. 
 
 3. And the devil said unto him. The 
 same personage is called in Mark, Satan, and 
 in Matthew, the Tempter. Satan, in the 
 Hebrew, meant "adversary," "accuser," and 
 is freely applied to human foes as well as to 
 the accuser before God (Jobi:6). The corre- 
 sponding Greek word, Dinbolos, also meant, as 
 an adjective, "accusing," "calumniating"; 
 but with the article (6 fito/SoAo?), "the devil," 
 alwa^'s either (1), the great adversary of God 
 and man, prince of the powers of evil, who 
 tempts man to sin, opposes God in his work 
 of salvation, and leads in all the movements 
 of hostility to Christ; the head, in short, of 
 all spirits and agencies of wickedness and 
 harm, as Christ is of all holy and helpful 
 powers and influences; or ('2>, any man re- 
 garded as possessed of the spirit, and doing 
 the work, of the devil (John 6: -o), like to which, 
 although the s^-nonomous Satan is used, are 
 (MHti. 16:23; M:irk 8 : 3.1). For the purposc of being 
 tempted b^- him had Jesus, on the threshold 
 of his ministry, been urged out into the 
 horrid solitudes of the desert, with wild 
 bea.sts for company (Mark i : 13) ; and of his lures 
 and machinations, had he been more or less 
 conscious, during the meditations and pray- 
 ers of this period. And the idea of "tempta- 
 tion" here includes every element that ever, 
 in any relation, enters into it. It is the put- 
 ting him to the test in all his powers, not with 
 that trial which a man is blessed when he 
 falls intf) (J:<me.si: 2), but t.at which has for its 
 malignant aim to lead into sin and its wretch- 
 edness. It was as though, now that Jesus 
 had been declared the Son of God, he was to 
 encounter all the wiles and opposition of him 
 whose rule over the souls of men it was his 
 errand to destroy, and thus to demonstrate 
 his personal, intrinsic capacity for the Messi- 
 anic work, to which, by his baptism, he had 
 been officially consecrated. The Sou of God 
 
 encounters the prince of the demons in a deci- 
 sive conflict. 
 
 We are not told how the latter came into 
 contact with Jesus — whether there was any 
 visible form such that a man present would 
 have seen him at all; nor need we speculate 
 on this further than to suppose (which we 
 must, to vindicate our Saviour from the sus- 
 picion of originating the temptations to him- 
 self), that he was distinctly aware of the 
 actual presence of the arch-enemy. It Wivs a 
 real contest between the Saviour and an 
 external Vjeing, distinct to the inward eye, at 
 least, not his own thoughts marshaled against 
 each other. 
 
 In the confidence of a pride warninted by 
 numberless victories over the piet^' of men, 
 from their first ancestor down, that person 
 <;ame to our Lord in his faintness, and un- 
 speakable need of food. 
 
 3. And the devil said nnto him. If thou 
 be {art) the Son of God. The indicative 
 mood (which accords with the correct Greek 
 reading) assumes that the Saviour is such. 
 The tempter is aware of the testimony which 
 has been given from on high to his Sonshiji; 
 and, whether believing it or not, whether 
 understanding fully what it involves or not, 
 speaks as if he did; and on this fact bases 
 the insidious proposition which he makes: 
 "Son of God, act worthily of thy divine dig- 
 nity." — Command this stone that it be 
 made bread. Strictly, Speak to this stone, 
 that it may become a loaf. This stone is 
 more vivid than "these stones" in Matthew, 
 singling out some one lying near, which, in 
 size and shrape, may have resembled one of 
 their flat loaves. Farrar {Life of Christ, I., 
 129), supposes it may have been one of a kind 
 of "siliceous accretions, sometimes known 
 under the name of lapides judnici, which 
 assujiie the exact shape of little loaves of 
 bread." Compare Stanley {Sinai and Pales- 
 tine, p. 153), for the imitative shapes of min- 
 erals found in Palestine. What is the harm 
 of this projiosal? Wherein is it a temptation? 
 The sense of it was: "The creative power 
 which pertains to thee as God's Son, for the 
 purposes of his kingdom, emjiloy thou to 
 relieve thyself from personal distress, which 
 
76 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV 
 
 That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 
 word ol' God. 
 
 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high moun- 
 tain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world 
 in a moment of time. 
 
 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I 
 give thee, and the glory of them : for 'that is delivered 
 unto me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 
 
 answered unto him. It is written, Man shall not live 
 
 5 by bread alone. And he led him up, and shewed 
 him all the kingdoms of ithe world in a moment of 
 
 6 time. And the devil said unto him. To thee will I 
 give all this authority, and the glory of them : for it 
 hath been delivered iinto me ; and to whomsoever I 
 
 aJohnl'i: 13; 14:30; Rev. 13: 2,7. IGr. the inhabited earth. 
 
 is SO incompatible with thy comfort and thy 
 honor." But Jesus knew, perhaps Satan 
 also, that this was the very thing which the 
 Spirit had brought him there to bear, and, in 
 bearing the dreadful trial of his own natural 
 appetite, he was not to be lured by the arts of 
 the tempter. His decision in this, as in the 
 following tests, was significant of a principle 
 which ruled him in all his Messianic life on 
 earth. He would bring fish out of the sea, 
 and multiply the loaves indefinitely to meet 
 the wants of his followers; but when he found 
 no figs on the barren tree, he went on with 
 his own hunger unappeased. He would trust 
 himself to his Father's care. 
 
 4. It is written. Thus early does he 
 begin to indicate his intimacy with the Old 
 Testament, his constant use of it, and sense of 
 its value as the storehouse and arsenal for the 
 nourishment and defence of saints.— That 
 man shall not live by (rather, on) bread 
 alone. The remainder of this verse in the 
 Common Version is pretty certainly trans- 
 ferred hither from Matt. 4: 4, where it be- 
 longs. In making this quotation, the Saviour 
 recognizes his own perfect humanity (what is 
 true of man in general (6 avepuinoi) is true of 
 him), and hence his liability to the conditions, 
 and obligations of humanity. Man's true 
 life is not dependent on the gratification of his 
 appetite for food; even if this should be en- 
 tirely withheld, the life of the soul, nourished 
 by God's truth, may still go forward and 
 upward. To do his Father's will is already 
 the meat and drink of Christ; and to him will 
 he leave the providing for his wants. 
 
 5. And the devil, taking {leading) him 
 up. Luke does not give the designation 
 whither (see the Revision), although that also 
 in the received text has been added from 
 Matthew's narrative. — Shewed him all the 
 kingdoms of the world in a moment of 
 time. Here we may almost certainly see 
 that it is not intended we should understand 
 a literal standing place, whether mountain or 
 
 tower; or an act of physical vision. The 
 readers of the Gospels knew there were no 
 mountains in that part of the world so high as 
 to give human eyes a view through even the 
 clearest air, over the most exceptionally fa- 
 vorable scene, from the highest peaks to the 
 highest, of more than about two hundred 
 miles diameter. It was. however, to the 
 Saviour, as impressive a sight of all kingdoms, 
 as if he could have been placed where they 
 would lie simultaneously under his natural 
 glance. They were presented, in a splendid 
 phantasmagoria, to the inward vision as if 
 present to the outward view. The unreal 
 character of the display, "and at the same time 
 its miraculous impressiveness, is indicated by 
 the addition, in a moment of time (strictly, 
 in a point). The appeal to our Lord's pure 
 and unselfish ambition, to that desire for in- 
 tellectual and social superiority, influence, 
 rule, which is called in fallen men "the last 
 infirmity of noble minds," aspiring in his 
 case simply after the widest possible field of 
 beneficence, was doubtless as strong as can be 
 conceived. 
 
 6. All this power will I give thee, and 
 the glory of them. The Revision presents 
 the right order and rendering: "7\> tliee will 
 I give.' ^ The position makes it emphatic: 
 many have desired even a small part of such 
 authority — kings and priests, and philoso- 
 phers, and have wished in vain; the greatest 
 potentates have, possessed but a fragment oi* 
 it — "but to thee will I give it all." It is the 
 offer of dominion, combining in one the 
 authority of Solomon, Sesostris, Alexander, 
 Cesar, and all that had ever been famous on 
 earth. The glory of them, is the glor^' of 
 all those kingdoms; that is, the power of their 
 governments, the luxury of their courts, and 
 the splendor of their armies; the magnifi- 
 cence of their cities, and number of their 
 towns, palaces, castles, monuments, pictures, 
 statues, libraries; their bustling commerce, 
 and patient agriculture, the source of all. To 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 77 
 
 7 If thou therefore wilt ' worship me, all shall be 
 thine. 
 
 8 And Jesus answered and said unto hiiu, Get thee 
 behind uje, Satan : for 'it is written, Thou shall wor- 
 ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou s^Vve. 
 
 7 will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, it 
 
 8 shall all bethine. And Jesus answered and said unto 
 him. It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
 
 a Or, /all down be/ore me. ...b Deut. 6 : 13 ; 10 : 20. 
 
 justify SO arrogant a proposal, the tempter 
 proceeds with a promise. — For that is de- 
 livered unto me, and to whomsoever I 
 will I give it. This was false, but well 
 suited to beguile one who did not bear in 
 mind that it was "the father of lies" who 
 was speaking. There was, moreover, then, 
 as there ever has been, a sufficient show of the 
 authority and glory of the world being be- 
 stowed on the devotees of Satan, to move 
 multitudes of the ambitious to heed his lying 
 proffers. He is called afterward by our Lord, 
 "the prince of this world," or age; but that 
 is said in view of the voluntary self-subjection 
 of the moral world to him. It may be that 
 he can, and does, so instigate and direct 
 wicked men that they prove more successful, 
 temporarily, in the attainment of worldly ad- 
 vantages. But we know of nothing to suj)- 
 port what he here declares to our Lord, that 
 the power and glory of all the earth have 
 been given by God to his supreme adversary 
 to dispose of for the pleasure of the latter, and 
 for his ends. Had he better known, or been 
 more able to appreciate the holy ambition of 
 Jesus to gain imvoTd influence over the ! 
 thoughts and aftVctions of men in all the 
 kingdoms, to rule them only for their eternal 
 advantage, he would not have wasted his im- 
 potent craft. 
 
 The Saviour could liardly have understood 
 this offer of the prince of the world, us per- 
 sonal to him, in such a sense as not to involve 
 the policy of his cause, the administration of 
 his kingdom. That, also, should flourish and 
 come to prevail throughout all the world, so 
 that the authority of the kingdoms and the 
 glory of them should belong to it, through 
 the gift of that "murderer from the begin- 
 ning." 
 
 7. If thou therefore wilt worship (pay 
 homage to, or salnfnfions of respect before) 
 me, ail shall be thine. Now it appears 
 that there is an important condition to the 
 bestowment of that gift which has been 
 ofl'ered so freely. Thou is strongly emphatic 
 here again, as if the devil had a favor toward 
 Jesus, so that \i he would accept it, he would 
 
 take it from those now in possession of it^ and 
 it — the authority— all shall be thine. We 
 can easily fancy that he thought he had 
 gained the consent of the object of his address. 
 We know that our Lord would not have 
 taken the slightest gift at his hands, however 
 free, or valuable in itself; and we have a 
 proof of it in the fact that he did not exchange 
 one word with him in regard to any proffers, 
 except to reject them abruptly, each by a 
 Scripture text. The condition of reverence 
 to Satan did not require ostensible religious 
 worship, or avowed subordination. It might 
 apparently have been satisfied with a kind, 
 and degree of outward respect which would 
 avoid open hostility, and allow mutual inde- 
 pendence. And in the furtherance of the 
 gospel cause — in other words, in the organiza- 
 tion and development of Christ's Kingdom — 
 we can imagine it being so understood that if 
 the kingdom of Satan were not attacked and 
 warred against, he would engage that the 
 whole should go under the name of Christ's 
 cause. But our Lord had come into the 
 world to destroy the works of the devil, so 
 that he could hear of no homage; and his 
 "kingdom was not of this world," so that he 
 was not concerned to win the authority or 
 glory of the world. No sooner, therefore, 
 had he heard what the tempter had to pro- 
 pose, than he was ready again with another 
 Scripture. 
 
 8. It is written. Thou shalt worship 
 the Lord thy God, and him only shalt 
 thou serve. This Scrii)ture was evidently 
 cited, not only as a defence to the Saviour, 
 but a condemnation of Satan. It may be 
 noticed that the passage is quoted freel^', ac- 
 cording to its sense as bearing on the present 
 case, not according to the letter. Both the 
 Hebrew, and the Greek Version then com- 
 monly in use, have, "Thou shalt /effr the 
 Lord," etc. Serve— at the end, is, in the 
 Greek, the verb which expresses the idea of 
 worship ofl>;red in outward prayers and vows, 
 and sacrifices. The aptness and promptness 
 of the answer should be remarked by every 
 Christian. The form of adoration must not 
 
78 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 9 "And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on 
 .a piiinacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be 
 the Son of (jod, cast thyself down from hence: 
 
 10 For 'it is written. He shall give his angels charge 
 over thee, to keep thee : 
 
 9 God, and him only shall thou serve. And he led him 
 
 to Jerusalem, and set him on the 'pinnacle of the 
 
 temple, and said unto hiui. If thou art the Son 
 
 10 of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is 
 
 written. 
 
 He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, 
 to guard thee : 
 
 a Matt. 4: 5.... 6 Ps. 91 : 11. 1 Or, wing. 
 
 be offered without its spirit, and neither, ex- 
 cept to "the blessed and only Potentate, the 
 King of kings and Lord of lords." 
 
 9. A third test was to be applied before the 
 devil would yield to his defeat. And lie 
 brought {led) him to Jerusalem. Whether 
 actually, in the body or not, is to be answered 
 according to the view which one takes of the 
 whole series of these temptations. If we re- 
 gard the preceding as of the nature of a vision, 
 this will naturally be so judged. And the 
 last two temptations are either that, or, con- 
 sidering the tasks involved, and the ex- 
 hausted condition of the Saviour when they 
 began, they are pure miracles, which forbid 
 all speculation even, as to the manner of their 
 performance. And set him on a {the) pin- 
 nacle of the temple. The pinnacle, 
 equivalent to wing, or winglet, is translated 
 by some, "the parapet." The temple is 
 here, as in the great majorjty of instances, 
 the temple courts, with all their appurtenance 
 of costly and magnificent buildings. (See on 
 2: 27.) At what part of it the pinnacle or 
 parapet is to be located, is not certain.; but 
 the nature of the case leads us strongly to 
 think it must have been some well known 
 prominence on the cornice of the outer wall 
 of the outer porch, near the southeastern 
 angle. This was called the Royal Porch, 
 which crowned the foundation wall built up 
 from the depths of the Kidron valley. Thus 
 the depth in this part from the summit of the 
 porch to the bottom of the foundation wall is 
 represented by Josephus as appalling. (Ant., 
 15, 11. 5.) If thou be {art) the Son of 
 God, cast thyself down from hence. 
 The inducement for Christ to throw himself 
 down, if any could be imagined, would be, 
 probably, on the supposition that he should 
 safelj' accomplish it, that he might gain re- 
 nown from this evidence of his wonder-work- 
 ing power. The other tests had assailed his 
 natural bodily appetite, and his ambition for 
 extensive rule. This aims at his Messianic 
 pride. It challenges him again, on the 
 ground o{ his being the Son of God, to do 
 
 something becoming such a personage; and, 
 as if presuming on that trust in his Father 
 which Jesus had evinced, it also brings in 
 Scripture as an incitement to the proposed at- 
 tempt. Note how truly the solicitation cor- 
 responds with Satan's suggestion to every 
 tempted soul: "Cast thyself down." He 
 would cast his desired victim down if he 
 could, but can only invite and persuade to 
 what may be yielded or refused. Ullmann, 
 in his classical treatise on the Sinlessjiess of 
 Jesus, (pp. 168, ff. 295 f. T. and T. Clark's 
 Ed.), holds that the stress of the seductive 
 effort of the tempter, in this case, was to in- 
 duce Jesus to "run willfully into manifest 
 danger. ' He thinks that this may be and is 
 really a peril to active and ambitious minds, 
 that, full of the importance of their enter- 
 prise, they rush toward its execution, trusting 
 that the divine power will bring them safely 
 through the difficulties into which they may 
 plunge. But does anything in all Christ's 
 course suggest the propriety of testing him on 
 that point ? Ullmann objects to the view that 
 the Saviour was tempted to perform an epi- 
 deictic miracle; that the narrative says noth- 
 ing of beholders of his deed being present. 
 But if it does not imply this, why bring him 
 to Jerusalem and to the temple ? Especially 
 in Luke, where he has already been "led up" 
 to some high position. The Scripture cited is 
 (against Ullmann) as apposite on this view as 
 on the other. 
 
 10. For it is written. The devil also 
 knows the sound of Scripture, but cannot be 
 trusted to convej' its sense. He shall give 
 his angels charge over {concrrnixg) thee, 
 etc. The passage cited (Ps. 9i:ii) was origi- 
 nally designed to set forth the perfect security 
 of the ideally perfect saint in all the services 
 and experiences to which God calls him. It 
 may have often perplexed the reader who 
 compared its glowing and unqualified as- 
 surances of the safety and success of godly 
 men, considering how diflPerent their lot in 
 life often appears; here we see how, on the 
 supposition that its conditions as to character 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 79 
 
 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at i 11 and, 
 
 any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. On their hands they shall bear tliee up, 
 
 12 And Jesus ausweriiif,' said unto hiiu, «It is said. Lest haply thou dash thy loot against a stone. 
 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy (jod. 12 And Je.sus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou 
 
 I shalt not try the Lord thy God. 
 
 a Deul. 6: 16. 
 
 are strictly fulfilled, all becomes literally 
 true. Some think that Satan intentionally 
 left out the clause "in all thy ways," after 
 "shall keep thee," as if he supposed that 
 would suggest to Jesus the sophi-stry of his 
 application. Saint Bernard says, in reference 
 to what the devil proposed, "This is not a 
 way, but a destruction : or, if a way, it is not 
 thine, but his (Satan's)." (See Perowne On the 
 Psalms, at this place). 
 
 12. It is said — {has been said), and so stands, 
 equivalent in sense to "it is written," which 
 perhaps the Saviour would not repeat after 
 the adversary had profaned it. The expres- 
 sion was appropriate, considering that the 
 revelation through Moses was first given to 
 the people orally (comp. Mait. 5: 21,27). — Thou 
 shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. The 
 reference is to Dcut. 6: 16. To tempt God, in 
 the sense here intended, is to put oneself in a 
 situation such as to test the power or disposi- 
 ti(m of God to relieve him of difficulties, or 
 rescue him from destruction. This idea is a 
 legitimate modification of the original one, 
 which was to murmur and hesitate in the 
 way appointed by God; through lack of 
 faith in his ability to sustain one in it. In 
 turning the sentence from the plural into the 
 singular of the person addressed, Jesus ma}' 
 have designed to make it apply to the tempter 
 in relation to himself, as well as to him- 
 self in relation to God. The answer settles it 
 that our Lord personally will not use his 
 power for securing his own fame, nor in his 
 Me.ssianic office will he countenance the 
 desire for signs "from heaven," by which 
 possibly worldly favor might be won, apart 
 from faith and hearty obedience. 
 
 12. And when the devil had ended all 
 the {ever;/) temptation —(" Had spent his 
 last dart ' — Bcngcl)— he departed from 
 him. He had brought to bear for the ruin 
 of our Lord, every mode and degree of trial 
 to such a person which the resources of hell 
 would afford. These three typical tests, and 
 every one, not specially mentioned, involved 
 in the six weeks' experience, had proved 
 futile. He was baffled and condemned afresh 
 
 out of the word of God. Still he did not 
 absolutely relinquish his undertaking. — For 
 a season — ratlier, until a Jit opportunity. 
 Entirely frustrated for the time, he would 
 await another more favorable, in sjjeaking of 
 which Luke ))robably had in mind the great 
 crisis of Gethsemane. and the cross, of which 
 our Lord could say to his enemies, "This is 
 your hour and the power of darkness" (Luke 
 
 22: 53; John 12: 31; 14: 30; 18: 11. Comp. Hcb. 4 : 15). "We 
 
 need not, however, exclude the thought of 
 other trying emergencies in the life of the 
 Saviour, where he is reported to have waited 
 with special solicitude on God in prayer. 
 
 Matthew gives the .second and third tempta- 
 tions in an order the reverse of Luke'.s. Sub- 
 jective reasons are given by different authors 
 for preferring one or the other. These can 
 hardly settle anything. Matthew's narrative 
 seems to mark designedly the actual succes- 
 sion by his "then," ver. 5, and "again," 
 ver. 8. 'This evidence is suflicient, at lea.st, to 
 determine our conclusion in favor of his 
 order, in the absence of arguments to the 
 contrary more decisive than we have seen. 
 Luke probably- gives the facts in the arrange- 
 ment presented in his documents. 
 
 NoTK ON THE Tkmptation.— The doubt, 
 not unfrequently expressed, "whether the 
 Son of God was really capable of being 
 tempted to evil," is sufliciently answered by 
 reference to Heb. 4: 15— "but was in all 
 points tempted like as we are." The fact is 
 beyond question. If the inquiry be. ''how 
 could this bo true?" we have to admit there 
 is a mystery about every experience of that 
 Person which no mere man can reasonably 
 pretend to fully explain. But any special 
 difficulty in the thought of his liability to 
 temptation seems to be obviated by the con- 
 sideration that, whatever he was more, he 
 was truly and completely a man. As such, 
 he was perfect in all the powers, capacities, 
 and susceptibilities essential to our nature. 
 Among these, as appears from the case of our 
 first parents, is the power of choice between 
 good and evil conduct. Jesus had also the 
 power to perceive the tendency of one act or 
 
80 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, I 13 And when the devil had completed every tempt» 
 he departed from him a for a season. 1 tion, he departed Irom him i lor a season. 
 
 a John 14 : 30 ; Heb. 4 : 15. 1 Or, until. 
 
 more may well have existed in the divine 
 mind. But if there were good reasons for 
 any exposure of Jesus to the adversary, it 
 might be needful that he should have to en- 
 dure all which hell could adventure. Thus 
 it was not for him to preclude, but to endure 
 abominable propositions. 
 
 "We may notice again that the result of 
 Christ's triumphant steadfastness against the 
 adversary was not merely the assurance of 
 his superiority to all subsequent possible 
 temptations. It was that, indeed, first of all. 
 It secured that, although the tempter had 
 left him only until a fit season ; yet never 
 would Jesus be moved from his position. 
 Never would he employ his Messianic power 
 to relieve himself of privation or any physi- 
 cal distress involved in the accomplishment 
 of all his Heavenly Father's will. Nor 
 would he call down legions of angels to fur- 
 ther his Messianic ends, when his Father had 
 appointed that they should be reached by 
 suflTering and self-sacrifice. No possibility of 
 power over men through earthly dominion 
 and glory should ever swerve him one hair's 
 breadth from the purpose to gain influence 
 over them by equity, truth and kindness, or 
 not at all. We might be perfectly sure that 
 he would never accept any show of advan- 
 tage to his cause, however specious, from the 
 ruler of this world, or through connivance 
 with him. But there lay also in Christ's per- 
 sonal victory, as Messiah, over Satan, a per- 
 petual law for his kingdom in its exposure to 
 the antagonism of the world. It should 
 never think it hard that, while distributing 
 heavenly treasures, it must often, in fidelity 
 to God, suflTer worldly poverty, and bear 
 worldly pity or contempt. It can never, 
 without forfeiting connection with Jesus, at- 
 tempt to spread itself more rapidly among 
 men, at the cost of compromise with the spirit 
 of the world, or by the assimilation of its 
 forms to those which distinguish "this 
 world." Nor may it, in the prosecution of 
 its ends, venture on measures not truly war- 
 ranted by the word of God, presuming that 
 he will deviate from his appointed plan to 
 obviate the consequences of its rashness; 
 especially may it not se*k, by pandering to 
 
 course of action to afford present gratification 
 to desires and propensities innocent in them- 
 selves, and of the alternative action to bring 
 much hardship, cheered only by the smile of 
 God and the consciousness of right. He 
 would, we must suppose, be perfectly sensi- 
 tive to all the present painfulness of the latter 
 course, and the agreeableness of the former. 
 He might say to himself, "I will take the 
 former"; for Adam said it, and then the 
 awful transformation from innocence to guilt, 
 from holiness to criminality, would have 
 taken place. We do not thus, of course, 
 loose the knot presented in the act of a soul, 
 perfectly blessed in the favor of God and in 
 the practice of the right; yet rejecting the 
 difficult good, and choosing the pleasant evil. 
 We have simply enumerated the steps by 
 which one such soul appears to have reached 
 that baneful choice. It may seem infinitely 
 more improbable that Jesus should take that 
 final step than Adam. But having traced 
 him in imagination to the verge of it, with 
 holiness untouched, we can no more see why 
 he too might not, as Adam did, have allowed 
 the prospect of ease and minor gratification 
 to preponderate, and have said, "Yes, I will 
 take that step too." Then first would he 
 have been tempted like as we are, not without 
 sin. Shuddering, we recoil from the awful 
 possibility, and bless God that he resisted the 
 seducer, not merely for himself, but so that 
 in union with him we also may be safe. 
 
 God's foreknowledge that he would so tri- 
 umph, in no way interferes with the question 
 of his ability to succumb. 
 
 Another difficulty arises from the account 
 of the Temptation, in that Jesus should 
 parley with the tempter at all. In regard to 
 this, we may, perhaps, not adequately appre- 
 ciate what the apostle says (2001-. u: u), as if in 
 allusion to this very occasion, "for Satan 
 even fashioneth himself into an angel of 
 light" (Kevision). But the important con- 
 sideration is that the precise end for which 
 the Spirit of God urged him into the desert, 
 was that he might be subjected to the full 
 force of Satan's wiles and assaults. Some 
 reasons for this we may ourselves discern, 
 especially in view of the result, and many 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 81 
 
 1-1 "And Jesus returned *in the power of the Spirit I 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into 
 into <^lialilee: and there went out a fame of him Galilee:andafame went out concerning him through 
 through all the region round about. I 
 
 a Mall. 4: 12 : John 4: 43 byer. 1 c Acts 10 : 37. 
 
 the curiosity, or dazzling the imagination, or 
 astounding the intelligence, of men, to ac- 
 complish those effects which can follow only 
 from compunction of conscience and the re- 
 sulting desire of salvation. 
 
 At this point, we reach the close of what 
 Dur evangelist seems to have regarded the 
 more private and preparatory period of the 
 life of Christ. The Messiah is manifested, 
 tlie favor of the Father is proved and assured, 
 tile machinations of his great adversary are 
 brought to nought. 
 
 P.VRT II. The Ministry in Galilee. 
 Ch. 4: 14—9: 50. 
 
 It had for its object to persuade the people 
 of the Messiahship of Jesus, in the spiritual 
 sense of the more evangelical prophecies, and 
 to win them to trust in him as their Teacher, 
 their Redeemer from the ills which sin had 
 caused to soul and body, for time and eter- 
 nity; their Saviour, in short, and their King. 
 It resulted in the manifestation of great curi- 
 osity concerning him on the part of the 
 masses; in an extensive confidence in his 
 power and willingness to bestow temporal 
 blessings; in wide rumors that he was a 
 prophet, possibly even the risen Elijah ; in 
 waves of popular conviction that he was the 
 expected Son of David, come to establish a 
 national and earthly kingdom; and with 
 some humble hearts, in a clear and loving 
 recognition of him as having the words of 
 eternal life. It abundantly demonstrated the 
 spiritual nature, the freshness and blessedness 
 of membership in his .kingdom, and resulted 
 in the rejection of it by the great mass of 
 those whom he would fain have saved. 
 
 This ministry lasted, probably, near two 
 years and six months. It should be carefully 
 noticed, however, that estimates of the length 
 of Christ's ministry vary between one and 
 three, or even more years, with a fraction of 
 another. That which presupposes three pass- 
 overs during its continuance, previous to the 
 last, is much more generally adopted, and is 
 that upon which the .statement of time for the ^ 
 Galilean ministry was just made. This makes I 
 its continuance run three years, and as much 
 more as the baptism preceded the first pass- 
 
 over. How far from demonstration all con- 
 clusions must stop, is well shown by compari- 
 son of two, among the quite recent discussions 
 of the subject. C. E. Caspari, in his Chrono- 
 logical and Geographical Introduction to the 
 Life of Christ, pp. 107-254, (T. & S. Clark's 
 Edition, 1875), confidently limits the ministry 
 to two years; Dr. J. B. McClellan, in his 
 New Translation of the Xeiv Testament, (Vol. 
 I., pp. 539-(321, London, 1875), maintains the 
 three years' view. Each is perfectly confi- 
 dent that he sees the exact truth in almost 
 every particular, and is ready to determine 
 not only the year, but the day, and often the 
 hour of the day of occurrences — a great part 
 of which they must, of course, determine 
 differently. 
 14, 15. Return into Galilee, and general 
 
 SUMMARY ACCOUNT OF THE OPENING WORK 
 THERE. 
 
 14. Jesus returned. The narrative begun 
 in ver. 1 is resumed. The verb (comp. ver. i) is 
 here used in its proper sense, with reference to 
 his having gone from Galilee to the Jordan, to 
 be baptized. "We have already seen (ch. s: 19, 20) 
 that, chronologically, the mention of John's 
 imprisonment should have followed the ac- 
 count of the baptism of Jesus, with a consid- 
 erable interval. A careful consideration of 
 John's Gospel (i:2»— 4: 3), will render it proba- 
 ble that, on the supposition of Christ's tempt- 
 ation following close ujwn the baptism, he 
 must have returned after that to the Jordan, 
 where John was; that he there attracted to 
 him four scholars (Andrew, John, Peter, 
 Nathanael), with whom he went soon into 
 Galilee, where he made the water wine; that 
 he visited Capernaum, and went to a passover 
 at Jerusalem — purifying the temj)le, instruct- 
 ing Nicodemus, bajUizing in .Judea; and that 
 then, learning how the Pharisees were com- 
 paring him with John, he left Judea, and 
 went away again into Galilee. It is very 
 likely that the mention of John the Baptist 
 in John 4: 3, implies that he had been lately 
 apprehended, with the approval, if not the 
 aid, of the Pharisees ; and that Jesus went 
 into Galilee to escape a similar, premature 
 fate. With that return, thfe in Luke must 
 
82 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified 1 15 all the region round about. And he taught in their 
 
 of all. 
 
 16 And he came to "Nazareth, where he had been 
 brought up; and, as his custom was, ''he went into the 
 synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up lor to read. 
 
 yiiagogues, being glorified of all. 
 
 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been 
 
 brought up ; and he entered, as his custom was, into 
 
 the synagogue on tlie sabbath day, and stood up to 
 
 a Matt. '2 : 23 ; 1» : 54 ; Mark 6 : 1. . . .6 Acts 13 : 14 ; 17 : 2. 
 
 coincide; and in the course of it occurred the 
 very interesting scene of Jacob's well. If the 
 baptism took place in mid-winter, this worlv 
 in Galilee might have begun in early sum- 
 mer; — In the power of the Spirit— mighty, 
 that is, in word and deed, through the pos- 
 session of that Spirit of God, who was, since 
 the baptism, the director and sustainer of all 
 his activity. — Into Galilee: and there 
 went out a fame (i-u.mor, or report) of (con- 
 cerning) him through all the region round 
 about. Immediately, as it would seem, the 
 popular mind began to be exercised about his 
 teachings and acts, probably also by tidings 
 of the testimony of John the Baptist to him 
 as the "one greater than he", who was to 
 come after him (Joim i: 34). The miracles, also, 
 which he performed in the neighborhood 
 (joim2: i£f. ; 4:4etr.^, and his extraordinary con- 
 duct at Jerusalem (John 2: 15. 23), would be 
 talked about. 
 
 15. And he {he himself) taught in their 
 synagogues. The synagogues, which arose 
 among the Jews in answer to religious wants 
 deeply felt, after the return from the exile, 
 corresponded in many points to the churches 
 of Christian times. The word was indeed 
 ambiguous, like "church," denoting pri- 
 marily the religious as.sembly, for whose use 
 the house existed. They were, primarily, as 
 afterward the churches, assemblies, meetings, 
 of those of common faith and sentiment, for 
 the promotion of religious ends. The edifice 
 would seem, from some accounts, tf) have 
 been built strictly after a certain pattern, on 
 an elevated site, with a prescribed orientation, 
 and in a uniform style of architecture. From 
 the nature of the case, however, we may be 
 sure that the size would vary according to 
 the estimated number of the congregation, 
 and the materials and style would be such as 
 they could afford. Recent examination of 
 the ruins of ancient synagogues in Palestine, 
 made by the Exploration Fund Expedition, 
 shows that they stood both on high ground 
 and low, outside of the towns and in their 
 most crowded quarters, with the entrance 
 from various points of the compass. Of 
 
 course, only the more substantial have left 
 any remains to our day. They were gener- 
 ally rectangular parallelograms in plan, with 
 some remembrance of the form of the taber- 
 nacle. Toward their farther end, within, was 
 a chest or ark, containing the sacred rolls of 
 the Old Testament books. This might be 
 screened from the main apartment by a cur- 
 tain. Forward of this were seats, facing the 
 entrance, for the president and elders of the 
 synagogue. 
 
 Still further in front was a platform, on 
 which the reader of the Scriptures stood, be- 
 tween which and the entrance were seats, on 
 one side for the men, and on the other, with 
 a lattice between, for the women, who must 
 be closely vailed. The place was used, not 
 only for religious exercises of the congrega- 
 tion, but for meetings of a judicial character, 
 in which persons were tried for religious of- 
 fences, and, if convicted, punished. 
 
 As a pious Jew, our Saviour regularly 
 attended the sj'nagogue meetings, which 
 afforded him, as we shall soon see, an excel- 
 lent opportunity to deliver his message; and 
 as they were met with wherever Hebrews 
 were scattered, they were the convenient 
 scene of almost all the earliest apostolical 
 preaching. — Taught — or ivas wont to teach, 
 as a custom — expresses in one word what 
 Mark expands into "preaching the gospel of 
 the kingdom of God," etc. (en. 1 : u, 15). Com- 
 pare Matthew, who adds that he said, "Re- 
 pent." (ch.4:i7). Instruction and persuasion 
 regarding the relations into which men are 
 brought toward God, by the coming of 
 Chris^, with the consequent privileges and 
 obligations— this was, and is, the preaching 
 of the gospel. Luke says nothing of miracles 
 wrought, as yet; but from John 4: 64, we 
 may conclude that the healing of the centu- 
 rion's son took place before his first visit to 
 Nazareth. 
 
 16-30. His Visit to Nazareth, and 
 Prkaching Thkre. 
 
 16. And he came to Nazareth, where 
 he had been brought up. What memories 
 on his part are implied in that last statement! 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 8'c 
 
 17 And there was delivered unto him the Iwok of the 
 prophet Ksaias. And when he had opened the book, 
 lie loiind tlie place where it was written, 
 
 lH"The Spirit of tlie lyord is upon lue, because he 
 bath anointed me to preacli the );o.s|>el to the poor; he 
 bath sent me to heal tlie brokenhearted, to preach 
 deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to 
 the blind, to set at liberty them that arc bruised, 
 
 17 reail. And there was delivered unto him 'the book 
 of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the '-book, 
 and found the place where it was written, 
 
 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 ^Because he anointed me to preach ■•good tidings 
 
 to the poor: 
 He hath sent me to proclaim release to the cap- 
 tives. 
 And recovering of sight to the blind, 
 To set at liberty them that are bruised, 
 
 ; laa. «1 : 1. 1 Or, o roU 2 Or, roll 3 Or, u>here/or» i Or, the gospel. 
 
 He had avoided going directly to his former 
 home, the residence of his parents still, per- 
 haps from the feelings expresed (Joha4:«). 
 But his heart must have yearned toward the 
 companions of his early life; and after he 
 found that his proclamation was awakening a 
 lively interest elsewhere, he would not be 
 content until they too hud received the "glad 
 news." — And, as his custom was, he went 
 into the synagogue on the sabbath-day. 
 This custom could not have been based on 
 any special divine command, but on the rea- 
 sonableness of it and, d(<ubtless, the felt ad- 
 vantage of mingling with his countrymen in 
 their devotions, and in the reading of the 
 Scriptures. This, as well us the occasions 
 thus afforded for the accomplishment of his 
 mission, would account for and justify his 
 constant practice. The worship in those 
 places was formal and liturgical, a great part 
 of it, doubtless, barren of spirituality; but 
 there would be individuals of a different 
 style, and, on the whole, it was such as the 
 time allowed. Many a disciple of his has 
 found spiritual refreshment, and strength for 
 the tasks of life, from communion with fel- 
 low-disciples in acts of worship ; not merely 
 when increase of religious knowledge was to 
 be gained, but even where little of instruc- 
 tion was to be looked for. — And stood up for 
 to read (omit for). The standing posture 
 was common in reading the Scripture, as ex- 
 pressive of respect. As Jesus rose, he proba- 
 bly stepped to the platform, or bema, on one 
 side of the room (see ver. 15). The presi- 
 dent of the synagogue would ordinarily select 
 the reader from among the j'oungcr men ; but 
 when Jesus rose, signifying a desire to perform 
 that service, it was readily granted to him. 
 
 17. And there was delivered unto him 
 the book of the prophet Esaias (I.taiak). 
 This was in the form of a roll, like a wall-map 
 with us, but of a narrow strip of prepared 
 leather, long enough to allow the whole work 
 to be written on it in columns of convenient 
 
 width, running across the long strip, and 
 following each other — with suitable spaces 
 between— from right to left. The left-hand 
 end was attached to a roller, like that of a 
 map; but, unlike the law, which had two, 
 the other rolls had but that one. Such a 
 book would be opened and closed by unroll- 
 ing and rolling up again. Thus the Saviour 
 now, holding the roll in his left hand, pulled 
 along the writing with the other, until he 
 found the place where it was written. 
 Such being the inanner of reading, the verb 
 found could hardly mean "chanced upon," 
 as some (Meyer among them) have supposed, 
 and as the verb might in itself indicate. We 
 understand rather that he unrolled until he 
 came to the passage he wanted (isn. ei: 1.2). 
 Doubtle-ss, he .selected it with reference to the 
 use he intended to make of it as a text; other- 
 wise it is not obvious why he might not leave 
 it for Providence to select, through any ap- 
 pointed reader. "Whether the prophets were 
 divided into sections at that time, to be read 
 in a prescribed order on successive Sabbaths, 
 as the law was, cannot be affirmed with cer- 
 tainty', still less that this passage was the 
 prophetic lesson {haphtara) for that Sabbath. 
 The Pentateuch was divided into fiftj--two, or, 
 as the length of the year might require, fifty- 
 four paragraphs or sections (pnmsc'.as), by 
 reading one of which each Sabbath the whole 
 would be gone over everj' year. Such is the 
 cominon account, although high Hebrew au- 
 thority insists that this course covered two 
 years and a half. (Zunz, Gottesdienstliche 
 Vortriige, S. 3 ff.) The reading of the Pen- 
 tateuch lesson had either ended when Jesus 
 entered, or, more probably, his mind being 
 on this prophecy, he remained quiet through 
 what preceded. On the kinds and order of 
 exercise in the synagogue meetings, see 
 Smith's Diet, of Bible, and Geikie, Life of 
 Christ, Vol. I., p. 180 ff. ; or (more brief), 
 Farrar, Life of Christ, Vol. I., 220 ff. 
 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon nie» 
 
84 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 
 
 I 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 
 
 etc. This language, in the mouth of the 
 prophet, was intended directly to comfort the 
 people of Israel in their long captivity in 
 Babylon, and afterward, through the promise 
 of deliverance, restoration to prosperity, and 
 the abundant favor of their God. The Spirit 
 of the Lord is upon the prophet to qualify 
 him for this message of blessing. The pre- 
 dictions had never yet been fulfilled in the 
 history of Israel, and Christ takes up the lan- 
 guage anew as having really referred to him- 
 self, whatever primary and lower application 
 had been intended by Isaiah. — Because he 
 hath anointed me to preach the gospel 
 (good tidings) to the poor. This is assigned 
 as the cause of the possession of the Spirit of 
 the Lord. It refers to the descent of the 
 Spirit upon him at his baptism (Acts lo: 38). — 
 Anointed me. The Greek name Christ — 
 "the anointed," Heb., "Messiah" — is from 
 the verb "to anoint," here used; and the 
 passage is thus equivalent to has made me 
 Messiah. The verb is properly in the pre- 
 terit, anointed, as the action is regarded as 
 prior to the sending in the next clause. — The 
 gospel [the good tidings), means the news that 
 the kingdom of heaven is come, into which all 
 may enter who are prepared for it, especially 
 the poor. We may correctly interpret this 
 as implying "in spirit" as its complement, 
 yet we shall see that Luke, in several in- 
 stances, fails to make that addition, as though 
 he thought it would necessarily be understood 
 that poverty tended to prepare the heart for 
 the heavenly riches (see 6: 20). More impor- 
 tant is it to notice that the language is origin- 
 ally Isaiah's, and that in the prophets and in 
 the Psalms, it is familiar that the blessings of 
 God's grace are needed, craved, and enjoyed 
 by the poor more than by those who abound 
 in worldly good. Still, inere poverty is 
 nowhere represented as sufficient to secure 
 God's grace. — He hath sent me — in conse- 
 quence of that anointing — to preach deliv- 
 erance (release) to the captives. The 
 actual captivity of the people in Babylon was 
 a type of the spiritual bondage of men under 
 
 sin and Satan (.lolmS: 34; Rom. 6: 16, 20 ff. ; 2 Pet. 2 : 19). 
 
 To announce release from this, full and free, 
 with all the consequent peace and joy, and 
 eternal hope, Christ came (Comp. Hcb. ■->: u, is). — 
 And recovering of sight to the blind. It 
 
 should be noticed that Luke omits the clause 
 to heal the broken hearted, the second 
 clause in Isaiah's series. It was afterward in- 
 serted, to complete the quotation, and became 
 current in the later text — whereas the one 
 before us is brought in for substance from 
 i Isaiah 42: 7, in place of "the opening of the 
 prison to them that are bound," in 61; 1. 
 The spiritually blind, to whom Christ pro- 
 claims sight, are those who realize their 
 ignorance of the most important truths, and 
 so are ready to welcome the truth (johu9;39), 
 "that they which see not might see." — To 
 set at liberty them that are bruised. 
 These words are cited from the Septuagint of 
 Isaiah 58: 6. Another beautiful figure for 
 relief from the wounds and bruises caused by 
 sin. 
 
 19. To preach the acceptable year of 
 the Liord. The blessings promised to the 
 Israelites of old were all summed up in a 
 figure drawn from the Year of Jubilee. As in 
 that year liberty was proclaimed to slaves, 
 release to debtors from their penalties, and 
 the restoration of their family estates to dis- 
 possessed owners, so joyful a season would be 
 that state of blessedness which should follow 
 upon the exile. In Christ's application, the 
 year of jubilee typifies the Messianic era, the 
 period of the bestowment of a finished and 
 free salvation. The acceptable year of 
 the Lord is, in the Hebrew, " the year of the 
 pleasure of Jehovah^' — that is, the time in 
 which he delights to bless his people. There 
 is evidently nothing in this use of the phrase, 
 "year of the Lord," to warrant the supposi- 
 tion very common among the early Fathers, 
 that Christ's public work lasted but one year. 
 Notice how the quotation stops when it 
 comes to the fearful sentence, "and the day 
 'of vengeance of our God." John the Bap- 
 tist would hardly have left it out. 
 
 The section ordinarily read would be much 
 longer than that here quoted. Either the 
 narrative is intended to show merely where 
 the passage is found and how it begins, of 
 which Jesus then read as much as he pleased, 
 or (and this is the common view) that he 
 stopped here of his own authority, having 
 read as much as was necessary. It is not at 
 all unlikel.y that, in the course of his reading, 
 or the following remarks, Jesus referred to 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 85 
 
 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to 
 the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them 
 that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 
 
 21 And he began to .say unto them. This day is this 
 scripture fiiltilled in your ears. 
 
 22 And all bear him witness, and <• wondered at the 
 gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. 
 And tliey said, * Is not this Joseph's .son? 
 
 2;f And he said unto them, 'ie will surely say unto 
 me this proverb, I'liysician, heal thyself: whatsoever 
 we liave heard done' in ' Capcruauu:, do also here in 
 ''thy country. 
 
 20 And he clo.sed the ibook, and gave it back to the 
 attendant, and sat down : and the eyes of all in the 
 
 21 synagogue were fastened on him. And he U^gan to 
 say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been tul- 
 
 22 tilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and 
 wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out 
 of his mouth: and they said. Is not this Joseph's son? 
 
 23 And hesaidunto them, Doubtless ye will say untomc 
 this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we 
 have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine 
 
 aP:<. 45:2; Uutt. 1.1:64; Marc 6:2; eb. 2 : 4;....& Jnliu 6: 42.. ..e Matt. 4: 13; 11: 
 
 . .d Matt. 13 : }4 ; Mark 6 : 1. 1 Or. roU. 
 
 other |i;is.<iig('s of Isaiah which, in the report, 
 became blended witli the one first read, as we 
 have .seen. 
 
 20. And he closed (rolled up) the book, 
 and he gave it again to the minister 
 {attendant}. Minister is in itself a perfectly 
 proper rendering, meaning a "servant," 
 above the bound and menial grade; but the 
 present familiar use of that word makes it 
 ambiguous in this connection. He was a 
 kind of clerk of the meeting, who had charge 
 of the sacred books, brought them forth at 
 the order of the presiding officer (as in ver. 
 17), and again returned them to their ark- 
 like case. See the Saviour deliberately, 
 thoughtfully, roiling up the long sheet before 
 h(! handed it back. And sat down. This 
 was the usual posture of the speaker — Rabbi, 
 priest, Levite, or, exceptionally, some other 
 person — who commented on the Scripture 
 lesson, when any such person chose to speak. 
 Usually, we may i>resume, he was called on 
 by the head of the meeting (■>- aou t3:i5). This 
 was not, hosvever, an essential part of the 
 services. — And the eyes of all in the syna- 
 ;;ognc were fastened on him. A little 
 delay appears to have followed, after Jesus 
 had resumed his seat, probably now sitting 
 down on the elders' bench, fronting the con- 
 gregjition. What the people had already 
 seen and heard, what they had learned from 
 other places, and, most of all, the passage 
 which he had just read, and the manner of 
 his doing it, would all combine to awaken 
 earnest curiosity as to what might now follow. 
 
 21. And he began to say (began by say- 
 ing) unto them. Ilow he continued, the 
 narrative does not inform us. Luke gives 
 the theme and the key-note of his discourse, 
 and leaves it t(» our sympathy with the 
 speaker to fill it out. — This day is this 
 scripture fulfilled in your ears. The 
 verb is in the {H-rfect tense. That acceptable 
 year has come. To-day the significance of 
 
 that proi»hetic language is fully manifested in 
 the offer which I make to every waiting soul, 
 of salvation, including deliverance from all the 
 evils caused by sin, and the perfect reposses- 
 sion of God's lost favor, for time and eternity. 
 22. And all bare him witness. Their 
 meetings were not bound to silence on the 
 part of the congregation, as are ours. They, 
 with one consent, gave, in their comments 
 to each other, honorable . testimony to the 
 excellence of his discourse. This implies and 
 almost proves that he sjioke at some length. — 
 And wondered at the gracious words» 
 etc. Gracious words, or words of grace.. 
 "Grace" is here beauty, rhetorical and moral 
 pleasantness, perhaps including also the idea 
 of graciousncss, in the freedom and fullness 
 of his offer. This, with the expressions, "The 
 common people heard him gladly," and the 
 report of the officers, "never man spake as 
 this man," fully warrant the belief that our 
 Saviour, without any meretricious arts of 
 speech, had an eloquence of truth, sincerity, 
 simplicity, and affection, which commended 
 his matter to men's conscience and taste. 
 Nothing is said, however, of faith, or any 
 trulj' religious exercises of their hearts. On 
 the contrary, they manifested unbelief. — 
 And (not hut) they said, as if it were per- 
 fectly consistent with what bad preceded, is 
 not this Joseph's son? In their mouths, 
 this meant: " How is it possible for a man of 
 his birth and education to speak in this way, 
 and to urge such claims for himself?" There 
 was not merely wonder in their question, but a 
 shade of unbelief and refusal. What inference 
 may we draw from their admiring surprise, 
 in regard to the change which Jesus had 
 undergone through his baptism, the reception 
 of the Spirit thereupon, and the discipline of 
 the temptation? It is almost certain that he 
 had often taken part in their synagogue ser- 
 vices before. 
 23. And he said unto them, Ye will 
 
86 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No "prophet is 
 accepted in his own country. 
 
 25 Hut I tell you of a truth, 'many widows were in 
 Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut 
 up three years aud six mouths, when great famine was 
 throughout all the laud; 
 
 26 But unto noue of them was Elias sent, save unto 
 Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman thai was a 
 widow. 
 
 27 ''And many lepers were in Israel in the time of 
 Eliseus the prophet; aud none of them was cleansed, 
 saving Naaman the Syrian. 
 
 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard 
 these things, were filled with wrath, 
 
 24 own country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, 
 
 25 No prophet is acceptable in his own country. But of 
 a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in 
 Israeliu the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut 
 up three years and six months, when tliere came a 
 
 26 great famine over all the land; and unto none of them 
 was Elijah sent, hut only to ^Zarephath, in the land 
 
 27 of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And 
 there were many lepersin Israel in the timeof Elisha 
 the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but 
 
 28 only Naaman the Syrian. And they were all filled 
 with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these 
 
 a Mate. 13: 57; Murk 6: 4; Joba 4: 44 & 1 KiDgj 17:3; 18: 1; James 5: 17 c2 Kings 5: 14. 1 Gr. Sarepta. 
 
 surely say (doubtless ye vrill say) unto me 
 this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. 
 
 Seeing their moral blindness, which desires 
 not the opening of its eyes, Jesus anticipates 
 the objection they are ready to urge. This 
 proverb — or parallel, illustrative saying — 
 (Greek wapa/SoATj, jiarable), seems intended to 
 express the popular view that one who sets 
 himself up to heal others, should keep him- 
 self in good health. Loosely applied here, it 
 might mean, "Thou who demandest confi- 
 dence as the Messiah, show thyself worthy of 
 confidence, by doing such miracles as the 
 Messiah is to perform." — Whatsoever we 
 have heard done at Capernaum, do, etc. 
 It is the first demand, so often repeated, for 
 " signs from heaven," for show-miracles, such 
 as the devil had proposed: "Cast thyself 
 down hence." But in answering him, Jesus 
 had answered all. He saw clearly that there 
 was no feeling of the need of a Healer in 
 their unspoken suggestion, and there was no 
 tendency in miracles as such, mere prodi- 
 gies, to awaken that heart faith which alone 
 could accept him. Where such faith existed, 
 miracles of loving kindness could be wrought, 
 and only there (Mntt.i3;58; Mmkers). That prin- 
 ciple in man which makes it hard to see supe- 
 riority in one with whom we have grown up, 
 here confirms the obstinacy of impenitence. 
 
 24. And he said. Verily I say unto you. 
 No prophet, etc. He sadly recognizes the 
 fact that, in spite of his desire to do them 
 good, and of the unspeakable solemnity of 
 the crisis, it happens to him, as before to 
 other messengers of God. They reject him 
 as God's representative, because they have 
 known him as a man. Still they cannot 
 frustrate God's plan. As prophets before 
 have, under God, rendered aid to some and 
 passed by others, as God might please ; so 
 will he exercise mercy with discrimination, 
 
 and not pander to capricious and selfish de- 
 sires. 
 
 25-27. But I tell you of a truth, many 
 widows were in Israel, etc. (See 1 Kings 
 17: 8-24; 2 Kings 5: 1-15.) The purport of 
 his reference to these historic facts is: My 
 doing some things in Capernaum which I do 
 not here, is quite of a piece with the action of 
 other prophets whom you profess to respect. 
 In my case, as in theirs, it is God's pleasure 
 that decides. In naming as favored cases pre- 
 viously two Gentiles, he does not so much wish 
 to put the inhabitants of Nazareth on a level 
 with heathen (although they may have taken 
 it so), as to intimate in his very first discourse 
 the equal destination of his gospel to all 
 needy souls. That they mu.st be needy souls 
 lies in the fact that one of those favored ones 
 was a widow, helpless and famishing; and the 
 other, one who had proved that earthly emi- 
 nence and power could not relieve him of an 
 afflictive and loathsome malady, and who sub- 
 mitted to profound humiliation, that Jehovah 
 might remove it. — Three years and six 
 months. A comparison of 1 Kings 17: 1 AT., 
 and 18: 1 fF., seems to show that the lack of 
 rain was confined to a period of les.'> than three 
 full years; but from James 5: 1, we learn 
 that the view here taken was the one settled 
 upon in the time of Christ. The Old Testa- 
 ment passages are not distinctly incompatible 
 with it. 
 
 28. And all they in the synagogue, 
 when they heard these things, were filled 
 with wrath, etc. The order of words in the 
 Revision is better. Little of the Sidonian 
 widow's trustful poverty, or of the Sj-rian 
 leper's desire for cure, in these breasts. They 
 were enraged because their townsman judged 
 for himself when and where his miracles 
 should be performed, claiming thus an equal- 
 ity with the ancient prophets. — All they. 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 87 
 
 29 And rose up, and thrust hiui out of the city, and 
 led him unto the " hrow of the hill whereon their city 
 was built, that they niinht cast him down headlong. 
 
 30 Hut he, 'passing through the midst of Ihem, went 
 his wav, 
 
 31 And <^came down to rapcrnauni, a city of Galilee, 
 and taught theni on the sabbath days. 
 
 29 things; and they rose up, and cast him forth out 
 of the city, and led him unto the brow of the bill 
 whereon their city was built, that they might throw 
 
 30 him down headlong. But he passing through the 
 midst of them went bis way. 
 
 31 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. 
 
 a Or, edge 6 JoboS: 59: 10: 39 e Matt. 4: 13; Mark 1 : 21. 
 
 We might certainly have supposed that some 
 would have exhibited a better mind. We 
 are not, perhaps, obliged to understand it as 
 without any qualification. Could possibly 
 any of the family of .Jesus — parents, brothers, 
 sisters — have been in that congregation? It 
 is remarkable how little we see of any of 
 them afterward, in plainly friendly relations, 
 till Calvary (J"h" i9: m; his mother), and the i)rayer- 
 meeting after his resurrection (Acts i : w ; uti 
 
 uiolher .luii br ihcrs). 
 
 20. And rose up, and thrust him out of 
 their city, and led (more exactly, wi-re for 
 leading) him to the brow of the hill, etc. 
 The second verb is in a tense which expresses 
 an incomplete action, and does not say that 
 they reached the brow of the hill, but set out 
 for it. A steep cliff of some forty feet in 
 height, on a slope of the hill, above the town, 
 is spoken of by travelers, and visible in the 
 views of the plabe which are given us. This 
 (diff may have been much higher then, and 
 would easily suffice to cause the death of 
 their intended victim. Their attempt at the 
 destruction of Jesus was not after any form of 
 penalty prescribed in their law, even if any 
 crime had been formally charged ; but it was 
 the result of a reckless outbreak of popular 
 wrath. 
 
 30. But he, passing throui^h the midst 
 of them, Avent his way. AVhen the first 
 blaze of their fury subsided, his moral dignity 
 abashed their rage for injustice and murder. 
 
 31-41. A Sauuath Day in Caper- 
 naum. 
 
 31. And (Ar) came down to Capernaum, 
 a city of Galilee. The last statement 
 would evidently be superfluous for those fa- 
 miliar with Palestine, and is an explanation, 
 like the same concerning Nazareth (J:2«). for 
 the benefit of readers strange to the holy land. 
 — Capernaum (in some of the best ancient 
 copies written Capharnaum, meaning Village 
 of Nahum), was then an active town on the 
 western shore of Lake Gennesaret. Like 
 Nazareth, it is unmcntioned in the Old Testa- 
 ment, but it had already been the scene of a 
 
 great miracle of the Saviour (Jo'm 4:46 ff.); and 
 from this time onward it is familiar to us as 
 "his own city" (Mutt. 9: i; Mark 2; i). Here, if 
 any where, he may be said to have had a 
 residence the next two years or more ; at 
 least, to have made it his head-quarters, lodg- 
 ing when there not improbably in the hou.se 
 of Simon {buke4;38), wliich seems, therefore, 
 to be sometimes referred to simply as the 
 house. Hence, perhajis, he was thought sub- 
 ject to taxation at this place (Matt. 17:V4, 26). 
 This city was thus excej)tionally favored 
 with the presence, the teaching, and the be- 
 neficent works of Jesus; but instead of profit- 
 ing accordingly from this privilege, it gained 
 therefrom only a deserved celebrity of woe 
 (10:15). So truly indeed was the place 
 "brought down to hades," early in the 
 Christian era, that, even after the extremely 
 careful explorations of recent years, we are 
 still left dubious which of the fields of ruin 
 scattered along the lake shore once supported 
 the proud and guilty city. Two spots es- 
 pecially dispute the melancholy distinction. 
 Tell Hum, a considerable expanse of the 
 fragments of ancient edifices, including the 
 remains of a spacious synagogue, which may 
 have been that built by the Koman centurion, 
 lies overgrown with weeds, about two miles 
 west of the mouth of the Upper .Jordan. 
 K/inn Minych is two miles, or two and a-half, 
 further south, and shows some traces of the 
 existence there of a former city. Almost all 
 investigators agree that one or the other is 
 the remnant of Cajiernaum. But which? 
 The grounds of judgment are scanty and in- 
 decisive. They aire the supposed, but dis- 
 putable, significance of the two names; a 
 couple of ambiguous allusions in .Josephiis, 
 (Life, 72. Wnr.s, 3, 10, 8^; the references in 
 the Gospels, which are about equally com- 
 patible with either claim ; and the two cur- 
 rents of later .Jewish and Christian tradition. 
 Of these, it is said that the .Jewish makes for 
 Khan Minyeh ; the Christian, for Tell Hum. 
 Dr. Edward Robinson, and Lieut. Conder, of 
 the Palestine Exploration Fund, with others, 
 
88 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 hold that, in regard to localities there, the 
 Jewish opinion is, where different, much the 
 more trustworthy. On these premises, recent 
 authorities, of course, are divided in judg- 
 ment. In favor of Tell Hum are Winer 
 (Realwvrt('rbuck\; Kltter (Greo^'. of Palestine); 
 Van de Velde {Narrative) ; Thomson {Land 
 and Book); Capt. Wilson {Recovery of Jeru- 
 salem); Farrar {Com. on Luke, p. 200). In 
 favor of Khan Minyeh are F oriav {Ha?id-book 
 of Syria and Palestine); Dr. Rohinson {Bibli- 
 cal Researches) ; Tristram {Land of Israel); 
 'M-a.cgregoT {Rob Roy on the Jordan); Lieut. 
 Conder {Tent Work in Palestine). Schultz 
 
 saret, which is 682.5 feet lower. Capernaum 
 lay not far heyond the northern limit of the 
 comparatively smooth tract of country stretch- 
 ing along, and away from, the coast known 
 as the Plain of Gennessaret, from which the 
 lake took one of its names. Josephus cele- 
 hrates the fertility, and describes the pro- 
 ductions of this section, in his account of 
 the "destruction of the city Tarichea, and the 
 dreadful slaughter of its occupants, in the 
 War of Titus and Vespasian. {Jeivish Wars, 
 3 ; 10, 7, 8). 
 
 And taught {he was teaching) them on the 
 sabbath days {on the Sabbath). The word 
 
 ^iSSn^ 
 
 TELL HUM. 
 
 (Herzog und Plitt, Theol. Real-Encyclopadie, 
 2d Ed., Art. Capernaum), leaves the question 
 undecided. So also in Zocker's Handbuchd. 
 Theol. Wissen., 1883, 1., 214. Edersheim, Life 
 of Jesus, the Messiah, I., 365, n. 1, doubtfully 
 decides in favor of Tell Hum; but is he war- 
 ranted in saying that most modern writers 
 agree in fixing the site at this place? On either 
 hypothesis, the place was not far from twenty 
 miles, in a direct line, northeast from Naza- 
 reth ; and as the latter was on elevated ground, 
 the statement that he came down, is strik- 
 ingly exact. He must descend, not only to 
 the level of the Mediterranean Sea, 1,200 feet 
 or more, but to that of the Lake of Gennes- 
 
 translated Sabbath is very irregular, being 
 u^ed freely in the plural as well as the singular, 
 for a single daj', although it might in other 
 places have a plural signification also. Here 
 it is defined as one day (see the Revision) by 
 the fact that all which follows to ver. 43, be- 
 longs to one day, and that ver. 43 declares the 
 necessity for him to leave Capernaum and go 
 through the country, preaching. The imper- 
 fect tense of the verbs in this verse and the 
 next shows that it was in connection with his 
 teaching that the incident of the demoniac 
 occurred. After this he went out of the syna- 
 gogue into Peter's house, where he remained 
 until evening (ver. 33,38,40). 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 89 
 
 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: "fur 
 his word was with power. 
 
 *! 'And in the synagogue there was a man, wliieh 
 liad a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a 
 loud voice. 
 
 32 And he was teacliing them on the sabbath day: and 
 they were astonished at his teaching; lor his word wiis 
 
 3;j with authority. And in the synagogue there was a 
 man, that had a spirit ol'au unclean demon ; and be 
 
 a Matt. 7 : 28. 29 : Tiiua 2 : 13. . . .i Uark 1 : 23. 
 
 32. And they were astonished at his 
 doctrine (rather, teaching). It was not doc- 
 trine in our modern .sense, but his teaching 
 a.« to it.s manner and spirit, as well as its mat- 
 ter. What surprised them was that his word 
 was with power (rather, in authority). 
 (Conip. Matt. 7: 28, 29). They were used to 
 hearing professedly religious truth given out 
 with a careful and ever-repeated reference to 
 the i)revious Kabhis as the authority'. It is 
 hard for us to form an idea of the tyrannical 
 rigor with which the Scribes and Pharisees 
 issued their edicts of instruction, received, of 
 course, with a correspontling servility of men- 
 tal submission by their hearers. But now 
 they listened to a man who uttered the truth 
 as of his own judgment, and with such rea- 
 sonableness, and consistency with the simple 
 words of Scripture and with the testimony of 
 their own consciences, that they were amazed. 
 
 33. A man which had a spirit of an 
 unc-lran devil (rather, demon). The word 
 devil is so strictly singular in the original of 
 the New Testament — invariably re]iresenting 
 the one arch-enem^' of God and man, Satan, 
 the tempter, prince of the demons — or some 
 man who, as acting like and for him. is 
 called by his name, that the use of it, in this 
 connection, is altogether misleading. It is 
 to be wished, certainly, that we had a more 
 satisfactory word to designate the beings so 
 named ; but it seems strange that the English 
 section of the recent revisers should have left 
 in the translation an apparent consent to so 
 great an error. Their marginal reading 
 might well have taken the first place, as it 
 does in various American editions, in accord- 
 ance with the preference of the American 
 section of the revisers. (See Revision above.) 
 ^' Demon" is nearly one of the two Greek 
 names, written in English letters, and does 
 not necessarily, in classic Greek, imply de- 
 j)ravity, as the epithet unclean here shows. 
 Rut no epithet is elsewhere used in the New 
 Testament — the name itself standing for a 
 supernatural spirit, subservient to the devil, 
 and acting in his cause to corrupt and harm, 
 and eternally destroy men. Their origin, and 
 more particular relation to Satan, are not ' 
 
 explained. Their number is indefinitely 
 great. These beings, often called "unclean," 
 or evil "spirits," are .said to enter into men, 
 who then 'have" evil spirits, and are s|)oken 
 of in the Common Version as "possessed" by 
 them — (the Greek is, a?-e demonized,. The 
 person so afflicted (for it everywhere appears 
 as a dreadful affliction) has his own faculties 
 of thought, emotion, and will, so usurped by 
 the intruding power, that he speaks as the 
 demon. Again, the consciousness is con- 
 fused, distracted ; and .sometimes the human, 
 sometimes the demoniac person, i)revails. 
 Violent contortions and spasms of the body, 
 accompanied with excruciating pafn.s, were 
 occasional features of the horrid state. As 
 the phenomena of epilepsy and insanity pre- 
 sent many resemblances to the cases of po.«- 
 session reported in the New Testament, some 
 have hazarded the supposition that these 
 were all instances of such merely natural 
 maladies, and that Jesus only accommodated 
 his way of speaking about, and dealing with 
 them, to the i)opular idea that such maladies 
 were the work of demons. It may not be 
 possible to clear the subject of perplexing 
 mystery, but it is to be borne in mind that 
 the Jewi.«h conception of this matter (origina- 
 ting from their a.<sociations with Oriental 
 pagans during the exile, and matured after- 
 wards) regarded the disturbing spirits as the 
 ghosts of wicked men deceased, while the 
 New Testament views them distinctly as 
 suj)ernatural beings, not of human nature, 
 sent hither by the devil, whose extra-mun- 
 dane place is "the aby.ss." Whatever might 
 be said on another theory of several occur- 
 ences concerning them in the New Testament, 
 some, like that of the Gadarene demoniac, can- 
 not be fully explained on any hypothesis but 
 that Jesus saw in them, and intended his dis- 
 ciples to see, the agents of the devil— his angels 
 of evil and harm to men. He accordingly 
 taught that his work was to contend ngainst 
 and expel them, that his disciples should do 
 the same, and that both he and they might 
 recognize the succe.«s of his mission in the 
 subjection of the demons to them. 
 
 To the diflBculty that we do not see evidence 
 
90 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cii. IV. 
 
 34 Saying, "Let us alone; what have we to do with 
 thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy 
 us? 'I know thee who thou art; <^the Holy One of 
 Uod. 
 
 3o And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, 
 and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown 
 him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 
 '36 And they were all amazed, and spake among 
 themselves, saying. What a word i.i this! for with 
 authority and power he commandeth the unclean 
 spirits, and they come out. 
 
 34 cried out with a loud voice, i Ah ! what have we to do 
 with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come 
 to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy 
 
 35 One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold 
 thy peace, and come out of him. And when the 
 demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came 
 
 36 out of him, having done him no hurt. And amaze- 
 ment came upon all, and they spake together, one 
 with another, saying. What -\:i this word? for with 
 authority and power he commandeth the unclean 
 
 a Or, Away b ver. 41 c Ps. 16: 10; Dao. 9: H; ch. 1 : 35. 1 Or, Let alone 2 Or, this word, that with authority . . 
 
 of .such possession in other times, especially in 
 our own, it has been common to reply that the 
 Satanic agency was then allowed more freely, 
 in order that the Saviour's triumph f»ver it 
 might be signally displayed. That is not an 
 unreasonable answer ; but may it not be true, 
 also, that to the all-discerning eye a certain 
 proportion of the cases which we ascribe to 
 merely physical disorders of the nervous sys- 
 tem, appear as instances of Satanic perversion 
 through evil spirits? The pcssessive case in 
 "spirit of an unclean demon," is the posses- 
 sive of apposition, or definition, equivalent to 
 "a spirit which was an unclean demon." 
 
 And (Ae, the demonized man), cried out 
 with a loud voice, significant of the awe and 
 fury with which the sight of Jesus filled him. 
 
 34. Sayiug, Let us alone. This should 
 be changed to an interjection of fear and di.«- 
 pleasure— ^/i.'— What have we to do with 
 thee, etc. ? The plural number of the pro- 
 noun may indicate that the man speaks for 
 him.self and the demon ; or that the demon 
 associates himself with his class, as being all 
 threatened by the advent of Christ. He 
 means: AVhy shouldest thou interfere with 
 us?— Art thou come to destroy us? 
 Christ's presence forebodes harm to the infer- 
 nal spirits. I — the demon speaks through the 
 man — knoAV thee, etc. Whence this prompt 
 and constant recognition by the demons of 
 the divine character of our Lord? Was it 
 that they had learned it from their ruler; or 
 that pure and perfect goodness revealed itself 
 Instantly and infallibly to unmixed evil, as a 
 hostile and punitive power?— The Holy One 
 of God. In what sense, precisely, the wicked 
 spirit employed this title, is questionable; pro- 
 bably as equivalent to Messiah. 
 
 35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. 
 Hold thy peace, etc. The unhallowed salu- 
 tation would aggravate the Saviour's abhor- 
 rence. He did not desire lip-homage to his 
 office; least of all would it be welcome from 
 such a source. Hence the injunction. Hold 
 
 thy peace. Strictly, Be thou muzzled! 
 "Speak not of knowledge of me!" As to the 
 afllicted man, that the Lord deals not at all 
 with him shows that he is not thought of as 
 criminal in entertaining the unclean spirit; 
 but. as in most such cases, the victim of dia- 
 bolical malignity. The man who was dispos- 
 sessed would be left as before the evil power 
 overcame him. — And when the devil — {de- 
 7non) — had thrown him down in the midst, 
 etc. The departure of the invading spirit was 
 apt to be accompanied with terrible pains. 
 On this occasion he appears to have caused an 
 agonizing wrench of the man's whole frame 
 (comp. Mark 1 : 26), by which he was thrown 
 down in the open space in the middle of the 
 synagogue. They probably expected to find 
 him dead ; but found him so free from perma- 
 nent harm when the deliverance had been 
 etfected, that they could say he had hurt him 
 not. 
 
 36. And they were all amazed — that is, 
 amazement came upon all. Tlie cure of de- 
 moniacs was sometimes attempted by Jewish 
 exorcists, and, as would appear, with a kind 
 
 of success (Miiii. 12 : 27 , and wmp. Jos. Ant.. 8. 2, 5). Prob- 
 ably, however, few people had seen even 
 pretended successes of this kind; and, if they 
 had, there were features of this case — the 
 entire absence of every shade of jugglery, the 
 intense earnestness, the religious solemnity, 
 and the single efficacy of the Saviour's simple 
 word of command — for which they were not 
 prepared. — What a word is this! The 
 Common Version gives the main sense, but 
 not the form, of the thought. (See lievision). 
 The word is that command so imperative and 
 efficacious, which had just been uttered. — 
 For with authority — as a personal endow- 
 ment (as in ver. 82) — and power — in the 
 practical exercise of that authority — he com- 
 mandeth the unclean spirits — the people 
 see that what he has done in this case he can 
 and will do in other cases— and they come 
 out. 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 91 
 
 ;W And the fame of him went out into every place of 
 the country round about 
 
 ;W "And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered 
 into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's niotlier was 
 taken with a great fever; and they besouglit him for 
 her. 
 
 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; 
 and it left her : and immediately she arose and minis- 
 tered unto them. 
 
 40 ' Now when the .sun was setting, all they that had 
 any sick with divers diseases brought tlieni unto hiui 
 and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed 
 them. 
 
 37 spirits, and they came out. And there went forth 
 a rumour eoneerning liim into every place of the 
 region round about. 
 
 3.S And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered 
 into the house of Simon. Aiul Simon's wile's mother 
 was huldeii with a great fever: and they besought 
 
 39 him for her. And lie stood over her, and rebuked 
 the fever; and it left her: and immediately she ruse 
 up and ministered unto tliem. 
 
 U) And when the sun was setting, all they that had 
 any sick with divers diseases brought them unto 
 him ; and he laid bis hands on every one of them, 
 
 > Unit. 8:14; M>rl( 1 : 
 
 .Uatt. 8: 16: Mark 1 : 32. 
 
 37. And the fame of him went out — {i.e., 
 "a noise," or rumor, concerning him) into 
 every place of the country round about. 
 
 It was not clear and intelligent intorniatioii, 
 but a varying and mixed popular talk, sueh 
 as is apt to follow so strange occurrences, and 
 well suited to draw general attention to 
 Christ. It is worthy of notice that the first 
 miracle reported by Luke is the expulsion of 
 a demon. The victory over Satan, which he 
 had achieved in the wilderness, is repeated in 
 the case of Satan's emissaries and his works. 
 
 38, 39. Healing of Peteh's AVife's 
 Mother. 
 
 38, And he arose out of the synagrogue, 
 and entered into Simon's house. From 
 Mark 1: '2*,>. we see that Andrew lived with 
 his brother Simon, in Capernaum. That the 
 house is called Simon's, does not prove, in- 
 deed, that he owned it, but renders this ex- 
 tremely ])r<)b:ible. It was doubtless a lowly 
 abode, as that of a plain fisherman. Luke 
 has not iiiimed him before; but he either in- 
 tentionally leaves to his readers to supply 
 that this was the well-known apostle, Simon 
 Peter, or, unconsciously, as in other cases, 
 alludes to facts which he does not relate. 
 Peter was, as we see, a married man ; nor is 
 there the slightest reason to suppose that his 
 wife was dead at this time, as some Romanists 
 have urged. We have reason, rather, to 
 conclude from 1 Cor. 9: 5, that she subse- 
 quently accompanied him on his missionary 
 tours. — Simon's wife's mother was taken 
 (holden) with a great fever — confined to her 
 bed, as appears from Matt. 8: 14, and Mark 1: 
 30. It is thought that Luke's medical dis- 
 crimination is seen in referring this disease, as 
 specially violent, to one of the two classes 
 into which fevers were divided, "the great" 
 and "the small." Galen, on "The Different 
 Fevers," in "Wetstein on this passage. — And 
 they besought him for her — rather, ques- 
 
 tioned him about her. The Greek verb shows 
 that they did not have to repeat the question, 
 or wait an answer. They might well hope 
 that, after what they had just seen of his 
 superhuman power, and what he had pre- 
 viously done in their city (»«■•. a), he would, if 
 his attention were called to her case, heal her 
 also. And he did. Whtit he would not do 
 at Nazareth, or elsewhere, merely to display 
 power, and gratify curiosity, he could not 
 help doing in answer to the even faintly 
 trustful faith of needy hearts. 
 
 39. He stood over her*— as a i)hy.~i(ian 
 kindly examining her case— and rebuked the 
 fever — recognizinga personal principle of evil 
 in the diseases affliotingmen,— And it left her. 
 She was instantly restored to health. And 
 immediately she arose. Thus proving the 
 reality and miraculous suddenness of thecure. 
 —And ministered unto them — probably by 
 preparing the Sabbath evening meal for Jesus, 
 Peter, and tlieir companions; thus proving 
 that she c<)n>e('rated her restored strength to 
 the faithful discharge of the duties incident to 
 her position. 
 
 40, 41. Ax Evenino and Nioht (?) 
 Filled with Healino Acts of MEurv. 
 
 40. Now {and) when the sun was set- 
 ting — the earliest moment When it would be 
 thought allowable on ther Sabbath ; they did 
 not wait until the sun was entirely down. — 
 All they that had any sick with divers 
 diseases brought them unto him. What 
 a scene presented itself to the Saviour's com- 
 passiontite glance! What a number and va- 
 riety of the physical " ills which flesh is heir 
 to," when a whole community gathered their 
 sick, and maimed, and crippled, and blind, 
 and dumb, before the Great Physician, each 
 one most anxious to attrsict his merciful look ! 
 It was one of those opjiortunities, fortunate 
 even in the time of Christ's earthly mission, 
 when the streams of healing mercy Mowed 
 
92 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 41 "And devils also came out of many, crying out, 
 and saying. Thou art Christ the Son of God. And 'he 
 rebuking «Ae/« suffered them not =to speak: for they 
 knew that he was Christ. 
 
 42 i^And when it was day, he departed and went into 
 a desert place: and the people sought him, and came 
 unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart 
 from them. 
 
 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the king- 
 dom of God to other cities also : for therefore am I sent. 
 
 41 and healed them. And demons also came out from 
 many, crying out, and saying. Thou art the Son of 
 God. And rebuking theui, he sutlered them not to 
 speak, becau.se they knew 'hat he was the Christ. 
 
 42 And when it was day, he came out and went Into 
 a desert place : and the multitudes sought after him, 
 and came unto him, and would have stayed him, 
 
 43 that he should not go from them. But he said unto 
 them, I must preach the igood tidings of the king- 
 dom of God to the other cities also : for therefore 
 was I sent. 
 
 a Mark 1 : 34; 3: 11.... ft M;irk 1 : 25, 34; ver 34, 35.... c Or, to say that they knew him to be Christ d Mark 1 : .S3. — -I Or, gospel. 
 
 freely from the fountain, and when those who 
 needed it appreciated their privilege. Faith 
 in his ability to heal disease, at least, was 
 solidly established, and many might be ready 
 to gain this blessing, who refused his more 
 precious otters to tlieir souls. — And he laid 
 his hands on every one of them — as he had 
 done also on the mother-in-law (ver. 39), from 
 what we read in Matthew and Mark. This 
 was not a necessity in order that he might 
 effect the cure, but it was well suited to bring 
 the beneficiaries into a personal relation with 
 him, when they were brought forward, every 
 one separately, and to certify to rude minds 
 that the benefit really came from him. — And 
 healed them. So that we are permitted to 
 imagine a considerable town (allowing due 
 latitude to the phrase "aW they that had") 
 cleared, for one happy hour, of all sickness and 
 bodily plagues. 
 
 41. And devils — (demons) — also came 
 out of many. A repetition of the scene in the 
 synagogue. This is mentioned separately, as 
 a crowning exercise of power and mercy, but 
 ns closely connected with the general work of 
 bodily cure. The possessed, like the sick, ap- 
 peal to compassion. —And he, rebuking 
 them, suflTered them not to speak. The 
 extorted confessions of his Messiahship are 
 again sternly silenced, and now distinctly for 
 the reason that they knew that he was the 
 Christ, and were forward to declare it. — For 
 is distinctly equivalent to because. Had he 
 desired that fact concerning himself to be 
 bruited abroad, he would not desire to have it 
 rest on the testimony of "unclean demons" ; 
 but we see many evidences that he did not 
 wish it to be talked about, in the existing tem- 
 per of the populace ; but rather that it should 
 be revealed quietly to the reflection and faith 
 of prepared souls. 
 
 42, 43. Prkparation for a Prkachinq 
 Tour through Galilkk. 
 
 42. And when it was day — that is, the 
 
 morning of that day which had begun at sun- 
 set on the Sabbath evening (ver. 40). It was 
 very early in the morning (Mark i: 35). — He de- 
 parted and went into a desert place. 
 Mark also teaches what we might infer from 
 the account here, that he we7it out and de- 
 parted into a solitary place, to pray (Mark i:35), 
 and also that he was engaged in prayer there 
 when the people [multitudes) sought him, 
 etc. The multitudes were prompted and 
 guided, as would appear (Marki:36) by Simon 
 and those with him, who might have learned 
 the intention of Jesus to leave that neighbor- 
 hood — And came unto him — implies in the 
 Greek that there was some pains required to 
 reach him, and they did not stop until they 
 found him; or, possibly, that they found him 
 in prayer, and should have remained aloof, but 
 in their urgency came quite up to him. And 
 stayed (ivould have stayed) him — the tenta- 
 tive imperfect, — that he should not depart 
 from them. He had proved himself so use- 
 ful to them, that they would fain have kept 
 him with them permanently. "What amount 
 of interest in his higher mission there may 
 have been among them for the moment, no 
 one can tell ; but we may suppose that if a year 
 later there had been in the town as many 
 righteous men as would have saved Sodom for 
 Abraham, they would have averted that awful 
 denunciation (io:i5) which singled out this 
 city, as pre-eminent in unbelief, for signal 
 ruin. 
 
 43. And (but) he said — seeing clearly the 
 greatness of his work and the shor.ness of his 
 opportunity— I must preach the kingdom 
 of God to other cities also. It was the 
 necessity' laid upon him by the very nature of 
 his mission, which constituted the I must. — 
 Preach. The word ((C7)piio-<7<o), properly ren- 
 dered "preach," in the next verse, is not used 
 here, but a more specific term (evayyeXi^oiiai), 
 to announce as good neins. For the definition 
 of the kingdom of God — the theme of this 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 93 
 
 44 "J And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. I 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of >Gal- 
 
 I ilee. 
 
 CHAPTEK V. 
 
 AND ' it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon | 1 Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed 
 him to lieur the word of God, he stood by the lake upon him and heard the word of God, that he was 
 
 of Geuuesaret, I 
 
 a Mark 1 : 39 6 Matt. 4: 18; Mark 1 : 16.^ — 1 Very man; aocient authoriliea read, Judaa. 
 
 joyful announcement, see on 6: 20. The 
 designation of it in Luke is uniformly as 
 here; so in Mark, while Matthew much 
 more commonly calls it "the kingdom of 
 heaven." Other cities — should be ''the 
 other cities,^' marking the gracious design of 
 Jesus to leave none without instruction and 
 invitation. — For therefore am I sent; or, 
 becniis: for this ivas I sent. This announce- 
 ment of the good news of salvation to all 
 whom he could reach, was a jiart of the 
 object for which his Father had sent him 
 from his own bosom, and on which he cheer- 
 fuU^' came forth out of heaven (Marki: 38). 
 
 4: 44—7: 50. The Missionary Excur- 
 sion Through thk Provinck of Galilee. 
 From the point which we have now reached, 
 we nuiy recognize a topographical distribu- 
 tion of the ministry of our Lord in Galilee, 
 running on to 9: 51, when he finally takes up 
 his slow movement toward Jerusalem. It is 
 divided into two preaching circuits — the first 
 narrower, not extending apparently to places 
 more than about a day's walk from the west- 
 ern shore of the Sea of Galilee, while the 
 second aimed to reach all the more distant 
 localities, even those east of the lake, and far 
 north toward Cesarea Philippi. Tl)us here 
 an announcement is made of a season of 
 preaching in the synagogues, in the course of 
 which no localities are mentioned until 7: 1, 
 when he enters again into Capernaum, from 
 which he may have been not far at any point. 
 He does not tarry there at that time, but is 
 presently' at Nain ; and in 8: 1, he sets out on 
 a new excursion, to visit every city and vil- 
 lage with his joyful proclamation. By the 
 aid of the other evangelists, we are able to fix 
 the place and the chronological order of some 
 of the events recorded, more definitely than 
 the documentary or oral authoritj' acces-^ible 
 to Luke enabled him to do. The exhiliition 
 of Christ's teaching and work was his leading 
 aim, subordinately to which we see him 
 grouping the facts, in topographical circles of 
 labor, according to a distinct concejition, and 
 not inconsistently with the other accounts. 
 
 One prominent result of the first circuit is the 
 selection of the twelve apostles. 
 
 4: 44. And he preached {vms preaching) 
 in the synagogues of Galilee. This is a 
 general description of the nature of his work, 
 and of the usual seats of it, during the period, 
 of indefinite duration, occujjied by chapters 
 5-7. Some might not unreasonably prefer to 
 connect it with the two preceding verses, as 
 denoting, in a summary and prt)visional way, 
 the issue of that preparation, which these 
 chapters go on to describe in detail. Preach- 
 ing was, in this stage of the gospel, the public 
 announcement of the truth concerning the 
 advent of the kingdom of God, with men's 
 privilege and duty in regard to it; and the 
 sj'nagogues oflTered everywhere the most con- 
 venient and appropriate place, as at Nazareth 
 and Capernaum, for the proclamation. 
 
 Ch. 5. 1-11. Call to Disctpleship ok 
 Peter (Andrew also.— Matt. 4: 18), James 
 AND John. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, that, as the 
 people (■yntiltitude) pressed upon him. 
 This narrative is best to be thought of as the 
 first of the incidents of that period of evan- 
 gelizing labors summarily described in 4: 44. 
 From a comparison of Mark 1 : 20, 21, it is ex- 
 tremely probable that what here follows 
 actually took place more immediately after 
 our Lord's coming down from Nazareth, 
 before the Sabbath whose history we have 
 just considered. Luke mu.<t, we think, have 
 placed it at Capernaum, since the boat into 
 which he entered (ver. 3) was Simon's. So we 
 see that, after having spoken of his continuous 
 missionary work as about to begin, he pauses 
 to describe the special call of certain 
 disciples, as explaining their subsequent 
 companionship. For it is to be noted that 
 hitherto, so far as appears from Luke, and 
 from other Synoptics, out^Saviour has moved 
 about and taught, alr)ne. We hear of no 
 associate with him at Nazareth, and Peter is 
 named in 4: 38, as a stranger. To hear (and 
 heard = were hearing) the word of God. 
 
94 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 What Jesus spoke concerning himself and 
 the kingdom, was God's word, because God 
 gave it to him to speak, and because it was a 
 constant revelation of God's h(tly and merci- 
 ful name. He .stood by the lake of Gen- 
 nesaret. This lake, on the surface and 
 borders of which so many incidents of our 
 Saviour's public ministry took place, is men- 
 tioned in the Old Testament as the Sea of 
 Chinnereth, and Chinneroth; and in the New 
 Testament as the Sea of Galilee — in Matthew, 
 Mark and John ; and Sea of Tiberias, in John 
 21 : 1 ; but in Luke, only, as the Lake of 
 Gennesaret. It is an expansion of the 
 
 smooth sand, or, in part, of coarse pebbles 
 and shingles of rock, surrounds the entire 
 lake, reaching to the foot of the mountain. 
 On this space grows luxuriantly a tropical 
 vegetation, including fine palm trees, near 
 the ancient Tiberias, while the mountain 
 slopes are bare of verdure, furrowed with 
 deep ravines, canyons, or Wadys, and deso- 
 late, except as brightened by patches of grass 
 for a season in spring. The climate, as 
 might be expected in such a hollow, is op- 
 pressively hot and unhealthy in summer; at 
 other seasons, pleasant and even delightful. 
 In our Saviour's time, the neighborhood of 
 
 LAKE OP GENNESARET. 
 
 Jordan, filling a portion of its bed lying in 
 that wonderful chasm through which, as 
 described on 3:3, the river runs its entire 
 length. The sheet of water is thirteen miles 
 long and six broad; its depth reaches, in 
 places, 165 feet. The water is clear, compara- 
 tivelj' cool, and excellent for drinking. It is 
 still, as in ancient times, teeming with fish. 
 The mountains which border the Jordan 
 below, to the Dead Sea, enclose this lake also, 
 rising steeply to the height of perhaps a 
 thousand feet on tfie eastern side. On the 
 west, the ascent is more gradual and not so 
 high, even at the southern end ; while toward 
 the north it sinks, as we have seen, into the 
 Plain of Gennesaret. A narrow beach of 
 
 this lake was the most thickly peopled, and 
 most prosperous part of Palestine. Large 
 towns almost crowded each other along the 
 western shore, and the water itself was alive 
 with hundreds of boats for fishing, for freight, 
 for pleasure, and sometimes for war. The 
 productiveness of the fisheries; the fertility 
 of the plain before mentioned, and of other 
 parts in the neighborhood; and the traffic of 
 caravans and cargoes passing between the 
 Mediterranean and Damascus, or the farther 
 ea<;t — gave employment to multitudes of 
 people, among whom chieflj' our Saviour 
 taught and labored thnnigh his public life. 
 The lake is now lonely— its shores almost void 
 of inhabitant. A single boat has for many 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 95 
 
 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the 
 fi»beriuen were gone out of tbeiu, and were washing 
 tlieir nets. 
 
 3 And he entered into one of the siiips, whicli was 
 Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a 
 little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the 
 people out of the ship. 
 
 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto 
 Simon, « Launch out into the deep, and let down your 
 nets for a draught. 
 
 7-1 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we 
 have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: 
 nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 
 
 6 And when they ha<l this done, they inelosed a great 
 multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 
 
 7 And they beckoned unto tluir partners, which 
 were in the other ship, that they should come and help 
 
 2 standing by the lake of Cennesaret; and he saw 
 two boats standing by the lake; but the tishernien 
 had gone out of them, and were wa>hing their nets. 
 
 3 And he entered into one of the lioals, which was 
 .Simon's, and asked liiui to put out a little from the 
 land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes 
 
 4 out of the boat. And when he had left speaking, he 
 said unto Simon, I'ut out into the deeji, and let down 
 
 5 your nets for a draught. Ami SI n answered and 
 
 said, Master, we toiled all night, ami took nothing: 
 
 6 but at thy word I will let down the nets. And when 
 they had this done, they inelosed a great multitude 
 
 7of tishes; and their nets were i)reaking; and they 
 beckoned unto their partners in the other bout, tluit 
 they should come and help lliem. And they came, 
 and tilled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 
 
 years represented the lively throng th5\t 
 crcxssed and circled under the Saviour's ej^e, 
 while .scanty ruins cumber the sites of the 
 busy cities of old, and weigh down the dust of 
 their inhabitants. Travelers dispute whether 
 the scene can now be called beautiful or 
 pleasant; but curiosity will always be piqued 
 by such a bodj' of water, lying so deep, in 
 such a basin of rock whose lofty summits rise 
 but little above the level of the "great sea" ; 
 and even undevout hearts are tenderlj' stirred 
 by memories of the walks and works and 
 prayers of the Lord Jesus, which the scene 
 naturally evokes. 
 
 'Z. Two ships (boats) standing by the 
 lake — drawn out on the shore. The size of 
 this lake would scarcely allow what we call 
 ships, for any use; and these were fishers' 
 boats, with a sail, but without deck, unless at 
 the ends, and mainly propelled by oars. 
 Josephus says there were, at that time, four 
 thousand vessels on the lake. — But the fish- 
 ermen were gone out of them, and were 
 Avashing (perhaps, rather, had noshed) their 
 nets. The true text is uncertain. The 
 preterit tense of the second verb would itn- 
 ply that the wa.«hing was ended; the imper- 
 fect that it was going on. 
 
 3. And he entered into one . . . and 
 prayed him (.Simon) that he Avould thrust 
 out, etc. The reason for this lay in the 
 statement that the people pressed upon 
 him (ver. 1), and that he himself was standing 
 on the shore. That was a very inconvenient 
 position for addressing the great throng 
 whom the reports concerning hiin had drawn 
 together. And he sat down and taught 
 the people (multitudes) out of the ship. 
 The sitting posture was usual for the relig- 
 ious teacher, as we have seen (♦:20); but 
 probably here the unstable position of the 
 
 boat may have been a chief retison. Having 
 wrought miracles the night before, he now 
 gave the people the message which those 
 were suited to prepare for and to confirm. 
 
 4. Now ((tnd) when he had left speak- 
 ing, he said unto Simon, Launch out into 
 the deep —verb in the singular, addressed 
 to Peter as captain — and let down your 
 nets — plural, of the crew — for a draught. 
 The nets, from their Greek name, were 
 cast-nets — one of which might be tiirown out 
 by each hand on the boat, witii the aim to 
 surround as many fish as possible. 
 
 5. Master, we have toiled all the night, 
 and have taken nothing. The word Mas- 
 ter («>ri<rTaTJ)s), is properly, superintendent, 
 commander, not rnbbi or teacher («i5do/caAos), 
 which would be familiar to Jews, but not to 
 Greeks. This designates Jesus with reference 
 to his authority, which would better suit 
 Peter's present view. Luke uses it several 
 times, and he alone in the New Testament. 
 Peter's answer delicately hints that there can- 
 not be much use in trying again by daylight, 
 when the more favorable night-time has 
 brought no luck. — Nevertheless {hut) at 
 thy word I will. Jesus had said, Let down 
 your nets. Peter, who was in comtiiand, says, 
 I will let down the neHnetK). Theophylast 
 .says, " Before believing, Peter exercises faith 
 in Christ." — Meyer. 
 
 6. Their net (nets) brake (niere brrak' 
 n«/7, ready to break). This result can hardly 
 be called, in the strictest sense, a miracle, ex- 
 cept as being "a miracle of knowledge." — 
 Godet. It was a wonder of that class where a 
 remarkable, but not supernatural, event was 
 divinely effected at such a time and place, in 
 the history of revelation, as unmistakably to 
 indicate the interposition of God. 
 7. Their partners which were in the 
 
96 
 
 LUKE 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so 
 that they began to sink. 
 
 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' 
 knees, saying, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful 
 man, O Lord. 
 
 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, 
 at the draught of the fishes which they had taken : 
 
 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of 
 Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus 
 said unto Simon, Fear not; 'from henceforth thou 
 shalt catch men. 
 
 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' 
 knees, saying, Depart from me; for 1 am a sinful 
 
 9 man, O Lord. For he was amazed, and all that were 
 with him, at the draught of the fishes which they 
 
 10 had taken; and so were also James and John, sons 
 of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And 
 Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth 
 
 o2Siiiu. 6:9:1 Kings 17: 18.... 5 Matt. 4: 49; Mark 1: 17. 
 
 other ship — the other of the two, namely, 
 mentioned in ver. 2. Tne partners were 
 James and John, the sons of Zebedee (ver. lo; 
 
 comp. MKtt. 4:21; Mark 1:19) . Filled both the 
 
 ships— (boats)— etc. That the catch of their 
 several nets should have been sufficient for 
 this, without supposing any miracle of the mul- 
 tiplication of the fish, will not seem at all in- 
 credible to one who reads the account of Jose- 
 phus. — Jew. Wa7's, vol. iii. 10, 7; Kobinson, 
 Fhys. Geog., p, 204, 5; Tristram, Land of Is- 
 rael., p. 426; Thomson, Land and Book, p. 79- 
 81; Hitter, Geog. of Pal., yo\. ii. 250; McGre- 
 gor, Rob Roy on the Jordan, ch. xx. ; Porter, 
 Handbook, vol. ii. 40'J; and the authorities 
 cited in Winer, Real-wdrterbuch, under word 
 Fisclie. 
 
 8. When Simon Peter, etc. — rather, Ayid 
 Simon Peter, wli.en he saw it, fell down, etc. 
 It was a natural expression of that solemn 
 awe, and sense of unworthinoss, which at all 
 times attended the extraordinary manifesta- 
 tion of God's presence to mortals (Judges i.i: 22,2:$; 
 
 2 Siim. 6: 9 ; 1 Kings 17 : 18), and whicll We Still fccl at 
 
 those moments when we are suddenly made 
 sensible of the near exercise of his holy, though 
 gracious power. Meyer finds Luke inconsist- 
 ent with himself in showing Peter thus af- 
 fected after the exhibitions he had had, the 
 day before, of Christ's divine authority. But, 
 while a more full acquaintance with all the 
 circumstances is to be desired, we may note 
 that it is not said Peter was present on that 
 afternoon, even at his own house. And if he 
 certainly were, who can prescribe when, to 
 the varying mood^ of a man's mind, and in 
 the diverse circumstances surrounding him, 
 he must most properly experience those agi- 
 tations of his profoundest being which mark 
 the turning points of life, and determine 
 eternal destiny? This revelation of divinity, 
 in his own sphere of duty, and after we know 
 not what cogitations, came home to him. His 
 first feeling was that of his personal sinfulness, 
 which made a manifest inconsistency with the 
 
 holiness of the Lord, so that he prostrated 
 himself with the confession— I am a sinful 
 man. It is eminently congruous with that 
 sense which Peter afterward felt of Christ's 
 redeeming grace, that he should have been a 
 particularly wicked man in his unregenerate 
 days, and not above the proverbially low 
 level of morality where the followers of his 
 craft used to be found. His prayer was, in 
 form, that of the Gadarenes after the healing 
 of their demoniac (8:37); but who does not feel 
 that Peter would have been inconsolably 
 afflicted if Jesus had taken him at his word? 
 [Is it not possible that Peter's mind reverted 
 to his distrust of Christ's knowledge or power 
 when told to launch out and cast in the net? 
 Though he obeyed the Master, he did it with 
 very little faith ; and now his sinful lack of 
 trust overwhelmed him with shame. He felt 
 himself to be exceedingly unworthy before 
 his holy and heart-reading Lord. — A. H.] 
 
 9,10. For he was astonished, etc. More 
 exactly, Amazement held him, and all that 
 were with him — and so was atso James and 
 John. The feeling of each would be deeper, 
 being common with that of the rest. And 
 Jesus said unto Simon. The others do not 
 appear in this call as given by Luke, yet it is 
 evident from the partially parallel and briefer 
 narratives of Matthew and Mark, that Jesus, 
 at some point in the scene, gave the call to the 
 whole four. Had we all the facts implied in 
 the three accounts, in their order, we might be 
 able to see that they cover proceedings of 
 parts of two days; that the call to the four 
 was given the day before the Sabbath in Ca- 
 pernaum, while the washing of the nets took 
 place on the morning of the day after the Sab- 
 bath, with the Saviour's discourse to the 
 people, the miraculous draught, and the ad- 
 dress to Peter, separately reminding him that 
 he was henceforth to follow a new life. Fear 
 not — that very sense of sinfulness which pros- 
 trated him, being accompanied with penitence 
 and a desire of a better life, was a reason why 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 97 
 
 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, 
 'they forsook all, and Collowed him. 
 
 12 "And it taiiii; to pass, wlieu he was in a certain 
 city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus 
 
 11 thou shalt 1 catch men. And when tliey had brought 
 their boats to hiiid, they left all, and followed him. 
 
 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the 
 cities, behold, a man full of leprosy : and when he 
 
 allntt. 4:20; 19:27; Mark 1:18; eh. 18:28 (Ua»:8:2; Hnrk 1:40. 1 Gr. (ate alive. 
 
 he nei'd not droiul tlio presence of God. From 
 henceforth thou shalt catch — (Gr. take 
 alive) — men. The Greek represents it as 
 Peter's permanent work: "shalt be taking 
 men." Thcchangeof Peter's sentiment and 
 purpose, wrought through the view of his 
 past life, was suited to tit him all the better for 
 that different work, and constituted in God's 
 gracious providence the turning point of his 
 career. "So far thus, but henceforth." 
 
 This great draught of fishes, in connection 
 with the call of the first four disciples, pre- 
 supposes some previous acquaintance with 
 the men, although they have not before 
 appeared in the 83-noptical Gospels. The 
 Gospel of John supplies the lacking informa- 
 tion. From that, we learn that of the number 
 who had become attached to John the Bap- 
 tist, at the Jordan, in such relation as to be 
 called his disci})les, or scholars, before our 
 Lord's return to the Jordan after the tempt- 
 ation, were three of these four men. First, 
 two (•loiiii I : .t6«), Andrew and John, moved 
 by the Baptist's testimony, make themselves 
 acquainted with Jesus where he was then ' 
 lodging, and become convinced that they 
 have found the promised Messisih ; and so 
 persuade Simon of this that he, too, attaches 
 himself to the Lord. 
 
 Afterward, Philip and Nathanael enter 
 into the like relation of provisional disciple- 
 ship; and, returning with the Teacher to j 
 Galilee, they, some or nil — some "disciples" 
 at least — were present with him at the wed- 
 ding in Cana (John 2: 2), in a short sojourn at : 
 Capernaum (ver. 12), on his journey to Jerusa- 
 lem at the i'assover (ver. n), and on the way I 
 back through Samaria (*; "it). After this, it 
 would appear that they separated to their 
 several places and occupations. It may 
 bring us nearer to the reality if we assume 
 that these disciples, at least that Peter did 
 not accompany Jesus to that first passover. 
 We then have a natural explanation why 
 Mark, who was Peter's interpreter, did not 
 mention occurrences of that journey, with 
 which the apostle was personally unac- 
 quainted. Matthew could say nothing of 
 them of his own knowledge, and Luke would. 
 
 for such reasons, find nothing about that time 
 in his Galilean sources. John, from his ac- 
 quaintance with the high-priest (John 13: is), 
 aj)pears to have been more at home, on some 
 account, in Jerusalem ; and this may be why 
 he dwells on facts pertaining to Judea, where 
 the others were strangers, while they give the 
 Galilean narrative. Nothing is reported 
 intimating that their scholarship to Jesus 
 involved the necessity of constant attendance. 
 It was not till the morning of the Sermon on 
 the Mount, that he appointed them, "that 
 they might be with him." But now his cause 
 has reached that stage where, as we may sup- 
 pose, he saw the need of companionship and 
 help; the necessity for putting in training, 
 also, men who, with further instruction and 
 apprenticeship, might become qualified to 
 assume larger responsibilities, and take charge 
 of his interests when he should be taken 
 away. Such was the significance of the call 
 of the fishermen on the lake. They are not 
 yet apostles; only scholars, selected out of a 
 number, now constantly- increasing, who, in 
 some sense and to some extent, recognized in 
 Jesus a "Teacher sent from God," perhaps 
 even a Messiah ; but with great diversity of 
 intellectual and spiritual appreciation. The 
 promise to these men, that they should be 
 "fishers of men" — catchers of souls unto 
 eternal life — might afterward find in their 
 thoughts tj'pical illustration, and perpetual 
 confirmation from the success of that haul U 
 which their Master .sent them, under circum- 
 stances so unpromising. They accei>t his 
 call — and what a difference resulted in the 
 subsequent cour.se of their lives, in their ex- 
 periences on earth, in their memory among 
 men, and in their eternal destiny ! 
 
 11. They forsook (or, left) all, and fol- 
 lowed him. Boats, nets, all worldly goods, 
 and busine-ss cares, ceased from the moment 
 to engage their thoughts. Not necessarily 
 that they left things in disorder, or without 
 properly arranging the affairs of their fami- 
 lies; but that everything now was turned to 
 the one purpose of discipleship to Christ. 
 
 12-10. Cure of a Leper. 
 
 12. Mhcn he was in a certain city {one 
 
98 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 fell on his face, aiKl besought him, saying, Lord, if thou 
 wilt, thou canst make me clean. 
 
 13 And he put forth Ai.s- hand, and touched him, say- 
 ing, I will : be thou clean. And immediately the 
 leprosy departed from him. 
 
 saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and besought him, 
 
 saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 
 
 13 And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, 
 
 saying I will; be thou clean. And straightway the 
 
 of the cities) — namely, of those contemplated 
 in 4: 44. Luke, who, from his purpose to 
 write "in order," would fain have given 
 definite places and dates, was often obliged, 
 nevertheless, from the lack of particular 
 information, to content himself with a gene- 
 ral indication of the scene and the time. — A 
 man full of leprosy. Leprosy, of which, 
 as of other diseases, there were various 
 species, was particularly prevalent in Egypt, 
 Syria, and different parts of the Levant. 
 The symptoms of it, as afflicting the Israel- 
 ites, after their long and degraded servitude 
 in Egypt, and the manner in which it was to 
 he treated, are minutely laid down in Leviti- 
 cus 13 and 14. It appeared on the surface, as 
 a disorder of the skin, in whitish spots, or 
 patches, which naturally spread by slow 
 degrees, and became confluent, covering, at 
 last, the entire body. Meantime, it wrought 
 inwardly also, until the whole physical sys- 
 tem was corrupted, even to the marrow of 
 the bones. The disease was hereditary, and 
 was regarded as incurable by medicines; yet 
 the provisions of the law seem to suppose the 
 possibilitj' of spontaneous cure in cases where 
 leprosy had been declared present. During 
 its continuance, it had the effect: (1) Person- 
 ally, of rendering its subject extremely mis- 
 erable. When it was fully developed, he 
 was a living mass of corruption, an offence to 
 himself as well as others, troubled with inces- 
 sant pains by day, and sleep-scaring dreams 
 by night, and with no hope of recovery to 
 health. (2) Socially, it cut him off from in- 
 tercourse with others, except such as were 
 similarly afflicted. This was, apparently, 
 more from fear of ceremonial pollution than 
 of contagion. The disease is often spoken of 
 as highly contagious (so in Godet), but it is 
 not expressly so called in the Bible. Naaman 
 was in an official position, incompatible with 
 natural abhorrence of infection. Physicians 
 dealing, on the east coast of Africa, with 
 what is now regarded as the "leprosy of the 
 Jews," declare its contagiousness very prob- 
 lematical; and, in the case before us, the man 
 was "in a city," not, apparently, precluded 
 from proximity to others. It may be noted 
 also, as a curious fact, that in the law (Lev 
 
 13:13), the leper in whom the disease had pro- 
 ceeded to such an extent that it had "covered 
 all his flesh," should be declared clean by 
 the priest. But, according to the law, he must 
 wear a distinctive and squalid dress — specially 
 a covering over the upper lip, and must con- 
 stantly indicate his state, by crying: "Un- 
 clean! Unclean!" (3) Ceremonially, it thus 
 rendered him "unclean," and cut him off 
 from all participation in the religious rites of 
 the congregation, and even ejected him from 
 the camp. It was thus treated in the Levit- 
 ical system as a symbol of sin. The rigorous 
 exclusion from society, originally practiced, 
 seems now to have been considerably modi- 
 fied. Full of leprosy — so long and badly 
 affected with the disease, that his whole body 
 was tainted, and he, naturally, hopeless of 
 relief — Who (properly, but) seeing Jesus 
 (he) fell on his face — thus indicating his 
 reverence, his sense of personal unworthiness, 
 and his appeal for mercy. This latter appears 
 distinctly in his uttered jirayer — Lord, if 
 thou Avilt, thou canst make me clean. 
 Of the Lord's ability to do even this, he was 
 fully convinced, from what he had seen and 
 heard of his wonderful works. But what he 
 mentions first is the doubt which disquiets 
 him — Will he cure me? He had heard of no 
 instance of the healing of a leper, and per- 
 haps this good physician shared so fully in 
 the popular aversion and disgust, that he 
 would not sully himself by contact with so 
 odious a wretch as himself. He evidently 
 hopes, but can base his petition, which he 
 hints, rather than expresses, only on an if. 
 — Make me clean. The cure of leprosy is 
 often spoken of as a })urification, in reference 
 to its defiling character ; sometimes as a heal- 
 ing, regarding it as a disease; and again, as a 
 departure, the evil being personilied, when 
 the ]>lague has ceased. 
 
 13. And he put (stretched) forth his 
 hand, and touched him. Instantly' the 
 response came, by an act first, as had the 
 sufferer's praj'er, as if to show that the Lord 
 was as willing and ready as he was able, to 
 bless; and as giving to the suppliant a most 
 encouraging proof of sympathy and kindness. 
 No fear of contagion or defilement should 
 
Cii. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 99 
 
 14 "Ami he charged him to tell no man : Imt go, and 
 shew thyself to the priest, and oiler lor tliy cleansing, 
 'according as Moses commande<l,l'or a testimony unto 
 them. 
 
 1") Rut so much the more went there a fame abroad 
 of him: 'and great multitudes came together to hear, 
 and to lie healed by him of their iutirmities. 
 
 If) ''And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, 
 and prayed. 
 
 14 leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to 
 tell no man: but go thy way, and shew thyself to 
 the priest, and oiler for thy cleansing, according as 
 
 1.') Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them, hut 
 so much the more went abroad the report concern- 
 ing him; and great multitudes came together to 
 
 IG hear, and to be healed of their intirmities. Hut ho 
 withdrew himself in the desert, and prayed. 
 
 a Matt. 8: 4....i Lev. U: 4, 10,21, 22 c Mutt. 4: 25; Murk 3: 7; Jnbu C: 2....dHait. 14:23; Mark 6: 46. 
 
 hinder him from answering to the felt and 
 tru.stful sen.se of dependence on bis help. — 
 I will: be thou (?nrt(^t:^ clean. Tliis word, 
 and not the friendly toucli, was what i--;sued 
 in the beneficent change. — And immediately 
 the leprosy departed from him — a proof 
 of Christ's power and kindness, more im- 
 pressive, perhaps, more significant of his con- 
 descension and superiority to the prejudices 
 of his day, than any which he liad before 
 given. Could any one doubt, after this, his 
 willingness to relieve every bodily woe, or to 
 cleanse from that moral guilt and pollution 
 so fitly rejiresented by tlie leper's case? 
 
 14. And he charged him to tell no man. 
 We are not told the reason for the.se repeated 
 charges to the objects of his mercy, that they 
 should not publish vvliat he had done for 
 them. It may, probably, liave been tliat he 
 saw a tendency, in that region, to fi.\ atten- 
 tion on his works, to the neglect of his word, 
 and to build on them a temporal and carnal 
 expectation concerning his kingdom. He 
 would have the former bear testimony, in- 
 deed, to his Messiaiisiiip, but only as they 
 might be interjjreted by the latter, througli 
 the study of meditative and believing souls. — 
 But go, and shew thyself to the priest, 
 etc. Our Lord was careful not to violate, 
 but to honor, the law given by Moses, wliile 
 he lived under it. This advice was conform- 
 able to the prescription in Lev. 14: 2, 10, 21, 
 the reasons for which are obvious in that con- 
 nection. And otTer for (concerning, or in 
 relation to) thy cleansing— make the ottering 
 required in connection with thy ccrenumial I 
 purification. The testimony would result 
 from the priest's declaration of his restored 
 health — unto them, namely', his relatives I 
 and acquaintances; not a testimony to the 
 priests in Christ's behalf, as the man was for- ' 
 bidden to tell that Christ had done it. 
 
 15. But so much the more went there a 
 fame abroad of (or, concerning) him, etc. — 
 The more, that is, in proportion to the strict- 
 
 ness with which Jesus had enjoined silence. 
 Luke does not expressly lay the blame on the 
 healed leper, as does Mark, whose whole 
 account is particularly graphic. The course 
 of the man was doubtless very natural — too 
 natural to evince much spiritual grace. It is 
 one of the many jjroofs tliat the faith of those 
 who flocked to Christ might have reference 
 only to his power of phj-sical beneficence. In 
 this case, if the great multitudes had come 
 together mainly to hear Christ's proclamation 
 of the good tidings, many would think the 
 man's mistake venial. Some have, indeed, 
 strange to say, immorally supposed that the 
 object of the prohibition was that a louder 
 rumor concerning him might go forth. There 
 does not seem to have been need of effort, at 
 this time, to attract numbers to be healed of 
 their infirmities. 
 
 IG. And (/)id) he— he himself, amid all this 
 thronging of excited thousands — withdrew 
 himself into the wilderness, and praye^I. 
 This was what came of the cleansed man's 
 imprudent and disobedient zeal (Mark i: 45). 
 Our Lord could not, for a time, "enter openly 
 into a city,'' but was in retirement in desert, 
 solitary places in the gullied mountains of 
 Galilee, partially similiar to those in which 
 John the Baptist abode in Judea (i: so). — And 
 prayed {n-as 2^)-oying)—s]ient the time of his 
 retirement in seeking spiritual rest, and light 
 from heaven in regard to these dubious mani- 
 festations of popular sentiments concerning 
 him. It is the second of nine in.stances in 
 which Luke, alone of the evangelists, pre- 
 sents the Saviour as engaged in prayer (i: 21 ; 
 
 6: 12; 9: 18.28,29; 22: 32,41; 23: 46). [/. e., No OUC of 
 
 these nine instances is mentioned by any 
 other Evangelist.— A. H.] "With these may 
 be mentioned the retirement spoken of in 
 4: 42, which we learn from Mark 1 : .33, was 
 for prayer. One who looks at these in.stances, 
 in their connection, will see that they all per- 
 tain to serious and important occasions o£ 
 Christ's life, and work. 
 
100 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was 
 teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the 
 law sitting by, which were come out ol' every town of 
 (jalilee, and Judiea, and Jerusalem: and the power of 
 the Lord y^aspreseut to heal them. 
 
 17 And it came to pass on one of those days, that he 
 was teaching; and there were Pharisees and doctors 
 of the law sitting' by, who were come out of every 
 village of Galilee and Judaea and Jerusalem: and 
 
 17-26. Cure of a Paralytic. 
 
 17» On a certain day (literally, one of 
 those days) — in which he was preaching in the 
 synagogue of Galilee (♦;«). Luke probably 
 could not name the time more definitely. 
 From Mark (2: 1-12 J, we learn that the place 
 was Capernaum, although this seems as little 
 known to Luke as was that of the preceding 
 miracle. [Is it at all certain that Luke would 
 have specified the day and place, if he had 
 known them? Or that he made any attempt 
 to give all the minute points of the history with 
 with which he had become familiar? A. H.] — 
 He was teaching — after the manner shown 
 us at Nazareth. Th is was a branch of the work 
 of preaching.— Pharisees. This sect, which 
 here first appears in Luke, sustained a very 
 important relation to the work of our Lord. 
 They were a small class, scattered through 
 the land, but clustered especially in Jeru- 
 salem and the other cities, and large towns, 
 pre-eminently distinguished by their zeal for 
 the strict ritual observances of their heredi- 
 tary religion. Originating (we know not 
 precisely how or where) in that dark and 
 barren period which followed the close of the 
 Old Testament revelation, they separated 
 themselves, in profession and practice, from 
 the mass of the nation, as these did from the 
 rest of mankind. Their name, Pharisees, 
 or Separates, signified this claim to peculiar 
 sanctity, or Hebraistic righteousness. Their 
 aim was, doubtless, as much political as re- 
 ligious, in this consistent with the ancestral 
 policy of their nation; only they had fallen 
 on a very bad stage of the national condition, 
 which they made it their supreme business to 
 conserve. With no change from the trium- 
 phant period of the Maccabsean monarchy, 
 except toward the multiplication of require- 
 ments and increased rigor in their obser- 
 vance, they made religion and patriotism to 
 consist in the practice of an all-comprehen- 
 sive and unyielding ritual. They insisted on 
 the perpetuation of every particle of rite and 
 ceremony which had been handed down to 
 them, and found authority in reputed tradi- 
 tions for whatever seemed further necessary 
 to support what they already had. These 
 traditions were an oral law (so-called), derived 
 
 [as was claimed] from Moses, through the 
 succession of Rabbis, of equal authority with 
 the law written, and so related to it that 
 when the reqirements of the former con- 
 flicted with the precepts of the latter, those 
 must prevail. Failure, in any point, to keep 
 the whole sacred form, was a sin; practical 
 compliance with all the traditions was a clear 
 title to salvation. They had, in part by 
 development of the teachings and intima- 
 tions of the Old Testament and, in part by 
 the aid of philosophical speculations, domes- 
 tic and foreign, constructed loose doctrinal 
 systems. These included, beside the clear 
 theology of their Scriptures, fixed opinions 
 concerning the existence and agency of super- 
 human spirits, good and evil, the immortality 
 of the soul, a future retribution involving 
 eternal rewards and punishments, and espe- 
 cially, the future Messiah and his reign. The 
 patriotic quality of their religious zeal made 
 them impatient of foreign restraint on their 
 nation, particularly impatient of the Roman 
 government, and ready to encourage turbu- 
 lence and insurrection, on the least prospect 
 of success. 
 
 The stress which they laid on the punctili- 
 ous observance of outward rites, mostly of 
 mere human origin, encouraged s]>iritual 
 pride, and an assurance of work-righteous- 
 ness which looked down on less scrujiulous 
 and common people as contemj)tible and pro- 
 fane. Their idea of the nature of religion ap- 
 pears to have been accepted by a multitude in 
 the respectable classes, who did not belong 
 to the party ; and it was doubtless generally 
 held by those who looked for the Messiah, 
 that, under his reign, they would of course be 
 distinguished with pre-eminent honor and 
 rewards. — Doctors of the law. Whether 
 these {voixohihauKakoi) were distinct from the 
 class called lawyers (vo/uikoi), is not altogether 
 clear. The names are probably only two 
 designations of the one office — that of guard- 
 ing, exi)ounding, applying the law. The class 
 would naturally be in close sympathy with 
 the Pharisees, even when they did not belong 
 to their body. — Which were come out of 
 every town {village)— showm^ how widely 
 they were distributed. They had evidently 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 101 
 
 18 <Aad, behold, uea brought in a bed a man which 
 was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to 
 bring hiiu in, and to lay kiin before him. 
 
 ID And when they could not find by what way they 
 might bring him in because of the multitude, they 
 went upon the housetop, and let him down through the 
 tiling with /i/v couch into the midst before Jesus. 
 
 2IJ And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, 
 Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 
 
 18 the power of the Lord was with him ' to heal. And 
 behold, men bring on a bed a man that w:is palsied: 
 and they sought to bring him iu, aud to lay hiiu 
 
 19 before him. And. not finding by what iiiii/ they 
 might bring hiiu in because of the multitude, they 
 went up to the housetop, aud let him down through 
 the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 
 
 ■20 And seeing their laitli, he said, Man, thy sins are 
 
 \ U.'itt. 9:2; Mark i ■ S. 1 Gr. that Xe tkould fceol. Maay aueicnc auihoriiles reiul, that he thovld heal them. 
 
 a.sseiiibled by concert, and were sitting by 
 
 — in tlie room where ..a was teaching, to ob- 
 serve wiiat Jesus would say and do. His fame 
 as a prophet and piighty worker had sjiread 
 so widely, and risen so liigh, that tlie ruling 
 authority in the religiotis si)liere would deem 
 it necessary to have definite information about 
 him. This may account for the sudden and 
 impressive apptirition of tliese dignitaries on 
 the field of his operations. Some. suppose that 
 the time was near the second pa.ssover in his 
 ministry (Johudti), and that the populous cara- 
 vans moving to or from the feast, might fur- 
 nish the number of Phariseesand doctors who 
 now manifest themselves. In any case, those 
 who were from .Judea and Jerusalem must 
 have come e.vpressly to carry out an arrange- 
 ment planned heforehaiul. — And the power 
 of the Lord was present to heal them. 
 The translation here is diflicuit, not only on 
 account of the ditterent forms of the text noted 
 in the margin of the Revision, but also because 
 of the conciseness of the expression. It might 
 be roughly given somewhat more literally 
 (following the preferable text), "And there 
 was a power of the Lord for him to heal:" 
 The Lord (cu^nou, without the article eqtiiva- 
 lent to G-od); "for," or "in order to," his 
 working cures. As the presence of many 
 seeking cures showed great faith in him as a 
 bodily hetrter, so power was given him to meet 
 the emergency. It was a time like that first 
 Sabbath evening in Capernaum («:«), and 
 like thesubse(iuent hour when the messengers 
 of John the Bajttist were present (7:Ji). The 
 case of the p:iralytic is particularly detailed, 
 not as exhausting the record of his activity 
 then, but because of a special lesson which it 
 taught. 
 
 18. And, behold, men bron^ht in (on) a 
 bed a man which was taken witli a palsy 
 (that wax paLsii-d^. The interjection behold 
 indicates the surprise occasioned by the event, 
 that a man as helpless toward moving him- 
 self, through the severity of his disease, as if 
 
 he were dead, should be brought by four men 
 (Mark 2 : 3), and With SO uiucli paiu placed before 
 the Saviour. The bed was a couch or pallet, 
 scarcely more than a stretcher in our hospital 
 practice. 
 
 19. And when they could not find by 
 what wa>, etc. .M:(rk vividly describes the 
 crowd that thronged the house and all the 
 space about the door {'i-Xf.). — They went 
 upon the housetop. The roofs were gener- 
 ally nearly level, and were reached by a 
 llight of stairs, either outside, from the street, 
 or within, from the open court, or area, 
 about which the more considerable houses 
 were usually built. — And. let him down 
 throu^'h the tiling, etc. This may mean 
 only that they i)assed him through a trap- 
 door in the roof, although Mark's account 
 would seem to imply that some removal of 
 the roof was necessary — a " digging through " 
 that, or some partition, before they could 
 reach the Saviour. The narratives are too 
 brief to allow us to bring the scene clearly 
 before us. Thomson, in the Land and Book 
 (Vol. II.. pp. 6-8., 1st Ed.), tells us that 
 breaking through the roof is of frequent oc- 
 currence in that country now. .lesus may 
 have been in the upper chamber or attic, 
 where meetings were held (Mirkii: is: achi: 13; 
 9: 59^ ; V>ut Various other views are entertained 
 
 20. And when he sawtheir faith, he said 
 unto thorn (omit unto tlirm\ .^lan, thy sins 
 are (equivalent to hare been) forgiven thee. 
 Faith is visible in its works; and, if ever np- 
 parent, it was manifest in that scene. Their 
 faith must here include that of the sufferer 
 himself. And his faith, at least, must have 
 beheld in Jesus the Physician of diseased 
 souls also. It is most ]»robable that he was 
 conscious of having brought the malady on 
 himself by wicked transgressions, and for 
 this cause was distressed in conscience and 
 heart. To smh a state of mind, at any rate, 
 Christ first addressed himself.— Man— mortal, 
 child of Adam, and subject to affliction. 
 
102 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 21 "And the scribes and the Pharisees began to 
 reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphe- 
 mies? 'Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 
 
 21 forgiven thee. And the scribes and Pharisees began 
 to reason, saying. Who is this that speaketh blas- 
 phemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone' 
 
 a Matt. 9: 3; Malt. 2 : 6, 7 6Ps. 32:5; Isa. 43:25. 
 
 Mark expresses it more affectionately, 
 "Cliild," and Matthew adds to that, "Cheer 
 up." It may well have been a young man. 
 Thy sins are {have been) forgiven thee. 
 The verb is a perfect. On the manifestation of 
 thy repentance and faith, the condemnation 
 
 all for which he came? Certainly he had 
 received a benefit in comparison with which a 
 more physical cure was paltry, and perhaps his 
 heart was fully content; but there was more 
 reserved for him.— The scribes. The word 
 "scribe," originally "writer," perhaps copyist 
 
 LETTING DOWN IN A BED. 
 
 against thee has been canceled. It had been 
 foretold (i: t7) that Jesus would bring ".salva- 
 tion to his people through the remission of 
 their sins." But this is the first di.stinct dec- 
 laration; by him of this form of blessing. It 
 is made now, doubtless, because of a special 
 preparation for it in this sufferer's heart: and 
 also, perhaps, that an important effect might 
 be produced on the Pharisees who were pres- 
 ent. We are not told the result of this in the 
 soul of the pardoned man. Had he received 
 
 of the law," in the New Testatnent designates 
 one who, by professional learning, was conver- 
 sant with the law, and skilled in questions con- 
 cerning it. The office dated from the time of 
 "Ezra the scribe." They were in symj>athy 
 with the Pharisees, and might belong to their 
 body ; and were highly esteemed. It is very 
 pn)brtble that the word here i.s strictly .S3'n- 
 onomous with "doctor of the law" (ler.iT). 
 
 21. Began to reason, saying — possibly 
 to each other, in suppressed tones — Who is ■ 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 103 
 
 2*2 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he an- 
 swering said unto them, What reason ye in your liearts? 
 
 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven 
 thee; or to say. Rise up and walk? 
 
 24 But tliat ye may know tiiat the Son of man hath 
 power upon eartli to f(jrgive sins, (he said unto the sick 
 of tlie palsy,) I say unto thee. Arise, and take up thy 
 couch, and go into thine house. 
 
 2') And iniiucdiately he rose up l)efore them, and 
 took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own 
 house, glorifying (iod. 
 
 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified (iod, 
 and were tilled with fear, saying, We have seen strange 
 things to-day. 
 
 22 But Jesus perceiving their reasonings, answered and 
 said unto them, i What reason ye in your hearts? 
 
 2;J Whether is easier, to say. Thy sin's are forgiven thee ; 
 
 24 or to say. Arise and walk? But that ye may know 
 that the Son of man hath authority on earth to 
 forgive sins (he said unto him that was palsied), I 
 
 2") say unto thee, Ari.se, and take up thy couch, and go 
 unto thy house. And immediately he rose up before 
 them, and took up that whereon he lay, and de- 
 
 2() parted to his house, glorifying God. And amaze- 
 ment took hold on all, and they glorified God; and 
 they were tilled with fear, saying, We have seen 
 strange things to-day. 
 
 Or, ir»y. 
 
 this which speaketh blasphemies? To 
 
 speak blasphemies would, of course, vitiate 
 all claims to Messiahship, or to a prophetic 
 character, and would besides briiif^ him under 
 the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin at Jerusa- 
 lem as a heinous criminal. The blasphemy 
 which they jjrofessed to see lay in his assum- 
 ing a function (to forgive sins\ which be- 
 longed onlj- to God, as is plain ftv^n the fol- 
 lowing question. Their complaint is, there- 
 fore, more directly, that bo pretends to wield 
 the authority of Gud. — Who can forgive 
 sins, but God alone i Since the fact of 
 sins being forgiven is not apparent to the 
 senses, there was room for them to deny it; 
 and their implication is that his words to that 
 eftject are merely a false, and therefore a blas- 
 phemous, sound. 
 
 22. But when Jesus perceived their 
 thoughts, — {reasonings) — which he might do 
 from their actions and looks, without hearing 
 their words, even if words were used — he an- 
 swering said, What reason ye in your 
 hearts ? He answered their thoughts, un- 
 spoken to him at least. What objections do 
 ye make? Do j'e need proof that I can for- 
 give sins? 
 
 23. Whether is easier, to say, etc. Not 
 certainly, to pnuiounce those sentences; but 
 which of the two is more within the comi»ass 
 of ft power below Gods, to remit sins by a 
 word, or by a word to work a manifest mira- 
 cle of healing? 
 
 24. But that ye may know that the Son 
 of man hath power, etc. The Saviour's ad- 
 mirable argument is: You deny that I per- 
 form a divine function, the effects of which 
 you cannot see; I will perform one equally 
 divine, as yourselves admit, and the ettect of 
 which you cannot fail to see, by instantly re- 
 storing to comjdete health this helpless and ! 
 hopeless invalid.— The Son of man, is the j 
 name by which Jesus most commonly- desig- ' 
 
 nates himself, and which his disciples never 
 in the Gospels aj^piy to him. In what view he 
 felt this approjiriate to him, has been much 
 discussed. Probably no one statement would 
 coverall his reasons. It expressed the deep 
 consciousness of full particii)ation in the na- 
 ture of those whom he came to redeem, and 
 may have been chosen to win their confidence 
 more readily and completely. At the same 
 time, the constant distinction, the Son of man, 
 which no mere mortal would think of assum- 
 ing, could hardly' fail to suggest that he who 
 a.ssumed it was something more than man. 
 and might lead some to think that he regarded 
 himself as the long-expected "seed of the wo- 
 man," who should bruise the serpent's head. 
 This is more likely to be a Scriptural source 
 of the idea than the phrase in Daniel 7: 13: 
 "One like II Son of man," although this pa.s- 
 sagc may have entered into the formation of 
 the title. (See Cremer, liihl. Thcr,/. U'orter- 
 buch, 2 Ed. p. 5()3 f., or English Translation). 
 —I say unto thee. Arise. To smooth the 
 abrujit transition to this address to the para- 
 lytic, the narratiir has inserted the preceding 
 parenthesis. 
 
 25. And immediately he rose up before 
 them, etc. — Tims carrying out to the letter the 
 injunction which the Saviour had designedly 
 made particular, that the fact of his healing 
 might be impressively clear. Three distinct 
 stages of the free activity of the immovable 
 I^aralytic are marked. — Glorifying God — lis 
 indeed he. if ever any man, had ri'ason to do. 
 Others who had corrupted and broken down 
 their bodies by evil courses, have had to bear 
 the jihysical penalties, even when their sins 
 were forgiven. Some in his day were healed 
 of physical maladies, but failed of the spiritual 
 renewal which Jesus had to bestow. This 
 man, rejoicing in both forms of blessing, might 
 well glorify God. And not he alone. 
 
 26. And they were all amazed (strictly. 
 
104 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 27 «And after these things he went forth, and saw a 
 publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: 
 aud 1 e said unto him. Follow me. 
 
 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 
 
 29 'And Levi made him a great feast in his own 
 house: aud <^ there was a great company of publicans 
 and of others that sat down with tliem. 
 
 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against 
 "his disciples, saying. Why do ye eat and driuk with 
 
 publicans and sinners? 
 
 27 And after these things he went forth, and beheld a 
 publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and 
 
 28 said unto him, Follow me. And he forsook all, and 
 
 29 rose up and followed him. Aud Levi made him a 
 great feast in his house: and there was a great multi- 
 tude of publicans and of others that were sitting at 
 
 30 meat with them. And U he Pharisees and their scribes 
 murmured against liis disciples, saying, Why do ye eat 
 
 a M.itt. 9:9; Mark 2: 13, 14 4 Matt. 9: 10; Mark 2: 15 c ch. 15 : 1. 1 Or, the Pharisees and sc7-ihes among them. 
 
 amazement held them all). It is a very 
 strong expression of the wonder produced 
 by what had occurred.— And they glorified 
 God, as explained in 2: 20.— And were 
 filled with fear — another instance of the 
 awful solemnity occasioned by the divine 
 presence (2: 9). 
 
 27-32. Call of Levi (Matthew) to Dis- 
 CIPLESHIP. And after these things — not 
 necessarily on the same day — he went forth 
 — apparently to the shore of the lake, where 
 he would always find plenty of people — and 
 saw a pnblican — on the publicans, see on 
 3: 12 — named Levi, sitting at the receipt 
 of custom (place of toll) — toll-house, or 
 custom-house. It is almost the universal | 
 opinion that L.evi is only another name of | 
 the disciple who, as one of the twelve apos- \ 
 ties, is called Matthew in all the Synoptical [ 
 Gospels. Reasons for this conclusion are : i 
 (1) That the call of Levi is so formal and 
 similar to that of Simon and Andrew, James 
 and John, as to indicate that he was to be 
 one of the twelve, whereas no Levi is men- 
 tioned among that number. (2) That Mat- 
 thew records his own call (9:9) as following 
 close upon the healing of the paralytic, and 
 under circumstances identical with those at- 
 tending the call to Levi ; and that the Saviour 
 was at a feast "in the house," immediately 
 afterward, as he is here at a "reception" 
 given him by Levi, at which, in both ac- 
 counts, very many publicans were present, 
 and the same complaints were made against 
 Christ, and silenced by the same answer. 
 (3) The.se circumstances so indubitably point 
 to identity of the per.son bearing the two 
 names, that we only mention, without ascrib- 
 ing much independent weight to it, the stead- 
 fast tradition from the earliest times in favor 
 of this supposition. Any shade of remaining 
 improbability is removed by the frequency 
 of double names to the same person in Scrip- 
 ture. Levi might very naturally pass from 
 Levi to Matthew, when abandoning his dis- 
 
 reputable vocation, and entering on a new 
 and consecrated life. 
 
 28. And he left all, rose up, and fol- 
 lowed him. To follow Clirist, in that day, 
 was not simply to believe on him; but, liter- 
 ally, to leave one's ordinary place and to go 
 with him. Why Jesus sliould single out 
 Levi from all the publicans about the lake, 
 we can only conjecture. Doubtless, there 
 was some reason, in his natural endowment, 
 his education, and business training, the qual- 
 ity of his faith, manifested jiossibly in former 
 interviews, which showed him fit to be one of 
 the more intimate circle of Christ's scholars. 
 His obedience to the call was as prompt as 
 that of the four previously called (ver. 11, 
 where see the note). 
 
 29. And Levi made him a great feast 
 (Greek, reception) in his own (omit, own) 
 house. This itself shows that he did not 
 abandon his place recklessly, and without 
 time to faithfully close up his aflTairs. It 
 appears that he was a man of means, so far 
 as to own a house, and to be able to entertain 
 a large company in it. The feast was made 
 by him in honor of the man who had, he felt, 
 honored and blest him ; while it gave oppor- 
 tunity, also, to many of his own class to 
 become acquainted with Jesus, and feel the 
 power of his influence. A great company 
 inmltitude) of publicans and of others. 
 Recall the number of towns, the denseness of 
 population, and abundance of trafl5c about 
 the lake (ver. if.), and it will not seem strange 
 that a multitude (Greek, a crowd) of revenue 
 oflScers could be summoned at short notice. — 
 And of others — these could not have been 
 respectable people in the eyes of strict 
 Jews; but we do not know how far the more 
 mixed population of "Galilee of the Gen- 
 tiles'' might generally so view them. Mat- 
 thew and Mark express directly the Jewish 
 sentiment — calling them ".sinners." 
 
 30. But their scribes and Pharisees— 
 I. e., those who lived among that peopla 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 105 
 
 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that 
 are whole need not a physiciau ; liut they that are sick. 
 
 32 " I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to 
 repentance. 
 
 33 And they said unto him, ' Why do the disciples of 
 Johu fast often, and make i)rayers, and likewise the 
 disciples of the Pharisees ; but thine eat and drink ? 
 
 31 and drink with the publicans and sinners? And Jesus 
 answering said unto them, They that are whole have 
 
 32 no need of a physician ; but they that are .sick. I am 
 not come to call the righteous but sinners to repent- 
 
 33 ance. And they said unto him. The disciples of John 
 fast often, and make su])plications; likewise also the 
 disciples of the Pharisees ; but thine eat and drink. 
 
 a Matt. 9: 13: ITim. 1 : 15.... i Ma:t.9: 14; Hatl. 2: 18. 
 
 This is as likely to be the intended meaning 
 ns that given in the Revision — the Phari- 
 sees and their scri/ies — there is room for 
 doubt. — Murmured against his disciples 
 — with whom they felt more free tliaii witii 
 the Master; but it was he of whom they com- 
 plained (Mark2:i6). It was enough that our 
 Lord would hold any intercourse with such 
 people; but that he sat down with them at 
 the table, namely, to eat with tliem, greatly 
 aggravated tiie offence. (Compare the charges 
 against Peter, Acts 11 : 3.) 
 
 31. Jesus answering said — speaking in 
 place of the disciples wliom they had ad- 
 dressed. They that are whole — in sound 
 health — need not a physician; but they 
 that are sick. This self-evident proposition 
 contains the substance of his reply in a form 
 so impersonal as neither to excite nor allow 
 any debate. If Jesus is a Soul Physician, 
 they cannot deny that his place is with the 
 morally diseased. He claims that that was 
 his office. 
 
 3'Z, I came not (am not come) to call the 
 righteous, but sinners to repentance. 
 Righteous is without the article, as well as 
 sinners, in the original equivalent to " right- 
 eous persons." This interprets the preceding 
 ma.xim so as to complete the Saviour's de- 
 fence. In the sphere of his curative opera- 
 tion, sinners — represented by the publicans 
 and their associates — are the sick; repent- 
 ance, the restoration to health which he 
 effects. His mission to the world contemplates 
 no other objects. We need supj)ose no sar- 
 casm upon the Pharisees in the mention of 
 righteous persons, any more than an inten- 
 tion to ascribe to them true righteousness. 
 Righteous are ment Oned by contrast simply 
 to set forth more clearly the character to 
 which he, as a Saviour, brings blessing. 
 There is place for him only where there is 
 sin — moral ruin, the germs of eternal death. 
 If his ojjpoSers had comjilained of his coin- 
 panyin^with the publicans, rather than with 
 them, they might have felt a sting in his 
 reply. As it was, he set forth a precious 
 
 truth, which might reach their hearts, too— 
 if not utterly incorrigible — and which, as it 
 i gave encouragement to the vile and outcast 
 of that day, has been the balm of healing to 
 thousands in every age wiio realized that 
 they were sick through sin. 
 
 33-39. Explanation about Fasting 
 Matt. 9: 14-17; Mark 2: 18-22. There is no- 
 thing in Luke's account here to hinder our 
 supposing that what follows belongs, chro- 
 nologically, with the preceding event. 
 Christ's indifference to their ceremonial dis- 
 tincticms of caste, may have attracted atten- 
 tion to his neglect of their ritual fasting. Yet 
 we cannot be sure, from the mere juxtaposi- 
 tion in the narrative, that this was so. 
 
 33. And they (indefinite for "people," 
 doubtless, (rf" the Plmrisaic sort), said unto 
 them, The disciples [omitting why, be- 
 cause it is not found in the best supported 
 text. — A.H.] of John fast often, and make 
 prayers (or supplications), and likewise 
 the disciples of the Pharisees. Fasting 
 was enjoined in the law of Moses only as a 
 national duty, and that only for one day in 
 the year— the day of atonement. Individuals 
 fa.sted voluntarily tliroughout their history, 
 in emergencies which made it natural. 
 Prophets sometimes called the whole people 
 to fast, with prayers and acts of humiliation, 
 to avert calamities and propitiate God. After 
 the cessation of prophecy-, the hierarchical 
 authorities established, in commemoration of 
 national afflictions, successively, .several an- 
 nual fasts; and in the later growth of hard 
 ceremonialism and work-righteousness, two 
 weekly fasts— on Mondays and Tliursdays— 
 had been made a necessity for all who would 
 cultivate conspicuous godliness. John the 
 Baptist seems, in this respect, to have gone 
 with the prevailing tendency to the utter- 
 most. From the connexion in which he had 
 placed him.^elf with Jesus, the people may 
 have been more struck with the laxness of 
 the latter. They mention first, at all events, 
 the discrepancy between his practice and that 
 encouraged by John, then that of the Phari- 
 
106 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children 
 of the brideehamber fast) while the bridegroom is with 
 them? 
 
 a5 But the days will come, when the hridegroom shall 
 be taken away from them, and then shall they last in 
 those days. 
 
 3(5 "And he spake also a parable unto them ; No man 
 putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old ; if 
 otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the 
 piece that was laken, out of the new agreeth not with 
 the old. 
 
 34 And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the sons of 
 the brideehamber last, while the bridegroom is with 
 
 35 them? But the days will come ; and when the bride- 
 groom shall betaken away from them, then will they 
 
 3G fast in those days. And he spake also a parable unto 
 them; No man rendeth a piece from a new garment 
 and putteth it upon an old garment; else he will rend 
 the new, and also the piece from the new will not 
 
 a Matt. 9: 16, 17; Mark 2: 21, 22. 
 
 sees. We see here that adherents of John, 
 his scholars, or disciples, maintained a sepa- 
 rate standing after the "one mightier than 
 he" had come, and he himself had been laid 
 aside from work. We shall meet with them 
 once or twice more; and the fact of their con- 
 tinuance as John's disciples, is of interest in 
 connexion with the incidents in Acts 19: 6. — 
 The disciples of the Pharisees, were those 
 who were in study and training for member- 
 ship in their sect, and, perhaps, included 
 those who went with them, mainly, in prin- 
 ciple and practice, without bearing their 
 name. John's disciples, we see, made the j 
 days of fasting occasions of special prayer — i 
 supplications — which would differ in aim and 
 spirit from those of the Pharisees, if, as 
 would appear, these also joined prayers with 
 fasting. Such being the type of piety then 
 most highly approved, it was natural that 
 Christ's total neglect of their traditional ob- 
 servances should appear to many strange and 
 shocking. And he (Jesus) said unto them, 
 speaking in the manner of patient, even 
 tender, instruction. Can ye make the chil» 
 dren (sons) of the brideehamber fast 
 while the bridegroom is with them? 
 The .soH.s of the brideehamber are intimate 
 friends of the bridegroom — his "groomsmen" 
 v/ho, after escorting the bride to her new 
 home, remained in attendance throughout 
 the feast, which might, in more eminent 
 families, last seven days. The whole time 
 was a season of joy and hilarity. To prac- 
 tice fiisting under such circumstances, the 
 Saviour says, is impossible. It would be a 
 monstrous impropriety. Fasting is not con- 
 sistent with a joyous state of mind. 
 
 35. But the days will come (omit the ar- 
 ticle before din/x), but days will come. Here 
 the Saviour pauses, as if musing on the be- 
 reavement and sadness of the time, which he 
 foresees, and begins anew (inserting f/?if/ before 
 when of the Common Version) : («««?, when 
 
 the bridegroom shall be taken away from 
 them, then shall (will) they fast. In this 
 Jesus makes himself the bridegroom who has 
 come to take asa bride the kingdom given him 
 by his Father, and whom the disciples wait 
 upon in this relation. But this wedding will 
 be interrupted in the progress of the feast ; he, 
 the chief personage, will be taken from the 
 company by violence; and, in the sorrow of 
 his bereaved friends, fasting will find its 
 place. 
 
 The teaching condensed in this illustration 
 is, that in his kingdom fasting is for Christ's 
 disciples a voluntary tiling, which may be 
 useful in its season, and will be ])racticed by 
 them spontaneously, as an aid to devotion, 
 when they mourn the absence of their Lord. 
 
 36. And he spake also a parable unto 
 them — to illustrate, as would appear, the rad- 
 ical incompatibility between the prevailing 
 system of prescrii)tive, compulsory, external 
 service to God, and the free heart-worship 
 which he had come to introduce. No man 
 putteth a piece from an old garment, etc. 
 Through this verse the textual evidence con- 
 stniins us to adopt the rendering of the Re- 
 vision. No one rendeth apiece from a new ffor- 
 ment — (cloak) — and putteth it on an old gar- 
 ment — (cloak, etc). The language represents 
 a man as tearing a piece out of a new cloak to 
 |)atch an old one. In doing this he has torn 
 and mutilated the new, and fails to match the 
 old. The/<i6'cein the first clause becomes equiv- 
 alent to "a patch " in the last. " Patch," in- 
 deed, is the natural signification of the word. 
 — The new garment, or cloak, .stands f<n- the 
 gospel system of religion, consisting essentially- 
 in the worshiji of the Father in spirit and in 
 truth, as contrasted with the old system, then 
 in practice, of salvation by outward works. 
 The piece of the former may be an3' particu- 
 lar privilege of the New Testtimont, as, for ex- 
 ample, freedom in the matter of fasting. Put- 
 ting this on the old system, would be the re- 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 107 
 
 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; 
 else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, 
 and the bottles shall perish. 
 
 3H But new wine must be put into new bottles; and 
 both are preserved. 
 
 ;i"J No man also haviuR drunk old trine straightway 
 desireth new ; for he saith. The old is better. 
 
 37 agree with the old. And no man putteth new wine 
 
 into old 'wine-skins; else the new wine will l)urst 
 
 the skins, and it.self will be spilled, and the skins will 
 
 3S jiL'rish. Hut new wine uiusl be jiut into fresh wine- 
 
 39 skins. And no man having drunk old wint desireth 
 
 new : for ho saith, The old is ' good. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AND "it came to pass on the second sabbath after the 
 (irst,that he went through the corn fields; anil bis 
 di.scii)les plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing 
 them in their hands. 
 
 1 Now it came to pass on a -sabbath, that he was 
 going through the corutields; and his disciples 
 plucked the ears of corn, and did cat, rubbing thciu 
 
 a M.tu. 12 : I ; Hark 2 : 23. Mnny ancient :iutborllies read, bttter. ...'2 Many uDcieiii authorUlen insert, tccond-flrH. 
 
 quiring of those who still held to that system 
 in other respects, to adopt this view and prac- 
 tice. It would be taking a ])art of the gospel 
 out of its proper relations, and showing it in 
 glaring incongruity* with all tiie stiffness and 
 legality round about it. Thorough repent- 
 ance, and sincere faith in the gosi)eI, were, in 
 short, pre-recjuisite to the possession of any 
 one of the jjcculiar prerogatives of the Chris- 
 tian cliaractcr. 
 
 37. And no man putteth new wine into 
 old bottles. The bottles referred to were 
 skins of the smaller animals, drawn off skill- 
 fully, so as to cause no ruptures except at the 
 neck and above the feet. These skins, prop- 
 erly tanned and tied uptight, except one aper- 
 ture, are still used in the East, as they then 
 were, for holding and transporting water, 
 milk, wine, and other liquids. The only ob- 
 jection to the name "wine skins,"of the Re- 
 vision, is that they were not designed specifi- 
 cally for wine. The Saviour now alludes to 
 what must have been another familiar fact of 
 every-day life. These skins, with use, would 
 become brittle; and the expansion of gases in 
 the fermentation of new wine, would be very 
 likely to burst them sooner than if they were 
 fresh. 
 
 38. So new wine would require new bot- 
 tles (fresh skins). Even these, evidently, could 
 not be tightly closed on new wine till fermen- 
 tation was well advanced. In this the new 
 wine means the free, filial spirit and exjian- ! 
 sive energy of the new kingdom ; the old bot- j 
 ties, the men of legal, ceremonial piety, repre- I 
 sented by .John's disciple.*, and the more de- i 
 vout Pharisees. They cannot, while standing 
 on the ground of a national ritualistic devotion, 
 receive the proper conception, still less can 
 they cherish the true spirit of the gospel. This 
 demands men who have been "born again," 
 by a fundamental transformation of views, 
 sentiments, and principles of life. 
 
 39. The Saviour does not here pass a 
 sweeping condemnation on the old piety 
 which had been brought to his notice in con- 
 trast with his own. He does not deny that it 
 also had an excellence for its time; but was 
 different from the gospel, and incompatible 
 with it. It must be entirely given up, in 
 principle, to nnike way for the gospel. Yet 
 he can understand the reluctance of the 
 doubting and perplexed to make an instant 
 and radical change of view and practice. 
 Hence the next illustration. No man also 
 (and no ninn) having drunk old wine, etc. 
 The old is better (good) ; that is, palatable, 
 pleasant to the taste (xpwos). Our Saviour 
 could appreciate the force of hereditary be- 
 lief, the prejudices in favor of sacred custom, 
 the memories of religious attainments won, 
 and of devout experiences enjoj-ed, through 
 the legitimate use of the Mosaic system. 
 Take the case of John's disciples — more ex- 
 cusable, certainly, for doubt as to his Messi- 
 anic claims than their Master, whom yet he 
 was more than ready to excuse (i-.nfr.). We 
 may see that it deeply, tenderly engaged his 
 thought. He would regret that the better 
 tendency in them did not prevail, would hope 
 that it might grow stronger; but he saw how 
 natural it was that they should hesitate to 
 break away from all the otitward pomp and 
 ceremonial of religion — a burdensome and 
 crushing, but time-hallowed ritual, which 
 had descended to them from Ezra and from 
 Moses, and in the midst of which they sup- 
 posed that heroes and prophets and saints had 
 lived and died. 
 
 Ch. G. 1-5. The Son of Man Lord of 
 THK Sahhath. 
 
 1. It came to pass on the second 
 sabbath after the first — more exactly, a 
 ftfriDid-jirst Sahhnth. The word so translated 
 is not met with elsewhere in Greek, except in 
 
108 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 allusion to this passage; nor has any place in 
 Jewish literature been cited where the idea is 
 expressed. Hence a grand field for specula- 
 tion ; and abundant ingenuity has been exer- 
 cised to conceive of a series of Sabbaths, such 
 that some one in it might naturally be called 
 the "second-first." Nothing worthy of con- 
 fidence has resulted. More than a dozen 
 schemes, probably, have been proposed, ac- 
 cording to each of which, if we suppose that 
 a certain Sabbath was called "first," a certain 
 other might be known as "second-first." It 
 is not worth while to repeat them. The case 
 is precisely as if an English writer should 
 now, without the slightest explanati(jn, men- 
 tion a second-first Sunday; and people should 
 set themselves, centuries afterwards, to make 
 out what Sunday he meant. Of course, the 
 case might be such that readei's at the time 
 and place of writing would readily perceive 
 the sense, and the clue be entirely lost after- 
 ward. This is not very probable in the case 
 before us, seeing that the diificulty was no- 
 ticed so early that the solution would then 
 have been disct)verable. 
 
 If we might unhesitatingly follow the Re- 
 vision, we should be at once relieved of 
 embarrassment. That agrees with excellent 
 authority of manuscripts and versions; but 
 they are liable to suspicion as being possibly 
 attempts to obviate a great perplexity by 
 leaving out the troublesome word. Still, we 
 do not wonder that the Revisers, with the 
 support of Tregelles, and Westcott and 
 Hort'stext, inclined rather to the view that 
 the strange adjective had crept in by mistake. 
 A common conjecture has been that some 
 one early put in the margin of his copy, at 
 this place, "first," with reference to the 
 "other sabbath" in ver. 6; and that, then, 
 he or some other one, noticing the mention of 
 a Sabbath in 4: 31, corrected by writing 
 "second." So it stands in some manuscripts, 
 "second" "first." As this would be non- 
 sense, a copyist may easily have combined 
 them so as to make a possible sense, as ignor- 
 ant, probably, as we are, how it was to be 
 understood. We know that marginal notes, 
 such as here supposed, were transferred to the 
 text by copyists who believed them to have 
 been omissions in the previous copy. And it 
 is worthy of notice what evidence of the care 
 of transcribers, in setting down just what 
 they found, is afforded by the retention in so 
 
 many manuscripts of this perplexing word. 
 Tischendorf had dropped it; but in his last 
 edition restored it, in spite of the authority of 
 his favorite Sinaitic Manuscript. The ques- 
 tion of its genuineness remains doubtful, but 
 with as strong reason as we can often have 
 that a mistake had crept into the text, as 
 early as our first copies. 
 
 The fact that they were plucking heads of 
 ripe, or nearly ripe, grain on this day, may 
 guide us to the season of the year in which 
 it fell. If we knew whether the grain was 
 barley (ripe in Judea at the Passover), or 
 wheat (offered in the temple at the Feast of 
 Pentecost), and if we knew just how the 
 times of ripening in the sultry Plain of Gen- 
 nesaret compared with that on the hills of 
 Judea, we could come very near it. We may 
 thus set aside several of the conjectures which 
 have been hazarded ; and, if obliged to guess, 
 we might say, with many, that, as the Feast 
 of Pentecost came seven weeks after the pas- 
 chal Sabbath, the seven ordinary Sabbaths 
 of those weeks would probably be known as 
 the first, second, third, etc., and that, when 
 the Passover Sabbath came on a Friday, that 
 also might be called the first, making the 
 ordinary weekly Sabbath a second-first. Here 
 every one may take what seems to him best. 
 Westcott and Hort (Appendix, p. 58) cite 
 Jerome on this passage, as saying (we trans- 
 late) : "A brazen face often interprets what it 
 does not know, and, when it has persuaded 
 others, assumes that it itself also does know. 
 When I once asked my teacher, Gregory 
 Nazianzen, to explain what the 'second first 
 Sabbath in Luke' meant, he playfully re- 
 plied, ' I will teach you about that in the 
 church, where, while all the people applaud 
 me, you will be obliged, against your will, 
 to know what you know not, or, at least, if 
 you alone keep silence, you alone will be set 
 down as a fool.' " (Ep. 52, p. 2G3). 
 
 He went ( equivalent to wns poing ) 
 through the corn fields — (the article may 
 be omitted, iind corn fields must, of course, 
 be understood in America in the sense of 
 grain-fields of barley or wheat). His dis- 
 ciples plucked the ears of corn {heads of 
 grain) and did eat, rubbing. The disciples 
 only appear to have been hungry (M.itt. la: i), 
 and took of the grain. It shows us to what 
 fare our blessed Saviour and his chosen 
 friends were sometimes reduced. Their 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 109 
 
 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why 
 do ye that "which is not lawful to do on the sabbath 
 days .' 
 
 ;i And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read 
 80 much as this, *what Uavid did, when himselt was a 
 hungered, and they which were with him; 
 
 4 How he went into the house of God, and did take 
 and eat the showbread,aud gave also to them that were 
 with him; "which it is not lawful to eat but for the 
 priests alone? 
 
 5 And ho said unto them. That the Son of man is 
 Lord also of the sabbath. 
 
 2 in their hands. But certain of the Pharisees said, 
 Wliy do ye that which is not lawful to <lo on the 
 
 3 sabbath dav? And Jesus answering tbeiu said, Have 
 ye not read even this, what David did, when lie was 
 
 4 an hungred, be, and they that were with biiii , how 
 he entered into the house of (i(Kl, and did take and 
 eat the shevvbread, and gave also to theui that were 
 with him; which it is not lawful to eat, save for the 
 
 5 priests ahine? And he .said uuto them, The Sou of 
 mau is lord of the sabbath. 
 
 > Ex. VO : 10. . . .6 I Sum. 21 : 6 c Lev. 24 : 9. 
 
 taking the grain thus, "with the hand, and 
 not with the sickle," was perfectly warranted 
 by the law (Deut. 23:25). The grain, when 
 ready to harvest, would require no "labor" 
 in shellini; it out with tlieir iiaiids. 
 
 2. Certain of the Pharisees — whom we 
 shall find henceforth on the alert to detect 
 something criminal in Jesus — were, in some 
 manner, watching now. Th.it which is not 
 lawful to do on the sabbath days — day 
 (comp. on 4: 31). They probably included 
 both the plucking and the shelling out in 
 the alleged violation of the Sabbath. This 
 they could do consistently with the oppres- 
 sive tendency of the Rabbis to multiply and 
 sharpen the specific application of the Mosaic 
 laws, and especially of the important law of 
 the Sabbath. Thus they had, of course, pro- 
 scribed reaping and threshing grain, and 
 then had found picking oft' ears to be a kind 
 of reajiing, and rubbing out the grains a kind 
 of threshing, both equally prohibited. If the 
 loalklncj of the Saviour had been objected to, 
 we should probably have had a special men- 
 tion of that; so their journey must have been 
 a short one. 
 
 3. Have ye not read so much as this 
 — among the many Scriptural proofs of the 
 innocence of my conduct. The verb is a 
 |)reterit — Did ye not even readl Mark, with 
 a more decided shade of irony, "Did ye 
 never?" Surely, this should have attracted 
 the attention t)f such zealous devotees of tiie 
 law. What (equivalent to, thnt) David 
 did when himself was a hungered (was 
 hungry), and they that Avere with him? 
 (See 1 Sam. '21 : 3-(), for the history). He puts 
 himself parallel to David, and his disciples 
 to the companions of David. 
 
 4. How be went into the house of God 
 — this was the successor to the original taber- 
 nacle, the temporary scene of divine worship, 
 which was then at Nob. Shewbread — He- 
 brew, "bread of the face," " presentition 
 
 bread," which stood constantly before the 
 face of Jehovah, in the Holy Place in his 
 house. It is called also in the Hebrew, 
 "bread of setting forth," or "of array" 
 (1 chion. 9:32- Neh. 10:33); and here ill Luke (liter- 
 ally) "the loaves of the setting forth," in 
 i allusion to the formal ranging of the twelve 
 loaves, on the Table of Shewbread, in two 
 rows (or piles) of six each. — Which (loarr.s) it 
 is not lawful to eat, but for the priests 
 alone? When the new loaves were placed 
 there each Sabbath, they were to remain 
 sacred to the Lord until replaced the next 
 Sabbath. Then they fell to the lot of the 
 priest, as representing him, but could be eaten 
 
 by no other ])erSOn ( Lev. 24: 5. 6, 9; Comp. 21:22). 
 
 The Saviour finds a parallel to his own case 
 in the fact that David violated the letter of 
 the law in eating, and letting his friends eat, 
 what was forbidden to any but the priests. 
 The language of 1 Sam. (21:6) implies, more- 
 over, that he did this on a Sabbath ; "for the 
 shewbread was taken away from before the 
 Lord, to put that bread, in the day when it 
 was taken away," and that was a Sabbath. 
 (So Farrar on the passage). 
 
 5. Having shown by the example of David, 
 that the ceremonial law must give place to 
 the claims of necessity and mercy, the posi- 
 tive to the moral in God's ro(iuin'nu'nts (Matt. 
 12:7), he goes further. The Son of man (see 
 on 5: 24), is Lord also (or even) of the sab- 
 bath. The purport of this in this connexion 
 must be that his judgment as to wiiat is right 
 on the Sabbath warrants his disciples, and 
 justifies his disciples in what they were doing. 
 As he is the source of authority for the 
 Sabbath, his authority forestalls all questions 
 of the Pharisees and others. This need not 
 mean that he could, bj' his.^^^, make right 
 what the Sabbath command had specifically 
 forbidden, to one under his circumstances, but 
 that what he saw fit to do, or allow others to 
 do, could not have been specifically forbidden 
 
110 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 6 « And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that 
 he entered into the synaKOL'ue and taught: and there 
 Mas a man whose right hand %vas withered. 
 
 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether 
 he would heal on the satibath day ; that they might find 
 an accusation against him. 
 
 S Hut he knew their thoughts, and said to the man 
 which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth 
 in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 
 
 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one 
 thing: Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good or to 
 do evil? to save life or to destroy itf 
 
 6 Anditcaiue to pass on another sabbath, that he 
 entered intothesyuagogueandtaught : and there was 
 
 7 a man there, and his right hand was withered. And 
 the scribes and the l^harisees watched him, whether 
 he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find 
 
 Show to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts; 
 and he said to the man that had his hand withered, 
 Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose 
 
 9 and stood forth. And Jesus said unto them, I ask 
 you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do 
 
 a M.itt. 12:9; Mark :i : 1 ; see ch. 13 : 14 ; U : .3 ; JoLn 9 : 16. 
 
 to those in their circumstances. From hi.s 
 practice and permission, the true idea of the 
 Sabbath in hi.s time was to be derived. 
 
 It will be noticed that for this occasion, at 
 least, Christ puts the law of the Sabbath on 
 the .same footing as that of the shew-bread. 
 Could he have done this of the necessarily 
 and absolutely moral commandments? The 
 question that has been raised, whether the 
 Lord here gave any intimation of the abro- 
 gation of the Sabbath, must be answered in 
 the negative, except as it may have suggested 
 the abrogation in fulfillment of the whole 
 Mosaic law. Considering how prominently 
 the people then ranked the law of the Sab- 
 bath, they could not fail to apply what he 
 said of this to their whole .system. It was all, 
 he maintained, subject to his lordship, and 
 had no authority but what he allowed. And 
 this was, beyond all question, to claim the 
 rank of the ^lessiah. 
 
 6-11. A MiRAci.K OF Healing on thk 
 Sabbath. Parallels— Matthew 12: 9-14; 
 Mark 3: 1-6.— On another Sabbath. From 
 Matthew and Mark, we learn that the event 
 took place on a Sabbath. Luke states that it 
 was a different Sabbath from that just before 
 mentioned. How long after the other, is not 
 stated. It may have been very soon, or the 
 succession here may have been designed to 
 multiply evidences of Christ's superiority to 
 the merely ritual requirements (fasting; mi- 
 nute scruples about the Sabbath ) of the Phari- 
 saic religion.— He entered into the syn- 
 agogue — that, namely, of the place where he 
 then was.— Whose (literally, and his) right 
 hand was withered — emaciated (fnmt 
 palsy?) and useless. Being his right hand, it 
 ■was a great affliction to him, and rendered his 
 such a case as all knew would appeal strongly 
 to the sympathy of our Lord. What a testi- 
 mony was in their expectation ! 
 
 7. And the scribes and (the) Pharisees 
 
 — (were watching) — him — while he was teach- 
 ing, to see whether he would heal on the 
 sabbath. The Received Greek text .says, 
 "will heal"; the critically corrected text, 
 heals; equivalent to makes a practice of heal- 
 ing. Even this would be a violation of their 
 hair-splitting prohibitions of liberty on that 
 day. — That they might find an accusation 
 against him. How serious an accusation it 
 would be, appears from the fact that the Jews 
 in Jerusalem forthis reason" persecuted Jesus, 
 and sought to slay him, because he had done 
 these things (healed the impotent man) on the 
 Sabbath day" (John5:i6). 
 
 8. But he {he himself) kne w their 
 thoughts — {reasonings) — all those machina- 
 tions which aimed to catch him in the trap of 
 their absurd and cruel traditions, and to put 
 him to death. He knew them and determined 
 to meet them boldly, and contrast with their 
 anxious and h3'pocritical rules for fettering 
 the Sabbath, the freedom of a vivifying love. 
 — And he arose and stood. The word 
 forth is an addition to the Greek, proper be- 
 fore, but not in this clause. Forth from the 
 seats of the meeting-house, at the command of 
 our Saviour, came the poor man out into the 
 open space, and stood, observed by all, not 
 knowing what to expect, while Jesus exposed 
 the hearts of their religious leaders, his adver- 
 saries. 
 
 9. I will ask you— (omit will and one 
 thing) — thus calmly engaging their tittention 
 and that of the audience, while he makes 
 them, tacitly or openly, confess that he is be- 
 neficently right, and they murderously wrong 
 (that is, to benefit or to htirm). To do good 
 or to do evil ? What is the real use and 
 divine intent of the Sabbath ? But why does 
 the Saviour propose and repeat an alterna- 
 tive question? AVhy speak of doing evil, t. e^ 
 harm? And of killing? Did an\' one main- 
 tain that it was lawful to do this ; or that one 
 
Cii. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 10 And looking round about upon them all. he said 
 unto the man. Stretth lorth thy hand. And he did so: 
 and his hand was restored whole as the other. 
 
 11 And they were tilled with madness: and com- 
 muned one with acothci what they miirht do to Jesus. 
 
 12 ".Vnd it came to pass in those days, that he \veut 
 out into a mountain to pray, and continued all uight 
 in prayer to God. 
 
 10 harm? to save a life, or to destroy it? And he looked 
 round about ou them all, and said unto him, Stretch 
 forth thy hand. .\nd he did -so: and his baud was 
 
 11 restored. Hut they were tilled with 'madness; and 
 communed one with another what they might do to 
 Jesus. 
 
 12 .\nd it came to pass in these days, that lie went out 
 into the mountain to pray ; and hecoutinued all night 
 
 a Mutt. 1* : 23. 1 Or. /ooUthnes: 
 
 must do it if he did not do what was good 
 and htOpful? Some have supposed that he 
 mesmt "I niu.st do one or the other. To heal 
 this poor mans hsmd, b^' which he earns his 
 livelihood, is in eftect to save his life; and in 
 effect I not only harm him, but destroy his 
 life by failing to heal him. This, however, 
 though the view is sustained b^' Godet, seems 
 forced and quibbling. It would afford no 
 answer to their probable argument that the 
 work of mercy could wait till the ne.\t day; 
 nor does it account for the "madness" which 
 his question excited in their breasts. Better 
 refer one branch of the alternative in both 
 questions to him, the other to his enemies. 
 I propiKse to do a good thing, and to save a 
 life by restoring to this man the ability to 
 work, and by arresting the spread of his mal- 
 ady ; you are scheming even to kill me (coinp. 
 John 5: 16); a mo.st wicked deed. "Which of 
 us is to be condemned? There was no reply. 
 10. And looking round about upon 
 them all — very deliberately, so as to note 
 the expression of every one; and with a look, 
 no doubt, of triumphant confidence, but in 
 which there was mingled anger against his 
 malignant adversaries, and sorrow for the 
 hardness of their hearts (Mark 3 ; s).— He said 
 unto the man (Revision, u)ito him), Stretch 
 forth thy hand. He would have everything 
 open and above board. There should be no 
 room for allegations of jugglery or deception | 
 of any kind. The healing change was to 
 take place in the eyes of the congregation, j 
 This preliminary act might involve an e.ver- I 
 cise of faith, even the attempt to raise his dis- I 
 abled hand ; yet it is not said thsit the malady 
 impaired the power of his arm. — And he did 
 so. His hand was raised in the presence of 
 them all, a withered hand.— And his hand 
 was restored — not "had been" restored, 
 but at that moment underwent the change. [ 
 They saw it withered until a certain moment; 
 the next moment it was sound and well — ; 
 "whole as the other," in Matthew's account, 
 ■which in some copies of the text is added ' 
 
 here. The Revision omits it, with the sup- 
 port of excellent authority. Mtitthew's 
 phrase suggests that the man may have held 
 up the other hand, also, to view, to show tlnit 
 they were both alike. 
 
 11. And they — tlie scribes and Pliarisees — 
 were filled with madness — primarily, de- 
 mentia, which may be either "lack of rea- 
 son,' "folly," "insanity," or, as we often call 
 it now, madness, expressing itself in raving 
 efforts to harm Jesus. — And communed 
 {talked) one with another what (as to what) 
 they might do to Jesus. Here, first, we 
 find the criticism of the Pharisees rijjened 
 into a hatred which would never rest until it 
 had found a pretext and means to destroy 
 him. The position of freedom which he had 
 now taken toward the traditions concerning 
 Sabbath observance, implying as it did 
 supreme contempt for all their paltry 
 "hedges" about the genuine law. was tan- 
 tamount to a claim to the Mcssiahship. and 
 this to a declaration that they must retire 
 from their leadership of the people, with all 
 its honors and emoluments. 
 
 12-19. Appoin'tmext of Twki.vk Apos- 
 tles.— Parallels— Matt. 12: 15; 10: 2-4; 4: 
 24,25; Mark 3: 7-10. 
 
 From the statements of Matthew and Mark, 
 following the preceding narrative, it appears 
 that, when he perceived the malice of his ad- 
 versaries, our Saviour retired from their 
 neighborhood to the border of the lake. 
 There his fame soon drew great multitudes 
 around, and scenes were frequent such as are 
 described in verses 17-19 of the present 
 chapter. 
 
 12. It came to pass in those days. 
 Luke points to the period when the persecu- 
 tion of the Master had become manifest in 
 its murderous malignity, proving the need of 
 preparation for the continuance of his cause 
 when this hostility should have wrought its 
 deadly work. They were days, too, when the 
 growing multitudes who flocked to him, to 
 see and hear, and be healed, made it neces- 
 
112 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 13 And when it was day, he called tmto him his disci- | 13 in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his 
 pies: "and of them he chose twelve, whom also he disciples : and he chose from them twelve, whom also 
 named apostles ; I 
 
 a Matt. 10: 1. 
 
 sary that he should have assistance in the | 
 present necessary labors. It was under such 
 circumstances that he went into a {the) 
 mountain to pray. His resorting to the 
 mountain — equivalent to wilderness (5:i6) — 
 was for the sake of more complete retirement 
 than he could command in the populous flat 
 lands near the sea. What particular moun- 
 tain is intended has been much debated, and 
 without any certain conclusion. It seems not 
 unlikely that, in contrast with the lake shore, i 
 the elevated tract which, as we have seen (5: i), ! 
 almost everywhere rises back of it, might be 
 called the mountain, although Meyer denies 
 that the mountain (to 6poV) can be taken in 
 that sense as equivalent to the German Ge- 
 birge, "mountain region." We do not see 
 how it could help meaning just that, often, 
 in the mouths of the people below. Even if 
 we must understand it of a particular eleva- 
 tion, it would be only a peak, or knob, rising 
 out of the general mountain surface. Such a 
 knoll, or a pair of them, was fixed upon, as 
 early as the time of the Crusades — Stanley, 
 Sinai and Palestine; but Jerome had indi- 
 cated the same opinion (Eph. 44) ad Marcel- 
 as being so suitable to the indications of 
 locality in the Gospels, as to deserve to have 
 been the scene of the Sermon on the Mount; 
 and so it has been generally recognized in 
 modern times as the Mount of the Beati- 
 tudes. The Arabs call it Kurnn H/ittin, 
 horns of Hattin, as rising from the edge of 
 the Plain of Hattin. It is two or three miles 
 in a direct line, southwest of Tell Hum 
 (Capernaum?). On the plateau, he retired at 
 night, from his disciples to some higher point, 
 such as one of the horns of Hattin, to pray, 
 and continued all night in prayer to 
 God. Luke is, we have already seen, more 
 particular than the other Evangelists to men- 
 tion instances of this felt human need and 
 j)rivilege on the part of Jesus, connecting 
 each with some obvious emergency in his 
 life. The choice of his apostles was such an 
 emergency now. He had gathered about him 
 a large company of disciples, or scholars, 
 pupils; but what twelve of them would be 
 most competent for the high and peculiar 
 service for which he must now provide? 
 
 Eternal consequences depended on the de- 
 cision. The prosperity and possible defeat of 
 his cause hung in the balance. The fate of 
 men to the latest ages would be determined 
 by his choice. It is easy, and perhaps not 
 irreverent, to imagine our Saviour bowed 
 before his Father then, under the blue sky, 
 and mentioning, one by one, the men of 
 whom he thought as possibly suitable for the 
 first missionary work. 
 
 The whole night was spent in this solemn 
 communion with the Father; and only with 
 the morning dawn was he ready for the work 
 of the day. 
 
 13. And when it was day — with the early 
 streaks of morning, according to the habits 
 of that country, to begin work with the open- 
 ing light — he called his disciples — (omit- 
 ting unto him, Kevision) — that is, the com- 
 pany that in a general sense bore that name. 
 Did they probably suspect his object, or what 
 consequences were involved in this convoca- 
 tion ? If they did suspect, what emotions 
 must have filled their minds while waiting in 
 the Master's presence ! We have only to sup- 
 pose thatthe statement of Matthew (5:i), "He 
 went up into the mountain," refers to his as- 
 cent of the plateau the night before; and that 
 he omits all mention of the further retirement 
 to a higher hill, bringing in the designation 
 of the twelve in a dift'erent connection (10:3,4), 
 and all appearance of discrepancy between 
 Matthew and Luke is cleared away. — And of 
 them he chose twelve. Tlie number was in 
 all probability fixed with reference to the 
 twelve tribes of Israel. The Teacher chose 
 them, as we see, with great care and discrimi- 
 nation, guided by his previous observation of 
 their capacities, and with the light given in 
 answer to his prayers. Those who were -not 
 taken for the peculiar service now desired, 
 were not rejected for other duties of disciple- 
 ship, but were, by the very omission distinctly 
 confirmed in these. — Whom also he named 
 apostles. Before they had borne the name of 
 "disciples" only, in common with all the 
 rest ; now they took the additional title appro- 
 priate to their specific function — Apostles. 
 This name (equivalent to missionaries), while 
 perfectly consistent with their vocation, "that 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 113 
 
 11 Sitnon, t" wliuiii he also iiaincd I'l'ter,) and Andrew 14 he named apostles; Simon, whom he also named 
 his hrothiT, .laiues and John, I'hiliii and Kanholomew, Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, 
 
 l") Matthew and Ihumas, James the sun ol Alphens, 15 and Thilip and Uartholomew, and Matthew ami 
 and isimou called Zelutes, i Tbuuias, and James the son of Alpbieus, and KinKjii 
 
 a John 1: 42. 
 
 they might be with him" (M:.rk3:u\ expresses 
 the ohject of that intimacy', namely, that he 
 might <i'nd them forth on occasions, to act in 
 his stead, and ultimately to replace his visible 
 agency on the earth. The full intent of their 
 calling is given (MnrkStn, is). 
 
 14. Simon, who is named first in all the 
 four catalogues of the twelve — whom he also 
 iianied Poter — thu'^, apparentlj% first apply- 
 ing to him the designation which had been 
 predicted on his first visit to Christ at the 
 Jordan (John i: 42). Sinne think, however, that 
 t!ie surname was added at a subsequent pe- 
 riod, Ol) occasion of Peter's confession (Mntt. 16: 
 IS , and is here spoken of as then given. The 
 solemn roll-call went on, not necessarily in 
 the precise order of either of the recorded 
 lists. It could not have been in the order of 
 all, as the^' differ among themselves, in mi- 
 nute particulars, while preserving in the main 
 a remarkable agreement. We seem to see 
 that, as the twelve were .selected out of the 
 mass of the disciples, so there was a discrimi- 
 nation among them into three groups of four 
 names, according to the Saviour's estimate of 
 them in some respect. — And Andrew his 
 brother. He had been first in recognizing 
 Jesus as the Lamb of God, according to the 
 instruction of his previous master, John the 
 Baptist, and was the means of bringing his 
 brother Simon to the Lord (.inhn 1 :35, 42). Per- 
 haps his conversion of his brother was the 
 most important service to the cause of Christ 
 which he ever rendered, and may have been 
 the chief reast)n why, in Matthew and Luke, 
 he stands next to Peter on the roll (comp. 
 Mark 3: '2-5; Actsl: 13). [Is it certain that 
 Simon was "converted," in the present sense 
 of that word, by Andrew? Is it not more ' 
 probable that both these had been baptized by 
 John, "confessing their sins," and prepared 
 in heart to foil )w the Christ as soon as he 
 should be made known to them ? That they 
 were "waiting for the consolation of Israel " ? 
 If so, Andrew had an easy ttisk to lead Simon 
 to Jesus. (Ccmip. John 1 : 40, 41. and notes on 
 that passage).— A. H.]— James and John, 
 .«;ons of Zebedee. James is mt'iitioiied first, as 
 is plausibly supposed, on account of age. 
 
 H 
 
 John was, beyond reasonable doubt, the un- 
 named one of the two that .stood with John the 
 Baptist, when the latter pointed out Jesus as 
 the Messiah (John i: 40), and who then sought 
 the company of Christ. We have no cb'ar 
 evidence that James also had seen him before 
 the memorable draught of fishes (i.ui<e 6: i. u). 
 These four are grouped (Andrew sometimes 
 last) as the first quaternion, wlieiiever the 
 names of the twelve are recited. Three of 
 them were repeatedly distinguished b^' the 
 special intiinac\' of Jesus at interesting crises 
 of his history. — Philip and Bartholomew. 
 We read (John 1.43) that after Andrew, John, 
 and Peter had found Jesus, he (Jesus) next 
 findeth Philip, whose name also here appears 
 among the twelve. Then we are told (ver. 40) 
 that Peter found Nathanael, in a way so sim- 
 ilar to the case of Andrew and Peter, as to 
 suggest that these two also may have been 
 brothers. At least it is hard for us to think, 
 from the description of Nathanael, then, that 
 he was not marked for an apostle. And in 
 John 21: 2, we do find him named among 
 several apostles as though he certainly was one 
 of them. But in his natural place on the lists 
 of names we find everywhere Biirtholomew. 
 without the slightest clew to his origin, the 
 circumstances of his call, or to any incident of 
 his discipleship. Something of this we natu- 
 rally expect concerning one standing so high 
 in the series of names. For such reasons, and 
 further because the designation here given is 
 merely a Hebrew piitronymic, e^juivalent to 
 son of Tolmai, the greatly prevalent opinion 
 has been that his real i)ersonal name was 
 Nathanael. 
 
 15. Matthew (Levi, the publican), and 
 Tliomas, the despondent doubter (John20;25\ 
 who gained for us asjiecial )in>of of our Lord's 
 resurrection (ver. 28). These make up the second 
 quaternion, of which Philift always comes 
 first, with some changing of the jiositinn of all 
 the other three. James the son of ,\l- 
 pheus, heads the third group. He is, with 
 gofd reason, supposed to be the one called 
 "James the less" — rather, "the little" 
 (M:irk 15; 40), and was probably overseer of the 
 Church in Jerusalem, after the murder of 
 
114 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 16 And Judas "-the hrnther of James, and Judas Iscar- 
 iot, which also was the traitor. 
 
 17 And he came down with them, and stood in the 
 plain, and the company of his disciples, 'and a great 
 multitude of people out of all .ludea and Jerusalem, 
 and Iroui the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came 
 to hear liim, and to be healed of their diseases; 
 
 16 who was called the Zealot, and Judas Ihe/^son of 
 
 17 James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor; and 
 he came down with them, and stood on a level place, 
 and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great 
 number of the people from all Juda;a and Jerusalem, 
 and the sea coast ot Tyre and Sidon, who came to 
 
 aJudel 6 Matt. 4: 25; Mark 3: 7. 1 Or, brother. See Judn 4. 
 
 James, son of Zebedee. His father was prob- 
 ably not the Alpheus, father of Levi (Mat- 
 thew), mentioned (Mark 2: u). (See Hackett, in 
 Smith's B. D., p. 73). Simon called Ze- 
 lotes. The commonness of his name made 
 necessary a distinguishing epithet. Zelotes, 
 meant a zealot, and was given to him, doubt- 
 less, because he had belonged to that party of 
 fanatical patriots, who, since the days of the 
 Maccabees, had burned with a flagrant hatred 
 of foreign domination. They were on the 
 alert for every possible opportunity of resist- 
 ance and insurrection, and by their mad ex- 
 cesses contributed much, at a later period, to 
 the miseries of the capture of Jerusalem by 
 Titus. The designation "Cananaean" (not 
 "Canaanite") in Matthew and Mark, is the 
 Aramaean equivalent to Zelotes. 
 
 IG. And Judas the brother (rather, the 
 son) of James. Judas (Greek for Judah) 
 was one of the most common of Jewish 
 names. The son is not expressed in the 
 Greek; but the ellipsis in such cases is so uni- 
 formly thus, that we should need stronger 
 proof that the relationship was different than 
 can be drawn from Jude 1 : 1, to warrant our 
 substituting brother here. His place in the 
 catalogue of Matthew is occupied by Leb- 
 baeus, and in that of Mark by Thaddaeus, 
 warranting the belief that in that age of 
 various names, he was so differently called, 
 perhaps at different times and in different 
 relations. His father is likely to have been 
 the James last mentioned above [? A. H.]. — 
 And Judas Iscariot, which also was the 
 traitor— trather, ivho became (turned out) a 
 traiior. This name naturally stands last in 
 all enumerations, as Peters first. His sur- 
 name is probiibly the (xreek pronunciation of 
 ish Kerioth, "man of Kerioth." a town men- 
 tioned in Joshua 15: 25. Of the other apos- 
 tles, we are not told here what they did ; and, 
 with the exception of Peter, James, and 
 John, no record is left to us of more than 
 some little incident — a question asked, a word 
 or two si)oken. Even of tlie excepted three, 
 their -wiiule certain history is given in the 
 
 New Testament. Without fame, they taught 
 and toiled; lost individually in the body of 
 "the apostles." Known unto Goil only were 
 the details and the abundance of their labors, 
 and the poignancy of their sufferings, cheer- 
 fully borne for that name. Their record 
 is on high. But Judas, the last on the list, is 
 here commemorated as the author of a deed 
 which no other companion of Christ could 
 fail to recall with a shudder, whenever his 
 name was repeated; he "became a traitor." 
 Why Jesus should have chosen him as one of 
 his messengers, it may be appropriate to con- 
 sider at a later period. Had we seen him at 
 this point, he would probably have seemed 
 specially likely to be useful in certain re- 
 spects; and, generally, of as fair a promise 
 as any of the twelve. 
 
 17-19. Works of Mercy, Preliminary 
 TO THE Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 17. And he came down with them, and 
 stood in the plain (rather, a level jylnce). 
 As this last clause is expressed in the Com- 
 inon Version, we must, in order to avoid 
 distinct contradiction Avith Matthew 5: 1, 
 understand the discourse which follows, 
 against all the preponderating reasons to the 
 contrary, to be different from the one in 
 Matthew. But the Revision gives the exact 
 and proper rendering of our verse — not in 
 the plain, as opposed to "on a mountain," 
 but 071 a. level place (iTi tottov m&ivov), which 
 might be on a mountain ; and, indeed, neces- 
 sarily implies comparison with hilly land. 
 The "horns of Hattin," previously described, 
 ])erfectly meet the conditions here, and so 
 might a variety of other pbtces on that high, 
 but very uneven table-land west of the Sea 
 of Galilee. Jesus, having gone up, tiie pre- 
 vious day, on the elevated and solitary plateau, 
 as Matthew describes, had passed the night 
 on a higher summit, whither he had called 
 his disciples, we know not how many ; and, 
 after choosing out the twelve apostles, now 
 came down and stood, that is, occupied a 
 positioti, on the level surface of the plateau, 
 whici), travelers say, would accommodate 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 115 
 
 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: 
 and tliey were iiealed. 
 
 19 And tlie wliolc multitude "sought to touch him; 
 for '> there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. 
 
 18 hear him, and to be healed of their diseases ; and they 
 that were troubled with unclean spirits were healea. 
 
 19 And all the multitude sought to touch him: for power 
 came forth from him, and healed them all. 
 
 ....b MnrkS: 30; cb. 8 : 46. 
 
 some two thousand men. The plateau was 
 1,000 feet higlior than the hike. The Kurun 
 ridge was elevated above the plateau about 
 forty or fifty feet, to one approacliing from 
 the lake ; but on the side toward the Plain of 
 Hattin, sloped down steeply about four hun- 
 dred feet. Such was the scene of the Sermon 
 on the Mount. The company (Greek, a 
 great crowd) of his discip^les. Matthew 
 also, while placing the Sermon on the Mount 
 early in his Gospel, presupposes a wide extent 
 of previous preaching, and a large gain of 
 disciples, such as Luke has brought us to in 
 a more nearly chronological order of the 
 events (Matu4: 23-25). But discipleship here 
 means necessarily no more than acceptance 
 of the truth of Christ's Messiahship, in many 
 cases no more than a belief that he was a 
 "Teacher sent from God" (John3:2). Their 
 understanding of his real character, and the 
 depth of their conviction, varied indefinitely 
 with the various scholars, and with the same 
 one at different times. (See, for the state of 
 things a little later, John 6: 60, 66, 67.)— And 
 a great multitude of the people. The 
 range of country from which tlie tlirong as- 
 sembles, is greater than any previously 
 named, showing the constant extension of the 
 reports concerning him. — Came to hear 
 him— that the.y might make up their minds 
 as to his character and requirements; some, 
 doubtless, with hearts prepared to put them- 
 selves uniler those sjjiritual teachings of which 
 they had caught hints. — And to be healed 
 of their diseases. Many would have no 
 higher aim or faith than this ; but we would 
 hope that, it\ a large proportion of those who 
 received physical benefits, there would arise, 
 also, the sense of spiritual needs, and the ex- 
 perience of spiritual satisfaction. Trust in 
 the great Healer, rewarded by unspeakable 
 gains of bodily health and comfort, would 
 naturally open their hearts to the offer, from 
 the same source, of soundness and rest to sin- 
 sick, troubled, and laboring souls. 
 
 19. And the whole multitude sought to 
 touch him. It was another of the occasions 
 when "the power of the Lord was with him 
 to heal" (5; 17), and when great faith on the 
 
 part of the needy gave scope for its exercise. 
 There may have been much superstition with 
 the faith, leading them to think that physical 
 contact was necessary to secure the desired 
 boon, especially as the dense throng around 
 him would hinder those more distant from 
 perceiving the manner of his work. When 
 they came near, they would find that there 
 went virtue (power) out of him, and 
 healed them all— not mechanically, but of 
 his own will, in answer to their genuine, but 
 often unenlightened faith. (Comp. 8: 43 ff.) 
 
 20-49. The Discoursk Itself. In regard 
 to this, we agree with those who hold it to be 
 an abridged report of the same discourse 
 which Matthew gives more nearly in full 
 (ch.5-7). The obvious superficial difficulty 
 from the apparent diversity of locality, is 
 set aside by a consideration of the facts above 
 presented (ver. n). Other objections growing 
 out of the substance and form of parallel 
 teachings in the two reports, are analogous to 
 those which arise wherever independent 
 accounts, of var^Mng fullness, are given as of 
 the same transaction or discourse. On the 
 other iiand, we infer that they were different 
 reports of the same discourse from these cir- 
 cumstances, namely, that the two begin with 
 beatitudes and end with the parable of the 
 wise and foolish builders; that between these 
 two extremes, Luke also gives the law of the 
 new commonwealth, without needing, as did 
 Matthew, to comjiare or contrast this with the 
 old law; and brief applications of this law to 
 the conduct of his followers, without con- 
 trasting the hypocritical practices of workers 
 under the fossilized law of the Scribes and 
 Pharisees. Add, that both are directly fol- 
 lowed by the account of the healing of a 
 centurion's servant in Capernaum. In Luke, 
 we have the Manifesto of the Messiah, not 
 distinctly in his character of Royal Lawgiver, 
 but more generall}', in that of a compassion- 
 ate Saviour, Expounder of the principles of 
 his kingdom, and Teacher of the way of life. 
 
 20-26. The Character and Blessed- 
 ness OF His Followers Contrasted with 
 THE Character and "VVoes of the Oppo- 
 site Class. 
 
116 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VL 
 
 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and 
 said, " Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and 
 said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom 
 
 a Matt. 5:3; 11:5; James 2 : 5. 
 
 20. And he lifted up his eyes on his 
 disciples — a formal introduction to the fol- 
 lowing account.— Blessed be {are) ye poor. 
 
 The address here is direct, to the disciples 
 before him, and not apophthegmatic, about 
 such, as in Matthew. This seems to suit bet- 
 ter with the actual relation of the parties in 
 question. The disciples were generally poor 
 in worldly wealth, and the crowd, probably al- 
 most all, of humble rank in the gradations of 
 society. To them bespeaks, on the supposi- 
 tion that they put themselves under his teach- 
 ing, and yield him allegiance as head of the 
 expected kingdom. Blessed=happy : happy 
 are ye. Not that their poverty is in itself hap- 
 piness; but that they are not hindered by the 
 abundance of worldly goods from realizing 
 their spiritual needs; are aided, rather, by 
 their lack of them to turn from the world, 
 and seek the treasures in heaven. This quali- 
 fication of the idea of poverty, as calculated to 
 make more sensible the deficiencies of spiritual 
 excellence, or lack of true righteousness, which 
 is here implied, is directly expressed by Mat- 
 thew: " Blessed are the poor in spirit," as, in- 
 deed, it must be expressed, when the general, 
 proverbial, form of the beatitudes was 
 adopted. That which was not true of " poor " 
 as such, holds directly of those whom the Sa- 
 viour addresses as '"ye poor." Ye, who, com- 
 ing to learn of me, and put yourselves under 
 my guidance, are poor in worldly goods. 
 Perhaps the style in Matthew only faintly 
 implies that which in Luke is most conspicu- 
 ous, sini))l(' jjoverty. — For yours is the king- 
 dom of God. Luke and Mark constantly 
 designate the kingdom as of God, while 
 Matthew commonly calls it "the kingdom of 
 heaven." The latter conforms more to the 
 later Jewish usage, in avoiding the direct 
 name of God, where possible, and indicating 
 him by the word "Heaven," his abode person- 
 ified. The phrase had naturally arisen from 
 the reflection of pious men on the idea of a 
 theocratic state, in which Jehovah was to rule 
 over an obedient and faithful people, accord- 
 ing to laws and instructions emanating from 
 himself, and resulting in a holy character and 
 correspimding blessedness. As the theocratic 
 nation, instead of actually' ap])roxiinating to 
 
 the idea, receded constantly further from it, it 
 rose ever more brightly to prophetic vision as 
 a reality of the future, in connection with the 
 presence and influenceof that mysterious Rod 
 or Shoot from the stem of Jesse, about whom 
 clustered all the intimations of a Messiah. 
 Daniel (2 : 44; 7 : u, is. 27), had .ixed this conception 
 in the form of a kingdom, established by God, 
 glorious, powerful over all others, and ever- 
 lasting. In the Wisdom of Solomon (»0:io), 
 we find mention plainly of a Kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 The term had been much worked over by 
 Jewish theologians, and was familiar in the 
 language of piety at the time of Christ. He 
 had only to clear it of misconceptions and 
 errors, and absurdities, of earthliness and 
 narrowness, in order to make it a fit vehicle 
 of the true idea of spiritual and eternal salva- 
 tion. In his lips, it stood for the complex 
 and sum of blessedness designed by his 
 Father in eternal counsels, and about to be 
 realized through his mediation. It brings to 
 our thoughts the whole sphere of Christian 
 welfare under the figure of a state, in which 
 God reigns (Kingdom of God), through the 
 agency of Jesus (Kingdom of Christ, Eph. 
 5: 5), over souls renewed, through repentance 
 and faith in Jesus, by God's own Spirit, and 
 consecrated to his service without reservation 
 or drawing back for time and for eternity. 
 The law of this Kingdom is love — love bind- 
 ing each soul to God in supreme devotion, 
 and to every fellow-soul, as God's child and 
 image, in all aflTectionate, sympathizing offices 
 of help. 
 
 John had spoken of this Kingdom as near, 
 "at hand." Jesus, at the beginning of his 
 public work, announced it in the same way 
 (•Miitt. 4: 17; Mark 1:15); but after lils preaching 
 has r. suited in conversions and the attach- 
 ment of hearts to him, he freely refers to it 
 as present, while yet much that is said of its 
 fruition is expressed in the future tense, as if 
 all present experience of it was only inchoate 
 and prelusive. It was constituted when a 
 troubled soul first truly heeded the injunc- 
 tion, "Repent and believe the gospel ; for the 
 kingdom of God is at hand," thus accepting 
 the rule, and ofl^ering himself as the subject, 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 117 
 
 21 "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be | 21 of Cod. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye 
 filled. 'Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall shall be fiiled. Blessed a;-e ye that weep now : lor ye 
 laugh. I 
 
 alsa. 55: 1; 65: 13 Mate. 5:6 6 Isa. 61:3; Mutt. 5: 6. 
 
 of God in Christ. Then began that blessed 
 society of souls with the Saviour, which 
 crowns all other worthy unions and relation- 
 ships, or makes up for them when they do 
 not e.vist. It has grown by the accession of 
 every following soul that has broken away 
 from the hard reign of the world, and its 
 prince, to find peace and rest under the easy 
 yoke of the Son of man. We are taught to 
 pray that it may continue thus to spread, 
 until it shall have embraced all the nations 
 within its general sway, and the will of Our 
 Father shall be done on earth as it is in 
 heaven. May he hasten that consummation! 
 To give the character of a society, a rule, a 
 state, a kingdom to the individual relation of 
 a believing soul to Christ, some outward or- 
 ganization, some badge of membership, seems 
 essential. To answer important purposes, 
 this relati<ni niust, in its temporal continuance, 
 be represented visibly. As emerging from the 
 Hebrew polity of the Old Testament, "the 
 kingdom of God " could not naturally mean 
 a purely spiritual relation, a mere "psycho- 
 logical kingdom" ; but must have aform, in- 
 stitutions, polity, adapted to its spiritual na- 
 ture, as the old form was to its social and re- 
 ligious intention. And the whole teaching of 
 the New Testament is consistent only with 
 thehypothe.'*isofsuch an outward, visible body 
 of the saved. What its pattern should be, we 
 could not tell beforehand. But " the reason 
 of positive institutions in general is very ob- 
 vious, though we should not see the reason 
 why such particular ones are pitched upcm, 
 rather tlian others.' (Bishop Butler, Anal. Pt. 
 2, ch. 1). The "church" is not, according to 
 thedefinition of the word, identical with "the 
 kingd<tm," but when the removal of the Lord 
 from the earth left the latter without hope of 
 adequate organization during "the life that 
 now is," the church ideally came into the 
 place of the kingdom, and inherited the insti- 
 tutions and polity by which its reality was to 
 be manitVsted to itself and to the world. Tlie 
 ideal church or congregation is represented 
 by each particular church, and has for its 
 practical aim to call out of the world, and 
 train to perfection, those whom the Fatlier 
 
 has given to the Son, that they may be fit 
 members of the glorified state. 
 
 Thus, even on earth the essentially inward, 
 personal, spiritual relation of the subject to 
 his king may be more or less perfectly ex- 
 })ressed in an outward, organic communion. 
 In such a communion, provision is ideally 
 made for assuring happiness to the Loril' 
 "poor," in the.supply of many of their earthly 
 wants, the fulfillment of reasonable, butuii.sat- 
 isfied desires. This we see in the practice of 
 the earliest disciples, after the Day of Pente' 
 cost, and in a degree through all the ages 
 since. Doubtless, the Master's intention for 
 such help even here has j-et to be more per- 
 fectly answered. Enough, to show that it is 
 in no mockery that he says: "Hai)py are ye, 
 poor, for yours i.s the kingdom of God." But 
 everything that is, at the best is only prelimi- 
 nary to a more glorious hereafter — a state in 
 which lies so much of the blessedness, as to 
 warrant its being called also "the kingdom 
 of heaven." There is its capital city, the 
 throne of its King, the scene of its full, eter- 
 nal development and felicity'. There, at all 
 events, those poor, whom Jesus here blesses, 
 will thankfully own themselves rich, in the 
 friendship of a glorified Redeemer, and the 
 perfected society of all God's chosen. 
 
 21. Blessed are ye that hunger now — 
 addressed not to another class of persons, but 
 to the same, regarded as suflTering that want 
 which is involved in the poverty just charac- 
 terized. — For ye shall be filled — points to 
 that future, abundant satisfaction of all right 
 and holy desires, which is assured to all sub- 
 jects of the kingdom. — Blessed arc ye that 
 weep now; for ye shall laui^h. This 
 weeping is a sign and fruit of the poverty, 
 and the laughing is a translation into out- 
 ward symbol of the spiritual joy of the 
 kingdom. — Now — in all the.<e declarations, 
 names the period preliminary to the com- 
 plete revelation of the reign in Christ, to the 
 glories of which all these traits of character 
 are also prerequisite, and the future tense 
 of the promises looks forward to that per- 
 fected character and happiness. — These three 
 traits correspond to three of the first found in 
 
118 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 22 "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and 
 ■when they 'shall separate you Jrom their company, and 
 shall reproach you, and east out your name as evil, for 
 the Son of man's sake. 
 
 23 ''Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy : for, he- 
 hold, your reward i.s great in heaven: for ''in the like 
 manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 
 
 24 'But woe unto you /that are rich! for » ye have 
 received your consolation. 
 
 25 * Woe unto you that are full I for ye shall hunger. 
 >Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn 
 and weep. 
 
 22 shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate 
 you, and when they shall separate you Jrortt l/itir com- 
 pany, and reproach you, and cast out your name as 
 
 23 evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice in that day, 
 and leap /or Joy ; for behold, your reward is great in 
 heaven: for in the same manner did their fathers 
 
 24 unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich I 
 
 25 for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto 
 you, ye that are full now ! for ye shall hunger. Woe 
 unto you, ye that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and 
 
 aM:itt. 5; 11 ; 1 Pet. 2: 19: 3: 14; 4: 14 6 John 16: 2 c Mait. a: 12; Acts 5 : 41 ; Col. 1 : 24 ; Jnme'^ 1:2 d Acts 7: 51 
 
 e Amos 6: 1 ; James 5 : l..../ch. 12 : 21 g Matt. 6: 2, 5, 16 ; ch. 16 : 25 A Isa. 65 : 13 i Piov. 14: 13. ' 
 
 Matthew, but not in the same order. Lest 
 any should fall away from discipleship, or 
 shrink from embracing his cause, through 
 fear of trials which experience had now 
 proved they were likely to meet, he shows 
 that the suffering of persecution for his sake 
 is also a ground of rejoicing. 
 
 22. Blessed are ye, when men shall 
 hate you, etc. Friendship to him was sure 
 to draw the hatred of the world, and, emi- 
 nently, that of the religious leaders of that 
 time. — Separate you from their company, 
 by excommunication from their synagogues, 
 and the refusal of social intercourse. — Cast 
 out your name as evil — probably, by some 
 formula of execration, as if the very mention 
 of their names was of evil (baneful) tendency. 
 — For the Son of man's sake. On the 
 title, see on 5:24. The ble.'ising is assured 
 only to afflictions borne, on account of true 
 allegiance to him. And the same condition 
 is implied with the fore-mentioned poverty 
 and hunger. 
 
 23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap 
 for joy. The day of contempt and cruelty 
 toward his followers, Jesus seems to see as if 
 present; so sure is it to come. "Blessed are 
 ye when men shall hate you," etc. Then, 
 instead of regarding it as an occasion of grief 
 and mourning, rejoice, rejoice exceedingly. — 
 Leap for joy, is, etymologically, the same 
 as to "exult," rejoice triumphantly. What 
 can make such a course reasonable or possi- 
 ble? Simply a due consideration of what is 
 involved in connection with the Kingdom of 
 God. That does not allow any one to fail of 
 a spiritual reward for all sacrifices in its be- 
 half. — Your reward is great in heaven. 
 That is, in the perfected state of the kingdom, 
 when its temptations, trials, discipline, have 
 given Avay to rest, fruition, perfect peace. 
 These will be more abundant and more richly 
 appreciated in the case of men who have most 
 
 bravely borne most of those. — For in like 
 manner did their fathers unto the pro- 
 phets. — A practical ])roof from history that 
 this is so. The prophets are applauded now; 
 who would not bear what they endured to be 
 honored as they are honored? They, surely, 
 inherit eternal blessedness; but in their day 
 they were treated, at the hands of the fathers 
 of 3'our persecutors, with the same abuse 
 which threatens you. Your reward shall be 
 like that of the prophets. 
 
 24. The four traits of character thus posi- 
 tively presented as belonging to those who 
 enter the kingdom, are further illustrated by 
 contrast with four opposite characteristics of 
 those who can have no part or lot therein; 
 and to the four blessings are opposed four 
 corresponding woes. Of these, Matthew 
 makes no menticm. 
 
 Woe unto you that are rich. A certain 
 proportion of the company assembled, might 
 consist of those social and religious magnates, 
 whom we have seen lurking around the 
 Saviour as conspirators and spies — men who 
 commonly belonged to the wealthy, or the 
 comfortable portion of .society. That he thus 
 directly addressed them is more probable 
 than that he simply imagined such as listen- 
 ing to him. It was a case like that of John 
 the Baptist denouncing the Pharisees and 
 Sadducees (M.-ut. s: 7). Not as rich, merely, but 
 as the wordly, proud, self-satisfied, and unre- 
 penting rich, are they miserable. — For ye 
 have received your consolation — all that 
 was possible for you of joy and comfort, ye 
 have had here on earth ; and the bliss of the 
 kingdom henceforth ye cannot know. 
 
 25, 26. The two classes of verses 25 and 26, 
 are precisely antithetical to the two in ver. 21, 
 22, and their destinies are diametrically oppo- 
 site. Abundance and mirth for a season, and 
 a g(jod report from tlie world, will be followed 
 with a famine of spiritual peace, and with 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 119 
 
 26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of 
 you ! for so did their lathers to the false prophets. 
 
 27 'But I saj' unto you which hear, Love your ene- 
 mies, do good to them which hate you, 
 
 2s Uless theiu that curse you, and 'pray for them 
 that despitcl'ully use you. 
 
 29 ''And untohini that smiteth thee on the one cheek 
 offer also the other; «and hiui that taketh away thy 
 cloak forbid not to Inkf thy coat also. 
 
 30 /Give to every uiau that asketh of thee; and of 
 him that taketli away thy goods ask them not again. 
 
 'AX sXnd as ye would that men should do to you, do 
 ye also to them likewise. 
 
 26 weep. Woe unlo you, when all men shall speak well 
 of you I for in the same manner did their lathers to 
 the false prophets. 
 
 27 But I say unto you who hear, Love your enemies, 
 
 28 do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse 
 
 29 you, pray for them that despitefully use you. To 
 him that smiteth thee on the y«p cheek otter also the 
 other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak 
 
 30 withhold not thy c(jat also, tjive to every one that 
 asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy gotjds 
 
 31 ask them not again. And as ye would that men 
 
 a Johu 15; 19; 1 John 4:5 6 Kx. 23: 4; Prov. ?5: 21 ; Matt. 5: 44; ver. 35; Eom. 12: 20 c ch. 23:34 ; Acts 7 : 60 d Malt. 
 
 b:i\)....el Ciir. 6: 7..../D«ut. 15: 7, B, 10; Prov. -.'l : 26; Mult. 5: 42 j Matt. 7: 12. 
 
 dishonor and mourning forever. — For so (in 
 the same way) did their fathers to the 
 false prophets. Numerous men, in the Old 
 Testatiient, pretending to be sent by God, 
 spol\e "smooth things" to the people, leading 
 them into sin and final ruin. But the unbe- 
 lieving and ungodly honored them, and now 
 they ar^held in infamy. 
 
 27-36. TiiK Law of the New Society 
 IS Universal Love. 
 
 27, 28. But I say unto you which hear, 
 liOve your enemies. The statement of the 
 fundamental principle of their lives and con- 
 duct, as his subjects, had been prepared for 
 in the more detailed discour.se in Matthew, 
 by elaborate contrast with the law of Moses. 
 Here it comes in abruptly, but with evident 
 allusion to those things i)reviously said. In 
 Matthew (5:2127, ar), the Master had repeatedly 
 told them, " Ye heard that it was said to them 
 of old time" ; here his language is, "/ say to 
 you that are hearing." I lay down the law 
 for you as members of the new religious state. 
 The essence of nt is, that whereas ye have 
 understood the old requirements to be a 
 partial good- will toward certain persons, on 
 certain conditions, and not to others, or other- 
 wise, ye are now to love all men and treat 
 them lovingly.— Do good to them which 
 hate you. The love here enjoined is, essen- 
 tially, good will— desire for the true happiness 
 of others. It expre.s.ses itself in prayer to 
 God for their welfare, in kindness of word — 
 blessing — and in benevolence of act. Thatitis 
 tobe cherished toward enemies, those which 
 hate you, and despitefully (abusively) use 
 you, is as much as to say that it is to be 
 cherished toward everybody, without excep- 
 tion. Its scope should be as universal as the 
 bounty of God, and its limitations, if any. 
 should be analogous to those which would 
 restrain him. 
 
 29, 30. And unto him that smiteth 
 thee, etc. These paradoxical instances seem 
 designed to impress vividlj' on the follower 
 of Jesus that he must, as such, bear suHering 
 and injustice, without retaliation or fail- 
 ure of good will. Casuistry may revel in 
 questions started by these precepts, concern- 
 ing predicaments in which those to whom the 
 Saviour spoke could never be j)laced. But 
 we may interpret, in practical life, the rules 
 of Christ by his own example, and that of 
 his apo-stles. This will confirm what might 
 be understood beforehand, that the love to 
 one must harmonize with the love to all 
 others; that love is not identical with gratifi- 
 cation of the wishes of its object, but may 
 sometimes necessitate refusal, -and resistance 
 to importunities and injuries; that love to- 
 ward a per.<on, or persons, is consistent with 
 appealing to right laws against such, for re- 
 straint and correction. Love itself suggests 
 these qualifications, and authoritative ex- 
 ample sustains them. With ideally perfect 
 men, such as the Saviour contemplated, and 
 in an ideal society, there would, of course, be 
 no difficulty; but in every case, toward even 
 the mo.st harmful of men, love must not fail. 
 We must sooner bear harm and injustice than 
 sacrifice good will, like that of Christ himself. 
 
 31. And as ye would that men should 
 do to you, etc. The Golden Rule here comes 
 into a .'letting more obviously appropriate, 
 where it looks back to the whole presentation 
 ofthelawand duty of the kingdom. In re- 
 spect to what the law of /ore requires of us in 
 particular cases the Master gives us a short 
 and easy formula, bj' which we may solve 
 many problems. It is needed only when we 
 find no specific rule, in reason or revelation, 
 to govern our action. In such an emergency, 
 to determine what we should do toward a 
 fellow-man, we ma^' judge what we should 
 
120 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 32 "For if ye love them which love you, what thank 
 have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 
 
 33 And iCye do good to them which do good to you, 
 what thauk have ye? lor sinners also do even the 
 same. 
 
 34 'And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to re- 
 ceive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to 
 sinners, to receive as much again. 
 
 35 But ''love ye your enemies, and do good, and 
 ''lend, hoping lor nothing again; and your reward 
 shall be great, and ''ye shall be the children of the 
 Highest: lor he is kind unto the unthankful and to the 
 evil. 
 
 36 /Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is 
 merciful. 
 
 37 c Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn 
 
 32 should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. And 
 if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? 
 
 33 for even sinners love those that love them. And if 
 ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank 
 
 34 have ye? for even sinners do the same. And if ye 
 lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank 
 have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive 
 
 35 again as much. But love your enemies, and do th^m 
 good, and lend, i never despairing; and your reward 
 shall be great, and ye shall he sons of (he Most 
 High : for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. 
 
 36 Be ye merciful, even as your F"ather is merciful. 
 
 37 And judge not, and ye shall not be judged : and 
 condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: re- 
 
 a Mutt. 5: 46 & Matt. 5:42. 
 
 ver. 27 d Ps. 37: 26; ver. 30 e M;itt. 5: 45.... /Matt. 5 : 48 g Malt. 7: 1. 1 Some an 
 
 cieui authorities i-ead, despairing of no man. 
 
 like, and what we should think right (both 
 these elements must enter into our judgment) 
 to have done to us by him, if our relations 
 were reversed. That we should do to him as 
 the relations stand. The Golden Rule takes 
 the place of no other commandment, least of 
 all the command to love ; it determines sim- 
 ply how a more general commandment ap- 
 plies to a special case. 
 
 32-34. Love that is partial or mercenary 
 is not the love which engages the favor of the 
 Lord. — For (rather, and) if ye love them 
 which love you, what thank have ye? etc. 
 Even mercenary self-interest prompts un- 
 godly, unregenerate men to shows of love 
 which promise profltaTsle returns. What 
 Christ enjoins is an unselfish, self-sacrificing 
 good will. To do a favor in hope merely of a 
 quid pro quo., is not the kindness of the king- 
 dom. To lend for the sake of receiving a 
 legal equivalent, is good business policy, but 
 no indication of the spirit proper to Christ's 
 followers. 
 
 35. But love ye your enemies — the di- 
 rect and positive inculcation of ver. 27 ff., is 
 resumed. — And do {them) good, and lend — 
 do all that has been enjoined.— Hoping for 
 nothing again (rather, never despairing, or, 
 "despairing in nothing"). This is the un- 
 doubted meaning in usage of the participle 
 translated in the Common Version — hoping 
 for nothing again. The correct rendering 
 encourages pure charity with a hope of re- 
 turn, but not earthly — never despairing of a 
 jirofitable return — in spiritual gains. — And 
 your reward shall be great — namely, in 
 the kingdom of heaven (ver. 20fr.) This gives a 
 better text than the Common Version, for 
 charity sermons ; but let anniversary preach- 
 ers and the representatives of benevolent in- 
 
 stitutions note how and where the reward for 
 Christian beneficence is to be paid. The 
 Saviour's compensation for service to him, 
 and sacrifices in his cause, is better than 
 worldly good; it is an increase of the spirit of 
 beneficence and sacrifice to all eternity. — And 
 ye shall be the children (lit., sons, without 
 the art.) of the Most High. By a familiar 
 Hebrew figure, the word "sons"' was em- 
 ployed to signify "partakers of the character 
 of," e. g., Belial, wisdom, etc. Thus here, 
 "sons" of God, because evincing a spirit, a 
 character, like God's, of free, benevolent love. 
 — For he is kind unto (lit., toward) the 
 unthankful and to the evil (rather, un- 
 thankful and evil). How few of all the race 
 of men could have lived and had opportunity 
 of happiness, had their Creator and Preserver 
 looked for worthiness and gratitude, not to 
 say recompense, in them. 
 
 36. Be ye {become ye, or prove yourselves 
 — therefore omitted, as in'Eevision) mer- 
 ciful- compassionate or pitiful — as your 
 Father also is merciful. The Greek does 
 not so abruptly bid us to be possessed of so 
 divine a trait, btit exhorts us to advance to 
 ever greater perfection in it — to become SMch. 
 So shall we act worthily of our sonship, and 
 not otherwise . 
 
 37. Judge not (the true text has and be- 
 fore judge), and ye shall not be judged, 
 etc. Passing over, in this connection, all the 
 rich instruction of Matthew 6, much of it 
 suggested by Jewish customs, Luke brings 
 this precept in directly as a part of the law 
 of love. It forbids the disposition and habit 
 of sitting in judgment on the motives and 
 conduct of others, as inconsistent with that 
 love which is the essence of the Christian 
 character, and which "hopeth all things" 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 121 
 
 not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye 
 shall be forgiven : 
 
 3H "(live, and it shall be given unto you ; good meas- 
 ure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running 
 over, shall men give into your ''bosom. For = with the 
 same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured 
 to you again. 
 
 38 lease, and ye shall be relca.sed : give, and it shall be 
 given unto you ; good measure, pressed down, shaken 
 together, running over, shall they give into your 
 bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be 
 measured to you again. 
 
 oProv. 19: 17....6Ps. 79; 1?... .c Matt. 7 : 2; Murk 4: 24; James 2 : 13. 
 
 (1 Cor. 13:7). It is not merely unfavorable 
 judgment, condemnation, but the habit of 
 judging at all, that is to be avoided. The 
 verb here, as in all these precepts, but one, 
 denotes not a single act, but a practice or 
 custom of action. The censorial spirit should 
 be suppressed. It cannot be Christ's inten- 
 tion to prevent our forming those opinions 
 about others by which we must guide our 
 own conduct, nor our pronouncing in partic- 
 ular cases on the character of manifest action, 
 and the character of the disposition from 
 which it springs; especially not our exercis- | 
 ing judgment when officially required (i Cor. 
 5: 12). Such judgment .Jesus himself reijuires 
 (Malt. 7: 6), whcrc Bcngcl says, "a dog is to be 
 regarded as a dog, a swine as a swine." (See 
 ver. 42.) Not only his own conduct, but that 
 of his apostles, will furnish numerous in- 
 stances of right and necessary judgment. 
 Only, no judgment but in love and gooc will, 
 and where needful to help; while judging as 
 a habit, and for no practical good, is a contra- 
 diction to love. The practical criterion may 
 be found in 1 Cor. 13: 4-6. Some think the 
 Saviour was warning against the faults of 
 Pharisees and scribes; but unless he had 
 before him people less addicted to the fault 
 in question than the generality of his disci- 
 ples since, there was no need of his aiming 
 outside of them. — And ye shall not be 
 judged. This declaration holds good, to a 
 great extent, even in the present life — the 
 censorious man is the object of censure. But 
 it is a light thing to be judged of man's judg- 
 ment; and this, like all the other indications 
 of future treatment in the discourse, had ref- 
 erence to the sentence of the Son of man on 
 his throne, in the last day. Then, as the 
 merciful shall obtain mercy, the hard, criti- 
 cal, unloving character will meet an opposite 
 judgment. And (see the Revision) con- 
 demn not, etc. This, which is really implied 
 in the preceding, needed to be distinctly 
 stated, that it might be clearly seen that 
 unnecessary judgment of all kinds was for- 
 bidden, and then, a fortiori, such judgment 
 
 as involved condemnation. To this the habit 
 of passing sentence on others in one's mind is 
 apt to come. Forgive (better, re^eer.s.^), and 
 ye shall be forgiven {releiiiit'd)—\t is not a 
 ease of per.sonal injury which needs to be for- 
 given, but of pronouncing sentence. Rather, 
 release or "absolve" the person concerned 
 from inculpation, where love and duty do 
 not demand the unfavorable judgment. With 
 this qualification, most of the judgments of 
 Christians against their brethren would be 
 avoided. 
 
 38. Give— what? All jxissible help, by 
 word, deed, sympathy, and material contribu- 
 tions. It is a comprehensive re-stat.'iiu'iit of 
 the law of love, in practice. It follows upon 
 the immediately' preceding, as if the Saviour 
 would saj-, Ye shall not or.ly not do those 
 harmful things, but instead shall render as- 
 sistance to every brother whom you can aid. 
 — And it shall be given unto you; good 
 measure, etc. This is not a mercenary offer, 
 but, as "it is more bles.sed to give than to re- 
 ceive," this is a promise of that blessing in 
 abundance. The measure is thought of as a 
 dry measure, and it is good in the sense of 
 being ample, which the following clauses are 
 familiarly adapted to prove.— Shall men give 
 into your bosom— in the time of complete 
 retribution, altiiough somethingof this recom- 
 pense goes with the kind deed here and now. 
 The word men is not only not in the original 
 text, but leads away from the true sense. The 
 subject of the verb is our indefinite "they" 
 (French, on; German, man), and points 
 vaguely to those (perhaps angels) who shall 
 carry the final judgment into effect. — Bosom, 
 is that bag-like fold into which the loose outer 
 robe then worn (mantle or shawl) fell, as it 
 was thrown around in front over one shoulder. 
 In this they often carried a moderate quantit3' 
 of goods. Ruth, by taking off her mantle 
 ("veil''), made it serve to bear a heavy load 
 (Riiih3: 15). — For with the same measure 
 that ye mete (mra.'inrr) withal, it shall 
 be measured to you again.— According to 
 the quantity- of love which ye exhibit toward 
 
122 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 39 And he spake a parable unto them; "Can the blind 
 lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 
 
 40 * The disciple is not above his master: but every 
 one that is perfect shall be as his master. 
 
 41 "^And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in 
 thine own eye? 
 
 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, 
 let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou 
 thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own 
 eye? Thou hypocrite, -^cast out first the beam out of 
 thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull 
 out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. 
 
 39 And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the 
 blind guide the blind? shall they not both lall into a 
 
 40 pit ? The disciple is not above his i master ; but every 
 one when he is perfected shall be as his ' master. 
 
 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in 
 
 42 thine own eye? Or how canst thou say to thy brother, 
 Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, 
 when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in 
 thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out hrst the 
 beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see 
 clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's 
 
 a Matt. 15: U 6 Matt. 10: 24; John 13 : 16 ; 15: 20 c Matt. 7:3 d See Prov. 18; 17 — -1 Or, teacher. 
 
 others, will love be returned to you by God 
 and good men. 
 
 39-45. The train of thought running 
 through these verses, and constituting them 
 properly one paragraph, is not narrowly defi- 
 nite, but seems to be in general the necessity 
 of a hearty, sincere, vitalizing appropriation, 
 by each member of the kingdom, of its char- 
 acteristic principle of love. This must be 
 held in the spirit of the kingdom, not in the 
 formal, self-righteous, hypocritical way of the 
 Pharisees, but in humility, sympathetic kind- 
 ness, and purity of heart. 
 
 39. And he spake also a parable unto 
 them. This formula "and he spake also," is 
 used by Luke often to mark the beginning of 
 a new topic. We accordingly see no clear 
 logical connection between the parable and 
 what has just been said. Godet ingeniously 
 points out that ver. 41, 42 follow naturally in 
 the train of ver. 37, 38. True, and \i they had 
 been found here, we should have said that con- 
 nection was natural. As it is, we must admit 
 that if the verses before us were a part of this 
 discourse (comp. Matt 15: 14), the logical link 
 on which they hung has not been given us. 
 He begins a new train, naturally leading 
 through to ver. 42. Parable is, in this place, 
 an illu.strative simile. — Can the blind, etc. — 
 The Saviour, in the Greek, individualizes his 
 case. Can possibly n blind man guide a blind 
 man ? The connection in which the same il- 
 lustration is used in Matthew 15: 14, shows 
 that there the Pharisees and their like are 
 aimed at — their dry, jejune, hide-bound, tra- 
 ditional repetitions of the truth, even when it 
 was truth, having no power to enlighten or 
 move toward holiness. They were doomed to 
 destruction themselves, and would lead any 
 who trusted to them down to the ditch — [pit) 
 i. e., of Gehenna — with them. 
 
 40. The disciple = scholar — is not above 
 his master ^teacher. If you put yourselves 
 
 to school under Pharisees, you will be no bet- 
 ter, in understanding divine things, no more 
 honest in religious practice, than they. — But 
 every one that is perfect (ivhen he is per- 
 fected), etc., has been completely schooled, 
 drilled, trained, so that he is such as they 
 would like to have him, shall be as his mas- 
 ter — has become as perfect a Pharisee as the 
 other. Nothing more. 
 
 41, 43. Warning against the assumption of 
 piety and righteousness. Having reference 
 still, perhaps, to the practice of the Pharisees, 
 as self-righteous, fault-finding, insincere teach- 
 ers, Christ would not only not have his friends 
 become pupils of the Pharisees, but he would 
 prevent them from adopting their ways or 
 spirit. 
 
 41. The beam that is in thine own 
 eye, is an extravagant, almost ludicrous em- 
 blem of the gross faults and blemishes of the 
 inculpated class (considering their pretensions 
 and greater means of knowledge), as compared 
 with the ignorance and consequent error of 
 common men, which are but a mote — a bit 
 of chip, a minute sliver, or particle of dust — 
 in thy brother's eye. A man of that sort 
 should rid himself, by repentance, confession, 
 and humble amendment of life, of his own 
 unrighteousness, before assuming to correct 
 the trivial errors of his brethren. 
 
 42. The word brother shows that Jesus 
 has in view the relation of members of his 
 kingdom, and is concerned lest the spirit of 
 Pharisaism should establish itself there. — 
 Thou hypocrite ! points to a possible dissem- 
 bler among his followers al.so, and the need of 
 sincerity, humility, and love, in orcei that one 
 may see clearly whether a brother is really 
 in fault, and how rightly to correct him 
 (comp. Gal. 6: 1), "in the spirit of meekness, 
 lest thou also be tempted." 
 
 43. For a good tree brinjreth not forth 
 corrupt fruit, etc. The Kevision gives the 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 123 
 
 43 ' For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ; 
 neither doth a corrupt true briiiK forth >;o(kI fruit. 
 
 44 For 'every tree is Ijnown hy his own fruit. For 
 of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush 
 gather they grapes. 
 
 45 «A good man out of the goo<l treasure of his heart 
 bringeth forth that which is good; anil an evil man out 
 of the evil treasure of his heart brinj^eth forth that 
 ■which is evil: for •'of the abundance of the heart his 
 mouth speaketh. 
 
 46 «And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the 
 thitigs which I say? 
 
 47 /Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my say- 
 ings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is 
 like: 
 
 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged 
 deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the 
 
 I 43 eye. For there is no good tree that bringeth forth 
 
 I corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth 
 
 j 44 forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own 
 
 I fruit. For ol thorns men do not gather tigs', nor of a 
 
 t 45 bramble bush gather they grapes. The good man 
 
 out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth 
 
 that which is good ; and the evil innii out of the evil 
 
 Iri'iisuri' bringeth forth that which is evil : for out of 
 
 the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 
 
 46 And why call ye me. Lord, Lord, and do not the 
 
 47 things which I say? Fvery one tliat Cometh unto 
 me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will 
 
 48 shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man 
 building a house, who diggeil and went deep, and 
 laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a Hood 
 arose, the stream brake against that house, and could 
 
 a Mult. 7: 16: 17 6 Mutt. 12: .33 c Matt. 12:35 d Matt. 12: 34 eMal. 1:6; Matt. 7 : 21 ; 25 : II ; ch. 13: 26... ./Miiu.7 : 24. 
 
 verse more exactly. Corrupt ^ unsound, 
 
 rotten ; figuratively, what i.s unfit and spoiled 
 for its proper use. In Luke's presentation of 
 the simile, if, as the for indicates, a logical 
 connection is preserved, the tree stands for the 
 di.sciple as a teacher, who is §rood when he 
 truly reflects tlie humility, sympathy, equity, 
 and loving-kindnessof the Master. Thefruit 
 is his power through word and deed to help 
 others toward greater perfection, the legiti- 
 mate influence, in short, of character and life, 
 good, necessarily, if those are good. In Mat- 
 thew, also, the corresponding passage (7: n, is) 
 is connected with cautions against false pro- 
 phets, but with peculiarities in the application. 
 
 44. For every (or each) tree is known by 
 his (itN) own fruit, etc. An axiom of unques- 
 tionable truth, looking both backward and for- 
 ward, on which the whole argument of these 
 vei"ses rests. It is simply exemplified in the 
 reference to tlie thorn and bramble bush ; as 
 these, so every one bears fruit after its kind. 
 
 45. A (the) good man, etc. He now takes 
 the place of tlie good tree, the analogy neces- 
 sarily' failing in some respects. He is, through 
 God's grace, good by virtue of a store of right 
 princi|>les tind motives of action, from which, 
 as from an inward treasure, he brings forth 
 good words, good deeds, good influence of 
 every kind. The heart is the beneficent 
 store-house of all lovely and hel|)ful supplies, 
 and so proves itself good. Conversely of the 
 opposite character — the evil — the selfish, liard. 
 unloving, malignant man— the )>roducts of 
 his heart correspond with the inward con- 
 tents. — This must be so. for of (out of) the 
 abundance of the heart his (each man's) 
 mouth speaketh. Doubtless if the Saviour 
 hnd gone into details, he might have said that 
 the actions and desires of the man, as well as 
 his words, are only spociiuens of the abun- 
 
 dance = overflow — of the heart. It does 
 not mean that thedefinite subjects which most 
 engage a man's interest will be necess;irily 
 most talked about by him, but that the moral 
 quality of his heart will determine the quality 
 of his discourse and conduct. 
 
 4G-49. Conclusion: The Nkcessitv of 
 Practical Obedience to these Teach- 
 ings. 
 
 46. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord — 
 thus professing yourselvt^s my disci])les. mem- 
 bers of the kingdom of God — and do not 
 the things which I say? It is as great a 
 delusion as to think of a thorn bush as bear- 
 ing figs, or of a man as good, when the 
 manifest outcome of his heart is evil. Pro- 
 fessions and j)retense are not sufficient; there 
 must be the proved, practical reality of a 
 heart submissive to my will. Whosoever 
 cometh to me, and heareth my sayings^ 
 puts himself in the attitude of a disciple — 
 and ducth them— that is, shows himself a 
 disciple indeed. Here the clause, and doeth 
 them, requires the whole emi)hasis. The 
 Saviour describes a man who puts himself as 
 a pui)il under him, not to acquire merely an 
 understanding of his principle.*, not to know 
 the gospel as he might know some abstnict 
 science, but that he may acquire an art — as 
 one might acquire the art of playing the 
 organ — the art. namely, of holy living, and 
 practical conformity to the declared will 
 of Christ. H(; letirns, in order that he may 
 do, and by doing i)roves that he has learned 
 indeed. — My sayings are the precepts and 
 instructions of the foregoing discour^ie, capa- 
 ble of being condensed into one word — love; 
 but that again easily exy)ai>ding into the law 
 of all i)iety. purity, goodness, true righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 48. He is like a man which built (lit^ 
 
124 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that 
 house, and could not shake it ; for it was founded upon 
 a rock. 
 
 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man 
 that without a foundation built a house upon the 
 earth ; against which the stream did beat vehemently, 
 and immediately it fell ; and the ruin of that house 
 was great. 
 
 not shake it: i because it had been well builded. 
 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man 
 that built a house upon the earth without a founda- 
 tion ; against which the stream brake, and straight- 
 way it fell in ; aud the ruin of that house was great. 
 
 1 Many aacieiit authorities! le.id. far it had been founded upon the rock : as in Matt. vii. '25. 
 
 building) a house. It is the perfect gecurity 
 of such a disciple's position that Jesus would 
 illustrate. He may be thought of as estab- 
 lishing a character that is to be tested by 
 fearful exigencies, or a hope of everlasting 
 life, firm enough to stand against seductions, 
 and assaults of men and Satan, through life 
 and in death. It is his house which he is 
 rearing, the home and refuge and defence of 
 his peace, which can allow no doubt to hang 
 over the question of its solidity and safety. 
 It is worse than nothing, if not safe. And 
 digged deep (or lit., ivent deep), and laid 
 the foundation on a rock. The Greek is, 
 a foundation on the rock. It is as if Christ 
 were thinking of a site where the surface 
 earth was known to be light and sandy, but 
 resting, at no very great depth, on a wide, 
 extending rock. The prudent builder took 
 all needed pains to reach that, before begin- 
 ning to lay his wall. He acted as though 
 he understood the perils of the region, and 
 would leave no chance of being undermined. 
 The lower levels about the Sea of Galilee, or 
 the plains at the foot of hills and mountains 
 anywhere tlierc, would meet the supposi- 
 tions. — And when the flood arose — as was 
 liable to be the case any year. The descrip- 
 tion at this point is much less fully develo])ed 
 than iu Matthew's report. But the flood= 
 freshet — imjilies the "rains," Avhich fell co- 
 piouslj' on the higher lands, and descending 
 in rivulets, formed a streani=river, which, 
 overflowing its banks, beat vehemently 
 upon that house. These natural occur- 
 rences represent the trials and temptations 
 •which vehemently threaten the Christian's 
 character, at times, and tend to undermine 
 liis hope. But if he has gone down to 
 Christ's own "sayings," and grounded his 
 life in obedience to them, he shall stand. 
 And could not .shake it — to say nothing of 
 overthrowing it — for (in the Revision, because) 
 it Avas founded upon a rock (or better, 
 it had been well builded). It is surprising 
 that so careful and learned a writer as Scriv- 
 
 ener should ( Plain Introduction, Ed. 2, p. 
 473), have objected to this change of the text, 
 on the ground of an incongruity between the 
 present participle (oiKaSonoCi-Ti), at the begin- 
 ning, and the perfect infinitive (ol/co5on^<r?ai) at 
 the end of the verse. He who had begun 
 well with the foundation had gone on well 
 through every stage of the erection. 
 
 49. But he that heareth and doeth not 
 — the Greek plainly means Ite that ttenrd 
 and did not — the past tense supposes the enel 
 to have come, and turns our view back on a 
 lost opportunity. "In that day" it will ap- 
 pear that he who merely heard the teaching 
 of Jesus, without yielding up his hciirt and 
 life to its power, was not saved from an eternal 
 loss. — Without a foundation built a house 
 on the earth=sand (Matt. 7:26) — merely on 
 hearing, knowledge, profession. A neighbor, 
 perhaps, to the prudent man, he built care- 
 lessly, in spite of a good example. Against 
 his house, also, the swollen river dashed, ami 
 it endured not at all. — Immediately it fell ; 
 and the ruin of that house was great. 
 In his case, the outward events signify differ- 
 ent trials, in part, from those which beset the 
 Christian — pre-eminently the final judgment. 
 How different the eflPect, eternity alone can 
 tell. "A single lost soul is a great rtiinm 
 the eyes of God. Jesus, in closing his dis- 
 course, leaves his hearers under the impres- 
 sion of this solemn thought. Each of them, 
 while listening, might think that he heard 
 the crash of the falling eelifice, and say within 
 himself: This disaster will be mine, if I prove 
 hypocritical or inconsistent." — Godet. 
 
 When we ask what, precisely, was symbol- 
 ized by tlie rock, in this closing jiarable, it is 
 common to say, "Christ himself; Christ, bj' 
 virtue of his atoning sacrifice, the ground of 
 our eternal hope." And this undoubtedly 
 expresses a most important and blessed truth 
 of theology. But is it directly U\ught here? 
 What is it that the wise builder reaches by 
 his process of digging and going deep, as 
 compared with the other man? Is it not 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 125 
 
 obedience, the actual doing of the things com- 
 manded by Jesus? Surely, he who accom- 
 plished that founded on the rock. 
 
 It may be said that Christ is elsewhere 
 named the rock. True ; but not regarded as 
 a foundation. The apostle tells us (i Cor. lo: *), 
 tiiat tlie Spiritual Rock, yielding the gushing 
 si)ring which followed the Israelites through 
 the wilderness, was Christ, the source of all 
 grace and blessing to his disciples. Else- 
 where, he is called "the chief corner-stone" 
 (not Rock) of the spiritual building, his 
 church; but the apostles and prophets are 
 "the foundation," as the conveyers of his 
 truth and spirit. Pre-eminent among the 
 apostles, at a certain moment, Peter, as fore- 
 most in faith, is called the "Rock," who is to 
 become a foundation for the church. Christ 
 neither calls himself so, nor is so called by 
 any other in the New Testament. 
 
 But, it will still be asked. Can there be such 
 obedience as we can safely build on, without 
 faith in Christ? Emphatically, No. That 
 we might infer from consideration of the true 
 nature of gos])el obedience, and we are saved 
 the trouble of thinking it out for ourselves by 
 the divine philosophy of the plan and pro- 
 cess of salvation, crystallized for all ages, in 
 Romans 3: '1\-1^\. But here it becomes us to 
 notice that Jesus chooses rather (the reasons 
 why, we need not now inquire after) to have 
 us think of love, and that not as a mere sub- 
 jective state of feeling, but a practical carry- 
 ing out of his precepts, as the solid rock. As 
 tiiere could not be this obedient love without ' 
 faith, so there could not be that truthful ac- | 
 leptance of Christ and his grace, without 
 love. Theoretically, there ma^' be a natural 
 j)recedence of faith, to other exercises of the 
 soul, as love and hope; actually and chrono- 
 logicallj', love is as early in its origin, and at 
 least as truly comprehends the rest. All shall 
 abide, thank God ! but the greatest is love. 
 
 Whatever may have led the Saviour to sf) 
 exalt obedience si)ringing from love, in this 
 l>aragraph, the same consideration guided him 
 tliroughout the whole discourse. Not a word 
 in it directly of faith, from beginning to end ; 
 not a word directly of atonement ; not a word 
 directly of pardon. It has often been com- 
 mented on as a remarkable deficiency in so 
 elaborate a programme of the kingdom of 
 heaven, which we have come to think of as 
 scarcely anything but faith and pardon. It 
 
 only shows how gradually the theory of gospel 
 salvation developed itself even in the teach- 
 ings of our Lord. It is the spirit of the gospel 
 in exercise among the members of his king- 
 dom, on which he now entirely, and always 
 principally, insi-sts — the humility, the sense of 
 spiritual need, the sorrow for sin, the disposi- 
 tion of universal love, the sacrifice of self, and 
 beneficence like that of God. As there is 
 always a practice before an art, and generally 
 an art before the science, Christ now teaches 
 the practice of holy living, which was the 
 great end of his coming ; and requires it to be 
 cultivated as an art, suggesting the materials 
 of a science, which, if needed, will come in 
 due time. So, largely, throughout the gospel. 
 Here are the practical elements of faith, after- 
 wards taken up into the more systematic state- 
 ments of the Apostle Paul ; but let us not for- 
 get that they are, indeed, taken up there. 
 Christ teaches us what we must do and be, 
 and at the close of his teaching, after much 
 added about faith and the Spirit that should 
 be given, seems to forget all but the living 
 aspects of our dut^' to love, when he declares 
 on what principle he will pronounce the eter- 
 nal judgment (Matt. 25:40, 45: John 15: 10). Nor does 
 Paul fail to see this, also, showing that to those 
 who seek it by patient continuance in well 
 doing, and to no others, will God render eter- 
 nal life. (See Rom. 2: 7.) 
 
 We are told that this is no more than was 
 taught and required of men by the ancient 
 prophets. What need of teaching more; if 
 only men could be led to be and do what the 
 prophets required, "to do justly-, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God"? 
 But how diflerently is this taught by Christ! 
 His life, free from every taint of sin, and 
 shade of infirmity, such as marred the best 
 of prophets, interprets and enforces the pre- 
 cepts which apjieal to men's consciences and 
 reason. In tlie light of his out-beaming holi- 
 ness, they feel their sin, and are urged to re- 
 pentance. His merciful sympathy encourages 
 and guides the effort necessary to maintain the 
 ujiward and arduous grade of life. His calm- 
 ness and serenity amid opposition, danger, and 
 privation, inspire them with strength to bear; 
 and love, answering in their hearts, draws 
 them to leave all and follow him. 
 
 Thus, even when Jesus taught them sub- 
 stantially what old prophets had, more or less 
 distinctly taught, the truth at his lips had a 
 
126 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIL 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 "VfOW when he had ended all his sayings in the audi- 
 1 1 eace o( the people, " he entered into Capernaum. 
 
 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear 
 unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 
 
 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the 
 elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come 
 and heal his servant. 
 
 1 After he had ended all his sayings in the ears of 
 the people, he entered into Capernaum. 
 
 2 And a certain centurion's > servant, who was "dear 
 
 3 unto him, was sick and at the point of death. And 
 when he heard concerning Jesus, he sent unto him 
 elders of the Jews, asking him that he would come 
 
 I Matt. 8 : 5. 1 Gr. bondeervant . . . .2 Or, precious to him. Or, honourable with hi, 
 
 power and efficacy which they could not at- 
 tain. The final explanation is that the Teacher 
 himself was more than they. He was a pro- 
 phet — God's spokesman — ayid he was the Mes- 
 siah, in whom God himself spoke. He does 
 not explicitly so name himself in this dis- 
 course, it is true ; hut to every thoughtful soul 
 he raises or warrants the conviction that he is 
 such. What he enjoins, he enjoins as a Divine 
 Lawgiver, who does not need to support him- 
 self on former precepts, but whose "I say 
 unto you," is authority of itself. What they 
 have to suffer in his service is to be borne " for 
 the Son of tnan's sake." That they shall not 
 themselves lack strength, is proved by the 
 power which has just been given to the apos- 
 tles (Mark.3: 15), even " to cRst out dcmons." 
 The authority of the Messiah guaranteed the 
 promises of blessedness in the kingdom of 
 heaven. 'All this fell short of the fullness of 
 mature gospel teaching mainly in its failure to 
 answer koto such infi nite blessings could be con- 
 ferred on sinful souls, and to apply the pecu- 
 liarly affecting motive which lies in a clear 
 perception of Christ's dying love for them. 
 
 Ch. 7:1-10. Rkturn to Capernatjm; 
 Healing of the Centurion's Servant. 
 
 1. Now when (omit now) he had ended 
 ... he entered into Capernaum — This is 
 the first mention of Capernaum since the 
 commencement of his tour of labors (*:*♦). 
 As far as he could be said to have a residence, 
 or even head-quarters, Capernaum seems to 
 have been the place (♦; si; Matt.*: is)— in Peter's 
 house more jirobably than in that of his own 
 parents. His .slay here now was brief (vev. ii), 
 and can scarcely be regarded as an end of his 
 expedition through the province. Matthew 
 also makes a visit to Capernaum follow di- 
 rectly upr)n the Sermon on the Mount — an 
 additional proof of the identity of the dis- 
 course reported by both writers, and render- 
 ing it very likely that the mountain where it 
 was delivered was near Capernaum. 
 
 H, And a certain centurion's servant, 
 
 who was dear unto him, was sick. A 
 centurion, according to the meaning of the 
 term, was a military oiScor, commanding 
 one hundred men— of a rank, therefore, in the 
 Roman army, analogous to that of captain 
 with us. This man was probably in the ser- 
 vice of Herod Antipas, and may have been 
 a Roman, or, with equal probability, some 
 Greek or Oriental, trained in the Roman 
 manner. He was, perhaps, "a proselyte of 
 the gate," one who accepted the principles of 
 the Jews in the main, and followed some of 
 their customs. Had he been circumcised, 
 thus becoming a "proselj'te of righteousness," 
 they could not have distinguished between 
 him and "our nation." — He had a servant — 
 strictly, a bond-servant, or slave. Slaves v.'ere 
 very numerous at that time throughout the 
 Roman Empire. The Hebrews had long 
 ceased from making slaves of their own 
 people, but still held those of other nations. 
 Among the Greeks and Romans they were, 
 for the most part, of races as white as their 
 owners, often whiter; sometimes of equal, or 
 even superior, culture, and capable of serv- 
 ing the masters in close intimacy, involving 
 important trusts, and consistent with high 
 mutual esteem and friendsliip. So here, the 
 centurion's servant was dear unto him. 
 The adjective means, primarily, "valuable," 
 "precious," then "held in honor," "es- 
 teemed." It might therefore possibly be un- 
 derstood as denoting pecuniary worth, or 
 capacity for usefulness; but the whole tenor 
 of the narrative consists better with the idea 
 of personal esteem and affettinn, naturally 
 suggested by the word dear. He was sick — 
 bed-ridden, as we learn from Matthew; and 
 his description of the complaint leads us to 
 think of something like a very bad rheuma- 
 tism. And he was at the point of death — 
 ready to die — a death, too, of very great 
 suffering, from which any friend would spe- 
 cially desire to have him spared. 
 
 3. And when he heard of {concernhig) 
 Jesus — what wonderful works of healing he 
 
Ch. VIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 127 
 
 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought hiiu 
 instantly, saying, Tliat he was worthy for whom he 
 should do this: 
 
 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a 
 synagogue. 
 
 6 Then Jesus went with thcni. And when he was 
 now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends 
 to him, saying unto him. Lord, trouble not thyself: for 
 lam not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my 
 roof: 
 
 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to 
 come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant 
 shall be healed. 
 
 4 and save his 'servant. And they, when they came 
 to Jesus, besought him earnestly, saying, lie is 
 
 5 worthy that thou shouldest do this for him : for he 
 loveth our nation, and himself built us our syiia- 
 
 6 gogue. And Jesus went with them. And when he 
 was now not far from the house, the centurion sent 
 friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not 
 thyself: for I am not ■' worthy that thou sh.mldest 
 
 7 coiue under my roof: wherefore neither tlmught I 
 myself worthy to come unto thee: but "isay the 
 
 1 Gr. bond-servant 2 Or. tuffleient. . . .3 Or. aay with a word. 
 
 had wrought, even in desperate cases — he 
 sent unto him the (omit the) elders of the 
 Jews — head.*, probably, of a synagogue of 
 the place, and a sort of religious magistrates. 
 These might be more persuasive messengers 
 than ordinary servants; and they, in con- 
 sideration of his personal friendllne.^s, were 
 ready to do for him what they would or- 
 dinarily spurn to do for a centurion. — Be- 
 seeching {asJdng) him — that is, the centurion 
 asking through the elders. (Comp. Matthew). 
 
 4. Heal his servant — save is more exact 
 than heal. Salvation in Scripture designates 
 deliverance, rescue, restoration, of all kinds, 
 individual or national, bodily or spiritual, 
 and in all degrees, from the termination of 
 any transient trouble to the removal of guilt, 
 condemnation, and wrath, and the full fruition 
 of God's favor to all eternity. Here the verb 
 is a compound, to e.xpress special earnest- 
 ness; equivalent to, that he would bring him 
 through safe. — He was (is) worthy for 
 whom he should do this (preferably, that 
 thou shouldest do this for him). It was not 
 natural for a Jew of that day to plead for 
 favors in behalf of a Gentile, but the gen- 
 erosity of this convert made him an excep- 
 tional case. They were even willing to apply 
 for him to Christ, whom many of their rank 
 had now come to regard as an object of 
 hatred and abhorrence. But we ought not to 
 charge upon all, even of the Scribes and Phari- 
 sees, that hostility which prevailed among 
 them as a class. We see, indeed, almost to 
 the last, that prominent Jews under the pres- 
 sure of affliction humbly beseech his tem- 
 poral aid. 
 
 5. For he loveth our nation, and he 
 (himself) hath built us a synagogue, (or, 
 our synagogue). Thia last fact would be a 
 sufficient proof to them of love to their nation, 
 and indeed it was a rare, though by no means 
 unparalleled, thing, that a man in his station 
 
 should show such favor to Jews. His interest 
 in their religion would incline him to friendli- 
 ness and fraternity in other respects, and his 
 defraying the whole expense of building their 
 church was the fruit of it. Our (Greek, 
 "the") synagogue — not necessarily the only 
 one in the town, but that with which these 
 elders were connected. 
 
 6. Then Jesus went with them. Had he 
 measured the objects of his healing love by 
 their standard of worthiness, few of the thou- 
 sand works of his beneficence would ever have 
 been performed. But the elders had gained 
 the case of their client with Jesus, when they 
 showed him a sufferer whom he might reach, 
 and friends longing for his help. They illus- 
 trate how, many times, men who had no 
 personal interest in Christ have conveyed his 
 blessing to others. He had almost reached 
 the centurion's home, when the latter sent 
 friends to him — relatives, or the inmates of 
 his own house. — Saying unto him, he saying 
 again through his deputies. Lord, trouble 
 not thyself— namely, by coming so far out 
 of thy way. We can only harmonize this 
 with the desire in ver. 3, that Christ should 
 "come and heal," by supposing that the 
 elders had expressed their sense of what he 
 wished, or, that he afterwards reflected that 
 actually visiting his house was unnecessary. 
 It will be noticed that in Matthew, where the 
 delegaticm is entirely unnoticed, nothing is 
 said about requesting Jesus to go to the cen- 
 turion's house.— For I am not worthy = fit, 
 of that moral worth which would make it 
 suitable. 
 
 7. Wherefore neither thought I myself 
 worthy to come unto thee. Plainly a differ- 
 ent, but not incompatible, report of the trans- 
 action from the one followed by Matthew. 
 The thought back of this is, that it is not nec- 
 essary for Jesus to visit the house, and that 
 the sender has no social or moral claim to war- 
 
128 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having 
 under me soldiers, and I say unto one. Go, and he 
 goeth; and to aiiother, Come, and he cometli; and to 
 my servant. Do this, and he doeth it. 
 
 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at 
 him, and turned him about, and said unto the people 
 that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so 
 great faith, no, not in Israel. 
 
 10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, 
 found the servant whole that had been sick. 
 
 11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went 
 into a city called Nain ; and many of his disciples went 
 with him, and much people. 
 
 8 word, and my i servant shall be healed. For I also 
 am a man set under authority, having under myself 
 soldiers: and I say to this one. Go, and he goeth; 
 and to another. Come, and he cometh; and to my 
 
 9 1 servant. Do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus 
 heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned 
 and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say 
 unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in 
 
 10 Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the 
 house, found the 'servant whole. 
 
 11 And it came to pass -soon afterwards, that he went 
 to a city called Nain ; and his disciples went with 
 
 1 Or, boy..., 2 Gr. bond-aemant....^ Many ancienc authorities read, ore the next i 
 
 rant him in asking for anything in the least 
 superfluous. It is not merely humility which 
 thus speaks, but an apprehension that Jesus 
 might think it less suitable that the man of 
 another nation, a Gentile, and of a secular 
 calling, should approach him, than the relig- 
 ious representatives of Christ's own people. — 
 But say in a word— a word spoken by Christ 
 at a distance will be all sufficient. Did even 
 he believe that the word need not be spoken 
 aloud? that the inaudible will of the Saviour 
 would infallibly accomplish the desired re- 
 sult? So it proved. And my servant shall 
 be healed (rather, Let my servant be healed.) 
 The Greek is gtill rather petition than predic- 
 tion. [The reading is doubtful. B. and L. 
 have iaSrjTco = Let — be healed ; but X A C D R , 
 adrja-eTai^ Shall be healed. — A. H.] 
 
 8. For I also am a man set under author- 
 ity, etc. The reason involved in this lies in 
 the fact that Christ commands the agencies of 
 healing, as he himself directs his soldiers to 
 do his errands, and is obeyed. He states his 
 own position humbly; the point is that he ex- 
 ercises authority, but he is careful to say, that 
 his is no su{)reme authority, as is Christ's I 
 am myself, though under the control of higher 
 officers, yet, in my low sphere, in command, 
 so that with a word, "Come," or, "Go," or, 
 "Do this," I secure that my will is done. 
 How much more will a word from thee suffice 
 for all that I desire! No human example 
 could more expressively set forth the power 
 that lay in a command than the order of a 
 Roman officer and master. What he was in 
 these rude, earthly relations, he sees Jesus to 
 be in the su])ernatural and spiritual sphere. 
 
 9. When Jesus heard these things, he 
 marvelled at him. Wonder and admira- 
 tion at such clear, unqualified faith, held him 
 for a moment, and he rejoiced in the omen of 
 future triumphs of his truth among the Gen- 
 tiles of the remotest regions. (See Matt. 8: 11). 
 
 A great crowd had followed the Saviour, 
 eager to see what would happen at the house 
 of the officer. Jesus would have them all 
 apprehend the full significance of the Gen- 
 tile's faith. He turned, therefore, to face 
 them, and secure their attention, and said: I 
 have not found so great faith, no, not 
 (not even) in Israel. The excellency of the 
 centurion's faith seems to have lain in his clear 
 persuasion of the ability of Jesus to do mira- 
 cles of cure by a mere word of command. In 
 previous cases, as in that of rebuking the fever 
 of Peter's mother-in-law, it had been neces- 
 sary for him to lay his hands on them, or 
 touch the blind eyes, or the bound tongue, 
 and allow them to touch his garment. These 
 wore accommodations to weakness prevalent 
 among the Jews, to which this Gentile was 
 entirely superior. He saw that the power lay 
 in the Spirit of Jesus, so that whatever that 
 willed to be done, was done. And his confi- 
 dence was justified. 
 
 10. And they that were sent . . . found 
 the servant whole— in sound health. This 
 was a case of faith in the healing power of 
 Jesus promptly answered and highly honored 
 by the Great Physician. That the officer rec- 
 ognized in him the Saviour of souls, we are 
 not told ; but if he did, it does not seem natu- 
 ral that he should have failed to encourage the 
 coming of .Jesus to his house, that he might 
 share his spiritual instruction and grace. 
 
 11-17. Resurrection of the Son of the 
 Widow at Nain. This event is not re- 
 ported by either of the other evangelists. 
 The question naturallj"^ rises, why Luke 
 should have preserved what Matthew and 
 IMark passed by. Tiie most obvious answer 
 is, that, supposing them all to have had the 
 report of it, the sjjecial object of Luke alone 
 made this record important to him. That 
 special object, in this part of his writing, we 
 suspect to have been to mark the climax of 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 129 
 
 Christ's manifestation of himself He had 
 just given proof of his power to heal mortal 
 diseases by a word, even by an act of his will. 
 Tliat had followed upon the announcement of 
 his higli claims as Messiah, and of the corre- 
 sponding duties and privileges of his adherents 
 as constituting the kingdom of God. It had 
 been preceded by a number of miracles spec- 
 ially selected to show his power over Satan's 
 kingdom (4:3i-37); over all manner of diseases 
 (4::)«4i); over tl)e kingdom of nature (om-h); 
 over leprosy, emblem of man's sin (5: 12-16); 
 
 cerning his character and ability, above which 
 we are lifted at once, in the faith of the cen- 
 turion: "Give command only, and whatever 
 thou biddest shall be done."" Here is a begin- 
 ning of receptivity, and that in the case of one 
 of the Gentiles— happy omen ! — to which the 
 Saviour may now reveal still more of him- 
 self. Hence the presentation, next, of our 
 Lord's dominion over death. 
 
 11. And it came to pii»<.s the day after (or, 
 Revision, smm iifirrwardis), tbat he went to 
 a city called Main. This city, which still 
 
 over paralysis, emblem of man's helplessness 
 (5:i-ifi); over prevailing prejudice and ground- 
 less moral distinctions, in the special calling of 
 a publican (5r?7-:i2); over the morally crip))ling 
 fetters of tradition, in the elucidsition of the 
 principles of fasting (5::i3 39), and the SaV>bath 
 (fi:i-ii). But in all this, up even to the great 
 exercise of his restorative and delivering 
 ]iower preceding his Sermon on the Mount 
 (fi. 17 19), where the people felt it necessary "to 
 touch him," that they might share the out- 
 streaming virtue (as it seemed to them), there 
 was a certain poverty of apprehension con- 
 
 exists under the same name, Nein, was situated 
 twenty-four miles nearly south of Capernaum, 
 This was a long distance for Jesus to have 
 walked by the "next day," and the prepon- 
 derance of authorities, in i>ur judgment, sup- 
 ports the Revision. In either view, knowing 
 how much the Saviour would find to do in 
 ))assing that distance through a populous 
 country, we see the urgency with which he 
 ))ressed to "preach the good tidings of the 
 Kingdom of (lod to tht; other cities also" 
 (4. 43). — And many of his disciples went 
 with him, and much people (a great mul- 
 
130 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city 
 behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son 
 of his mother, and she was a widow : and much people 
 of the city was with her. 
 
 Vi And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion 
 on her, and said unto her. Weep not. 
 
 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that 
 bare him. stood still. And he said. Young man, I say 
 unto thee, "Arise. 
 
 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. 
 And he delivered him to his mother. 
 
 16 ("And there came a tear on all: and they glorified 
 God, saying, '"That a great prophet is risen up among 
 us; and, ''That God hath visited his people. 
 
 12 him, and a great multitude. Now when he drew 
 near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried 
 
 . out one that was dead, the only .son of his mother, 
 and she was a widow: and much people of the city 
 
 13 was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had 
 compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 
 
 14 And he came nigh and touched the bier: and the 
 bearers stood still. And he said. Young man, I say 
 
 15 unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and 
 began to speak. And he gave him to his niinher. 
 
 16 And fear took hold on all: and they glorified <fod, 
 saying, A great prophet is arisen among us : and, 
 
 ach. 8: 54; John 11:4.1; Ao-s9: 40; Eom. 4 : 17....6 ch. 1 : 65....C ch. '24: 19; J hn 4: 19; 6: 14; 9: 17....dnh. 1 : 
 
 titude). Now and henceforth, we find him 
 frequently accompanied by a crowd of disci- 
 ples and others on his journeyings. 
 
 12. Behold — a sad and striking encounter 
 at the gates of the city. The town stood on 
 the side of the Little Hermon mountain, and 
 was reached by a steep, rocky ascent, through 
 this one gate. — There was a dead man 
 carried out — more literally, tliere iras car- 
 ried out one tvho was dead. — Was carried 
 out ^ was in the act of being carried out. — 
 The only son of his mother, and she was 
 a widow. The case was thus a peculiarly 
 sorrowful one, and had evidently excited deep 
 interest among the people of the town ; for 
 much people (a considerable croivd) of the 
 city was with her. It was doubtless no un- 
 common thing for Jesus to meet a funeral, and 
 ■we do not know that on any other occasion he 
 interfered with the course of nature under 
 such circumstances. But now, apart from 
 the solemn shock of disputing the way with 
 a corpse through the gate of the city wall, 
 the circumstances of this death becoming 
 known to him, would be peculiarly suited to 
 touch the .sympathetic heart of the Son of 
 man. "Mourning for an only son" was a 
 type of the sorest grief. Jesus himself sig- 
 nalized the love of his Father in giving his 
 only begotten Son for the salvation of the 
 world. And now an only .son, followed bj' 
 his mother, and she a widow, probably indi- 
 gent and dependent on him for support — 
 what element of the pathetic was wanting? 
 
 13. And when the Lord saw her, he had 
 compassion on her. As we might expect, 
 he did not wait for faith ; her distress evoked 
 his pity, and pity moved him to comfort. — 
 He said unto her. Weep not. He was prob- 
 ably a stranger to her, and his words would 
 naturally first occasion wonder, or even fear. 
 It would be rude and cruel if he stopped with 
 
 that. However it may have been with the 
 mother, none of those who had been with him 
 in Capernaum could have lacked faith that he 
 could, or hope that he might, do even this 
 wonder of mercy, and restore the dead to life. 
 
 14. And he came ni^^h and touched the 
 bier {c(i(fin) in which, with the lid removed, 
 the body seems to have been carried on a bier. 
 The Greek word is not that appropriate to a 
 bier, but to a coffin. The object of the act 
 was to arrest their movement. As before, in 
 touching the leper, Jesus now i nored the 
 cremonial scruples against even indirect con- 
 t ct with the dead. The bearers stopped, in 
 suspense, we must presume, about what was tc 
 happen. — And he said — addressing the dead 
 youth, over whom as yet only a cloth would 
 rest, in his coffin — I say unto thee. Arise, 
 It was the voice which shall one day sum- 
 mon the nations under ground forth to the 
 judgment bar. Will they hear? This "one 
 that was dead" heard. 
 
 15. And he that was dead sat up, and 
 began to speak. Performing plainly the 
 deeds of a living man, he j)roved that life 
 had gone forth in that command. And he 
 delivered [gave] him to his mother. What 
 a present! How simple the relation! It 
 leaves us free to imagine the look, the man- 
 ner, the tone, the language, with which Jesus 
 would convey the unparalleled gift. And 
 her emotions! She had lost her only son, 
 and now he was hers again by a direct gift of 
 God. As for the multitude, surely there 
 could never again be a doubt that here was 
 the Messiah, and that the Messiah was divine! 
 Alas for the obstinacy of prejudice, and the 
 slowness of men to realize how great a boon 
 God has sent them in .Tesus Chri.st! 
 
 16. And there came a fear on all — or, 
 And fear took hold on all — the natural effect 
 of such a manifestation of supernatural power. 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 131 
 
 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all 
 Judea, and throughout all the region round about. 
 
 l.H "And the disciples of John shewed him all these 
 things. 
 
 19 And John calling utUo him two of bis disciples 
 
 17 God hath visited his people. And this repori went 
 forth concerning him in the whole of Judtea, and all 
 the region round about. 
 
 18 And the disciples of John told him of all these 
 
 19 things. And John calling unto him Uwo of bit 
 
 a Malt. U : 2 1 Qr. certain two. 
 
 (Comp. 1: 12; 2: 9; 5: 8,9). And they glori- 
 fied God — cleiirly recognizing a marvelous 
 instance of his power and mercy, yet by no 
 means apprehending how near he was to 
 them in it. — A great prophet is risen up 
 among us — was true, and expressed the 
 highest conce]>tii)ii to which the mass, even of 
 those who knew most about Jesus, had yet at- 
 tained. (Com)). 9: 18, 19, and par. John 6: 66). 
 They saw in him what Nicodemus saw — "a 
 teacher sent from God"; some, even a spokes- 
 man for God (prophet); but with diverse 
 ideas as to his rank and relation to the Mes- 
 siah. Even in this they saw proof that "God 
 hath visited his people." From the days of 
 Samuel to those of Malachi, pious Jews had 
 looked on the presence among tliem of Jeho- 
 vah's [irophets, as a token of his own presence 
 and favor, and their absence as a cause for 
 regn^t and mourning. Now, after a famine 
 of the direct prophetic word for four hundred 
 and fifty years, with no "open vision" (i S:ini. 
 3:1), the appearance of a great proi)het, one 
 who, with a word merely, accomplished what 
 Elijah did only with great pains and pro- 
 traeted exertion (i Kings i7:ti), was a joyful 
 proof of God's visitation. 
 
 17. And this rumor of him [or, rfport 
 ronrrrning /lim] went forth throughout all 
 Judea, and throughout all the region 
 round about. Sonte have scented a mistake 
 in this mention of Judea, when the Saviour 
 was yet in Galilee. Hut he was in the ex- 
 treme southern part of that i)rovince, if not 
 actiiivUy within the border of Samaria; and 
 what was to be particularly stated was, that j 
 whereas already the rumor concerning him ] 
 had spread widely through Galilee, this won- j 
 derful work of his carried the word southward 
 into Judea and Samaria, and the country be- | 
 yond Jordan. Besides the simple delight I 
 which Jesus had in acts of mercy, assuaging 
 pain, preserving life and useful strengtli, and I 
 even restoring life where this might be, he 
 certainly attached an evidential value to these j 
 deeds of his, as proving his character and \ 
 disposition, and would rejoice in having them i 
 widely known and truthfully interpreted. I 
 
 18-35. John the Baptist in Pri.son 
 Sknds Messengers to Jesus. Christ's 
 Testimony of Him. Matt. 11: 2-19. 
 
 It suits admirably with what we have sup- 
 posed to be the plan of this portion of Luke's 
 narrative, that this incident .should be pre- 
 sented ju.st here, to carry forward, another 
 step, the revelation of our Lord's Messiah- 
 ship. John's state of mind may well have 
 been not very difi'erent, at that time, from 
 that of other thoughtful observers of the 
 course of Jesus. At all events, we can see 
 that if the design of Luke were to select such 
 facts in his career as would bring his readers 
 by degrees, analogous to the actual stages, to 
 a full recognition of Christ as the Son of 
 man, his procedure is happilj' adapted to 
 that end. Christ's dealing with John aims to 
 satisfy an honest doubter of this truth, with- 
 out, at the same time, deviating from his 
 settled policy of letting the facts work their 
 own way to the understanding and hearts 
 of men. 
 
 18. And the disciples of John shewed 
 him of all these things. Thus "the report 
 concorning him (veri7) went forth" beyond 
 Judea, even to the dismal rock-fastness of 
 Machierus (Makor), east of the Dead Sea, 
 where we left the Baptist in confinement 
 (3:1820), perhaps (as we cannot reach certainty 
 concerning the dates) about eighteen months 
 before. The word brought to him of the 
 remarkable works of Jesus, such as, if cor- 
 rectlj- reported, were wcvrthy of the Messiah, 
 yet not all that the pious had expected of 
 him, greatly disturbed his mind. What was 
 he to conclude about the true character and 
 office of this extraordinary personage? It is 
 evident that his imprisonment was not so 
 rigorous as altogether to prevent the access 
 of his disciples and friends, and he must have 
 had other intelligence of Jesus since they 
 were la.^^t near each other at "^^non, near 
 Salim." 
 
 19. And John, calling unto him two of 
 his disciples— thus showing his state to have 
 been not unlike that of Paul, at Cesanea, ac- 
 cording to Acts 24: 23. — Sent them to Jesu8» 
 
132 
 
 LUKE, 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 sent -them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should 
 come? or look we for another? 
 
 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, 
 John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou 
 he tliat should come? or look we for another? 
 
 disciples sent them to the Lord, saying. Art thou he 
 20 that Cometh, or look we tor another? And when the 
 men were come unto him, they said, John the Bap- 
 tist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that 
 
 (or, the Lord). We have here, and in the 
 preceding statement, another evidence that 
 some who had embraced the teachings of 
 John still adhered to him, and were distin- 
 guished from the disciples of Jesus. Whether 
 they also recognized Jesus as the Messiah, 
 and only waited on John from friendly re- 
 gard, and to aid him in his afflictions, or from 
 some other cause, we do not know. Saying— 
 the Greek participle is singular^to say, John 
 speaking through them. — Art thou he that 
 should come (or, conietk), or look we for 
 (are we to expect) another? 
 
 20. Arriving where he was, these men 
 faithfully proposed their master's question. 
 The phrase, "The coming one," or He that 
 corneth, was a familiar designation of the 
 Messiah. After the incidents of the Baptism, 
 and the previous intercourse of the families 
 of the two at the period of John's nativity, it 
 seems so strange, on a superficial reading, for 
 John now to doubt whether Jesus was the 
 Messiah whom he had predicted and pointed 
 out, that commentators have put various vio- 
 lent twists upon his language, to make it con- 
 sistent with some other purport. But we 
 have only to remember that John, though a 
 prophet, and Christ's herald, was "a man of 
 like passions with us," to clear the subject of 
 peculiar difficulty. At once we notice that 
 John has such confidence in Jesus, that he is 
 sure he can have from him the clearing up of 
 his peri)lexities. If the latter is not himself 
 the Messiah, he can explain what is yet to be 
 looked for. John seeks his instruction. Re- 
 OhII now that in our reflections on John's 
 work in ch. 3, we have seen that, as neai^ as 
 he came to Christ, he was far from that view 
 of him which Jesus distinctly presented of 
 himself in his first reported discourse, at Naza- 
 reth. The leading features ^^f the work of 
 him that was to come, are seen by the herald 
 in quite other proportions from what the 
 course of Jesus for now many months had 
 realized. The unfruitful trees had not been 
 cut down ; the grain had not been winnowed 
 from the chaff, nor was the unquenchable 
 fire kindled to his view. He ))robably saw no 
 tendency toward any of these results. Not 
 
 one prominent element of the prevailing con- 
 ception of the reign of the Messiah, could he 
 recognize in the proceedings of Jesus. 
 
 Had he been allowed to share the Saviour's 
 company, to receive the silent influence of 
 his example, and his truth, to ask for ex- 
 planations, and to hear reasons, we may be 
 sure that his mental state would have been 
 very diflerent. But he had not only lacked 
 the privileges of the humblest of the Lord's 
 disciples, he had, on the contrary, been left to 
 pine, and fret out his spirit in cruel incar- 
 ceration, brought on him by righteous zeal in 
 the very cause which he was sent to promote. 
 
 That John should, in these circumstances, 
 have wavered, and been seriously shaken in 
 his conviction that Jesus of Nazareth was 
 the end of the law and the prophets, the re- 
 storer of the kingdom to Israel, is not pro- 
 foundly surprising. He was indeed a special, 
 and for certain uses, an insi>ired messenger of 
 God. So was Elijah ; and Elijah also lost 
 confidence in the methods and the cause of 
 God; he sulked, as we might say, and thought 
 it hard that the Lord did not carry on his 
 work according to the prophet's views. Moses, 
 again, and Jeremiah had tiieir times of great 
 despondency, and no doubt would have tlien 
 gladly sought light in their perplexities if 
 there had been one like Jesus at hand. 
 
 Let us notice now what John asks, and 
 what it implies. — Art thou he that conieth ? 
 The position of thou in the Greek is strongly 
 emphatic, in anticii)ation of the next clause. 
 What is implied, suppose the answer to be in 
 the affirmative? Something like, "Let mo 
 be assured of the fact. I lack satisfactory 
 evidence." Not, "Let these messengers of 
 mine have the evidence." That, if John 
 were clear in his own mind, would have been 
 a clums3', if not an insincere way of indi- 
 cating his desire. And, without discussing 
 the other expedients for avoiding the scandal 
 of a great prophet falling short of a jierfect, 
 unintermittent, imperturbable faith in former 
 divine indications which are becoming ful- 
 filled in a sense which the prophet did not 
 put upon them, it is enough to say that the 
 Saviour's kind and faithful hint in verse 23 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 133 
 
 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their in- 
 firmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto 
 many Ihat were blind he gave sight. 
 
 tZ "Then Jesus answering them said unto them, Go 
 your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and 
 heard; '"how that the blind see, the lame walk, the 
 lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, 
 • to the poor the gospel is preaclieil. 
 
 2;J And blessed is lie, whosoever shall not be offended 
 In me. 
 
 24 "'And when the nies-sengers of ,Iohn were departed, 
 he began to speak unto the people concerning John, 
 What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A 
 reed shaken with the wind? 
 
 21 cometh, or look we for another? In that hour he 
 cured many of diseases and 'plagues and evil spirits; 
 and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. 
 
 22 And he answered and said unto them, tjo your way, 
 and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; 
 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the 
 lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are 
 raised up, the poor have -good tidings preached to 
 
 23 them. -\nd blessed is he, whosoever shall liud none 
 occasion of stumbling in me. 
 
 24 And when the messengers of John were departed, 
 he began to say unto the multitudes concerning 
 John, What went ye out into the wilderness to be- 
 
 o Mali. 11:4 b IsB. 35: 5 c ch. 4: 18 d Matt. II : 7. 1 Gr. tcourget 2 Or, the gotpel. 
 
 shows that it was John who was in danger 
 of stumbling against the Christ. — Or look 
 we for another? This may have meant 
 only, "or not." The whole meaning would 
 thus be, "If thou art not Messiah, thou art 
 nothing; and we must simply wait until he 
 comes." But the words used suggest rather 
 that John questioned, not whether Jesus was 
 an eminent messenger from God, but only 
 whether, as there were .some who held that 
 the forerunner would come in one character, 
 some in another, there might not be two, 
 and so Jesus only a second forerunner like 
 himself. 
 
 21. Our Lord might have answered him 
 categorically, "Yes, I am"; but this would 
 have been contrary to his chosen course at 
 that time and in that region (comp. his way 
 with the woman at Jacob's well), and would 
 have been less honorable to John, and less 
 helpful than the method he took. — And 
 (should be omitted, also same) that hour he 
 cured many of their infirmities (or, dis- 
 eases , nnd plagues, and of evil spirits — 
 put here coiiqxMidiously among the bodilj' 
 cures — and unto (or, on) many that were 
 blind he gave (or, bestowed) sight. Thus 
 he gave to John, through his disciples, to see 
 the powers ascribed in prophecy to the Christ 
 fully operative in him. Taking advantage of 
 the presence of a "great multitude" (ver. it), 
 among whom would be, according to all ex- 
 perience, a number desirous to be healed of 
 their maladies, the Lord varied and multi- 
 plied his benefits to such, in a way which 
 could not fail to suggest to John the pro- 
 phetic descriptions of Messianic blessings. 
 (Comp. Isa. 29: 18; 35: 5, G; 60: 1-3.) 
 
 22. These things they were to tell (or, re- 
 port to) John. The variety of benefits flow- 
 ing from his work is enumerated with a force 
 and vivacity scarcely to be imitated in Eng- 
 
 lish. Omitting the article to show that these 
 are merely specimen cases, and the noun to 
 fix attention on the diverse maladies, he says, 
 blind see ; deaf hear ; lame walk ; lepers 
 are cleansed; dead are raised. This 
 might all have passed before the eyes of 
 John's deputies. And so, from the phrase, 
 What ye have seen and heard, we may 
 suppose that these acts of Christly grace were 
 accompanied with instruction concerning his 
 main object on earth, and announcements of 
 the more precious gifts which he had to be- 
 stow. This caps the climax of the list of 
 benefits. That to the poor (to poor people) 
 the gospel is preached. Such was gener- 
 ally, no doubt, the relation in which, to our 
 Saviour's view, his temporal and spiritual 
 favors stood to each other. The announce- 
 ment of the good news crowned all. 
 
 23. And blessed (happy) is he, whoso- 
 ever shall not be offended {shall jind no 
 occasion of stumbling) in mc. Here is the 
 tender and faithful admonition by which 
 Jesus intimates to John that he recognizes 
 the motive of this deputation, and encour- 
 ages him to renewed trust, notwithstanding 
 the difl?"erence of the Master's procedure from 
 what the forerunner had expected. So much 
 the latter would naturally feel that he had 
 deserved and would be thankful for. 
 
 24. But our Lord seemed, in a manner, to 
 regret he had said a word which could even 
 look to f)thers like reflecting upon the course 
 of his faithful and much-tried herald. And 
 when the messengers of John were de- 
 parted. Matthew's word more directly 
 breathes the feeling: "While they were 
 going." Immediately, as if he could not wait, 
 he began to speak unto the people (or, 
 mtilfitiidrs) concerning John — the object be- 
 ing to bear witness to his exalted character 
 and function, and to indicate his relation to 
 
134 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed 
 in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously 
 apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. 
 
 'M But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? 
 Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 
 
 27 This is he, of whom it is written, "Behold, I send 
 my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy 
 way before thee. 
 
 28 For I say unto you. Among those that are born of 
 women there is not a greater prophet than John the 
 Baptist : but he that is least in the kingdom of God is 
 greater than he. 
 
 25 hold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what 
 went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? 
 Behold, they that are gorgeously apparelled, and live 
 
 23 delicately, are in kings' courts. But what went ye 
 out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and 
 
 27 much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it 
 is written, 
 
 Behold, I send my messenger before thy face. 
 Who shall prepare thy way before thee. 
 
 28 I say unto you. Among them that are born of women 
 there is none greater than John : yet he that is ' but 
 
 -I Gr. lesser. 
 
 himself. — Began to speak — implies a formal 
 and important saj'ing, one really, a.s we see, 
 containing the highest commendation that 
 had ever been pas.sed on a man. How gladly 
 would we know that it had been reported to 
 the Baptist in all its fullness and strength ! 
 — What went ye out into the wilderness 
 for to see (better, omitting for, to behold) ? 
 and, as the result, "what did ye actually be- 
 hold?" He would recall to his hearers the 
 impression which they had received concern- 
 ing John, from attending on his preaching. 
 The Received Text (corrected according to the 
 best manuscripts by Westcott and Hort, and 
 the Revision, to the preterit form of the verb, 
 as in the Common Version), gives the verb in 
 the perfect, with a large number of authori- 
 ties, and as approved by Tischendorf It is 
 very probable that the Received Text is right, 
 and was early changed to conform to Mat- 
 thew. The translation of that would be: 
 "What have ye been out," etc. The differ- 
 ence is interesting, as if there were two trans- 
 lations of the same Aramaic original of 
 Christ's words. The Aramaic would not, by 
 the form of the verb, distinguish between 
 preterit and perf ct. The interrogative form 
 is adapted to excite attention, and the repeti- 
 tion of the question, again and again, before 
 resting on the true answer, increases curiosity, 
 and guides constantly nearer to the truth. — 
 A reed shaken by the wind? The reed 
 rises to the thought as one of the features of 
 the vicinity of the Jordan ; but the inetaphor- 
 ical use of it is to denote an unstable, vacilla- 
 ting man, such as John might seem from this 
 recent message to him. Did you find John 
 such a man ? 
 
 25. But (since not that) what went ye 
 (or, have you been) out for to see? To "be- 
 hold" was used to express the first aim of their 
 cursosity; to see, is suflRcient in repeating 
 the reference. — A man clothed in soft 
 Tai:-»ent? Soft = made of fine and delicate 
 
 stuff. This is figurative for a man of nice 
 tastes, and luxurious habits, and dainty re- 
 quirements, such as might become impatient 
 and desponding from .the hard fare of the 
 prison. Was John such? Would you thus 
 have had to go into the wilderness to find 
 him? — Behold, they which are gorgeous- 
 ly apparelled, and live delicately (in 
 luxury), are in kings' courts — in the pal- 
 aces. Such were the false prophets in the 
 courts of the kings of old. You did not find 
 the hermit preacher in such places. 
 
 26. But what, etc. The way is now pre- 
 pared for the true answer. — A prophet? 
 Yea, I say unto you, and much more 
 than — something over and above — a pro- 
 phet. A prophet. He was spokesman for 
 God, to intimate his plan of redemption at 
 its culminating point, and to prepare men's 
 minds for the reception of the crowning gift 
 of the God of grace to men. In every re- 
 spect in which Elijah or Isaiah was a prophet, 
 the title was applicable to John. He was 
 much more than a prophet, because to him 
 had fallen the oflRce of installing the Messiah 
 in his position, and pointing him out to men 
 as the bearer of the Spirit, the Bridegroom of 
 his congregation, the atoning Lamb. 
 
 27. This is he of whom it is written, 
 etc. .Jesus here refers to John the same pro- 
 phecy in which his work had been foretold by 
 the angel to Zacharias (i: n), and by Zacha- 
 rias himself in his prophetic psalm (i : 78). 
 (See on those places.) 
 
 28. I say unto you. Among them that 
 are born of women — as if lie had said. 
 Among all human beings that live, or that 
 ever lived since the first pair — there is not 
 a greater prophet than John the Bap- 
 tist. The Revision is perhaps right in omit- 
 ing prophet here, the best very earlj' sources 
 of information sustaining them, while yet 
 the considerations leading the other way are 
 strong enough to have induced Tischendorf, 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 135 
 
 29 And all the people that heard him, and the piibli- 2'.t little in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And 
 cans, jiislilied God, "being baptized with the baptism of | all the people when they heard, and the publicans, 
 John. [ justified (iod, 'being baptized with the ba]>tism of 
 
 30 Hut the Pharisees and lawyers rejected *the coun- 30 .John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected 
 sel of God against themselves, being not baptized of for themselves the counsel of Uod, * being not bap- 
 hini. I 
 
 a Matt. 3:5; ch. 3: 12 b Acts 20: 27. 1 Or, having be 
 
 .2 Or, not having been. 
 
 ii.i?Hiii.-:t his favorite Sinaitic manuscript, to 
 rt'taiii the word. It is, at all events, in the 
 character of a prophet that the Saviour as- 
 cribes to John tiiis high prai.^e. Let it be 
 dulj- weighed, tiiat we may appreciate the 
 entinence of Christian discipleship — But he 
 that is least in the kingdom of God is 
 greater than he. Least— properly, "less," 
 or "smaller." The adjective is a comparative 
 in the Greek, yet the main sense may not be 
 very ditlVrent from that of our Common Ver- 
 sion. It is not clear with whom the lesser 
 Christian is cotnf):»rcd in Christ's thought. 
 Some think with John, the disciple occupy- 
 ing a lower, less important jilace in the king- 
 dom than John did in the Old Dispensation. 
 He is still greater than John, having a better 
 understanding of the principles and constitu- 
 tion of that kingdom, and having shared 
 differently and more largely that renewing, 
 sanctifying, comforting Spirit which John 
 saw to belong to the future. More probably, 
 however, the comparison intended is with 
 other members of the kingdom. That one, 
 no matter who, that is inferior to his brethren 
 in knowh^dge and spiritual gifts, yet has some 
 true experience of the knowledge of Christ, 
 as the giver of instantaneous, complete, free, 
 eternal, salvation, /le is nearer to the ideal of 
 a saint than John. Who takes to heart this 
 truth? Who really believes and understands 
 that, as a Christian, however humble, he 
 stands more close to God, as it respects knowl- 
 edge of his ways, and interest in his grace, 
 than did John the Baptist? Yet he stood as 
 near as David, or Abraham, or any Old Tes- 
 tament saint. The member of the kingdom 
 ma^', indeed, look back to them as encoura- 
 ging witnesses to the power of faith (Heh. 12; 1), 
 while yet he looks forward and upward t<> 
 Jesus himself, as the first specimen and i)er- 
 fect e.\einplar of our faith, our responsibility, 
 and our blessedness (v«r. 2fr). 
 
 29. And all the people that (or, v/irn 
 they heiird him (that is, John,) justified, 
 etc. This is a continuation of Christ's discourse 
 (not, as some have understood it, an interpo- 
 lation of a bit of the history of Luke), in ] 
 
 which he shows how John's call was slighted 
 by the leaders of the nation. The common 
 people, free from the ambitions and preju- 
 dices of the wealth^', proud, and respectable, 
 felt their need of repentance, and justified 
 God by acknowledging the rightfulness of 
 his claim upon them, and were baptized as a 
 declaration of their renewedness of mind, and 
 pledge of life consistent with such a delara- 
 tion. Even the publicans, and they particu- 
 larly, hindered by no figment of self-right- 
 eousness, freely heard the summons of John. 
 They thus justified God (p«. 5i:4) by owning 
 themselves sinners, and honoring his way for 
 their obtaining pardon. There is, in this lan- 
 guage, a further intimation of the extent and 
 power of John's influence upon the people at 
 large. They were all affected by it, and we 
 seem to see that, if the religious leaders had 
 joined, and aided the movement, Jesus would 
 have found a nation prepared for his coming. 
 30. But the Pharisees and lawyers re- 
 jected (annulled, frustrated) the counsel of 
 God against themselves, being not bap- 
 tized of him. The counsel of God was 
 that the nation, heartily repenting, and mani- 
 festing a purpose of spiritual amendment, 
 .should accept the teaching and authority of 
 the Messiah, who would then make of them 
 the nucleus of the new kingdom. For this, 
 the people showed themselves ready ; but 
 their religious guides and governors, when 
 once they saw the true nature of this plan, 
 unwilling to humble them.-;elves and abdi- 
 cate the influential positions they held, re- 
 jected the teaching of Jesus, and so frustrated 
 the plan. This he could declare, because he 
 by this time perceived that the mass would 
 go with them. They did this against them- 
 selves — i. e., to their injury and undoing. 
 "For them.selves" (Revision), as equivalent 
 to "so far as they were concerned," is gram- 
 matically justifiable, and logicallj', it is in- 
 volved in ths common rendering. But the 
 point seems to be that Christ sadly admits 
 that their course has set aside God's plan 
 of mercy toward the nation, but would dis- 
 tinctly point out that while all sufl'er, the 
 
136 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 31 And the Lord said, "Whereiinto then shall I liken 
 the men of this generation? and to what are they Hive? 
 
 32 They are like nnto children sitting in the market- 
 place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have 
 piped nnto yon, and ye have not danced; we have 
 mourned to von, and ye have not wept. 
 
 33 ForMohn the Baptist came neither eating bread 
 nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 
 
 31 tized of him. Whereunto then shall I liken the men 
 
 32 of this generation, and to what are they like? They 
 are like unto children that sit in the marketplace, 
 and call one to another; who say. We piped nnto 
 you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did 
 
 33 not weep. For John the Baptist is come eating no 
 bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a 
 
 o Matt, tl : 16 b Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6; ch. 1 : 15. 
 
 rulers, whose influence has secured this re- 
 sult, will specially feel the ruin that must 
 follow. They have decided against them- 
 selves. 
 
 31. Whereunto then shall I liken the 
 men of this generation? Then (equiva- 
 lent to therefore), seeing that they thus 
 treated my predecessor just as they are now 
 treating me.— And to what are they like? 
 He studies as he speaks, inquiring of himself 
 what comparison might truly set forth their 
 strange conduct. In a moment it becomes 
 clear to him. 
 
 32. They are like unto children, etc. 
 He recalls a childish sport which he must 
 have watched often with interest, and had 
 probably shared in himself, when he gath- 
 ered with his mates in the square, equivalent 
 to market place, of the towns. The details 
 would be familiar to his hearers. It seems 
 that they had reduced to something like a 
 definite game, plays which in a less regular 
 way have amused young children in every 
 country and time— " playing wedding," and 
 "funeral." The Saviour refers to a case 
 where they had divided into two sections, 
 one to give the music and direct the move- 
 ments, the other to carry out the play ; but 
 when the first proposed the "wedding," the 
 others would not have that, and yet pee- 
 vishly refused to join in playing "funeral" 
 also. The first set then say, We have piped 
 unto you (made joyful music), and ye 
 have not danced; we have mourned to 
 you {tvai/ed, sung a dirge), and ye have not 
 wept — broken forth in lamentation. Tlie 
 Revision rightly gives the verbs in the pre- 
 terit. These sjjcakers seem intended to rep- 
 resent John and Christ, as endeavoring, in 
 diflTerent tempers and ways, to induce their 
 countrymen to embrace God's ward; the im- 
 movable and impenitent nation are the other 
 .section who hang back, and consent, as a 
 whole, to the invitation of neither herald. 
 It is objected to this, the common explana- 
 ution, that it makes Jesus and John a part of 
 
 the men of that generation, inappropriately. 
 Hence Meyer {not De Wette; Godet, on the 
 passage) supposes the speakers here to stand 
 for the Jewish people; and those addressed, 
 for John and Jesus Christ. But surely it is 
 those addressed who are to blame. And 
 when did the people ever manifest any de- 
 sire to win over their teachers? Godet cu- 
 riously' makes the two sets of children repre- 
 sent John and his adherents on the one side, 
 and Jesus with his disciples on the other, 
 who mutually complain that their leading 
 is not followed, while yet he would have 
 the fault lie with "the moral insensibility 
 and carping spirit in Israel," whereby the 
 opposite teachings are paralj'zed. This, at 
 least, is what we make out of the transla- 
 tion, not liaving the original at hand. We 
 might understand it as if .John and Jesus, 
 with their disciples, in one group, were 
 reckoned as belonging to that generation. 
 But there is no need of stickling for the 
 letter of the simile, more than in many 
 other parables, e. g., that of the Sower. Un- 
 derstand the Saviour as saying, "Th6 case 
 with this generation in their relation to me 
 is like that of children playing — one part 
 faithfully trying to promote the pleasure of 
 all, the other (strictly, that which represents 
 the men of this generation) captious, sullen, 
 responding to no kind of proposal that is 
 made for their recreation." That the gene- 
 ration should be likened to a set of children, 
 and then identified with only a portion of 
 them, is not unlike the comparison of the 
 kingdom of heaven to a sower sowing seed 
 on various soils, and afterward confining the 
 similitude to the seed, the soil, and the crop. 
 The one point to be illustrated is the refusal 
 of the Jews to enter the kingdom, as urged 
 either bj' the ascetic and rigorous demands 
 of John, or by the gentle and more urbane 
 invitations of Christ. 
 
 33. For — he speaks now in apjilication of 
 the figure to them. Yeheeded neither the dirge 
 nor the dance— for John the Baptist came 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 137 
 
 34 The Son of man is cinue eating and drinkinp; and 
 ye say, Iklmld a gluttonuus uian, and a winebibbcr, a 
 Iriund <il' piililicans and sinners ! 
 
 i.') "Ilut wisduiu is juslitjed of all her children. 
 
 3-1 demon. The Sou of man is come eating and drink- 
 ing; and ye say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a 
 
 :$."> winebililier, a friend of publicans and sinners ! And 
 wisdom ' is justified of all her children. 
 
 a M:iU. II : 19.- 
 
 (or, is come) neither eating bread (or, eat- 
 ing no bread), etc. "His moat was locusts and 
 wild hoiifiy"; a proof of extreme temperance 
 and self-denial. — .\«d — not "but"; "and of 
 course." — Ye say, lie hath a devil (demon); 
 "it is the devil's messas^e, not God's." This 
 is not the language of those who are piping 
 cheerfully to John, and wishing that he would 
 more fitlj' present the cause of the Lord, as 
 ^leyer's view of the Saviour's simile supposes, 
 in which view Lange and Van Oosterzee 
 unite. It is the language of hatred, scorn, 
 reji'ctioii. 
 
 34. The Son of man is come eating 
 (that is, bread', and drinking (that is, wine) 
 — living in a natural, human way, as becomes 
 the Son of man, the ideal of humanity. — And 
 ye say, Behold a ginttonous man (a glut- 
 ton), and a winebibbcr (a toper). Does he 
 mean, Ye are "lamenting" to me that I do 
 not take a more serious view of the true re- 
 ligion? He means. Ye are determined not to 
 accept God's call to his kingdom, no matter 
 through whom he invites you. 
 
 35. Bnt (and) wisdom is (was) justified 
 of all her children. "But," in the Com- 
 mon Ver.si()n, is one of the few instances in 
 which earlier translators would fain have 
 mended, and not simply rendered, the in- 
 spired word. Doubtless the Evangelist might 
 have used "but," and we could not have chal- 
 lenged its propriety ; but it would have been 
 with quite a different effect from that pro- 
 duced by "and." Ye did .so, and so, and so, 
 over against God's repeated proposals, rrw/Z [all 
 the same] wisdom was justified. The wisdom 
 intended is that counsel of God by which he 
 provided that John the Baptist should go be- 
 fore the Messiah, in the spirit and power of 
 Elijah, to pre])are the way, and that Jesus, 
 the Christ, should follow him. The children 
 of wisdom are, bj- the common Hebrew figure 
 (see on 0: 35), those who in practice conform 
 to God's infinitely wise plan, and find salva- 
 tion. While the great mass act the foolish 
 and wicked part, some have accepted the prof- 
 fered grace, more by far than would have 
 done so otherwise. Their course showed that 
 they recognized the wisdom of God's method, 
 
 and has thus justified it — practically declared 
 it a right method ; and in their examjde every 
 reasonable beholder has the evidence that it 
 was wisdom that so planned. Thus wisdom 
 was justified by — more exactly, "from," in 
 consequence of, "by reason of,'' all her chil- 
 dren, from the beginning, whether gained by 
 the ministry of John, or by that of Jesus. 
 Matthew has in the parallel passage, "her 
 works," according to the text of Tischendorf, 
 and Westcott and Hort, her accomplished re- 
 sults, as equivalent to "the believing and obe- 
 dient disciples she has won." 
 
 The wisdom here celebrated lies, it will be 
 noticed, in the association of the forerunner 
 with Chri.st in the plan of God. This may 
 warrant us, before parting finally with the 
 account of that hero of the faith, iti recall- 
 ing, summarily, the leading aspects of his 
 service to the cause of Christ. 
 
 Remarks on the Mission of John the 
 Baptist. Given such a moral and religious 
 tate as that of the Jews, "in the day of John's 
 shewing unto Israel," to reveal effectually to 
 the people God's doctrine of salvation for 
 them — this was the problem then to be solved. 
 A salvation from sin, of the stain or burden 
 of which they were not conscious; consisting 
 in spiritual conformity to God's Spirit, of 
 which they had no conception ; of sincere 
 and spontaneous obedience of the heart to 
 him, instead of mere outward works, in com- 
 pliance with rules laid down hy men who had 
 usurped the place of the divine Law-giver. 
 It was a problem to drive the wisest of men to 
 his wit's end. Of this problem, John in his 
 work enacted the solution. 
 
 1. Its first word was repentance. Repent 
 ye. It had often been said by prophets of the 
 earl3' days, from Joel down, in reference to 
 particular acts of transgression, and passing 
 states of alienation from Jehovah, and some- 
 times with a transient success. But even in 
 Malachi we witness a prevalent condition of 
 mind to which the idea would be strange; and 
 ever since the favored people have gone fur- 
 ther and further away from it. John found 
 them puffed uj) with pride, resting on birth- 
 right, as thougl), because they were phj'si- 
 
138 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 cally descended from faithful Abraham, they 
 were sure of heaven, without regard to their 
 own faithlessness and departure from the 
 teachings of their prophets. They were sunk 
 in a soulless formality, content with an anxi- 
 ous routine of outward performances, some 
 of which had once made a part of the skeleton 
 of a preliminary system of religion, but were 
 now mere scattered dry bones. On points of 
 dispute as to these minutise, they divided into 
 sects, each thinking itself holier than others, all 
 careless of the weightier matters, judgment, 
 mercy, and righteousness toward the help- 
 less poor and ignorant among them. Now the 
 solitudes of the wilderness and the deep ravine 
 of the Jordan reverberate with the voice of 
 one calling aloud, Kepent, ye! What he 
 memt was, as people soon found, that they 
 must humbly recognize their sinfulness, and 
 change for the better their views of God and 
 of themselves — change their purposes, their 
 conduct, their lives. They must attain to a 
 devotion of the heart to God, and this must 
 prove itself in dispositions of equitj' and kind- 
 ness toward fellow-men. This announcement 
 was sounded out by such a voice, and with 
 such accompaniments of character, cere- 
 monial, and scenery, as roused the minds of 
 the nation, like an electric shock, to a con- 
 sideration of the nature of acceptable service 
 to God; that is, of religion worthy of the 
 name. 
 
 2. He gave concentration and point to the 
 vague expectation of a Messiah, by declaring 
 his kingdom "at hand " The previsions of 
 him described in the Biblical prophets appear 
 to have been forgotten or overlooked in the 
 popular religious literature of the people for 
 some centuries. We sean^h the Greek apoc- 
 ryphal books (properly so called), without 
 finding an indubitable trace of Messianic hope. 
 Josephus gives no intimation of such a thing 
 in all his writings. But in 2 Esdras (not 
 found in Greek, but brought down into our 
 English apocrypha from Latin and other 
 translations), the Book of Enoch, the Psalms 
 of Solomon, etc., we see that speculation was 
 rife, before John's time, concerning a won- 
 derful Avenger and Deliverer, who was to 
 come for the rescue and glorification of Israel. 
 The views concerning him were, at times, 
 expressed in apocalyptic images, suggested, 
 ))prhaps, by the Book of Daniel, and of a mys- 
 tical wildness and indistinctness of purport, 
 
 to which the visions of our New Testament 
 Revelation are transparency itself. These 
 were well calculated to excite deeply the 
 popular imagination, and give occasion for 
 infinite diversity of particular expectations. 
 In the Targums, or Chaldee. translations 
 (more properly, paraphrases) of parts of the 
 Old Testament, a more rational presentation 
 of views like those of the true prophets must 
 have been at this time somewhat widely 
 known. The result of it all was that, while 
 a very extensive perturbation of thoughts 
 existed about a great Anointed One, ere long 
 to make his appearanee, there was little defi- 
 niteness of anticipation, with no helpful in- 
 fluence on the conduct of those who enter- 
 tained it, and in the case of great multitudes 
 no interest at all. 
 
 On an age so situated fell the proclamation 
 of John the Baptist: "Repent ye; for the 
 kingdom of heaven h nt hand." At first no 
 mention is separately made of the King. But 
 he would be suggested as a matter of course. 
 And that he was at hand! Thousands who 
 had scarcely believed in him even while they 
 dreamed and talked of him, would find the 
 conception taking the distinctness of a reality, 
 when awakened by the summons: Repent, 
 for the kinfjdorn is at hand. Its nearness 
 would inspire an unwonted interest as to its 
 character, and the qualifications for citizen- 
 ship therein. But we may be certain that all 
 the Jews who were really least fit for it would 
 be most sure of their- right to it, simply as 
 Jews. This delusion it was, as we have seen, 
 John's fir.st object to scatter; and he soon 
 caused it to be understod that there was but 
 one way into that kingdom, namely, repent- 
 ance and the confession of sin. A Jew, not 
 less than if he were a Gentile, Pharisee and 
 publican alike, must submit to this condition, 
 publicly professing, in the sacred immersion, 
 his need of moral purification, and pledging 
 himself to a diflTerent life. And this, without 
 distinct mention of the king, but only of the 
 kingdom. But, "as John fulfilled his course," 
 he said, "there cometh one mightier than I, 
 and of a dignity which I am not worthy to 
 serve." This was his initial definition of the 
 Christ. And he added such description of the 
 Messianic oflfice as was, indeed, little adequate 
 to a full approciat'on, but all that was neces- 
 sary to prepare for his reception, with those 
 who were waiting for his salvation. Or. 
 
Oil. 
 
 VII.] 
 
 
 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 139 
 
 35 « 
 
 would 
 house 
 
 And one 
 
 eat with 
 and sat ( 
 
 of the Pharisees 
 liiiu. And he we 
 own to uicat. 
 
 desired him that he 36 And one 
 nt into the Pharisee's would eat w 
 
 of the 
 ith hiiu 
 
 Pharisees 
 And he 
 
 desired him that he 
 entered into the Phar- 
 
 
 
 
 
 a Matt. 
 
 26 : 6 ; Mark U : 3 
 
 John 11 : 2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 finally, if such persons queried how they 
 could obtain through the future King and 
 Judge, that pardon, purity, peace, and holi- 
 ness which they felt distressingly needful, he 
 pointed to Jesus {)assing by, one day, and said : 
 " Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away 
 the sin of the world." 
 
 8. He gained to his ministry a number of 
 disciples, who were so prepared in heart and 
 und(?rstanding, as to be comparatively ready 
 for the call of Christ to come with him, and 
 to constitute the nucleus of that unique soci- 
 ety which, once begun, was to spread over all 
 lands, continue throughout all time, and in 
 eternity still to subsist as the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. True, Jesus received them little 
 advanced toward completeness of disciple- 
 ship with him. They would still need much 
 care and teaching, much patient training and 
 apprenticeship to his service; but nothing 
 that they had learned from John would have 
 to be unlearned; they would only require 
 that additional tuition and supply of the 
 Spirit, which their Master himself had been 
 conscious of lacking, in the presence of Jesus. 
 Five, at least, of the twelve were thus, as we 
 know, made ready for the Lord by bis herald ; 
 and it is highly probable that a large propor- 
 tion of the remainder had been first with 
 John, and that the same was true in regard 
 to the whole of his converts. 
 
 4. John continued to the last to lend the 
 weight of his testimony to the support of 
 Jesus as his successor and superior, "at 
 ^Enon, near Salim"; even in his last de- 
 si)ondent emV)assy he sent to him as the one to 
 whom he might apj)ly for decisive explana- 
 tion; and that his trust in Christ remained 
 throughout his life, we have touching evi- 
 dence in the report, that when he was dead, 
 "his disciples went and told Jesus." That 
 death so moved the mass of the people that 
 Josephus, laying aside his studied reticence 
 concerning the whole gospel history, tells us 
 they thought it the occasion of God's dis- 
 ]ileasure against Herod, his murderer, as 
 manifested long afterward in a bloody defeat 
 of the latter in a battle with king Aretas, his 
 former father-in-law. 
 
 So deep was the im]>ression of a divine 
 
 mission on John's part that, at the very close 
 of Christ's life, the proudest magnates of 
 Jerusalem dared not question it; and long 
 afterward, in the remote regions of Pisidia, 
 Paul could hope to gain interest in his mes- 
 sage concerning Jesus, by reminding his 
 hearers of John's precursory testimony in 
 his behalf. 
 
 In all the.se respects, his public life was a 
 work of leveling the way of the Christ, and 
 making his paths straight. Very diflferent, 
 we repeat, would have been the task of the 
 Master, if his servant had not helped power- 
 fully to make ready a people prepared for the 
 Lord. 
 
 36-50, Jesus, in thk House ok a Phar- 
 ISKE, Forgives a Penitent Woman's Sins. 
 This is one of the precious revelations con- 
 cerning Jesus as the Saviour of the outcast, 
 for which we are indebted entirely to the 
 narrative of Luke. And, while we would 
 refrain from asserting what was the connec- 
 tion in the evangelist's mind of the .several 
 topics of which he treats, we think it not 
 unlikely that this incident is placed here as 
 a finishing evidence of the Messiahship of 
 Jesus. He who had healed the centurion's 
 servant with a word, raised the widow's soti, 
 given John i)roof that he was the Coming 
 One, now demonstrates his exercise of the 
 highest functions of the Son of man in for- 
 giving sins also. True, he had before for- 
 given the sins of the paralytic, as he had 
 before healed many; but just as we saw the 
 cure of the centurion's servant to be a grade 
 above the previous healings, so this for- 
 giveness was an act of mercy purely to the 
 soul's need of a peculiarlj' guilty woman, the 
 ver3' type of "a sinner," apart from all con- 
 nection with bodily ailments, which might 
 before have disguised the character of the 
 act. 
 
 Although the name of his host here was 
 the same as that of the proprietor of the 
 bouse mentioned (Joim is : i tr), where also a wo- 
 man anoints him in th<; course of a meal; 
 still the circumstances of the two men (one 
 a Pharisee, the other a leper), and the char- 
 acter and relations of the two women (a 
 sister of Lazarus, "a sinner"), forbid our 
 
140 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIL 
 
 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a 
 siuuer, when she knew tliat Jennis sat at meat in the 
 Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of oint- 
 ment, 
 
 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and 
 began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them 
 with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and 
 anointed them with the ointment. 
 
 37 isee's house, and sat down to meat. And behold, a 
 woman who was in the city, a sinner; and when 
 she knew that he was sitting at meat in the Pharisee's 
 house, she brought i an alabaster cruse of ointment, 
 
 38 and standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began 
 to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them 
 with the hair of her head, and 2 kissed his feet, and 
 
 ak 2 Gr. kissed muck. 
 
 thinking the two accounts to refer to the 
 same occasion. 
 
 36. And one of the Pharisees desired 
 {asked) him that he would eat with him. 
 
 This incident belongs, chronologically, to a 
 period when the attitude of the Pharisees 
 had not yet become so flagrantly hostile to 
 the Lord as to prevent some friendly inter- 
 course between them. Nor, indeed, need we 
 suppose that, even later, ever3' one bearing 
 the name of Pharisee was so inflamed with 
 their characteristic hatred of Jesus as per- 
 sonally to wish him harm, or to destroy hope 
 in the latter of some benefit to the Pharisee. 
 The meal here treated of was not apparently 
 a formal and elaborate entertainment; but 
 there were other guests present (ver. 49). Sat 
 down to meat ( reclined at table ). It is 
 necessary, in order that what follows may be 
 clearly intelligible, to bear in mind that the 
 custom among Greeks, Romans, and Orien- 
 tals, in Christ's day, was to recline at table, 
 leaning on the left elbow, extended at full 
 length on a broad couch or settee, witli the face 
 toward the table, and the feet sloping back- 
 ward, across the couch, so as to be easily 
 reached by one approaching from the rear. 
 
 37. And, behold — a notable fact is to be 
 reported.— A woman in the city, which 
 was a sinner (the Revision, rightly, a ivo- 
 man which was in the. city, a sinner). There 
 is thus brought suddenly before us a woman 
 who was known in the city as being, in the 
 worst sense, "a sinner." That she could ap- 
 proach the table in a respectable house, 
 especially the house of a scrui)ulous Phari- 
 see, is to be explained only from the free- 
 dom, elsewhere brought to view in the Gos- 
 pels, with which people went in and out of 
 the abodes of their neighbors, and observed 
 what was taking place in them. The .same 
 custom frequently surprises and annoys trav- 
 elers in the East at the present day.— When 
 she knew that Jesus snt at meat (reclined, 
 as in ver. 30), brought an alabaster box, 
 etc. She knew something about Jesus be- 
 
 fore, and must have been instructed by his 
 teachings, melted by his gracious sympathy 
 with sinners, and moved to ])rofound repent- 
 ance and desire for the assurance of pardon. 
 This we see from what follows. The ala- 
 baster box is called in the Revision "a 
 cruse," which is better; but the original sim- 
 ply says, "an alabaster." This was the 
 name of a vessel, made of that material — a 
 vase, jar, or broad-mouthed bottle, suitable 
 for holding the fragrant cosmetic here called 
 ointment. It was much in vogue at that 
 time among all more civilized peoi)les, as 
 promotive of health, and pleasant to the 
 senses of sight and smell, and so an indis- 
 pensable accompaniment of banquets and all 
 festive occasions. It was used oii the hair 
 and face in great profusion, compared with 
 anything familiar now, and, probably, with 
 a much greater outlay of expense. 
 
 38. And stood at his feet behind him, 
 weeping. — His feet were bare, according to 
 custom; for, even if men wore sandals on the 
 street, these were laid aside on entering a 
 house; and, regularly, the feet were washed 
 by a servant, as the first act of hospitality to 
 a visitor. This was also a sort of necessity, 
 in order that they might not soil the carpets, 
 or the cushions on which they reclined at 
 the table. What was said above of the man- 
 ner of this reclining shows h(»w she could 
 best reach Christ's feet standing behind him. 
 — Weeping — from sorrow on account of her 
 sinful life; partl}^ also, with thankfulness 
 and complacency toward him who had led 
 her to amendment, and opened to her a pros- 
 pect of peace and hope. — And began to 
 wash (loeJ) his feet with (hrr) tears. 
 Wash is not warranted by the Greek, but 
 wet or "moisten." This may have been 
 unintentional, although it was, more prob- 
 ably, an act symbolic of the most humble 
 devotion to his service. Washing another's 
 feet was performing a menial office, and 
 would be voluntarily undertaken only as a 
 sign of afl^ectionate regard. The same sen- 
 
Cfi. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 141 
 
 39 Now when the Pharisee which had hidden liini 
 saw r7, he spake within liiniselt, saying, " This man, if 
 he were a prophet, wo'ild liave known wlio and wliat 
 manner of woman //(i.v 14' that toucheth him: for slie is 
 a sinner. 
 
 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I 
 have somewhat to say unto thee. And lie .saith, Mas- 
 ter, say on. 
 
 41 There wa-s a certain creditor wliich had two debt- 
 ors: the one owed five liundred 'ponce, and tlie other 
 fifty. 
 
 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly 
 forgave them liotli. Tell me therefore, which of them 
 will love him most ? 
 
 W anointed them with the ointment. Now when the 
 Pharisee that had bidden him saw it, he spake 
 within himself, saying, This man, if he were i a pro- 
 phet, would have perceived wli« and what manner of 
 woman this i.s that toucheth him, that .she is a 
 
 40 sinner. And .lesus answering said unto him, Simon, 
 I have somewhat to say unto thee. .\nd he .saith, 
 
 41 ••i.Ma.ster, say on. A certain lender had two deb;<>rs: 
 the one owetl live hundred ^shillings, and the other 
 
 42 filty. When they had not w/nTi-iri/h to |)ay, he 
 forgave them both. Which of them therefore will 
 
 ach. 15: 2 b See M:tti. 16: '^8,- 
 
 -1 Some ancipiii iiuthoriiics read, the prophet. See Joha I: 21, 25 2 Or, Teacher 3 See 
 
 ni»rgiu:4l uuie ou Man. 18: 28. 
 
 timent was furthet- expressed by her next 
 act. — And did wipe them with the hairs 
 of her hetid, and kissed his feet, etc. In 
 putting her hair to such a use, she literally 
 laid that which is the glory of a woman 
 (1 Cor. It: 15) at the Saviour's feet. The verb 
 kissed is a compound in the Greek, denot- 
 ing special tenderness of regard, and the 
 tense of this and the following verb shows 
 that the actions were continued and repeated, 
 as though she could not desist. The ointment, 
 which she would not venture near to pour on 
 tiie head, as was usual, she lavished, as a 
 treasure of respect, on her Saviour's feet. 
 It was a very unusual, and, to the Pharisee, 
 we may suppose, an astounding, a horrifying 
 scene. 
 
 39, Ho, ditlering from many members of 
 liis sect, was too courteous to remurk upon 
 it to Jesus; but he spake within himself, 
 sayin!r,This man, if he were a prophet, 
 would have known [imidd know) who, etc. 
 The Pharisee finds no fault with the morality 
 of the Saviour, but thinks he must bo mis- 
 taken, and so incurs contamination, which ho 
 would not do if he were a prophet. The 
 prophet shares divine knowledge; Jesus, 
 therefore, d()es not deserve the reputation 
 which he widely enjoys. 
 
 40. His conclusion must have been .shaken 
 when the latter, answering the unsi)oken 
 thought of his ht-sirt, proceeded to explain the 
 meaning of his conduct. — Simon — a name 
 very common among the Jews, originating 
 in the Hebrew for Simeon, slightly changed 
 to assimilate it to a familiar Greek ))roper 
 name. — I have somewhat to say unto 
 thee. With this "jiolite introduction," as 
 Bengel well styles it, the Saviour begins one 
 of those easy and familiar specimens of dis- 
 course, which, particularly in t he Gospel of 
 Luke, betray a character of geniality— one 
 
 might almost say, of humor, colloquial free- 
 dom, and gentle, good-natured seriousness, 
 as distinct as that of Socrates in the Apology 
 and Crito. 
 
 41. A certain creditor (lender) which 
 had two debtors. Two— the one represent- 
 ing tiie guilty woman, the other, the Phari- 
 see, in their relation to God. — The one 
 owed five hundred pence, and the other 
 fifty. The "penny" of our Gospels (Greek, 
 Srtvdpiov, nearly an exact transliteration of the 
 Lat. denarius), is estimated in the margin of 
 our Bibles (Mmt. i8:28), at .seven and a half 
 pence English (the Revision more exactly, 
 eight and a half), or about seventeen cents 
 of our money. This is correct, measuring by 
 the weight of silver contained in the Ro- 
 man coin, at the price, of silver in our coins. 
 But if we measure it by its equivalent in la- 
 bor, and in the products of labor at that day, 
 its value was very much greater— as much 
 as a dollar, or nearly an English crown. Thus, 
 it was the pa3- for a day's work in a vineyard 
 (Mnit.20:2), for a day's entertainment of an in- 
 valid at an inn (i.uiieio:S5), and (wo hundred 
 pennyworth of bread was thought of as suffi- 
 cient for a lunch of "five thousand men, be- 
 sides women and children" (Mnrks: .it). The 
 proper translation of such words occasions 
 special difficulty; but we .shall not err from 
 the intention of our Saviour's apologue here, 
 if we substitute "dollars" in place of "pence."' 
 42. And (omit and) Avhen they had noth- 
 ing to pay (the Revision is more correct), he 
 frankly forgave (freely gave it to) them 
 both — on consideration simply of their pov- 
 erty and helplessness. — Tell me, therefore, 
 (omit this and read) which of them there- 
 fore — in consequence of such favor received 
 (See Greek Text) will love him most? "With 
 great skill Jesus obliges the Pharisee to pass 
 judgment on himself, which the latter seems 
 
142 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 43 Siiuon answered and said, I suppose that he, to 
 ■whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou 
 hast rightly judged. 
 
 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto 
 8iiuon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine 
 house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: hut slie 
 hatli waslicd my feet with tears, and wiped lliem with 
 the hairs of her head. 
 
 45 Thou gavest uie no kiss: but this woman, since 
 the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 
 
 46 "My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this 
 woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 
 
 47 'Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are 
 many, are forgiven ; for she loved much : but to whom 
 little is forgiven, the scmie loveth little. 
 
 48 And he said unto her, «Thy sins are forgiven. 
 
 43 love him most? Simon answered and said, He, I 
 suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said 
 
 44 unto him. Thou bust rightly judged. And turning 
 to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this 
 woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me 
 no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet 
 
 4.5 with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Thou 
 gavest me no kiss : but she, since the time I came 
 
 4G in, hath not ceased to i kiss my feet. My head with 
 oil thou didst not anoint, but she hath anointed my 
 
 47 feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her 
 sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved 
 much: but to whom little is forgiven, Me same loveth 
 
 48 little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 
 
 1 P.s. 23: 5 b 1 Tim. 1: 14 c Matt. 9:2; Mark 2: 5. 1 Gr. kiss much. 
 
 already to suspect, by his hesitation, in ad- 
 mitting an obvious truth. 
 
 43. I suppose that he, to whom he for- 
 gave (the) most. This answer prepares the 
 way for the application of the supposed case 
 to the conduct of the two actual debtors to- 
 ward God. This follows in ver. 44-47, in 
 such manner as to show that the woman it 
 is, compared with him, who has loved most 
 her gracious benefactor. 
 
 44-46. Seest thou this woman? The 
 question intimates at once that she was as 
 the greater debtor, and that he loves less. 
 Thou, she, often repeated, keep up the com- 
 parison. The water for the feet, the kiss 
 of salutation, the beautifying and refreshing 
 cosmetic oil for the head, are referred to as 
 ordinary tokens of hospitality, the omission 
 of which, especially of the feet-washing, ap- 
 pears more like a cold indifference to Christ 
 than the narrative otherwise would lead us 
 to imagine. Simon's deficiency the grateful 
 woman had done her best to supply. For 
 the lacking water, she had given her tears; 
 for the towel, her hair; for the kiss of .saluta- 
 tion on the cheek, multiplied kisses of tender 
 gratitude on his feet; for the mere oil for his 
 head, she had lavished a costly unguent on 
 his feet. 
 
 47. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her 
 sins, which are many — many as they are — 
 etc. Wherefore (on account of which) must 
 be connected with I say, and not with "her 
 sins are forgiven." Grammatically it antici- 
 pates the appositional clause, "because she 
 loved much." He does not declare that her 
 sins are forgiven on account of this practical 
 love which she has exhibited; but that, on 
 account of this he is warranted in declaring 
 that her sins are forgiven. Rather have been 
 forgiven; for the verb in Greek is in the per- 
 
 fect tense. She has been forgiven. It may 
 be known from the fact that she loves. Were 
 one to pre.ss the force of the preterit sense, 
 "she loved," he might find in it a shred of 
 argument for her love as tlie antecedent 
 ground of her pardon. But it need be 
 thought of as antecedent only to the conduct 
 she has just exhibited. She loved before she 
 came in; and love it is which shows forth in 
 all these actions. We need not hesitate to 
 think that the Saviour might hove said that 
 her forgiveness came in consequence of her 
 love, love itself being only a phase of faith; 
 but the order of the words, the perfect tense 
 of the verb, the drift of the parable where the 
 debtors' love is consequent on their forgive- 
 ness, and the explicit declaration in ver. <J0, 
 all warrant the conclusion that here also, as 
 everywhere else, in all the Scripture, he 
 recognizes her faith as the condition of that 
 forgiveness which her love bespeaks. Be- 
 cause she loved much. The much (love) 
 is correlative to "the many" (sins). Her 
 many sins have been forgiven, hence she 
 loved m.uch, which explains the remarkable 
 demonstration of gratitude and reverence 
 she has now made. But ta whom little is 
 forgiven — he who is not conscious of having 
 been forgiven much — the same loveth 
 little — the debtor who owed fifty pence. 
 Even he would love somew.hat; and lovir.g 
 somewhat would make some demonstration 
 of it. "Much forgiveness much love, little 
 forgiveness a little love," warrants the infer- 
 ence: No love, no forgiveness. And to the 
 Pharisee, Christ had said: I entered into thy 
 house, thou gavest me no water, no kiss, no 
 ointment for my head. He was left to make 
 the application. 
 
 48. And he said unto her — not having 
 before addressed her directly— Thy sins are 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 143 
 
 49 And they that sat at meat with hiiu began to say 
 within themselves, "Who is tliis that I'orgiveth sius 
 also ? 
 
 50 And he said to the woman, '' Thy faith hath saved 
 thee ; go in peace. 
 
 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say 
 ' within themselves, Who is this that even lnrgivelh 
 
 .50 sins? And he said unto the woman, Thy I'aith hath 
 saved thee ; go in peace. 
 
 a Matt. 9 : 22 i Mark 5 : S« ; 10 : 52 ; ch. 8 : 4S ; 18 : 42. 1 Or, among. 
 
 forgiven. That state of grace in which her 
 love had proved her to be, Jesus attests 
 for her assurance and comfort. Blessed 
 assurance! " Tlien was our mouth filled 
 with laughter, and our tongue with sing- 
 ing." 
 
 49. And they that sat at meat with 
 him (the Pharisee's guests) began to say 
 within themselves — in a siniihir spirit to 
 that at 5: 21, but a])parently with less rancor, 
 after the demonstrations of divine authority 
 which have now been multiplied — Who is 
 this, etc? 
 
 50. Jesus, paying no attention to their 
 carping thoughts, continues liis word to the 
 woman. — Thy faith hath saved thee. This 
 sentence, wliile showing that the forgiveness 
 of her sins was her salvation, explains also 
 that the instrumental ground of the forgive- 
 ness was her faith. This faith is a peculiar 
 exercise of the mind involving the action of 
 the intellect and the heart alike, and not 
 complete without a revolutionary determina- 
 tion of the will. We maj', perhaps, come 
 nearer to apprehending its nature by trying 
 to imagine its origin in her, than by attempt- 
 ing an abstract definition. She had probably 
 se«;n and heard Jesus before. Some word of 
 his had opened to luir view the folly of her 
 course and tlie sinfulness of her character, 
 so as to fill her with shame and anxious fore- 
 bodings. While thus led to reproach herself, 
 she saw further that this teacher was not with- 
 out sympathy for the fallen and lo.st, which 
 might reach even to a case like hers. Some 
 things which we know that he uttered, would 
 even seem as if it was indeed such as she, the 
 outcasts of respectable and sanctimonious so- 
 ciety, that he specially 3'earned to bless. She 
 may have received some great sanative or 
 
 other temporal benefit at his hands. She 
 could not fail to be aware that he required 
 repentance, a radical, practical, perpetual 
 cessation from sin, and that his whole invi- 
 tation looked to a course of arduous self- 
 sacrificing pursuit of a spirit and character 
 and lifelike his. This was hard; but it was 
 right, and the opposite course was abomi- 
 nable. In ills example she saw how even the 
 hardness of it was ghjrified, its sacrifices rich 
 enjoyments, its losses true gains, its labors 
 rest. In him she sav; not only a perfect and 
 encouraging pattern of all this; but one able 
 and ready to aid and lead even her into the 
 blessedness of a like experience. She was 
 unworthy to think so; but she would even 
 trust. She would mould her life into con- 
 formity with his requirements, and at a dis- 
 tance she would follow his footsteps, and hope 
 that at last God would accept her as one of 
 his faithful pupils. All thi.s, and more and 
 deeper thoughts than this, we see to have 
 been struggling within her, and moving her 
 to show her gratitude and devotion in this 
 venturesome approach to his feet, merely, at 
 the Pharisee's table. It was love which burst 
 into tears at the sight of him. It had been 
 faith when she first trusted that she might, 
 and decided that she would, give her poor 
 life to his direction; and let him draw the 
 boundary line between the two aft'ections 
 who can. Or, we maj' say that it was all 
 07ie net of repenta)ire, in hope of the Kinriihim 
 of God at hand. — Go in peace. The (iret'k 
 is strictly, "Go into peace." Peace is con- 
 ceived of as a state which one entering is to 
 go forward in, so as to realize, ever more and 
 more, that rest and serenity of soul which 
 follow pardon, and deepen finally into eternal 
 rest. 
 
144 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AND it came to pass afterward, that he went through- 
 out every city and village, preaching and shewing 
 the glad tidlngsot" the kingdom of (jod: and the twelve 
 wtrn witli him, 
 
 2 And "certain women, which had been healed of 
 evil spirits and infirmities, xMary called Magdalene, 
 'out of whom went seven devils, 
 
 1 And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went 
 about through cities and villages, preaching and 
 bringing the 'good tidings of the kingdom of (iod, 
 
 2 and with him the twelve, and certain women who 
 had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary 
 that was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons 
 
 a Mitt. 27 : 55, 56 h Mark 16 ; 9. 1 Or, gospel. 
 
 8: 1-3. Another Preaching Circuit 
 Through Galilee. 
 
 1-3. It is probable that the passage gives 
 a summary sketch of the activity of our 
 Saviour during what remained of the Gali- 
 lean ministry, closing at ch. 9: 50. The pre- 
 vious tour, since 4: 44, may have extended 
 only through the nearer parts of the country, 
 as far as to Nain, while this reached the 
 stranger territory on the other side of the 
 Lake, and the neighborhood of Cesarea Phil- 
 ippi (in Matthew and Mark, the borders of 
 Tyre and Sidon also). Matthew and Mark 
 make a new excursion begin with the sending 
 forth of the twelve ; Luke, to say the least, 
 gives no decisive indication that he so con- 
 ceived that mission; and if we make a di- 
 vision in this Gospel at the end of our present 
 chapter, we must do it from extrinsic con- 
 siderations. It is not easy to say with what 
 special view Luke selected or arranged his 
 matter. If we think the object hitherto to 
 have been a practical demonstration, fur- 
 nished to the people, of Christ's Messiahship 
 and of the Messianic character as that of a 
 divine Saviour of lost souls, we may perhaps 
 say that the further design here is, while 
 clinging to the same thread, to show the di- 
 verse effects of this demonstration on the mass, 
 and on the chosen few; the separation from 
 the world caused by the reception of his 
 truth ; and the necessity of making provision 
 for the continuance of his work, when the 
 Messiah — astounding announcement! — should 
 be violently cut off. The crowds drawn to- 
 ward the Saviour increase, but his failure to 
 assume earthly dominion chills mistaken zeal; 
 and upon the first clear recognition of his 
 Christhood follows the first shocking predic- 
 tion of his painful, dishonored death. The 
 latter part of the j^eriod is spent in ranging 
 the territory not Jewish, adjacent to Galilee, 
 as if intent on avoiding arrest by the ho.stile 
 rulers, until the time for his being received 
 /ip had fully come. 
 
 1. And it came to pass afterward— that 
 
 is, after the events just related, regarded as 
 closing up the preceding circle of evangelistic 
 labors (4:44,- 7:50j. The starting point is not 
 named, but naturally to be thought of as 
 Capernaum. The "soon" of the Revision is 
 almost too specific an addition, yet the Greek 
 marks what follows as so following that noth- 
 ing comes between, and no time is lost. — 
 That he {he himself) went throughout 
 every city and village [journeyed through- 
 out by city and village). The sentence de- 
 scribes the Saviour as traversing the country 
 with the aim of most completely reaching the 
 people, and es))ecially making sure that no 
 city Or village should be neglected. It was as 
 though he would not have one soul left un- 
 visited by the light of salvation. — Preach- 
 ing and shewing the glad tidings of the 
 kingdom of God. Two phases of the one 
 perpetual work of declaring the truth con- 
 cerning salvation. Preaching, as explained 
 in ch. 3: 3, gives the work according to its 
 manner; shewing, etc., according to its sub- 
 ject matter and its quality to the recipient 
 soul. Jesus announced his message, in an 
 important sense, as a new thing, a message 
 which treated of the Kingdom of God, its 
 presence, its principles, its blessedness, tid- 
 ings concerning which were good news. — 
 And the twelve were with him, viz., jour- 
 neyed about with him. They did not alwaj'S 
 all accompany the Saviour, or it would hardly 
 be mentioned in a particular case. They were 
 serving their apjjrenticeship to the work on 
 which be would soon send them forth alone. 
 2,3. And (with him) certain women, 
 which had been healed of evil spirits 
 and infirmities — that is, journeyed about 
 with him. This presents a new phase in the 
 ministry of Jesus, not mentioned by the 
 other evangelists, and helping us to see more 
 clearly two things. 1. The poverty of Christ 
 and his apottles, and how they were enabled 
 to give themselves unremittingly to the work, 
 involving as it did considerable expense for 
 their maintenance. Some of the apostles 
 
Ch. VIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 145 
 
 (James and John, Peter and Matthew), may 
 be supposed to have had some means; but 
 whetlier, if so, domestic requirements left 
 them any surplus free for the common sup- 
 port, we have no evidence. Jesus could say, 
 not long after this, "The Son of man hath 
 not whore to lay his head."' But these wo- 
 men, as we see, accompanied him on this 
 excursion for the purpose of giving support 
 and aid to the company, as might be re- 
 quired. May we not take it as a specimen of 
 the assistance rendered at all times by those 
 who believed on him, when the ordinary re- 
 sources of hospitality proved deficient? 2. 
 The superiority of Jesus to the prejudice of 
 his dny against women. We see evidence of 
 this prejudice in the correct statement, in 
 John 4: 27, that his disciples " wondered that 
 he talked with a woman." AV'hile the Jew- 
 ish Scriptures and secular literature cele- 
 brated the excellence of the virtuous woman, 
 the rabbis of Christ's day thought it scan- 
 dalous to speak to a woman in public. But 
 our Saviour manifested in this, as in other 
 respects, a supreme indifference to distinc- 
 tions — of sex, as of nationality, rank, occu- 
 pation, character— between human beings in 
 the presence of his gospel. The spectacle of 
 his company in their travels would seem a 
 strange one, an3'whcre, at any time. How 
 much more strange then, when, in the syna- 
 gogue, the women were latticed off in a part 
 of the house separate from men, and might 
 not appear in the streets, unless when they 
 vailed all but the eyes. But with the treat- 
 ment of women by Christ began a revolution 
 which has resulted in a social and domestic 
 condition as different from the best then 
 known as it is possible to conceive. And so 
 unassailable was the purity of his character, 
 that his kindness and courtesy toward women 
 appears not to have raised a breath of calumny 
 against him on the part of those who were 
 forward to urge every charge that could im- 
 pair his influeiice, or sully his name. 
 
 These women seem all to have received 
 jpe^ial benefits at the hands of our Lord, in 
 cures of maladies and relief from evil spirits; 
 and this had naturally prepared them for the 
 effectual reception of his soul-renewing mes- 
 sage. The feeling of personal attachment to 
 a physician who has cured one of .some sore 
 disease, was exalted and spiritualized here to- 
 ward one whom they regarded as- the author 
 
 to them of eternal salvation, also, from the ills 
 which ruin a soul. The names of a few of 
 them are rescued from earthly oblivion for 
 us; the man^' others are well known to God. 
 One, indeed — iWary, that was called Idag- 
 dalene — does not appear here only. She is 
 often mentioned subsequently in connection 
 with the life, the death, the resurrection, of 
 our Lord. Yet of her previous history we 
 know nothing at all, except what is implied 
 in this sentence. The epithet, Magdalene, 
 signifies that she had lived, probably been 
 born, at Magdala, Migdal-el, watch-tower of 
 God, a place on the west side of the Sea of 
 Galilee, the present El-Mejdel, an liour's walk 
 south of Cajternaum. • An untrustworthy 
 tradition, unfortunately embodied in a chap- 
 ter heading of our Bible, on ch. 7, has identi- 
 fied her with the " woman who was a sinner" 
 in that chapter, so that, although that head- 
 ing was without any real autlx^rity, many 
 people now are surprised to be told that there 
 is not a particle of proof in favor of such a 
 view. There had, indeed, seven demons gone 
 out of her through Christ's rrterciful com- 
 mand. That they were spoken of as seven, 
 shows that the demoniac influence over her 
 had been seven-fold powerful and distressing. 
 We must combine in imagination all that we 
 know of the helplessaess of epilepsij' and the 
 ravings of insaniity, distinctly recognized as 
 the result of an abhorrent intrusion into the 
 inmost centre of the soul, to form anj' proper 
 idea of that from which she had been deliv- 
 ered. But this did not imply peculiar guilt. 
 Her case had been ]>itiable, not criminal. — 
 Joanna wife of Chuza, Herod's steward. 
 This man's office, manager of the business 
 affairs of Herod Antii>its, was one of high re- 
 spectability, and it has been conjectured that 
 he was the nobleman whose' son Jesus had 
 miraculously healed at Capernaum /John 4: 27), 
 in his early ministry'. It may have been so. 
 That his wife should be free to accf)mpany . 
 her benefactor, suits better with the supposi- 
 tion that she was now a widow ; and that 
 she was able thus to render him aid prf)ves 
 that not merely the worldly "poor" were 
 even then happ3' in their participation of the 
 kingdom of God. — Susanna (the word in 
 Hebrew means "a lily), although her name 
 is preserved, is really no more known to us 
 than the many others who are not even des- 
 ignated separately,, but " whose names ace 
 
146 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, 
 and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto 
 him of their substance. 
 
 4 «And when luuch people were gathered together, 
 and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a 
 parable : 
 
 5 A sower went out to sow his seed : and as he sowed, 
 some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, 
 and the fowls of the air devoured it. 
 
 3 had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's 
 steward, and Susanna, and many others, that minis- 
 tered unto ' Ihem of their substance. 
 
 4 And when a great multitude came together, and 
 they of every city resorted unto him, he .si)ake by a 
 
 5 parable: The sower went forth to sow his seed: and 
 as he sowed, some fell by the way side ; and it was 
 trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven de- 
 
 a Matt. 13 : 2 J Mark 4 : 1. 1 Many aDcient uuthoiilies rend, hin 
 
 written in the book of life."— Which minis- 
 tered unto him of their substance. We 
 
 may understand from this, more specifically, 
 that they purchased, with their means, the 
 food and other necessaries, when needful, pre- 
 pared the food, paid the expense of lodgings, 
 and the fare of boats across the lake. Imagi- 
 nation aids us to see the sacred company trav- 
 eling and halting by turns, and listening or 
 aiding, as Christ diligently accomplished his 
 mission, in city by city, and village by vil- 
 lage, showing the glad tidings. 
 
 4-15. Parable of the Sower. 
 
 4. And when much people (or, a greats 
 multitude) were gathered together (or, 
 came together). It was at a point of time when 
 the ministry of Jesus was still attracting great 
 attendance, perhaps greater than before, in 
 consequence of this systematic and more for- 
 mal dis.semination of the word, of which we 
 have just spoken. The extraordinary char- 
 acter of his retinue would make a deeper im- 
 pression. The multitude now spoken of was 
 apparently the people of the neighborhood 
 where he was. — And were come to him 
 out of every city — better, and they were com- 
 ing to him, etc. These were the additional 
 crowds furnished by the several cities he had 
 visited. They may well be supposed to have 
 represented a great variety of ideas and states 
 of heart concerning Jesus and his work. The 
 genuine believer, whether more clearly en- 
 lightened in his truth, or drawn to him as yet 
 only by a heart-experience of the benefit of 
 his instruction and sympathy, would jostle 
 the proud and malignant Pharisee, while 
 around them clustered every modification of 
 indifference, curiosity, or active inquiry touch- 
 ing the great wonder of their time. Popular 
 enthusiasm prevailed through it all, naturally 
 occasioning anxiety, and involving peril, as 
 well as encouragement, to the cause of Jesus. 
 Hence, he spake by a parable. The Greek 
 word for parable, re-appearing with little 
 change in the Englisli vocable, isdcrived from 
 a verb which signifies to place a thing beside 
 
 another for the purpose, among others, of 
 comparison. We have had the noun already 
 more than once in the sense of a simile or 
 comparison (4:23; 5:36; 6:39), i. e., a mental 
 placing of two things side by side, that the 
 one less clear may be understood from a con- 
 sideration of the other. But here we have 
 the first instance in our Gospel of a parable, 
 in that special sense, in which Jesus fre- 
 quently used it, at once to veil and to unveil, 
 fundamental truths concerning his kingdom. 
 It is hard to draw a definition of it, so as to 
 comprehend all its features, and to exclude all 
 other forms of illustrative siuiile. It differs 
 from many similes in not confining itself to a 
 single instance of character or conduct, and 
 in not looking outside of the Kingdom of God. 
 It is an allegory, except that it generally in- 
 timates, more or less distinctly, what it is de- 
 signed to set forth. It always takes the form 
 of a story, relating some occurrence consistent 
 with the customs of human conduct, or an 
 operation of natural laws, suited to explain 
 the principles of the Kingdom of God, its 
 claims, requirements, promises, and its growth 
 See a good definition in Grimm's Clavis Nov. 
 Testamenti, ed. 2, (under the word iropa)3oA>}). 
 
 5. A (rather the) sower went out to sow 
 his seed. A comparison with Matthew and 
 Mark shows that the Teacher, to get out from 
 the press of the crowd, had entered a boat, 
 and spoke, sitting in the boat at a convenient 
 distance from the shore. Neander supposed 
 that the use of the article, the sower, was ex- 
 plained by imagining Jesus, as he sat, to have 
 pointed to some farmer actually engaged at 
 the moment in sowing his field, on a neigh- 
 boring slope. It is quite sufficient, however, 
 to understand the article as indicating the 
 representative of a class. (P. Buttmann, Gr. 
 Gram. gl24. 1).— And as he sowed, some 
 fell- Gr. one fell. Mark and Luke individ- 
 ualize the experience — "one," "another," 
 "the other," (M:irk4.8), "the others," while 
 Matthew throughout, uses the plural number- 
 correctly given in the version of the Ameri- 
 
Ch. VIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 147 
 
 C And some fell upon a rock ; and as soon as it 
 was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked 
 moisture. 
 
 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns 
 sprang up with it, and choked it. 
 
 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and 
 bare fruit an hundrwlfold. And when he nad said 
 these things, he cried, lie that hath ears to hear, let 
 him hear. 
 
 y "xVnd his disciples asked him, saying. What might 
 this parable be? 
 
 lU And he said, Unto you it is given to know the 
 mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others ir 
 parables ; * that seeing they might not see, and hearing 
 they might not understand. 
 
 6 voured it. And other fell on the rock ; and as soon 
 as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moist- 
 
 7 ure. And other fell aiiiitlst the thorns; anil the 
 
 8 thorns grew with it, and choked it. And other fell 
 into the gowl ground, and grew, and brought forth 
 fruit a hundredfold. As he said these things, he 
 cried. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 9 And his disciples asked him what this parable 
 10 might be. And he said. Unto you it is given to 
 
 know the mysteries of the kingdom of (Jod: but to 
 the rest in parables ; that seeing they may not see, 
 
 a Matt. 13 : 10 ; Murk 4 : 10. . . .6 Ihr. 6:9; Hark 4:12. 
 
 can Bible Union— By the way side— along 
 tlie way, or road. The Saviour seems to have 
 had in mind a narrow path, leading through 
 the arable field, such as the one in which the 
 disciples were walking when they plucked 
 the ears of grain on the Sabbath, without 
 fences to define it, and on which some seeds 
 would inevitably fall, as the .sower scattered 
 them in the vicinity. Here, lying in plain 
 sight on the hard, worn surface, they would 
 be liable to be trodden by passing men and 
 beasts, and to be picked up by the ever- 
 present birds. 
 
 6. And some {another) fell on a rock 
 (lit. the Tock), etc. — Moisture here, and depth 
 of earth in the other Synoptics, complement 
 each other, and show that we are to think 
 not of a soil filled with loose stones; but 
 lying in a thin layer over a flat surface of 
 rock. The warmth of this bed would cause 
 the seed to start more promptly than else- 
 where; but would also, after the rains ceased, 
 speedily end its growth. 
 
 7. And some {nnother) fell among thorns 
 {the thorns), i. e., into places already occupied 
 by the seeds and roots of thorny weeds. These 
 springing up rankly with it, as their nature 
 i.s, would outstrip the more useful plant, 
 overshadow, and stifle it. 
 
 8. And other (nnother) foil on good (or, 
 into the good) ground— ground free from 
 weeds, deep and mellow, of which there was 
 a portion in the field. And this seed sprang 
 up {(jrein), and bare fruit a hundred-fold 
 — a hundred grains for the one. The well- 
 known fertility of the better .soils in Pales- 
 tine, would have easily furnished cases of 
 production as great as this, which is put 
 here, however, merely as a vivid account 
 of a great yield. — He that hath ears to 
 hear, let him hear. Let every one use all 
 
 his faculties for understanding what I have 
 said. 
 
 9. And his disciples asked him (omit 
 saying) What might this parable be i To 
 
 us, now, it seems so plain that a child would 
 scarcely need to ask its meaning. But if we 
 consider that Jesus had previously indicated 
 clearly the design of all similar illustrations, 
 while, as yet, he had here left them with the 
 bare story of a man .sowing a field, with its 
 various incident.*, we shall not wonder that 
 they were perplexed. From the answer 
 which follows, we may see that the question 
 was more comprehensive than as stated by 
 Luke. It included also, in Matthew and 
 Mark, an inquiry why the Lord used the 
 parabolic mode of teaching. "We may well 
 suppose that the question had a somewhat 
 more specific aim. to ascertain why the Lord 
 used this waj' of teaching nov\ when he had 
 for a year and a half, or more, spoken undis- 
 gui.sedly all his thoughts. The Saviour re- 
 plies first to the latter, and then explains 
 this particular parable. 
 
 10. And he said, Unto you it is (has 
 been) given (?". e., l\v God, in awakening in 
 you a spiritual desire for the truth, and faith 
 in me as your teacher), to know the myste- 
 ries of the kingdom of God. Mysteries 
 in the New Testament mean generally deep 
 truths concerning .salvation, which, having 
 boen hitherto concealed from human under- 
 standing, at most only shadowed forth in dark 
 sayings and enigmatic rites of the Old Testa- 
 ment, are now plainly displayed in the proc- 
 lamation of the gospel. The sum of this 
 parable was one of the mysteries, and the 
 fact that those disciples had been prepared 
 through grace to know them, made it appro- 
 priate and pleasant for Jesus to impart to 
 them the desired explanation. — But to 
 
148 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of ] 11 and hearing they may not understand. Now the 
 
 God. 
 
 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then 
 Cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of 
 their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 
 
 12 parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And 
 those by the way side are they that have heard ; then 
 Cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from 
 their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. 
 
 I Matt. 13 : 18 ; Mark 4 : 14. 
 
 others (better, the rest) in parables (is the 
 truth exhibited); that seeing they might 
 not see, etc. The rest are the indifl'erent and 
 morally insusceptible mass. The truth should 
 be put before them in forms of expression 
 which, if they really desired to feel its power, 
 would contain light and life to them also. 
 They should look on its embodiment in the 
 character and life of the Lord. But through 
 their worldly self-satisfaction they should i 
 catch no glimpse of the life in him, and the 
 most vital teachings should convey no in- 
 tended sense at all. Such a course was spe- 
 cially appropriate, not to say indispensably 
 necessary now. The suspicion and ill-will of 
 the Pharisaic magnates, of which we saw 
 nothing during the first period of his Gali- 
 lean ministry, had passed into the stage of 
 murderous hostility. They were watching 
 every utterance of his, not with the slightest 
 intention or desire of profiting thereby; but 
 that they might catch from him some word 
 which they could wrest into a ground of ac- 
 cusation against him. On the other hand, 
 the readiness of the turbulent multitude to 
 become excited about his Messiahship, as 
 equivalent to an earthly royalty promising 
 gratification to their carnal aspirations, made 
 it important for him to weigh his words, and 
 to dispense the truth in such form as Avas 
 best suited to convey it to the conscience and 
 heart of earnest inquirers. Others might see 
 it, and seeing, not perceive (Mark4:r2). It is 
 their own fault. They choose not to interest 
 themselves in the ends which they are aware 
 Christ's words propose. The continuance of 
 such refusal increases their inability, by the 
 regular operation of a natural law under 
 which God has placed men, and the result, 
 therefore, may truthfully be said to be de- 
 signed by him. This is the force of that in 
 the sentence: "in order that" seeing they 
 might not see. The parables have, for one 
 object, to hide the most important truth so 
 that those who wish not to see it shall become, 
 while they so wish, more blind, and those 
 who long for the truth shall, at the same 
 time, see it more brightly. 
 
 11. Now — answering the question expressed 
 in ver. 9 — the parable is this. Every one 
 will notice in the explanation following, 
 with what rhetorical boldness Jesus disre- 
 gards the exactness of respondence between 
 his exegesis and the terms of the parable, 
 contenting himself with such statements as 
 should certainly guide the popular apprehen- 
 sion to his meaning. — The seed is the word 
 of God. He leaves us to infer that the 
 sower with whom he began is himself pri- 
 marily, and secondarily his disciples, con- 
 tinuing and extending his work. 
 
 12. [And) those by the wayside are they 
 that hear (better, those roho have heard). 
 The sense is more forcibly expressed than if 
 he had stopped to say, " The hard-trodden soil 
 of the path in the parable represents some 
 hearts on which the word of the gospel falls 
 without making the least impression." It 
 will be noticed also that, by the same felici- 
 tous carelessness of rhetoric, our Lord makes 
 the men whose hearts are soil into which the 
 truth is planted, themselves the plants that 
 spring up from it. Again, one seed was speci- 
 fied in the parable in each soil, while a plu- 
 rality of men now take its place. They have 
 heard; the sounds entered their ears, and 
 have excited the sense which is naturally at- 
 tached to them in their earthly apnlications. 
 But meeting no desire for religious under- 
 standing and impulse; encountering, rather, 
 a stateof mind entirely absorbed, and satisfied 
 with what occupies it, the true intent of the 
 communication made is utterly lost. It is as 
 if birds picked up the seed, or a heavy foot 
 crushed it. This again results from criminal 
 carelessness. Of this Satan takes advantage, 
 and employs all his influence to encourage 
 such fatal indiflTerence to the truth. Such, 
 doubtless, were a large part of our Lord's 
 hearers, as they are the largest part, at ordi- 
 nary seasons, of every congregation where the 
 word of Christ is now proclaimed. And it is 
 still, no doubt, true:— Then cometh the 
 devil — little suspected, and apparently little 
 needed in the )iri'-determined stolidity of the 
 mass. — And taketh away the word out of 
 
Cu. VIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 149 
 
 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, 
 receive the word with joy; and these haVe no root, 
 which for a while Iwlieve, and in time of temptation 
 fall away. 
 
 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, 
 which, when they have heard, go forth, and are 
 choked with cares and riches and pleasures of IhU life, 
 and bring no fruit to perfection. 
 
 13 And those on the rock are they who, when they 
 have heard, receive the word with joy; and these 
 have no root, who for a while believe, and in time 
 
 14 of temptation fall away. And that which fell among 
 the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as 
 they go on their way theyare choked with cares and 
 riches and pleasures of Midlife, and bring no Iruil tu 
 
 (rather, /rom — it had not effectually entered) 
 their heart. He has only to amuse them 
 with scenes of imaginary pleasure, or occupy 
 them with any worldly memories or expecta- 
 tions, to hinderail legitimate religious advan- 
 tage. — Lest they should (or that they may 
 not) believe and be saved. Should they 
 give even thoughtful attention to Christ's 
 truth, their interest in it miglit be e.xcited, 
 their consciences might be roused, their desires 
 for pardon, peace, and a more worthy life 
 be kindled; they might take Jesus as their 
 guide, and be led to real welfare for time and 
 eternity. 
 
 13. They on the rock, etc.— (rather, Aiid 
 those on the rock). The second class of hear- 
 ers, wiiose heart is symbolized by the rock with 
 a light coating of mellow soil, differs from the 
 preceding in certain respects. They have 
 some curiosity, at least, concerning the word. 
 They give some attention. They form an idea 
 of advantages to be gained by adherence to 
 Christ; desire them, asthey conceive of them ; 
 th'nk they accept them on Christ's terms; re- 
 joice in this thought. But when removed 
 from the influences which encouraged them, 
 they find that the new course involves trials; 
 that the repentsince required i.s a constant 
 mortification of all evil desires; they find 
 stumbling-blocks in all difficultie- ; forget 
 their transient joys, and fall away as quickly 
 as they embraced the truth. The plant of 
 faith uprnnff up in them, but could not strike 
 a tap-root. — The time of temptation — is any 
 state of outward circumstances which puts the 
 staying power of faith to the test, and offers 
 allurements to give it up. Everj- experienced 
 observer knows that instances of such super- 
 ficial and transient discipleship are sadly com- 
 mon still ; but will be surprised, perhaps, that 
 the Master ascribes to such "belief." even 
 for a while. But they do believe some part 
 of the truth, but not all ; and not the main 
 things, and hence not anything long. 
 
 14. And that which fell amonf; {the) 
 thorns, these are they, which, when they 
 have heard, etc. Notice the differont form 
 of expression, and more correct, rhetorically 
 
 in the first clause. Still our Lord goes for- 
 ward in the second as if he had said, "those 
 who fell." The vital point of comparison in 
 all these instances is of the hearers to the soils. 
 And here we have to think it out. "The 
 ground which received the seed, is an emblem 
 of those souls which received the word into 
 the midst of distracting cares," etc. This 
 class differ from the second — first, in that the 
 growth of faith proceeds somewhat furtiier. 
 It is supposed that the seed of truth has sprung 
 up in them, and gone on almost to a mature 
 plant. Secondly, the causes of barrenness 
 now are internal ; not as before, outward on- 
 sets of persecution or temptation ; but the 
 truth has, in some apparently fortunate mo* 
 ment, found lodgment in a heart ordinarily 
 occupied with cares and riches and pleas* 
 ures of this life {this should be omitted). 
 Of life, qualifies all the preceding nouns. 
 The cares of life are the anxieties and solici- 
 tudes, from whatever cause, harassing the 
 mind in the experiences of daily life. The 
 riches of life are worldly wealth, regarded afl 
 engrossing much thought; and the pleasures 
 of life are mentioned, both because they satisfy 
 the ordinary desires of men. and dull the ca- 
 pacity for higher ambitions and enjoyment.*. 
 The heart already occupied with either of 
 these kinds of experience, and especially if 
 occupied by them all, mingled or in succes- 
 sion, has no room for the hospitable enter- 
 tainment of purposes and activities involving 
 improvement in holiness, and reaching out 
 toward eternity. These may find partial 
 place, for a season, but they lack air and 
 light, and the natural disposition not being 
 suppressed, are finally stifled, before the fruits 
 of earnest struggle with sin, and a Christ-like 
 love to others are developed. Go forth, in the 
 Common Version, is rightly transposed and 
 rendered — A.t they poon their way, i. e., in the 
 progress of their life, as opportunity is given 
 for the operation of the discordant principles 
 within them — they are choked — in respect 
 to their more promising tendencies — and 
 bring no fruit to perfection. It is the case 
 of an experience where there has been such an 
 
150 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in 
 an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep 
 it, and bring lorth Iruit with patience. 
 
 1(5 "No uian, when lie hath lighted a candle, covereth 
 it with a vessel, or piitteth i( under a bed; but settcth 
 il on a candlestick, that they which enter in n:ay see 
 the light. 
 
 15 perfection. And that in the good ground, these are 
 such as in an h';nest and good heart, having hoard 
 the word, hold it last, and bring forth fruit with 
 patienee. 
 
 16 And no man, when he hath lighted a lamp, cover- 
 eth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed ; hut 
 putteth it on a stand, that they that enter in may see 
 
 I Mutt. 5: 15; Markl: 21: cli. 11:33. 
 
 effect of gospel truth as to give indications like 
 those of a true conversion, and not afterward 
 so plainly falsified as entirely' to forbid hope 
 that there may be a better principle lingering 
 within, while j'et carking cares, the love of 
 money, and rampant self-indulgence, in 
 whatever forms, are so indubitably present, 
 that clear and decided evidences of a gracious 
 state are never seen. 
 
 15. Those compared to the excellent 
 ground into which a seed fell, these are 
 they, which (such as) in an honest and 
 good heart, etc. Honest stands for a 
 Greek adjective, meaning, properly, "beau- 
 tiful," suited to represent outwardly that 
 which is inwardly good. So we speak of a 
 "handsome"' character = noble, excellent, 
 fine; a beautiful soil, as the ground is here 
 called. The heart here described following 
 in the series of those already characterized by 
 comparison to the soils, is honest, or honor- 
 able, or beautiful, and good, in that it is 
 mellow for the ready reception of the truth, 
 deep to give the springing plant permanent 
 standing room, vacant of unfriendly growth 
 to allow ample expansion and undivided 
 nutriment. Apart from metaphor, the good- 
 ness and moral beauty of the heart here de- 
 scribed lies in its desire to know the truth, 
 its candor in recognizing God's word con- 
 cerning sin and redemption as the truth, and 
 its readiness and earnestness to give thtit 
 truth due influence over the conduct and 
 dispositions which make up the life. Such 
 hearts having heard the word, and em- 
 braced the truth with faith and love, keep 
 it, i. e., hoid it fast, not allowing it to be 
 snatched away by the devil, nor dried up 
 with the first heat of temptation, nor choked 
 by more cherished purposes and habits of life. 
 — And bring forth fruit. The plant comes 
 to complete development of itself, and bears 
 grain in corresponding abundance. — With 
 patience — endurance through all hindrances 
 and trials; constancy which yields to no temp- 
 tation to desist; perseverance which stops not 
 until the end is reached. This is what none 
 
 of the other plants had. The first made no 
 start; the second barely started ; the third at- 
 tained a somewhat protracted, but sickly and 
 inefficient life ; the fourth continued through 
 all the normal stages, and held out till the full 
 ripening of the crop. The Siiviour saw all 
 these classes of hearers before him when he 
 spoke the parable; and we would fain hope 
 that he sees some of the last class also even 
 yet. 
 
 The parable of the Sower, the most compre- 
 hensive in its range of instruction of all the 
 parables, suggests many questions which it 
 leaves to be answered, on a comparison of 
 other Scripture, by an enlightened theology. 
 What is the explanation of the difference in 
 the quality of hearts here signified? What 
 the relation between the operation of the 
 human powers and of God in his grace, in 
 determining the results of the presentation 
 of truth in each case? As Ciirist contents 
 himself with setting forth the actual facts 
 everywhere attending the publication of his 
 truth, "the glad tidings of the kingdoin," we 
 need notice only that the fundamental char- 
 acter of the announcement, as requiring re- 
 pentance, and offering forgiveness, and ex- 
 pecting gratitude, forbids our ascribing any 
 particle of merit to any heart tliat receives it. 
 We may add, that, so far as appears, the less 
 beautiful hearts needed only to employ and 
 direct aright their capacities for receiving 
 and appropriating the word, in order to bring 
 forth fruit also. Finally, the seed of divine 
 truth germinates, when it does germinate, 
 and springs up, and grows, and brings fruit 
 to perfection, only through the vivifying in- 
 fluence of God's genial Spirit, operating and 
 empowering, at the start, through every stage 
 of increase, and in the final harvest. This is 
 as the warmth, the sun, the air, the shower, 
 to the growth of the grain. 
 
 16-18. Jesus Appends to the Parable 
 AN Admonition to Spread the Knowl- 
 edge Afforded by His Parable. 
 
 16. And (or, but) no man Avhen he hath 
 lighted a candle {lamp), etc. The connec- 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 151 
 
 17 "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made 
 nianiTest; neither any Iking hid, that shall not be 
 known aud come abroad. 
 
 18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: ' for whosoever i 
 hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, [ 
 from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to j 
 have. 
 
 19 «Thcn came to him his mother and his brethren, ; 
 and could not come to him for the press. 1 
 
 20 Aud it wa-s told him by certain which said, Thy ' 
 Mio'her and thy brethren stand without, desiring to | 
 see thee. I 
 
 17 the light. For nothing is hid, that shall not be made 
 manifest; noro;i.i/M(«c/ secret, that shallnot tjeknown 
 
 18 and come to light. Take heed therefore how ye 
 hea"-: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; 
 and whosoever hath not, from liim shall be takcD 
 away even that which he ' thinketh he hath. 
 
 19 And there came to him his mother and brethren, 
 
 20 and they could not come at him for the crowd. And 
 it was told him, Thy mother and thy brethren stand 
 
 aM.'Ut. 10:26; ch. 12:2....b Matt. 13: 12; 25: 29; cb. 19:26....c Malt. 12: 46; Hark 3: :<l. i Ot, leemethto have. 
 
 tion with the preceding is, I have opened to 
 you in ])rivftte the nij-stery of the kingdom, 
 through the explanation of the parable. But 
 this knowledge in you is as a light, kindled 
 in order that it may shine abroad ; and you 
 are with all earnestness to diffuse it as widely 
 as possible. — The candle is not mentioned in 
 antiquitj'; lamps of a rude idea, although 
 often graceful in form, were used instead. 
 The candlestick (rather, stand) was a holder 
 for the lamp, analogous to our candlestick. — 
 Bed means a couch or divan at the side of 
 the room, a seat b^' day, and sleeping-place 
 at night. 
 
 17. For nothing is secret (or, hid), etc. 
 All that is now a mystery to the worldly 
 crowd is ojtened to those prepared, for the 
 very purpose that they ma^' i)ubli5h it to all 
 who will receive it, that it maj' in the end be 
 univers.'illy understood. 
 
 18. Take heed therefore — seeing it is your 
 high offico, as liglU-bearers for the benighted, 
 to dispense tiie truth from me — how ye 
 hear — that ye hear attentively, understand- 
 ingly, appreciatively, that all who resort to 
 you may see the light as I give it forth. — For 
 whosoever hath, to him shall be given. 
 A stintulus to such careful ai>i)r()priation of 
 divine truth. No one has this who does not 
 accept it with reverence, love, and obedience. 
 Even a little thus api>ropriated assures in- 
 crease, as in the principles of all science and 
 art. — And whosoever hath not, from him, 
 etc. Tlie teacher who assumes to know — 
 seemeth to have (thuikrfh he hath) — what 
 he has not learned at the right source, nor in 
 the way of due reflection and })ractical use, 
 will, so continuing, become manifest even to 
 himself as an itnpostor. 
 
 19-21. Hk Gives Prkfkrkxck to His 
 True Disciples Over Natural Kindred. 
 (Comp. Matt. VI: 4()-.j0; Mark 81-35.) 
 
 19. 20. Then [and there) came to him 
 his mother and his (omit his) brethren. 
 
 IThe same occurrence, we may assume, a.s 
 that recorded in Matthew and Mark. The 
 brothers of Jesus (their names are given in 
 Matt. 13: bb), who frequently appear in com- 
 pany with his mother, were, doubtless, sons 
 of Joseph and Mary, born, as well as .some 
 sisters (Matt. i3:56), after him. This view agrees 
 perfectly with previous intimations (Mmt. i:25: 
 Luke 2: 7), and with every mention of them, as 
 well known to his fellow townsmen (Matt. i3:55; 
 Mark 6: 3), as not for a time believing in him 
 (jotin7:5), bui afterward among his disciples 
 (Acui:i«), where Mary is again associated with 
 thenu The existence of any supposition coun- 
 ter to this is due to the superstitious, not to 
 say blasphemous, honor which very early be- 
 gan to be as(-ribed to Mary, and to the utterly 
 unhebraic, antichristian, and irrational no- 
 tion of the sui)eri()r .sanctity of celibacy. In 
 view of the matured fruit of both these germs 
 of error, we are not favorably impressed with 
 any oi)inion to which they have given origin. 
 But after the first hint of the perpetual vir- 
 ginity of Mary had been imagined, there 
 began to he a necessity to put some non- 
 natural sense on the texts concerning Christ's 
 brothers and sisters, a1)ove cited. Hence the 
 baseless conjectures that they were children 
 of .Joseph by a former wife, or by a supposed 
 levirate marriage of .Joseph with a supposed 
 widow of his suppo.sed brother Clopas; or 
 that they were cousins, as being children of 
 this Clopas and a sister of >[ary. Any one 
 who desires to puzzle himself with the in- 
 tricate tangle of guesses in supjmrt of the.se 
 theories, may consult Smith's Diet, of Bible, 
 Art. Brothers, where their vanity is exp<)sed, 
 as it is also by Meyer, Godet, Farrar, Alford, 
 McClellan, and others. But any one content 
 with the plain intimations of Scripture, that 
 Marj' had other children (Matt, i: 20; Luke 2: 7); 
 and that tho.se among whom .Jesus and his 
 brothers had gn)wn up thought it strange 
 that he should be so unlike them (nothing 
 
152 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VII I. 
 
 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother 
 and my brethren are these which hear the word of 
 (iod, and do it. 
 
 22 " Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he 
 went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto 
 them. Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. 
 And they launched torth. 
 
 21 without, desiring to see thee. But he answered and 
 said unto them. My mother and my brethren are 
 these who hear the word of God, and do it. 
 
 22 Now it came to pass on one of those day.s, that he 
 entered into a boat, himself and his disciples ; and he 
 said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of 
 
 a Matt. 8: 23; Mark 4: 35. 
 
 strange, if they were more distant relatives) ; 
 and that no instance is adduced to show that,- 
 in Greek, cousins, as such, were ever called 
 brothers; and that all four evangelists speak 
 of them, repeatedly, precisely as if they 
 thought them his own brothers, Luke also in 
 the Acts, and Paul in 1 Cor. 9:5; and that 
 no important reason is apparent why they 
 should not have be-:n such — no one consider- 
 ing these things will have occasion to seek 
 further. 
 
 The object of their present attempt to reach 
 Jesus appears, from Mark 3 : 21, to have been 
 to take him in charge, perhaps put him under 
 restraint, as not in his right mind. When 
 they saw the great commotion made among 
 the people by his preaching and works, they 
 went out to lay hold on him; for " they said, 
 He is beside him.self " (Compare ver. 31 ff.) 
 This does not necessarily breathe hostility, but 
 <mly an honest fear that he was going crazy, 
 and needed to be taken care of But it does, 
 of course, show that they lacked proper in- 
 sight into the plan of their brother, and sym- 
 ])athy with the spirit of his work. Their mis- 
 take was less excusable than that of Festus 
 concerning Paul (Acts 26:94 f). Whether Mary 
 shared the error of her sons, cannot be posi- 
 tively affirmed. Some think she had, like 
 John the Baptist, become seriously perplexed 
 by his failure to realize her conception of his 
 destined course; (comp. John 2: 31). But it 
 is equally probable that she may have accom- 
 panied her sons only in sympathy with Jesus, 
 and to inoderate their attempts upon him. — 
 And could not come at him for the press 
 (or, crowd). The crowd itself, .such as it was, 
 might confirm their supposition that fanati- 
 cism or frenzy was at work in him. Luke 
 (and Matthew) gives no account of the place. 
 Mark ( ■■':2o), shows that it was in a house. 
 They had to content themselves with sending 
 •word through the multitude that they were 
 outside, and desired to speak with him. Had 
 he not understood their disposition towards 
 him, and probable design in coming,. we should 
 expect him to have given more attention to 
 
 their request. In no view can we make his 
 course seem consistent with that worshipful 
 reverence which Romanists and their copyists 
 profess for Christ's mother. Over him, as if 
 absorbed in delight that some before him were 
 receiving his word into honest and good hearts, 
 all natural attachments lost their power. 
 Common interest in the Kingdom of God was 
 a closer and more tender tie. 
 
 21. And he answered . . . My mother 
 and my brethren (brothers) are these which 
 hear the word of God, and do it. Spirit- 
 ual relationship is more to me than flesh and 
 blood. A noble privilege, that the believer 
 may feel himself nearer to the blessed Lord, 
 than if he were merely a son of the same 
 mother, or even that hajjjjy mother herself, in 
 the mere natural relationslii]). 
 
 22-25. He Stills a Tempkst on the 
 Lake. (Comjjare Mattiiew 8: 23-27; Mark 
 4: 35-41.) 
 
 22. On a certain day — literally. On one 
 of those days — namely, those occupied by that 
 preaching tour which Jesus was now accom- 
 plishing. Mark enables us to see that it was 
 the day on which he had spoken the parable 
 of the Sower. — He went into a ship (or, a 
 boat), etc. At what point he embarked is not 
 certain, but it was on the west side of the lake. 
 Did the former fishermen among his disciples 
 retain some interest in a boat, which thej' 
 could command ? Did Zebedee favor his sons 
 and their Master with the use of one? Had 
 they to pay the fiire in one, out of the slender 
 remnant of some private resources, or by the 
 liberality of helping men and women? We 
 cannot tell. It seems to have been the only 
 way in which our Master's tiresome pedes- 
 trianism was ever relieved, until he crossed 
 Olivet, and entered Jerusalem riding on an 
 ass. — Let us go over unto the other side^ 
 etc. East of the Lake of Gennesaret lay a 
 region rough and wild, which, although with- 
 in the bounds of the Promised Land, had been 
 scarcely, more tiian in name, possessed by 
 Israel, and was now occupied by a hetero- 
 geneous and comparatively barbarous popu- 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 153 
 
 2.3 But as they sailed, he fell asleep: and there caiue 
 down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were tilleil 
 with wii/t'r, and were in jeopardy. 
 
 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saving, 
 Master, Master, we perish. Then he arose, and re- 
 buked the wind and the raging of the water: and they 
 ceased, and there was a calm. 
 
 2.') And he .said unto them. Where is your faith? And 
 they being afraid wordered, saying one to another. 
 What manner of nian is this! for he conimandeth even 
 the winds and water, and they ohey him. 
 
 26 "And they arrived at the country of the Gada- 
 renes, which is over against Galilee. 
 
 a Matt. 8 : 28 : Murk 5 : 1. 1 Muuy anciont auihoritiei 
 
 23 the lake: and they launched forth. But as they 
 sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm 
 of wind on the lake ; and they were tilling iri>h water, 
 
 24 and were in jeoi)ardy. And' they came to him, and 
 awoke him, saying, blaster. Master, we perish. And 
 he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raL'ing of 
 
 25 the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 
 And he said unto them. Where is your faith? .\nd 
 being afraid they marvelled, saying one to another, 
 Who then is this, that he coi'umandeth even the 
 winds and the water, and they obey him? 
 
 26 And they arrived at the country of the ' Geraseues, 
 
 lation. Only a few villages and strongholds 
 were .scattered near the eastern shore. The 
 Saviour desired to give them also the benefit 
 of his teaching and of h'is salutary works. 
 He wished that no dark spot within the field 
 of his permitted labors should be left unblest 
 with the heavenly light. 
 
 23. As they sailed, he fell asleep. The 
 day had been a .bu.-sy one, and was now far 
 advanced. Mark, indeed, strongly intimates 
 that the disciples hurried him away, just "as 
 he was in the ship," where he had been 
 through the day's preaching, and without 
 waiting for further preparation, in order that 
 he might rest. Once away from the waiting 
 crowds, the natural desire for sleep would 
 come upon him ; and he lay down on a bench 
 at the stern, with a cushion for a pillow, and 
 was presently sound asleep. How sound, 
 appears from what follows; and herein we see 
 a striking evidence of the Saviour's full par- 
 ticipation with us in the experiences of hu- 
 manity. — And there came down a storm 
 of wind on the lake — an occurrence still 
 very common, and easily accounted for, by 
 the difterence in elevation and temperature 
 between the deei>ly depressed and sultry sea- 
 level, and the cool sutnmits of the steep, sur- 
 rounding hills. Gullying ravines guided the 
 currents of cold air from the snow-clad moun- 
 tains at the ncjrth, down to supply the place of 
 the rarefied air above the water. The eflTect 
 on the little lake is often exceedingly formid- 
 able. The waves rise to heights which would 
 hardly seem possible on so limited a surface. 
 (See Sea of Galilee, by Capt. Wilson, R. E., 
 p. 265, in Recovery of JeruRalern, ed. by Wal- 
 ter Morrison. The same in Our Work in Pal- 
 estine, p. 185 f. See also MacGregor, Rob Roy, 
 on the Jordan, p. 380, and p. 408 f) Imme- 
 diately there was danger to the little bark. 
 — They were filled t hrrowinc/ filled) with 
 water, and were in Jeopardy. The water 
 was probably breaking over already into the 
 
 rend, Gergesene* ; others, Uadarenea : au<\ so in ver. 37. 
 
 boat in places. — Master, Master — the same 
 peculiar term spoken of on 5: 5. Both their 
 haste and their confidence in the Saviour's 
 judgment and will, appear in the brevity of 
 their statement. — We perish. What a con- 
 trast is recognizable in the deep composure of 
 the sleep of Jesus and the angry turbulence 
 of the storm ; between the frightened excite- 
 ment of his followers and the quiet self-pos- 
 ssession with which he, being waked, re- 
 buked the wind and the raging — surge — 
 of the water, addressing them as though 
 they were intelligent creatures, or under the 
 control of such. (Compare 4: 39; Ps. lOG: 9.) 
 — And there was a calm. More suddenly, 
 even, than it rose, the tempest ceased. 
 
 25. Where is your faith? He implies 
 that they had faith, at least had had it; but 
 what is become of it? This is surely an occa- 
 sion when it ought to be at hand, and in use. 
 They probably took little heed of the rebuke 
 to them at the moment; but they took a new 
 lesson of the power of their M:ister, which 
 might profit .them another time. — And they 
 being afraid, wondered (marveled). The 
 gigantic tumult of the elements, and their own 
 consternation, prepared them for an impres- 
 sion of Christ's majesty at this moment, 
 greater than was occasioned by his raising 
 the widow's son to life. — What manner of 
 man (or, U'/io t/irn—soo'ing that he does such 
 things) is this I for (or, t/iat) he command- 
 eth even the winds, etc. That = seeing 
 that — more appropriately than "for," justifies 
 their hushed inquiry. The form of direct 
 command to the powers of nature, rather 
 than this silent exercise of his will, had been 
 peculiarly suited to impress their thoughts. 
 
 The boat, with Christ and his disciples in 
 the midst of an angry sea, has been recog- 
 nized as a fit emblem of his church in trouble, 
 through all her history. 
 
 26-39. The Demoniac at Gerqesa. 
 (Matt.- 8 : 28-34; Mark 5: 2-20.) 
 
154 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him 
 out of the city a certain man, which had devils long 
 time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, 
 but in the toitbs. 
 
 26. And they arrived at (Greek, sailed 
 into) the country of the Gadarenes (or, 
 Gergesenes), etc. There is peculiar difBculty 
 in determining what the nume of these people 
 was in the Gospel as first written. We have 
 respectable authority in each of the three 
 Gospels, for all the three names — Gergesenes, 
 Gadarenes, Gerasenes. Gadara is supposed to 
 
 be represented by the ruins found at Um-keis, 
 or Mkes, ten or twelve miles southeast of the 
 Lake of Gennesaret ; and Gerasa, by the place 
 now called Gerash, some fifty miles from the 
 lake in the same direction. It is evident that 
 the "country" must, in either case, have 
 borne the name of the prominent city for a 
 long distance around, even to the shores of 
 the lake. It is reported farther by travelers 
 that there is no place on the eastern shore 
 where a herd could run down the slope di- 
 rectly into the sea, except near the remains of 
 a small town about southeast of Capernaum, 
 now called Kersa (see chap, above). This led 
 
 27 which is over against Galilee. And when he was 
 come forth upon the land, there met him a certain 
 man nut of the city, who had demons; and for a long 
 time he had worn no clothes, and abode not in any 
 
 Dr. Thomson [The Land and the Book; and 
 Porter, Handbook of Syria and Palestine, p. 
 401 f., Wilson in Recovery of Jerusalem, p. 286 
 f., and MacGregor, p. 324 and p. 409 f.), to the 
 very probable conclusion that here was an- 
 ciently the town called Gergesa; at all events 
 that near it must have occurred the events 
 relating to the demoniac, and that this was 
 "thecity" (vei-.34). On this supposition we may 
 conjecture that the comparative obscurity of 
 this town, perhaps its destruction in the de- 
 vastating wars soon after, led early copyists, in 
 their perplexity about the place, to vary be- 
 tween names drawn from the two better 
 known cities, Gadara aud Gerasa, and that 
 from Gergesa. This last is adopted in our 
 passage by Tischendorf, "Gergesenes," and 
 we think rightly, although Westcott and Hort 
 sustain the Revision in "Gerasenes." — Over 
 against Galilee. The course of their voyage 
 had been (towards Kersa) nearly east. Here 
 Jesus landed among rude, half-heathen people, 
 amotig whom, however, the Jews might have 
 such a preponderant influence that his errand 
 would still be to "the lost sheep of the house 
 of Israel." 
 
 27. And when he went forth to (upon 
 
 the) land. As it was late in the day when 
 they sailed, we may suppose that Jesus and 
 his company spent the night on the boat, and, 
 whether so or not, that the incident about to 
 be mentioned took place not until the next 
 morning. — There met him out of the city 
 a certain man — viz., of Gergesa. A man 
 out of the city, in the sense that he had be- 
 longed there when he was fit to live among 
 people. — Which had devils {demons), and 
 the most miserable specimen of that unhappy 
 class presented to us in the Gospels. (See in 
 regard to them on 4: 33.) The words long 
 time belong to the next clause. And for n 
 long time he ware no clothes — Greek, "he 
 did not put on an outer garment." It was a 
 horrible apparition, not unlike, in appear- 
 ance, the most dreadful cases to be met with in 
 our asylums, who frequently tear off their 
 clothing.— Neither abode in any house, 
 but in the tombs. Being driven from the 
 habitations of men, and with no such place of 
 refuge as Christian charity has made common 
 in its time, the vacant and unused tombs, so 
 
Ch. VIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 155 
 
 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down 
 before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to 
 do with thee, Jesus, thuu .Son of God most high? 1 be- 
 seech I hue, torment me not. 
 
 29 (For he had coiumanded the unclean spirit to 
 come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught 
 him: and he wa.s kept bound with chains and in fet- 
 ters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the. 
 devil into the wilderness.) 
 
 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? 
 And he said, Legion: because many devils were en- 
 tered into him. 
 
 28 house, but in the tombs. And when he saw Jesus, 
 he cried out, and fell ("own before him, and with a 
 loud voice said. What have I to do with thee, Jesus, 
 thou Son of the .Most High (iod? I beseech thee, 
 
 29 torment me not. For he was commanding the un- 
 clean spirit to come out from the man. For ' often- 
 times it had .seized him: and he was kept under 
 guardj and bound with chains an<l letters; and 
 bieaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the 
 
 30 demon into the deserts. And Jesius askiil him. What 
 is thy name? And he said, i..egion; for many de- 
 
 I Or, of a long time. 
 
 frequently met with, especially on hill-sides, in 
 Palesti;:e, and of which many are said to re- 
 main in the vicinity of the spot Kersa (see 
 MacGregor, Rob Roy on the Jordan, p. 410), 
 w«JuUl furnish him a fit and acceptable lair 
 
 28. Wlion he saw Jesus, he cried out — 
 a verb is used wliich signifies, specifically, 
 "to croak," "to give a hoarse scream," "to 
 shout vociferously." It was at first the in- 
 articulate expres.sion of his rage and hatred 
 and fear, at the sight of one whose presence, 
 he instinctively felt, foreboded no good to 
 him. — And fell down before him — nut as a 
 man, but its one dctnonized; to denote, in his 
 conscious inferiority, abject deprecation. — 
 What have I to do with thee, etc.=Why 
 shouldest thou ineddle with me? Why not 
 leave me alone? This is the prayer of his 
 unholy dread, in the presence of self-reveal- 
 ing holiness and divine authority. — Jesus, 
 thou Son of the most Hi§rh tiod. That 
 he should recognize the per.son before him 
 as Jesus, does not oblige us to iiscribe to 
 him superntitural discernment. Althougii our 
 Lvtrd had never, so far as appears, been in 
 that neighborhood before, yet the place was | 
 easily in sight of the shore, not si.x miles oil* I 
 where most of his mighty works had been 
 done, including the expulsion of many de- [ 
 mons. Doubtless, there had been much talk \ 
 of this within the hearing of the possessed I 
 suflTerer, and nuich discussion held as to tlie , 
 Messiahship of the mighty adversary of 8a- ' 
 tan. And in calling him Son of the most 
 high Ciod, we cannot be certain that the 
 demon, speaking through the man, meant 
 otherwise than to use a title understood to ' 
 characterize the Messiah. No one at that ; 
 time gives evidence of having more than an 
 incipient apprehension of the unfathomable 
 depth of truth which spiritual reflection W(juld 
 gradually discover in it. — I beseech thee, ; 
 torment me not. Send me not to the place \ 
 of torment. The demon felt that Christ's : 
 
 presence threatened punishment to him. In- 
 deed, already the notice had been served 
 upon him. 
 
 29. For he has commanded (rather, irrz.9 
 commanding) the unclean spirit, etc. We 
 may note here that Christ s])eaks as though 
 he conceived the spirit to be one. Coniijare 
 the form of the address in Mark. — For— in- 
 dicating the reason for Christ's command — 
 oftentimes it had cnu^ht (or seized) him; 
 and he was kept bound with ch.iins and 
 in fetters — like a case of chronic insanity, 
 of the most violent and even dangerous type. 
 Not only like such a case, but one where the 
 Satanic power had actually produced such 
 bodily di.sorder as necessitated extreme de- 
 rangement of the mind. This description 
 applies to him while yet retained in the town 
 — '\u chtun'i and nnder guard. — And he brake 
 the bands — perhaps, more than once — and 
 was driven of the devil into the wilder- 
 ness (better, f>7/ the demon into the de.sert.'i) — 
 deserted, solitary places, where he met Jesus 
 (comp. "dry places," 11:24). Such was the 
 case which had engaged Chri.st's compassion- 
 ate concern. 
 
 30. And Jesus asked hlni, sa>ing,What 
 is thy name? The most cflTfctua! way im- 
 aginable to call into exercise what fragment 
 of reason might be in the man, and to soothe 
 the excitement under whicli he labored. — 
 And he said, Le*.: ion, etc. Legi<>n in the 
 Roman tnilitiiry organization was analogous 
 to regiment or brigade, with us. This name 
 may have been assumed by the man, to sig- 
 nify his persuasion, not only that he was 
 possessed by a multitude of evil spirit* (a 
 Legion consisted normally of six thousand 
 men), but that their fiendish power over him 
 was as rigorous and irresistible as that of the 
 Roman arms over her conijuered provinces. 
 We have noted above in the case of ^lary 
 Magdalene («:»), that the severity of the dis- 
 order resulting from possession was explained 
 
156 
 
 LUKE, 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 31 And they besought him that he would not com- 
 muud them to go out " into the deep. 
 
 32 And there was there a herd of many swine feed- 
 ing on the mountain: and they besought him that he 
 would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered 
 them. 
 
 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered 
 into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a 
 steep place into the lake, and were choked. 
 
 34 When they that fed Ihem saw what was done, they 
 fled, and went and told it in the city and in the 
 country. 
 
 35 Then they went out to see what was done ; and 
 came to Jesus, and found the mau, out of whom the 
 devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, 
 clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 
 
 31 mens were entered into him. And they intreated 
 him that he would not command them to depart 
 
 32 into the abyss. Now there was there a herd of 
 many swine feeding on the mountain : and they in- 
 treated him that he would give them leave to enter 
 
 33 into them. And he gave them leave. And the demons 
 came out from the man, and entered into the swine: 
 and the herd rushed down the steep into the lake, 
 
 34 and were drowned. And when they that fed them 
 saw what had come to pass, they fled, and told it in 
 
 35 the city and in the country. And they went out to 
 see what had come to pass ; and they came to Jesus, 
 and found the man, from whom the demons were 
 gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at 
 
 a Rev. 20: 3. 
 
 by the number of alien spirits, and on that 
 principle this man feels himself the abode of 
 •A legion of them. Jesus had treated the Sa- 
 tanic power as one (ver. ag), and so the Evan- 
 gelists had spoken of it; but from this point 
 it will be observed that the account proceeds 
 on the man's own supposition that they were 
 many. The man's view would chime with 
 that generally entertained at the time; and 
 the Saviour might well forego the attempt 
 to correct an error on this incidental point, 
 in those circumstances. 
 
 31. And they hesoiight him that he 
 would not command them to go out into 
 the deep (or a6^ss = "the bottomless pit" of 
 Rev. 9: 1, 11; 11:7). Anything was pref- 
 erable to the infernal state. 
 
 32. And there was there a herd of 
 many swine feeding. — This proves the 
 heathen character of portions of the popula- 
 tion in that neighborhood. The mountain 
 was that which api)ears in the pictures of the 
 Sea of Galilee, as we look across from the 
 western shore.— And they besought him, 
 etc. The unclean animal would suit the un- 
 clean nature, and here seemed an escape 
 from being sent back to perdition.— And he 
 suffered them — granted their prayer, and 
 disapp(»inted their aim. 
 
 33. Then went the devils out of the 
 man — (better, And the demons came out from 
 the man). In a subject so entirely outside 
 the limits of ordinary human experience, no 
 authoritative explanation can be added to 
 the simple statement of the word. Whether 
 the view on which the Saviour has spoken to 
 the demon in the man as a single being, was 
 the correct one, or the man's crazed imagi- 
 nation that he was possessed by an army 
 of them, we cannot properly understand. 
 the effect on the swine — "they were about 
 
 two thousand" (Maik5:i3). The possession of 
 dumb brutes by one or many rational, but 
 infernal spirits, must remain a mystery to 
 us. Godet, on the passage, declares that 
 "the influence exerted by the demons on the 
 herd was, in no sense, a possession. None 
 but a moral being can be morally possessed." 
 But might there not be a possession in the 
 case of the swine that was not moral ? He 
 seems to think of some panic of terror started 
 in some way at that time, which was believed 
 by those who shaped the popular narrative to 
 be the result of the transfer of the demoniac 
 power to them. This is fitr from satisfactory, 
 as are the other conjectures which have been 
 hazarded to clear up the mystery. Enough, 
 that the man was completely rescued, and the 
 unclean spirit, in being allowed his desire, 
 was most effectually remanded to the ab3'ss. 
 
 34. And when they that fed them saw, 
 etc. As they were "a great way off" from 
 the position of Jesus (M..tt. s: jo), the panic 
 among the swine, and their total destruction, 
 must have come as a prodigious surprise. — 
 They fled — ran away from the scene in 
 terror, reporting everywhere in town and 
 country, the loss of the property, and the 
 almost miraculous circumstances attending if. 
 
 35. The people, tims aroused, wont in 
 numbers, of course, to the scene, and came 
 to Jesus — perhaps having heard nothing 
 about him in connection with the matter — 
 and found the man, out of whom the 
 devils were departed, sitting — (the word, 
 sitting, belongs here); this itself was wonder- 
 ful in the case of one who had been so un- 
 ceasingly restless and violent, ready for mis- 
 chief, "so that none could pass through that 
 way" (Matt. 8:28*. — Clothed — this was another 
 proof of change (comp. ver. 27); now some 
 one had furnished him necessary garments 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 157 
 
 36 They also which saw i7 told them hy what means 
 be that was possessed of the devils was healed. 
 
 37 "Then the whole multitude of the country of the 
 Gadareues round about 'besought him to depart fr. m 
 them; for they were taken wilh great fear: and he 
 went up into the ship, and returned back again. 
 
 M Now 'the man out of whom the devils were de- 
 parted besought him that he might be with him: but 
 Jesus sent him away, saying, 
 
 :i'J Return ti> thine own house, and shew how great 
 things (iod hath done unto thee. And he went his 
 way, and published throughout (he whole city how 
 great things Jesus had done unto him. 
 
 36 the feet of Jesus: and they were afraid. And ther 
 that saw it told them how he that was po.-^sessed with 
 
 37 demons was ' made whole. And all the people of 
 the country of the (jerasenes round about asked him 
 to depart from them; for they were holden with 
 great fear: and he entered into a boat, and returned. 
 
 38 Hut the man from whom the demons were gone out 
 prayed him that he might be with him: but he sent 
 
 39 him away, saying, Return to thy house, and declare 
 how great things (jod hath done lor thee. And he 
 went his way, publishi;ig throughout the whole city 
 how great things Jesus had done for him. 
 
 1 Malt. 8:«4 6 Acts 16: 39 c Mark 5: 18.- 
 
 and he wore them like other men. — In his 
 right mind, at the feet of Jesus. This is 
 the Greel< order of the hist clause, and closes 
 the series of facts according to their ascend- 
 ing importance in the history of the affair- 
 quiet, clothed, mentally sane, and employing 
 his restored faculties in reverently, thankfuUj' 
 waiting upon the teachings of his benefactor. 
 — And they were afraid. Another instance 
 of the awe and dread produced in minds con- 
 scious of sin, by the manifestation of Ciirist's 
 divine character and power. 
 
 36. They also which saw it — a different 
 set from the swine-herds who had carried 
 away the report; the disciples, and, perhaps, 
 otliers with them. —Told them by what 
 means (or hoio) he that was possessed of 
 the devils (or with demons) was healed 
 (Greek, saved). Here how is emphatic. 
 The swine-herds had borne some word about 
 the demoniacs (Mati. 8:33), but apparently no- 
 thing about Christ's relation to them. This, 
 we should naturally suppose, would have 
 awakened in them a thankful interest in 
 him, and opened the way for fruitful labors 
 there on his part. A great deliverance had 
 been mercifully and miracuouslj' granted to 
 an afflicted countryman and neighbor, and 
 the vicinitj' cleared of a great burden and 
 danger. But with this, they now learned of 
 Ciirist's connection with the drowning of the 
 swine, which alone awakened any interest in 
 their minds, and that in the way of repulsion 
 to Jesus. 
 
 37. Then (or And) the whole multitude 
 — of the community, without distinction of 
 Jew and Gentile— besousiht (askfd) him to 
 depart from them ; for they were taken 
 (holden) with great fear. Not now a holy, 
 or even religious awe. but a selfish, worldly, 
 niercenarj', fear. This was their prayer to 
 him who, as they knew, only waited for a 
 desire from them to heal their sick, and save 
 
 their lost souls. Their prayer was heard, and 
 the only opportunity ever to be afforded 
 them for blessings, directly at the hands of 
 Jesus, was lost. And he went up into the 
 ship (entered into a boat) and returned. 
 It is not improbable, as we have seen on ver. 
 27, that Christ had passed the night after the 
 storm, on board the boat, so that the cure of 
 the demoniac would have taken place early 
 the next morning, and this return have begun 
 before noon. 
 
 38. One touching and instructive incident 
 occurred as he was leaving. The saved man 
 besought (or, prntjtd) him that he might 
 be with him. Every disciple of Ciirist can 
 enter into the feeling with which he would 
 plead not to be deprived of that company in 
 which he had found a boon more precious 
 than life. How could his faith stand, if he 
 were soon left to himself ? What a comfort, 
 if he could bask at all times in the light of 
 that life-beaming face! His prayer, too, was 
 doubtless answered — heaven will show — yet 
 not as he had conceived it. — Jesus sent him 
 away from his bodily presence, although he 
 had called others to leave all and go with 
 him. He wished his disciples in many spheres 
 and places. Those whom he did not take with 
 him, however, were still to serve him as trulj' 
 as those whom he took. And all alike mi<rht 
 be "with him" in the closest sympathy while 
 they were engaged in promoting his work in 
 the world. 
 
 39. Return to thine own (or, thy) house, 
 and shew, declare, (or, relate,) etc. "We see 
 thus that a privilege was granted him which 
 had been withheld from many who seemed 
 more favored. They were forbidden to speak 
 of Christ's mercies. The reason probably was 
 that there was no danger in the Gergesene 
 country of an unhealthy excitement, and 
 there was no other way of spreading the gos- 
 pel news there. The redeemed man was 
 
158 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 40 And It came to pass, that, when Jesus was re- 
 turned, the people gladly received him : for they were 
 all waiting lor him. 
 
 41 "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, 
 and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down 
 at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come 
 into his house : 
 
 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years 
 of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people 
 thronged him, 
 
 43 ''And a woman having an issue of blood twelve 
 years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, 
 neither could be healed of any, 
 
 40 And as .Tesus returned, the multitude welcomed 
 
 41 him ; for they were all waiting for him. And be- 
 hold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a 
 ruler of the synagogue: and be fell down at Jesus' 
 
 42 feet, and besought him to come into his house; for 
 he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, 
 and she lay a dying. But as he M'ent the multitudes 
 thronged him. 
 
 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve 
 years, who i had spent all her living upon physicians, 
 
 aMatt. »:18: Mark 5: 22.,.. ft M:iw, 9-20,- 
 
 -1 So 
 
 ritieg omit, had spent all her living upon physicians and. 
 
 allowed to do for Jesus what the latter could 
 not do for himself, heing driven out of the 
 country. — And he went his way, and pub- 
 lished {or, publishi,ng)— not only in his house, 
 but — throughout the whole city — and (ac- 
 cording to Mark, ver. 20), in Decapolis, a dis- 
 trict of country named as possessing ten cities 
 — how great things Jesus had done unto 
 him. The man might not have been compe- 
 tent, in the Master's judgment, for a mission- 
 ary work abroad, or for doing anywhere the 
 work of a teacher and defender of the faith, 
 while yet admirably fitted to do the common 
 work of Christians, in a private and familiar 
 sphere, the work, namely, of testifying to his 
 own happy experience of God's saving power 
 and mercy. Notice that he understands what 
 God had done for him to have been done by 
 Jesus. 
 
 40-56. Return to the West Side of 
 THE Lake, and Some Remarkable Works 
 There. Matt. 9: 18-'22; Mark 5; 21-34. 
 
 40, When Jesus returned (omit was), 
 the multitude gladly received him. It is 
 doubtful whether welcomed is preferable to 
 "gladly received" of the Common Version. 
 — For they were all waiting for him — this 
 intimates that the place was Capernaum, 
 where he had left many people gathered. He 
 meets a great change in the attitude of the 
 people from that of those he had left scarcely 
 an hour's sail away, and no doubt welcome 
 to himself, even though he found so much 
 of mere earthly interest in their expectation 
 of healing and outward benefit to themselves 
 and their friends. Some would also be con- 
 cerned about tidings of the kingdom. Scarcely 
 had he reached the throng of people on the 
 shore, when his aid was in demand. 
 
 41. And behold, there came a man 
 named Jairus, etc. The interjection noti- 
 fies us that there was something surprising in 
 it. To contemporaries the name itself might 
 suggest the explanation, but the fact of his 
 
 being a ruler of the synagogue there, and 
 that he approached Jesus with the most hum- 
 ble reverence, and with unmistakable signs of 
 confidence that he, and he alone, could do him 
 a favor of the greatest importance, was well 
 suited to attract general attention. As one of 
 the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus belonged 
 to the highest class of the community. That 
 class were generally now so excited against our 
 Lord, that we must suppose this man to have 
 been unusually exempt from their prejudices, 
 or to have been driven by mere stress of parental 
 solicitude for a dying child, to suppress them. 
 In either case his conduct proves a real con- 
 viction in his mind of a truly divine power 
 in Jesus to relieve suffering and heal disease. 
 His need was, indeed, a sore one. 
 
 42. He had one only daughter — when 
 Nathan would express the extremity of the 
 poor man's tenderness for his one ewe lamb, 
 he said, it "was unto him as a daughter" — 
 about twelve years of age— old enough to 
 have found a deep place in a father's heart — 
 and she lay a dying. Truly his agony 
 might well get the better of much pride and 
 reluctance, to secure the only possible help for 
 him on earth. How many thousands of dis- 
 tressed parents have since wished that their 
 Saviour were accessible to them, as he was to 
 men when he was on the earth, well assured 
 that he could not then refuse them aid! But 
 he can give comfort even now. We do not 
 need to be told that the praj'er of the ruler, 
 that Jesus should come into his house, was 
 granted. They are on the way. The multi- 
 tudes previously collected, now following him 
 and growing, might have impeded their pas- 
 sage through the most ample streets; but in 
 the contracted ways of an Oriental town, they 
 thronged— literally, "choked" — him in their 
 close packed mass. This gave opportunity for 
 another miracle within a miracle — a miracle 
 by stealth. 
 
 43, 44. A woman having an issue of 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 159 
 
 44 Came behiriJ hhii, and touched the border of his 
 garment : and imiuodiately her issue of blood stanched. 
 
 45 And Jesus said, Who touched lue? When all de- 
 nied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, 
 the multitude thmuf; tliee and press thi:e, and sayest 
 thou, Who touched me'.' 
 
 46 And .lesus said, Homebody hath toucVed me: for I 
 perceive that ■> virtue is gone out of me. 
 
 47 And when the wciiiian saw that shf was not hid, 
 she cauie trfmblinR, and falling down before him, she 
 declarrd unto him before all the people for what cause 
 she had touched him, and how she was healed imme- 
 diately. 
 
 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good com- 
 fort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 
 
 44 and could not be healed of any, came behind him, 
 and touched the border of his garment : and imme- 
 
 45 diately the issue of her blood stanched. And Jesus 
 said, Who is it that touched me'.' .\nd when all de- 
 nied, Peter said, 'and they that were with him, Mas- 
 
 46 ter, the multitudes press thee and crush Mw. Hut 
 Jesus said, .Some one did touch me: fori perceived 
 
 47 that power had gone forth from me. And when the 
 woman saw that she was not hid, .she came Irem- 
 blin;;, and falling down l)efore him declared in the 
 presence of all the people for what cause she touched 
 
 48 hiui, and how she was healed immediately. And he 
 said unto her. Daughter, thy faitli hath 'i made thee 
 whole ; go in peace. 
 
 I Mari{ 5 : 30 ; ch. 6 : 19. 1 Some iiceieiit iiuthoi-itIe.i omit and they that were with him 2 Or. aaved thee. 
 
 blood twelve years, and in such a case that, 
 after spending all her living on physicians, 
 she was worse than ever, came behind him. 
 She must have worked her way, following the 
 human current, so as to reach him without 
 being seen — at least, as she supposed. She 
 might have thought he would deem her 
 touch pollution, yet believed that she must 
 touch him, to receive any help. Thus she 
 'was able to touch the border ("hem," or 
 "fringe") of his garment, that is, of his 
 outer, shawl-like mantle. This robe was re- 
 quired by the law (Num. is : 38 f.) to be made 
 with a fringe of the depending threads of 
 the warp (the cloth being further secured 
 from raveling by a narrow blue ribbon), 
 which the Jew was required to wear as a 
 distinctive badge. The robe being folded 
 with care, so that it would fall in two corners 
 in front, and two behind, the woman touched 
 it, probably at one of these corners, behind 
 him. We may suppose it to have been true 
 humility, in jjart, that led her to seek the 
 boon secretly, which she believed Jesus able 
 to impart, and partly, the influence of super- 
 stition, and regard for the customs of her 
 time. Even such faith should not fail of suc- 
 cess. — Immediately her issue of blood 
 stanched. She was conscious that after so 
 many years of mortifying pain, fruitless ex- | 
 penditures, and disapjiointed hopes, she was 
 again well. 
 
 45. But she had not. as she supposed, 
 stolen a cure. Jesus said, Who (or. Who 
 is it that) touched me? He was aware of 
 the seizure of his garment, and in the man- 
 ner of it recognized the touch of faith, which 
 he had answered with the healing influence. 
 But he would know more distinctly who was 
 the person that had received the blessing, in 
 order to the moral advantage of that person, 
 and to show to all that there was no magical 
 
 efflux of power from his person All about 
 him denied that they had touched him, in 
 the sense of intentit>nally taking hold of him ; 
 and the disciples thought it quite impractic- 
 able, in such a jam, to find out who in par- 
 ticular had come in contact with hi mi. 
 
 46. But Jesus insisted. Somebody hath 
 touched me (did touch) — designedly took 
 hold of me; and the touch was efficacious — 
 for I perceive that virtue is — read, as in 
 Revision: I perceived that virtue, here=heal- 
 ing power, had gone out from me. This is 
 adduced as a reason of his knowledge of the 
 touch. The full explanation would involve 
 an understanding of the mystery of Christ's 
 person, beyond what we possess. Enough 
 that we see it was not by any magical virtue 
 in his garments, or his body itself; but from 
 the centre of his si)iritual being, and in an- 
 swer to faith in him as the Physician, that 
 the power had gone forth. Mark tells us 
 that he was meanwhile looking around to 
 see "who she was that had done it." This, 
 strictly taken, shows that he knew the person 
 was a woman. Jesus had to learn many 
 things like other men, by inquiry, experi- 
 ment, and search. 
 
 47. And when the woman saw that she 
 was not hid, (that what she had done and 
 experienced was known), she came trem- 
 bling — in her new-found happiness, recall- 
 ing the precept of the law (Lev. is-. 19. w), and 
 the cruel horror of women on the part of the 
 Rabbis; (see Geikie. 1: 630), and, perhaps, 
 fearing that she had actually committed a 
 theft of what was to her more precious than 
 rubies — and falling down before him, de- 
 clared, etc. Thus she furnished to the whole 
 multitude a new mode of proof of the un- 
 failing abundance of grace in Christ, to meet 
 the need of every sufl^erer. 
 
 48. And he said unto her — instead of the 
 
160 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 49 "While he yet spake, there conieth one from the 
 ruler of the synagogue's house, saving to hiiu, Thy 
 daughter is dead; trouble not the Masier. 
 
 50 But when Jesus heard il, he answered him, say- 
 ing, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made 
 whole. 
 
 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no 
 man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and 
 the father and the mother of the maiden. 
 
 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, 
 Weep not ; she is not dead, 'but sleepeth. 
 
 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she 
 was dead. 
 
 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the 
 hand, and called, saying. Maid, <^ arise. 
 
 49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the 
 ruler of the synagogue's h.uiisi'., saying. Thy daughter 
 
 50 is dead ; trouble not the ' Master. But Jesus hearing 
 it, answered him, Fear not: only believe, and she 
 
 51 shall be " made whole. And w hen he came to the 
 house, he sutfered not any man to enter in with him, 
 save Peter, and John, and James, and the father of 
 
 52 the maiden and her mother. And all were weeping, 
 and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; lor she 
 
 53 is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to 
 
 54 scorn, knowing that she was dead. But he, taking 
 
 a Mark 5: 35 i John II: 11, 13. ...c ch. 7 : 14 ; Johu 11: 43. 1 Or, Teacher ... .2 Or, saved. 
 
 reproof which she had feared, or severer pen- 
 alty — Daughter — the unwonted kindness of 
 this address must itself have scattered her 
 fears— thy faith hath saved thee — it, not any 
 outward contact, is what has secured for you 
 this great deliverance at my hands. — Go in 
 (unto) peace (comp. 7: 50). 
 
 49-56. The Case of Jairus' Daugh- 
 ter Kesumed. 
 
 49. While he yet spake, there cometh 
 one from the ruler of the synagogue's 
 house, etc. Some delay had taken place, 
 and meantime the child had died. Matthew 
 (ver. 18), overlooking this second message in- 
 cluded by anticipation, the substance of both 
 in the father's original statement. The 
 thought of the messengers now was that, as 
 the child was dead, there was no longer scope 
 for the power of Jesus. 
 
 59. But when Jesus heard — hearing, but 
 "not heeding" (Mark 5: 36 Revision) — he 
 answered him — met his despairing thought. 
 — Fear not, believe only. It would require 
 of him a higher exercise of faith indeed ; but 
 he may understand that all things are possible 
 to him that believeth. — And she shall be 
 niaue whole (Greek, be saved, to wit, from 
 death). 
 
 51. And when he came into the house, 
 etc. Into the house means probably into the 
 court, or yard, of the house; but possibly we 
 might substitute "unto the house;" while 
 to go in, has reference to the apartment of 
 the house, in a strict sense, where the child 
 lay. — Except Peter, etc. — enough to serve 
 as witnesses of the state of the child, and of 
 her restoration, but not a throng to disturb 
 the solemnity befitting the scene. The pa- 
 rents represented the general community, the 
 three apostles the body of the disciples. On 
 four difl^'erent occasions the Saviour made such 
 a distinction among the apostles, and in every 
 
 case it was this same three, here, at the Trans- 
 figuration (9: 28 par.), in Gcthsemane (Matt. 26:37 
 par.), and (with the addition of Andrew) on the 
 Mount of Olives (Mark 13:3) — that were favored 
 with his more intimate association. It is prob- 
 able that not merely priority in the line of 
 their discipleship, but also greater congeni- 
 ality of character, and ability to profit by his 
 more intimate intercourse, determined this 
 uniformity of selection. Are there like rea- 
 sons of difference still ? 
 
 52. And all — those about the couch of death 
 — wept, etc., (better, were weepini/ and bewail- 
 ing) her. So soon had the usual practices of 
 mourning etiquette begun ; strange indeed to 
 us, yet whether more unreasonable than much 
 with which we are fiimiliar, would require an 
 impartial observer to decide. Tlie weeping 
 was a dolorous, rather than tearful, series of 
 ejaculations, and the wailing was beating of 
 the breast, rending the outer garment, tearing 
 out the hair, with outcries, in which neighbors 
 joined. Professional mourners were also hired 
 to go through the requisite performances. All 
 this our Saviour now rebuked, saying — Weep 
 not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. That 
 he meant this figuratively (comp. John 11:11; 
 1 Cor. 15: 6, 51 ; 1 Thess. 4: 13), is scarcely to 
 be doubted from ver. 49, 52, esp. 55, and from 
 the whole spirit of the narrative. It was natu- 
 ral that he should so sjjeak here, both because 
 he purposed to restore her immediately to life, 
 and to signify the impropriety of the din and 
 uproar they were making. They, understand- 
 ing him literally, ridiculed his saying, little 
 knowing that they were contributing to a 
 more unquestionable proof of his divine power. 
 
 54. We learn from both Matthew and Mark 
 that he had them removed from the room. — 
 And took her by the hand, and called, 
 saying, Maid, arise. The clause — And lie 
 put them all out— is to be omitted. Mark 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 161 
 
 55 And her spirit caiue again, and she arose straight- 
 way : and he couiuiauded to give her meat. 
 
 56 And her parents were astonished: » but he charged 
 them that they should tell no man what was done. 
 
 55 her by the hand, called, saying, Maiden, arise. And 
 her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately: 
 and he commanded that .somrlhing be given her to 
 
 56 eat. And her parents were amazed : but he charged 
 them to tell no man what had been done. 
 
 THEN » he called his twelve disciples together, and 
 gave them power and authority over all devils, 
 and to cure diseases. 
 
 2 And 'he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, 
 and to heal the sick. 
 
 S •'And he said unto them, Take nothing for t/our 
 journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, 
 neither money ; neither have two coats apiece. 
 
 4 « And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, 
 and thence depart. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1 And he called the twelve together, and gave them 
 
 power and authority over all demons, and to cure 
 
 2 diseases. And he sent them forth to preach the 
 
 3 kingdom of Go<l, and to heal ' the sick. And he said 
 unto them. Take nothing for your journey, neither 
 start', nor wallet, nor bread, nor money ; neither have 
 
 4 two coats. And into whatsoever house ye enter, 
 
 ;»::«; Mark 5: ^....J Matt. 10: 1 ; Mark 3:U; 6: 7....C Matt. 10:7, 8; Mark 6:12: cli. 10: 1.9 d Matt. 10: 
 
 .M.irk6: f) ; eh. \0 : i ; 22 : 35 e Mult. 10: 11 ; Mark 6: 10. 1 Some uDcieai uuiboritlus oniii, (Ae <ic<:. 
 
 gives the very Aramsean phrase which he 
 used, Tnlitha citmi. Luke gives the transla- 
 tion. The taking her by the hand, we suppose 
 to have been just a token of the affectionate 
 interest which Jesus felt in a child cut down 
 as a flower, and whom he would restore to 
 life. His simple, vernacular words pierced 
 the dull, cold ear of death, and the first object 
 of her returning consciousness would be the 
 image of her Restorer, holding her by the 
 hand. 
 
 55. And her spirit cHmeas,a.\n {returned), 
 etc. The historical reality of the whole trans- 
 action, and the calm reasonableness of Jesus 
 in it all, appear from his natural concern 
 about her sustenance, in directing that there 
 should be given her to eat. 
 
 56. Anil her parents were astonished. 
 Mark gives a very strong expression of their 
 surprise. They probablj' had seen nothing 
 previously of such mighty works of Jesus; and 
 although the father had gone to entreat frotn 
 him a miracle, the actual occurrence of it 
 could never cease to be wonderful. — But he 
 charged them to tell no man Avhat was 
 (had been) done. Contrast thi.'? with vcr. 30, 
 and see note on 5: 14. An additional reason 
 for reticence now, as in some other cases, might 
 be, the injury to the character of the person 
 saved, if she became the subject of great noto- 
 riety and corresponding attention. 
 
 1-6. The Twelve Apo.<<tles Commis- 
 sioned AND Sent Forth. (Matt. 10: 1,5-16; 
 Mark 6: 7-1 S.) 
 
 1, 2. The place from which the apostles 
 were sent forth is not indicated. In Mark, 
 Nazareth appears to be the last preced- 
 ing note of locality. They had now been 
 long enough with the Master, sharing his 
 
 special instruction, to warrant their being 
 sent abroad by themselves, on a kind of trial 
 tour, partly to prove them for the work which 
 must before long devolve wholly on them, 
 and partly to reach the inhabitants of Galilee 
 more thoroughly in their pitiable need (Matt. 
 9:36), than Jesus could himself do before he 
 must leave that favored region forever. — 
 Then (rather,.4«(^) he called his (i'/ie) twelve 
 disciples (omit disciples) together — sepa- 
 rating them from other disciples and .strangers. 
 — And gave them power and authority. 
 The power was intrinsic authority to meet all 
 Satanic agencies and the maladies of men, 
 while authority was the libertj'^ and full per- 
 mission to use this ability as the occasions 
 which Christ specified should ari.se. — Over 
 all (Me) devils (literally, c?cwows); mentioned 
 first to make conspicuous their antagonism to 
 the devil, his emissaries, and all his work. — 
 And to cure diseases. They were, like 
 their Master, to care for the health of both 
 body and soul. The former, as reallj' as the 
 latter, was a matter of deep concern to our 
 Lord ; and although we trul3' say that his 
 chief and ultimate aim was benefit to souls, 
 no one can set limits to what he would have 
 done simply to relieve men from bodily v/oe. 
 For the sake of mutual support and comfort, 
 the di.sciples were sent in pairs (M.irk6:7), and 
 the means put into their hands to use were the 
 preaching of the kingdom, the antidote to 
 all spiritual disorders, and actual healing of 
 the sick, according to the power which had 
 been impsirted (ver. 2). 
 
 3, 4. The special precepts enjoined in these 
 verses have all one intention, to fix the care of 
 the apostles exclusively on the accomplish- 
 ment of their task, while they left themselves 
 entirely to God's providence, which would 
 
162 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 5 "And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go 
 out of that city, 'shake off the very dust from your feet 
 for a testiuioiiy against theui. 
 
 6 «And theydeparted, and went through the towns, 
 preaching the gospel, and healing every where. 
 
 7 ''Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was 
 done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it 
 was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; 
 
 8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of 
 others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. 
 
 5 there abide, and thence depart. And as many as 
 receive you not, when ye depart from that city, 
 shake otf the dust from your feet for a testimony 
 
 6 against them. And they departed, and went through- 
 out the villages, preaching the gospel, and- healing 
 everywhere. 
 
 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was 
 done: and he was much perple.xed, because that it 
 
 8 was said by some, that John was risen from the 
 dead; and by some, that Elijah had appeared; and 
 by others, that one of the old prophets was risen 
 
 a Matt. 10: U.... 5 Acta 13: 51.... c Mnrk 6 : 12... d Matt. 14: 1; Mark 6: U. 
 
 provide for their necessary support. — The 
 staves (staff, singular), scrip (or wallet), 
 bread, money, would all be naturally 
 thought needful for a journey; but they were 
 to drop all the solicitude which providing 
 and preserving such things would occasion, 
 and learn how entirely they could depend on 
 their Father in heaven. — The coat was the 
 under-garment, at once shirt and tunic, or long 
 vest, covering the man to the knees, or lower. 
 In particular, they were not to be squeamish 
 about the kind of house in which they might 
 have transiently to lodge. Any house of hos- 
 pitable people was good enough to shelter 
 them for the time, and there they were to re- 
 main while they staid in the neighborhood, 
 and thence depart when their work there 
 was done. 
 
 5. But the Master foresaw that not every 
 city or house would receive his disciples in a 
 hospitable manner. Their visit, like his own, 
 would effect a moral discrimination, a "judg- 
 ment" among the people, by which the 
 "worthy" would be separated from those 
 "not worthy" of the gospel (Matt lo: u, is). — 
 When leaving those of the latter class, Jesus 
 commands them — Shake off the very (omit 
 very) dust from your feet for a testimony 
 against them. The action would be a most 
 expressive token of their utter alienation from 
 the Kingdom of God, whose heralds thus re- 
 fused to carry with them on their sandals so 
 much as a particle of the dust from their 
 ground. 
 
 6. Tliese directions they faithfully fulfilled, 
 and went through the towns (better, 
 throughout tlie villages). As no mention is 
 made of cities, we may infer that, in the cir- 
 cuits which Jesus had already made through 
 Galilee, the cities and towns had been chiefly 
 visited, and that these messengers occupied 
 themselves with the smaller places, in order 
 that the glad tidings might reach every needy 
 .soul. — Everywhere, is to be understood with 
 
 the necessary and obvious limitation to Gali- 
 lee. It is an instance of young ministers 
 being exercised and tested, first, on more re- 
 tired fields. 
 
 7-9. Perplexity of Herob. 
 
 7, 8. Now (or. And) Herod the tetrarch 
 heard of all that was done (the things that 
 were done). While the six pairs of apostles 
 were prosecuting their mission of beneficence 
 to body and soul (comp. Mark 6: 12, 13), our 
 Lord was busy by himself, or with other asso- 
 ciates, accomplishing the work for which he 
 was sent (<:«). Ail this taking place within 
 the narrow limits of a section of the domin- 
 ion of Herod Antipas, lying about his chief 
 residence at Tiberias, could not fail to reach 
 his ears, and engage his attention. Very 
 naturally he was much perplexed. The 
 most superficial view of the facts would 
 account for that, and when we add the 
 popular rumors, the manifest excitement of 
 the mobile Galileans, who held him culpable 
 (as Josephus tells us) for killing John the 
 Baptist, we may read, in Luke's expression, 
 a still deeper significance. Fear was mingled 
 with his perplexity, although this is brought 
 out much more distinctly in the other ac- 
 counts, while Luke, merely hinting the fear, 
 makes the perplexity prominent. — Because 
 that it was -said of (by) some, that John 
 w^as risen from the dead, and of (6?/) 
 some, etc. Those who spoke of John, must 
 have been persons unaware that he had so 
 directly described Jesus as the one mightier 
 than he, who was to come after him, or they 
 would not have needed to suppose John risen 
 from the dead, that he should be able to do 
 things which he never did in his mortal state 
 (Mark 6: u). Some, not quite so deeply im- 
 pressed, thought that Elijah had ap- 
 peared. Appeared, not risen — as he had 
 been translated, that he should not see death. 
 This view directly connected Jesus in their 
 minds with the Messiah, as about to appear 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 163 
 
 9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who 
 is this, of whom I liear such things? "And he desired 
 to see liini. 
 
 10 'And the apostles, when they were returned, told 
 hinj all that they had done. '.\ud he took them, and 
 went aside privately into a desert place belonging to 
 the city called Hethsaida. 
 
 9 again. And Herod said, John I beheaded: but who 
 is this, about whom I hear such things? And he 
 sought to see him. 
 10 And the apostles, when they were returned, de- 
 clared unto him what things they had done. And 
 he took them, and withdrew apart to a city called 
 
 ach 2:j: 8 b Mark 6: 30 c Matt. U: 13. 
 
 (comp. Mai. 4: 5), and involved an explana- 
 tion of his miraculous efficiency. So, with 
 that of tho.se who did not go higher in their 
 conjecture than one of the old (ancient) 
 prophets, .supposed to be risen to life again. 
 9. To these diverse opinions or surmises, 
 Herod replies as not satisfied. John have I 
 beheaded. The sense is, "It cannot be 
 John; as for him, he is certainly dead, for I 
 put him to death." The / is strongly em- 
 phatic. The idea of resurrection on his 
 part, or that of the prophets, does not aftect 
 him much. And yet, if not John, who could 
 it be?— Who is this, of (i. e., about) whom I 
 hear such things? It is a mystery, and to 
 his godless, but superstitious disposition, a 
 trouble as well as a doubt. — And he desired 
 (sought) to see him. So had he been per- 
 plexed about John, when alive (MarksiM), 
 when he u.sed to hear him gladly. But 
 Jesus evidently avoided him, never appa- 
 rently having entered Tiberias, near which 
 he spent so much time. Matthew and Mark, 
 it will be noticed, report a subsequent stage 
 of his reflections, when he had become per- 
 suaded that John was really risen frtun the 
 dead. 
 
 The passing allusion in ver. 9, is all that 
 Luke gives us concerning the tragical end of 
 the great forerunner. Matthew and Mark, 
 the latter most fully, relate the sad and 
 shameful particulars. Melancholy, indeed, 
 was the closing stage of that bold, energetic, 
 and zealous career. If it were the only case 
 of the kind, we should find in it an im- 
 peachment of the equity of God's provi- 
 dence. But we know rather, that it was an 
 instance of a general rule of providence, that 
 the greatest characters, and those that play 
 the most important parts in the history of 
 human redemption, must purchase their emi- 
 nence by suffering, and end their days, often, 
 ■with slight evidence of the greatness of the 
 work they have wrought. Disappointment, 
 persecution, and worldly dishonor, attended 
 the experience of prophets, apostles, and 
 their Master himself, as well as of exalted 
 
 specimens of pious fidelity in the subsequent 
 time, quite to our day. But none of them 
 would have desired our pity. They were 
 happy even in their sufferings, and would 
 have spurned the highest worldly felicity as 
 an alternative. They had regard to the re- 
 compense of the reward; but more moving 
 was the word: "Happj' are ye, for so perse- 
 cuted they the prophets who were before you, 
 and into whose company you thus come! " 
 
 10-17. Rkturn of the Twelve, and 
 Feeding of the Five Thousand. (Comp. 
 Matt. 14: 13-23; Mark 6: 30-44; John 6: 
 1-14.) 
 
 10. And the apostles, when they were 
 returned. How long they were absent can- 
 not be told — probably some weeks, but not 
 months. Told him what things they had 
 done. The Greek verb intimates that they 
 gave him a narrative. To have the particu- 
 lars of their report would have been very 
 interesting, and surely instructive. From 
 Mark 6: 12, 18, we may confidently infer 
 what, for substance, it must have been. We 
 are later told (io:n), what it was which had 
 specially impressed the seventy in their anal- 
 ogous experience. And he took them and 
 went aside (icithdrew), etc. This, as we 
 shall see, expresses rather what he desired 
 and aimed at, than what he accomiilished. 
 His motive seems to have been, partly, the 
 desire of rest for them, probably also for 
 himself (Mttik6:3i), and partly that he might, 
 with them, consider deliberately' their report 
 for instruction and encouragement to them. 
 For this there was no opportunitj', amid 
 the multitude of "comers and goers" (Mark), 
 where they were. — Privately — the Revision 
 says "apart," which, in the sense of "by 
 themselves," is correct; but the Common 
 Version gives the intention and spirit. They 
 went by boat, starting from some one of the 
 numerous points on the western side of the 
 lake.— The city called Bethsaida. Putting 
 together this and the "desert place" of Mat- 
 thew and Mark, we see that the design was 
 to reach the unoccupied plain east of the 
 
164 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 11 And the people, when they knew i7, followed hiiu: 
 and he received them, and spake unto them of the 
 kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of 
 healing. 
 
 1^ "And when the day hegan to wear away, then 
 came the twelve, and said unto him. Send the multi- 
 tude away, that they may go into the towns and coun- 
 try round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we 
 are here in a desert place. 
 
 13 But he said unto them. Give ye them to eat. And 
 they said. We have no more but live loaves and two 
 fishes ; except we should go and buy meat for all this 
 people. 
 
 14 For they were about five thousand men. And he 
 said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a 
 company. 
 
 11 Bethsaida. But the multitudes perceiving it fol- 
 lowed him: and he welcomed them, and spake to 
 them oJ the kingdom of God, and them that had 
 
 12 need of healing he healed. And the day began to 
 wear away ; and the twelve came, and said unto 
 him. Send the multitude away, that they may go 
 into the villages and country round about, and 
 lodge, and get provisions : for we are here in a desert 
 
 13 place. But he said unto them. Give ye them to eat. 
 And they said. We have no more than five loaves 
 and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for 
 
 14 all this people. For they were about five thousand 
 men. And he said unto bis disciples, Make them 
 
 a M;itt. 11 : 15 ; Mark 6 : 35 ; John 6:1,6. 
 
 mouth of the Jordan, at the northern end 
 of the hike. There, two miles up the river, 
 hiy the new city of Bethsaida, called specially 
 "Bethsaida Julias"=Julia's Bethsaida, be- 
 cause Philip the tetrarch had built it in honor 
 of the emperor's daughter, Julia. Some ruins 
 of it are supposed to be recognized now, bear- 
 ing the name Et Tell. This city, being east 
 of the Jordan, was in Gaulonitis, and distinct 
 from Bethsaida of Galilee (Job" 12: 21). Kcland 
 (Palaestina, p. 653 ff.), completely established 
 the double reference of the name. (See Jose- 
 phus, Ant, 18: 2, 1 ; 18 : 4, 6; Wars of Jews, 
 2: 9, 1; 3: 10,7.) The expectation of find- 
 ing rest there, on the Saviour's part, was dis- 
 appointed. 
 
 11. And the people, (lit., the multitudes), 
 when they knew it — namely, that they 
 had sailed for Bethsaida — followed him 
 "on foot" (Matt, and Mark), and reached the place 
 before him. A glance at a good map will 
 show that the distance around the curve of 
 the lake, was so little in excess of the straight 
 course of a vessel from one of the northwest- 
 ern harbors, that the pedestrians might out- 
 walk the boat if it encountered a calm, or 
 an adverse wind. Weary as he was, and long- 
 ing for quiet with his disciples, instructed 
 also as to the vain curiosity which moved 
 many of them (John 6: 26), still he received 
 (i.e., welcomed) them, in hope of good to 
 some, and spake unto them of the king- 
 dom of God. Here was a text suggestive 
 of hours of discourse, that the truth m'ght 
 be made intelligible, and sent home to indi- 
 vidual hearts ; and the discourse was diversi- 
 fied by practical mercies; for them that had 
 need of healing he healed. Thus a good 
 part of the day may have been spent. 
 
 12. Then came the twelve, and said 
 unto him, Send the multitude away, etc. 
 
 The solitude which would have been an ex- 
 cellent place for the conference and rest of a 
 few, became now an occasion of anxiety to 
 the apostles. What was this throng to do for 
 food, and lodging for the night? Nothing 
 appeared but that they should be got to scat- 
 ter among the neighboring villages and farm- 
 houses — what to do there, perhaps the apostles 
 did not see clearly ; but the charge would, at 
 least, be removed from them. They intimate 
 their opinion to Jesus in a tone as if, rather, 
 he had been disciple and they the master. 
 
 13. Give ye them to eat. Ye is emphatic. 
 Do not .send them off, in an uncertainty, to 
 others ; provide a meal for them yourselves. 
 It was one of those paradoxical precepts by 
 which Jesus often arrested attention, and made 
 truth and duty more impressive. The dis- 
 ciples were almost shocked, and thought they 
 proved the impossibility of compliance, by 
 showing that they had scarcely half food 
 enough for a meal for themselves. — We have 
 no more but five loaves (biscuits) and two 
 fishes — and there was probably a touch of 
 irony in the addition— except we should go 
 and buy meat (food) for all this people. 
 This would have required, as they estimated, 
 an outlay equivalent to two hundred dollars 
 now (Mark 3:7; comp. on 7 : 41). They had a 
 treasurer (Judas), and a common fund in a 
 wallet, to meet inevitable expenses ; but we 
 may well doubt whether it ever contained two 
 hundred pence (denaries) at once. Nothing 
 less would answer now. 
 
 14. For they were about five thousand 
 men — not human beings, but men (dfSpe?), not 
 counting women or children. Our Lord had 
 in mind not merely to satisf^^ the natural want 
 of this great throng for food, which excited 
 his compassion, but to give also a fresh de- 
 monstration of his power over nature, while 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 IGo 
 
 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 
 
 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, 
 and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, 
 and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 
 
 17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there 
 was taken up of fragments that remained to them 
 twelve baskets. 
 
 IT) 1 sit down in companies, about fifty each. And they 
 
 16 did so, and made them all '-sit down. And he took 
 the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to 
 heaven, he blessed them, and brake; and gave to the 
 
 17 disciples to set before the multitude. And they did 
 eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up that 
 which remained over to them of broken pieces, 
 twelve baskets. 
 
 1 Gr. recline. 
 
 he illustrated symbolically the destination of 
 his disciples to dispense spiritual nourishment 
 to famishing souls. Hence he makes them 
 the medium and agents through whom this 
 great benefit shall be wrought. — Make them 
 sit down = recline — by fifties in a com- 
 pany (rather, in companies — lines or rows), 
 like those at the tables of a banquet, only 
 much more numerous. — By fifties = fifty in 
 each. The preparation was deliberate, or- 
 derly, and becoming to a meal, even the 
 simplest, in the presence of the Lord. They 
 were required to recline on the grass, and not 
 take, as might happen, whatever any one 
 could reach. Mark, as in so many instances, 
 pictures the scene, showing the people ar- 
 ranged in "companies" (Greek, banquets), 
 indicating that there was a decorous breaking 
 up of the throng into regular groups, suita- 
 ble for sociability, and convenient to be sup- 
 plied. This may imply the placing of each 
 group in the form of a three-sided hollow 
 square, after the manner of a festive table; 
 and such a supposition is favored by the other 
 descriptive word in Mark, "ranks" (Greek, 
 garden beds (a^poo-ioli), See Homer, Odys, 7: 127, 
 in the garden <tf Alcinous). 
 
 15. The plan was carried out by the dis- 
 ciples, and we may almost see them seated in 
 companies, of fifty each, on the green grass of 
 early spring. MacGregor (Rob Roy on the 
 Jordan), studying the subject on the spot, 
 supposes the arrangement to have been in one 
 parallelogram of fifty files, each of one hun- 
 dred men, making one hundred ranks. This 
 is less conformable to the description given in 
 the text. 
 
 16. When all were regularly seated, and 
 quiet, Jesus took the five loaves . . . and 
 blessed. Blessed, when spoken of things, 
 as here, means thankfully prayed that God's 
 favor might accompany the use of them. 
 Our Lord's habit of so doing before meals, 
 signified at once his own gratitude for daily 
 supplies, his desire that all might conduce to 
 the best accomplishment of his work in life, 
 
 and his sense of the propriety of such feeling 
 and practice on the part of all who receive 
 God's gifts. — And brake, and gave to the 
 disciples to set before the multitude. 
 The loaves, as we have seen, were rather 
 biscuits, crackers, or pilot-bread, and the 
 fishes, probably salted, dried, and somewhat 
 brittle, so that breaking was a natural way of 
 dividing them into parts. 
 
 17. And they did eat, and were all 
 filled. Never had so vast a satiety resulted 
 from so meagre a visible supply. As to the 
 manner of it, no one can do more than con- 
 jecture, how the quantity in the hands of 
 Jesus, or from his hands, grew to meet the 
 often returning baskets, in the hands of the 
 ministering disciples — perhaps many more 
 than the twelve — until the last rank of the 
 remotest company had been visited once and 
 again, and all had enough. Then the supply 
 on hand was many times greater than it had 
 been in the first place. — And there Avas 
 taken up of fragments that remained to 
 them (rather, that which remained over to 
 them of broken pieces — Revision), twelve 
 baskets. The broken pieces are not so 
 well thought to be "fragments" left by the 
 eaters, as pieces broken by Christ, and ready 
 for them if they had wanted more. Perhaps 
 no one considered it then, but the apostles 
 must often have seen afterwards, how they 
 had, on that grassy waste, been conveying, in 
 an emblem, their Saviour himself, as they 
 were then doing in reality, through his word 
 and Spirit, to the hungry, famishing souls 
 of men. And they were not long in learning 
 that in his one person was provision appropri- 
 ate to the needs of each particular soul, and 
 more than ample for the needs of all. Of that, 
 also, a store alwaj's remains over, and the 
 last heart that pants for pardon and holiness 
 will have no reason to doubt that he also may 
 eat and be satisfied. 
 
 The baskets used on this occasion were prob- 
 ably such as the Jews commonly carried about 
 with them, in heathen neighborhoods at least, 
 
166 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 18 " And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, bis 
 disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, 
 Whom say the people that I am ? 
 
 18 And it came to pass, as he was praying apart, the 
 disciples were with him : and he aslied them, saying, 
 
 a Matt. 16 : 13 ; Mark 8 : '11. 
 
 perhaps more to make sure of having unpol- 
 luted food and clothing, than for any other 
 convenience. Juvenal, Sat. 3 : 14, speaks of 
 the basket (using the same word as here), and 
 bundle of hay, as the characteristic token of 
 a Jew, amid the mixed population of Kome. 
 The size, therefore, if indeed there was a uni- 
 form size, was not such as to be inconvenient 
 for constant use, further than which we have 
 nothing to guide our judgment. The four 
 Evangelists employ the same term, among the 
 several for naming different kinds of baskets, 
 and some early Greek lexicographers, though 
 long subsequent to Christ's day, speak of the 
 cophinus as "a capacious vessel." 
 
 18-27. Peter Declares Jesus to be 
 THE Messiah. The Law of Disc;iple- 
 SHiP. Compare Matt. 16: 13-20. 
 
 This narrative supposes a considerable time 
 to have elapsed, and space to have been trav- 
 eled, since the one with which we have just 
 been occupied. There we had the parallel 
 reports of the/ow;- Evangelists. Careful study 
 of the other three shows that the feeding of 
 the five thousand marked a very important 
 crisis in the Saviour's life. The mistaken en- 
 thusiasm of the multitude in favor of one who 
 seemed to them repeating the wonder of Moses 
 in thebestowment of the manna, would brook 
 no longer delay in having him declare himself 
 the Messiah and deliverer of the Jewish na- 
 tion. "We read, therefore (John6:i5), that he, 
 knowing that they are about to come and 
 sei^e him, to make him a Y\n^, flees again 
 into the mountain himself alone. The other 
 Gospels say that before doing this he compelled 
 his disciples to go on board the vessel, and 
 precede him to the other side. This, Luke 
 passes over, as do all the Synoptics the dis- 
 course at Capernaum the next day (John 6: 22), 
 so important in dispelling the delusions of the 
 crowd, and thinningtheir number. Nor does 
 Luke allude to any of the long series of im- 
 portant movements of the Lord, recorded in 
 Mark 6: 45—8: 26, and the parallel portions 
 of Matthew. Some weeks, not improbably 
 months, must have passed. The Saviour, 
 still seeking retirement, had gone from Ca- 
 pernaum to the country of Tyre and Sidon, to 
 the west of Galilee, thence eastward across the 
 
 Upper Jordan, and around through Decapo- 
 lis, to the eastern border of the lake, where he 
 again fed a hungry company of four thousand, 
 beside women and children ; thence to the 
 southern or western shore, from which he 
 next sails to Bethsaida Julias once more, and 
 apparently on his journey to the far north, 
 which brought him where the present section 
 of Luke again brings him before us. 
 
 There is not only an omission of all this by 
 this Evangelist, but he does not even name the 
 scene of what he here relates. Both Matthew 
 and Mark, however, inform us that it was 
 "in the parts," "among the villages" "of 
 Cesarea Philippi," which lay near the sources 
 of the Jordan, at the foot of Mount Hermon, 
 the southern point of the gigantic Lebanon 
 range. 
 
 18. And it came to pass, as he was 
 alone praying. Alom (Greek, kotoL n6va<i, 
 on lonely [ways]) means "apart from the 
 public view." The disciples were with 
 him — of his company, but not, necessarily, at 
 the moment close by him, as at Gethsemane. 
 While he courted solitude, he might well de- 
 sire to have them near. Great concerns were 
 on his mind. He was about to leave Galilee, 
 the chief scene of his labors for two years }>iist 
 and upward, to return to it no more. He was 
 leaving it for Jerusalem, that favored and 
 guilty city, outside of which it was not per- 
 mitted that a prophet should die. The hos- 
 tility of the ruling Jews had reached that 
 point of decision and unscrupulousness, 
 which showed that they would not stoj) short 
 of his death, while the worldly motives and 
 the fickleness of the crowds, gave no promise 
 of a present turning of the people to him. He 
 himself was going to Jerusalem to die. And 
 on his disciples, now partially tested, must 
 devolve the task of carrying forward the en- 
 terprise which he had begun. This affecting 
 and testing truth must now be reve-aled to 
 them. How would they endure it? How did 
 their idea concerning him compare with the 
 popular view? And what precisely was this? 
 These subjects must have lain weightily on 
 his heart in that prayer which Luke, alone 
 again of the Evangelists, has mentioned. 
 Close after the prayer it probably was (Mark 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 167 
 
 19 They answering said, <■ John the Baptist; but some 
 xay, Klias ; and others say, that one ot the old prophets 
 is risen again. 
 
 20 He said unto them, But whom say ve that I am? 
 * Peter answering said, The Christ of (joa. 
 
 21 •'And he straitly charged theu, and commanded 
 them to tell no man that thing; 
 
 22 Saying, 'The .Son of man must suffer many things, 
 and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and 
 scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 
 
 19 Who do the multitudes say that I am? And they 
 answering said, John the Baptist; but others xay, 
 Elijah ; and others, that one of the old prophets is 
 
 20 risen again. And he said unto them. But who say 
 ye that 1 am? And Peter answering said, T^e Christ 
 
 21 of (iod. But he charged them, and commanded them 
 
 22 to tell this to no man; saying. The Son of man must 
 suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and 
 chief priests and scribes, and be liilled, and the third 
 
 I Mutt. 14 : 2 ; ver. T, 8 h Matt. 16 ■ 16 j John 6 : 
 
 .c Matt. 16: 20 d Matt. 16: 21 ; 17: 22. 
 
 says simply on the way) that he asked them^ 
 saying, Whom say the people (who do the 
 
 multitude say) that I am ? Momentous ques- 
 tion ! Should we not expect, after the excite- 
 ment consequent on the feeding of the five 
 thou.sand, that the people generally must 
 speak of him as the Messiah ? But the spirit- 
 ual and enlightening di.scourse in Capernaum 
 (comp. John 6: 6t)) had prepared us for the 
 answer which now ctunos. 
 
 19. John the Baptist — some still rate him 
 so high as to suppose that the Messiah is soon 
 to follow — But some — giving him a less ex- 
 alted rank — say, Elias [Elijah) — next in 
 pre-eminence to .Fohn — and others — merely 
 — that one of the old prophets is risen 
 again — any one that may chance. No 
 climax, but a regular descent from John 
 the liaptist. Not one voice reported from 
 among the multitude — and the disciples had 
 enjoyed a wide opportunity to learn the 
 po])ular views — declared for the Messiah- 
 ship of Jesus. Notice that this report from 
 the "multitude" does not preclude the as- 
 surance that in private circles, like the home 
 of Lazarus and Mary, a clear, though par- 
 tial, recognition of Christ's true character, 
 wrought its blessed effects. Notice, also, 
 that the least appreciative did not deny to 
 Jesus the character of a prophet; like the 
 honored ones of former da3's. 
 
 20. But it is hard for us, following care- 
 fully this narrative, to avoid the feeling that 
 it was with a degree of anxiety that Jesus 
 now came home to the twelve themselves. — 
 But whom say ye that I am ? Ye i,s, in 
 the Greek, strongly emphatic, as if it read : 
 "Ye, however, say me to be whom?" Per- 
 haps he cared, after all, very little about the 
 multitude, whose ideas of a Messiah he knew 
 could not correspond to him, but everything 
 about the judgment of his apostles, on whom 
 so much depended in the further presenta- 
 tion of his work. If they were right, all 
 would yet come right. Happily, their answer 
 
 was in a different tone. — Peter, ansAvering 
 
 — as usual, spokesman for the body, who had 
 all been questioned — said. The Christ of 
 God. This is the laconic sum of the fuller 
 reply, as reported in Matthew, "The Christ, 
 the Son of the living God." — The Christ= 
 "the Anointed One"="the Messiah." — Of 
 God — foreordained, promised, predicted, 
 given, manifested, by God. This was enough. 
 In it lay the tiny seed which should grow to 
 become a tree of life, and spread until its 
 branches filled the whole space under the 
 heavens. 
 
 21. How little matter it made, compara- 
 tively, that the multitudes did not call him 
 Messiah, appears from the injunction which 
 follows. They themselves had not come to 
 their conclusion concerning him by any pro- 
 cess of natural reasoning; it was a revelation, 
 not from flesh and blood, not through the 
 operations merely of any logical understand- 
 ing, but direct from the Father of Jesus in 
 heaven (M..tt. is: i-). 
 
 21. And (rather, hut)h.v, straitly— strictly 
 — charged them, and commanded them to 
 tell no man that thing (better, tell this to no 
 man). They might hear the whole truth con- 
 cerning the Messiah, but to the multitude it 
 would now be only a stumbling-block. Grad- 
 ually, at the best, and as God's providence 
 should unfold the whole truth, could any of 
 these receive it. And could even they, the 
 apostles, to whom God had revealed the fact, 
 could the^- bear the explanation of the fact? 
 
 22. This was now to be tested, by his 
 saying. The Son of man must suffer 
 many things, etc. His lot is not to be, in 
 the earthly sense, a hajipy one; but a lot of 
 suffering. This, itself, would be a hard say- 
 ing to those who held the ordinary* views of 
 the Messiah, as a royal and glorious person- 
 age. But there was more to be told in the 
 same strain, and Jesus brings out the particu- 
 lars in appallifig words. — .\nd be rejected of 
 the elders, etc. Instead of himself becoin- 
 
168 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 23 "And he said to thi'm all, If a.ny man will come 
 after me, let him deny himself, and lake up his cross 
 daily, and follow me. 
 
 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : but 
 whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall 
 save it. 
 
 23 day be raised up. And he said unto all, If any mav 
 would come after me, let him deny himself, am', take 
 
 24 up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever 
 would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall 
 
 a Matt. 10: 38; 16 : 24 ; Mark 8: 34: ch. 14: 27. 
 
 ing popularly the source of religious author- 
 ity, and controller of the customs of worship, 
 he is to he cast out, excommunicated by the 
 most highly esteemed of the nation, paragons 
 of sanctity and righteousness, as men sup- 
 posed.— And be slain— with their approval, 
 of course. This he told them as a reason for 
 keeping silent in regard to his M^ssiahship, 
 to other people. And although he added — 
 And be raised the third day. It was long 
 before they even understood the meaning of 
 that, not to speak of finding comfort in it. 
 How little the multitude were as yet ready 
 for any right acknowledgment of Jesus as the 
 Christ, according to his true plan, appears 
 convincingly when we read in Matthew and 
 Mark, that even Peter was shocked at hearing 
 him speak of his future rejection and death, 
 and that he felt at liberty to contradict and 
 rebuke his Lord. 
 
 23-27. The Law of Disciplkship to 
 Christ. Matt. 16: 24-28; Mark 8: 34—9: 1. 
 
 23. The germ, at least, of a great truth 
 was now distinctly lodged in their hearts, 
 without actually shaking their attachment 
 to him; and when they joined again the out- 
 side throng, from whom they had tempo- 
 rarily withdrawn, he said to all— to the 
 crowd as well as to his chosen — If any man 
 will come after me, let him deny him- 
 self. — To come after Christ was to become 
 his disciple, which, in typical cases, involved 
 the actual leaving of other interests to go 
 with him wherever he went. In this rela- 
 tion of teacher and pupil, he, as the custom 
 was, went first in their travels, and thus the 
 expression "to go after him" was a literal 
 statement of the fact (comp. 14: 25-27). Af- 
 terward it became a metaphorical description 
 of attachment to Christ, when there was no 
 outward change of place, but only an inward 
 change of relation toward him. So we, by a 
 natural transfer of ideas, speak of following 
 Christ as equivalent to leading a Christian 
 life. This really involves all that there is of 
 it. But to make explicit what might fail to 
 appear, he adds — Let him deny himself. 
 This means more, far more, than we frequently 
 
 intend when we speak of denying oneself; 
 the giving up something we value, refraining 
 from something we could desire, that some 
 more worthy or important end may be gained 
 The merest worldling and epicurean may do 
 that, often must do it, as a prudent worldling. 
 It means more than that we should subdue 
 our baser propensities, and be governed by 
 reason and conscience in all that we do. 
 That is the aim of philosophy; and he who 
 should have succeeded in it would not, in 
 Christ's sense, have denied himself, but only 
 indulged his better self. The Master means 
 that one in becoming his disciple must re- 
 nounce altogether the claim and disposition 
 to be his own man ; acknowledge him as Pro- 
 prietor, Teacher, Leader, Lord ; giving him- 
 self away entire, judgment, reason, as well as 
 passion, propensity, desire, and will, to one 
 who is seen to be alone worthy' to direct and 
 employ all. — And take up his cross daily. 
 Here again we have, by speaking of the toils, 
 burdens, disappointments, and sorrows of life 
 as "our crosses which we have to bear," 
 grievously belittled the Saviour's meaning. 
 He had these also, but they were not his cross. 
 His cross was the heavy stake which he set out 
 to carry from Pilate's judgment-seat to Cal- 
 vary, that he might hang on it to die. Such 
 scenes all men were familiar with where the 
 cruel punishments of Rome were known. 
 The expression now used was probably pro- 
 verbial, and there was signified by it that the 
 true disciple must follow his Lord, ready to 
 yield life itself for his cause. He .«hould walk 
 — daily — constantly, with the cross, meta- 
 phorically, on his shoulder, devoting the body 
 of sin in him to merited death, and the nat- 
 ural life to extinction when fidelity to Christ 
 should require it. And — so let him — follow 
 me. This, and nothing less, is to follow him. 
 24. This severe requirement Jesus justifies 
 and explains. For whosoever will — wills, 
 is resolved to — save his life shall lose it. 
 The man that prizes the natural life so as to 
 withhold it from Christ, who requires the giv- 
 ing of it up, may retain it longer than other- 
 wise here, but will lose it as the ground for the 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 169 
 
 25 " For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the 
 whole world, and lose hiiusell', or be cast away? 
 
 26 » For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my 
 words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when 
 he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, 
 and of the holy angels. 
 
 27 ' But I teil you of a truth, there be some standing 
 here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the 
 kingdom of God. 
 
 25 lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For 
 what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, 
 
 2G and lose or forfeit his own self? For whosoever 
 shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall 
 the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in his 
 own glory, and Ike gloni of the Father, and of the 
 
 27 holy angels. Hut I tell you of a truth, There are 
 some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise 
 taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. 
 
 a Mntt. 16: 2S; Mark 8: 36 h Matt. 10 : 33 : Mark 8: 38; 2 Tim. 2: 12 c Matt. 16: 28; Mark 9 : 1. 
 
 eternal welfare, the life alone worth living 
 for. — But whosoever will lose his life for 
 my sake — yield it up in the fulfillment of my 
 will concerning him — the same shall save it 
 
 — shall rejoice eternally and the more richly 
 in the blessedness of heaven. 
 
 25. Such self-sacrifice is consistent with the 
 true advantage of ever^' man. — For what is a 
 man advantaged i<>vp7-oJited) if he gain the 
 whole world, and lose {or forfeit) himself. 
 A more exact translation would be " in having 
 gained," "in having lost," etc. The Greek 
 shows that the Saviour now looks back on an 
 opportunity lost, on a ruin accomplished. 
 What are we to say of the advantage, when it 
 appears that a man in gaining as he did, 
 supposably, the whole world, for the space 
 of his subsequent stay on earth, has lost — 
 thrown away, himself, or /o?'/ei^efZ=sufFered 
 the loss of, himself— been mulcted of eternal 
 life ? The case of Dives in the parable (ch. la), is 
 a slight approach to a parallel. Excluded 
 from heaven, what is eternal existence to him 
 but endless bankruptcy of joy, of proper life! 
 
 26. The principle stated on which such dis- 
 astrous failure takes place — For whosoever 
 shall be ashamed of me, etc. He is think- 
 ing of those within the circle of gospel privi- 
 lege, and sees that the root of their refusal to 
 embrace his service lies in pride, or the feeling 
 of shame at being reckoned followers of one 
 who has, and oflers so little, of what the natu- 
 ral mind esteems. The shame of such on the 
 part of the Son of man will appear in his re- 
 fusal to recognize them when even they would 
 regard his favor as an honor and a blessing. — 
 When he shall come in his own glory. 
 Own is not warranted by the Greek. — His 
 glory — is that impression of divine excellence, 
 the " form of God," of which he emptied him- 
 self at the Incarnation, but which he resumed 
 with added honor at his Ascension, which he 
 will wear at his Second Advent, and which we 
 think of as an ineffable radiance or splendor. 
 —And in his Father's— the tokens of dignity 
 and rule lent to him by his Father, that he 
 
 may represent him in the throne of eternal 
 judgment. — And— the glory — of the holy 
 angels— who will constitute the celestial leti- 
 nue with which he will come to receive his 
 faithful ones to himself. For the i)alpabie 
 implication is, that by as much as that illus- 
 trious epiphany will bring shame to the un- 
 believers who have been ashamed of him, 
 will it announce glory and recompense to all 
 who have clung to him in his humble earthly 
 manifestation 
 
 27. But I tell you of a truth. The re- 
 mark i>lain!y implies that an important state- 
 ment is to follow. The conjunction but stands 
 for a Greek particle, adapted to connect the 
 sentence to the preceding without sharply de- 
 ciding whether the relation is one of agree- 
 ment="and," or of opposition =" but." It 
 depends entirely on the translator's view of 
 this relation whether he renders it "and" or 
 "but." "And" might be used in this case, 
 unless it would mar the train of thought. It 
 probably would show more directly the train 
 of thought, which seems to be, in brief, "and 
 some now here will be alive to see that glorious 
 coming." But — suits better with the suppo- 
 sition that what is to be said relates to some- 
 thing more or less diflTerent from the preced- 
 ing. "But I say to you truly, another kind 
 of a coming of the kingdom will take place 
 sooner." This would be convenient for 
 the expositor, of our time, who does not see 
 that the predicted coming actually took place 
 before the eyes of any then living. But it 
 would greatly belittle the dignity and weight 
 of this closing declaration to assume, even 
 here in Luke, that it contemplates something 
 else than what has just been spoken of. In 
 the parallel reports of Matthew and Mark, 
 there is no shadow of doubt that the previous 
 topic is continued. 
 
 "We thus, indeed, meet a very serious diffi- 
 culty of interpretation, but not more so than 
 we often encounter in stud^nng the apparent 
 dates avid chronological relations of events 
 announced in unfulfilled prophecy. Christ 
 
170 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 speaks as a prophet, and reveals future facts 
 of great spiritual importance, to occur in an 
 increasing, but never completed development. 
 "With them may mingle other facts, also fore- 
 told, which may be described physically, and 
 which have their distinct occasions in the 
 calendar of earth. Hence, the perplexity to 
 our understanding, and hence, the light to our 
 faith. — There be (are) some (of those) stand- 
 ing here which shall not (or, bi/ no means) 
 taste of death, etc. The aim of this state- 
 ment seems to be, pretty clearly, to cheer and 
 sustain the disciples under the present and 
 immediately threatening contrast of circum- 
 stances, to that glory which shall yet be re- 
 vealed to them. Be not discouraged ; the 
 time is not long. Not all of you will see 
 it during the term of your natural lives, but 
 some will. — To taste of death — is " to die," 
 according to the usage, familiar in Hebrew 
 and in Greek, of employing "taste" to sig- 
 nify "experience," "be cognizant of," "have 
 a share of." — Shall not — most certainly shall 
 not. 
 
 Because all that Jesus had spoken of as per- 
 taining to his glorious advent, and ns bespoke 
 of it, did not take place during that genera- 
 tion, infidel critics have found our Lord not 
 a truthful foreteller. For the same reason, 
 the most reverent expounders have been 
 greatly perplexed, and felt it necessary (many 
 of them), to force the language of our verse 
 to refer to something apart from the glorious 
 coming. Thus, some have contended that 
 the reference in the prophecy is to the Trans- 
 figuration, occurring a week after these words 
 were spoken, and related here, in the next 
 paragraph. This, if regarded as a complete 
 explanati(»n, would not, indeed, be incongruous 
 with the limitation of the vision to some of 
 those standing there, as only three of them 
 saw the glorified Saviour; but it was not such 
 a coming, if any at all, as involved the put- 
 ting to shame of those who had refused Christ. 
 Others think of the resurrection of Christ 
 from the dead, as here foretold ; or, the be- 
 stowment of the Holy Spirit on the Day of 
 Pentecost; or, the establishment of the Church 
 among Jews and Gentiles; or, the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, regarded both as an inflic- 
 tion of Christ's displeasure against the apos- 
 tate and wicked nation, and a deliverance of 
 the gospel from their etfective hostility, " con- 
 trary to all men" as they were. Generally, 
 
 the advocate of one of these hypotheses re- 
 jects the rest; and in attempting to make a 
 complete explanation, becomes confused, 
 strained, and inadequate. Why may we not 
 suppose them all, and whatever else was ex- 
 perienced toward the realization of the king- 
 dom within the next forty or fifty years, dur- 
 ing which some of Christ's believing hearers 
 would be alive and remain? Would not all 
 this amount, according to our Lord's frequent 
 way of speaking, to such a coming as would 
 answer to his prophecy here? That he could 
 not have been reasonably understood as prom- 
 ising that the winding up of the administra- 
 tion of his cause on earth would take place 
 within a life-time, we may believe from the 
 fact that he had already spoken parables 
 which presupposed a longer continuance, and 
 afterwards spoke still more decidedly. But 
 he knows that the full consummation is to be; 
 and in prophetic vision he sees stages of its 
 progress stretching out before him, with the 
 destruction of Jerusalem more definitely 
 marked as associated with the deliverance of 
 his friends and punishment of his enemies. 
 The accomplishment of so much may well 
 appear as not only a great progress, but as a 
 specimen and earnest of the full work, though 
 this stretches on in a further unfolding into 
 eternity. Looking at the whole, Jesus speaks 
 in the language which we refer entirely to the 
 coining which is to attend the extinction of 
 nature and the consummation of this age. 
 When he looks at a lesser portion of it, he 
 speaks of what will be accomplished before 
 all his hearers see death. 
 
 To our feelings there naturally seems such 
 a distance between this last-named modicum 
 of blessedness, largely clouded with imper- 
 fections and troubles, that we doubt whether 
 it could be called a coming at all, in compari- 
 son with the remaining glory. But it might 
 not have appeared so to the Saviour, and 
 might not appear so to us, if we could think 
 of the matter apart from those physical images 
 of eflTulgent splendor, crowns, angelic forms, 
 and archangelic trumpets, in which it is now 
 necessary for us to frame ideas of heaven. 
 Peter (2 Pet. i: le-is) certainly found, even in the 
 Transfiguration, a pledge and sample of the 
 heavenly glory (the power and coming — 
 Parousia) of the Lord ; yet who can doubt 
 that he saw a still more impressive glory in 
 the mediatorial majesty displayed through 
 
Ch. 
 
 IX.] 
 
 
 
 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 171 
 
 28 "And it came to pass about 
 these sayings, he took Peter and J 
 weat up into a muuiitaiu to pray. 
 
 an 
 uhii 
 
 eiRht days 
 aud James 
 
 after 
 , and 
 
 28 And it 
 sayings, 
 
 came to 
 he took 
 
 pass about 
 with him 
 
 eipht d 
 I'eter 
 
 lys 
 >ud 
 
 after these 
 John and 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 a Matt. IT : 1 
 
 ; M»ri 9 : 2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and in all his 
 triumphs of that age. It is not a subject for 
 measurements and statistics; but we can 
 easily believe that to celestial vision the dif- 
 ference between the gospel glory of the last 
 years of John, the beloved disciple, and the 
 fifteenth year of Tiberius, was more remark- 
 able than that between those years and the 
 end of the world. The apostles died in hope 
 of something still better; but they knew, 
 and had given the proof to many, that the 
 Kingdom of God was come. 
 
 Some would reconcile the language of our 
 verse with the subsequent facts, by assuming 
 the |)romise to be conditioned on the repent- 
 ance of the Jews as a nation (and comp. Acts 
 3:19ff. ); and others (to mention no more) 
 think the words may have been spoken on a 
 dift'erent occasion, butthen assigned, at an early 
 period, in the common memoir of Christ's 
 sayings, to this connection as apposite, and so 
 transmitted to us. "We prefer the view above 
 sketched, that he spoke in ver. 27 of the same 
 manifestation of his kingdom as in ver. 26, 
 but in an earlier stage of it, and without 
 noting the chronological gradation. 
 
 Every one may see how this difficulty itself 
 proves the composition of the Synoptic Gos- 
 pels during the generation contemporary with 
 the Lord. 
 
 28-36. The Transfiguration. Matt. 
 17: 1-13; Mark 9: 2-13. 
 
 28. And it came to pass about an eight 
 days after these sayings. — All the Synop- 
 tists are particular to mark the date of this 
 very important event in the life of our Lord, 
 and all, doubtless, mean one week, two ex- 
 cluding the days of the two events, and nam- 
 ing six days, Luke including the two and 
 naming eight. (The article an should be 
 omitted). As the lt)calit3' of the preceding 
 discourse appears to have been the same as 
 that of Peter's confession, which was the 
 neighborhood of Cesarea Philippi, we may 
 conclude that the scene of the Transfiguration 
 was some mountain in that vicinity. It is 
 thus natural to think of some spur or slope of 
 Hermon, which Jesus and his disciples had 
 often gazed on, towering gloriously in the far 
 
 north, as they traversed the neighborhood of 
 the Sea of Galilee. A tradition of little trust- 
 worthiness designates Mount Tabor, on the 
 southern border of Galilee. "Were there any 
 proper authority for this representation, six 
 days' time would have allowed the journey 
 from the Upper Jordan ; but the Saviourseems 
 to be rather seeking retirement, and avoiding 
 premature arrest now, and when Mark next 
 gives an indication of place (9 = 30), he says, 
 j "coming out from thence, they journeyed 
 through Galilee." — He took with him 
 Peter and John and James— the three 
 select and often favored apo.stles («:5i). He 
 prob'ibly desired the support of their pres- 
 ence, as at Gethsemane (though now with far 
 diflferent feelings), because of the object before 
 him. — Went up into a mountain to pray. 
 This statement prepares us to expect again 
 some important devek)j)ment in tiie i)rogress 
 of his mission. "What he had lately said to 
 his disciples, and they to him, had brought 
 the revelation possible for him to make to theni 
 by word during his earthly stay, nearly to 
 completion. "Toall," also, he had laid down 
 the essential conditions, practically considered, 
 on which they must share the Messianic salva- 
 tion. The result would be to excite a great 
 fermentation of thought in all minds that were 
 not like the hard-trodden road-bod to the 
 seeds of his truth. To cherish, enlighten, and 
 guide the infant faith would now be neces- 
 sary; and to this end, some jnanifestation of 
 the true glory of his reign, as opi>osed to the 
 carnal splendor and majesty of which men 
 dreamed, and of the real blessedness of his 
 subjects, might powerfully contribute. The 
 souls of the chief apostles being confirmed, 
 would serve even now as a nucleus of imper- 
 turbable faith to the rest; and their testimony, 
 to be given after the resurrection, would sup- 
 ply to all what would then be necessary to 
 sustain confidence, and rouse enthusiasm, in 
 the midst of self-denial, and sacrifice of 
 worldly aims. The Saviour's prayer, accord- 
 ingly, may have had this for its object, that he 
 might himself have fresh evidence of his 
 Father" s approbation and support, in the sac- 
 rifice of himself which he had soon to com- 
 
172 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance 
 was altered, and his raiment tvas white and glistering. 
 
 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, * 
 wliich were Moses and Elias: 
 
 31 Who apjjeared in glory, and spake of his decease 
 which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 
 
 32 But Peter and they that were with him "were 
 heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they 
 saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. 
 
 29 
 
 James, and went up into the mountain to pray. And 
 as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance 
 was altered, and his raiment became, white ami daz- 
 zling. Ana behold, there talked with him two men, 
 who were Moses and Elijah : who appeared in glory, 
 and spake of his ^ decease which he was about to ac- 
 complish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and they that 
 were with him were heavy with sleep: but 2"when 
 they were fally awake, they saw his glory, and the 
 
 a Dao. 8: 18; 10: 9. 1 Or. departure 2 Or, having remained awake. 
 
 plete; and, moreover, that his brethren might 
 be suitably strengthened for their share in the 
 trials of which he had apprised them. 
 
 29. And as he prayed (better, was pray- 
 ing, in the very course of his prayer), the 
 fashion of his countenance was altered 
 (Greek, became an other). An intolerable 
 glory shone on the face of Moses, when he 
 came down from communication with Jeho- 
 vah in the mount. On the face of Jesus now 
 shone, we may suppose, that brightness of 
 glory, or its counterpart to mortal eyes, which 
 was the very image of his substance, and in 
 which angels had recognized "the form of 
 
 God" (Phil. 2:6; Heb. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:16). The change 
 
 seems to have affected his whole person; for, 
 we are told that his raiment Avas {or became) 
 white and glistering {i. e., dazzling). And 
 is absent from the Greek; dazzling or glister- 
 ing interpret the word white. 
 
 30. And behold — a marvelous fact- 
 there talked with him two men, which 
 (otTtKc?) were Moses and Elijah. From 
 the usual force of the compound relative 
 rendered which, we might judge that the 
 two attendant beings were known as men, 
 because they were found out to be Moses and 
 Elijah=seeing that they were. But this may 
 be one of the rare cases in which some authori- 
 ties take the compound as identical in sense 
 with the simi)le relative=who. Special sig- 
 nificance might have attached to the presence 
 of Moses and Elijah. The special lesson in 
 the appearance of just these two, at this time, 
 lay in the fact that they represented the law 
 and the prophets, or the whole preparatory 
 Dispensation of the national religion. Eli- 
 jah, in a crisis of their history, had triumph- 
 antly opposed himself to the idolatrous per- 
 version of the true worship, and, by providing 
 for the training and sup|)ort of prophets, had 
 secured the continuance of a qualified line of 
 these ministers of Jehovah, down to Malachi. 
 31. Who appeared in glory — suitable to 
 those who should comnume with the glorified 
 Saviour, and indicative of the eternal ffelicity, 
 
 in the heavenly state, of those who have faith- 
 fully served God on earth. Their state was 
 thus a great encouragement to those who still 
 struggle here below. — And spake of his de- 
 cease which he should {was about to) ac- 
 complish at Jerusalem. Christ in confer- 
 ence with the great law-giver and the typical 
 prophet, about his approaching death ! Their 
 theme was not, then, the majesty of his des- 
 tined reign; but the preliminary sufferings of 
 the Christ. Yet they did not treat his end as 
 death ; but a departure, a decease (efo«os), a 
 cessation and going out from that state of 
 humiliation to which he had condescended, 
 into the blessedness from which they had just 
 come. Compared with this, the pains and 
 earthly shame would be as nothing (comp. 
 Heb. 12: 2). This was the consummation of 
 all that the law and the prophets had por- 
 tended ; and the disciples might well be recon- 
 ciled to the strange and shocking announce- 
 ment which Jesus had made to them concern- 
 ing his fate, v/hen they saw it recognized as the 
 result aimed at in all the anterior revelation 
 of God. Which he was about to accom- 
 plish — strictly, to fulfill. It was not merely 
 that he would experience this departure, that 
 it would happen to him; but that his death, 
 with all that should precede and follow on 
 earth, should fulfill God's appointment of 
 humiliation, pain, and shame for liim, as well 
 as the consequent honor and reward in his 
 resurrection and ascension to glory. All this 
 was involved in the thought of fulfilling his 
 decease, or departure. (See Kypkc, Observ. 
 on the passage). — At Jerusalem — a pathetic 
 touch; the place where he ought to be hailed 
 and enthroned as Zion's promised king (i:i:33). 
 32. But (or Now) Peter and they that 
 were with him were heavy [had been 
 weighed down) with sleep. The verb is in 
 the pluperfect, and the statement has refer- 
 ence to a time prior to the scene which they 
 had just witnessed. It is intended to explain 
 that the disciples were not asleep at this time, 
 as might naturally be suspected, seeing that 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 173 
 
 3:{ And it came to pass, as they departed from him, 
 Peter said uiUn Jesus, Master, it is good for us to he 
 here: aud let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, 
 and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing 
 what he said. 
 
 :u Wliile he thus spake, there came a cloud, and 
 overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered 
 into the cloud. 
 
 ."i-T And there cp-me a voice out of the cloud, saying, 
 "This is my beloved Son: * hear him. 
 
 :J6 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found 
 alone. '.Vnd they kept it close, and told no man in 
 those days any of those things which they had seen. 
 
 33 two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, 
 as they were parting from him, Peter said unto 
 Jesus, Master, it is goo(i for us to be here: and let us 
 make three Habernacles; one for thee, and one for 
 Moses, and one for Klijah : not knowing what he 
 
 34 said. ' And while he said these things, there came a . 
 cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as 
 
 35 they entere<l into the cloud. And a voice came out 
 of the cloud, saying. This is* my Sin, my chosen: 
 
 36 hear ye him. And when the voice Scame, Jesus was 
 fount! alone. And they held their peace, and told 
 uo man in those days any of the things which they 
 bad seen. 
 
 a Matt. 3: 17 & Acts 3 : 2'2 c Matt. 17 : 
 
 -1 Or. hootht. 2 Many ancient authorities read, my beloved son. See Matt. 17:5: 
 Mark 9: 7. :i Or, wa> paet. 
 
 it was in the night (ver. 37). It was no dream, 
 no more vision ; they had been drowsy. — And 
 when they were awake — rather, Out having 
 kept awnke. (See Grimm's Clavis on tiie 
 sense of this very rare verb). — They saw his 
 glory, and the two men, etc., in the man- 
 ner related in the preceding verse. The 
 manifestation had been intended for them as 
 much as for Jesus, and they had not to de- 
 pend on his report of what occurred; but saw 
 it for themselves, and received the proper 
 impression which such an occurrence was 
 suited to make (aPet. i: iser.). 
 
 33. And it came to pass, as they de- 
 parted (or ivere jiarting) from him — before 
 Moses and Elijah had actually left — Peter 
 said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us 
 to be here (rather, it is a good thing that we 
 are here). — It would seem that he spoke with 
 some hazy idea of securing a longer stay of 
 the celestial visitants. This is indicated by 
 the close connection with what follows. — 
 And — since we apostles are here, and have 
 the strength for it — let us make three tab- 
 ernacles (tents, Greek <t«)ji'o«) — here, proba- 
 bly of branches of trees and shrubs, booths. 
 It is precarious interpreting the language of 
 Peter, when we are directly told that he knew 
 not what he said; but it is much as if he had 
 thought, at a flash, that, with suitable shelter, 
 the company might be continued, to the honor 
 of Jesus and the benefit of his disciples. — 
 One for thee, etc. They are quite content 
 themselves to remain in the open air. 
 
 34. While he thus spake (literally, 
 while he said these things), there came a 
 cloud, and overshadowed them. The 
 descrii>tion suggests that sublime veil of 
 Jehovali's majesty which rested over the 
 tabernacle in the ancient days, when it went 
 and where it rested, like which, this shadow 
 of God now enveloi)ed the Father. On a | 
 moonlight night, it would still be seen as a 1 
 
 cloud, and in the day-time or night we may 
 well believe that the divine indwelling would 
 give a radiance that made it "bright" (Matt. 
 17:5). No wonder that they feared — were 
 thrilled with trembling, worshipful awe — as 
 they entered into the cloud— that is, felt 
 themselves embraced witliin its mysterious 
 folds. 
 
 35. What it all portended was evident 
 when there came a voice out of the 
 cloud, saying. This is my beloved Son 
 {the chosen, is probably the true reading); 
 hear (ye) him. Thus is assured to the Lord 
 Jesus once more, and with reference to that 
 stage of his course which now opens, the ap- 
 probation, and sympathy of God, his Father, 
 and to the disciples, a divine authority for 
 ail which he declares, requires, or predicts. 
 
 36. And when the voice was past 
 (rather, came), Jesus was found alone. 
 With the dying away of that sound the 
 whole phenomenon reached its consumma- 
 tion. God had ratified the proposed fulfill- 
 ment of the law and the prophets, in the 
 death and glorification of Jesus as his Son, 
 at Jerusalem. The same cloud which had 
 borne the voice, took back the two messengers 
 from the world of those who live eternally. 
 —And they kept it close (Greek, were 
 silent), and told no man in those days, 
 etc. In those days they did not tell 
 it, because Jesus (m^u. i7:9) commanded them 
 to .say nothing about this wonderful reve- 
 lation, until he should have risen from the 
 dead. The possible reasons for such an in- 
 junction have been spoken of in remarks 
 above, on ver. 28. The disciples could only 
 wait for a distinct idea of what was meant 
 by his rising from the dead, but they faith- 
 fully observed his direction. Meantime, we 
 mny be assured that their own confidence in 
 their Master, as an all-suflScient Saviour, 
 would be greatly fortified. 
 
174 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 37 "And it came to pass, that on the next day, when 
 they were come down Irom the hill, much people met 
 him. 
 
 38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, say- 
 ing. Master, 1 beseech thee, look upon my son: Jor he 
 is mine only child, 
 
 39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly 
 crieth oul ; and it tearelh him that he loameth again, 
 and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 
 
 40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and 
 they c(»uld not. 
 
 41 And Jesus an.swering said, O faithless and per- 
 verse generation, how long shall I be with you, and 
 suffer you? Bring thy sou hither. 
 
 42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him 
 
 37 And it came to pass, on the next day, when they 
 were come down irom the mountain, a great multi- 
 
 38 tude met him. And behold, a man from the multi- 
 tude cried, saying, 'Master, I beseech thee to look 
 
 39 upon my son ; for he is mine only child; and behold, 
 a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out , and 
 it-teareth him that he foanielh, and it hardly de- 
 
 40 parteth from him, bruising him sorely. And I be- 
 sought thy disciples to cast it out; and they could 
 
 41 not. And Jesus answered and said, () faithless and 
 perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, 
 
 42 and bear with you? bring hither thy son. And as 
 he was yet a coming, the demon "dashed him down, 
 and <tare him grievously. But Jesus rebuked the 
 unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him 
 
 a Matt. 17: 14; Mark 9: 14, 17. 1 Or, Teacher 2 Or, eonvuUeth 3 Or, rent him 4 Or, convulsed. 
 
 37-43. A Demoniac Child whom the 
 Apostles were not Able to Cure. 
 Compare Matt. 17: 14-21; Mark 9: 14 ff. 
 
 In all the Synoptics, this event follows im- 
 mediately upon the Tran.sfiguration. 
 
 37. The next day, when they were 
 come down from the hill {mountain). 
 They finisiied the night there. Now they 
 passed suddenly from the glory and felicity 
 of heaven to the sins and misery of earth. — 
 Much people (a great multitude) met him. 
 From Mark, who gives this occurrence with 
 much greater detail, we learn that the case 
 of the demoniac boy, whom the disciples 
 could not heal, had given the Scribes occa- 
 sion to dispute with them, probably in rela- 
 tion to the power, which they and their 
 Master claimed, to cast out demons. 
 
 38, 39. And, hehold, a man of the 
 company (literally, from the multitude) 
 cried out — in a tone of great earnestness 
 of desire, and deep distress — saying. Mas- 
 ter = teacher — I beseech thee, look (or, 
 to look) upon my son, etc. It was, in- 
 deed, a very pitiful case — an only son, a cir- 
 cumstance which, as we have before seen, 
 appealed powerfully to tjie only begotten Son 
 of the heavenly Father (7: 12). This child was 
 worse than dead, unless the help of the Great 
 Physician could avail for him also. He was 
 subject to paroxysms of epileptic insanity, so 
 violent in their manifestations, ps we read in 
 ver 39, that his life must have been a distress 
 to himself and a heavy affliction to all his 
 friends. Teareth = wrenches with convul- 
 sions; bruising = crami)ing, crushing. 
 
 40. And I besought thy disciples to cast 
 him (it) out; and they could not. This, 
 according to all the records, was what moved 
 the Lord to the utterance of disappointment 
 and rebuke in the next sentence. 
 
 41. O faithless = unbelieving — and per- 
 
 verse (Greek, twisted) generation. It does 
 not seem necessary to confine the broad term, 
 generation, with Meyer, to the groups of 
 disciples, only nine at the most, including 
 neither of the most eminent. Doubtless, it 
 was their failure which grieved him — a failure 
 resulting, too, in great measure, from their- 
 weakness of confidence in that power and 
 authority which they had received from him 
 to meet such demands. But where were the 
 signs of faith among those around, without 
 which Christ himself seldom or never at- 
 tempted these mighty works? The feeling, 
 therefore, with which he uttered his com- 
 plaint, and the very object addre.s.sed, was 
 wider than the handful of derelict disciples, 
 although with them he was specially grieved. 
 Their perverseness was the result of obscure 
 and feeble faith, and appeared in a lack of 
 harmony of life and conduct with their priv- 
 ileges and obligations. They must surely 
 have done better in the excursion on which 
 they had been sent out (see ver. 6). Or, had 
 they been so dependent on Peter, James, and 
 John? — How long shall I be with you, 
 and suffer you? Until when must I be? 
 The tone is as if he had meant to say, I can- 
 not remain here always; how long will it be 
 before I can lay the burden down, secure that 
 others will bear it successfully? But it was 
 not in the nature of Jesus to let a suflering 
 and praj'erful soul go unrelieved, whoever 
 might be to blame; and he said to the anxious 
 i father — Bring thy son hither. This address 
 j to him, as if in continuance of the preceding' 
 ] language, shows that, in Luke, almost cer- 
 ! tainly, Christ did not speak that to the disci- 
 ples alone. 
 
 43. And as he was yet a coming, the 
 devil {demon) threw him down (caused him 
 to fall as if his bones were broken), and tare 
 (wrenched, convulsed) him, as if it would 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 175 
 
 down, and tare him. And .Tesu8 rebuked the "ndean 
 spid"; and healed the child, and delivered h.n. again to 
 
 '''4:' And' thev were all an,a.<d at the n.ighty power «f 
 Ooil But wliile they wondered every one at all tilings 
 which Jesus did, he said unto his di?ciples, 
 
 44 <■ Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for 
 the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of 
 
 ""lift nut thev understood not this saying and jt wa« 
 hid from then, that ihey perceived it not: and thtj 
 fp'ircd to ask him of that saving. , , • u 
 
 4'i 'Then there arose a reasoning among them, which 
 of them should be greatest. 
 
 43 back to his father. And they were all astonished at 
 
 *'*B.!aThile"ilV"were marvelling at all the things 
 
 44 which he did, he said unto his disciples, Let these 
 words sink into your ears; for the N.n ol mau shall 
 
 45 be delivered up into the hands ol nien. But they 
 understood not this saying, and it was concealed 
 from them, that they should not perceive if. and 
 thev were afraid to ask him about this saying. 
 
 46 And there arose a reasoning among them, whica 
 
 ; Maa.n:22....6Ma,k9:32;ch.2:50: 18:3*.... c Matt. 18:1; Mark9-. 34. 
 
 rend him limb from limb. Mark gives an 
 intere.sting conversation of the Saviour with 
 the poor father, suited to develop at once his 
 sense of necessity and his faith; but Luke 
 and Matthew go straight to the cure. As on 
 other occasions, the near presence of Christ 
 caused violent access of the malady, betraj^- 
 ing special malignity on the part of the evil 
 spirit. As if it had been a challenge from 
 the prince of the demons, the Son of man 
 met it calmly with a reproof, not of the child. 
 —And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit 
 —as being the personal, conscious, intentional 
 cause of all this ill-and healed the child- 
 even by the rebuke banished the infernal 
 trotibler.— Delivered him (or, gave him back) 
 again to his father. Compare the manner 
 of it with that of the restoration of the widow's 
 only son at Nain (7: is. ifi). 
 
 42. And they were all amazed at the 
 mighty power of God— his majesty (2Pei 
 1:16, Greek), the glorious manifestation of his 
 power. The mouth of the scribes was shut 
 again, and the truth concerning the divine 
 efficiency of Jesus shone forth bright from 
 the cloud which the ill success of certain dis- 
 ciples had thrown over it. 
 
 43-45. Christ Again Predicts his Suf- 
 FKRINOS TK Vaix. Indeed, it would seem that 
 he recognized again, in this outburst of ado- 
 ration signs of an unhealthy and misdirected 
 enthusiasm, whicli he instantly set himself to 
 correct.— But while they wondered— at the 
 moment they began to express their astonish- 
 „n>nt— he said unto his disciples— they 
 being peculiarly liable, after what had re- 
 cently occurred, to conceive wrong expecta- 
 tions. 
 
 44. Let these sayings sink down Into 
 your ears— give them your profoundest con- 
 sideration, let them reach your heart— for 
 the Son of man shall be delivered into 
 
 the hands of men. Luke does not repeat 
 the saying fully, as do the other Synoi^tists, 
 leaving readers to supply from the previous 
 prediction (ver.22), that the result of his being 
 given up would be his death, to be followed 
 by a resurrection. All this, as regarded the 
 Messiah, was a mystery to them. 
 
 45. They understood not this saying 
 —could attach no consistent sense to the dec- 
 laration. Not only did they not understand 
 it; it was (=had been) hid {concealed) from 
 them that they perceived it not (or, should 
 not perceive it). It was afterward seen that 
 there had been a divine purpose in this igno- 
 rance and incapacity of theirs, really a con- 
 cealment of tiie amazing truth until they 
 should be able to receive it without too great 
 a shock, and with great benefit and joy.— 
 And they feared to ask him of that (or, 
 about this) saying. Although they did not 
 understand it, there was a disastrous intima- 
 tion in his words, which awed them into 
 silence. 
 
 46-48. Their Amuition' Reproved by 
 THE Example OF a Child. Matt. 18: 1-5; 
 Mark 9: 33-37. 
 
 Mark expressly natnes Capernaum as the 
 scene of this occurrence, where Matthew also 
 (17:24) places the affair of the tribute-money, 
 which immediately preceded this. Then 
 there arose a reasoning— an argument— 
 among them. Meyer would render this sen- 
 tence, "and there came in a reasoning in 
 them"; i. e., in their hearts. This view is 
 undoubtedly favored by the fact that Jesus is 
 said in the next verse to know "the reasoning 
 of their heart," which seems as if nothing had 
 been said. If Luke were our only narrator of 
 the facts, that rendering and interpretation 
 would hardly be objectionable. ?rom the 
 other narratives, however, we know that 
 something was said, and the translation in the 
 
176 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, 
 took a chiid, and set him by him, 
 
 48 And said unto them," Whosoever shall receive this 
 child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall 
 receive me receiveth him that sent me : <> for he that is 
 least among you all, the same shall be great. 
 
 49 '•And John answered and said. Master, we saw one 
 casting out devils in thy name ; and we forbade him, 
 because he foUoweth not with us. 
 
 47 of thera was the 'greatest. But when Jesus saw the 
 reasoning of their heart, he took a little child, and 
 
 48 set him by his side, and said unto them. Whosoever 
 shall receive this little child in my name receiveth 
 me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him 
 that sent me: for he that is :i least among you all, 
 the same is great. 
 
 49 And John answered and said. Master, we saw one 
 casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade 
 
 text is quite as likely to be correct. The mat- 
 ter of the rea.soning was as to which of them 
 should be greatest — or, more exactly, might 
 possibly be greater. Matthew suggests a nat- 
 ural occasion for such rivalry, in the distinc- 
 tion which had just been given to Peter in mi- 
 raculously catching the fish which furnished 
 the required tribute-money. Luke makes 
 no reference to such an incident, and simply 
 shows the disciples as engaged in a comparison 
 of their respective capacities for high office in 
 the kingdom of the Messiah. The Greek com- 
 parative "greater," not "greatest," implies 
 that the discussion was not as to a gradation of 
 the apostles from highest to lowest, but as to 
 fitness among them for the chief place. 
 Which of them, over against the rest as a body 
 was greater, viz., than they all. The final 
 eflfect is superficially the same, as he that was 
 greater than all others would be greatest of 
 all ; but the Greek point of view was different. 
 The Greek, no more than English, would use 
 a comparative when the thought was of a su- 
 perlative. (See "Winer, Grnmma.tik, 5 Aufl. 
 S. 280). Obviously, any reasoning among 
 them on this subject betrays a sad failure to 
 realize the nature of true eminence in the ser- 
 vice of the Master. This, however, does not 
 appear to have disheartened him, as did the 
 failure of faith to heal the lunatic boy. 
 
 47. Perceiving the thought of their 
 hearts — which fairly implies here in Luke, 
 that it was expressed ; because how could a 
 reasoyiing, of the nature of a debate, enter in 
 simultaneously in many hearts without a word 
 spoken? He took a child (little child) and 
 set him by him. This means that he caused 
 the child to sit, or stand, close beside himself, 
 as he sat, in the position of nearest attachment, 
 with the disciples in a semicircle around him 
 (Matthew and Mark), but further off. 
 
 48. Whosoever shall receive this (little) 
 child in my name, etc. In my name — 
 that is, on the ground that he bears my name, 
 professes himself a disciple of mine.. Hence, 
 
 this little child is named simply as represent- 
 ing the character, in certain respects, of a true 
 disciple (comp. Matt. 5: 5). The receiving 
 such a child is to humble oneself like it, and 
 in that proportion to become truly great. 
 (See on 14: 11). The little child is a type, not 
 indeed of moral purity and freedom from sin, 
 but of the absence of such ambition and desire 
 of superiority over others, in rank, as was now 
 clouding the character of his chosen servants. 
 — Receiveth me — who am present in every 
 disciple, as much in the humblest and most 
 insignificant, as in the noblest and most ex- 
 alted. Not only so, but receiveth him that 
 sent me — who is present in me, as I am in 
 the believer. In view of such a truth, how 
 paltry seem all contentions about grades of 
 religious merit. — For he that is least (prop- 
 erly, less, smaller, namely, than others) 
 among you all, the same is great. He 
 that humbleth himself will be exalted in the 
 assignment of places in Christ's kingdom. 
 Whatever other virtues shall be taken into 
 account, nothing will be honored in the ab- 
 sence of the child-like remoteness from selfish 
 ambition. How could it be otherwise, Avhen 
 the Viceregent himself receives the name that 
 is above every name, and the worship of the 
 universe, on the ground of such humility and 
 condescension as it would be utterly' impossi- 
 ble for any other being to exhibit? Observe 
 that Jesus does not deny, rather confirms, that 
 there are gradations of rank in his perfected 
 reign, but bestowed on principles directly op- 
 posite to those which commonly prevail in the 
 allotments of this world. 
 
 49, 50. Intolerance Reproved. Mark 
 9 : 38-41. 
 
 49. And John answered and said. 
 Master, we saw, etc. Answered — inas- 
 much as his remark had reference to the 
 phrase which Jesus had used, "in my name." 
 The beloved disciple is reminded of an oc- 
 currence in which he |)erhaps had done 
 wrong. It surprises u;j iil first that John 
 
Ch. 
 
 IX.] 
 
 
 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 177 
 
 50 And Jesus said unto him, 
 that is not against us is for us. 
 
 Forbid Aim 
 
 not 
 
 for " he 
 
 50 him, because 
 said unto hi 
 against you it 
 
 he followeth 
 n, Forbid Mm 
 lor you. 
 
 not 
 not 
 
 with 
 for 
 
 us. But Jesus 
 he that is not 
 
 
 
 
 
 a See Matt. 12 
 
 30; ch. 11 
 
 :23. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 shouUl have to confess this particiUar fault, 
 from tlie impression of gentleness and charity 
 which his Gospel is apt to give concerning 
 him. But some expressions in his Epistles 
 warrant the appellation, Son of Thunder 
 (M..rk3: u), and rcudcr probable the account of 
 his vehement indignation against the heretic 
 Cerinthus, even in his extreme old age. — 
 Casting out devils (drmons) in thy name. 
 The latter clause stands first in the Greek, 
 showing that it recalls the words from the 
 preceding verse.— And we forbade him, 
 because he followeth not with us. It is 
 implied in the Greek that their prohibition 
 was effectual, and stopped the work. The 
 
 (you), is for us {you). Vou is the better 
 supported reading. Jesus might naturally 
 speak thus, as the counsel was for their future 
 guidance, and on them would soon devolve 
 the whole charge of the gospel. The prin- 
 ciple laid down is not contradictory, but a 
 complement to that in Matt. 12: 30—" he that 
 is not for -me is against me." Both are true, 
 but with different aspects. Wlien Christ 
 thinks of his cause as demanding the heart 
 homage, and practical submission, of every 
 soul, then neutrality is hostility' to him. 
 When he thinks of it as a system of means 
 by which knowledge concerning him is to be 
 diffused and faith promoted, then any form 
 stranger appears to have been doing, but in I of external co-operation, even the absence of 
 
 an unobjectionable way, what certain "vaga 
 bond Jews" attempted at Ephesus, during 
 the ministry of Paul there. Whether the 
 man mentioned here effected the cures which 
 he attempted, is not quite certain, but that 
 he did, more probable. The mere fact that 
 he had not formally joined the company of 
 those who went about with Christ, as of his 
 company, would not seem to preclude the 
 idea, when we learn that "many" will say 
 to Jesus in the last day, "in thy name, we 
 cast out demons, when we lived on the 
 earth." Indeed the Lord s?ems (Maiit9:39) to 
 admit that he did a miracle in his name. In 
 that time, this delegation of power to work 
 wonders of healing in the name of Christ 
 might, in various ways, subserve his cause, 
 even though the faith were only partial, but 
 sincere as far as it went. Doubtless, he also 
 would see that an unrestrained practice of 
 this kind might lead to much evil; but he 
 could make due allowance for peculiar cir- 
 cumstances, and he saw, at all events, that 
 the spirit in which tlie disciples had grudged 
 any participati(m in the authority of their 
 Master was not right. 
 
 50. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid 
 him not. — Whatever their motive was, he 
 did not encourage the bluff suppression of 
 efforts that were even ostensibly put forth in 
 furtherance of his cause. But he gives a 
 
 opposition, counts as an aid. Paul in Rome, 
 when it was a question of Christ being made 
 known so, or not at all, to the dying multi- 
 tude, rejoiced that he was preached, if it 
 must be, from the most detestable motives 
 
 (Phil. 1: 15 18). 
 
 Part Third.— The Fixal Dkparture 
 FROM Galilkk. and Jourxey TO Jericho, 
 ON THE Way to Jerusalem. 9: 51—18: 35. 
 
 According to the plan of the composition of 
 Luke's Gospel, which we have hitherto traced, 
 we have reached the period where the revela- 
 tion of the Messiah is become as complete as it 
 is likely to be during his earthly life. The 
 unworldly character of his mission, the neces- 
 sity that it should end in a violent death at 
 the hands of the chief religious authorities of 
 the nation, and the requirement of self-sacri- 
 fice on the part of those who would share the 
 blessings of his rule, have all at least been 
 plainly stated. Provision has been made for 
 the carrying forward by others of the work 
 which he has begun. Luke now begins his 
 account of the journey which he makes from 
 Galilee to Jerusalem, that lie may reach the 
 appointed end. There is a great number of 
 events, and a large amount of instruction in- 
 cluded within the terms of this journey, much 
 of which is peculiar to this Gospel. A num- 
 ber of the items contained in it might have 
 belonged, in the actual order of their occur- 
 
 reason for his injunction which is of general rence, to an earlier time; and it is a question 
 interest.— For he that is not against us ' for harnn)nizers, in parallel reports, what 
 
178 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that 
 "he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to 
 go to Jerusalem, 
 
 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they 
 went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to 
 make ready for him. 
 
 53 And 'they did not receive him, because his face 
 was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 
 
 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, 
 
 51 And it came to pass, when thedays^ were well-nigh 
 come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set 
 
 52 his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers 
 before his face: and they went, and entered into 
 a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 
 
 53 And they did not receive him, because his face 
 
 54 was as though he vere going to Jerusalem. And 
 when his disciples James and John saw this, they 
 said, Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come dowii 
 
 a Mark 16: 19: Acts 1 : 2 &Joba«;4, 9. 1 Gr. «i«re being fulfilled. 
 
 order of time is the more probable. But in 
 our narrative all comes in as part of the inci- 
 dents of a slow, thronged journey, which the 
 writer aims to keep before our minds by occa- 
 sional restatements of the fact, as at 13: 22; 
 17: 11. 
 
 Whether the beginning of this journey was 
 the same as that of his departure frotn Galilee 
 to attend the Feast of Tabernacles (Joim 7: i, lo), 
 the autumn before his death, or, whether that 
 had taken place before, with the stay about 
 Jerusalem, till the Feast of Dedication, in the 
 beginning of winter (Joho 10:22), and the raising 
 of Lazarus, are much and very variously dis- 
 cussed by the harmonists. (See a collection 
 of the discrepant views in McClellan, New 
 Testament, I., 452-65, where we have also, of 
 course, a triumphant demonstration of the 
 "absurdity" and "skepticism" of the best of 
 them, a"d the infallible certainty of his new 
 view.) 
 
 5U56. He Sets Forth, is Refused En- 
 tertainment IN A Samaritan Village. 
 
 51. ^Vhen the time was come that he 
 should be received up. A more exact ren- 
 dering of this part of the verse would be — 
 And it came to pass, when the days of his being 
 taken up were becoming filled ("were receiv- 
 ingcompletion." — McClellan). His being re- 
 ceived up implies his death and resurrection, 
 but expresses his ascension to heaven. The 
 text presupposes that there was a definite time 
 for this, of which the Saviour was aware, dis- 
 tant a certain number of days, which num- 
 ber was running out, drawing to a close, more 
 exactly, becoming fulfilled, or filled up, so 
 that when the last one was past, his ascension 
 would take place. The clause fixes the time 
 of what follows as indefinitely near to the 
 close of Christ's stay on earth, and, while im- 
 plying all the pains that should precede, rep- 
 resents his destined departure as finally glo- 
 rious. —He steadfastly set his face to go 
 to Jerusalem. He = Aiw-sc//— in antithesis 
 to the "messengers" next spoken of. His 
 " decease "(ver. 31), which included his ascension 
 
 or assumption, must be accomplished there, 
 and knowing the time to be near, and fore- 
 seeing the sufferings which were involved, per- 
 haps dissuaded also by opposition of his disci- 
 ples (Matt. 16:22), he needed to "set his face as a 
 flint" that he might not be deterred. "While 
 there is nothing in the language here to abso- 
 lutely prevent this setting out from being the 
 same as that in John 7 : 10, still it agrees better 
 with the supposition of a later time, not earlier 
 than that of the festival of the dedication, at 
 which Jesus was present in Jerusalem, appar- 
 ently as an interlude in the main journey. 
 
 52. And sent messengers before his 
 face, etc. — as a necessary incident of his jour- 
 ney. It supposes that he had planned the 
 route which he would pursue, for some dis- 
 tance in advance, and sent them forward, not 
 essentially as religious heralds, hut to provide 
 for the reception and entertainment of him- 
 self and his company. It is probable that 
 ,the women mentioned in 23: 49, 55, were now 
 with him. — And they went and entered 
 into a village of the Samaritans— not 
 that it was his plan to go directly, and by the 
 nearest road, requiring only three or four 
 days; but along the border of Galilee it might 
 be sometimes convenient for him to lodge in 
 a Samaritan village. Nor was there anything 
 in the general habits of Samaritans, at that 
 time, to prevent his doing so. He might fairly 
 have anticipated treatment as favorable as he 
 had received on his way northward, at Sj'char 
 (johnch.4), more than two years before. These 
 people, however, would not receive him — 
 allow his messengers to procure entertainment 
 for him — because his face was as though 
 he would go to Jerusalem. Why it should 
 have mtide a difl^erence in their treatment 
 that he was going to rather than frotn Jeru- 
 salem, is not apparent, unless they grudged 
 the honor that the presence of the great 
 wonder-worker and supposed IMossiah would 
 carry to the rival centre of worsliip. 
 
 54. And when his disciples James and 
 John saw this, they said, etc. Another 
 
LUKE. 
 
 179 
 
 Ch. IX.] 
 
 thev «aid Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to I r,o from heaven and consume them»? But he turned 
 comedown from heaven, and consume them, even as ' 56 and rebuked them'^. And they went to another 
 
 "^.'^Bul'Ve turned, and rehuked them, and said, Ye 57 And as tiiey went in the way, a certain man said 
 know not what maunerofspiritve are of. | unto him, I will loUow thee whithersoever tliou 
 
 50 For 'the Sou of man is not come to destroy men's 58 goest And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have 
 lives, but to save l/ieiii. And they went to another 
 village. , ., 
 
 57 'And it came to pass, that, as they went in the 
 way, a certain tmin said unto him. Lord, I will follow 
 thee whithersoever thou goest. 
 
 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and 
 
 a i Xiaim 1 • 10 1' fc Jotia 3' 17; 12: 47....C M:ilt. 8: 19. 1 Many ancient authoiitien add. even as Elijah did.... 2 Some sncient 
 
 auHioiitieaadd, and said, Ye know not uhat manner of spirit ye are of. Son.e, hut fewer, add al»u. For the Son of man came not 
 
 to destroy mens lives, but to save them. 
 
 phase of the Boanerges. They bhtze forth 
 even beyond Peter. They were incensed at 
 the indignity put upon their Lord, and that 
 by Samaritans. The addition to their ques- 
 tion—as ElUah also did— fails of the ap- 
 probation of the Revision, and is omitted by 
 Tischendorf, Tregelle.s, and Westcott and 
 Hort. We probably must submit to the loss, 
 yet it seems very strange that the disciples 
 should suggest the punishment of burning, if 
 they were not thinking of Elijah's vengeance 
 on his pursuers (2 Rings 1 : 9. u) ; and if they were 
 thinking of that, it would be natural that they 
 should indicate it. 
 
 55. But he turned and rebuked them. 
 The original text appears to have stopped with 
 this, judging by the external evidence; but 
 the remainder of the verse, if not true, is so 
 well feigned, that it looks more like genuine 
 than is often the case with a spurious clause. 
 It would be very much like the Master to turn 
 to account such an opportunity for emphasiz- 
 ing the different spirit of the gospel from that 
 of the piety of Elijah's time. 
 
 50. And they went to another village. 
 It may have seemed to those irate d'sciples a 
 tame way of meeting such an insult •. but it 
 was the Saviour's way, and in it he illustrated 
 the spirit of his precepts to them in Matthew 
 10:23. There can scarcely be a doubt that 
 the former part of this verse was added 
 long after Luke's time. The other village 
 was, no doubt, on the Galilean side of the 
 border, with which view the Greek word for 
 another particularly agrees. (See Grimm, 
 Clnvis, p. 177 a.) Our Lord did not force his 
 blessings on any one. 
 
 57-62. The Faith of the Professed 
 Disciples Put to the Test. Two of the 
 cases here brought before us are mentioned 
 by Matthew also, but in a different connec- 
 tion (f<;i9ff). Although reported together, 
 they may have occurred at intervals, and been 
 
 grouped on account of the similarity of the 
 teaching; and any time would seem a suitable 
 one for such an incident to occur. The first 
 case was that of a scribe — of a class, therefore, 
 who did not often show favor toward the 
 claims of Jesus. He comes as a volunteer. 
 The accession of such a man to the ranks of 
 the disciples, would be a gain as desirable, to 
 human view, as the conversion, in our time, 
 of a noted unbeliever and leader of society. 
 
 57. A certain man said unto him, Lord, 
 I will follow thee whithersoever thou 
 goest. His profession and promise were un- 
 exceptionable. There was no reservation. 
 He would go with the Saviour where he 
 should choose. We hardly see why he was 
 not welcomed joyfully. But the Lord seems 
 to have thought that he protested too much. 
 There was danger, at least, that he spoke on 
 the supposition, after all, that he would be led 
 to ease, and honor, and power. His disposi- 
 tion would be better known to himself if such 
 a delusion were distinctly dispelled. The 
 answer, at all events, was consistent with this 
 view of his need. 
 
 58. Jesus said unto him, Foxes have 
 holes, and birds of the air (literally, 
 heaven) have nests (Greek, diceUinfj-places) ; 
 but the Son of man hath not where to 
 lay his head. This is the most touching ut- 
 terance of the Saviour left on record, concern- 
 ing the hardness of his earthly lot, in respect 
 to the outward means of comfort, on which 
 life itself depends. At Capernaum, he seems 
 to have had a lodging in a particular house, 
 almost as if it were his own. Even that was 
 not liis own, and elsewhere he was entirely 
 dependent on the hospitality which Provi- 
 dence might throw in his way. The state- 
 ment was chill enough to nip the sprouting 
 zeal of the scribe; and we hear nothing of his 
 actually following a step. 
 
 I 58. .4.nd he said unto another, Follow 
 
180 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath 
 not where to lay his head. 
 
 59 "And he said unto another, Follow me. But he 
 said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 
 
 CO Jesus said unto him. Let the dead bury their dead : 
 but go thou and preach the kingdom of (iod. 
 
 61 And another also said, Lord, ' I will follow thee; 
 but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home 
 at my house. 
 
 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his 
 hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit lor the 
 kingdom of God. 
 
 holes, and the birds of the heaven have ' nests ; but 
 the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 
 
 59 And he said unto another. Follow me. But he said, 
 
 60 Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But 
 he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own 
 dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom 
 
 61 of God. And another also said, I will follow thee, 
 Lord ; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that 
 
 62 are at my house. But Jesus said unto him. No man, 
 having put his hand to the plough, and looking 
 back, is tit for the kingdom of God. 
 
 I Matt. 8:21 6 See 1 Kings 19: 20. 1 Gr. lodging-places. 
 
 me. This man did not offer, but was solemnly 
 called, much in the same manner as the chief 
 apostles had been. But he did not respond in 
 the spirit of those who tooli the summons of 
 Jesus as paramount to all other duties. — He 
 said. Lord suffer (=permit) me first to go 
 and bury my father. This was certainly in 
 itself a very reasonable request. Our Lord 
 would himself have been the first to reprove 
 the lack of a dispo.sition to care for the remains 
 of a father. But there was now another call 
 on the man even more pressing. Either Christ 
 could not tarry for the funeral, which is ex- 
 tremely likely, or it was necessary for the hes- 
 itating convert to receive a startling intima- 
 tion of the e-xtent and depth of the devotion 
 involved in discipleship. The lesson to him 
 would at the same time impress all hearers 
 with the strictness of Christ's demands. Let 
 the dead bury their (ovm) dead. It thus 
 appears that there were others by whom, as 
 Jesus saw, the funeral rites might be duly 
 performed. By a play on the word he calls 
 them dead, as being alive only to the world 
 and its perishing interests, and reminded his 
 hearer of the dreadful nature of that state 
 from which he was called to flee at all haz- 
 ards. — Their own dead — as if the naturally 
 dead belonged to the spiritually dead. — But 
 go thou and preach (2niblish abroad) the 
 kingdom of God. — Christ must have seen in 
 this man a real faith, however halting, and a 
 talent to make him a useful herald of the gos- 
 pel, if once he could be brought wholly into 
 that work. Indeed, he belonged (Matt. 8:21) to 
 the class of disciples, in some sense of the 
 word ; and from the spirit of this narrative we 
 could easily believe, if there were any proper 
 authority for it, the old tradition mentioned 
 by one of the fathers, that this man was the 
 future Philip the Evangelist. 
 
 61. And another also said. Lord, I will 
 
 follow thee; but let me first (the verb is 
 the same as s?<^is?'=perinit, in ver. 59) (omit 
 go) bid farewell to them which are at 
 home at my house. At home, or, at my 
 house, in the last clause is superfluous in the 
 English, and not warranted by the Greek. 
 Either one is enough. Another case of pro- 
 crastination — of promise to follow Christ after 
 a while. But what Jesus asked, and asks, is 
 immediate consecration. His plea for delay, 
 though asking nt)thing reprehensible, was of 
 less weight than the preceding. Like that, 
 it intimated indecision. His' feeling was an 
 inclination, not a determination. 
 
 Gl. No man having put his hand to the 
 plough (Greek, on a ploiv) and looking 
 back, is fit for the kingdom of God. — The 
 teaching is, that service to the Lord in labors 
 to promote the kingdom of God, to spread his 
 gospel and win new subjects for the hetivenly 
 king, must be whole-hearted, undistracted by 
 lower cares. This is illustrated by an agri- 
 cultural metaphor. As the plowman needs 
 to look straightforward, to cut a good furrow, 
 so the fit, well-adapted servant of the Lord 
 must direct all attention to the work which he 
 gives him to do. 
 
 The whole section is an application, in 
 typical cases, of the instruction in ver. 23 
 above. 
 
 These three men were all candidates, not 
 for discipleship merely, which might have 
 allowed them to remain at home, but for that 
 public ministry for Christ, which required 
 men to leave home and all counter engage- 
 ments, and be ready, when taught tind quali- 
 fied, to do liis errands anywhere. The princi- 
 ple of undivided devotion is applicable, with 
 modifications, to the case of every Christian ; 
 the forms in which it is here set forth address 
 themselves particularly to ministers of the 
 gospel, actual or intended. 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 181 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 * FTER these things the Lord appointed other seventy 
 J\ also, and "sent them two and two before his face 
 into every city and place, whither he himself would 
 come. 
 
 2 Therefore said he unto them, 'The harvest truly is 
 great, but the labourers are few: «pray ye therefore 
 the Lord of (he harvest, that he would' send forth 
 labourers into his harvest. 
 
 3 (io your ways: •'behold, I send you forth as lambs 
 among wolves. 
 
 1 Now after these things the I>ord appointed seventy' 
 others, and setit them two and two Itefore his face 
 into every city and place, whither he himself was 
 
 2 about to come. And lie said unto them, The harvest 
 is plenteous, but the labourers are few : pray ye 
 therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he seiid forth 
 
 3 labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I 
 
 -1 M>uy ancieai autboritie* add. 
 
 Ch. 10. 1-12. Mission of the Seventy. 
 
 1. After these things the Lord ap« 
 pointed other seventy (seventy othem) 
 also. — These things are the circumstances 
 attending the departure from Galilee, and 
 particularly what has just been related con- 
 cerning the prop(^«ed preachers of the king- 
 dom of God. — Seventy— in allusion to the 
 seventy elders of Moses (Num. ii: i6). — Others 
 also — in reference to the twelve whom he 
 had previously appointed as apostles. The 
 number was large, that they might rapidly 
 accomplish, in a short time, throughout 
 Southern Galilee, but tnore especially beyond 
 the Jordan, the work which had been done 
 in Northern Palestine. Some ancient au- 
 thorities make the number seventy-two, as 
 some texts number the elders under Moses 
 also; other supposed antecedents of the 
 number (the traditional seventy languages, 
 seventy palm trees, Jewish Sanhedrin), are 
 merely fanciful. — And sent them two and 
 two before his face, etc. — They were to 
 go in pairs, as did the twelve (see on 9: 2 ff. ). 
 — Into every city and place. — They were 
 to visit every place, whether city, village, or 
 farm house — whither he himself would 
 (was about to) come. The purpose was, as 
 afterward appears, to prepare people for his 
 coming, so that they might receive, without 
 delaj', such benefit as was possible for them, 
 from his necessarily hasty passage. It was, 
 in some sense, a repetition, on a small scale, 
 of the function of John the Baptist in a wider 
 relation. 
 
 2. The harvest truly is great {plenteous), 
 but the laborers are few. — Even in refer- 
 ence to the fields then lying open before 
 them on the road to Jerusalem, the declara- 
 tion had a pathetic significance. So it had 
 been wherever he went since the "ripe' 
 harvest fields at Sychar (John4:35). The har- 
 vest was ample, and the laborers, even now 
 
 that he had called seventy others, were few 
 to meet the demand. We may infer that he 
 had no more that he could hopefully send out 
 for such work. And. if we suppose his mind 
 to have gone forth over the world, then lying 
 in wickedness, and along the generations out 
 of whom should come the other sheep of his, 
 not of that flock, how must his soul have 
 been burdened with the thought of the mere 
 handful of reapers to whom he must leave 
 the task! — Pray ye therefore the Lord of 
 the harvest, etc. A prime object of the 
 laborers is to concern themselves about an 
 increase of their number. That the harvest 
 is God's, gives them good ground for praying 
 him to do what they cannot of themselves 
 accomplish. The injunction may mean, 
 "Pray that God will prosper you in winning 
 men to faith in me, some of whcmi will be- 
 come light-bearers to others, or also, that he 
 may incline some who already believe to 
 such ardor of love and zeal, that they will, 
 without reserve, give themselves up to the 
 ministry of the gospel. God is the source 
 from which such gifts must come; and as 
 Christ was much in prayer with reference to 
 the twelve (comp 6: 12 ff. ), so he would have 
 them wait on God, even while they them- 
 selves \v«)rked by instruction and exhortation 
 toward the same end. Send forth — strictly, 
 "thrust forth " ; the Greek implies urgency, 
 almost compulsion, as though much reluct- 
 ance would have to be overcome. Send 
 forth, not, specifically, from Judea, still less 
 from heaven (Godet), but from the seclusion 
 or earthly engagement- of private life. — Into 
 his harvest. There is indeed a work of 
 sowing and culture, as well as of reaping, 
 but it is encouraging that there is harvesting 
 in it, and that this is really its characteristic 
 feature. 
 
 3-4. Go your ways: behold, I send 
 you forth as lambs in the midst of 
 
182 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 4 "Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and 
 'salute no man by the way. 
 
 5 "And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, 
 Peace he to tliis house. 
 
 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall 
 rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 
 
 7 "'And in the same house remain, « eating and drink- 
 ing such things as they give: for /the labourer is 
 ■worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 
 
 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive 
 you, eat such things as are set before you : 
 
 9 ffAnd heal the sicli that are therein, and say unto 
 them, ^The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
 
 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they re- 
 ceive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the 
 same, and say, 
 
 11 'Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth 
 on us, we do wipe off against you : notwithstanding be 
 ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh 
 unto you. 
 
 4 send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. 
 Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes: and salute no 
 
 5 man on the way. And into whatsoever house ye 
 
 6 shall 1 enter, first say, Peace hf to this house. And 
 if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon 
 
 7 -'him: but if not, it sliall turn to you again. And in 
 that same house remain, eating and drinking such 
 things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of 
 
 8 his (lire. Go'not from house to house. And into 
 whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat 
 
 9 such things as are set before you : and heal the sick 
 that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom 
 
 10 of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever 
 city ye shall enter, and they receive you not, go out 
 
 11 into the streets thereof and say, Even the dust from 
 your city, that cleaveth to our feet, we do wipe otf 
 against you: howbeit know this, that the kingdom 
 
 a Matt. 10: 9. 10; Murks: 8; ch. 9: 3 h 2 Kings 4: 29 c Matt. 10: 12 d Mntt. 10 : 11 ...el Cor. 10: 27..../ Mntt. 10: 10; 
 
 1 Cor. 9: 4, etc.; 1 Tim. 5 : 18 g oh. 9: 2 A Matt. 3:2:4: 17; 10: 7; ver. 11 i Matt. 10: 14 ; ch. 9: 5 ; Acts 13: 51 ; 18: 6. 
 
 1 Or, enter first, say.. ..2 Or, if. 
 
 wolves. Here, eminently, they were taking 
 up their cross daily. Not a flattering intro- 
 duction to their work, if there were faint- 
 hearted men among them ; but honest, and 
 as stimulating as it was sincere, to such as had 
 any share of the Master's own spirit. They 
 were at once guarded against romantic illu- 
 sions, roused to energy, and prepared to 
 profit by his preliminary counsels. These are 
 contained in ver. 3-11, and in their spirit have 
 been expounded in Notes on 9: 1-5. 
 
 4. This verse corresponds to verse 3, there. 
 But notice here an enhanced intensity of 
 direction as given in the Kevision : "Carry no 
 purse, no wallet, no shoes (sandals)." The 
 prohibition of salutations by the way, is to 
 prevent delay, in mere gossip, and specially, 
 perhaps, in the formal and tedious character 
 of their salamns of courtesy, wherever they 
 greeted each other at all. (But see Smith, 
 Diet, of the Bible, p. 2795). 
 
 5. Peace be to this house — the common 
 formula of salutation among the Jews, with 
 whom "peace" comprehended all blessing, 
 and welfare, as it is among the Mahometans 
 now, in their Snlaam=ilehrew Shalom. 
 
 6. And if the {a in Revision) son of peace 
 be there. A son of peace is a peaceable 
 man, one filled with the spirit of peace (6:35; 
 
 Matt. 9:15; 13:38). He would be knowu as such 
 if he met this greeting with a like spirit. 
 — Your peace shall {will) rest upon it — 
 your salutation, implying a prayer for his 
 welfare, will take effect in blessings from 
 above. But if not, it shall turn to you 
 again — Greek, "will turn back upon you." 
 What you had wished for him you shall re- 
 ceive 3'ourselves. 
 
 7. The sense of the first member of verse 
 7, is substantially' the same as that of 9: 4; 
 which see. — For the laborer is worthy of 
 his hire. This obvious truth might free 
 their minds from scruple in receiving the 
 hospitality of the house; "eating and drink- 
 ing" such things as they gave. — Go not from 
 house to house. This is plainly implied in 
 the preceding clause; but Jesus thouglit it of 
 practical importance enough to state it plainly. 
 
 8. And into whatsoever city ye enter, 
 and they receive you — when the welcome 
 of the particular house S[)eaks the sentiment 
 of the community, the course of conduct 
 recommended is doubtless the same as was 
 to be pursued in reference to a single house; 
 but here detailed once for all. 
 
 9. Heal the sick that are therein— both 
 as a satisfaction to Christ-like sympathy with 
 suflTering, and to prepare hearts for a more 
 ready acceptance of the greater boon of spirit- 
 ual healing and eternal life. — And say unto 
 them. The kingdom of God is come nigh 
 unto you — so near, that is, in its announce- 
 ment and invitation, as actually to reacli you 
 
 {riyyixev f(j>' vnai). 
 
 10. 11. In case of a refusal to receive them, 
 the direction is equivalent to that which was 
 given to the apostles (9:5), only more intense. 
 An almost word for word rendering of the 
 Greek sentence may help to apprehend the 
 vehemence: Going out into the streets of it, 
 say. Even the du.st which cleaveth to us out of 
 your city on our feet we wipe ofl'" for you. — 
 Notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that 
 the kingdom of God is come nigh. That 
 which should have been an oj>portunity of 
 salvation, is to be noted as a ground of pecu- 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 183 
 
 12 But I say unto you, that "it shall be more tolera- 
 able iu that day for Sodom, thau for that city. ^ 
 
 13 'Woe unto thee, I'horazin! woe uuto thee, Beth- 
 saida' 'for if the mighty works had been done in 
 Tyre and Sidoii, which have been done in you, they 
 had a ^reat while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth 
 and ashes. 
 
 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidoa 
 at the judgment, than for you. 
 
 15 ''And thou, Capernauiu, which art <exalted to 
 heaven, /shall be thrust down to hell. 
 
 12 of God is come nigh. I say unto v( u, It shall be 
 niore tolerable in that day lor Sodou'i, tlian for that 
 
 13 city. Woe unto thee, (horazin ! woe unto thee, 
 Bethsaida! for if the ' mighty works had been done 
 in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you. they 
 would have repented long ago, sitting in 'sackcloth 
 
 14 and ashes. Howbeit it shall be more tolerable for 
 
 15 Tyre and .Sidon in the judgment, than for vou. And 
 thou, Capernaum, shall thou be exalted unto heaven ? 
 
 a Matt. 10: 15: Mark 6: 11 6 Matt. U : 21 e Rzek. »: 6 d Matt. 11 : 23 eSee Gen. 11 : 4; Deui. 1: ; 
 
 51 : 53 / See P.iek. 'J6 : M ; 32 : 18. 1 Gr. pouert. 
 
 Iu. 14:13; Jer. 
 
 liar condemnation, and an occasion of eternal 
 regret. The rejection of gospel privileges is 
 itself the proof that they have been merci- 
 fully offered. 
 
 12. I say unto you (omit that), It shall 
 be more tolerable in that day for 
 Sodom, than for that city. Tlie guilt of 
 refusing the salvation of Christ will seem 
 more heinous, in the light of eternity, than 
 the bhxckest. moral corruption on the part of 
 those who knew nothing of pardoning grace. 
 — That day was — since the earliest prophets, 
 Obadiah (») and Joel (3: is), the stereotyped 
 designation of a period of judgment con- 
 nected with the Messiah's reign, when the 
 people of God should be suitably blessed, 
 and his enemies visited with condign ven- 
 geance. The idea of it grew more clear and 
 definite in the history of revelation, until in 
 the mouth of Jesus (Matt.?: 22), and his apostles 
 (iTini. 1:12, 18: 4:8), it is distinctly the day of 
 eternal judgment at his second coming. 
 
 13-16. Doom of the Unrepentinq 
 Cities. 
 
 The thought of the guilt of such a city as he 
 has been imagining recalls to his heart the 
 case of the cities among whom most of his 
 mightj' works had been done, and many of 
 his most moving discourses uttered, and which 
 he had now been obliged to leave finally in 
 their impenitence and ruin. 
 
 13. Woe unto thee, Chorazin I Woe 
 unto thee, Bethsaida! Chorazin.— Ill- 
 omened name, mentioned only in the denun- 
 ciation of our Lord, yet so mentioned as to 
 show that there bad been a history of blessings 
 offered, and so received as to make them only 
 ft curse. The ruins of the place, now called 
 Kerazeh have quite recently been identified 
 almost beyond question, lying about two miles 
 off the Lake of Genne.saret, nearly north of 
 Tell Hum, and almost due west from the 
 mouth of the Upper Jordan. Of the Beth- 
 saida here spoken of, called Bethsaida of Gal- 
 
 ilee (John 12: 21), as distinguished from Bethsaida 
 Julias, mentioned 9: 10, we know scarcely 
 anything except the name. Its site is va- 
 riously conjectured by travelers, while all 
 agree that it was situated in the neighborhood 
 of Capernaum and Chorazin. — For if the 
 mighty works had been done in Tyre and 
 Sidon which have been (were) done in you 
 — showing that they are selected because they 
 had been the scene of so much of the Saviour's 
 manifestation of liis power and grace — they 
 had (would have) repented, etc. From such 
 allusions to abundant deeds and wt)rds of 
 Jesus, in two of the cities visited by him, of 
 which the Gospels give us no particular ac- 
 count, we get an inkling of the volumes of 
 unwritten gospel which are registered in 
 heaven.— Tyre and Sidon had been re- 
 garded by the ancient prophets as types of 
 wicked communities, in respect to their idola- 
 try, and luxury-, and moral corruption. Even 
 they would have been moved, the Saviour 
 says, to sorrow for their iniquity, and to refor- 
 mation of life, had they shared such revela- 
 ti(ms of the love and mercy of God as had the 
 cities of Galilee. Their mourning would have 
 been like that of Job in intensity (Job 2: 8), and 
 of Nineveh (Jcn«h 3: s-s), sitting in sackcloth 
 and ashes (Comp. Esther 4: 1-3; Jer. 0: 26). 
 
 14. Even these cities will be crushed under 
 a less heavy load of self-condemnation and di- 
 vine inflictions than Chorazin and Bethsaida 
 —at the judgment. 
 
 15. There was a city more criminal still 
 than these.— And thou, Capernaum, which 
 art (rather, shnlt thou he) exalted unto 
 heaven?— The interrogative f.irm of the sen- 
 tence is required by present evidence concern- 
 ing the Greek text— How shall it be with 
 thee f As thou ha.st abounded above all other 
 cities in instruction and motives to repentance 
 and holiness, through the more frequent pres- 
 ence of thy citizen, the Messiah, art thou to be 
 correspondingly eminent amidst the honors 
 
184 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 16 "He that heareth you, heareth me; and 'he that 
 despiseth you despiseth me; 'and he that despiseth lue 
 despiseth him that sent me. 
 
 17 And rf the seventy returned again with joy, saying, 
 Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy 
 name. 
 
 18 And he said unto them, «I beheld Satan as light- 
 ning fall from heaven. 
 
 16 thou shalt be brought down unto Hades. He that 
 heareth you heareth me ; and he that rejecteth you 
 rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him 
 that sent me. 
 
 17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying. Lord, 
 even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. 
 
 18 And he said unto them, 1 beheld Satan fallen as 
 
 aHatt. 10:40; Hark 9: 37; John 13. 20 h 1 Thess. 4: 8 c John 5 : 23 d ver. 1 e John 12: 31 ; 16: 11 ; Rev. 9:1; 12 : 
 
 and felicity of his reign? Nay, rather — thou 
 shalt be thrust (brought) down to hell= 
 
 Hndes. Hades may be here a metaphor to 
 express the lowest imaginable depth, accord- 
 ing to that representation of the ancient my- 
 thologies, which made the abode of Hades 
 open as far below the surface of the earth as 
 heaven — the sky, or the ethereal firmament — 
 is above it. This would be to the Greek mind 
 the greatest possible perpendicular measure, 
 from heaven to Hades. As the Greek name 
 for the world of the dead had become natural- 
 ized in Palestine, since the rule of Alexander 
 the Great, we may well suppose that the Greek 
 conception of it might be so familiar as to war- 
 rant allusions to it, although the Hebrew con- 
 ception of Sheol, the abode of the dead, as 
 modified during the four or more centuries 
 after the close of the Old Testament, Was com- 
 monly expressed by the word, in Christ's time. 
 But the whole sentence may be taken as it 
 usually has been, not metaphorically, but lit- 
 erally: Capernaum instead of rising into 
 heaven shall be brought into Hades, in one 
 section of which is the region of punishment. 
 What hinders this from being entirely satisfac- 
 tory, is that tinto Hades is strictlj' "as far as to 
 Hades,'' implying a special depth of descent, 
 while the other cities equally were brought 
 down to the lower world, literally, and "to 
 undergo punishment in Gehenna " (Meyer on 
 Matt. 11: 23). Then they, pre-eminently, 
 "will begin to say. We did eat and drink in 
 thy presence, and thou didst teach in our 
 streets," but instead of finding any comfort in 
 the remembrance, it will inflict the sharpest 
 sting of all upon their souls. 
 
 16. He that heareth you heareth me, 
 etc. On the identity of his followers with 
 Christ, and of himself with his Father (see on 
 9-48). The statement resumes the address to 
 the seventy which had been interrupted at 
 ver. 12. What could now more powerfully 
 impress his ministers with the terrible respon- 
 sibility laid upon them, than the truth that, 
 as his message had involved eternal life and 
 
 death to its objects, so would theirs to the 
 people that should hear them. 
 
 17-20. Report of the Seventy. 
 
 17. And the seventy returned.— How 
 
 long a time had elapsed since their mission 
 began, and where they found the Master on 
 their return, are matters of doubt. Some 
 weeks probably had been required to visit 
 every city and place whither it was in his 
 plan to come himself, and it has been sup- 
 posed, with much probability, by a great 
 many harnionizers, that all which is re- 
 corded in John 7 : 11—10: 39, or a part of it, 
 took place on an incidental and private jour- 
 ney to Jerusalem during the interval. Such 
 a supposition giv^s a convenient place and 
 time for the visit to Martha and Mary (verses :i8- 
 42or thischiipter). Lukc, liowcvcr, writcs with- 
 out any apparent knowledge of that journey. 
 If we adopt the view proj)osed, the seventy, 
 having gone southward through Perea, the 
 country beyond the Jordan, might have met 
 Jesus in or near Jerusalem, or at or near 
 Jericho, as he went across thither again (John 
 10:40). Then we are entirely' free to imagine 
 the course of his travel and labors during 
 the considerable period before he re-appears 
 at Jericho on the final ascent to Jerusalem 
 (18:35). With joy, saying. Lord, even the 
 devils (demons) are subject=subjected, as 
 often as we meet them — unto us through (in) 
 thy name. The verb is in the present tense, 
 and expresses what goes on in their experience. 
 "Nineteenth century English" would be, 
 "are being subjected." — Through thy name 
 — when we bid them, on the ground of thy au- 
 thority, to depart. They had been sent to heal 
 the sick and to preach (ver. 9), and they either 
 understand all sickness to be the work of evil 
 spirits, or the cure of demoniacs is so promi- 
 nent in their thoughts, as to cast all the 
 rest into the shade. Certainly this function 
 would express most vividly their power 
 against the adversary, and there might natu- 
 rally be a special satisfaction in this branch 
 of their success, after the failure (9:36-43). 
 
Cu. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 185 
 
 19 Behold, « I give unto you power to tread on ser- 
 pents and scorpions, and over all the power of the 
 enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
 
 20 Notwilhstaiiding, in this rejoice nul, that the 
 spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because 
 'your names are written in heaven. 
 
 21 <^In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said. 
 
 a Mark 16: 18; Acts 28: 5. 
 
 19 lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you 
 authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and 
 over all the power ot the enemy : and nothing shall 
 
 2J in any wise hurl you. Howbeit in this rcj'iice not, 
 that the spirits are subject unto you ; but rejoice that 
 your names are written in heaven. 
 
 21 In that same hour he rejoiced ' in the Holy Spirit, 
 
 I. Vi:}; Pbil. 4:3; Heb. 12 : 23 ; Rev. 13:8; 20 : 12; 21 : 27. 
 -1 Or, by. 
 
 18. Their joy met an answering emotion i 19. Behold, I give unto you power 
 
 in the heart of Jesus. And he said unto (have given you oiithority) to tread on ser- 
 theni, I beheld Satan as lightning fall pents and scorpions, etc. Tliis opens the 
 (or fnllen) from heaven. The order of the secret of that efficiency whicli liail .surprised 
 
 Greel< is, more nearlj', "I was beholding 
 Satan as lightning out of heaven fallen." 
 The connection of the words, rather, and the 
 consistency of ideas, very decidedly, requires 
 "out of heaven" to be referred to "light- 
 ning." The participle " fallen" agrees with 
 "Satan." The time to which this beholding 
 i.s to be referred back has been variously 
 determined. The verb is in the imperfect 
 tense — strictly, "I was beholding." There is 
 no reason for putting it back of the hour 
 when he sent them forth, but it may point 
 either to that or to the .subsequent period of 
 their absence. Christ has observed them in 
 spirit, has known their labors and their suc- 
 cess. The language might be paraphrased, 
 ■'During the course of your mission I had 
 such a vision of its success against the prince 
 
 of the demons, that it was as if I viewed him 
 already fallen with the swiftness of a light- 
 ning flash, from heaven, and pro.strate in 
 utter defeat." — It may be that, if we had a 
 fuller description of this scene, we should see 
 that this peculiar form of expression referred 
 to a meditation into which the Saviour had 
 been thrown by the report of the seventy, 
 rousing himself from which, he said, "I was 
 beholding," etc.— In any case, he has gained, 
 in the result of this trial mission of such as 
 he might expect to be the ordinarj- ministers 
 of his gospel, a triumphant assurance of vic- 
 tory over all the power of evil, decisive and 
 everlasting. 
 
 and delighted them. I have given ^-ou the 
 power, although I did not expressly men- 
 tion it. — Serpents and scorpions may be 
 merely types of physical perils which they 
 will escape in his service (comp. Acts 28: 3-6), 
 but more probably are metai)horical for all 
 forms of evil agency which the^' ma}' en- 
 counter.— The enemy— is, ultinnitely. the 
 devil. He is, indeed, fallen in the divine pur- 
 pose and promise; but will jet cause many a 
 fearful, though unavailing, struggle. 
 
 20. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice 
 not, that the spirits are subject unto you, 
 etc. The ability to overcome them is com- 
 patible with exclusion from the glorified king- 
 dom (Matt. 7 : 22, and .see on Luke 9 : 49). It 
 brings rather an obligation, not to pride and 
 elation of spirits, but to corresponding holi- 
 ness, and meetness for eternal life. — But (omit 
 rather) rejoice, that your names are 
 written in heaven. To be enrolled among 
 the citizens of the eternal citj', as he assumes 
 to be the case with them, that is a proper sub- 
 ject of joy. The figure is based on the fact 
 that in ancient states a register was kept of 
 the ntimes of all who were entitled to the 
 privileges, and bound by the obligations of 
 citizenship. The same conception lies in Ex. 
 32: 32, 33; Dan. 12: 1; Phil. 4: 2. It is the 
 outward counterpart to God's hidden counsel 
 of election. But as from the earthly' register 
 a name unworthy of the city could be erased, 
 so it is by faith and patience only that any 
 particular saint Ciin make his election sure 
 (2 Pet. 1:10). But such assurancc raises the 
 humblest saint to a position of honor and joy 
 above that of the most talented, successful, 
 and honored servant, merely tis such. 
 
 21-24. Triumph ok Jesus on Occasion 
 OF THIS Keport. 
 
 21. In that (.snme) hour Jesus (rather, he) 
 rejoiced (exulted) in spirit (or, the Holy 
 Spirit). The Greek verb denotes a lively, 
 
186 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that 
 thou hast liid these things Irom the wise and prudent, 
 and hast revealed theiu unto liahes: even so. Father; 
 for so it seemed good in thy sight. 
 
 22 "All things are delivered to me of my Father: and 
 'no man knoweih who the f«on is, hut the Father; and 
 who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the 
 Sou will reveal him. 
 
 and said, 1 1 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven 
 and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the 
 wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto 
 babes: yea. Father; -ior so it was well-pleasing in 
 22 thy sight. All things have been delivered unto me 
 of luy Father: and no one knoweth who the J>on is, 
 save the Father; and who the Father is, save the 
 Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal 
 
 a Matt. 28: 18; John 3: 35; 3: 27 ; 17 : 2 6 Johu 1: 18; 6: 44. 46. 1 Or. praise 2 Or, that. 
 
 exalted, triumphant joy. Everything in the 
 paragraph shows how peculiarly he was 
 stirred with delight at the evidence he had 
 received of the future i)rogress of his king- 
 dom through his ministers. The reasons are 
 quite conclusive in favor of the addition of 
 "Holy" before "Spirit." Without it we 
 think of that human spirit which distinguished 
 the person of Jesu.s, "spirit of hoi in ess "(Rom. 
 1:4), which was, indeed, in perpetual identity 
 with the divine Word, but to which the epi- 
 thet "Holy " associates the Third Person of the 
 Trinity, though not given as yet so distinctly 
 to the saints. — And said, I thank thee, 
 O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. The 
 word for thank, expresses here, comprehen- 
 sively, not merely thanksgiving, but praise, 
 adoration, and all worshipful acknowledg- 
 ment. The whole soul of Jesus was drawn 
 out in celebrating the grace of him who was 
 now seen to be Lord of the Universe, and 
 Father of our Lord, at the proof of his co- 
 operation with these plain, unlettered men, 
 who had prosjiered in their work against the 
 adversary, through his name, despite the un- 
 belief and opposition of the wise and religi- 
 ous of the nation. His Sonship to that God 
 was now a peculiar source of delight and 
 comfort to him. — That thou hast hidden 
 {(fld.sf h'tile) these things from the wise 
 and prudent {understanding), and hast re- 
 vealed ididst reveal) them unto babes = 
 the simple-minded, and void of worldly wis- 
 dom. St)me would soften this by interjecting 
 in the first number an "although "; "although 
 thou didst hide," etc. But that is none of 
 Christ's. He praises God for it all.— Thou 
 hast hid — better, didst hide— not just now. 
 We are referred back to the divine purpo.se 
 of salvation "before the foundation of the 
 world," when it was so planned that the wa3' 
 should be made so plain that even babes might 
 follow it, while the worldly wise and self- 
 sufficient would despi.se it for its very plain- 
 ness and facility. Thus only did God hide 
 it from tlie one class, who would not have 
 
 real salvation, in any case, and reveal it 
 to the simple-minded and docile, "babes," 
 such as all must be to whom salvation is possi- 
 ble. — These things— as we have imj)lied, are 
 the doctrine and saving power of the gospel, 
 as illustrated in the prosperous work of the 
 seventy, and particularly in their own enroll- 
 ment in the register of heaven. — Even so (or, 
 Vea), Father, for (or, t/int) so it seemed 
 good (or, was well pleasing) in thy sight. 
 We must understand the sentence to be con- 
 tinued, and bring in "I thank thee" again 
 after Father. So — resumes the whole pre- 
 ceding statement, and that is a preferable 
 connective. It is the Amen of the Saviour's 
 reverent meditation on his Father's plan. — 
 It seemed good. — Was well pleasing — is 
 truer and stronger. It is of the same radical 
 sense, as "I am well pleased" (iMa"-3:i7; i7:3; 
 Luke 3: 22). That God was pleased to have it so, 
 is the matter of all Christ's rejoicing. 
 
 22. Having been addressing his Father, he 
 proceeds in the tone of absorbed meditation : 
 All things are (rather, were, when I was 
 sent forth) delivered to me of my Father. 
 — Of that glorious scheme of salvation God, 
 when it was adopted, made me the adminis- 
 trator, and gave over into my hands all 
 things pertaining to its execution. — And no 
 man (no one, knoweth who the Son is, but 
 the Father, and who the Father is, but 
 the Son, etc. This illustrates the complete- 
 ness of Christ's possession of the all things 
 pertaining to salvation. Salvation involves 
 the return of a lest sinner to God the Father, 
 from whom he has strayed, which takes place 
 only as he is guided by the Son to a cleiir and 
 definite knowledge of him. Through the Son 
 alone can he so know to whom he must come 
 in repentance for reconciliation. But how is 
 the lost one to come to the Son for guidance? 
 Only by the Father, yet unknown, inwardly 
 moving and directing him to the Son as the 
 onl^' Revealerof God. Men may doubtless in 
 some sense know God apart from Christ, even 
 his eternal power and Godhead (Rom. i :2o), but 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 187 
 
 23 And he turned hira unto his disciples, and said 
 privately, '■ Blessed are the eyes which see the things 
 that ye see : 
 
 24 For I tell you, 'that nsany prophets and kings 
 have desired to see those thincs which ye see, and have 
 not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, 
 and have not heard l/ii-m. 
 
 25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and 
 tempted him, saying, 'Master, what shall 1 do to in- 
 herit eternal life.' 
 
 2t) He said unto him, What is written in the law? 
 how readest thou? 
 
 23 him. And turning to the disciples, he said privately, 
 Blessed are the eyes which see tlie things that ye 
 
 24 see: lor I say unto you, that many prophets and 
 kings desired to see the things which ye see, and 
 saw theui not; and to hear the things which ye 
 hear, and heard them not. 
 
 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tried 
 him, saying, • Master, what shall I do to inherit eier- 
 
 2C nal life? And he said unto him, \\ hat is written iu 
 
 a Uatt 13 : 16. ... 6 1 Pet. 1 : 10 e Matt. 19 : 16 ; 22 ■ 35. 1 Or, Ttaeher. 
 
 to reach that intimate recognition of him as a 
 person, just and merciful, holy and compas- 
 sionate toward sinners, interested in our wel- 
 fare, and ready as well as able to supply all 
 our spiritual needs, which is involved in this 
 idea of him as the Fatlier — that Je^usdeclares 
 impossible except as a man arrives at it 
 through the experimental knowledge of him- 
 self We first see God as a Father through 
 the divine love and sympathy of the Son. 
 " He that hath seen me hath seen the Father " 
 (John 14: 9; comp. ver. 7). The Father's in- 
 fluence, unrecognized as such, troubles, hum- 
 bles, softens, inclines, the soul into a readiness 
 for the instruction and invitations of the Son, 
 having embraced whom it exclaims in happy 
 amazement, "Now I know God indeed; the 
 Father has been in it all." This is as true a 
 revelation as ever was made to mortals — the 
 uncovering to the heart of what was before 
 entirely concealed; a double revelation, in 
 which God discloses his Son in Jesus of Naz- 
 areth, and in the same flash, shows in the 
 author of the soul's penitence, and anxiety, 
 and prayer, God himself, real, apprehensible, 
 adorable, tmd adored, the Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, chiefest among ten thousand, 
 and altogether lovely. 
 
 23. And he turned him unto his disci- 
 ples, and said privately. Privately— to 
 them alone, because what he had to utter ap- 
 plied in its full sense only to them, and the 
 Master would have them take it in its full 
 sense. Hence, he takes pains that they alone ] 
 should hear. Blessed (/(f7)/)y) are the eyes 
 which see the things that ye see. — The 
 meaning is, in other words : Happy are ye in 
 sharing the revelation of the mystery of salva- 
 tion through the gospel, and beholding some- 
 thing of its blessed fruits in the conversion of 
 some. 
 
 24. For I tell you {or say unto you) that 
 many prophets and kings (omit have) de- 
 
 sired. — This was suited to deepen their sense 
 of the value of their privilege. The most 
 pious and mightiest of former days had looked 
 forward to brighter knowledge of God's ways 
 and a holier life for his saints. They were 
 sure it would come, but of its precise char- 
 acter, as of its time, and its medium, they 
 could form no adequate conception. Another 
 intimation of the superior advantage of the 
 Christian position. 
 
 25-37. Parable of the Good Samari- 
 tan. The Occasion of It. 2o-'29. 
 
 23. And behold, a certain lawyer stood 
 up and tempted him. The place is un- 
 known. What a lawyer was, is explained 
 on 7: 30. This one stood up, perhaps out 
 of a sitting crowd, to address the Saviour. 
 Tempted means, here, not necessarily more 
 than "put him to the test" as to his sound- 
 ness in doctrine and reasoning power; but 
 I)robably in the hope of showing his own 
 superiority, and possibly with the expecta- 
 tion of trapping him in liis reply. It is 
 enough to sui>pose that the lawyer was curi- 
 ous to know what answer the new Teacher 
 would give to the old moot question which 
 he proposed to him. He has the air neither 
 of a trifler, nor a man concerned about a 
 matter of serious search, to him — Saying, 
 .Master, what shall I do, etc. The word 
 do, is emphatic, the Greek being more liter- 
 ally: "By having done what sliall I inherit?" 
 Here we see that eternal life was a topic famil- 
 iar to Jewish theologians, which, ns votaries 
 of the Ijiw, they would hope tognin h^- works. 
 
 26. AVhether the man felt much or little 
 earnestness in his question, the subject was 
 one of momentous importance, and gave 
 Jesus an oj>portunity to impart an important 
 lesson to all who were present. — He said 
 onto him, What is Avritten in the law? 
 As he was a lawyer, and a* the gospel ]^re- 
 supposed a right view of the claims of Gods 
 
188 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 27 And he answering said, "Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
 with all thy strength, and with all thy wind ; and 'thy 
 neighbour as thyself. 
 
 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right, 
 this do, and =thou shalt live. 
 
 2'J But he, willing to'^justify himself, said unto Jesus, 
 And who is my neighbour? 
 
 SO And Jesus answering said, A certain inan went 
 down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among 
 thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and 
 wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
 
 27 the law? how readest thou? And he answering said. 
 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God i with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and 
 with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 
 
 28 And he said unto him. Thou hast answered right : 
 
 29 this do, and thou shalt live. But he, desiring to 
 justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my 
 
 30 neighbour? Jesus made answer and said, A certain 
 man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and 
 he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and 
 
 iDeut. «:5. b Lev. 19. 18. .c Lev. 18:5; Neh. 9 . 29 ; Ezek. 20: 11,13, 21 ; Rnm. 10: 5....dch. 16: 15. 1 Gr. from 
 
 law, Jesus meets him on his own ground. 
 He had, in effect, asked, "Which precepts in 
 particuhir must I keep, to be sure of stand- 
 ing well with God in the judgment? " Christ's 
 question to him is in effect: "What dost thou, 
 as a student of the law, understand to be the 
 essence of it?" — How readest thou? Hoiv 
 dost thou tnake out its meaning ? 
 
 27. And he anwering said. Thou shalt 
 love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 etc. He does not grope among the secondarj' 
 and special precepts; but, like Chri.«t himself 
 (Mati. 22:40), goes Straight to the heart of the 
 matter, and gives it in its two phases as ex- 
 pressed in Deut 6: 5; 10: 12; Lev. 19: 18. 
 
 28. And he said unto him. Thou hast 
 answered right. We can hardly imagine 
 him to have answered better, as to the de- 
 mand of the law. He had himself answered 
 his own question. " What good thing must I 
 do?" He must love God perfectly, and his 
 neighbor as much as himself. We can sup- 
 pose him to see, by this time, if he sincerely 
 sought the way of life, that his question .should 
 have been : How shall I do that which I know 
 mu.st be done to have a good title to eternal 
 life? But the Lord deals with him yet as 
 though he was in perplexity concerning the 
 rvhat? Thy understanding is correct, thou 
 hast no need of further light.— This do (con- 
 tinually joracftce) and thou shalt live (eter- 
 nally). This, namely, love God and fellow 
 man; do^ reaWy practice ; cheri.sh and exer- 
 cise such love at all times, and in prescribed 
 measure, and thou art sure of heaven. This 
 declaration was at once sincerely truthful- 
 appropriate to the man's religious position, 
 and a sentence of condemnation to him in 
 that position. For to do this required that 
 he should have already kept that law, with- 
 out failure or deficiency, for one single instant, 
 from his earliest consciousness. This he could 
 not pretend to have done, in the face of the 
 
 confessions of sin on the part of the most emi- 
 nent saints in his Bible. But supposing him 
 to have come so far right, it would be neces- 
 sary for him to go forward to the end in 
 immaculate obedience to the divine rule, in 
 all its depth and breadth of significance. 
 How impossible this was, appeared in the 
 fact that he was now groping after the thing 
 needful to do, and mean time not certain of 
 being in the safe way. Still he must see that 
 the Saviour's principle held good. Do this 
 completely, perpetually, without intermission 
 or error, and thou shalt live. 
 
 29. The question which the lawyer had put 
 is now fully answered. But he could not allow 
 himself to be so easily silenced. He was in 
 danger of seeming foolish, to have expressed 
 doubt in so clear a matter; and to retrieve his 
 position before the people, in other words — 
 willing (resolved) to justify himself— for 
 having so ostentatiously asked a question 
 which he has himself answered easily, he 
 said unto Jesus, And who is my neigh- 
 bor? — He would thus make it seem as though 
 .this was the point of his perplexity, which 
 Jesus had not yet cleared up. He might well 
 feel, too, that in the various antagonistic de- 
 cisions of the doctors touching the application 
 andlimitsof the term "neighbor," hehad pro- 
 posed a puzzle which would test the Galilean 
 teacher indeed. But our Lord was not to be 
 caught, nor turned aside into any mere specu- 
 lative and hair-splitting disputes. The true 
 intent of the law is shown by an example of 
 neighborliness, which at the same time illus- 
 trates the spirit of the gospel, as it lived and 
 wrought in the breast of its divine Founder. 
 
 30-37. The Parable. 
 
 Jesus answering (taking him up — not the 
 usual word for answering), said. — The correct 
 text omits and. — A certain man Avent {was 
 going) down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 
 etc. The Saviour frames a narrative to exem- 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 189 
 
 plify his thought, in perfect consistency with 
 all timt we know of the circumstances sup- 
 j)i)sed. The road from Jerusalem went down 
 literally, to Jericho, the descent in less than 
 twenty miles being about 3,500 feet. It was 
 also a very dangerous road, lying much of the 
 way in a deep ravine, through soft rocks in 
 which caves and chambers abounded, attbrd- 
 ing shelter to miscreants, who from them sal- 
 lied forth to prey upon travelers. It is still 
 
 the capital city of the nation, and Jericho was 
 "the city of palm trees," near the mouth of 
 the Jordan; this and nothing more seems to 
 have been intended. — And fell among 
 thieves {robbers), as many had done before 
 him, and have since, down even to our own 
 day. (See Stanley', Sinai and Palestine ; 
 Porter, Handbook ; Kitter, Geog. of Pal., iii. 
 11 ; Diet, of Bible, p. 120(5). The famous Order 
 of Knights Templar originated in the middle 
 
 WAY TO JERICHO. 
 
 necessary to have an escort in passing over 
 that road, on wliich atrocious outrages, 
 amounting sometimes to murder, have been 
 perpetrated within a life-time past. Of trav- 
 elers there were many, passing between the 
 cities of Jerusalem and Jericho, and to and 
 from the lands beyond the Jordan. We need 
 seek for no deeper meaning in the terms used 
 in this verse than the most obvious ones. — 
 The certain man — was just a man, and, since 
 he started from Jenisnlem, with nothing said 
 to the contrarv. a Jew. — Jerusalem meant 
 
 ages, in a combination of Christian champions 
 to guard this perilous jiass, and assist travelers 
 needing aid. Which {both) stripped him of 
 his raiment — after taking what other prop- 
 erty he had — and beat him — either because 
 he resisted, or out of mere wantonness — and 
 departed, leaving him half dead.— Had 
 they murdered him there would have been no 
 need of help, and his injuries must be of suffi- 
 cient sert«iusness to present a strong claim f r 
 mercy; hence half dead. Surely he needed 
 a neighbor. 
 
190 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest 
 that way : and when he saw liim, « he passed by on the 
 other side. 
 
 :i2 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, 
 came and looked on him, and passed by on the other 
 side. 
 
 ;s;i But a certain ' Samaritan, as he journeyed, came 
 ■where he was; and when he saw him, he had compas- 
 sion on him, 
 
 a4 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pour- 
 ing in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and 
 brought hiiu to un inn, and took care of him. 
 
 31 beat hini, and departed, leaving him half dead. And 
 by chance a certain priest was going down that way: 
 and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 
 
 32 And in like manner a Levile also, when he came to 
 the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. 
 
 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where 
 he was: and when he saw hira, he was moved with 
 
 34 compassion, and came to him, and bound up his 
 wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set 
 him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and 
 
 iPs. 38: 11....6 Johu 4: 9. 
 
 31. And by chance (Greek, by a concur- 
 rence, or, coincidence) there came down 
 a certain priest (or, a certain priest 
 teas going down). This was u most natural 
 thing, as Jericho was a priest-city, and at the 
 termination of their weekly "course" at Je- 
 rusalem, some priests would be frequently 
 traveling homeward by that route. The 
 priest was, by virtue of his office, nearest in 
 position to the seat where Jehovah sat, and 
 should have shared most largely in the spirit 
 of true religion. If any man on earth might 
 reasonably be expected to lend a helping hand 
 to the wounded traveler, a countryman, and 
 also of the seed of Abraham, this priest was he. 
 But he was the most remote from any such, dis- 
 position. — He came and looked on him and 
 passed by on the other side. — He could not 
 help seeing him ; but as the sufferer laj' on the 
 other side of the road fr<mi that on which he 
 happened to be walking, perhaps a little off 
 from the narrow way, proper, he did not even 
 cross it to ascertain more particularly what 
 the case was. 
 
 32. The Levite who followed him, after an 
 interval, belonged also to the priestly tribe — 
 stood next in order of the divine service, and 
 was under a- like obligation to exhibit the 
 holiness and moral loveliness of their religion. 
 But his course only helps to demonstrate that 
 official holiness has little to do, necessarily, 
 with that of the heart. It would be impossi- 
 ble for him to do less than the priest; he did, 
 in fact, somewhat more, and worse. Or, does 
 the Saviour mean to paint his conduct a shade 
 lighter, when he makes him, after reaching 
 the place, cross the way and look on him, and 
 then pass by? Hardly. The man only added 
 a cold and heartless curiosity. Both probably 
 bad to invent excuses, such as commentators 
 have often imagined, to parry the thrusts 
 which even their consciences must have 
 launched against them. The Greek ti-xt fol- 
 lowed by the Revision makes tlie conduct of 
 
 the Levite almost a simple repetition of that 
 of the priest. The authority- for this, although 
 strong, does not seem decisive. Lt is evident 
 that the wounded wretch will find no neighbor 
 among his own countrymen. And now, hav- 
 ing prepared his hearers by the exhibition of 
 two cases of the most shocking absence of the 
 spirit inculcated by the law, he shows its exer- 
 cise in the case of one at the opposite pole of 
 their ceremonial righteousness. 
 
 33, 34. But a certain Samaritan, as he 
 journeyed, came where he was. — We have 
 not now to learn what a repugnance there 
 was, amounting often to the most intense 
 abomination, between the Satiiaritans and the 
 Jews. The origin of the former race, their in- 
 trusion into the very heart of the Holy Land, 
 the rivalry which had existed between them 
 and the orthodox Jews, may be read in any 
 Dictionary of the Bible. The southern border 
 of their territory was not far north of this 
 road, and with all their mutual hatred, there 
 was nothing, under the Roman rule, to hinder 
 their traveling through each other's countrj'. 
 The business of this Samaritan took him down 
 toward the Jordan, and be was riding on an 
 ass, whereas the others had apparently been 
 on foot. When he came opposite the wounded 
 man, instead of acting as the priest, and tlie 
 Levite had done, especially as the Jews would 
 expect a Samaritan to act, he acted simply as 
 a man. He not only went to him— but, with 
 cost, and inconvenience, and delay to his 
 journey, rendered to him all forms and de- 
 grees of attention and help that would have 
 been appropriate on the part of a near per- 
 sonal friend who was unstinted in means, and 
 at complete leisure. First, and most helpful 
 of ail, he had compassion. That genuine 
 sympathy for the suffering, which is more 
 than all outward acts and appliances, be- 
 spoke itself in everj'thing he said and did. 
 He bound up his wounds, pouring in (on 
 them) oil and wine. This was according to 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 191 
 
 35 And on the morrow when he departed he took 
 out two - pence, and save ^/^-m '<> /'»''.'"""• ^"T ,t„ 
 unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thn. 
 
 spendesl mor.-, when I '^^'""««»-'a"'-i ."■!".";'''!?>,' 'as 
 :« Which now of these three, thinkes-t thou, was 
 
 neiehhour unto him that fell among the thieves^ 
 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on hini. 
 
 Then said Jesus unto hiui, Uo, and do thou likewise. 
 
 35 took care of him. And on the morrow he took out 
 two > shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, 
 Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest 
 more, 1, when 1 come back again, will repay thee. 
 30 Which of these three, thinkesl thou, proved neigh- 
 37 hour unto him that fell among the robbers' And 
 he said, He that shewed mercy on him. And Jesus 
 said unto him, Oo, and do thou likewise. 
 
 a See Matt. 20 : 2. 1 See niarginnl note ou Matt. 18 : 28. 
 
 the approved practice of Jewish pharmacy 
 (iHn.i:6). The injured parts, restored to their 
 proi)er phice, were mollified, and stimulated 
 to recuperation. Hai)pily, the knftpsacl< of 
 the traveler could furnish, from his provision 
 for the road, all that was wanted for this 
 simple surgery. The next thing was to get 
 the patient forward to a place of safety and 
 rest. So he set him (lifting him up, <^iMa<T«) 
 on his own beast, and brought him to an 
 inn (trudging along on foot himself), and 
 took care of htm. This was more like an 
 inn in modern times— a caravanserai or khan 
 (Greek, Tra.-Soxcioi')— than that de.scribed in con- 
 nection with our Saviour's birth (2:7). Its 
 proprietor was a private individual, not the 
 government, an^ supplies could be procured 
 which the lodger did not already possess. 
 Tlie ruins of one extensive inn of this kind 
 are mentioned by travelers (see Porters 
 Hand-book, I., 181), as existing on this road, 
 and, probably, near the scene which Jesus 
 had in mind. It is called Khan el Ahimah. 
 
 35. Having giving his own time and atten- 
 tion to his patient the rest of that day, On 
 the morrow— as he went forward to accom- 
 plish his delayed journey — he took out 
 (Greek, "threw down") two pence (=two 
 dollars; see on 7: 41), and said. Take care 
 of him: and whatsoever thou spendest 
 more, when {I when) I come again, I will 
 repay thee. He appears to intend to pay 
 in full for the care of an invalid at an inn 
 for two days, by which time he hoped to be 
 back. But if he should be delayed, or if 
 additional needs should appear, he provides 
 for every contingency — I (emphatic; you 
 need not hold the sick man to account, I) 
 will repay thee. Could generosity go far- 
 ther? 
 30,37. Application. 
 30. Which (omit now) of these three, 
 thinkest thou, was {proved himself ) neigh- 
 bour, etc. The Revision well substitutes 
 prored himself for was here. The Greek 
 verb is that which primarily signifies "to 
 
 become," but which in many places is almost 
 = "to appear as," "to turn out ' so and so. 
 By the question, the Saviour again puts it 
 upon the lawyer to answer himself. With 
 more than Socratic skill, he thus often, in- 
 stead of stating his own judgment on a 
 practical point, led or compelled his collo- 
 cutors to develop their own thoughts into 
 distinctness. 
 
 37. And he said, He that shewed mercy 
 {the mercy) on him. The Greek article is 
 hardly idle here. He would not speak the 
 hated naiTie, Samaritan, but substitutes a de- 
 scription which itself evinces his own narrow- 
 ness and lack of true neighborly love. The 
 Saviour, in drawing from the lawyer the 
 definition of "neighbor," has it not in a di- 
 rect and formal shape. Had he himself been 
 obliged to give it, he would, perhaps, have 
 said. Thy neighbor is, in the sense of God's 
 law, every human being. But he was intent, 
 as always, on a i)ractical lesson. He would 
 not unnecessarily shock i)rejudice. He allows 
 the lawyer to take the one remaining step of 
 inference, that, as the good Samaritan was 
 neighbor to the wounded Jew, the latter was, 
 in that very fact, neighbor to him; that a 
 Jew would fulfill the law in showing mercy 
 to a distressed Sainaritan, and, of course, to 
 any other man needing sympathy and aid. 
 He could not, in short, keep that law which 
 he had professed a desire to understand with- 
 out acting towiird any needy man on earth as 
 the Samaritan did. So Jesus brings the les- 
 .«on home to him.— (i:o,and do thou like- 
 wise. This reverts again to the first ques- 
 tion, "What must / do to inherit eternal 
 life?" Christ had replied as to the first table; 
 he has now as to the second. 
 
 Remark.— It is curious, at first sight, that 
 the lawyer seemed to have no perplexity 
 touching the great commandment of perfect 
 love to God, while he was not altogether clear 
 as to the requirement toward fellow-men. 
 Yet he may have been sincere in this. Our 
 Saviour and his apostles, whenever they would 
 
192 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered 
 into a certain village: and a certain woman named 
 "Martha received him into tier house. 
 
 39 And she had a sister called Mary, ''which also i^ sat 
 at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 
 
 ■10 But Martha was cumbered al)Out much serving, 
 and came to him, and said, Loid, dost thou not care 
 that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her 
 therefore that she help me. 
 
 38 Now as they went on their way, he entered into 
 a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha 
 
 39 received liim into her liouse. And she had a sister 
 called Mary, who also had sat at the Lord's l'ett,aiid 
 
 40 heard ills word. But Martha was 'cumbered aliiuit 
 much serving; and she came up to him, and said. 
 Lord, dost thou not care that my sister did leave me 
 to serve alone? bid her therefore thai she help me. 
 
 1 .lohii 11 : I ; la : 'i, 3 h \ Cor. 7 : 32, eic c I<uke 8: 35; Acts 22 : 3. — 1 Gr. distracted. 
 
 inculcate the observance of the law, without 
 stating its whole requirement, specify by nam- 
 ing the commandments of the second table, 
 never those of the first alone (Man. itt:i7; parallels, 
 Roin. 13: 9; G:ii.5; 14; jas. 2:8). The rcason may be 
 that, while either branch of the one dual 
 commandment involves the other, it is easier 
 for us to imagine that we have kept the first 
 when we have not, than it is that we have 
 kept the second. Hence John, in his First 
 Epistle, applies to Christian profession the 
 test furnished by the law of love, in both 
 directions (2: lo and 5: 2), but much more fully 
 dwells on the need of love towards our 
 brother, and the proof from this that we love 
 God, and are born of God. 
 
 38-42. A Visit at the House of 
 Martha and Mary. 
 
 38. Now it came to pass as they went, 
 that he entered into a certain village. 
 As this family were, about this time, living at 
 Bethany (JohuU: i; 12: 9. comp. ver. i), near Jeru- 
 .salem, we cannot doubt that that was the 
 village mentioned, although Luke does not 
 name it. Some have tliought it necessary to 
 place this incident back, on a former journey ; 
 but, as we have stated on 9: 51, and on ver. 
 17, above, there is nothing in Luke inconsis- 
 tent with the supposition of a brief visit of 
 Jesus to Jerusalem, unnoticed in this Gospel, 
 while the seventy were preparing the way for 
 him in Perea. At .such a time, he reached 
 this village, going to or from Jerusalem over 
 the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. — 
 And a certain woman named Martha 
 received him into her house. It was a 
 house which our Lord must have often visited 
 before. A brotiier of the two women, named 
 Lazarus, was at this time, or had been re- 
 cently, so intimate with him as to be known 
 as he whom Jesus loved. Not long after this 
 time it must have been, when the Master was 
 summoned from beyond the Jordan (10111110:40: 
 11: Iff.), with the word that this friend was 
 very sick ; on which occasion was wrought 
 one of the most marvelous and beneficent 
 
 works which Christ performed on earth — the 
 raising of that friend from death to life. 
 Faint as is the j)icture of his intercourse with 
 the family at Bethany, we easily see more 
 evidence of its being a real home to him, 
 when he was in that neighborhood, than any 
 other place, even "his house" in Capernaum. 
 To it we shall see him, a little later, retiring 
 every night for repose and sympathy, from 
 the labors, debates, oppositions, and hostile 
 plots that were culminating in the arrest, the 
 sham trial, and the cross. 
 
 We know little of the internal relations of 
 the family. Lazarus appears as without a 
 wife — perhaps a widower. Martha appears as 
 the older sister. Some think her to have been 
 the wife of one Simon, who had been a leper, 
 whose house was known as his after liis 
 
 decease (Matt. 26: 6; Maikl4: 3. Comp. John 12 : l). The 
 
 house is here called "her house," and she is 
 seen to be housekeeper. 
 
 39. And she had a sister called Mary, 
 which also sat at Jesus' (j)robably, t/ie 
 Loi'd's) feet, etc. The also intimates that 
 she had first participated in the care for suit- 
 ably entertaining Jesus, as implied further in 
 Martha's phrase, "she hath left me." But 
 while Martha prosecutes further domestic 
 preparations, Mary now feels the ojiportu- 
 nity of hearing the instruction of the Master 
 too precious to be lost for such a cause. She 
 "seated herself" at Jesus' feet, after the man- 
 ner of scholars before the Rabbi.— And heard 
 (was listening to) his word. She evidently 
 was not willing to let one syllable of it drop. 
 
 40. But Martha was cumbered about 
 much serving=the domestic ministry (see 
 4: 39). The Greek says: "She was dis- 
 tracted," her mind drawn in opposite direc- 
 tions; yet no one can deny that "cumbered" 
 is a very congruous substitute. She had 
 planned a task of hospitality which was be- 
 coming a burden to her; and partly, we may 
 sujipose, apprehending fiiilure, and partly 
 piqued that her sister should be idiy enjoying 
 more of the privilege of Christ's company, 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 193 
 
 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, 41 But the Lord answered and said unto her > Martha 
 Martha, thou art careful and troubled aliout many Martlia, thou art anxious and troubled about many 
 tilings: , ., . ■»2t'''ngs: abut oue thiuK is needful: lor Mary hath 
 
 42 But "one thing is nee<lful : and Mary hath chosen : chosen the good part, which shall not be takuii away 
 that good part, which shall not be taken away from I from her. 
 
 her. 
 
 a P<. 27 : 4. 1 A few aucieot auihoriiies renrt. Marlka. Martha, thou art troubled : Mary hath ehoten, ele... i Manr nncient 
 
 iMUimUien rK^i^, but few thiny) are need/ul, or one. 
 
 she came (up) — suddenly presented herself 
 — to him and said. Lord, dost thou not 
 care, etc. Slio iti:i[)tly assutni'.s thjit he is to 
 <;harge Itimself w.th the riglit beliaviour of 
 the family. She implies that he is in fault 
 in encouraging her sister's fault. On this 
 ground, therefore, she instructs him what 
 he is to do in the matter. Bid her there- 
 fore that she help me. Literally, "speak 
 to her therefore, in order that she may take 
 hold with me." It must have been mortify- 
 ing to Mary, and an unpleasant scene to the 
 others who were present. Never did the 
 divine-human .sympathy, forbearance, and 
 tact of Jesus, more decidedly .'shine out. He 
 saw instantly how natural was Martha's feel- 
 ing, though petulant; gave iier full credit for 
 the hospitable and pious motive which drove 
 her to superfluous toil on his account; 3'et 
 sadly felt how much better was Mary's way 
 of profiting by his presence with the family. 
 All this and much more, which no language 
 but his own can convey, speaks in his affec- 
 tionate, half-playful, yet faithful, and even 
 solemn reply. 
 
 41. And Jesus {But the Lord) answered 
 and said unto her, Martha, Martha — 
 surely she was already grieved with herself, 
 although he must have sadly smiled as he 
 looked her in the eye — thou art careful (full 
 of cares, anxious) and troubled (perturbed 
 in mind, or fretted) about many things — 
 the respectability of the entertainment, the 
 "gratification of our appetite, etc. — But one 
 thing is needful — namely, a supreme inter- 
 est in the kingdom of heaven. The next 
 sentence, following- close upon and expound- 
 ing this, should have guarded every one from 
 the trul^' jejune idea, that Jesus speaks here 
 directly of provision for the table, as if "one 
 dish,'" "one article of food," were meant, and 
 the Saviour said that was all that was neces- 
 sary. Some have thought he played upon 
 this lower meaning in presenting the spirit- 
 ual and all important truth. AVe see no evi- 
 dence of such reference at all ; only this, all 
 tlie expenditure of our time and strength and 
 
 N 
 
 care should have one am, "the kingdom of 
 God and his righteousness." For (not unit) 
 Mary hath chosen that good part which 
 (=such that it, iins ) shall not be taken 
 away from her. The good part is evi- 
 dently the same as the one thing wiiich is 
 needful. The "for," if a correct reading of 
 the Greek, implies that a thouglit lies unex- 
 pressed after, one thing is needful, namely, 
 "there your sister is riglit, and I cannot re- 
 prove her"— for Mary chose out the good 
 part, portion, or share, out of the many 
 things that attract our desire and exertions. 
 A good, because a supremely useful, portion, 
 including the full, eternal salvation of her 
 .soul. It, and it alone, shall not be taken 
 away from her. 
 
 This little narrative takes us into the mid.«t 
 of a domestic incident of the life of Jesus, 
 more purely domestic than any other in the 
 Gospels. Yet where shall we find a more at- 
 tractive picture of him? Where does his 
 presence seem more trul^' a bles.sing than at 
 this evening family entertainment? From 
 what formal discourse of his could we nioro 
 clearly derive three of the most important 
 religious lessons than from this fireside inter- 
 course? 1. The supreme importancj of tli ; 
 attainment of his salvation — one thing i.s 
 needful. 2. The hindrance to this from un- 
 due subjection to the cares of life— thou art 
 anxious and troubled about many thin?;?. 
 3. The decisive intlueiice ujion it of personj.l 
 choice — Mary hath chosen that good part. 
 Still we must not suppose that Jesus means 
 to preilude anxious Martha from all share in 
 that part. Her words and conduct in John 
 11 : 20 AT. forbid the thought. She also recog- 
 nized in him the Messiah, the all-powerful 
 Judge of the last day. But hers was, after all, 
 more of an Old Testament faith, which was 
 estimated by its outward works, and antici- 
 pated a salvation to come; while Mary found 
 her salvation present in the presence, the 
 truth, the example of the Master, his very 
 spirit, which she desired more and more fully 
 to imbibe. They were to each other as the 
 
194 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 AND it carae to pass, that, as he was praying in a cer- 
 tain place, wlieii he ceased, one of his disciples 
 8aid unto hiiii, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also 
 taught his disciples. 
 ■2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, "Our 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a cer- 
 
 tain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples 
 
 fcaid unto hiui, Lord, teach us to pray, even as .John 
 
 2 also taught his disciples. And he said unto therii. 
 
 When ye pray, say, • Father, Hallowed be thy name. 
 
 a Malt. 6 : 6. 1 Many niicieut auihoritleK re:id, Ovr Father, who art in heaven. See Miitt. 6 : 9. 
 
 two Epistles: one of James, the teacher of 
 fidelity, labor, obedience; and one of John, 
 breathing light, gladness, and love. 
 
 Ch. 11 : 1-13. Further Instruction 
 Concerning Prayer. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, that as he was 
 praying in a certain place. As in many 
 designations of time and place by our author, 
 especially in this section of his work, " a cer- 
 tain" .seems to mean "some place, not neces- 
 sary to be more definitely pointed out." Our 
 Saviour, who v^'as always in a spirit congenial 
 to prayer, was often engaged in the definite 
 act. This fact was patent to his disciples, and 
 is especially noticed by Luke. His supplica- 
 tions were sometimes audible, as at Gethsem- 
 ane, probably here also, and from the atten- 
 tion which they excited, at a time when 
 prayer, in some style, was a very common 
 phenomenon, we must conclude that the 
 matter, or the manner, or both, of his prayers?, 
 was such as to impress others with a sense of 
 t'.ieir own deficiency. Evidently it did so 
 here. His prayer made them feel that they 
 could not pray aright. We may profitably 
 speculate as to the qualities by which it pro- 
 duced that effect.— When he ceased, one of 
 his disciples said unto him. Lord, teach 
 us to pray, as John also taught his disci- 
 ples — ov, even as John, etc. We cannot easily 
 suppose that those who had heard his particu- 
 lar instructions on the mount concerning 
 prayer, but a few months before, would need 
 to be informed how they ought to pray._ This 
 raises the question whether we have here the 
 source and true occasion of the Lord's Prayer 
 hi Matthew, as some suppose. We think it 
 more probable that it was original in both 
 connections. To assume a frequent repetition 
 of his sayings, on the part of Jesus, within the 
 short compass of one of the Gosi)els, is unrea- 
 sonable; but if we imagine the question to 
 have been asked by one who had more re- 
 cently .joined him. it was very natural that he 
 should give the substance of the former 
 prayer. That it is the same on^y in fud/fstance, 
 
 shows that it was neither intended by Christ, 
 nor understood by the first disciples as an 
 obligatory form. — As John also taught, etc. 
 The Jews were punctilious in the forms of 
 prayer. Three times a day those in Jerusa- 
 lem resorted to the temple courts to join in 
 repeating the prayers there, or, where that 
 was impracticable, they engaged in prayer 
 wherever they might be, sometimes taking 
 pains to be overtaken by the appointed hour, 
 in the public squares, or at the corners of the 
 streets. In this, as in the matter of fasting, 
 John the Baptist may have shared the pre- 
 vailing custom. But he would necessarily 
 feel the inadequacy of the common formulas 
 to express that higher, more spiritual view of 
 God's service which he inculcated. He may 
 have given his scholars patterns, or even litur- 
 gical forms of j)rayer; but they would breathe 
 the spirit of the publican in the parable, 
 rather than of the Pharisee, expressing the 
 desire of forgiveness, and of aid and direction 
 in the purpose to live a new and more s])ir- 
 itual life. But to one who had come, from 
 John's leadership, under the immediate influ- 
 ence of Jesus, and had drunk in something of 
 his free spirit, so as, in the kingdom of heaven, 
 to have risen above the spirit of his former 
 master, the whole system of John would seem 
 as hide-bound and insufficient, as to John's 
 disciple the modes of the Jews had seemed. 
 Hence his present position. He little realized 
 that in the directness, the simplicity and trust- 
 fulness of that, he was practicing the Master's 
 own art of prayer, to a degree. But so he 
 really was, and his prayer was instantlj' an- 
 swered. 
 
 2. And he said unto them— teaching all, 
 while he fulfilled the request of the one — 
 When ye pray, say. Father (omit Our, and 
 which art in heaven), hallowed be thy 
 name. This shorter form of the address is 
 abundantly supported by the best authorities. 
 The prayer was simplicity itself, 3'et divinely 
 comprehensive of all which a suppliant soul 
 can need. — Father! The single word sets 
 beft)re us the object of our prayer in that very 
 
CiL XL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 195 
 
 Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. | 3 Thy kingdom come.> Give us day by day ^ our daily 
 Thy kin!i<luiu come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, 
 so in earth. , ., . i 
 
 a Give us day by day our daily bread. I 
 
 . Mao. aocUot aaU.ori.e, aa., r*, «.«»..--.. «J» »--. --^^^^^^^ 
 
 relation which is best suited to draw our i 
 hearts toward him in reverence, trust, love, | 
 devotion. The fuller statenu-nt in the Sermon 
 on the Mount, "Our Father, which art in 
 heaven," adds ideas of exaltation and dignity, 
 and signifies directly our fraternity with all 
 disciples in our petition. This latter thought 
 is suggested here by the plural "us" of the 
 petitioners; and the single word— Father- 
 has a depth of tenderness in it, which no ad- 
 dition can bring nearer to the heart. The 
 term had been seldom used in addressing God 
 in the Old Testament, and only to denote him 
 distinctly as the Father of the nation— Israel; 
 more frequently in the Apocrypha, but asso- 
 ciated with other epithets and descriptions, sig- 
 nificantof coldness and formality.— Hallow- 
 ed be thy name = let us and every one who 
 speaks thy name (which may all the nations 
 do!) think of it with that holy regard which 
 is due to the Being and character which it 
 represents. The name of God stands famil- 
 iarly in Scripture for his divinity, character, 
 in short, for himself. To hallow the name, is 
 to treat God as holy, in thought concerning 
 hin\, in the sentiments of the heart, the words 
 of the lips, the conduct of the life. —Thy 
 kingdom come. On the significance of the 
 phrase, " Kingdom of God, ' see note on 6: 21. 
 That it should come, involves the accession of 
 an ever greater number of willing, obedient 
 subjects, till the number of God's chosen shall 
 be made complete; and, secondly, that those 
 who belong to it should abound more and 
 more in its appropriate spirit, and do works 
 meet for such a relation, until it shall appear 
 in holiness and perfection, answerable to that 
 of its exalted Head. Not merely extensive, 
 but intensive development, is thus involved 
 in the prayer. This is further indicated by 
 the additional petition— Thy will be done 
 as in heaven, so in earth— which belongs 
 strictly in Matthew, though by some tran- 
 scribers brought into early copies of Luke, 
 also. The Revision omits it here. 
 
 3. Give us day by day our daily bread. 
 Thus we have, following two petitions look- 
 ing to God's glory, and the glory of his king- 
 
 dom, one based upon our temporal needs, to 
 be followed by two more, relating to our 
 spiritual interests. This petition relating to 
 personal want comes first, because the sup- 
 port of life is the condition of all activity, 
 use, and felicity, even spiritual. It is but one, 
 that we may not dwell upon temporal inter- 
 ests, and is limited to what is strictly essential, 
 bread- without concern for luxury, or even 
 comfort. Some have thought that to bring 
 in the mention of mere physical food, in this 
 connection, was not worthy of the Saviour, 
 and have labored to allegorize it into a spirit- 
 ual supply; but surely many of Christ's 
 hearers then, and in every age, would not 
 think it unfit to ask the heavenly Father for 
 their necessary food ; and Farrar, on the pas- 
 sage, well says, "That this prayer is primarily 
 a prayer for needful earthly sustenance, has 
 been rightly understood by the heart of man- 
 kind." An occasion for much speculation as 
 to possible abstruse meanings has been found 
 in the singularity of the term translated 
 daily. Being met with nowhere else in the 
 Greek language, except in the parallel pas- 
 sage. Matt. 6: 11, and in late references to 
 these, the first recourse would be to the ear- 
 liest translations. But of the.se, the Latin 
 renders "daily" (.quoHdianum) ^ with which 
 one form of the Syriac (Curetonian) sub- 
 stantially agrees; but the common Syriac 
 gives "needful." The etymology, also, is 
 ambiguous. Some suppose the adjective 
 (eirioiJo-ios) to comc from the verb (tVuVoi), and 
 so to mean "pertaining to the coming"; 
 that is, the coming day, or time; others 
 give the meaning, "adapted to nature, or, 
 being"' (as if from ««■! o>v, or, eir\ ai<ria). This 
 last would easily come to the sense of neces- 
 sary, essential; and notwithstanding the sc 
 rious objection, that we ought then to find the 
 to^rt elided before a vowel, we .still think (and 
 especially in view of the number of similar 
 cases adduced by Cremer (Bih. T/ieol. Lexi- 
 con), that this is the most probable of the deri- 
 vations proposed. Nothing, however, is so 
 certain as to require us to change the familiar 
 rendering, daily. The full discussion of the 
 
196 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every 
 one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temp- 
 tation : but deliver us from evil. 
 
 4 bread. And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves 
 also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And 
 bring us not into temptation.* 
 
 1 Many ancient authorities add, but deliver us from the evil oue (or, /rom evil). See Matt. 6 : 13. 
 
 Greek word (emovvw^), is admirably condensed 
 in Dr. Conant's Note on Matt. 6: 11 (Am. 
 Bible Union's Version of Matthew, 4to edi- 
 tion), and more at large in Ligbtfoot on Re- 
 vision; Tholuck, Sermon on the Mount; 
 McClellan, New Testament, I., G32-647- Cre- 
 mer, Bibl. theolog. Wbrterbuch der neuetest. 
 Graeitat, 239-242. 
 
 4. And forgive us our sins. The for- 
 giveness of our sins is the first, greatest, ever 
 present spiritual necessity of our souls. That 
 those should no longer stand charged to our 
 account, in the book of God's remembrance, 
 but be canceled, blotted out, and put as far 
 away from him as the east is from the west, is 
 the jierpetual condition of our peace. The 
 Saviour does not here explain the ground on 
 which pardon can consistently be granted to 
 the sinner, but he mentions a disposition or 
 state of the heart, which necessarily goes with 
 faith in Christ, as precedent to it — the disposi- 
 tion, namely, to forgive those who have in- 
 jured us. (Comp. the fuller statement Matt. 
 6: 14, 15.) — For we (add, ourselves) also for- 
 give, etc. The prayer is put into the mouth 
 of those who are already disciples, and who, 
 therefore, although conscious of remaining 
 sinfulness, share with the Master something 
 of that charity which they wish to have 
 exercised toward them.— Who is indebted 
 to us. Here the counterpart, between men, 
 of our sins toward God, is regarded as a 
 debt, i. e., an obligation on the part of our 
 neighbor to do or to refrain from something, 
 failing of which he is liable to penalty at our 
 hands. Matthew shows our sins against God 
 as " debts" for which we are holden to make 
 satisfaction. It will be noticed that "tres- 
 passes," fi^miliar from the Episcopal Prayer- 
 book form of prayer, is not in either form of 
 the Lord's Prayer in the Bible. Kev. J. H. 
 Blunt, Annotated Book of Co-mmon Prayer, 
 London, 1868, gives, on page 31, various forms 
 of the Lord's Prayer prior to the sixteenth 
 century, in none of which do we find "tres- 
 passes"; but he quotes one from the King's 
 Prymer, of the year 1538, which has that 
 word, then made familiar to the English ear 
 by Tyndale's Version of 1534. Tyndale alone 
 
 of the English translators has used it. — And 
 lead us not into temptation. Being once 
 forgiven, the disciple dreads to incur other 
 sins. He knows also his own liability to 
 error, and his need of God's gracious care 
 to hold him secure. It can hardly be a 
 prayer to be kept from that testing by which 
 one's genuine character is brought to light 
 (p». i39:23f.) and his virtues exercised, the en- 
 durance of which is declared to be an eminent 
 blessing (Jan.ea 1 : 2, li). It is rather against that 
 solicitation to sin which arises from the se- 
 ductive influence of forbidden things on our 
 weaker, unspiritual projiensities and aflfec- 
 tions. This influence we need not ask God to 
 refrain from directly exerting upon us, for he 
 temptethnot any man, in this sense (James i: is). 
 That comes from God's arch-enemy, and ours, 
 against which our Lord especially directed 
 his disciples to pray and to watch (Matt. 26: 4i; 
 Luke 22: 40, 46), at that houT which was "the 
 power of darkness." The prince of darkness 
 alone can be thought of as shaping the cir- 
 cumstances of our life, so as by them to incite 
 in us evil dispositions and conduct. What 
 we pray to God for is, that he will, in his all 
 powerful providence, so guide our way that 
 we may escape the tempter's snares. It is 
 but putting into a praj'er what Paul assured 
 his Corinthian brethren God would do for 
 
 them (1 Cor. 10:13). 
 
 This view of Satan as the author of the 
 temptation deprecated would be supported by 
 the translation, in Matthew, by the Revision 
 of the following clause, "'but deliver us from 
 the evil 07ie." This clause is, however, re- 
 jected, on good grounds, from Luke's report, 
 by the most eminent and conservative editors 
 of the Greek text. 
 
 Whether, supposing the clause to be genu- 
 ine, we should translate "evil" or "the evil 
 one," is a question on which the reasons for 
 and against either alternative are so delicately 
 balanced that we can hardly be sure which 
 way they preponderate. If those in favor 
 of the Revised rendering are a shade more 
 weighty, the diflference is scarcely enough to 
 warrant any change, not absolutel,y neces- 
 sary, in this peculiarly hallowed passage. 
 
Ch. XL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 197 
 
 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a 
 friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say 
 unto him, Friend, Tend nie three loaves; 
 
 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, 
 and I have nothing to set l)efore him? 
 
 7 And he from within shall answer and say. Trouble 
 me not : the door is now shut, and my children are 
 with me in Iwl : I cannot rise and give thee. 
 
 8 I say unto you, "Though he will not rise and give 
 him, because he is his friend, yet because of his impor- 
 tunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 
 
 9 'And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given 
 you; seek, and ye shall fiod; knock, and it shall be 
 opened unto you. 
 
 5 And he said unto them. Which of you shall have a 
 friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say 
 
 6 to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a trieud ot 
 mine is come to me from a journey, and I have noth- 
 
 7 ing to set before him; and he from within shall 
 answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now 
 shut, and uiy children are with tue in bed ; I cannot 
 
 8 rise and give thee'.' 1 say unto you. Though he will 
 not rise and give him, because he is his triend, yet 
 because of his importunity he will arise and give 
 
 9 him ' as many as he needeth. And I say unto you. 
 Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
 
 ach. li: 1, etc b Matt. 7 : 7; 21 : 22 ; Mark 11 : 24; JotiQ 15: 7; James 1:6; I Joho 3: 22. 1 Or. KkattoeoertUhigi. 
 
 5-13. Encouragemknt to Prayer. 
 
 The request to be taught to pray, i. e., how 
 to pray, i.s now granted ; but, with the best of 
 models, the Saviour knew that the right dis- 
 position was still more essential, including a 
 real sense of need, and the free, child-like 
 trust in God, which goes spontaneously, 
 promptly, to him, and waits boldly, perse- 
 veringly, for the desired blessing. Hence it is 
 that, after giving a specimen of what they 
 should ask for, and in what style of language, 
 he now adds a lesson of encouragement to 
 freedom and urgency in prayer. 
 
 5-8. And he said unto them. Which of 
 you shall have a friend, etc. The story of 
 successful application to a fellow-man for 
 needed favor, is told in a form of homelj' and 
 vivid reality, and in words of the utmost 
 familiarity, and even of conversational care- 
 lessness. The sentence is nttt grammatically 
 consistent, but with ver. 8 changes from the 
 interrogative to the declarative form. It be- 
 comes regular only by some such expedient 
 as, at the seventh verse, to substitute for "and 
 he" "but who," or, "who nevertheless." 
 Yet the intent of the whole is beyond all 
 danger of mistake. 
 
 The object is to show that in our human 
 relations, constancy in entreaty may, even 
 under the greatest discouragements, secure 
 needed benefits. So the man in trouble is 
 supposed to go to his friend at midnight — 
 the least favorable hour in the whole twenty- 
 four, to expect any exerti()n tit the hand of a 
 plain, unsophisticated man who sleeps in the 
 night, and to whom rest is sweet. The first 
 application does, indeed, meet with little suc- 
 cess. — The door is now shut — otherwise the 
 applicant might enter and help himself with- 
 out troubling his friend. — And my children 
 are with me in bed. The bed, in an ordi- 
 nary house, would commonly be the divan 
 built along one or more sides of the living 
 
 room, which served as a seat, or lounge, dur- 
 ing the day. He could not rise from this 
 without disturbing the children, and so more 
 seriously frustrating the night's repose. But 
 we are to suppose the petitioner, who will not 
 take No, for an answer, to persevere, until he 
 finally prevails. His conduct did not seem, 
 to the Saviour who pictures it, praiseworthy 
 in any other light than as the simple expres- 
 sion of a deeply felt necessity ; for when he 
 speaks of the man as obtaining by his impor- 
 tunity what mere friendshiij would not grant, 
 the Greek word signifies properly "discour- 
 tesy," "impudence," "shamelessness." He 
 asked for the loan of three loaves, either 
 because from their small size it was thought 
 .so many might be required bj' a hungry man, 
 or, as some think, for the appearance of 
 bounty — one for the traveler, one for the 
 host, and one as a reserve. As the result of 
 his rough urgency he will receive all that he 
 needs, and apparently on more favorable 
 terms than he had proposed. He will give 
 him as many as he needeth. 
 
 The argument of this illustration is, that if 
 the reluctance of a drowsy man may be thus 
 overcome by the persi-stent and strenuous en- 
 treaty of a neighbor, much more will God's 
 willingness to bless be moved by the sincere, 
 urgent, and unremitting supplication of those 
 who need his aid. He may cause them to 
 wait until their faith is exercised, and they, 
 are better prepared, in every way, to appre- 
 ciate the boon ; but in due time it will come, 
 either in form as they have desired, or as they 
 would desire, knowing what God knows. 
 
 9. This verse applies the parable to the 
 hearers. — And I say unto you. Ask, and 
 it shall be given you. The statement is 
 without qualification, as of a universal and 
 infallible proposition. Yet the asking must 
 not be a mere hasty request, expressive of a 
 light and fleeting desire, but a reverently 
 
198 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 10 For every one that asketh receivetb; and he that 
 seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
 opened. 
 
 11 "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a 
 father, will he give hiiu a stone? or \( he ask a fish, will 
 he lor a tish give hiiu a serpent? 
 
 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a 
 scorpion ? 
 
 16 If ye then, being evil, kijow how to give good gilts 
 tinto your children ; how much more shall yjnr heav- 
 enly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
 him? 
 
 10 find; knock, and it shall lie opened unto you. For 
 every one that aske'h receiveth; and he that seek- 
 eth tindeth; and to hiiu that knocketh it shall be 
 
 11 opened. And of which of you that is a father shall 
 his sou ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a 
 
 12 fish, and he for a tish give him a serpent? Or // he 
 
 13 shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorj)ion? If ye 
 then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
 your children, how much more shall //oh;- heavenly 
 Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? 
 
 a Matt. 7 : 9. 1 Sume nacient iiuthorities omit, a loa/t and he give him a stone ? < 
 
 bold (Heb. ^.16) insistence on the petition, grow- 
 ing out of a want which can take no refusal. 
 This is denoted by the term, seek, which, 
 in this connection, may mean, "try to find 
 the most promising way of access, or the 
 most eftectual plea to move the divine com- 
 passion," but probably signifies only a more 
 intense, vigilant, vehement solicitude for the 
 needed favor. — Knock — viz., at the door of 
 God's store-house of ble.ssings, is a term un- 
 doubtedly suggested by the preceding par- 
 able, and denotes a continuance, and increase 
 of urgency ; corresponding to which — it shall 
 be opened unto you, signifies the finding 
 access to the supplies of grace lor vvhich we 
 pray. 
 
 10. Verse 10 simply relates, in a general 
 form, for the encouragement and guidance 
 of all, the truth which had been so vividly 
 addressed to the disciples. 
 
 11-13. As if the Saviour could not leave a 
 topic of such vital importance to the Chris- 
 tian life, he adds to the preceding induce- 
 ments to prayer, the argument drawn from 
 the readine.ss of an earthly father to grant 
 the natural desires of his children. The 
 Revision, in verses 11, 12, keeps nearer to 
 the form of the expression in the Greek. — 
 Bread, fish, and eggs were common staples 
 of diet among the people, and the antitheti- 
 cal mention of bread=a loaf, and a stone; 
 fish, serpent; egg, scorpion, rests on the 
 deceptive resemblance of those objects in the 
 respective pairs. The question is shrewdly 
 shaped to show that no father could so mock 
 the desire of his child for necessary food. 
 
 13. If ye then, being evil — as ye natur- 
 ally are ("a shining proof of original sin," 
 says Bengel, on Matt. 11: 13)— know how 
 to give good gifts unto your children — as 
 exemplified in the articles of food — how 
 much more shall your heavenly Father 
 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
 him? The argument is again from- the less 
 
 to the greater. God is a spiritual Father tc 
 them that trust in him. According to this 
 analogy, rather than that of a sovereign, 
 governor, or judge, we are encouraged to 
 think of him, and to believe that he is just 
 as full of aflection and sympathy for us, just 
 as ready to comfort and help, as the tenderest 
 parent on earth can be, while his ability is 
 greater by all the difference between earth 
 and heaven, where he rules from the throne 
 of the universe. — Give the Holy Spirit — 
 not to the exclusion of needed temporal 
 good, but as the sum of all spiritual bless- 
 ing, which being bestowed, all other things 
 really indispensable will be added — to them 
 that ask him, in the spirit and manner, of 
 course, of the preceding instruction and en- 
 couragements. As it is not all ostensible 
 prayer which fulfills these conditions, so only 
 H part comes within the scope of the promise. 
 We need not wonder, therefore, that in sj)ite 
 of the fullness of God's offered stores, so 
 much formal prayer remains unanswered. 
 
 Although several of the petitions of the 
 Lord's Prayer may be more or less nearly 
 matched by similar, detached sentences from 
 thoughtful men, Hebrews, or of the classic 
 nations, or of those of further Asia, its origi- 
 nality- and uniqueness will never be impaired 
 until they can nil be found, severally com- 
 plete and combined in so divine proportions 
 as, like this prayer, to express approj)riate!y 
 the daily wants of the humblest child, while 
 they include everything vvhich the most di- 
 versified and exigent experience has occasion 
 to seek from God. Further, they must be 
 found so composed, in sucIj an atmosphere of 
 trust, love, and obedience, on the one hand, 
 and of almighty, paternal care and affection 
 on the other, as this context exhibits, before 
 they can pretend to the place in human hearts 
 of "Our Father, which art in heaven." 
 
 What view of God so exalted as not to find 
 expression in the tender title, Father? What 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 199 
 
 14 "And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. I 14 And he was casting out a demon which was dumb* 
 And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the | And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, 
 dumb spake ; and the people wondered. the dumb man spake ; and the multitudes marvelled. 
 
 1.") Hut some of them said, 'He casteth out devils 15 But some of them said, i By Beelzebub the prince of 
 through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. | 
 
 a Uatt. 9 : 32 ; 12 : 2'i h Matt. 9 : 31 ; 12 : '24. 1 Or, In. 
 
 bond of brothcrlinod so close and solemn as 
 that of which every one is conscious when he 
 deliberately says, in his prayer to God, "give 
 M.v;" ■' forgive ?/s;" "leadwa".? Surely the 
 whole lies involved in even the briefest form 
 of the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 This teaching binds us to pray first of all, 
 and with supreme concern, for the glory of 
 God, and the universal establishment of his 
 kingdom in Christ. To this it subordinates 
 all desires for personal blessings. But it not 
 only allows, it encourages us, to pray for what 
 is essential to life, and strength for God's ser- 
 vice — the bread, the fish, the egg of daily sus- 
 tenance. With even more confidence may we 
 ask for the forgiveness of our sins, and for 
 preservation from all evil. And what n)ore 
 can be thought of, fit to be desired of God, 
 which is not by implication contained in 
 these few words'.' 
 
 And how can such prayer fail of fulfill- 
 ment? Even the hard, skeptical, and cynical 
 Juvenal, after satirizing all human prayers 
 and wishes, allows to human weakness such 
 requests as we can grant ourselves. The 
 Lord's Prayer shows us a scheme of petitions 
 Comprehending everything, which we may 
 offer to our Heavenly Father, with the fullest 
 assurance that he cannot help granting us 
 these or what we might prefer, if we so pray. 
 
 I4-2G. From His Casting Out an Evil 
 Spirit, thk Scrikks and Pharisees Take 
 Occasion to Blaspheme. 
 
 14. And he was casting out a devil 
 {demon), and it was dumb. The event seems 
 to be the same as that recorded in Matthew 
 12: 22 ff. ; and imi>lied in Mark 3: 19 ff., where 
 the connection in Mark would lead us to think 
 that it occurred much earlier than the period 
 of the present journey. Matthew speaks of 
 the demoniac as both blind and dumb. AVe 
 may note here again the confounding of the 
 alien spirit with the )ierson aflflicted. The 
 latter was dumb, but the defect of speech is 
 ascribed to the demon which had caused it. 
 The strongly continuative form of the verb, 
 was casting out— may have been used with 
 the feeling that the hostile observers were 
 
 meanwhile watching him. The people 
 {multitudes) wondered. — All three narra- 
 tives of this affair suppose a great throng to 
 have been present, most of whom were j)roba- 
 bly at the time strangers to such works of Jesus. 
 Hence their wonder at the miracle. The in- 
 terest manifested by such numbers would be 
 likely to specially e.vasjierate his adversaries. 
 15. But some of them — the Pharisees, 
 Matthew ; scribes from J<'rusalem, Mark — 
 said, He casteth out devils — damons — etc. 
 The Revision gives the right order of words. 
 — Beelzebul (which is the correct spelling of 
 the word), was a desigiiiition of Baal, the chief 
 deity of the Phenicians and Canaan ites gen- 
 erally. The worship of this abominable idol- 
 god had been formerly introduced among 
 the Israelites by Ahab, in the northern, and 
 Ahaz in the southern kingdom. One of tho 
 many special names appropriated to him 
 (Baal-peor, Baal-berith, etc.), in different lo- 
 calities and relations, was Baal-zebub (2 Kingn 
 1:1) = god of flies; i. e., having power over, 
 and able to drive away, flies. At a later pe- 
 riod, pious Jews, now thoroughly cured of 
 idolatry, but remembering the seductive 
 power of this temptation from Baal-i)eor 
 down, appr(>|)riated the name to the chief of 
 the evil spirits, Satan ; and, to make it more 
 oft'ensive to their peojde, changed it slightly, 
 by a play upon the sound, from Beel-zebub 
 to Beel-zebul, meaning, as many think,' 
 "dung-baal." (See Winer, /?ea/ w'drtrrhuch, 
 s. v. Beelzebub.) The charge is, accordingly, 
 that Jesus was in collusion with the prince of 
 evil, and only pretended to work against the 
 latter, while using against the minions of 
 Satan power lent by Satan himself Such a 
 charge would be unspeakably wicked, if ut- 
 tered hypocritical h', when they did not be- 
 lieve it; but still more profoundly de|iraved 
 when they actually believed the most mani- 
 fest divine beneficence to be Satanic craft. 
 Here, at least, sincerity in their accusation 
 intensified its guilt. It proved such an utter 
 obliteration of the sense of holiness as that 
 they could regard that and the work of the 
 devil as one thing. 
 
200 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 16 And others, tempting him, "sought of him a sign 
 from lieaven. 
 
 17 'But "^ he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, 
 Every kingdom divided against itself is hrought to 
 desolation ; and a house diiided against a house talleth. 
 
 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall 
 his kingdom stand? because ye say tlial I cast out 
 devils through Beelzebub. 
 
 19 And if 1 by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do 
 your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your 
 judges. 
 
 IC the demons casteth he out demons. And others, trj'- 
 
 17 ing hull, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, 
 knowing their thoughts, said unto them. Every king- 
 dom divided against itselt is brought to desolation; 
 
 18 land a house dicfW^rf against a house falleth. And if 
 Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his 
 kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out de- 
 
 19mons2by Beelzebub. And if 1 2 by Beelzebub cast 
 out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? 
 
 a Matt. 12: 38; 16 : 1 h Matt. 12: 25j Miirk 3: 24 c ''ohu 2 : 25. 1 Or, and house falleth upon house 2 Or. in. 
 
 16. And others, tempting him, sought 
 of him a sign from heaven. This, as ap- 
 pears, caine froin a different quarter. The 
 writer brings before us two assaults upon the 
 Saviour, on different grounds, before the lat- 
 ter gives his answer to either. This needs to 
 be borne in mind, to appreciate the subsequent 
 narrative. These men starting, perhaps, 
 from the allegation of the others, that he 
 had done this miracle through power from 
 below, ask ironically, that he should give 
 them some proof of his mission from God by 
 a miracle out of heaven (compare the opinion 
 of Theoph. quoted by Meyer, on Matt. 16: 1). 
 But the expression was often used by them to 
 signify some particularly striking display to 
 the senses of supernatural action, such as the 
 voice from heaven (see examples out of Rab- 
 binical literature in Wetstein on Matt. 16: 1), 
 or, the manna descending out of heaven (John 
 6:30,31), as distinguished from changes and 
 phenomena pertaining to the earth. Notice 
 of this challenge Jesus defers to ver. 29, after 
 he has dealt with the accusation of conspiracy 
 with the devil. This latter he refutes by two 
 arguments: 1, it is contrary to obvious fact 
 in all analogous cases of earthly practice 
 (ver. 17, 18); and 2, to their judgment on the 
 exorcisms eflected by the Jews themselves 
 (ver. 19). This Iciives as the only true explana- 
 tion (ver. 20), "by the finger of God." 
 
 17. But he, knowing their thoughts — 
 apparently not having heard their words- 
 said unto them. Every kingdom divided, 
 etc. The maxim is at the same time an 
 axiom, and needs no discussion, only to be 
 applied. 
 
 18. If Satan also be divided against 
 himself. Tlie verb is preterit=was divided, 
 to wit, in the action which I just performed, 
 and this regarded as a specimen of a series. 
 So in Matt. 12 : 20, the exact rendering is, 
 "If Satan is casting out Satan, habitually, 
 through me, he was divided against himself," 
 
 namely, when he entered upon such a plan. 
 The argument, then, is: "If Satan, habitually 
 by my agency, fights against his own emissa- 
 ries, there is plain belligerency within his do- 
 minion—the most destructive imaginable. — 
 How shall his kingdom stand? It "hath 
 an end" (Mark 3: 26). Because ye say that I 
 cast out devils (the demons) through Beel- 
 zebub. This refers his argument and its con- 
 clusion to the charge thej- had made, and 
 witnesses to his indignation at the monstrous 
 injustice which the^' had done him. That was 
 aggravated by the partiality and inconsistency 
 of their course. 
 
 19. And if I by Beelzebub cast out 
 devils {the demons), by whom do your 
 sons cast them out? There were, in that 
 day, exorcists among the Jews who had the 
 credit of casting out demons from the pos- 
 sessed, and whom, from our Lord's way of 
 referring to them, we must suppose to have 
 actually given relief to some of this afHicted 
 class, ])erhaps only occasional, partial, tempo- 
 rary relief (Acts 19: 13 ff., Jos. Ant., 8: 7, 5). 
 Many suppose, but unnecessarily, that Jesus 
 intends merely an ad hominem argument, 
 sufficient to silence his adversaries, since 
 they supposed their own exorcists to possess 
 this power. — Therefore shall they be 
 your judges. Unless their own sons were 
 in league with Beelzebub, there was no 
 ground for charge against him. Whatever 
 might be the fact as to the .Jewish exorcisers, 
 the uniform surprise manifested at Christ's 
 power over demons showed that his work was 
 a veritable "sign," nevertheless, from the 
 promptness, the facility, and eflicacy of its 
 performance, and especially from the moral 
 atmosphere which he threw around him, and 
 the spiritual change which often appeared in 
 those delivered by him. It was evident to 
 all but the obstinately blind, that the power 
 of God wrought through him. 
 
 20. But if I with the finger of God 
 
Ch. XI.J 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 201 
 
 20 But if I o with the finger of God cast out devils, no 
 doubt the kingdom of tiod is come upon you. 
 
 21 'When a strong man armed keepeih his palace, 
 his go<Hls are in peace : 
 
 22 But « when a stronger than he shall come upon 
 him, and overcome him, he tukcth from him all his 
 armour wherein he trusted, and dividcth his si)oils. 
 
 2-i ''lie that is not with me is against me: and he 
 that galhereth not with me scatterelh. 
 
 24 < When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he 
 walketh through drv places, seeking rest; and Hndin^ 
 none, he saith, I will return unto my house- whence 1 
 came out. 
 
 20 therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the 
 linger of (Jo<l cast out demons, then is Ihe kingdom 
 
 21 of (Jod come upon you. When the strong nuiit fully 
 armed guardeth his own court, his goods are iu 
 
 22 peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon 
 him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his 
 whole armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his 
 
 23 spoils. He that is not with me is against me; and 
 
 24 he that gathereth not with me scattereth. The 
 unclean spirit when 'he is gone out of the man, 
 passeth through waterless places, seeking rest ; and 
 tindiug none, ' he saith, I will turn back unto my 
 
 a Ex. 8: 19 6 Miitt. 12:29; Mark 3: 27. 
 
 :Isa. 53: 12; Col. 2 : 15.... d Uiitt. 12:30 e Mull. 12:43. 1 Or, it. 
 
 cast out devils (the demons). With the 
 finger of God is, in Matt. 12: 28, "by the 
 Spirit of God" — both phrases being tigiir- 
 ative, for "b^' the power of God." The 
 hypotlietieal opening of the sentence, with 
 if, most strongly assumes tliat the case is so. 
 — No doubt (or, T/wn) the kingdom of CJod 
 is come upon you. — Come upon, nearly 
 =has overtaken, has surprised you. The 
 Saviour ascribes .such importance to this class 
 of his mighty works, as to maintain that they 
 of themselves prove him to be the Messiah 
 and head of the new kingdom. Where he 
 was, it was. It was not something to be 
 expected merely; but was essentially pres- 
 ent. That it had come upon, not merely 
 "among" or "unto" them, implied that they 
 were not ready for it, and that it came with 
 a shadow of hostility to the system which 
 they upheld. 
 
 21, 22. Having refuted the blasphemous 
 accusation of ver. 15, he now describes his 
 procedure against Satan. 
 
 21. When the (not a) strong man (f>iUy) 
 armed kecpeth (or, gnardcih) his palace, 
 etc.— The strong man stands for Satan, who, 
 before the coming of Christ, holds the souls of 
 men in peace=securely, in his power (as il- 
 lustrated by the demoniacal possessions) as 
 being his goods — or possessions, in his pal> 
 ace— which is the abode of fallen men. 
 
 22. But when a stronger than he 
 (namelj', Christ, the Lord) shall come upon 
 him, etc.— Come upon is not the same verb 
 in the Greek as in ver. 20. but means simply 
 "toattack." Christ came upon the adversary 
 decisively in the experience of the temptation, 
 and overcame him. — He taketh from him 
 all his armor— strictly, his panoply— 
 wherein=tn which — he trusted. He strips 
 him of his power of offence and defence — and 
 divideth his spoils. It would simplify the 
 figure if we could suppose the "panoply" to 
 
 be the retinue of demoniac spirits, Christ's 
 treatment of one of which (ver. 14) had given 
 occasion to the discourse; but the idea of a 
 complete armor seems too broad for that. 
 "Dividing the spoils" is approi)riating them 
 to himself, po.ssibly assigning them to the dis- 
 ci[)les as trophies of their work; and the 
 spoils are the souls, called "his goods" in 
 the preceding verse, now noted as having been 
 taken captive by him. 
 
 23. In this contest between Christ and the 
 devil, all men are enlisted, and should be en- 
 listed on the side of Jesus. 
 
 23. He that is not with me is against 
 me. The remark holds good j)re-eniinent]y 
 as to that portion of his hearers who had 
 charged him with being in league with Beel- 
 zebub. The first member of the verse presents 
 a figure drawn from military relations, the 
 second from the practice of harvesting.— He 
 that gathereth not with me— the grain 
 that should enrich my garner — scattereth 
 abroad — wastes the harvest, and does what 
 ho can to frustrate mj' design of salvation. 
 The harmony between this and the converse, 
 superficially discrepant proposition in 9: 50, 
 was pointed out on that verse. 
 
 24-26. The Saviour was led by his reflec- 
 tions on theterrible malignity which had now 
 been evinced against him. to find in the sub- 
 ject of demoniacal possession an apt illustra- 
 tion of the degeneracy of the Jewish nation, 
 as compared with what it bad been at a former 
 time. The people, as cured, in the time of 
 Ezra and Nehemiah, of their easily besetting 
 sin of idolatry, and turned to the service of 
 Jehovah with undivided j)iiri)ose of heart, is 
 the man out of whom the unclean spirit is 
 gone. The same people, as they now present 
 themselves to his view, hardened in unbe- 
 lief, formality, pride of legalism, hatred of 
 the Messiah, amounting even to blasj)heiny 
 against the Holy Spirit, is the man repos- 
 
202 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XL 
 
 25 And when he comet h, he fimleth it swept and 
 garnished. 
 
 •26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other 
 spirits more wicked than biniselt'; and they erter in, 
 and dwell there: and "the last xtate of that man is 
 worse than the first. 
 
 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a 
 certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and 
 said unto liim, '' Blessed /.v the womb that bare thee, 
 and the paps whieh thou hast sucked. 
 
 28 But he said. Yea, <^ rather, blessed are they that 
 hear the word of (jod, and keep it. 
 
 29 ''And when the people were gathered thick to- 
 
 25 house whence I came out. And when ' he is come, 
 20 1 he findetli it swept and garnished. Then goeth 
 1 lie, and taketh to him seven otiier spirits more evil 
 than •'! hiuisell ; and they enter in and dwell there: 
 and the last state of that man beeometh worse than 
 the first. 
 
 27 -And it came to pass, as he said these things, a cer- 
 tain woman out of the multitude lifted np her voice, 
 and said unto him. Blessed is the womb that bare 
 
 28 thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck. But he 
 said. Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word 
 of (jod,'and keep it. 
 
 29 And when the multitudes were gathering togetlier 
 
 a JoIid5: U; Heb. 6 : 4; 10: M; Pel. 2:20 ich. 1 : 28, 48 c Matt. 7 : 21 ; ch. 8: 21 ; James 1 : 25 d Mutt. 12: 38, 39. 
 
 1 Or, it 2 Or, itself. 
 
 sessed by the unclean spirit, and in a con- 
 dition so nuieh more de.sjjerate than before, 
 that it is as if the returned depion had brought 
 with him seven others beside himself to dwell 
 there. 
 
 24. When the unclean spirit is gone 
 out of the (not a) man — in a definite case, 
 imagined as effected through the exorcism 
 of the Jews. — He walketh (or pnsseih) 
 through dry {waterless) places, seeking 
 rest. This was the vulgar idea (compare 
 Baruch, 4: 35; Tob. 8: 3), that unclean spirits 
 haunted desert spots, where no water was, 
 esi)ecially the sites of ruined and abandoned 
 cities (compare Isaiah 13:21; 34:14; Rev. 
 18: 2). — And finding none, he saith, lAvill 
 return, etc. Something like this was the 
 desire of the demons in Legicm (8:31,32), to be 
 allowed to enter into the swine, rather tlian to 
 be .sent adrift absolutely unhoused. When 
 he says to my house, he is not aware of 
 having been authoritatively and effectually 
 expelled. He came out, and may, if he 
 pleases, return. Tliere is typified the super- 
 ficial and transient amendment which the 
 people exjjerienced in ancient times, as seems 
 to us more yirobjibly intended, or, under the 
 preaching of .lohn the Baptist. 
 
 25. And when he cometh he findeth it 
 swept and garnished. Sucli is the descrip- 
 tion of the supposed patient, restored to his 
 right mind. That the house is swept = clean, 
 and all its furniture and utensils in proper and 
 beauteous order, garnished, implies what 
 Matthew expre.ssly adds, that it is "empty," 
 strictly, "at leisure," ready for an occupant. 
 This signifies that when the old idolatrous 
 practices of the nation ceased, no divine spirit 
 of true repentance, faith, heart obedience, 
 had taken its place.— Then goeth he and 
 taketh to him seven other spirits, etc. 
 This sets forth the confirmed incorrigibleness 
 of the Jewish people, now further than ever 
 
 from any general disposition to seek their 
 God, and wasting the remnant of their day 
 of grace in machinations again.st their only 
 Saviour. Truly, the last state of that man 
 is worse than the first. 
 
 27, 28. The True .Ground of Happi- 
 ness. 
 
 27. As he spake these things, a certain 
 woman of the company (out of the multi- 
 tude) lifted up her voice. This would seem 
 to have been before he had fully completed 
 his discourse, which he resumes in ver. 29. 
 The woman's admiration might well be ex- 
 cited both by the matter and manner of our 
 Lord's discourse. She may have wished to 
 show him that however cruelly he was re- 
 jected by the leaders, and neglected by the 
 mass, there were some at least who sympa- 
 thized with him, and would fain do him 
 honor. In this she was only the mouth-piece 
 of a great many of the common throng. — 
 She lifted up her voice, either that she 
 might make herself heard by Jesus, out of 
 the multitude, or, in order to testify the 
 more imi)ressively to all around her honor to 
 the Lord. — Blessed is the womb that bare 
 thee, and the paps (breasts) which thou 
 hast sucked (or, didst suck). " Her senti- 
 ment is good, but she speaks after the manner 
 t)f a vfoman.'^ —^Bengei. What a happiness to 
 have been the mother of such a son! So, 
 first of all, feels her mother's heart. 
 
 28. But he said — not able or disposed to 
 question the blessedness of such a relation- 
 ship, but much concerned that she and all 
 should more highly appreciate the privilege 
 of hearing him. — Yea rather, blessed are 
 they that hear, etc. There is a blessing in- 
 deed in the outward kinship, but chiefly in 
 the believing submission of the heart to that 
 truth which I bring from God (compare 
 8: 19-21). 
 
 29-36. Continuation of the Discourse 
 
On. XI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 203 
 
 gether, ho began *-> say, This is an evil generation: 
 tliey seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, 
 but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 
 
 30 For as "Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so 
 shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 
 
 ;U 'The queen of the south shall rise up in the judg- 
 ment with the men of this generation, and condemn 
 them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth 
 to hear the wisdom of .Solomon : and, behold, a greater 
 than Solomon /.< here. 
 
 '■i! The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment 
 with this generation, and shall condemn it: for 'they 
 repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a 
 greater than Jonas u here. 
 
 unto him, he began to say. This generation is an 
 evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there 
 shall no sign be given to it but the sign of .lonah. 
 
 30 For even as Jonali became a sign unto the Nine- 
 vite.s, so shall also the Son of man be to this gen- 
 
 31 eralion. The queen of the south shall rise up in 
 the judgment with the men of this generation, and 
 shall condemn them: for she came from the ends 
 of the earth to hear the wisilom of .Solomon; and 
 
 32 behold, la greater than .Solomon is here. The men 
 of Nineveh shall stand u\i in the judgment with 
 this generation, and shall condemn il : I'or they 
 repented at the preaching of Jouah; and behold, 
 'a greater than Jonah is here. 
 
 a Jonah 1 : 17; 2: 10.... 6 1 KiDg>;10: 1... .c Jonah 3 : 5. 1 Gr. 
 
 Interrupted at Verse 26. He is now 
 ready to notice the demand made (ve.-. le) for a 
 sign from heaven. (See on that verse.) 
 
 29. Antl when the people were gath- 
 ered thick together — better., the multitudes 
 were gathering together unto hbn. He may 
 not improbably have found additional reason 
 for expressing himself on the topic proposed, 
 in this streaming toward him of throngs more 
 eager to see his wonderful deeds, and even to 
 hear what he might have to say, than to give 
 him the well-earned confidence of their 
 hearts. — He began to say — a formula which 
 intimates the opening of an important dis- 
 course. Indeed, there is no intimation in our 
 Gospel of any cessation of the train of dis- 
 course here begun, until 13: 10. This (add 
 generation) is an evil generation. Evil, 
 in that it refuses the clear manife.station of 
 (jod's ])resence in him, in his teachings, his 
 life, and his familiar miracles, and grossly 
 demands displays of physical power. They 
 seek (Greek, it neeketh) a sign, and there 
 shall no sign be given it. Tlie word sign 
 is used here in that special and ostentatious 
 sense in which some of them had presumptu- 
 ously demanded it. No such sign would 
 Christ condescend to give them. There was, 
 indeed, one event yet to take place concern- 
 ing him, which, although far enough from 
 their present thought, even they would have 
 to admit was a sign from heaven — namely, 
 his res^urrection. Hence he adds, Except 
 the sign of Jonas— the sign, that is, which 
 lay in the history of Jonah. 
 
 30. For as Jonas was (literally, became 
 = proved to be, turned out) a sign unto the 
 Ninevites, so, etc. As Jonah's coming 
 forth from a three days' stay in the belly of 
 the whale, as if alive from the grave, was a 
 sign to the men of Nineveh that Jehovah had 
 indeed sent him, so Christ's return from the 
 dead, after three daj's, would be — the verb 
 
 points to the future— a sign irrefragable that 
 God had sent him as the Messiah. (C(mipare 
 Acts 2 : 32, 33. ) 
 
 31. The mention of the Ninevite.s, who re- 
 pented at the preaching of Jonah, might have 
 recalled to the thought of Jesus the sad con- 
 trast of the effect of his mi.ssion upon his own 
 generation, in general. Hence the following 
 comparisons. — The queen of the south= 
 Sheba, 1 Kings 10: 1 — shall rise up in the 
 judgment with the men— men, distinc- 
 tively, not human beings — of this genera- 
 tion. She will rise in company with them, 
 woman though she was, on the .«ame footing 
 with them before the judgment bar.— And 
 shall condemn them— by recalling how 
 earnest she was to gain knowledge of Solo- 
 mon's wisdom "concerning the name of Je- 
 hovah " (comp. 1 Kings 10: 9).— From the 
 ends of the earth. Sheba = Sabjea, in 
 Arabia Feli.x, was at that time practically a 
 great way off from Jerusalem. She put her- 
 .self to great trouble and exjjense to seek wis- 
 dom at a long distance. — And, behold, a 
 greater than Solomon is here. At your 
 ver3' door, within the hearing of your ears, is 
 one offering treasures of wisdom and grace, of 
 which Solomon had nothing; and j'e li.sten to 
 him only to cavil, to disobey, to hate. 
 
 3^. The men of Nineveh shall rise up 
 {=stand up), etc. These were j)robably men- 
 tioned before the queen of the south, as the 
 or^ler is in Matt. 12: 41, but Luke's arrange- 
 ment consults chronology and rhetorical cli- 
 max. — They shall stand up — side by side — 
 with this generation— so much more fa- 
 vored, in respect to the knowledge of the true 
 God, and the teachings of his Son — and 
 shall condemn it— by the contnist of their 
 example. — For they repented at the 
 preaching of Jonas (JoD»h3:5); and, be- 
 hold, a greater than Jonas is here. Yet 
 this generation has not repented, and is not 
 
204 
 
 LUKE 
 
 [Ch. XL 
 
 33 "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth 
 it in a secret place, neither under a 'bushel, but on a 
 caudlestick, that I hey which coiue in may see the liKht. 
 
 AX <^The light of the body is the eye: therefore when 
 thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light ; 
 but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of 
 darkness. 
 
 ;{.') Take heed therefore, that the light which is in 
 thee be not darkness. 
 
 3(> If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having 
 no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when 
 the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 
 
 37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him 
 
 33 No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth 
 it in a cellar, neither under the bushel, but on the 
 stand, that they that enter in may see the light. 
 
 34 The lamp of thy body is thine eye: when thine 
 eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light ; 
 but when it is evil, thy body also is full of dark- 
 
 35 ness. Look therefore whether the light that is in 
 3J thee is not darkness. If therefore thy whole body 
 
 be full of light, having no part dark, it shall be 
 wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its 
 bright shining doth give thee light. 
 37 Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to ^dine 
 with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 
 
 a Matt. 5: 15; Mark 4: 21 ; ch. 8: 16 6 See Matt. 5: 15 c Man. 6: 22. 1 Gr. breakfast. 
 
 going to repent, even after the more than 
 Jonas has risen triumphantly from actual 
 death. 
 
 33-36. The Light of the Knowledge 
 OF Christ. 
 
 The mention of Christ as the source 
 of true wisdom, superior to Solomon, the 
 preacher tff God's truth greater than Jonas, 
 carries with it the thought of the privilege 
 of those who most directly share his instruc- 
 tion, and are filled with light from him. 
 They are as lamps that have been lighted. 
 
 33. No man when he hath lighted a 
 candle (Lamp), putteth it in a secret place 
 (or cellar), neither under (not a but the) 
 bushel, etc. So it is not the design of God, in 
 distinguishing the disciples with the knowl- 
 edge of the gospel, that they should person- 
 ally, selfishly, unprofitably to others, appro- 
 i:)riate this light to themselves, but that they 
 sht>uld conspicuously exhibit, and benefi- 
 cently impart it to others about them who 
 need it (comp. Matt. 5: 14-16). Light is a 
 well-known symbol of saving knowledge. 
 
 34. To fully acquire this salutary light 
 they need an inward faculty of heart, un- 
 derstanding, conscience, adapted to its re- 
 ception. This is here signified by the figure 
 of the bodily eye.— The light of the body 
 is the eye. The metaphor is only half e.x- 
 pressed, requiring, to complete it, the addi- 
 tion, "so is there also an inward organ, a 
 power of the soul, which discerns between 
 truth and error, right and wrong, and which 
 recognizes duty, and in its normal condition 
 should safely guide the moral life." But as 
 the bodily eye, in order to perform its func- 
 tion well, must be sound and healthy — single 
 =simple, unperverted, true— so the mental 
 faculty must work clearly, sincerely, and ac- 
 cording to the reality of moral things. 
 
 This is implied, with the force of great 
 brevity, in the caution of verse 35, which 
 
 speaks of a light within, requiring careful 
 attention, lest what is the appointed medium 
 of moral light, guiding to proper conduct, 
 should convey error, rather, and involve the 
 life in darkness. 
 
 35. Take heed (literally, look), there- 
 fore, that the light which is in thee the 
 moral judgment, which is designed to indi- 
 cate the way of right living) be not dark- 
 ness — so dull and ineflScient through misuse, 
 as to furnish no illumination, and not even to 
 welcome the light aflx)rded from without it. 
 The Greek says, is not darkness — carrying 
 a strong intimation that attention will show 
 this to be the fact. 
 
 36. The discourse comes back to the out- 
 ward image, leaving the application to the 
 spirit to be made by us. — Therefore — seeing 
 that such is the relation of the ej-e tcj con- 
 duct — if thy whole body therefore be full 
 of light, etc. The body may be regarded 
 here as standing for the whole man, body and 
 soul, irradiated by "the light that is in thee." 
 The case is that of a man whose discernment 
 of right and dut^' is so clear and unerring, and 
 his preference for it so unhesitating, that he 
 may be said to have no part dark; there is 
 no failure to perceive, no inclination to prac- 
 tice evil. What is asserted of this subject, 
 
 I that— the whole shall be full of light— can 
 : avoid the appearance of tautology only by 
 emphasizing "whole" in the first sentence, 
 and "full of light" in the second. The Greek 
 for "full of light" is "light" (adjective), 
 "bright," "luminous." — li i\\y tvhole body 
 therefore he light, having no part dark, the 
 j whole will be — light = theve will be light 
 and nothing else— as when the bright shin- 
 ing of a candle (better, the lamp, with its 
 bright shining), doth give thee light. The 
 lamp, here, is the house lamp, under the 
 radiance of which a person in the room is 
 completely illuminated. 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 205 
 
 to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to 
 meat. 
 
 38 And " when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that 
 he had not first washed before dinner. 
 
 :j'J 'And the Lord said unto hiiu, Now do ye Phari- 
 sees make clean the outside ot the cup and the platter; 
 but 'your inward part is full of ravening and wick- 
 edness. 
 
 40 }V fools, did not he that made that which is with- 
 out make that whicli is within also? 
 
 41 <^But rather nive alms of such things as ye have; 
 and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 
 
 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that 
 he had not first bathed himself before i dinner. 
 
 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees 
 cleanse the outside of the cup and of the phitter; but 
 your inward part is full of extortion and wicked- 
 
 40 ness. Ye foolish ones, did not he that made the 
 
 41 outside make the inside also? Howbeit give for 
 alms those things which a are within; and behold, 
 all things are clean unto you. 
 
 a Mark 7:3 b Hnit. 23 : 25 c Tit. 
 
 :I5. 
 
 .(il!in.&8:7; Dan. 4 : 27 ; cb. 12 : 33. 1 6r. frreaV<>«(-..-2 Or yet 
 
 37-41. The Hypocritical Scruplks of 
 A Pharisee. 
 
 37. And as he spake, a (certain should 
 be omitted) Pharisee besought (or, better, 
 askcth) him to dine (Gfeek, breakfnfst) with 
 him. The succeeding narrative foUovvs di- 
 rectly upon the account of the preceding 
 discourse (ver. is-se). The Pharisee, who in- 
 vites him, may have been hitherto ignorant 
 of the special teaching and character of Jesus, 
 and now curious to learn more about him; 
 or, he may have been on the look-out for op- 
 portunity to entrap him ; or, possibly, from a 
 more liberal mind, simply desirous to culti- 
 vate the society of the great Teacher. If his 
 subsequent course will allow it, we should 
 prefer this last supposition. In either case 
 Jesus was ready to embrace any opi)ortunity 
 of intercourse by which he might spread more 
 widely the good tidings of the kingdom. — 
 And he went in, and sat down to meat. 
 The meal to which he was now invited was 
 not properly the formal dinner, but the first 
 meal of the day — a breakfast or lunch. 
 
 38. Even thus — when the Pharisee saw 
 it — ^^that lie reclined without any formality — 
 he marvelled that he had not first washed 
 before dinner. The Greek for washed means 
 (e/SaJTTiVeT)) '"been immersed," "dipped." Rev. 
 J. B. ]\rcClel!an, an eminent scholar of the 
 Church of England, translates "dipped him- 
 .self," rightly as to the main sense; yet the 
 verb is in the passive, and implies rather that 
 the bath was thought of as effected through 
 the agencj' of a servant. The same author 
 translates the analogous passage (Mark 7: 4), 
 "And after market, except they dip them- 
 selves" — a proper middle voice — "they eat 
 not; " on which his note is, "Greek, hnptizein 
 Matt. 28: 19 ref., (which references see in this 
 Com. on 8: 3), 2 Kings T): 14, he dipped hiiri- 
 self seven times in the Jordan ; parallel — wash 
 thyself 5: 10; Luke 11: 38; Heb. 9: 10; Judith 
 12: 7, 8; she dipped herself in the fountain, 
 
 and came in clean. — Sirac, 34: 251 He that 
 DIPPETH himself after touching a dead body ; 
 A. V. washeth. Justin, Trijpho, 46. Trypho, 
 the Jew, said it was even now po.^sible to keep 
 such Jewish ordinances as the Sabbath, cir- 
 cumcision, new moons, and dipping (or, bap- 
 tizing), of one-self after touching things for 
 bidden." 
 
 39. The wonder of the Pharisee was prob- 
 ably expressed in the Saviour's hearing.— 
 Now do ye Pharisees cleanse, etc. Now 
 indicates a conclusion="now I see," "now it 
 is evident." Ye make yourselves clean, by 
 external ceremonies, as one would do who 
 should, with these dishes from which we eat, 
 wash the outside only. — But your inward 
 part is full of ravening (or extortion^ and 
 wickedness; your mind and heart are 
 wholly set on selfish gain, however unjust, 
 and the gratification of evil desires. 
 
 40. Ye fools, did not he that made 
 that which is without (the outside), make 
 that which is within (or t/ie iniiide] also? 
 Does not common sense teach that God the 
 Creator has at least as tiiuch care about the 
 internal state of things (including men), as 
 the external? 
 
 41. But rather (//bw he it. Revision), unfa- 
 vorable as yiHir course looks, there is n better 
 \yay possible for you. — Give alms of such 
 things as ye have. The Greek admits of 
 three possible renderings, all, however, serv- 
 ing to impress the same lesson, nainely, cher- 
 ish the spirit of charity, love, merc3- (Mntt. s: is; 
 12:7), and you will have no need of external 
 purifications. 1. The Common Version un- 
 derstands the participle (to ivovra, from ivi), as 
 meaning "the things that are jiresent," "that 
 are on hand" (comp. Col. 3: 11; James. 1: 
 17). 2. "Those things which are within," as 
 the Revision (from ti/ei^xt). This refers to the 
 contents of their dishes, the "cups and plat- 
 ters," and the precept is: "Give as alms what 
 you thus squander in luxury; cultivate the 
 
206 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 42 "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint 
 and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judg- 
 ment and the love ol(iod: these ought ye to have done, 
 and not to leave the other undone. 
 
 42 But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint 
 and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and 
 the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, 
 
 a M:>lt. 23 : 28. 
 
 spirit of .self-denying charity, and all will be 
 right with you." This is preferable to the 
 previous translation, and connects itself with 
 the mention <»f the "within" and "without." 
 3, Take the participle as an accusative case 
 of specification: "as to what is within," now 
 meaning the mind and disposition ("your in- 
 ward part,") "give alms," =practice true re- 
 ligion, and behold — a wonderful effect— nil 
 tiling!^ — outside and inside — are clean unto 
 you. Number 2 is grammatically simple, 
 and by so much to be preferred. The Saviour 
 is not, of course, stating fully the way of 
 sanctification ; but only setting over against 
 their outward legality the spiritual, inward, 
 
 self-denying, beneficent nature of acceptable 
 service to God. "Love is the fulfilling of the 
 
 law" (Rom. IS: 8). 
 
 42-52. Dknunciation of thk Phari- 
 
 RERS AND LaVTYKRS. 
 
 The disparagement of Christ's freedom of 
 conduct b^'- his host (ver. as), may have been 
 
 backed up by other Pharisees present. At 
 all events, he had received an impression of 
 
 their formality, hypocrisy, and utter lack of 
 love to God or man, whicli bound him to ex- 
 pose its hollowness. 
 
 42. But woe unto you, Pharisees ! This 
 woe combines grief, warning, and threaten- 
 ing. It is three times repeated against the 
 Pharisees. — For ye tithe mint and rue and 
 all manner of herbs (every herb); the sin 
 was essentially in what they left undone; but 
 this extravagant legality which led them to 
 go beyond the requirements of their written 
 law, so as to tithe the very weeds of their 
 gardens, was itself a sad indication of their 
 conception of righteousness. — And pass over 
 (neglect, or fail to exercise) judgment and 
 the love of God. Judgment (Hebrew, 
 mishpat) is, here, that course of conduct 
 which right judgment prescribes=right con- 
 duct, justice, and which God has commanded. 
 — These (viz. judgment tind the love of God) 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 207 
 
 43 "Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the upper- 
 most seats iu the synagogues, and greetings iu the 
 markets. 
 
 44 'Woe unto you, scril>es and Pharisees, hypocrites: 
 e for ye are as graves wtiich appear not, aud tlie men 
 that'wulk over ihi-m are not aware of llifin. 
 
 4"> Tlien answered one of the lawyers, and said unto 
 liini, .Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. 
 
 4() ,\nd he said. Woo unto you also, y« lawyers! ''for 
 ye lade men with liurdens grievous to be borne, and ye 
 yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your 
 finirers. 
 
 47 ' Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of the 
 prophets, and vour fathers killed them. 
 
 4.S Trulv ve 'bear witness that ye allow the deeds of 
 your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build 
 their sepulchres. 
 
 4.3 and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you 
 Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in the syna- 
 gogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. 
 
 44 Woe unto you! for ye are as ibe tombs which a|>- 
 pear not, aud the men that walk over llifin know 
 it not. 
 
 45 And one of the lawyers answering said unto him, 
 'Master, in saying this thou reproachest us also. 
 
 46 And be said. Woe unto you lawyers also ! for ye lade 
 men with l)urdens grievous to be borne, aud ye 
 yourselves touch not the burdens with one o'' your 
 
 47 lingers. Woe unto you! (or ye build the tombs of 
 
 48 the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So ye 
 are witnesses and "consent unto the works of your 
 fathers: for they killed them, aud ye build llieir 
 
 UMalt.-W: fi: Mark li : .18, :<9....6 Matt. 23 : 27....C Pr. 5 : 9.. . .d Matt. 2S : 4... .e Malt. 23 : 29. 1 Or, Teach»r. 
 
 ought ye to have done, and not to leave 
 the other (Greek those) undone, or neg- 
 lected, i. c, so far as they miglit be required, 
 or were to be, done at all. The right dispo- 
 sition was necessary' to allow any value to 
 e.xternal per form an ces. 
 
 43. The uppermost seats (or, chief sit- 
 tings) in the synagogues, were the official 
 bench on wliioh the elders .sat, facing the con- 
 gregation. (See o'l 4: 14.) The fault con- 
 demned in this ver.se was ambition for showy 
 ))reetninence, and the applause of men. 
 
 44. H^'pocrisy, covering gross immorality 
 and corruption of heart. Ye are as (the) 
 graves which appear not, etc. To come 
 in contact with a grave, or tomb, was emi- 
 nently' defiling. To have come too near one, 
 unaware, would greatly offend the scrupu- 
 lousness of a strict Jew. This, since graves 
 were irregularly scattered about, and the dis- 
 tinguishing marks of their presence would in 
 time become obliterated, was a peril to which 
 every one was liable. Hence nothing could 
 be a more expressive .symbol of moral cor- 
 ruption and hatefulness than a hidden grave. 
 Such, the Saviour saj's, were the conspicuous 
 religionists of that time — an unsuspected body 
 of corruption and source of moral defilement. 
 
 45. Then answered one of the law- 
 yers, and said unto him. Master, thus 
 (or, in saying fhi.i) thou reproachest (dost 
 insult) us also. On the relation of the 
 lawyers to the Pharisees and scribes, see 
 on 7: 30. As educated to their function, 
 they may have thought themselves, and ac- 
 tually been regarded, more respectable than 
 the Pharisees. This man seeins to have sup- 
 posed that Jesus had not meant to include 
 lawyers in the same condemnation as the 
 Pharisees, which his language might imply, 
 and that, if his attention was called to it, he 
 
 would correct the mistake. But the Lord 
 had made no mistake. He had spoken ac- 
 cording to character and to facts; and to 
 whomsoever these pertained, for them his 
 words were intended. 
 
 40. Woe unto you also, ye lawyers (or, 
 lawyers also) ! Whether as morally corrupt 
 or not, the lawyers were in some respects 
 peculiarly culpable, because they multiplied 
 commandments and reciuirements, as if a part 
 of the divine law. They wore fabricators of 
 traditii>n, which Ciirist hated, and so loaded 
 men with burdens grievous to be borne 
 — precepts hard, or even impossible, for the 
 people to comply with. — And ye yourselves 
 touch not, etc. Their utter failure to keep 
 their own commandments made their course 
 all the more cruel to the people. 
 
 47. While professing great reverence for 
 the former prophets, their spirit is one of in- 
 tense and murderous hostility to those who 
 come in the character of tho.«e prophets, and 
 so they prove themselves children, indeed, of 
 those who killed the prophets. To build the 
 sepulchres=^()?w6s — of the prophets, might 
 be to their credit, if they acted from a sincere 
 desire to honor them. But when it was done 
 from a hollow disposition to connect their 
 own names with revered monuments, it sim- 
 ply evinced their likeness to those who mur- 
 dered the prophets. Unbelievers killed them, 
 and unbelievers built their tombs. It is a 
 case of fathers and children dealing with 
 God's prophets. 
 
 48. Truly ye bear witness, etc. ; (accord- 
 ing to the best text: Xo=therefore — ye are 
 witnesses) viz., that your fathers killed the 
 l)rophets — imd consent to the deeds of your 
 fathers. — Co)isent to means "are well pleased 
 with," "take pleasure in"' (Roni.i:32). The 
 Saviour intimates that it would be more pru- 
 
208 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. xr. 
 
 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, " I will 
 send tlieui prophets and apostles, and some of them they 
 shall slay and f)er»ecute : 
 
 51) That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed 
 from the foundation of the world, may be required of 
 this general ion : 
 
 51 '' Kroni the blood of Abel unto 'the blood of Zach- 
 anas, which perished between the altarand the temple: 
 verily 1 say unto you, It shall be required of this gen- 
 eratiou. 
 
 49 tombs. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will 
 send unto theiu prophets and apostles; and some of 
 
 50 theiu they shall kill and persecute ; that the blood 
 of all the prophets, which was shed from the foun- 
 dation of the world, may be required of this gener- 
 
 51 alion ; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of 
 Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the 
 1 sanctuary : yea, 1 say unto you, it shall be required 
 
 a Matt. 23: 34.... 6 Geu. 4: 8....C 2 Chion. 24: 20, 21. 
 
 dent for tliem to leave the tombs of the pro- 
 phets neglected and forgotten, than by hypo- 
 critical appearances of honor to them, to call 
 up the remembrance of their slaughter at the 
 hands of men like-minded with these men. — 
 They indeed killed them, and ye build, 
 etc. — Their sepulchres, " though supposed, 
 is not expressed in the Greek. Your building 
 is the natural sequence of their killing." 
 
 49-51. Therefore also said the wisdom 
 of Ciod, I will send, etc. What is intended 
 by the wisdom of God, is very obscure. We 
 should naturally understand it to designate 
 some Book or portion of the Old Testament. 
 Not only, however, is there no Book so 
 named, but when we look for a saying like 
 what is here given, we find nothing very 
 nearly .similar. A variety of hypotheses have 
 been suggested to meet the difficulty. In 
 Matthew 23: 84 ff., the same declaration for 
 substance is ascribed to Christ himself: "Be- 
 hold I send," etc., and some have supposed- 
 that Jesus here means the wisdom of God 
 speaking through him. He cannot, of course, 
 be here quoting himself on a former occasion, 
 then, because the two reports are of the same 
 discourse. And if we could allow the en- 
 tirely unparalleled circumlocution of.- "the 
 wisdom of God" for "I," the preterit tense 
 "said" hinders; for it should be "says." 
 Some would have it that an Apocry))hal 
 Book, now lost, called "Wisdom of God," is 
 cited here, but the utter singularity of such a 
 proceeding by Christ proi>erly excludes this 
 conjecture, even if we had some intimation 
 that any such Book had been lost. Godet 
 and others imagine that in the early church, 
 the "Proverbs of Solomon" were called sim- 
 ply Wisdom, or Wisdom of God (comp. 
 apoehryphal Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, 
 Wisdom of Solomon), and that then the quo- 
 tation is from the closing verses of the first 
 chapter. This is "clutching out of the air" 
 a fancy, more pleasant, perhaps, than the 
 acknowledgment of ignorance, but not so 
 
 profitable. Somewhat more probable, in our 
 judgment, is the supposition that Christ has 
 in mind here several passages of the Old Tes- 
 tament, partly historical (as 2 Chron. 24: 18 
 ff. ; 36: 14 ff.), partly predictive (as Prov. 1: 
 15 ff. ), taking the main sense of which, as ap- 
 propriate to his own present use — "I serld 
 unto you" (Man. 23:34), he throws it back into 
 the purpose of God, which the history simply 
 fulfilled. As he was thus adapting to himself 
 what God in his wisdom had planned and ex- 
 ecuted, he might express himself in such way 
 that the thought would be both "the wisdom 
 of God said I will send," and "I will send." 
 One other view may be suggested, that Jesus, 
 seeing all this abuse and murder of the an- 
 cient prophets to be but a type of what the 
 early ministers of the New Testament were to 
 meet, simply declares that this also was a part 
 of God's plan. The wisdom of God=God, in 
 his wisdom, said, viz., within himself, I will 
 send, etc. As God would do this through 
 Christ, the mode of his expression might have 
 allowed the equivalent report, 1 send, etc. 
 This would be an unparalleled form of state- 
 ment with our Lord, but in no other .sense 
 unnatural. These conjectures are ventured 
 merely as such, where nothing but conjecture 
 is possible, and where room for conjecture 
 seems exhausted. It must be left as a very 
 dark expression. The prophets spoken of 
 I are those of the New Testament Church 
 l(Rph.4:ii), and they are mentioned before 
 ! apostles (comp. "messengers," 2 Chr. 36: 
 j 15), not because of superior rank, for in the 
 ' New Testament they everywhere stand 
 second, but to bring Christ's ministry into ob- 
 vious association with that of the Old Testa- 
 ment as the objects of a continuous persecu- 
 tion. — And some of them they shall kill 
 and persecute. This was literally fiilfilled 
 within the period of the inspired history. — 
 Acts 13: 1-3; 2 Cor. 11 : 23 ff. ; 1 Thess. 2: 14 f. 
 50. That the blood of all the prophets, 
 etc. All the prophets that had been slain in 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 209 
 
 52 « Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away 
 the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, 
 and theui that were entering in ye hindered. 
 
 5;{ And as he said these things unto theiu, the scribes 
 and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and 
 to provoke him to speak of many things : 
 
 52 of this generation. Woe unto you lawyers! for ye 
 took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not 
 in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye 
 hindered. 
 
 53 And when he was come out from thence, the 
 scribes and the Pharisees began to ' press upon hiin 
 vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of ^many 
 
 a Matt. 23: 13. 1 Or, ttt themtelvet vthtmtntly aga{n<( him 4 Or, more. 
 
 tho world were slain by the Jewish people, 
 and these men might be held responsible for 
 the guilt, as every generation must inherit the 
 con.sequences of the conduct of every preced- 
 ing generation of their line. 
 
 51. But Jesuc, looking at the spirit of his 
 contemporaries as that of all hostility to true 
 piety, the genuine spirit of Cain, includes 
 Abel among the prophets, and charges them 
 with the murder of the first righteous man, 
 recorded in the first book of their Bible, and 
 of Zacharias— the last recorded, in the last 
 book, as it stood in the order of the Jewish 
 Scriptures, namely, in 2 Chron. 24: 20 ff.— 
 Verily, I say unto you, It shall be re- 
 quired, etc. — The certainty of prophetic fore- 
 .sight, and the tenderness of national sym- 
 pathy, both speak in this repetition of the 
 solemn and dreadful truth. Each genera- 
 tion had, indeed, experienced something of 
 the consequences of its own, and of the for- 
 mer sins; but in a peculiar sense would the 
 penalty of all fall on this generation, because 
 it was to be the last on its ancestral ground, 
 and was to perish most miserably. There 
 were those then living who could witness and 
 suffer the unspeakable horrors of the war of 
 Titus, including the siege and destruction of 
 their idolized capital. 
 
 52. Woe unto you, lawyers ! — Christ re- 
 turns to the enumeration of their sins, and 
 emphasizes their darkening and perversion of 
 the teachings of their Scripture. In that, 
 rightly understood and applied, lay the 
 knowledge which should serve as a key to 
 open the door of the kingdom of heaven. — 
 Ye have taken away the key of knowl- 
 edge — namely, the key to unlock the king- 
 dom of heaven, which key consists in knowl- 
 edge. The possessive case is one of apposi- 
 tion, like "the city of New York.'' Right 
 knowledge of the teaching of the Old Testa- 
 ment, as John the Baptist would have led 
 them to see it, was suited to prepare for the 
 reception of Jesus. But such knowledge, the 
 lawyers, through their hard, formal, lifeless in- 
 terpretations, and through the multiplication 
 
 O 
 
 of burden.some traditions, had precluded, had 
 taken away from the sight of those wlio de- 
 pended on them for light.— Ye entered not 
 in yourselves — a truth of fearful significance 
 to them personally, but which is mentioned 
 to signalize a truth that weighed still more 
 heavily on the heart of our Lord, that they 
 had, by their errors and willfully false instruc- 
 tions, led away a multitude of simple souls, 
 ready to enter upon the way of life.— And 
 them that were entering in ye hindered. 
 The Saviour recalls "the crowds," "multi- 
 tudes," that have hung on his teaching, and 
 been melted by his beneficence, and who 
 seemed at times to have ranked themselves 
 under his banner, as his disciples, and sharers 
 of his kingdom. But around them the Scribes 
 and Pharisees and lawyers have lurked, 
 watching, reproving them for their attach- 
 ment to Jesus, making light of his claims, 
 contradicting what he taught, and even charg- 
 ing him in his holiest self-manifostations with 
 being the agent of the devil. AVhat wonder, 
 then, that he should once and again have 
 been grieved to see many of his disciples go 
 back, and walk no more with him? And 
 when we think how powerfully these religious 
 leaders had hindered the saving influence of 
 Jesus over the mass of his nation, is it strange 
 that his denunciation now, on the very verge 
 of the national opportunity', should thunder 
 and blaze against them ? 
 
 53, 54. Further Snares Laid eor Je- 
 sus BY THE Scribes and Pharisees. 
 
 53. And as he said these things unto 
 them (better, nnd when he was come out from 
 thence); the Revision conforms to the text as 
 restored according to the best authorities. 
 The Pharisees followed him out, full of ani- 
 mosity, and eager still to harm him. — The 
 Scribes (^aioyers) and the Pharisees 
 began to urge {^press npon) him vehe- 
 mently — by words and acts of enraged hos- 
 tility — and to provoke him to speak of 
 many things.— The rare Greek verb here 
 used would seem to mean "to. urge tO' speak 
 
210 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 54 Laying wait for him, aiid " seeking to catch some- 
 thing out oi his mouth, that they might accuse him. 
 
 CHAPT 
 
 IN ''the mean time, when there were gathered to- 
 gether an innumerable muUitude of people, inso- 
 much that tliey trode one upon another, lie began to 
 say unto his disciples first ol all, "^Beware ye of the 
 leaven of the Fluuisees, which is liypocrisy. 
 
 2 ''For there is nothing covered, that shall not be 
 revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 
 
 3 Therelore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness 
 shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have 
 spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon 
 the housetops. 
 
 I 54 things; laying wait for him, to catch semething out 
 { of his mouth. 
 
 EK XII. 
 
 1 In the mean time, when ' the many thousands of 
 the multitude were gathered together, insomuch 
 that they trode one upon another, he began to 2 say 
 unto his disciples first of all. Beware ye of the leaven 
 
 2 of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is 
 nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed: and 
 
 3 hid, that shall not be known. Wherelore whatso- 
 ever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in 
 the light; and what yc have spoken in the ear in the 
 inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the house- 
 
 rk 12: 13.... 6 Mau. 16:6; Mark 8: 15.... c Matt. 16; V2... .d Matt. 10: 26; Mark 4 : 22 ; ch.8:17.- 
 say unto his disciples, First o/ alt beware ye. 
 
 -1 Gr. the myriads of. 2 Or, 
 
 off-hand," and so McClellan translates; why, 
 is explained by the next clause. 
 54. Laying wait for him, and seeking 
 
 (all the best editors omit and; most omit 
 
 Jesus had used it before (Matt. 16: 12), to 
 denote the "teaching" of the Pharisees, that 
 which they taught, their characteristic prin- 
 ciples, which determined their spirit and con- 
 
 seeking) to catch something out of his duct. Here also it means the same. Jesus 
 
 mouth. They hoped to induce him to say 
 something without premeditation, which they 
 could make a ground of accusation against 
 him. This purpose is expressed in the last 
 clause of the Common Version, with slender 
 support of the authorities. What conduct of 
 theirs could better justify his denunciations 
 of the.m? 
 
 Ch. 12: 1-3. "Warntxg Against the 
 Principles of the Pharisees. 
 
 1. In the mean time, when there were 
 gathered together an innumerable mul- 
 titude of people (better Revised Version, 
 when the tnnny t/iousnnds — Greek, myriads — 
 of the multitude were gathered together). 
 During the period of the preceding discourse 
 the people, hetiring that Jesus was in that 
 place, had been assembling from various 
 quarters, (ii:29), and now constituted a vast 
 throng about him.— Insomuch that they 
 trode one upon another, in the eagerness 
 of each one to get nearest to him. — He began 
 to say, a phrase which, as we have repeat- 
 edly seen, intimates the opening of an im- 
 portant discourse. — Unto his disciples first 
 of all. Many prefer to connect first of all 
 with what foUovvs: first of all beware, etc.; 
 but as this speech is interrupted by address to 
 others ^ver. 13, ff), and turns entirely from 
 the disciples (13; 1, ff', we may as well refer 
 the phrase to them in this place : to the dis- 
 ciples first, to others afterward.— Beware ye 
 of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is 
 hypocrisy. Leaven was an apt symbol of 
 
 had just had a very impressive specimen of 
 that spirit and conduct, which had led him to 
 portray them in the unflattering coU>rs of his 
 rebuke. Had he been moved also by the dis- 
 covery that the seeming courtesy of his invi- 
 tation, 11: 37, had been all part of a stratagem 
 to involve him in hostilities with the religious 
 authorities? This may possibly have entered 
 into his reasons. The reason why they should 
 beware of what distinguished these sancti- 
 monious notables was that it was hypocrisy. 
 Not their by pocrisy, separately, but their prin- 
 ciples and teachings, as being all hypocritical, 
 insincere, canting, a pre-eminent specimen of 
 hypocrisy. The Greek (iJTis) for which is, 
 means strictly, ''''seeing that it is," thus mark- 
 ing the fact as a reason for being on one's 
 guard against the thing. Every view that he 
 took of their character and proceedings, in 
 the fuller report of Matthew (23: i3, 15, 23, etc.), 
 called forth the appellation, "hypocrites"! 
 No one could be infected with their leaven 
 without being a hypocrite, and nothing of 
 this would he have in his kingdom. 
 
 3. Bid (not For) there is nothing covered 
 (up. — Revision), that shall not be revealed, 
 uncovered, etc. Ever^- pretext is sure to be 
 stripped off; every imitation of truth to be 
 exposed in its real falseness ; every counter- 
 feit of honesty and goodness to be branded 
 as spurious ; all sham righteousness to be held 
 up as base and pernicious fraud. This result 
 will be reached, if not before, at the day of 
 judgment, and it will be reached in the case 
 
 any active principle calculated to spread its \ of those who claim to be my disciples, as well 
 influence, and bring .surrounding objects into | as in that of the Pharisees and their like, 
 correspondence with itself, (i3: 21; 1 cor. 5:6). | 3. Therefore, whatsoever ye have 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 211 
 
 4 "And I say unto you 'my friends, Be not afraid of 
 tlieni mat kill the body, and alter tiiat have no more 
 that, (hoy can do. 
 
 .') Hut 1 will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear 
 him, which alter he hath killed hath power to east into 
 hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear hiiu. 
 
 4 tops. And I say unto you my friends. Be not afraid 
 ol them that kill the body, and alter that have no 
 
 5 more that they can do. liul I will warn you whom 
 ye shall tear; Fear him, who alter he hath killed 
 hath ' power to cast into - hell ; yea, 1 say unto you, 
 
 a Isii. 51 : 7. 8. U, 13; Jer. 1 ; 8; Mail. 10: iS 5 John 15: 14, 15. 1 Or, authority 2 Gr. Gekenna. 
 
 spoken (ye said) in (the) darkness, etc. In 
 applying the general remark to his disciples, 
 by way of conclusion, thereft>re, he views 
 them in reference to all their words, private 
 conversation, as well as public discourse, as 
 a revelation of their character; and demands 
 that all shall be sincere and truthful. The 
 darkness, in which some of their words will 
 have been spoken, is the state of imperfect 
 discernment of character and tendencies in 
 the present life ; and the light is tlie full 
 publicity of the day of judgment. Simply 
 parallel to these expressions are, in the ear 
 in closets, and on the house tops, respect- 
 ively. They tire two pairs of metaphors for 
 a state of ignorance, and one of knowledge, of 
 its concealment, and of complete manifesta- 
 tion. The preterit tense, ye said, puts the 
 bearer at the point of final disclosure — what 
 at that time it will be seen that ye said, etc. 
 It is hard, with Meyer and others, to confine 
 this to the preaching of tiie apostles, and make 
 the darkness mean the privacy necessitated 
 by persecution, and the light the libertj' of 
 proclamation which they would afterwards 
 enjoy. 
 
 4-12. God will Protect Ag.\inst the 
 Hatred and Danger which Frank Sin- 
 cerity IN the Utterance of the Truth 
 will Incur. 
 
 4. And I say unto you my friends. The 
 disciples are still addressed ; but a new and 
 important branch of the discourse opens. 
 My friends, must have had a touching signifi- 
 cance to him and to them, after the treatment 
 which he had just received frotn the Pharisees. 
 —Be not afraid of them that kill the body, 
 and after that have no more that they 
 can do. Men may, in their displeasure at 
 your fidelity to the truth, put you to death. 
 (So they did afterward to James, Peter, Paul, 
 and many such). But their rage cannot go 
 beyond the bounds of natural life, readiness 
 to lose which, for Christ's sake, is one of the 
 known conditions of discipleship (9: 23-2")). 
 The actual loss of it was, moreover, according 
 to Christ's teaching and the belief of the early 
 Christians, the more speedy attainment of the 
 
 higher heavenly life (pmi. i : 21-23). There would 
 be even to them a dread of that physical 
 wrench which parts soul and body, a sorrow 
 for the loss to those who loved them; but 
 deeper fear of death they did not feel. 
 
 5. But I will forewarn (better, warn) you, 
 etc. The Saviour seems to say, Ye are indeed 
 in peril; fear is an inevitable incident of 
 thoughtful human experience; whichever 
 course ye take, ye will excite displeasure. 
 But much depends on whose fear ye cherish, 
 and whose hatred ye brave. — Fear him 
 which, after he hath killed hath power 
 to cast into hell. This undoubtedly de- 
 scribes God, who inflicts the final penalty for 
 sin, toward whom that "fear wliich is the 
 beginning of wisdom" is, even under the 
 gospel, a reasonable state of mind, and most 
 reasonable in the face of temptation to dis- 
 obey him. Several modern expositors, among 
 them even Stier and Van Oosterzee, have 
 strangely understood that Jesus here incul- 
 cates on his disciples the fear of Satan. If 
 any one needs argument that, after God has 
 "delivered us from the power of darkness, 
 and translated us into the kingdom of his dear 
 Son" (Col. 1:13), we need more in order to 
 avoid all harm, than to fear God, he may read 
 the words of Alford on Matthew 10 : 28, 
 which is quoted also by the American editor 
 of Lange on our passage. — Yea, I say unto 
 you. Fear him. An empliatic repetition to 
 intimate the solemnity of the subject. Hell 
 iydevva.) is the place and state of the impenitent 
 sinner in the eternity to come. The Greek 
 word was intended to be a mere translitera- 
 tion of the Hebrew, Oe-Hinnom ; valley of 
 Hinnom; shortened from the valley of the 
 son, or sons, of Hinnom (Josh 15 : 8; 2 Kings 23: 10). 
 This was the name of the deep vallej', or ra- 
 vine, which runs along the west and .«outh side 
 of Jerusalem. Accordingto some authorities, 
 the name was applied also to some portion of 
 thevalley of Kidron.eastofthecity. (Smith's 
 Diet of Bib., Art. Topheth. Recovery of Je- 
 rusalem, p. 2C9.) It was naturally a pleasant 
 and fruitful scene ; and, as such, doubtless, 
 was appropriated by corrupt and apostate 
 
212 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two "farthings, and 
 not one of them is forgotten before God? 
 
 7 But even tlie very hairs of your head are all num- 
 bered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than 
 luauy sparrows. 
 
 6 ''Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me 
 before men, him shall the Son of man also confess be- 
 fore the angels of God : 
 
 6 Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? 
 and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. 
 
 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 
 Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 
 
 8 And 1 say unto you, Every one who shall confess 
 1 me before men, 2 him shall the Son of man also con- 
 
 1 See Mart. 10 : 29 b Matt. 10 : 32 : Mark » : 38 ; 2 Tim. 2:12; 1 John 2 : 23. 1 Gr. im me 2 Gr. in Mm. 
 
 kings to the idolatrous worship of Baal and 
 'Moloch, with all the cruelties involved in it. 
 
 ■(2Ciiron.28:3;:«:6; Jer. 7 ;31; 19:2-6.) A particular 
 
 portion of the valley, called Topheth, or 
 Tophet, was specially polluted by this pagan 
 worship. King Josiah, and others, took great 
 pains to defile the spot, so as to prevent a 
 repetition of the wickedness, by depositing 
 there the carcasses of beasts, and bodies 
 of executed criminals, and making it the 
 dumping-ground of all refuse and filth of the 
 city. It thus became an abomination to all 
 pious Jews, and is reported, in Talmudic 
 traditions, to have been made still further hor- 
 rible by the presence of perpetual fires, which 
 were necessary to consume the pestiferous 
 ■oflTal. Although this last statement is denied 
 by Dr. Edward Kobinsonand others (impliedly 
 by Winer, Realwortej-bnch, Art. Hinnom), 
 the traditions seem to fall in with the necessities 
 of the case, as some such consumption of the 
 refuse must have been necessary to the health 
 of the city, and to its ceremonial purity. If 
 only from the remembrance of the fires of 
 Moloch, the valley was called later, "Gehenna 
 of fire." To it, specially to Tophet, Isaiah 
 probably refers (sfi : 24), when he speaks of the 
 carcasses of transgressors there, and says, "their 
 worm shall not die; neither shall their fire be 
 quenched." He expressly names the place 
 (30:33), when he says, symbolically, that the 
 Lord hath widened and deepened it, to make 
 it capable of holding all that should be buried 
 there (comp. Jer. 7 : 31-33), and adds, "the 
 breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, 
 doth kindle it." Thus early was the natural 
 conception of this horrid place becoming fit 
 to represent the scene of future punishment to 
 God's enemies. The idea of such punishment 
 was not yet distinctly revealed ; but it became 
 clearer with the progress of revelation in the 
 Old Testament. In the Apocalyptic Book of 
 Enoch, dating from not earlier than 100 B. c, 
 the Messianic judgment on the wicked is 
 made to take place in an accursed valley, 
 which is for those who shall be accursed to 
 eternity. (See the passage cited in Smith, 
 
 Diet, of the Bib., p. 880.) When, therefore, 
 our Saviour needed a term to denote his view 
 of the future condition of those who died dis- 
 obedient to God, the name of that opprobrious 
 valley was ready to his hand. Gehenna, sug- 
 gestive of the fires of shameful and cruel idol- 
 atry, of reeking corruption, and, probably, 
 also, of perpetual flames and smoke, and of- 
 fensive odors, would be as expressive a symbol 
 of the place of eternal punishment, as would 
 be the banquet with Abraham, the thrones of 
 honor, the Father's house with its many man- 
 sions, of the scene and circumstances of the 
 eternal felicity of the saints. 
 
 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two 
 farthings? only about four mills apiece; a 
 sum too small for us to represent by any coin, 
 though itisprobable that its purchasing power 
 may then have been greater than that of one 
 cent now. — And not one of them is forgot- 
 ten before (or, in the sight of) God. What 
 a proof of the sleepless vigilance and care of 
 the Creator for all, even the least, of his crea- 
 tures ! 
 
 7. But — so far from his forgetting a spar- 
 row—even the very hairs of your head 
 are all numbered ; have all been counted. 
 Such is his attention to his created things, 
 merely as such.— Ye are of more value 
 than many sparrows. Ye are more than 
 mere creatures — servants, children, redeemed 
 ones, who will far less be left uncaredfor than 
 they. The argument is of the same force as 
 that in Matthew 6: 26-30. 
 
 8. 9. These verses add another, not less 
 powerful, incentive to fidelity to Christ, drawn 
 from the experiences of the last day. Who- 
 soever shall confess me before men. To 
 confess Christ is to avow one's faith in him 
 as being that which he claims to be, Messiah 
 and Saviour, and to render to him in practice 
 that religious recognition which is due. This 
 involves self-denial always, generally some- 
 thing of sacrifice, and sometimes the hazard 
 of life; but not for naught. The recompense 
 is to be ample.— Him shall the Son of man 
 also confess ; i. e., recognize as a faithful 
 
Cn. XII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 213 
 
 9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied 
 before the angels of (>od. 
 
 IJ And "whosoever shall speak a word against the 
 Son of mau, it shall be forgiven hiiu: but unto hiui 
 that blasphemeth against the Holy Uhost it shall not 
 be forgiven. 
 
 11 *And when thev bring you unto the synagogues, 
 and unto mag'strales, and powers, take ye uo thought 
 how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall 
 say: 
 
 12 For the Holy (ihost shall teach you in the same 
 hour what ye ought to say. 
 
 9 fess before the angels of (Jod: but he that denieth 
 me in the presence of men shall be denied lu ihe 
 
 10 presence of the angels of liod. And every one who 
 shall sjjeak a word against the Son of man, it shall 
 be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth 
 
 11 against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiveu. And 
 when they bring you before the synagogues, and the 
 rulers, and the authorities, be not auxious hoxv ojt 
 
 12 what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: lor the 
 Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye 
 ought to say. 
 
 aUatU 12:31,32; Marli 3 : 28; IJiiha 5 : 16 b Halt. 10: 19; Mark 13: 11; cb. 21 : 14. 
 
 and worthy disciple, <;ntitled to the eternal 
 honor and reward which will lie in the mani- 
 festation of the divine favor before the uni- 
 verse. Such recognition, in that day and 
 scene, will outweigh all the temporal pleas- 
 ures and honors of all the generations that 
 will have lived on earth. 
 
 Then will he own my worthless natne 
 Before his Father's face. 
 
 9. But he that denieth me, etc. The 
 opposite to this confession, on the part of the 
 wicked, is expressed by denying Christ before 
 men; i. c, eitlier formally or practically re- 
 fusing to give him the reverence, trust, obedi- 
 ence, and lo%'£ which he claims; aj\d by his 
 denying the unbeliever to be entitled to his 
 favor when the angels are assembled for the 
 eternal judgment. Thestatement needs little 
 explanation, but much serious thought. 
 
 10. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This 
 verse meets us abruptly, without clear evi- 
 dence of connection with the context. It may 
 quite possibly have been transferred, in the 
 document followed by Luke, from the con- 
 nection after U : 23,=Matthew 12: 82; Mark 
 3: 29. There the subject of blasphemy against 
 the Holy Spirit was obviously in place (comp. 
 Luke 11 : 15). The former half of our verse, 
 about speaking against the Son of man, is 
 sufficiently apposite to the preceding thought 
 of denying him, to account for the whole 
 having been placed here; although the 
 second half requires the other connection. 
 A man might speak against the Son of man, 
 in his humiliation, so different from what was 
 generally expected of the Messiah, through 
 personal misinterpretation of the prophecies, 
 through the effect of erroneous teaching on the 
 part of respected but perverse religious guides, 
 or through the power of unthinking preju- 
 dice. This would not presuppose incorrigible 
 stubbornness of unbelief. It was what in some 
 measure pertained to almost every one who 
 
 came to him. Light might pierce through it, 
 love might melt it, furtiier evidence turn it 
 to faith. Then it could be forgiven. — But 
 unto him that blasphemeth, etc. Not but 
 that this also would be forgiven, if in its case 
 there c(juld be that repentance and faith on 
 which all forgiveness depends. But blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Spirit appeared, in 
 the only case of which we have a description, 
 in a state of mind which by speech confounded 
 God and the devil, ascribing the work of the 
 former to the latter, his opposite, and his 
 arch-enemy (11 : 15 and par. ). What repent- 
 ance could there be for a mind to which the 
 clearest manifestations of God's holiness and 
 kindness appeared to be diabolical conduct? 
 To such a person the acts and character 
 of Beelzebub would be just as well suited to 
 awaken penitence and faith as those of Christ 
 himself. 
 
 11. Continuation from ver. 9. It is assumed 
 that, as afterward happened a thousand times, 
 they will be delivered unto the syna- 
 gogues. This had a certain jurisdiction, 
 with power to inflict minor penalties, in re- 
 ligious causes. — And unto magistrates 
 {stricily, magistracies) and powers {niitlwri- 
 ties), terms which cover all sorts of govern- 
 ment, civil and religious, Jewish or heathen. 
 —Take ye no thought {be not anxious— 
 have no care) how or what thing ye shall 
 answer. This does not prohibit the exercise 
 oftheir faculties in the way of j»reparation to 
 meet charges, so far as this was practicable 
 without perturbation and loss of peace; but 
 does forbid whatever would unfit them for 
 calm and clear subserviency to the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 12. For the Holy Ghost (Spirit) shall 
 teach you in the same hour (namely, 
 when ye are called to plead) what ye ought 
 to say. This is no warrant, to those who un- 
 dertake to teach men the way of life, to depend 
 lazily on divine ability. Such are likely to 
 
214 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, 
 speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance 
 with uie. 
 
 U And he said unto him, "Man, who made me a 
 judge or a divider over you? 
 
 15 And he said unto them, 'Take heed, and beware 
 of covetousiiess: for a man's life consisteth not in the 
 abundance of the things which he possesseth. 
 
 13 And one of the multitude said unto him, i Master, 
 
 14 bid my brother divide the inheiilauee wiih me. But 
 he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or 
 
 15 a divider over you ? And he said unto them, Take 
 heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousuess: 2)or 
 a man's life consisteth not in tiie abuudance of the 
 
 1 John IS: 36 6 1 Tim. 6; 7, elc. 
 
 -1 Or, Teacher 2 Gr. /or not in a man's abundance consisteth his li/e, from the i 
 
 possesseth. 
 
 be left without any ability at all. But it en- 
 courages Christ's servants who are exposed to 
 persecutions for their sincere and frank fidel- 
 ity to him to wait on him for needed aid in 
 defending themselves. They are not assured 
 of deliverance from their peril, but what they 
 shall say for the honor of the cause will not 
 fail them. We have the justification of such 
 counsel in subsequent history. In the ac- 
 counts of persecution in the Actsand Epistles, 
 and in reading the testimony of Christian con- 
 fessors and martyrs in all the subsequent ages, 
 we can see how wonderfully common men 
 and women were enabled to answer their 
 accusers, so as nobly to honor " the name," 
 whether they were saved from harm or not. 
 Often have their simple, hearty, patient con- 
 fessions of the Saviour, proved more powerful 
 arguments for his truth than the most logical 
 and eloquent treatises of its undistressed 
 professors. 
 
 13-21. A Warning Against Covetous- 
 
 NESS. 
 
 13-14. The occasion. And one of (out 
 
 from among) the com-pany {multitude) said 
 unto him, Master, speak to my brother, 
 that he divide the inheritance with me. 
 
 The man appears to have been so impressed 
 with the authority and reasonableness of the 
 Saviour's words, that he conceived the idea of 
 turning these to account in a matterof worldly 
 interest to him, quite aloof from the line of the 
 Teacher's proper work. What the particulars 
 of his grievance were we oan only conjecture. 
 There was a dispute about the partition of an 
 estate, in which he was interested, with his 
 brother. His complaint was not, in form, that 
 he could not get an equitable, but that he 
 could not get any, division. It would not 
 have been consistent with the usual course of 
 Jesus to assume, in any such case, the func- 
 tion of a temporal magistrate. Here he ap- 
 pears to have seen evidence of a greediness 
 for gain, which simply suggested to him a 
 lesson of general prudence and piety. 
 
 14. And he said unto him, Man, who 
 made me a judge or a divider over yon? 
 
 This was all the answer vouchsafed to the 
 man, and, by its severity of tone, showed that 
 the thing desired was impossible. But for 
 him was, doubtless, intended a large share of 
 what was added for the mass of the audience. 
 And he said unto them, Take heed, and 
 beware of {keep yourselves from every kind 
 of) covetousness. Greedfor more of worldly 
 good, of wealth, and apparently with the 
 added quality of intense selfishness, and dis- 
 regard for others' rights, is the Scriptural con- 
 ception of covetousness. It is throughout 
 spoken of as a very bad thing, classed with 
 the meanest vices and ungodliness, equivalent 
 even to idolatry in heinousness (Rom. i :29; i cor. 
 5:10; Eph. 4:19 — lit., work all unclcanness with 
 
 covetousness — 5 : 3; Col. .S : 5; 2 Pet. 2 ; 3, 14 al). It WaS 
 
 the very antithesis of Christ's own disposition, 
 who "emptied himself" of the glories of 
 heaven; and he wisely took this opportunity 
 to notify all, that his disciples must guard 
 themselves against it; and he supports his 
 prohibition by a reason which might have 
 force with merely temporal prudence. For 
 a man's life consisteth not in the abund- 
 ance of the things which he possesseth. 
 Life is to be understood, primarily, in its 
 natural sense, earthly existence (comp. ver. 
 20). But this existence is of value as an op- 
 portunity for welfare ; real happiness. And 
 this depends on soundness of body and mind, 
 the proper regulation of the desires, and the 
 harmony of all our tendencies and experi- 
 ences with our relations to God and the world. 
 It certainly does not consist in "the abund- 
 ance of worldly possessions." That may occa- 
 sion great and peculiar care and anxiety, and 
 prompt to even more insatiable greed, with- 
 out the slightest power to gratify one of the 
 nobler aspirations of a human soul. Its char- 
 acteristic craving is simply for more of what 
 has already proved itself vanitj'. All this the 
 Saviour intimates in the parable which he 
 proceeds to speak to them. 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 215 
 
 IG And he spake a parable unto theni, saying, The 
 ground ot a certain ricli man brought forth plenti- 
 lully: 
 
 17 And he tliought within himself, saying, What 
 shall I do, because J have no room where to bestow my 
 fruits? 
 
 18 And he said. This will I do : I will pull down my 
 barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all 
 my fruits and my goods. 
 
 19 And I will say to my .soul, <"SouI, thou hast much 
 goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, 
 drink, iind be merry. 
 
 20 But (iod said unto him. Than fool, this night 'thy 
 soul shall be required of thee: 'then whose shall those 
 things Ije, which thou hast provided? 
 
 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, •'and 
 is not rich toward (io<'.. 
 
 16 things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable 
 unto them, saying. The groundof a certain rich n an 
 
 17 brought forth plentifully : and he reasoned witliin 
 self, saying. What shall 1 do, because I have not 
 
 18 where to bestow my fruits? And he said. This will 
 I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; 
 and tliere will I bestow all my corn and my goods. 
 
 19 And I will say to my 'soul, 'Soul, thou hiust much 
 goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, 
 
 20 drink, be merry. But tiod said unto him, Thou fool- 
 ish one, this night 2 is thy 'sou! required of thee; 
 and the things which thou bast prepared, whose 
 
 21 shall they be? So is he tliat layeth up treasure for 
 himself, and is not rich toward God. 
 
 a Kccles. 11 : 9; 1 Cor. 15: 32; James 5:5 5 Job 20 : '22 ; 27 : 8; Ps. 52 : 7 : James 4 : 14 c Ph. ;<9 : 6 ; Jer. 17: 11. 
 
 3:< ; I Tim. 6 : 18, 19 ; Jaiues 2 : 5. 1 Or, li/e 2 Gr. they require thy aoul. 
 
 .d Matt. 6: 20 ; rer. 
 
 16-21. Parablk of the Rich Fool. 
 16-17. The ground of a certain rich 
 man, etc. It is not a bad man, according to 
 the standard of the world — whether of the 
 church also? — that the Saviour sets before us. 
 He does no direct, positive harm to anybody, 
 ("and men will praise thee when thou doest 
 well for th^'self," Ps. 40: 18); he simply pros- 
 pers pecuniarily for himself, without a thought 
 of obligation to God, or care for fellow- 
 men. We see him at the forks of his road, 
 when in deep reflecti<m. 
 
 17. What shall I do? Had his question 
 meant, " What shall I render to the Lord for 
 all his benefits toward me? " and had he said: 
 "I will employ my teeming wealth in such 
 manner as safely, prudently, tobetter the tem- 
 poral and spiritual condition of as many as I 
 can of my fellow-creatures, especially of those 
 by whose aid I have prospered," he would 
 have been a wise tind a rare man. But when he 
 consumes his time and thought in projects for 
 the larger accumulation and safe bestowal of 
 the treasures that stream in upon him, mean- 
 time only anticipating sordid, swinish happi- 
 ness, which is never to come to him, we 
 recognize a common sort of man, and are 
 prepared for the judgment that God will pass 
 upon him. 
 
 19. When he shall have reached the point 
 where his overflowing abundance is all 
 housed, and made secure against moths and 
 rust and thieves, then he promises himself 
 that he will lie thus to himself: Soul — mean- 
 ing his appetite, his capacity of animal 
 activity and gratification — thou hast much 
 (many) goods laid up for many years. 
 What a sarcasm upon himself, in this applica- 
 tion of the term "good," in his circumstances! 
 Even to his low grade of anticipated pleasure 
 there is one condition of which he has not 
 
 thought, i. e., breath. But that is in another's 
 hand. (See Dan. 5: 28, last sentence.) 
 
 20. But God said unto him— perhaps 
 through some significant twinge, or shock, to 
 his physical frame, interpreted by a reproving 
 conscience. — Thou fool, this night (which 
 has already begun) thy soul shall be re- 
 quired of thee (Greek, they are demanding 
 back from thee thy .wul). His time for re- 
 pentance is past, and God's messengers are 
 alread^"^ charged to summon him to his 
 account. So far from having a vast store 
 of gratifications for his soul, his soul itself is 
 not his own ; and, regarded as his organ 
 of pleasure, is now reclaimed by God. — Then 
 whose shall those things be which thou 
 hast provided ? And the things mhich thou 
 didst prepare, whose shall they be? This 
 indicates the si»irit of the original better than 
 the Common Version. That thy soul is taken 
 from thee forbids that thou shouldst have any 
 good of them, and whose are they to be? 
 "He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who 
 shall gather them." (p». 39: 6.) 
 
 21. So is he that layeth up treasure 
 for himself, and is not rich toward God. 
 Laying up, or amassing, treasure for one's 
 self is to gather merely for personal use and 
 gratification, as did the Rich Fool. To be rich 
 toward God is to do the things that please 
 him, so as to stand high in his gracious favor; 
 which is "the treasure in heaven," "the 
 fruit that increaseth to your account." (Phil. 
 4: 17; Revision, comp. ver. 19, and Rom. 10: 
 12.) This is impartially open to the man who 
 has no worldly possessions, and its full 
 fruition, beginning at the day of Jesus Christ, 
 will continue through eternity. But the 
 death of every prosperous worldling is only 
 another instance of the man to whom God 
 said, Thou fool ! 
 
216 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Gh. XII. 
 
 22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say 
 unto you, "Take no thought lor your liie, what ye 
 shall eat; neither lor the body, what ye shall put on. 
 
 28 The life is more than meat, and the body is more 
 than raiment. 
 
 z4 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor 
 reap: whicli neither have storehouse nor barn; and 
 '(jrod feedetli them: how much more are ye better thau 
 the fowls? 
 
 25 And which of you with taking thought can add 
 to his stature one cubit? 
 
 22 And he said unto his disciples. Therefore I say unto 
 you. Be not anxious for your ' life what ye shall eat ; 
 
 23 nor yet tor your body, what ye shall put on. For 
 the 'life is more than the food, and the body thau 
 
 24 the raiment. Consider the ravens, that they sow 
 not, neither reap ; which have no store-chaiuber nor 
 barn ; and God feedeth them : of how much more 
 
 25 value are ye than the birds ! And which of you by 
 being anxious can add a cubit unto 2 the measure of 
 
 a Matt. 6: '^5 b Job 38 : 41; Ps. 147: 9. 1 Or, soul. 2 Or, Ilia stature. 
 
 22-34. Instruction to the Disciples 
 Concerning Earthly Goods. This is 
 closely piirallel to what Matthew includes in 
 the Sermon on the Mount. Authorities differ 
 as to its connection. On the whole, it seems 
 most likely that Luke has the right order, 
 and that Matthew, for special reasons, gave it 
 in his sixth chapter. 
 
 22. The preceding discourse had been ad- 
 dressed to the multitude; now he said unto 
 his disciples, Therefore — considering the 
 truth that life consists not in abundant pos- 
 sessions—I say unto you. Take no thought 
 for your lile. In older English, thought 
 meant care, anxiety, trouble of mind. 
 "Here's pansies; that's for thought.'' — Ham- 
 let. "Lest he take thought and kill himself." 
 — Julius Ccesar. This is designed simply to 
 guard against all and every distraction of 
 mind that would hinder undivided attention 
 to present duties. These, for the Christian, 
 centre in the kingdom of God ; and that he is 
 to seek first. But he is forbidden to give care, 
 or even thought, to what may be in the 
 future, which God holds in his own hand, and 
 by study about which the present might be 
 lost. Such is clearly the key to the whole 
 instruction in Matthew, as seen in 6: 34: 
 "Take no thought for the morrow." (Comp. 
 Meyer on Matt. 6:25, 34, and Dr. Conant's 
 note on ver. 25.) This reference to the future 
 is implied also in Luke, where care for the 
 life, etc., is care for its continuance and future 
 well-being. The rendering "be not anxious" 
 of the Kevision is preferable to take no 
 thought, as now likely to be understood ; 
 but, on the other hand, it should not imply 
 that care not amounting to anxiety was 
 allowed the disciples for to-day.— For your 
 life. The word translated life is ambiguous. 
 Meaning originally breath, then the principle 
 of life, or the condition of being alive, it 
 passed naturally into that of the "soul," as 
 the basis of sense and all animal functions. 
 It might with equal propriety be translated 
 
 here "soul," as it is in ver. 19, 20 regarded as the 
 principle of the natural life.— What ye shall 
 eat. This goes closely with the preceding: 
 Be not concerned in the interest of your soul, 
 or life, as to whence food and drink are to 
 come, to sustain and prolong it. — Neither for 
 the body — the material tenement in which 
 the soul is housed, or organ through which 
 the life acts and manifests itself 
 
 23. The reason by which that injunction is 
 sustained is intimated, rather than drawn out. 
 For the life is more than meat (better, the 
 food), etc. Add that God has given the more 
 important gift, the end, to which the others 
 are only means; and we see that, in reason, 
 he cannot withhold the latter while the former 
 should last. 
 
 24. This is illustrated, first, by the care 
 which God has for the inferior creatures of 
 his hand. Having made them, and, presum- 
 ably, for the accomplishment of his purpose, 
 he does not let them fail of sustenance until 
 that purpose is fulfilled. How much less, then, 
 shall rational creatures, whom he has not 
 only made in his own image, but entrusted 
 with a great service to be performed for him- 
 self, fail of support while earnestly engaged 
 in that? The ravens have none of those re- 
 sources which the man in the parable was so 
 absorbed in acquiring — store-house (or 
 store- chamber), nor barn, with fruits and 
 goods bestowed therein.- And God feedeth 
 them ; present supplies are never wanting. 
 
 25. 26. The argument in regard to support 
 is confirmed by an appeal to common sense: 
 Which of you by taking thought, etc.,— by 
 any studj- or care, can prolong his life one day 
 beyond the limit it would reach in the quiet, 
 resigned, and cheerful endeavor to do God's 
 will? We much prefer the marginal read- 
 ing, "age" (term of life), to stature, in the 
 text. It is much more commonly the mean- 
 ing of the Greek, and better suited here to 
 the train of thought, which all has reference to 
 the prolonging of life by food and clothing. 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 217 
 
 26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is 
 least, why take ye thought for the rest? 
 
 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, 
 they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that bolouion 
 in all his glory was not arrayed like one ot these. 
 
 •'H If then (.iod so clothe the grass, which is to day 
 in the field, and Uvmorrow is cast into the oven ; how 
 much more will he clothe you, O ye ol lutle iaith . 
 
 2') And seek not ye what ve shall tat or what ye 
 shall drink, neither be ye of doubtlul mind 
 
 :{0 For all these things do the nations ol the world 
 seek after : and your Father knoweth that ye have need 
 of these things. , ^ j in 
 
 31 a But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all 
 these things shall be added unto you. 
 
 26 his life? If then ye are not able to do even that 
 which is least, whv are ye anxious concerning the 
 
 27 rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil 
 not, neither do they spin; yet 1 say unto you, Evfii 
 Solomon in all his glorv was not arrayed like one of 
 
 28 these. Hut if (iod doth so clothe the grass in the 
 field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast ii.to the 
 oveu ; how much more shall he. clothe you, () ye of 
 
 29 little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and 
 what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 
 
 30 For all these things do the nations < f the world seek 
 after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need 
 
 31 of these things. Howbeit seek ye » his kingdom, 
 
 a Matt. 6: S:t. 1 Mmd."- unciein auttioiiiiea ix-uJ. Ifte kingdom of God. 
 
 Increased stature would contribute nothing 
 to this. Who could expect, or at all desire, 
 to add a foot and a half to his bodily height? 
 But to lengthen by '"a span," or a cubit, 
 by the same kind of figure, one's age, or life- 
 time, many have desired, and worried them- 
 selves, to bring about. One near to death is 
 reported to have said : " Millions of money for 
 an inch of time!" It would seem no great 
 thing to add to an age of thirty or of sixty years, 
 another year, a half year, or a month ; but to 
 extend an ordinary stature by one half-yard 
 could not well be called " that thing which is 
 
 least." 
 
 27, 28. As the case of the ravens might re- 
 prove anxiety about food, so might the lilies 
 about c lothing. They toil not, neither do 
 they spin— to provide for future needs; they 
 take no thought for the morrow, but simply 
 live as they were made to live. There is no 
 good reason to doubt that the word translated 
 lilies was used to denote some species of the 
 flower which we so name. We cannot tell 
 which species of tlie liliaceous blossoms found 
 in Palestine is intended, some of them exceed- 
 ingly gorgeous in colors, and some of exquisite 
 fragrance. These flowers, without care on 
 their part, but by the Creator, just because he 
 desires them so, are clothed in beauty and 
 splendor, such that even Solomon, in all his 
 glory, was not arrayed like one of these. 
 
 28. If then— better, hut if— God (doth) so 
 clothe the grass which is to-day in the 
 field, etc., the argument is still more iiripres- 
 sive than that drawn from the birds. The 
 lilies are treated as only a part of the grass, 
 or coarse herbage, which, in the scarcity of 
 other fuel, was often cut, and, being soon 
 dried in the torrid sun, was used for culinary 
 fuel, and especially for heating their ovens, 
 or kilns. So the lilies had not even a sentient 
 existence, like the ravens, but they were 
 often of no use to any one, blooming in the 
 
 field, away from view, and that only for a 
 short time. And yet they were clothed with 
 marvelous beauty, so long as God appointed 
 them to flourish.— O ye of little faith. Did 
 our Lord speak in pity or in anger? Perliaps 
 in something of both. He probably saw them 
 slow to accept the instruction which he was 
 the more patiently trying to impress upon 
 them ; but he knew too well how hard it is to 
 rise above our natural concern for the future 
 welfare of our natural life, not to mingle 
 sympathy with his dis])leasure. 
 
 29. And seek not ye what ye sliall eat, 
 etc. The Greek laysstrongeinphasison ye; and 
 do not ye, more than the ravens and the lilies 
 seek. This closes up and condenses (com p. 
 the "therefore" in Matthew) the whole series 
 of directions.— Neither be ye of doubtful 
 mind, is another way, in conclusion, of for- 
 bidding the taking thought, or being anxious 
 about the means of continued life and com- 
 fort.— Of doubtful mind; "uncertain," 
 "in troubled suspense," are familiar mean- 
 ings of the Greek word, more suited to this 
 connection than "elated," "high-minded," 
 which Meyer and some others approve. 
 
 30. So important is the topic of the dis- 
 course, that our Lord cannot leave the state- 
 ment just made, as the outcome of a train of 
 reasoning, without an argument of its own. — 
 For all these things do the nations of 
 the world seek after ; and the aspirations 
 of his disciples should be directed toward 
 other objects than those desired by common 
 Gentiles.— And (or, hut) your Father know- 
 eth that ye have need of these things ; and 
 therefore you may unhesitatingly trust that 
 he will supply them as you need. Your is 
 emphatic ; they (the Gentiles) have none such, 
 and try to make themselves their Providence. 
 
 31. But rather, (howheit), although it is 
 unnecessary and wrong for you to make those 
 things an object of concern ;— seek ye the 
 
218 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 32 Fear not, little flock ; for « it is your Father's 
 good pleasure to give you the kiugtlom. 
 
 ;« ''.Sell that ye have, aud give alms; "provide your- 
 self bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens 
 that laileth not, where uo thief approacheth, neither 
 moth corrupteth. 
 
 ai For where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. 
 
 35 t' Let your loins be girded about, and 'your lights 
 burning ; 
 
 32 and these things shall be added unto you. Fear 
 not, little flock; for it is your l-ather s good pleasure 
 
 33 to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and 
 give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax 
 nut old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, 
 where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroy- 
 
 34 eth. For where your treasure is, there will your 
 heart be also. 
 
 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps 
 
 .6: 14; IPet. 1: 13.... 
 
 kingdom of God ; (rather, his kingdom) ; let 
 your supreme and constant labor be to share 
 in and promote that.— And all these things 
 —which pertain to the support of the natural 
 life — shall be added unto you ; — that is, ye 
 shall have them besides the essential, spiritual, 
 and eternal blessing of membership in the 
 kingdom of God, In seeking that we seek all. 
 
 3-i. Fear not, little flock. The Saviour 
 evidently saw that it was vei-y hard for his 
 disciples to receive, with hearty trust, the con- 
 soling but unworldly doctrine which he 
 preached. He states it accordingly^ in a still 
 more assuring form, grounding their hope 
 wholly on the eternal love of God.— It is 
 your Father's good pleasure {your Father 
 was vjell pleased) to give you the kingdom. 
 That God was their Father, and that in the 
 electing purpose, according to which they be- 
 came disciples, he eternally designed to give 
 them part in the finished kingdom— what 
 could moreeft'ectually relieve them of anxiety, 
 and enable them to concentrate attention on 
 their work ? 
 
 33. Sell that ye have, and give alms. 
 Instead of thought about what you are to get, 
 rid yourselves of what j'ou have of those 
 things that distract your minds. 63- giving 
 them as alms, they become not only no in- 
 cumbrance, but a positive source of divine 
 favor and eternal fruition. — Provide — {make 
 for) yourselves bags — purses), etc. For 
 heavenly riches one needs imperishable re- 
 ceptacles, that is, figuratively, that they should 
 be laid up with God; and a treasure in the 
 heavens that faileth not, etc. This treasure 
 can be nothing other than the gospel right- 
 eousness, following upon faith in Chri.st; 
 but which, while it is a present possession of 
 the believer, is increased by all labors and 
 sacrifices, for the Lord's sake, especially by 
 kindness and charity to those in need. It is 
 here spoken of as the assured material of 
 future blessedness, and so laid up in heaven. 
 (See on ver. 31, last clause.) This is the only 
 
 unfailing treasure. "What I gave away I 
 keep," said a pious bankrupt ; "and what I 
 kept I have lost." The principle applies to 
 all sacrifices of self-gratification for Christ 
 and his cause. 
 
 34. For where your treasure is, there 
 will your heart be also. The maxim 
 emits light for every soul, and gives a power- 
 ful motive for turning all possessions into a 
 heavenly lodestone to our hearts. Its truth is 
 self-evident, that where our treasure, the chief 
 matter of interest to us, is, there our thoughts 
 and affections, our hearts, will centre. 
 
 Kemark. — Three things are to be con- 
 sidered on the foregoing teaching, in its 
 general tenor, and, particularly, in the 
 directions of ver. 22, 29, 83 : 
 
 1. That our Lord addresses his disciples 
 with special reference to their then existing 
 circumstances and duties. They were pro- 
 fessedly consecrated, without any reserve, to 
 the furtherance of his kingdom. The ad- 
 vancement of it was their whole aim. If any 
 disciples are differently situated toward him 
 and his work, a coiTesponding modification 
 of his precepts and promises might be 
 required in their case. 
 
 2. What he assures them of, temporally, is 
 a present sustenance so long as God would 
 have them continue in his service. Has this 
 ever failed any? Further expectations were 
 not warranted by his words. 
 
 3. Such instruction would make a different 
 impression on men living in a dark and 
 troublous time, and with a bright confidence 
 that the glories of the future recompense were 
 very soon to be realized, from that which we 
 generally receive in a time of settled pros- 
 perity, where the blessed appearing of our 
 Lord and Saviour recedes further from our 
 thought in proportion as it draws actually 
 nearer. 
 
 35-40. Watchfulness for the Lord's 
 Return. 
 35. Let your loins be girded about, etc. 
 
Ch. XIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 219 
 
 30 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for 
 their lord, "when he will return from the wedding; that 
 when he oometh and knocketh, they may open unto him 
 immediately. 
 
 37 o Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when 
 he Cometh shall find watcliinj,': verily I say unto yf)u, 
 that he shall Kxrd himself, and make them to sit down 
 to meat, and will come forth ami serve them. 
 
 3S And if he shall come in the second watch, or come 
 in the third watch, and find thvm so, blessed are those 
 servants. 
 
 3i) * And this know, that if the goodman of the house 
 had known what hour the thief would come, he would 
 have walche<l, and not have suffered his house to be 
 broken through. 
 
 41) '^ lie ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man 
 Cometh at an hour when ye think not. 
 
 3S burning; and be ye yourselves like unto men look- 
 ing for their lord, when he shall return from the 
 marriage lea-st ; that, when hecometh and kimcketh, 
 
 37 they may straightway open unto him. Ulesseil are 
 those 'servants, whom the lord when he comclh 
 shall find watching: verily 1 say unto you, that he 
 shall gird him.self, and make them sit down to mual, 
 
 3S and shall come and serve them. And if he sha.I 
 come in the second watch, and if in the third, and 
 
 39 find Ihi-tn so, blessed are tho.se sernintx. -15ut know 
 this, that if the master of the liou.sc had known in 
 what hour the thief was coming, he would ha\e 
 watched, and not have left his house to be ^ broken 
 
 40 through. He ye also ready: for in an hour that ye 
 think not the Sou of man comelh. 
 
 a Malt. 24: 46.... ft Matl. 24 : 4:i; 1 Thesa. 5 : 2; 2 Pet. 3 : 10; Rev. 
 1 Thesa. 6 : 6 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 12. 1 Gr. bondatrvanf . 
 
 3:3; 16:15....c Malt. 24 : 44 ; 25 : 13 ; Mark 13 : .33 ; ch. 21 : .11, 36; 
 . . .2 Or, But thU ye know. . . .3 Gr. digged through. 
 
 The heavenly treasure will become fully 
 ours at the return of the Son of man, in the 
 fully manifested glory of his reign. The 
 figure which he here uses was finely suited to 
 express a state of readiness for activity' and 
 eflSuient service, when the outer garment was 
 a loose, shawl-like robe, which must be con- 
 fined about the waist whenever exertion and 
 free movement were required. — And your 
 lights {lamps) burning. As Jesus is about 
 to represent, iu a figure, his future advent as 
 occurring in the night. readinc.«s to meet and 
 serve him is denoted by having the lamps 
 burning. 
 
 36. And ye yourselves like unto men 
 that wait for their lord. The di.sciples 
 are conceived of as, after Christ's departure 
 from th<? world, in the case of servants sitting 
 up for their iniister"s return from a late ban- 
 quet, in order thtit, at his corning, they maj' 
 let him in without delay, with due cere- 
 mony, and may render him all needed and 
 appropriate .service. (Comp. the parableof the 
 Ten Virgins.) As a failure to be in readiness 
 would bring reproach and di.sgrace on such 
 servants, so vigilance and promptness would 
 receive honor and praise. This latter idea is 
 expressed in the next ver.se with a warmth 
 which shows that the antitypical truth blends 
 itself with the earthly figure. 
 
 37. Verily I say unto you, that he shall 
 gird himself, etc. Surely it is not the 
 thankfulness of tiny human master which 
 speaks in this declaration ; but it is the friend- 
 ship which Chri.st will display to the faithful 
 disciples whom he shall find awake and wait- 
 ing through all the delay of his return. 
 
 38. And if he shall come in the second 
 watch, or come (rather, and if) in the 
 third, etc. The watch was a military divi- 
 sion of the night, covering the hours occupied 
 
 by each of the four relays of guards stationed 
 from 6 p. M. to 6 A. M. Before the Roman 
 rule, the Hebrews seem to have made but 
 three periods, giving four hours to each. The 
 first watch, ending at 9 P. M., is not named 
 here, because, in a case like that supposed, the 
 Lord could not be expected so early ; but the 
 third might come within the time of absence. 
 Such intimations should, it would seem, have 
 guarded the early Christians from' the over- 
 confident expectation of an immediate re-ap- 
 pearance of the Master. Tlieir teaching was, 
 rather, that peculiarly blos.sed would those 
 servants be who might have to wait, even int > 
 the morning hours of the night of iiis absence. 
 
 39. The Saviour employs another illu.s- 
 tration, to show the necessity of perpetual 
 readiness for his coming, which will steal 
 on men "as a thief in the night." And 
 (rather, but) lest ye should suppo.se it safe 
 to lay aside vigilance for any one hour, — 
 this know— give it due consideration ; un- 
 less we prefer the alternative reading of the 
 Revision: "but this ye know." That if the 
 good man (master) of the house had 
 known what hour the thief would come. 
 For would come the Greek is cnmeth — 
 "is wont to come," which, as the thief has no 
 particular hour, cannot be known. Hence 
 heedlessness at any moment is likely to be 
 at the wrong moment ; and proved .so, in the 
 case of the supposed householder who went to 
 sleep and was robbed. The good man is 
 not any definite, known one, but the one who 
 stands for the whole class of careless, plun- 
 dered people. The lesson of the implied par- 
 able is that, as the precise time of Christ's ad- 
 vent cannot be known, unremitting vigilance 
 and perpetual preparation are required. 
 
 40. That lesson is explicitly and solemnly 
 stated. 
 
220 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XI I. 
 
 41 Then Peter said unto hiui, Lord, speakest thou 
 this parable unto us, or even to all? 
 
 42 And the Lord said, » Who then is that faithful and 
 wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his 
 household, to give them their portion of meat in due 
 season / 
 
 48 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he 
 Cometh shall find so doing. 
 
 44 ''Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him 
 ruler over all that he hath. 
 
 4o =But and if that servant say in his heart. My lord 
 delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the men- 
 servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be 
 drunken ; 
 
 41 And Peter said. Lord, speakest thou this parable 
 
 42 unto us, or even unto all ! And the Lord said. 
 Who then is Hhe faithful and wise steward, whom 
 his lord shall set over his household, to give them 
 
 43 their portion of food in due season? Bles.sed is that 
 servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall lind 
 
 44 so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set 
 
 45 him over all that he hath. But if that ^serxant 
 shall say in his heart. My lord delayeth his coming; 
 and shall begin to beat the menservants and the 
 maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be 
 
 a Matt. 21: 15; 25: 21; 1 Cor. 4: 2 5 Halt. 24: 47. 
 
 . .c Matt. 24: 48. 1 Or, the faithful steward, the wise man whom, etc.... 2 Gr.hond- 
 
 servant. 
 
 41-48. Special Application of these 
 Truths to the Apostles. 
 
 41. Speakest thou this parable unto 
 us, or even to all? The parable was 
 
 probably that which was spoken (ver. as-ss), 
 rather than the half-expressed comparison in 
 ver. 39. Considering that Jesus liad been 
 long speaking, sometimes to Pharisees, to 
 lawyers, to the multitude, tohisdisciples, Peter 
 might naturally be at a loss whether this por- 
 tion of it was addressed specially to all actual 
 or possible" disciples, or to the doubly chosen 
 twelve. The question may have expressed 
 some curiosity — not without a shade of as- 
 sumption — whether the apostles would really 
 be distinguished, "in the regeneration" (Matt. 
 19:28), above the mass of believers, according 
 to ver. 37. 
 
 4*2. Who, then, is that faithful and wise 
 steward, etc. The Greek is nearly as in the 
 margin of Revision : the faithful steward, the 
 prudent [one]. The Saviour answers not di- 
 rectly, but by a return question sets Peter and 
 all to consider what was becoming to his 
 servants of apostolic rank ; and especially to 
 one to whom, as to Peter, a certain pre-emi- 
 nence, even in this office, had been already 
 assigned. — The steward is not exactly one of 
 the servants of the former parable, brought 
 forward again, but stands for a servant of 
 Jesus, in a different, a more specific, relation. 
 His master is here supposed to be absent for 
 a prolonged stay, and to be testing certain 
 servants, by placing them in charge over fel- 
 low-servants during this period; that, on his 
 return, he may be able to give all his aifairs 
 into the hands of the one who has proved 
 himself worthy. The question, therefore, says, 
 in effect, to Peter: Instead of asking whether 
 that parable is spoken to you, as you must 
 know that in some sense it is, ask yourselves, 
 rather, what qualities each of you apostles 
 should exhibit, in his position as a steward 
 
 over my household ; and especially thou, 
 Peter, in order to meet with honor at my re- 
 turn. Household, here, is the body of do- 
 mestic servants (Latin, fami/ia), sometimes 
 very numerous, constituting the service of a 
 great proprietor at that time. — Portion of 
 meat {food, rations). — In due season, that 
 is, for the day, on the day ; for the week, in 
 the week, etc. To do this punctually and 
 well required the steward to be faithful, and 
 the faithfulness supposes prudence. He must 
 be wise to see what is needed, and to have 
 ready in supply the requirement for con- 
 stantly recurring needs, and dispense every- 
 thing so equitably that all concerned shall be 
 satisfied, and the work of the place go forward 
 efficiently'. 
 
 43. If the servants before described were 
 happy and honored because of merely watch- 
 ing and readiness, a higher reward would 
 seem appropriate to this one who shall be 
 found so doing; that is, prudently and faith- 
 fully administering the important business 
 entrusted to him. The Saviour thus answers 
 the question of the preceding verse, by show- 
 ing what character that steward will evince. 
 
 44. His reward will be great according to 
 his fidelity and proved efficiency. He will be 
 promoted to a higher charge : He will make 
 him ruler (Greek, set, or establish, hhn) over 
 all that he hath. The talent which he has 
 manifested and cultivated shall have scope 
 for its eternal exercise in a nobler, happier 
 sphere. The principle of recompense is like 
 that, "Be thou ruler over ten cities," only 
 still more free. 
 
 45. But if (omit and) that servant shall 
 say in his heart, etc. The di.sgrace and 
 punishment of the servant who, in his place 
 as a steward, is neither faithful nor wise, will 
 be as conspicuous and miserable as the reward 
 of the other is blessed and glorious. My lord 
 delayeth his coming, so that I can take time 
 
Ch. XIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 221 
 
 4 > The lord of that servant will coiuo in a day when 
 he looketh not lor him, and at an hour when he is not 
 aware, and will "cut him in sunder, and will appoint him 
 his portion with the unbelievers. 
 
 4/ And ' that servant, which knew his lord's will, and 
 prepared not hlinxflf, neither did according to his will, 
 shall Ik' beaten with many slripcx. 
 
 4-i '^But he that knew not, and did commit things 
 worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For 
 unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much 
 required; and to whom men have committed much, of 
 him they will ask the more. 
 
 46 drunken ; the lord of that ' servant shall come in a 
 day when he expecteth not, and in an hour wlieu 
 he knoweth not, and shall cut him -asunder, and 
 
 47 appoint his portion with the uulaithl'ul. And that 
 1 servant, who knew his lord s will, and maile not 
 ready, nor did according to his will, shall be lieaten 
 
 48 with many stripes ; but he that knew not, and did 
 things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few 
 stripi-s. And to whomsoever much is given, ot him 
 shall much be required: and to wliom they commit 
 much, of him will Ihey ask more. 
 
 ...6 Num. 16: 30; Deut. ffi: 2; John 9: 41 ; 15: 22: Acts 17: 30; Jamea 4: 17 c Lev. 5: 17 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 13. 1 Ur. 6on<l- 
 
 servant 2 Or, severely scourge him. 
 
 for mischief and pleasure. It contains another 
 intiiiiiition that Jesus tnay tarry long — so long 
 that his apostle, or other minister, may forget 
 that he is himself only a steward, and act as 
 if he were master of the place. — And shall 
 begin to beat the men-servants, etc. In 
 the decline of faith through long waiting, the 
 natural passions may re-assert themselves; 
 self-indulgence, intemperance, and tyranny 
 may take the place of self-denial and Christ- 
 like love. In the sphere of the ministry, from 
 the Pope down to the lowest grade of a men- 
 made hierurchy of every communion, such 
 degeneracy has been so often witnessed as to 
 prove a divine prevision in the warning which 
 Christ left on record. Church history shows 
 that what is here spoken of as a hypothetical 
 possibility, became, and has continued, a fa- 
 miliar reality, and imparts a sad significance 
 to the threat of penalty in the next verse. 
 
 46. For, however he nuij' have concluded 
 otherwise, the lord of that servant will 
 come ; he will come, in effect, by death, in a 
 thousand cases; to some, at last, in his glori- 
 fied person. — In a day when he looketh 
 not for — [e.rpccteth not) etc. — the terrible 
 surprise! — And will cut him asunder. 
 Such treatment of the guilty steward would 
 be according to the severe and barbarous 
 modes of inflicting the death penalty in an- 
 cient times (1 Sam. 15: 33; 2 Sam. 12: 31; 
 Dan. 2:5; and ample proofs relating toother 
 nations in Wetstcin on Matt. 24: 51). Nor 
 is it inconsistent with this view, that the 
 threatening adds: And will appoint him 
 his place with the unbelievers— ("the 
 hypocrites " Matt. 24: 53). We have onlj- to sup- 
 pose that the thought passes from the figure to 
 the reality, leaving the parable, or hovering 
 between it and its religious signification, join- 
 ing to the sentence of bloody death that of 
 the bani.shment of the deatliless soul from 
 God and heaven. The rendering of "severely 
 scourge," in the margin of Revision, has 
 
 been adopted by many authoritie.*, including 
 Grrimm {C'lavis, under the word Sixoro/ieu)), and 
 is sufficiently warranted by Greek usage to be 
 accepted, if we were constrained to take what 
 follows as relating to temporal punishment; 
 but we are not. 
 
 47. And that servant which knew his 
 lord's will and prepared not — (omit him- 
 self), — made not ready, that is, for iiis lord's 
 due reception at his return — neither did 
 according to his will — in the general ad- 
 ministration of his office — shall be beaten 
 with many stripes, etc. A statement of 
 the general principles of divine punishment. 
 Its severity will vary according to the meas- 
 ure of light against which sin has been com- 
 mitted. 
 
 48. But he that knew not. The 
 preterit tense in both sentences looks back 
 from the day of judgment. Of whatsoever 
 servant of Christ it shall then appear that he 
 knew not, during his term of service, his 
 Master's will; that is to say, in his specific 
 requirements and prohibitions, and who can- 
 not, therefore, have sinned against full light; 
 but who, nevertheless, did things worthy 
 of stripes, as being in violation of the essen- 
 tial principles of sen'ice, suggested by reason 
 and conscience, he shall be beaten with 
 few stripes. His punishment will be cor- 
 respondingly light. — For — and — to state the 
 principle in the most general way — unto 
 whomsoever much is (was) given, of him 
 shall be much required. — Was given, 
 during his period of earthly discipleship. — 
 Much of opiwrtunity, ability, knowledge, to 
 further the cause of the Master, by increasing 
 the welfare of men. — And to Avhom men 
 (more vaguely, Me?/) have committed (they 
 committed) much, of him they will ask the 
 more; more, namely, than of him who had 
 not the same powers and means. It may sig- 
 nif3', also, "more than he would otherwise 
 have been expected to return." — They indi- 
 
222 LUKE [Ch. XIL 
 
 4!» « I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what i 4'J I came to cast firp upon the earth ; and ' what do I 
 
 will I, il it be already kindled 
 
 oj But '' 1 liave a baptism to be baptized with ; and how 
 am I straiteiied till it be accomplished ! 
 
 61 'Suppose ye thai I am come to give peace ou earth? 
 I tell you, Nay; ''but rather division : 
 
 52 'For from hencelbrth there shall be five in one 
 house divided, three against two, and two against 
 three. 
 
 o.i The father shall be divided against the son, and 
 the sou against the lather; the mother against the 
 daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the 
 uiotiier in law against tier daugliter in law, and the 
 daughter iu law against her mother in law. 
 
 5J desire, if it is already kindled',' But 1 have a bap- 
 tism to be baptized with ; and hoVv am I straitened 
 
 51 till it be accomplished! Think ye that J am come 
 to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nav ; but 
 
 52 rather division : for there shall be from henceforth 
 live in one house divided, three against two, and 
 
 53 two against three. They shall be divided, lather 
 against son, and son against father ; motlier against 
 daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother 
 in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in 
 law against her mother in law. 
 
 ver. 51 b M-.M. 20 : Ti { Mark lU:3a.. 
 
 Malt. 10: 34; v.-r. ti)....d Mio. 7:fi; John 7 : 43; 9 : 16; 10: 19. 
 how I would that it ware already kindled I 
 
 . .6 Malt. 10; 35.- 
 
 cates the persons concerned indefinitely, con- 
 sistently witli tiie idea of a general ma.xirn, 
 while in reality it is Christ's own agency 
 which has commissiotied and reclaims. 
 
 49-33. Trials to be Endurkd by 
 Christ and his Followers, 
 
 49. I am come (exactly, came) to send 
 fire on the earth. The painful thought is 
 forced on the mind of Christ, by a foresight 
 of the trials and troubles which were 
 to be encountered by his disciples in ex- 
 ercising that fidelity which he had just 
 enjoined. — Fire is an emblem of that ex- 
 citement of minds, for and against, which 
 the operation of his truth will of necessity 
 cause. As this was foreseen in the counsels 
 of redemption to be a necessary incident to 
 the realizing of its glorious results, it might 
 be said that to bring it to pass had been a 'ie- 
 sign of his coming from heaven to earth. — 
 And what will I, if it be already kindled ? 
 The translation should rather be : And how I 
 wish it were already kindled! The warrant 
 for this may be found in Meyer's note on the 
 passage, and in Grimm's Ciavin (under n's, 1. e. 
 y ; ", I. 4). The reason for this wish lay in the 
 foreseen necessitj' of the sufferings on his part 
 which must intervene, and which he would 
 fain have already endured. The fire could 
 not fully blaze until the "offence of the 
 cross" to a hostile world was added to its 
 agony to himself Not till then would the 
 pains of Gethsemane and Calvary be over. 
 
 50, But — it is now quite otherwise — I have 
 a baptism to be baptized with — an experi- 
 ence of sufferings to be endured, comparable 
 to nothing so well as to immersion in a flood 
 of distress. "A baptism to be baptized with" 
 is a solecism of English speech, which nothing 
 but unreflecting familiarity could have made 
 tolerable to our ears. The Greek idiom would 
 
 but the sense is, in English, "an immersion 
 to undergo." To be itnmersed, overwhelmed, 
 in business, pleasure, cares, trouble, sufferings, 
 is a figure of rhetoric very familiar to us; 
 how familiar it was to the Greek may be seen 
 from the numerous examples in Conant's 
 Baptizein, its Meaning and Use (pp. 43-67). — 
 And how am I straitened until it be ac- 
 complished ! Paul could afterward speak 
 of being in a strait between his desire to 
 be more immediately with Christ, and his 
 conviction of the importance of his remaining 
 longer in the work on earth. So here, Christ 
 feels himself greatly straitened (the verb is 
 the same as Paul used). The pains of death 
 already, in anticipation, "gat hold upon" 
 him, and the prospect was dreadful to the Son 
 of man. But, on the other hand, it was his 
 Father's will, and equally his own, that he 
 should thus suffer, and for that hour had he 
 come into the world. How inevitable that he 
 should be sore pressed by these conflicting 
 considerations, until the end had come. 
 
 51. Suppose {think) ye that I am come to 
 give peace on the earth? Are ye so mis- 
 taken as to think that all will be quietness 
 and harmony among men, as the result of my 
 mission? Yet the end was to be peace (i: V8; 2; u). 
 — Nay; but rather division. The rather 
 is better left out. (Comp. Matt. 10: 34, "but 
 a sword.'") The Greek (a\K' ij) emphasizes 
 division as the result of Christ's coming; so 
 much more conspicuously prominent now, in 
 view of the intense opposition which is ready 
 to put him to death, and will mark the path 
 of the early gospel with the blood of his saints. 
 Division alone is what he proceeds to speak 
 of. 
 
 53. Henceforth — from the date of his res- 
 urrection, which is just at hand — there shall 
 be five in one house divided. This was the 
 saddest aspect of the separating power of his 
 easily allow a construction nearly equivalent; I truth, the breaking up of the concord of fami- 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 223 
 
 54 And he said also to the people, <• When ye see a 
 cloud rise oiii ot the west, straigHtway ye say, Ihere 
 couielh a shower; and so it is. . , ., „ .„„ 
 
 55 And when y>: .v" the south wind blow, ye say. 
 There will In- heat ; and it couieth to pass. 
 
 m ie hypocrites, ve can discern the lace of the sky 
 and of the earlh ; but how is it that ye do not discern 
 
 '' 57 'vca,' and why even of yourselves judge ye not 
 
 "^rif'-'whell'thou goest with thine adversary to the 
 iiiaK'istrale, 'as Ih.m art in the way, give diligence that 
 thou uiavest be delivered from hiui ; lest h*^ >';''<;■ <>'; 
 to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the othcei, 
 and the othcer cast thee into prison. 
 
 54 And he saia to ihe multitudes also, When ye see a 
 cloud rising in the west, sliaightway ye say, Tliere 
 
 55 Cometh a shower; and so it comelh lo pass. And 
 when ye .vw a south wind blowing, ye say, Ihere 
 will be a 'scorching beat; and it coiiieth to pass. 
 
 5G Ye hvpocrites, ve know how to ^ interpret the lace 
 of the earth and the heaven ; but how is it that ye 
 
 57 know not how to -i interpret this time.' And why 
 
 58 even of yourselves judge ye not what is right.' tor 
 as thou art going with ibine adversary be. ore the 
 magistrate, on the wav give diligence to be quit of 
 him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and 
 the judge shall deliver thee to the ^ollicer, and the 
 
 a Ma.t. 16 : 2. . . .* Prov. .5:8; M..tt. 5 : 35. . . .c See P». ^ 'i : 6; I.a. 55 : 6— 1 Or, ftot u>ind. .. .'l O:. prove. .. .^ P.. en a ctor. 
 
 and when it continues for a time, it becomes 
 a heat (a scorching heat), the baleful "si- 
 mootn" of those parts, dreaded by man and 
 beast. 
 
 56. Ye hypocrites. The charge of hy- 
 pocrisy rested on their willing blindness, in the 
 religious sphere, to tokens more plain from 
 revelation than these signs which their own 
 reason had collected fr<mi the phases of na- 
 ture. Doubtless, the teachers and leaders 
 were principally intended; but "the doctrine 
 of the Pharisees, which is hypocri.sy," had 
 more or less influenced the mass. — Ve can 
 discern— scrutinize, so as to form a correct 
 judgment about— the face of the sky and 
 of the earth (or, the earth and the heavens), 
 a skill which they were bound in consistency 
 to exercise in more important matters.— How 
 is it that ye do not discern this time 
 (season), namely, that in which Christ s pres- 
 ence with them— having been preceded by 
 John, and fulfilling the ancient prophecies by 
 his teaching and his works— proved that now 
 was the crisis of the nation's destiny. This 
 they might have seen if they would. 
 
 57-59. The Sklf-evident Need of Rk- 
 
 PEXTANCE AND PREPARATION FOR THE 
 
 Judgment. 
 
 57. .\nd why even of yourselves judge 
 ye not what is right ? Had they duly con- 
 sidered what a sign Jesus was, they would 
 have found in him a mighty motive and aid to 
 repentance and peace with God. And even 
 though they shut their eyes to this, why do 
 they not, from the teaching of Scripture, as it 
 is open to all ; from reflection on past sins and 
 God's forbearance to them personally, as 
 well as from the indications of an approach- 
 ing visitation on the people, repent and turn 
 to God in obedience and love? 
 
 58. When thou goest (rather, For as thou 
 art going— since such is already the fact) with 
 
 lies. Herein is foreseen the whole long, sad, 
 even bloody, story of social and civil persecu- 
 tion, dis.sension, and strife, arising from Uie 
 propagation of the gospel. In some families, 
 they would stand fewer, two on his side, op- 
 po.«ed by three hating them; in others, the 
 proportions would be reversed; but discord, 
 wherever there was partial or diverse recep- 
 tion of his truth. 
 
 53. The statement is made more pathetic 
 by .specification: the believing son will be 
 l)ersecuted by his worldly father ; the daugh- 
 ter, likewise, by her mother; in other cases, 
 these positions of the parties will be inverted ; 
 and so through all the tender relations of life. 
 For ages after Christ, this prediction was a 
 literal description of facts; and not a year has 
 elapsed, until now, in which it did not apply 
 to certain instances of hatred on the part of 
 relatives toward followers of Christ. Yet, 
 while he is the occasion of all this, it is not his 
 spirit which hates and contends, but which 
 rather suffers hatred and opposition, for his 
 name's sake, at the hands of those otherwise 
 nearest and dearest. This very dissension in- 
 volves necessarily a condemnation of all who 
 rage against the Lord, and against his Christ. 
 54-59. Blindness of the People Gen- 
 erally TO the Approach of such a Con- 
 demnation*. 
 
 The long address to his disciples is ended. 
 54, 55. And he said also to the people 
 itmdtitudrs), When ye see a cloud rise out 
 of_properly, rising in— the west, etc. Tliey 
 were quick to note the indications of coming 
 weather, and to interpret them, so as to regu- 
 late the conduct prudently. The great Medi- 
 terranean Sea lay to the west of them ; hence, 
 a cloud rising in that quarter would be 
 charged with moisture, and might well bring 
 rain.— The south wind reaches Palestine 
 from over the torrid wilderness of Arabia; 
 
224 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou | 59 ' officer shall cast thee into prison. I say unto thee, 
 hast paid the very last "mite. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou 
 
 I have paid the very last mite. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIII. 
 
 rpHERE were present at that season some that told | 1 Now there were some present at that very season 
 i him of the tialilseans, whose blood Pilate had min- who told him of the Ualilasans, whose blood Pilate 
 gletl with tiieir sacrifices. I 
 
 ( See Hark 12 : i'i. 1 Gr. exactor. 
 
 thine adversary to the magistrate. The i 
 magistrate can be none other than God, who 
 must also, perhaps as represented bj' Christ, 
 be the adversary. The illustration is intro- 
 duced to enforce the obligation on their part 
 to become reconciled with God in "this 
 time." Ver. 56, to judge and do what is right. 
 Ver. 57. According to the supposition of the 
 p;irable, the creditor had the right to seize his 
 delinquent debtor where he might find him, 
 take him before a magistrate, and, on proving 
 his case, have him condemned to imprison- 
 ment, until the claim was satisfied. The 
 details of the application may be variously 
 filled out; but the lesson is perfectly obvious. 
 — Art in the way^before thou hast reached 
 the bar of God, the supreme magistrate— 
 before whom thou must appear — give dili- 
 gence that thou mayest be delivered 
 from him; be quit of him (Revision). This 
 may be effected with our adversary, God, by 
 humble, penitent acknowledgment of "our 
 debts," and the plea for forgiveness, according 
 
 to the gospel (Matt. 6: 12 ; Luke is : 13. U). — Lest he 
 
 — wearied with "thy hardness and impenitent 
 heart," close the door of conciliation — and 
 hale thee unto the judge. He who 
 might have been a magistrate to pacify, 
 is now only a judge to condemn. — And the 
 judge deliver thee to the officer, etc. 
 The officer — exactor — is in effect the bailiff, 
 or constable, who will see that the sentence is 
 duly carried into effect. The prison is Ge- 
 henna, hell, to which the verdict of the last 
 day will consign those careless sinners who 
 have trifled away their day of visitation. 
 
 59. I tell thee, thou shalt not [shalt by 
 no means) depart thence till thou hast 
 (have) paid the very last mite. The mite 
 was the smallest coin then in use, probably 
 one-half the value of the "farthing" (ver.s). 
 The Saviour's discourse, starting with the 
 case of the Jews threatened with national 
 destruction, through their rejection of him, 
 has turned into a most solemn declaration of 
 the remediless ruin which hangs over every 
 one living unreconciled to God. If the lan- 
 
 guage in this verse does not ab.solutely pre- 
 clude the idea of a payment of the debt in 
 prison by one who was unable and unwilling 
 while the chance was afforded him, yet, when 
 we think that the debt to God consists of sins, 
 to be cancelled and undone, we feel that un- 
 der the figure employed, the impossibility of 
 payment could not be more impressively set 
 forth. 
 
 i-5. The Necessity of Repentance 
 Enforced by Occurrences of the Day. 
 
 1. {Noio) there were present at that 
 (very) season some that told him, etc. 
 
 They were probably visitors from Jerusalem, 
 who reported, as a matter of news, without 
 any particular feeling on the subject, an inci- 
 dent of recent occurrence there. The time 
 was just as he had completed the long series 
 of discourses running through chapters XI and 
 XII, and while he was yet in the place where 
 he had given the instruction concerning 
 prayer, 11: Iff, in the same place, as well as 
 at that very season. McClellan (New Tes- 
 tament., p. 552), who teems with novelties of 
 harmonization, and can hardly allow any 
 event of the Gospels to fail of assignment to 
 its precise day and hf-ur, here, on the ground 
 that Luke does not say " at that same hour," 
 but ''season" will see no reference at all to 
 the preceding chapter, but whirls our passage 
 back to a passover season, at the time of Luke 
 5: 16, 17, and of the interval between John 
 4: 54 and 5: 1. The event narrated is not 
 mentioned elsewhere ; but we see that Pilate, 
 the Roman Procurator, had visited upon 
 certain Galileans, guilty of we know not what 
 crime, a bloody slaughter. There is no indi- 
 cation that they were supposed to have been 
 heinously criminal ; but a circumstance of 
 their punishment which peculiarly impressed 
 the Jewish imagination was, that in the 
 temple courts they wore actually engaged in 
 offering sacrifices at the moment when they 
 were cut down, so that their blood, sprinkling 
 the parts of the victim, could be said to have 
 been mingled with their sacrifices. The 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 225 
 
 2 And Jesus answering said unto tliem, Suppose ye 
 that these (iulilu:uns were siuuers abov" all the liali- 
 laeaus, because Ihey surt'ered such things',' 
 
 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all 
 likewise perish. 
 
 4 Or I hose eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloaiu 
 fell, and slew theiii, think ye that they were "sinners 
 above all mi'n that dwelt in .lerusaleni .' 
 
 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish. 
 
 6 He sp;ike aUo this parable; 'A certain man had a 
 fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and 
 sought fruit thereon, and found none. 
 
 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Be- 
 hold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this lig 
 tree, and tiiid none: cut it down; wliy cumbereth it 
 the ground ? 
 
 2 had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered 
 and said unto them. Think ye that these lialilifan.s 
 were sinners above all the iialilieans, because they 
 
 3 have sutlered these things? I tell you. Nay: but, 
 except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. 
 
 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in .Siloam 
 fell, and killed them, think ye that they were ' of- 
 fenders above all the men that dwell in Jeru.salenr.' 
 
 5 1 tell you. Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all 
 likewise perish. 
 
 6 And be spake this parable: A certain man had a 
 fig tree |)lanted in his vineyard; and he came seek- 
 
 7 ing fruit thereon, and found none. .\nd he said 
 unto the vinedresser. Behold, these three years I 
 come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: 
 cut it down ; why doth it also cumber the ground ? 
 
 a Matt. l»:2i; ch. 11: 4 b Un. 5:2; Matt. 21 : 19. 1 Gr. debtor: 
 
 Galileiins were pjirticularly fierce, turbulent, 
 and intructiiblo, and gave the Roman authori- 
 ties a large jiroportion of their trouble in 
 governing the nation. 
 
 2. Our Lord's answer shows how ready he 
 was to turn an item of current news into a 
 lesson of duty toward his 1<ingdom. Sup- 
 pose ye that these Galilnnans were sinners 
 above all the Galilreans, because they 
 (have) surt'ered such (these) things? The 
 verb were represents the Greek verb "to be- 
 come," "prove oneself," "turn out to be"; so 
 that the question seems to refer to the opinion 
 betraj'ed in John 9: 2: Did they prove them- 
 selves great sinners by the fact that they have 
 suffered these things? 
 
 3. Except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 wise (i. e., in iikemnnner) perish. Likewise 
 might mean no more than "also." Tliis 
 might be intended specially for the Galilean 
 portion of the crowd which accompanied him. 
 Tliey were noted for their turbulence and 
 fractiousness in the State. In like maymer 
 does not probably point to the identical 
 method of punishment, although it has often 
 been noted how literally multitudes of the 
 nation, including some, it may be, to whom 
 Christ was speaking, perished in the same 
 way, at the destruction of Jerusalem. It is 
 enough that being also sinners, they were to 
 perish as those sinners had ; as surelj', as 
 dreadfullj', as irremediably. The expression, 
 ye shall all . . perish, as truly indicates 
 Christ's judgment that all men are sinners as 
 would any explicit and dogmatic statement 
 to that etfcct. 
 
 4. Or — to take another similar case — those 
 eighteen, etc. Another fact, outside of all 
 other historical record. Siloam was a pool, 
 south of Jerusalem, fed by the fountain Siloah. 
 
 structure, or one connected with the wall of 
 the city, and as to anything definite about it, 
 we are without information. Its fall, from 
 whatever cause, had, at some previous time, 
 caused the death of eighteen j)ersons, and may 
 have also led to the opinion that those persons 
 were specially' guilty before God— sinners 
 (Greek, debtors) above all (the) men that 
 dwell in Jerusalem. 
 
 5. The denial is the same in regard to them 
 as in regard to the Galileans; and the truth 
 which is thus declared in relation to the two 
 extremities of the country, all in Galilee and 
 all in Jerusalem, may surely apidy to all 
 men everywhere. Repentance is es.sential to 
 salvation. 
 
 6-9. Thk Jewish Nation a Barrkn 
 Fig Tree. 
 
 6. And he spake this parable— following 
 up, and bringing to a close, this long line of 
 various discourse. The lack of any appear- 
 ance in the nation of that repentance which 
 he had just declared nccessarj% may have 
 guided to this admonition. A certain man 
 had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, 
 etc. Spare ground in the vineyard would, 
 from the preparation which it had received, 
 furnish the most desirable site for other fruit 
 trees also. The fruit of the fig tree was very 
 highlj' esteemed in the pomology of the He- 
 brews, and was thus a suitable symbol of the 
 
 (;h0Sen peOJ^le of God (.Icr. 24 : .l ; Hos. 9: lO; Matt. 21: 
 
 19). Placed in a situation mo.st favorable for 
 the growth of moral excellence, they should 
 have yielded fruit in lives of piety and obe- 
 dience. 
 
 7. But such fruit God had come seeking 
 again and again, and found none. This 
 conden.<es the hi.story of that people from the 
 days of the Judges. The three years are not 
 
 Whether the tower was an independent ' to be understood literally, but represent gen- 
 
 P 
 
226 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it 
 alone this ytnii' also, till 1 shall dig about it, and dung 
 U: 
 
 9 And if it bear fruit, well : and if not, then after that 
 thou shalt cut it down. 
 
 lu And lie was teaching in one of the synagogues on 
 the sabliath. 
 
 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a 
 spirit of iiitirmity eighteen years, and was bowed to- 
 gether, and could in no wise lift up kenvif. 
 
 8 And he answering saith unto him. Lord, let it alone 
 this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 
 
 9 and if it bear Iruit thenceforth, well ; but it not, 
 thou shalt cut it dow n. 
 
 10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on 
 
 11 the sabbath day. And behold, a woman who had a 
 spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was 
 bowed together, and could in no wise lilt herself up. 
 
 erally the period (being itself a long period 
 to wait for figs on a mature tree) tli rough 
 which God had loolved in vain for repentance 
 and holiness. — Cut it down. The Greek 
 form of the verb implies instant urgency. It 
 would have the excision done at one stroke. 
 — Why cunibereth it the ground? Better 
 as the Revision. Cumbereth, as now used, 
 hardly conveys the sense so well as "render 
 useless," "sterilize." (Farrar). While it 
 yields no fruit, it occupies ground which 
 might be profitably taken for something else. 
 The dresser of the vineyard stands for Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 8. He, with the natural tenderness of a man 
 for a tree on which he has lavished long care, 
 pleads for a short delay — this year also — 
 covering the forty years before the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, that he may try still further 
 expedients, the last resources of his art, to 
 bring it to fruitfulness. 
 
 9. And if it bear fruit (henceforth=for tlte 
 future), though it has been barren in the past. 
 The ditference between the two versions here 
 depends on a transposition of "after that," in 
 the Common Version, to the previous member 
 as " hencef(jrth," according to both the proper 
 meaning of the Greek, and to the order of the 
 most approved MSS. The possibilitj', not to 
 say likelihood, that it still will not bear, chokes 
 the gardener's utterance. The sentence re- 
 mains unfinished by the rhetorical figure called 
 aposiopesis ; well is put in by the translators 
 to weaken and complete it. What could riiore 
 touchingly indicate the yearning tendwrness 
 with which our great High Priest, in heaven, 
 intercedes with his Father for the salvation of 
 those in wliose behalf he died? And if not, 
 then after that (omit then after that) thou 
 shalt cut it down; let thy command (ver. 7) 
 be executed. The vine-dresser does not say, 
 "I will cut it down." but consents that it 
 shall be done. "He will cease to remon- 
 strate." — Ben gel. 
 
 In this parable, the vineyard is the goodly 
 land, with its civil and religious institutions, 
 originally assigned to Israel. The fig tree is 
 
 the chosen and favored people. The vine- 
 dresser is Jesus Christ. The failure to pro- 
 duce fruit, as sought, is the obstinate rejection 
 of God's ways by that people, their worldli- 
 ness, hypocrisy, and unbelief. The cumber- 
 ing the ground is their .standing in the way of 
 its occupancy by men more willing and able 
 to render acceptable service to God. The cut- 
 ting down is the approaching destruction of 
 the existing state and nation, delayed for this 
 year also, that they might have full oppor- 
 tunity to repent. and accept the Messiah; but 
 which, it is intimated by the agitation of the 
 gardener, will then have to come. But, like all 
 the parables which were primarily adapted to 
 the case of temporal Israel, this one also has 
 its obvious apj)lications to the case of an^' men 
 who have failed to render to God just love and 
 service. 
 
 10-17. A Miraculous Cure on the Sab- 
 bath Gives Fresh Occasion for the Dis- 
 play OF Hypocrisy. 
 
 10-13. The miracle. The mention of some 
 synagogue, not more definitely specified, is 
 the first decisive hint of a change of scene, 
 further than from the outside to the inside of 
 a house, or vice versa, since the mention of "a 
 certain place." (u-. i.) 
 
 10. On his journeys the Saviour still 
 sought the synagogues, and turned to ac- 
 count the opportunities of the Sabbath. He 
 was teaching here, in conformity with the 
 practice seen in 4: 16. 
 
 11. A woman which had a spirit of 
 infirmity eighteen years. We have before 
 seen that demoniacs and persons otherwise 
 diseased frequented the synagogues. They 
 might sometimes seek there, not the con- 
 tributions of the charitable, but the light 
 and comfort of religious worship, in their 
 habitual weakness and pain. This spirit 
 of infirmity was probably conceived of 
 as a demon, whose influence resulted in 
 that peculiar feebleness under which she suf- 
 fered. She was bowed together — "bent 
 double," as it is often said. Whether her 
 symptoms were those of palsy, or of chronic 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 227 
 
 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and 
 Baid uuto her, Wouiun, ihou art Ioi»sc<i I'roui thiue in- 
 liriuity. 
 
 i;{«And he laid A;'.v liands on her : and immediately 
 she was made .straight, aud gloritied tiod. 
 
 14 And the ruler olthc sjiian<»giie answered with in- 
 dignation, hecause that JeMis had liealed on the sab- 
 bath (lav, aud said unto the people, '-There are six 
 days in 'which men ou^'ht to work ; in lliem therefore 
 come and he healed, and ' not on the sabliulh day. 
 
 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, T/iou 
 hypocrite, ''doth not each one ol' you on the sabbath 
 loose his ox or hi.i ass I'rom the stall, and lead him 
 away to watering? 
 
 lii' And ought not this woman, 'being a daughter of 
 Abraham, whom .Satan hath bound, lo these eighteen 
 years, be loosed from tliis bond on the sabbath day? 
 
 17 And when he had said these things, all his adver- 
 saries were ashamed: and all the people rejoieed for all 
 the glorious things that were done by him. 
 
 12 And when .Tesns saw her, he called her, and said to 
 her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine inhrmity. 
 
 13 And he laid lii.s bands upon her: aud immediately 
 
 14 she was made straight, and glorihed (hhI. And the 
 ruler of the synagogue, beiijg moved with indigna- 
 tion because .lesus had healed on the sabbath, an- 
 swered and said to the multitude. There are six 
 days in which men ought to work: in them there- 
 fore come and be healed, aud not on the day ol the 
 
 15 sabbath. Hut the Lord answered him, and saiil, Ve 
 hy])ocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath 
 loose his ox or his ass Iroiu the 'stall, and le:id bim 
 
 16 away to watering? And ought not this wdiiian, 
 being a daughter of .\braham, whom .Satan bad 
 bound, lo, /he.se eighteen years, to have been loosed 
 
 17 from this bond on the day of the sabbath? .\iid as 
 he said these things, all his adversaries were put to 
 shame: and all the multitude rejoieed for all the 
 glorious things that were done by him. 
 
 1 Miirk 16: 18; Acts 9: 1T....» Bx. 20: 9....e Matt. 12: 10; Mark 3: 2 ; ch. 6 : 7 ; 14 ; 3....dcli. U : 5....«ch. 19:9 1 Gr. manger. 
 
 rheumatism, is uncertain. The severity of 
 her iiiahidy is indiiated by the words, and 
 could in nowise lift up herself, or, "and 
 could not lift herself up entirely," as Meyer 
 and some prefer. 
 
 12. The sight of such mi.«cry appeals again 
 irresistibly to the ct)mpassi()n of our Lord. 
 It was itself a prayer. — He called her to 
 him — as an expression of his friendliness — 
 and said unto her, Woman, thou art 
 loosed from thine infirmity. This form 
 of expression was specially appropriate, when 
 the trouble was as if she had been bound 
 down with cords. 
 
 13. And he laid his hands on her. This 
 gave to the unspiritual thought of the woman 
 and of the rest an api)rehensible medium 
 through which the healing grace migltt ap- 
 pear to flow. — And immediately she Avas 
 made straight (literally, was straightened 
 up), a palpable proof that the Satanic bondage 
 was broken; and, considering how long she 
 had been held fast in it, a mighty token of 
 the present power of God. And glorified 
 God — rendered to him that praise and thanks- 
 giving which so wonderful and beneficent a 
 deed deserved. 
 
 14-17. The hypocrisy. 
 
 14. And the ruler of the synagogue 
 (ch. 8:41) answered with indignation, etc. 
 "We have seen before (oh. «: i-n) how Pharisaic 
 legality had made a crime of healing sick- 
 ness on the Sabbath. This ruler did not ven- 
 ture a direct reproof to Jesus, but, in a cow- 
 ardly way, tried to scourge him over the backs 
 of the people. The people were upbraided, 
 because, forsooth, one of their number had 
 listened to a word of mercy which relieved her 
 of the distress of half a life-time. He professes 
 
 to honor Scripture. — There are six days in 
 which men ought to work. True; but 
 there had been no stroke of work; no one 
 had even come to the place for the purpose 
 of being bodily saved. A word spoken, the 
 stretching out of a hand, a straightening of 
 herself upon the part of the woman — that 
 was all. 
 
 15. Well might the Lord say. Thou hyp« 
 ocrite (rather, Fe hypocrites), addressing the 
 class of which this ruler was a specimen.— 
 Doth not each one of you on the sabbath 
 loose his ox, etc. These things they did, and 
 it would have been wrong for them not to do 
 them. But it made their hypocrisy appear 
 all the more glaring. Did they say that mercy 
 required them to prevent the suffering of 
 dumb brutes? 
 
 15,16. Hear the Saviour's answer: Ought 
 not this woman — not merely a human 
 being, but also being a daughter of Abra- 
 ham — and thus appealing strongly to the pity 
 of a ruler of a synagogue for the seed of Abra- 
 ham—whom Satan hath bound — viz. : by 
 his unclean spirit (v. 11), the abominable 
 tyrant— lo, these eighteen years— not for 
 one single day, as with the ox — be loosed 
 from this bond on the sabbath day ? 
 
 17. And when he had (better, as he) said 
 — before he had finished — these things, all 
 his adversaries were ashamed (or, put to 
 shame). Well might they be; for their as- 
 sumption of special piety had been shown 
 hollow and insincere, due entirely to causeless 
 malignity toward him. — And all the people 
 (literally, rrmltitude) rejoiced, etc. We can 
 SCO that a large and increasing measure of 
 popular favor attended the Lord as he drew 
 nearer the end of this journej-, and the end of 
 
228 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 18 "Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God 
 like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 
 
 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man 
 took, and cast into his garden ; and it grew, and waxed 
 a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the 
 branches of it. 
 
 •20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the 
 kingdom of Uod? 
 
 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in 
 three 'measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
 
 a Matt. 13 : 31 ; Mark 4 : 30. . 
 
 18 He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom o( 
 
 19 God like? and whereunto shall I liken it? it is like 
 unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, 
 and cast into his own garden : and it grew, and 
 becauie a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged 
 
 20 in the branches thereof. And again he said, Where- 
 
 21 unto shall I liken the kingdom of (iod? It is like 
 unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three 
 1 measures of meal, till it was all leavened. 
 
 his life. They saw, at least, that he was the 
 friend of the common people ; they were 
 hopefully awaiting further developments con- 
 cerning him, and rejoiced at this and all the 
 glorious things that were done by him, 
 not less heartily because of the discomfiture 
 of their blind guides. 
 
 18-21. Two Parables Illustrating the 
 Growth and Extension of the Kingdom 
 OF God. 
 
 They are given by Matthew and Mark, in a 
 different connection. They were probably 
 preserved as separate sayings in the treasure 
 of apostolic memories of Christ, and were 
 brought into our several Gospels in such rela- 
 tions as their respective sources suggested. 
 "We can hardly trace any link of thought be- 
 tween these parables and what precedes. 
 
 18. Unto what is the kingdom of God 
 like? We behold the deliberation and rhe- 
 torical search of the mind of Jesus for that 
 feature of the kingdom which would serve as 
 a ground of classification, and afford a com- 
 parison suitable to the present aim of his dis- 
 course. — And whereunto shall I resemble 
 (better, liken) it ? This question would, of 
 course, be answered vnth the other. We know 
 beforehand that he is in pursuit of an image 
 to represent the advancement of his truth, 
 from its then merely germinal condition, to 
 the possession and control of all men's minds 
 in all the earth. 
 
 19. We seem to hear him say : I have it; it 
 is like a grain of mustard seed. The 
 smallness of this seed, "smaller than all the 
 seeds "(Matt. 13:32), was well suited to symbolize 
 the diminutive compass of his cause at the 
 time. It comprised, so far as we are distinctly 
 aware, himself and some hundred, more or 
 less, who had so caught the true idea and 
 spirit of his mission, that they might chari- 
 tably be regarded as the germ of what it was 
 to become. —Which a man — standing for 
 God — took and cast into his (own) garden 
 — meaning the Jewish Theocracy. — And it 
 
 grew, and waxed a great tree, etc. The 
 contrast between the mustard seed and the 
 full grown herb is very striking, even with us; 
 but in Palestine the expansion is much greater. 
 Under favorable conditions it takes almost a 
 shrubby character, becoming, in appearance, a 
 small tree. Thomson {Land and Book), Tris- 
 tram (Nat. Hist, of the Bible), and Hackett 
 (Smith's Die!'. ofBih.,p. 2043, and Illustrations 
 of Script. 131f. ), speak of seeing the mustard 
 plants growing to the height of the rider on 
 his horse, and with branches strong enough to 
 support birds, which actually lodged in them. 
 There seems no need of the doubt and its 
 solution, offered by Stanley {Sinni and Pal., 
 p. 419 n.) This lodging in the branches is 
 not, necessarily, nesting there, but perching 
 there at night, and at other times, when rest- 
 ing in the shade. This parable is a prophecy 
 of the vast expansion, in point of numbers, 
 which the little handful of his di.scii)les then 
 apparent would experience in the course of 
 ages. 
 
 20. And again he said, M'hereunto, etc. 
 Thinking now of another aspect of the increase 
 of the kingdom. 
 
 21. It is like leaven, which a woman 
 took and hid in three measures of meal 
 — where it operated — till the whole was 
 leavened. Nothing could be better adapted 
 than this homely figure to signify that holy 
 contagion, by which the spiritual principle of 
 a new life, once planted by God in the heart, 
 spreads and grows, until all the faculties and 
 affections are entirely pervaded by its influ- 
 ence, and brought into a meetness for heaven, 
 according to the pattern of Christ. And not 
 only so, but its power goes out into all kin- 
 dred souls with which it comes in contact, 
 contributing to their transformation, while it 
 also receives helpful impulse from them. The 
 process is described in Ephesians 4: 11-16, the 
 result being, that from Christ, the Head, "the 
 whole body, fitly framed and knit together, 
 through that which every joint supplieth, 
 
Cii. XIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 229 
 
 22 "And he went thruugh the cities and villages, 
 teaching, and juurneying tuwurd .leniisaleiu. 
 
 2'S ThcD said one uulu hiiu, Lord, are there few that 
 be saved? And he said uuio them, 
 
 24 'Strive to enter in at tlie strait gate: fori; many, I 
 say unto you, will seek tu enter in, and shall nut be 
 able. 
 
 2"i <' When once the master of the house is risen up, 
 and<hath shut to the door, and ye begin tostand with- 
 out, and to knock at the door, saying, /Lord, Lord, 
 open uuto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, 
 f I know you not whence ye are : 
 
 22 And he went on his waj' through cities and vil- 
 lages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem. 
 2.3 And one said unto hiiu. Lord, are they lew that 
 
 24 are saved? And he said unto theui, Strive to enter 
 in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, 
 shall seek to enter in, and shall not be 'able. 
 
 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and 
 hath shut to the door, and ye bejiiu to stand with- 
 out, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to 
 us; and he shall answer and say to you, 1 know yon 
 
 a Uui. 9 : .16 ; Muk S : 6. 
 
 .& M;iU. 7: 1.1.... c See John 7 . .14 ; R: 21 ; 
 'cli. 6: 46 g Uatl. T :ii; 25: 
 
 .< Matt. 25: 10. 
 
 according to the working in due measure of 
 each several part, nial<eth the incretise of the 
 body unto the building up of itself in love" 
 (Revision). The self-propagating quality of 
 leaven, or yeast, made it a tit symbol of the 
 vital pri noiple of Christianitj', whose spontane- 
 ous diffusion through the whole being of the 
 individual believer, and so, eventually, of all 
 believers, was to be set forth. It is intrinsically 
 as appropriate to denote the spread of a bad 
 influence as of a good. Hence, Paul could 
 use it as an image of sin, when viewed in ref- 
 erence to its contagiousness (i cor.5: 6.7). It 
 was directed to be put away from the houses 
 of the Jews during the seven days of the 
 Passover every year, to commemorate the 
 haste with which the fathers (Ex. 12: 34-39) for- 
 sook the land of bondage, with their dough 
 unleavened in their baking-troughs. Leaven 
 was not regarded by them as essentially bad. 
 It was an element of their ordinary food, and 
 was as much commanded, therefore, to be 
 used and eaten on the Feast of Pentecost 
 (Le»-. 13: 17), as to be avoided during the Pass- 
 over. 
 
 22-30. Further Incidents of this 
 solkmn joltrnky. 
 
 22. And he went through the cities and 
 Tillages (omit the before cities) teaching, j 
 and journeying towards Jerusalem. ' 
 This statement brings afresh to the reader's 
 mind that Jesus was still on his last journey 
 to the holy city, and shows how careful he 
 was to reach each town, and so to evangelize 
 the whole region. 
 
 23. Then said one (and one said) nnto 
 him. Lord, arc there (better, they) few that 
 be (are) saved? It is as likely as not that 
 this was the inquiry of a nominal disciple, 
 whose zeal ran rather to unpractical and in- 
 soluble speculations about religion, than to 
 the earnest exercise of faith and love. To 
 such questions Jesus never returned categor- 
 ical answer, but made them texts for useful 
 
 lessons. — And he said unto them. Unto 
 them, because he knew that the inciuirer had 
 been a spokesman for others, or simply- be- 
 cause all might be profited by his reply. 
 This is, in substance, that it was of no conse- 
 quence about the number that were attaining 
 to salvation, but of supreme importance that 
 each man should make sure that he himself 
 was saved. 
 
 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate : 
 (better, through tlie narrow door). Salvation, 
 — the kingdom, — is conceived of as a house, 
 now the scene of a banquet (ver. 29), which can 
 be entered only through a narrow door. — 
 Strive implies the necessity of strong exer- 
 tion, such as was required to win a valuable 
 prize from a powerful and practiced antago- 
 nist — carry through a successful contest. The 
 narrowness of the portal signifies the necessity 
 for humility, repentance, and self-denial ; and 
 implies that only the soul stripped bare of 
 pride, and luxury, and worldly ambition, can 
 pass through. — For many, I say unto you, 
 will seek to enter in. Seek is the designa- 
 tion of a feeble effort, which, perhaps, looks 
 rather for a broad door. Some desire and 
 endeavor after heaven will be roused in the 
 minds of a multitude who shall hear the 
 gospel, but who will put forth no adequate 
 endeavor. — And shall not be able : with so 
 little of the spirit of faith and self-sacritice. 
 But the full significance of the future tense in 
 these verbs must include the idea of a seeking 
 which will prove ineffectual, because it comes 
 in place of the striving, when even that 
 would be too late. "When, and how, is ex- 
 plained in the following verses. 
 
 25-27. When once the master of the 
 house is risen up — from the sitting posture, 
 in which he had waited until the return at 
 night of the proper inmates — and hath shut 
 to the door — for the securitj' and rest of the 
 night. The master of the house here is evi- 
 dently the Lord Jesus in his ascended glory in 
 
230 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 26 Then shall ye begin to ray, We have eateu and 
 drunk in thy presence, and thou liast taught in our 
 streets. 
 
 27 <• But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not 
 whence ye are; 'dejiart from uie, all ye workers of 
 iniquity. 
 
 2» "^ There shall he weeping and gnashing of teeth, 
 ''when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, 
 and all the prophets, in the kingdom of Uod, and you 
 yoni:ielve.: thrust out. 
 
 29 And they shall coiue from the east, and /ram the 
 west, and Irom the north, and from the south, and 
 shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 
 
 30 "And, behold, there are last which shall be first, 
 and there are first which shall be last. 
 
 26 not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We 
 did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst 
 
 27 teach in our streets; and he shall say, I tell you, I 
 know not whence ye are; dejiart Irom me, all ye 
 
 28 workers of iniquity, 'there shall be the weeping 
 and gna.shing of teelh, when ye shall see Abraham, 
 and Jsaiic, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the 
 kingdom of (iod, and yo'irselves cast forth without. 
 
 29 And they shall come from the east and west, and 
 from the north and south, and shall 'sit down in 
 
 30 the kingdom of (iod. And behold, there are last 
 who shall be first, and there are first who shall be 
 last. 
 
 a Matt. 7 : 2:1 ; 25 : 41 ; ver. 25. . . .5 1 
 
 .d Matt. 8: 11 e Matt. 19:30; 20: 16; Mark 
 
 the heavenly mansion, to which he has ad- 
 mitted those (after the judgment) who had 
 any ehiim to be recognized as his. — And 
 (when) ye begin to stand without — after 
 the door of heaven is closed upon all who did 
 not strive in time to enter in — and to knock 
 — as if they had a right to enter without hav- 
 ing striven — and (when) he — from within, 
 without seeing them, but finding their voices 
 strange, and knowing that his household is 
 complete — shall answer and say unto you, 
 I know you not whence ye are: Combin- 
 ing the sense of Matthew?: 23; and 25: 12. 
 — Whence ye are — where ye belong ; cer- 
 tainly not to me, or to my house. 
 
 26. Then shall ye begin to say. Begin, 
 as if they were going on with an argument, 
 which, however, is soon cut short— We have 
 eaten and drunk in thy presence, and 
 thou hast taught in our streets. They 
 cannot say what some will, who, nevertheless, 
 will be equally rejected : " Did we not proph- 
 esy by thy name, and by thy name cast out 
 devils, and by thy name do many wonderful 
 works? (Mritt. 7:27. Revision.) If Only they 
 might be able to add to their plea, "And we 
 repented at thy word and believed thy 
 gospel !'' Then would they now have been 
 in the palace. Without striving, or even 
 seeking at the proper time, they had trusted 
 to mere national and other external connec- 
 tions with the Messiah, as sufficient to secure 
 for them his eternal favor. They have made 
 their request; and when refused, have sup- 
 ported it by the only .sembliince of argument 
 possible — as good as multitudes will offer, who 
 go to the judgment impenitent, and trusting 
 only to an external connection with the 
 church, its ordinances, or its preaching — and 
 now they hear the final denial arid denunci- 
 ation. 
 
 27. But he shall {will) say, I tell you I 
 
 know you not Avhence ye are. Ye never 
 manifested yourselves to me, and 1 do not 
 recognize you as mine. — Depart from me, 
 all ye workers of iniquity. Not having 
 been workers of righteousness, they were, of 
 necessity, workers of iniquitv; more so, rather 
 tlian less, because of tlieir former enjoyment 
 of religious advantages, whicii they had ut- 
 terly neglected. 
 
 28. There — in that outer void to which 
 they must depart — shall be [the) weeping 
 and-gnashing of teeth. " The article points 
 to the well-known (super-eminent) misery 
 reigning in hell (Matt. 8: 12. is, 42. so, .a.)." — Meyer. 
 The Greek hasthetirticle, also, before "gnash- 
 ing" and "teeth"; but the English idiom 
 does not require them. The weeping betrays 
 pain ; the gnashing of teeth, rage. And tiiis, 
 not on account of the separation from God 
 and Christ ojily : when ye shall see Abra- 
 ham, etc. The sight of the felicity of all the 
 ancient worthies, including the prophets 
 whom their fathers killed, and whose tombs 
 they themselves hypocriticallj- beautified, 
 while they find themselves, who were of that 
 earthly company, "getting thrust out," will 
 give a si>ecial pungency to their weeping 
 and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 29. And they shall come from the east, 
 and from the west, and from the north, 
 and from the south — converts to the Lord 
 from am(Mig all the Gentiles — and shall sit 
 down (recline at table) in the kingdom of 
 God. This will be a great aggravation of the 
 penalty on those who regard the hciitlien as 
 dogs, and have no doubt that thej' themselves, 
 as natural descendants of Abraham, are en- 
 titled to share in the heavenly banquet. The 
 Greek tersely omits from the in the four 
 cases, except from in the first— from east nyid 
 west, and north and so7ith. 
 
 30. And behold there are last — namely. 
 
Ch. XIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 231 
 
 31 The same day there came certain of the Phari- 
 sees, saying unto him, (iel thee out, and depart hejiue ; 
 for Jlerod will kill thee. 
 
 32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, 
 Behold, least out devils, and I do cures to day and to 
 morrow, and the third itiiy " I shall be perfected. 
 
 :W Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, 
 and the <l<iy following;: for it cannot be that a prophet 
 perish out of Jerusalem. 
 
 :14 '<) Jerusalem, Jeru.salem, which killest the 
 prophets, and stouest them tliat are sent unto thee ; 
 
 31 In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, 
 saying to him, (iet thee out, and ^o hence: lor 
 
 32 Herod would fain kill thee. And he said unto 
 them, lio and say to that fox, Ueliold, 1 ca.st out 
 demons and perlorm cures lo-day and lo-niorrow, 
 
 33 and the third tlni/ ' 1 am perfected, llowlieit 1 must 
 go on my way to-duy and to-morrow and the (lay 
 following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish 
 
 34 out of Jerusalem. () Jerusalem, Jerusaleni, that 
 killeth the prophets, and stonelh lliem that are sent 
 unto her ! how oftea would 1 have gathered thy 
 
 a Heb. 2 : 10. . . .& Halt. 23 : 37. 1 Or, / end my count. 
 
 Gentiles who will embrace the go.<pul — which 
 shall be first — who, in the day of finul ac- 
 count, will .stand on the same footing as tho.se 
 from Abraham's po.sterity who Jimt believed. 
 They will be reckoned perfectly equal in the 
 gospel, the last first, and the first last; and 
 individual superiority, in any instances, will 
 depend on degrees of faith, which are possible 
 for Jew and Gentile alike. 
 
 31-33. In ExposingtheCraftofHkrod 
 Antipas, Jksu.s Again Proi'uesiks His 
 Nearly AppRnAciiiNo End. 
 
 31. The same day (more correctly, in ihnt 
 very hour) there came certain of the Phar- 
 isees, saying unto him, etc. The Phari- 
 sees, as a class, had long been .so inflamed 
 with anger against him, that they would fain 
 have put him to death. His transparent in- 
 nocence, and tlie good will of the people 
 toward him, hindered that inirpose ; and to 
 prevent the still further strengthening of that 
 good will, the Pharisees of sotne neighbor- 
 hood in Perea set themselves to scare him 
 away from them. Get thee out and depart 
 hence — proceed on your journey — for Herod 
 Will (lit., wis/tex to or would f (7 in) kill thee. 
 They may not have been warranted in thus 
 speaking for Herod ; but as Jesus had been 
 for some time now within his dominion, and 
 exciting an ever-widening ferment of thought 
 among the peofde, the tetrarch may have been 
 much in earnest to be rid of him. Nor is it in 
 the least inconsistent with this, that he had, 
 as we afterwards learn, been desirous to see 
 Jesus (M: 8). Thus Herod and the Pharisees 
 would have a like interest in driving the 
 Saviour oft". 
 
 32. That he saw a stratagem in the message, 
 is intimated by the metaphor of the fox. Go 
 ye, and tell that fox. His cruelty, sensuality, 
 and lack of con.sciencc, would have warranted 
 his being called a wolf; but the slyness of the 
 present effort suggested, naturally, the char- 
 acter of the fox. — Behold, 1 cast out devils , 
 [demon3)f and I do cures to-day and to- 
 
 morrow. I go forward in the way which I 
 have pursued, of spiritual and physical benefi- 
 cence, for a short time longer. And the third 
 day I shall be (lit., lam) perfected. 1 am 
 coming to my end, and that end is perfection as 
 a Saviour. The point which he contemplates 
 is that at which he afterward said, " It is fin- 
 ished." The days are understood literally by 
 Wieseler and Meyer; but so minute a specifi- 
 cation does notseem consistent with thesolemn 
 elevation of the sentiment, and would be ir- 
 reconcilable with the subsequent facts. What 
 he aims at is, to indicate to Herod that, while 
 he should not be turned aside from his plans, 
 the latter had nothing to fear concerning 
 any prolonged stay in his kingdom. This is 
 more particularly stated ; and, at the same 
 time, the Pharisees are notified that their de- 
 sires are not to fail of accomplishment, when 
 he adds that during these three days also he 
 must be journeying on to his death in Jerusa- 
 lem. 
 
 33. Nevertheless— that is all true, but— 
 I must walk (go on my way), the same 
 verb as "go hence" (ver. 81) — travel on, 
 pursue my ji>urney — to-day and to-mor- 
 row, and the day following. This short 
 time (the same as in ver. 32) must suffice to 
 take me to Jerusalem — keeping up my 
 wonted work as I travel.— I must expresses 
 his solemn sense of the divine ajujointment to 
 death, which he had voluntarily assumed. — 
 For it cannot be that a prophet perish 
 out of Jerusalem. The profound irony 
 of a heart wounded by insults, yet concerned 
 more for the wrong-doers (see next verse) 
 than for the injuries to itself. Jerusalem has 
 this high prerogative, and an indefeasible 
 claim to inflict death on God's projjhets of all 
 the ages. This cry, wrung from an anguished 
 soul, does not, of course, take note of such 
 rare exceptions as that of John the Baptist. 
 
 34. Lamentation Over jERr.sAi.EM. 
 34. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. The men- 
 tion of the city, as necessarily the scene of 
 
232 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 how often would I have gathered thy children to- children together, even as a hen gnlherelh her own 
 
 gether, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, 35 brood under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, 
 
 and ye would not ! 
 
 3;") Behold, <■ your house is left unto you desolate: and 
 verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the, 
 time, couie 'when ye shall say, ' Blessed is he that 
 Cometh in the name of the Lord. 
 
 your house is left unto you (ln.soln/<- : and I say unto 
 you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say. Blessed 
 is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 » ND it came to pass, as he went into the house of one 
 J\ of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath 
 day, that they watched him. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, when he went into the house 
 of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to 
 
 aLev. M:31,.12; Ps. 69 : 25; Isa. 1:1; DaD. 9 : 27 ; Mic. 3 : 12.... 6 Ps. 118: 26; Mati. 21:9; Mark 11: 10; ch. 19: 38; John 12: 13. 
 
 his death, draws from him, very naturally, 
 this pathetic apostrophe; which may have 
 been repeated, nearly in the same words, on 
 that equally appropriate occasion where Mat- 
 thew brings it in (23 : 37 ff.), in the Temple, 
 two daj's before our Lord's death. Which 
 killest (rather, kilieth) the prophets, and 
 stonest {stoneth) them that are sent unto 
 thee (rather, her). The exalted tenor of the 
 feeling runs into the parallelism of Hebrew 
 poetry. What a description of that city, 
 which had once been, in the estimation of 
 inspired psalmists, "beautiful for situation, 
 the joy of the whole earth " ; " the city of the 
 great king"; in whose palaces "God is 
 known for a refuge." Isaiah had already 
 seen something of the degeneracy, when he 
 was constrained to declare: "Righteousness 
 dwelt in her, but now murderers." For such 
 guilt, terrible retribution must follow. This 
 prospect was the more heart-rending to Jesus, 
 regarded as the sequence of all his pains and 
 solicitude for her welfare. How often 
 would I have gathered thy children — 
 inhabitants — together, as a hen doth 
 gather her {nvm) brood under her wings, 
 and ye would not. I would, and ye 
 would not. God's pleasure in men's salva- 
 tion leaves them free, nevertheless, as they 
 are, alas ! too often disposed, to persist in the 
 course of ruin. The sentence beautifully in- 
 timates our natural helplessness in ourselves, 
 Christ's yearning desire to make us safe and 
 holy and happy, and our foolish preference 
 for misery and peril and sin. 
 
 35. Behold, your house. The object of 
 address changes now to be the people of Je- 
 rusalem; and your house must mean the 
 city, Jerusalem itself.— Is left unto you. 
 The verb is in the present tense— is in the act 
 of being left. The word desolate does not 
 belong to the text of Luke, and need not be 
 added. The city is being left to you, will be 
 completely' given up by God, at the death of 
 
 your Messiah, and then it will be seen how 
 you will keep it. Ye shall not (by no means 
 shall ye) see me, until the time come 
 when ye shall say (better, until ye say, or, 
 ^'' until it come that ye say;" so Tiscliendorf 
 still). — Blessed is he, etc. This cannot be 
 limited to the welcome of the multitudes when 
 he entered into Jerusalem soon afterwards 
 (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11: 9; John 12: 13; 
 comp. Luke 19: 38), because the other evan- 
 gelists ascribe the same utterance to Christ 
 after that entrance had taken place. It here 
 points to the Parousia, or second advent of our 
 Lord. Before that should occur, the Jewish 
 nation would believe and turn to their Mes- 
 siah (Rom. 11: 25-2T). Then, whcu they were pre- 
 pared to receive him with penitent and joyful 
 adoration, would they again see the Son of 
 man return in glory to assume manifest and 
 eternal dominion. See how Peter (Acts s: 19-21) 
 urges his countrymen to expedite this glorious 
 consummation, by speedy repentance and 
 faith. 
 
 Ch. 14. 1-6. In the House of a Phar- 
 isee HE Heals on the Sabbath, and Con- 
 founds HIS Opposers. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, as (or, ivhen) he 
 went into the house of one of the chief 
 (lit., of the rulers of the) Pharisees; i. c, of a 
 Pharisee who enjoyed recognized leadership 
 in that sect. We might suppose that after the 
 rude experience of chapter 11 : 37-54, Jesus 
 would be backward to place himself again in 
 such company. But even that occasion had 
 served for the deliverance of important truth ; 
 and on another (7: .•i6-47), he had met with a 
 great opportunity in a Pharisee's house. As 
 ho was invited now (ver. 12) by one in a different 
 place, who might have worthy motives, and a 
 kinder personal feeling, he would not neglect 
 a possible opening for the furtherance of his 
 mission. — To eat bread on the (a) Sabbath 
 day. To eat bread — to take a meal, meant 
 
Cii. XIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 233 
 
 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him 
 which hud the dropsy. 
 
 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and 
 Pharisees, saying, " Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath 
 day? 
 
 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and 
 healed him, and let him go; 
 
 5 And answered them, saying, 'Which of you shall 
 have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not 
 straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 
 
 6 And they could not answer him again to these 
 things. 
 
 2 eat bread, that they were watching him. And be- 
 hold, there was belore him a certain man who had 
 
 3 the dropsy. And .lesus answering .si)ake unto the 
 lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it fawUil to hial 
 
 4 on the sabbath, or not? liut tliey held their peace. 
 And he took him, and healed hi'm, and let him go. 
 
 And he said unto Ibeni, Which of vou shall have 
 Ian ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not 
 
 6 straightway draw him upon a sabbath dav? And 
 they could not answer again unto these things. 
 
 a Mutt. 12 : 10 6 Ex. 23 : 5 ; Deut. 22 : 4 ; eh. 13 : 16. 1 Manj aucient authorities read, 
 
 See ch. xiii. 15. 
 
 here to participate in an extensive entertain- 
 ment (ver. 7). This was consistent with even 
 Pharisaic rigor of Sabbath observance. Nehc- 
 miah 8: 10 f., shows this in respect to a day of 
 the'highest sanctity; and Tobit (2: 1) shows it 
 in the case of a man typiciil for his piety, on 
 the Sabbath. The feast in John 12: 2 must 
 have been on the Sabbath; and Wetstein, on 
 our passage, gives copious proofs of the use of 
 the Sabbath for social entertainments. (Comp. 
 also Lightfoot, Exercit,, on this passage.) The 
 food was, in such cases, prepared on the day be- 
 fore. — They watched (or, were rvatching) 
 him. They— they themselves, emphatically 
 marks the Pharisaic company as a party over 
 against him. 
 
 2. And, behold, there was a certain man 
 before him which had the dropsy. We 
 cannot know whether he was one of the family, 
 or one of the guests; or one who had sto- 
 len in, as it was easy with their customs 
 to do (seeonTiST), either from a general curi- 
 osity, or, most probably of all, from the hope 
 of receiving help of the wonderful healer. 
 However he came there, there he was, a suf- 
 ferer who greatly needed, even if he did not 
 expect, aid. "And they were watching him," 
 as on a former occasion («: 7), probably to see 
 whether this ca.se of suffering would move 
 him to attempt a cure. 
 
 3. And Jesus answering — to their in- 
 quiring thoughts — spake unto the lawyers 
 and Pharisees — whom we saw closely asso- 
 ciated in 7 : 30 also — saying. Is it lawful to 
 heal on the Sabbath day (omit day, and 
 add, or not, A B D L). Seeing that they 
 were lurkingto catch him in a violation of the 
 law of the Sabbath, he would have prelimi- 
 narily a distinct consideration of this point. 
 
 4. And they held their peace. Either 
 they .saw that they could make no rational 
 objection to his beneficent purpose, or the^' 
 contemptuously refused any notice of his 
 question." -And he took him — in hand — and 
 
 healed him, and let him go; i. c, sent him 
 away cured. This last statement strongly 
 supports the supposition that the man had 
 come in uninvited, to get this blessing. He 
 should not be disappointed, at all events. 
 
 5. And answered them — the evidence 
 favors the reading, And lie snid unto them. 
 Which of you shall have an ass irather, 
 according to A B E G M S U V, 
 etc., a son) or an ox fall into a pit 'or, well}, 
 and will not straightway pull him out 
 (literally, draw him up) on the sahhath- 
 day ? The authority is stronger for the word 
 son in the Greek text. The sense thus is, 
 "shall have a son or even an ox.' "Wetstein : 
 " If either a son, who is dearer, and more 
 easily drawn out, or even an ox, which is of 
 less worth, and more difficult to extricate." 
 The word translated pit (or, well), is ai)pro- 
 priate to a tank, or cistern, or collection of 
 water from a spring, and does not neces.sarily 
 imply that the pit or hole now contains water. 
 Obviously a child was more liable to such an 
 accident than an ass, and Wetstein's quotations 
 on the passage prove that the idea was familiar 
 in the discussions of the Jewish rabbis. Thus, 
 in the tract Bava Kama, of the Mishna (v. G), 
 "if an ox or an ass fall into a well — a son or 
 daughter, a servant or maid." Vomn, viii., 6, 
 7: "Danger to life always banishes the sab- 
 bath." F., 84, 2: If "one fishing (on the 
 sabbath) sees a child fallen into a pit, he re- 
 moves the sand and brings him out." It is 
 very likely that this passage was early adapted 
 in some copies to ch. 13: 15. The argument 
 of the Saviour in his question is the same 
 which we have studied in the connection just 
 cited. (Comp. Matt. 12: 11.) 
 
 6. And they could not answer him 
 again to these things. The net-work of 
 bondage for the unthinking mass, which they 
 had woven by their traditions, proved but a 
 cobweb before the glance of a truly see- 
 ing and searching soul. 
 
234 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were 
 bidden, when he oiarlced how they chose out the chief 
 rooms ; saying unto tlieiu, 
 
 H Wlien" thou art bidden of any mnn to a wedding, 
 sit not down in the highest room ; lest a more honour- 
 able man than th(»u be bidden of him ; 
 
 •J And he that bade thee and him come and say to 
 thee, Give this man place ; and thou begin with shame 
 to take the lowest room. 
 
 10 "But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in 
 the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, 
 he may say unto thee. Friend, go up higher: then 
 shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that 
 sit at meat with thee. 
 
 11 ' For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; 
 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When 
 thou makest a dinner or a siijiper, call not thy friends, 
 nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich 
 neighbours ; lest they also bid thee again, and a recom- 
 pence be made thee. 
 
 7 And he spake a parable unto those that were 
 bidden, when he marked how they cho.se out the 
 
 8 chief seats; .saying unto them, When thou art b.d- 
 den of any man to a marriage feast, i sit not down 
 in the chief seat; lest haply a more honourable man 
 
 9 than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and 
 him shall come and say to thee, (iive this man 
 place ; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take 
 
 10 the lowest place. Kut when thou art bidden, go and 
 sit down in the lowest place ;that when he that hath 
 bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee. Friend, go 
 up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the pres- 
 
 Jl euce of all that sit at meat with thee. For every 
 one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he 
 that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 12 And he said to him also that had bidden him, 
 When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy 
 friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor 
 rich neighbours; lest haply they also bid thee again, 
 
 1 Piov. ih : 6, 7 h Job 22 : 29 ; Ps. 18 : 27 ; Piov. 29 : 23 ; Matt. 23 : 12 ; ch. 18 : 14 ; James 4 : 6 ; 1 Pet. 5 : 5. 1 Gr. recline not. 
 
 7-11. A Lesson of Humility to the 
 
 GUKSTS. 
 
 Tlie Saviour's mind appears not at all 
 ruffled by this scene; for he proceeds, with 
 tiiat seriousness, tempered by good-nature, 
 which we have noticed in the parable of the 
 Unjust Judge, to impart counsels of great 
 moment — first to the guests : 
 
 8-10. When he iijarked how they chose 
 out the chief rooms. Certain places at the 
 table, in their formal meals, were then, as 
 now, regarded as more honorable, and so were 
 assigned by the host, according to the dignity 
 of his guests. These Christ noticed, as many 
 an observer has since, that some of his com- 
 panions at the tiible chose out for them- 
 selves. His parable is simply a piece of 
 advice, enforced by a reference to the natural 
 conseiiucnces of two supposed courses of con- 
 duct. It is in the form and tone of an instruc- 
 tion in etiquette, in which we may see the 
 Saviour affable, thoroughly social, and while 
 assuming, as of course, the position of a 
 teacher, yet masking it simply and kindly, by 
 a homely urbanity of phrase and illustration, 
 which divests it of all arrogance and stiffness. 
 Room, in ver. 7, 8, of the Common Version, 
 seat; i. e., couch, on which they reclined, not 
 sat; in ver. 9, 10, place. Worship, ver. 10, is 
 honor, respect. 
 
 11. What the Saviour spoke with express 
 reference to a marriage feast, all would of 
 course understand as applying to all similar 
 occasions. But in this verse we may see how 
 easily in his conversation counsels of worldly 
 prudence, even in minor affairs, might glide 
 into a sermon of the highest spiritual signifi- 
 cance, and of universal cogencj'. — For who- 
 
 soever exalteth himself shall be abased, 
 
 (literally huynbled) — "brought low," (ch. 3: s), 
 and he that humbleth himself shall be 
 exalted. To exalt oneself is to make much 
 in thought and conduct of one's claims to the 
 esteem of others; to humble oneself is to 
 rate high the claim of others. The Saviour's 
 saying is probably true, in the best sense and 
 in the long run, even "in the corrupted cur- 
 rents of this world," and might have been 
 expressed in the present tense. But by put- 
 ting it in the future, he carries our thoughts 
 to that great day for which all other days 
 were made. The frequency with which he 
 repeated this declaration shows his sense of 
 its importance, perha|)s also of the special 
 need of its reiteration, that his disciples might 
 begin to realize how much of his religion lay 
 in humility and self-abnegation. James and 
 Peter echo the sentiment of the Master in 
 
 their Epistles (James 4: 10; 1 Peter 5: 6); but both, aS 
 
 was natural for them, more in the manner 
 and spirit of the Old Testament. 
 
 12-14. Advice to His Entertainer. 
 
 13. Then said he (and he said) also to 
 him that bade {had bidden — invited) him — 
 when he marked that he, after the ordinary 
 manner, had invited to his table relatives and 
 friends, the rich and comfortable. When 
 thou makest a dinner or a supper, call 
 not thy friends, etc. Dinner — in the .«ame 
 sense as in ch. 11: 38. Brethren— brothers, 
 in the proper sense. That he does not mean 
 absolutely to prohibit such courtesies and 
 gratifications is beyond question, both from 
 the nature of the case, and from the fact that 
 Jesus was now, and not unfrequently, present 
 at such meals. He gives as the reason, that 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 2oO 
 
 13 But when thou makest a feast, call "the poor, the 
 maimeil, the lame, the blind : 
 
 14 And thou shall he blessed; for they cannot rec- 
 ompense thee: lor thou shall be recompensed at the 
 resurrection of the just. .... 
 
 15 And when one of them that sat at meat with hini 
 heartl these ihings, he .said unto him, '•blessed in he 
 that shall eat breatl in thekiuKdoni of God. 
 
 16 ' Then said he unlo him, A certain man maile a 
 great supper, and bade many: 
 
 17 And rfsent his servant at supper time to say to 
 them that were bidden, Come ; for all things are now 
 ready. ,^ ^ , 
 
 la And thev all with one consent began to make ex- 
 cuse. The first said unto bim, I have bought a piece 
 of ground, and I must needs go and see it: 1 pray thee 
 have me excused. 
 
 13 and a recompense be made thee. Bui when thou 
 makest a lea-<t, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, 
 
 14 the blind; and thou shall be blessed ; U cause ihey 
 have not uUn-cwilh to reeonipeiise ihee: lor ihou 
 shall be recompensed in the ivsui reclion ol llie just. 
 
 15 Anil when one of them that sat al meal wiih him 
 heard these things, he .-aid unto him, l,li.ssea is he 
 
 10 that shall eat bieati in the kin^oom ol t.od. Bui he 
 said unlo him, A cerlain man made a gital supper; 
 
 17 and he bade many : and he sent lorlh his i servant 
 at supper time to'say lo iheni thai were bidden, 
 
 18 Come; for </// ihings are imw reiuiy. And Ihey all 
 with one coii.iint began to make e.xense. The lirst 
 
 said unto him, I have bought a field, and 1 must 
 needs go out and see it: 1 pray thee have me ex- 
 
 a Neh. 8: 10, 12.. ..6 Bev. 19: 9....C Malt. M : 2....d Prov. 9: 2. 5. 1 Gr. bondservant. 
 
 entertaining others in this way affords no 
 scope fur a truly religious disi>osition. It is 
 all consi.stont with the nu-rcenary views of 
 worldly ambition.— Lest [hnply) they also 
 bid thee a^ain, and a recompense be 
 made thee. He would have men moved by 
 something higher than an earthly quid pro 
 quo. 
 
 13. But when thou makest a feast— 
 (strictly, a recrpfion)— call the poor, etc. 
 Thus he would fain stimulate his host to re- 
 ligious thought and enterprise, us he had liis 
 fellow guests, by an apt comment on the cir- 
 cumstances of the moment. "So may you 
 hold a reception which wiiich will conduce to 
 your spiritual and eternal interests." 
 
 14. And thou shall be blessed. The 
 course which 1 recommend will not fail of its 
 reward, although not such as the world 
 admires or covets; a reward consisting in the 
 enrichment of the soul, to be experienced in 
 its fullness only in the completed kingdom of 
 God, and coming necessarily from his hand.— 
 For (or, berait.sr\ they cannot recompense 
 thee : for thou shall be recompensed at 
 the resurrection of the just. God himself 
 will own the debt at the day of judgtnent, on 
 the principle of Proverbs 19: 17; Matthew 
 25: 40. The time is when the just, or right- 
 eous—of whom the host shall then be one- 
 shall be raised in "the resurrection of life." 
 It is assumed that in adopting the unselfish, 
 beneficent course, now advised, the Pharisee 
 will do it in the general spirit of faith, and 
 obedience to the precepts of Christ. 
 
 15-'^ 4. Parable of thk Great Supper. 
 
 15. And when one of them that sat at 
 meat with him heard these things, he 
 said unto him. The Saviours discourse 
 had evidently suggested in this man's mind 
 thoughts concerning the Messianic kingdom, 
 as had been his intention. How far his 
 
 thoughts corresponded with the reality, we 
 cannot clearly know ; but they became the 
 occasion of further interesting and importatit 
 explanations. — Blessed is he that (who.'io- 
 ever) shall eat bread in the kingdom of 
 God. Christ went into the Phari.^ee's house 
 (ver.i) "to eat bread " (compare Gen. 43: 25; 
 1 Sam. 20: 24), and tiie satisfaction attending 
 this meal with Jesus appears to have led the 
 man to say in effect, " What a fine thing it 
 would be to do this in the i)resence of God! " 
 The joy of a feast on earth suggests, as we have 
 before seen, various figures of the heavenly 
 blessedness. His tone probably implied that 
 he took for granted that the bless(>dness would 
 be hi.«. Hence the bearing of the Saviour's 
 reply, which, without following up the nature 
 or extent of that felicity, teaches very impres- 
 sively that multitudes who were exjiecting it 
 would be disappointed, and that all who at- 
 tained to it must do so without delay. 
 
 16 A certain man made a great supper, 
 and bade— ?■»)'(■)'«/— many. This invitation 
 was preliminary, according to a custom of 
 that part of the world, and signified specifi- 
 cally that those who received it were to be in 
 readiness when definitely summoned. He 
 who makes the supper represents (Jod, pre- 
 paring for the Jew fir.<t, and also for the Gen- 
 tiles, the salvation of the Messianic kingdom. 
 
 17. The final call to come goes forth thnnigh 
 John the Baptist, who is the servant sent 
 forth at supper time to say, Come, for all 
 things are now ready. This invitation 
 Jesus himself continued and sharpened, say- 
 ing, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom 
 of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the 
 
 gospel. (Mark 1: 15.) 
 
 18-20. And they all with one consent 
 began to make excuse — to beg off. These 
 are the leading Jews, to whom, as in the case 
 of Nicodemus, the message specially appealed, 
 
236 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of 
 oxen, and I go to prove them : I pray thee have me ex- 
 cused. 
 
 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and 
 therefore I cannot C( me. 
 
 21 Ho that servant came, and shewed his lord these 
 things. Then the master of the house being angry 
 said to his servant, Oo out quickly into the streets and 
 lanes of the city, and briug in hither the poor, and the 
 maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 
 
 2'2 And the servant said. Lord, it is done as thou hasi 
 commanded, and yet there is room. 
 
 2.'i And the lord said unto the servant. Go out into 
 the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, 
 that my house may be filled. 
 
 19 cused. And another said, I have bought five yoke 
 of oxen, and I go to prove them ; I pray thee have 
 
 20 me excused. Aud another said, I have married a 
 
 21 wife, and thereiore 1 cannot come. And the i ser- 
 vant came, and told his lord these things. Then 
 the master of the house being angry said to his ser- 
 vant, (jo out quickly into the streets and lanes of 
 the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed 
 
 22 and blind and lame. And the i servant said. Lord, 
 what thou didst command is done, and yet there is 
 
 23 room. And the Lord said unto the i servant. Go out 
 into the highways and hedges, and constrain them 
 
 1 Gr. bondservant. 
 
 because on their decision the course of the 
 nation would so hirgely depend. And they, 
 with a form of apology, but a heart of con- 
 tempt, refused the call. Their reasons all 
 make their failure to come depend on some 
 temporal interest of their own, and in no 
 case on anything which could reasonably 
 stand in the way. The third, I have married 
 a wife, is perhaps the most plausible, and 
 has a color of support in the law (Deut. 24:5); 
 but this was neither a summons to war, nor to 
 any business. To plead a recent marriage as 
 a reason for not attending a festive entertain- 
 ment, was as frivolous as the other pretexts. — 
 Have me excused — not meaning "get me ex- 
 cused, "cause my excuse to be accepted," 
 but hold, or, regard, me as one who has made 
 a satisfactory excuse, whose regrets are ac- 
 cepted. This is addressed in the parable to 
 the servant; but, in the application, the ser- 
 vant is Christ. His interpretation of the I 
 cannot come in all these cases would be, as 
 in 13: 34, "and ye would not." 
 
 2-1. And the (not, so that) servant came, 
 and shewed (reported to) his lord these 
 things. The lamentation of Jesus over the 
 doomed people, as in ch. 13 : 34, may have been 
 the burden of many of the reports made by 
 him to God in the hours which he spent in 
 prayer. — Then the master of the house 
 being angry. What could be more suited to 
 raise in the breast of a holy God feelings of .sore 
 displeasure, than the scornful rejection by lost 
 men of grace provided for them with such 
 pains, and commended to them by the affec- 
 tionate, self-sacrificing sympathy of his dear 
 Son ? — Said to his servant. Go out quickly 
 into the streets, etc. Give the invitation 
 now to the lower grades of the people in par- 
 ticular — morally speaking, to the publicans, 
 the sinners, the harlots, "this multitude, that 
 know not the law," and in the estimation of 
 
 the Pharisees, "are accursed." — Bible Union 
 Version. John 7 : 49. 
 
 22. liord, it is done as thou hast com- 
 manded (lit., what thou didst commnnd is 
 done). Does this mean that the servant had 
 done a second errand, in fulfillment of the di- 
 rection in ver. 21, or, that he instantly replied 
 on receiving that command, "It is already 
 done"? There are some considerations in 
 favor of the latter view. The emphatic posi- 
 tion in the Greek of the verb "it is, i. e., has 
 been done," favors it, as does the consistencj' of 
 the view with Christ's spontaneous readiness 
 to adopt the measure which his Father will ap- 
 prove. If only the verb "command" were in 
 a present tense, "what thou commandest," 
 or, "hast commanded," there could be no 
 objection. But as it is, correctly, in the Re- 
 vision, what thou didst cornniand (viz., in ver. 21), 
 at a time prior to this second announcement 
 of the servant, seems to oblige us to under- 
 stand that the servant has been out again. It 
 shows us Jesus as having made converts chiefly 
 from among the more humble and needy class 
 of the people, and as having done all he could, 
 and yet there is room. What pathos in 
 this sentence, considered as Christs report of 
 his life's work ! 
 
 23. And the lord said unto the servant, 
 Go out into the highways and hedges, 
 and compel them to come in. This invita- 
 tion reaches beyond "the city" (ver. 21), and 
 is intended for the Gentiles, who are destined, 
 in the first instance, to compo-se the chief citi- 
 zenship of the kingdotn. This command is 
 to be executed by Jesus through his apostles 
 and other ministers. — The highways and 
 hedges represent the region outside of " the 
 city," which stands for the theocracy ; and 
 that it is among the hedges, in the shelter of 
 which the unemployed rustics would lounge, 
 that the invitation is to find acceptance, shows 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 24 Frr I say unto voii, "That none of those men 
 which were bidden sha'll taste «.i uiy supper. 
 
 25 And there went great imitlitudes with hiui : and 
 he turned, and said unto them, ,. , v 
 
 2t) * If any mint come to me, <^and hate not his father 
 and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and 
 sisters, ■'yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my 
 disciple. ... J 
 
 •27 And 'whosoever doth not bear his cross, and 
 come after me, cannot be my disciple. 
 
 2.S For /which of you, iuteudiiiL' to build a tower, 
 sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether 
 he have. vi///!V(V»Mo finish //.'' , ., ^ ^ , ,. , 
 
 2'J Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and 
 is not able to finish il, all that behold il begin to mock 
 bim, , ., , J 
 
 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not 
 able to tinish. 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 237 
 
 24 to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say 
 unto you, that none of those men that «ere bidden 
 shall taste ol my supper. 
 2o Now there went with him great multitudes: 
 2G and he turned, and said unto them, If any uum 
 Cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and 
 mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and 
 sisters, yea, and his own life also, be cannot l)e my 
 
 27 disciple. Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, 
 
 28 and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For wlio 
 of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit 
 down and count the cost, whether he have u/iiri;- 
 
 29 with to complete if.' Lest haply, when he hath laid 
 a foundation, and is not able to tinish, all that be- 
 
 30 hold begin to mock him, saying, This man began to 
 
 a Malt. 21 : 43 ; 22 : 8 ; Acta 13 : 46. . . .6 Deut. 13:6: 33 : 9 ; MaU. 10 
 
 37....cRoin. 9: 13. . ..d Rev. 12 ; 11.... « Matt. 16:24; Mark 8: 34; ch. 
 I2..../P10V. 24: 27. 
 
 that "not many wise" men after the flesh, 
 "not many mighty, not many noble," of the 
 heathen, could be expected soon to fill up the 
 vacuum of the church. The direction to com- 
 pel them to come in, like the "quickly " of 
 ver. 21, has reference to the shortness of the 
 time, now tliat the supper is waiting. It in- 
 dicates the need of that urgency of proclama- 
 tion and persuasion which we see exemplified 
 in the work of Peter and Paul, and the other 
 most faithful mini.sters of the word; but not 
 at all of that earth-born zeal, in church and 
 state, which has often abused the Lord's 
 word, as a warrant for violence against tho.*e 
 who refused to profess a belief that they did 
 not hold.— That my house may be filled. 
 God's merciful purpose to save an innumer- 
 able multitude should not be frustrated, al- 
 though the Jews of that time, or any man of 
 that or any generation, might slight the 
 oftered opportunity, and count himself un- 
 worthy of eternal life. "While there is room 
 and a welcome for all, some will be found to 
 take the place of any that refuse. 
 
 24. For I say unto you. That none of 
 those men which were bidden shall taste 
 of my supper. How fearfully the purport 
 of tliis decree was realized in the experience 
 of that and the following generation, history 
 shows, written in lines of blood. Did Christ's 
 questioner (rer. is) receive the intended ex- 
 planation as to whether many are being 
 saved ? 
 
 25-35. The Tkkms of Discipleship 
 Again Stated and Illustrated. 
 
 25, '^6. And there went great multitudes 
 with him. lie had resumed his course 
 toward Jerusalem, and the accompanying 
 crowds continue, or even increase. He was 
 doubtless aware that few, comparatively, 
 
 understood really for what they were follow- 
 ing him. Hence the necessity of making 
 know'n to them all what he had before told 
 the apostles, of the conditions of his service. 
 —And he turned— so as to face the throng, 
 being himself in advance— and— after they 
 had gathered within hearing — said unto 
 them. If any man come to me, i. e., to 
 rank himself among my disciples — and 
 hateth not his father, etc. There is no 
 reason for .softening the definition of "hate," 
 here and in ch. 10: 13; Matt. G: 24; John 
 12: 25, so as to make it mean "to love le.??."' 
 Understand only that Christ speaks with ref- 
 erence to a case very common in the experi- 
 ence of the first disciples, when near relations 
 stood in hostility to the claims of the gospel ; 
 and to follow one was to come in conflict with 
 the other. Here it was not a lesser attach- 
 ment to the party opposed to him, that he 
 would have ; but utter separation, disfiivor, 
 hatred. There must be no divided devotion. 
 This would require great sacrifice often ; but 
 he may not shrink, but must even hate his 
 own life, as explained in next verse. 
 
 27. Whosoever doth not bear his (otrn) 
 cross — as I must bear mine — and come after 
 —obey and imittite— me, cannot be my dis- 
 ciple (comp. on 9 : 2:?). Thus must he " hate 
 his own life," when to keep it he would fail 
 in duty to the Saviour. This principle is thus 
 distinctly stated, in order to make sure that no 
 one shall think of entering on his service 
 under any mi.<take as to what it involves. 
 
 28-30. For— this is confirmatory of that 
 implied need of deliberation— which of you, 
 wishing to build a tower, etc. The two 
 illustrations here given show what common 
 prudence requires of a man in commencing a 
 work of importance and diflSculty in the 
 
238 
 
 :^\ Or wliat king, going to make war against another 
 king, sittelh not down first, and consulletli whetlier 
 he ue able witli ten thousand to meet him that cometh 
 agiiin»t him witli twenty thousand? 
 
 o2 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he 
 Bendeth an amhassage, and desireth conditions of 
 peace. 
 
 3:i So likewise, whosoever he he of you that forsaketh 
 not all that he hath, he cannot he my disciple. 
 
 34 " Salt (.V good ; but it the salt have lost his savour, 
 wherewith shall it be seasoned/ 
 
 LUKE. [Ch. XIV. 
 
 31 build, and was not aide to finish. Or what king, as 
 he goeth to encounter another king in war, will Liut 
 sit down first and lake counsel whether he is able 
 with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against 
 
 32 him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the 
 other is yet a great way otf, he sendelh an anibas- 
 
 33 sage, and asketh conditions ol jieace. .So therelore 
 whosoever he be of you that renouncelh not all that 
 
 34 he hath, he cannot be my di.sciple. Salt therefore is 
 good: but if even the 'salt have lost its savour, 
 
 ; Mait. 5: 1:<; Mark 9 : 60. 
 
 affairs of this world. How much more in the 
 courses which directly determine eternal con- 
 sequences! The building of a tower may be 
 named as symbolical of providing a refuge 
 for oneself, a place of safety, to which the 
 assured favor of God may be likened, or the 
 proved character of gospel righteousness, on 
 which that tavor depends. The details of the 
 tigure are drawn true to life; but in the appli- 
 cation, the mockery of beholders must be 
 referred to the amazement and pity which 
 God and holy beings feel at the view of a pro- 
 fession of disciplesliip dishonored, and ending 
 in ruin. 
 
 31, 33. The war of one king with another 
 king may stand for the warfare which the disci- 
 ple has to wage with Satan and all the forms 
 and powers of evil. Christ has .stated, and the 
 Scripture has shown, that a great conflict is to 
 be carried on, great efforts are to be put forth 
 (ch. 13: 24), great sacrifices to be incurred. Hap- 
 pily, he who proposes to follow Jesus is not 
 left to do it in his own strength. But by his 
 own faculties he must intelligently survey the 
 dutj', and resolve to avail himself of that aid 
 which shall supplement his own powers in 
 their most strenuous exercise. Going to 
 make war against. Ooeth to encounter^ of 
 the Revision ; "is pursuing a course likely to 
 bring him into conflict," is preferable. The 
 supposition is, that the former is threatened 
 with an attack, —Asketh conditions of 
 peace, desiring to avoid actual battle. This 
 is, of course, not a counsel to shrink from con- 
 test with our spiritual adversary, but does 
 impl}' that we should be careful to have more 
 than the twenty thousand on our side. And 
 if only we be resolved on that which is right, 
 in God's strength, the sure word of prophecy 
 says, "Fear not: for they that be with us are 
 more than they that be with them." (s Kings 6: le.) 
 
 33. So, likewise (better, therefore), who- 
 soever he be of you that forsaketh (or, 
 renounceth) not all that he hath, he cannot 
 be my disciple. This is the conclusion es- 
 
 tablished by both the preceding examples. 
 To renounce is the same as to "bid farewell 
 to" inch. 9: 61, and the phrase is translated 
 by Davidson "bid good-bye to." Well might 
 the Saviour call upon them to count the cost 
 of being his disciples, in any sense worth con- 
 sidering at all. Well, if he should clieck the 
 fanatical zeal of the worldly multitude. 
 
 34. Salt (the Greek adds tJierefore) is 
 good. The word therefore shows that the 
 metaphor salt is suggested by the preceding 
 account of true discipleship. Its well-known 
 and indispensable dietetic utility, as well as 
 its ceremonial significance, made it eminently 
 suitable to shadow forth various religious 
 truths. (Matt. 6: 13; Mark 9: 50.) Here the 
 Saviour employs it to signify that disposition 
 that moves a man to follow him, and qualifies 
 him to do so worthily. That is an excellent 
 thing, eminently good, understanding it to 
 be sincere, deliberate, permanent. The dis- 
 ciple possessing it will not be like the multi- 
 tude that Jesus sees hanging upon him in mere 
 expectancy of temporal honor and advantage, 
 but will be read^', forsaking all else for him, 
 to endure unto the end. Such a disciple has 
 in him the salt which is the preservative and 
 antiseptic principle of his own life, and be- 
 comes a means of preservation to the society in 
 which he lives. — But if (even) the salt have 
 lost his (its) savor. We hardly need to 
 bring in here the supposition that Christ has 
 in mind an impure salt, mingled with gyp- 
 sum, and other earthy matters, such as we are 
 told was sometimes used in Palestine. That 
 would, doubtless, be naturally of very different 
 degrees of saltness, and would, on exposure to 
 the weather, lose what it might have had. 
 But the figure presupposes a good quality of 
 salt; and so we more justly understand him to 
 siiTiply suppose the case that it should lose its 
 saltness. But does this assume the possibility 
 that a true disciple may lose the grace which 
 makes him such ? Such a possibility it does 
 seem to assume, but no more asserts the reality 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 239 
 
 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor j'et for the dung- 35 wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for 
 hill; 6u/ men cusl it out. He that hath ears to hear, I the laud nor for the diiu^hill : »ic» cast it out. He 
 let him hear. | that hath ears to hear, let biui hear. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THEN "drew near unto him all the publicans and 
 sinners tor to hear him. 
 
 2 And the I'liarisees aud scribes murmured, saying, 
 This man receivfth sinners, ''and eateth with them. 
 
 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying. 
 
 1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing 
 
 2 near unto him for to hear hiui. And both the 
 I'harisees and the scribes murmured, saying. This 
 man receiveth sinners, uudealelh with them. 
 
 3 And he spake unto tliem this parable, saying. 
 
 a Matt. 9: 10 6 Acts II : 3; Qui. 2: Vi. 
 
 of such a case than it asserts that salt does ever 
 lose its peculiar pungency and power to hinder 
 corruption. But wliile we confidently con- 
 clude, from various passages of the New Tes- 
 tament, and frotn tlie nature of the case, that 
 no true .subject of regenerating grace ever has 
 or will become utterly void of the new life, yet 
 surely nothing prevents it, in any case, but 
 the continued operation of the renewing 
 Spirit. And, as such continued operation 
 supposes the continued co-operation of the 
 free activities of the soul that is born again, 
 Holy Scripture is plain, pointed and importu- 
 ntite in urging the necessity of care and dili- 
 gence, that such soul may not fail of the eter- 
 nal life. (John 15: 6, 6; Matt. 5: 13; Mark 
 '.) : 50; Heb. 4:1; comp. 3:1; 6:4-6; 2 Pet. 
 1: 10, 11.)— Wherewith shall it be sea- 
 soned, literally, restored to its proper savor 
 and efficacy? and, in the application, inside 
 capable of doing the work, exerting the iiiilu- 
 ence of a disciple. 
 
 35. It is neither fit for the land, nor yet 
 for the dunghill. Some refuse salt might 
 yet be useful as a dressing for the land ; or, 
 if not to be so used directly, might improve 
 the manure heap. But the deterioration of 
 which Christ thinks is total, irremediable, de- 
 structive. Men cast it out. The order of 
 the words in the Greek: 0?<< they cast it ! 
 marks Christ's sense of the utter worthless- 
 ness and vanity of an outward religiousness 
 which is a mere i)rofession, totally void of his 
 own Spirit. That this topic is of great prac- 
 tical importance, is intimated in the solemn 
 formula, lie that hath ears to hear, let 
 him hear. So let every one that reads rouse 
 his faculties of mind and heart to due consid- 
 eration of the Great Teacher's words. 
 
 Ch. 15: 1,2. Christ's Intercoursk 
 WITH Publicans and Sinners Offends 
 THE Pharisees. 
 
 1. Then (correctly, and.) drew near (bet- 
 ter, were drawing near) unto him all the 
 publicans and sinners for to hear him. 
 
 Neither the time nor the place is definitely 
 indicated ; but only the fact that somewhere 
 there was a great concourse of the despised 
 publicans and their associates to him, in the 
 course of which the incident to be related 
 took place. The word all emphasizes the 
 freedom with which he allowed any one of 
 that class to approach liim and share his 
 teachings. His enemies would say that any 
 publicans were good enough to be the friends 
 of Jesus. For to hear him. The for is, of 
 course, quite superfluous at the present day. 
 
 2. And {both) the Pharisees and scribes 
 murmured, saying. This man receiveth 
 sinners, and eateth with them. This com- 
 plaint is one with which we are already 
 familiar (5:30; 7:3*) ; but it was new from these 
 hypocrites, and gave occasion to a series of 
 very interesting instructions. That he should 
 receive, in the sense of welcoming sinners, was 
 bad enough to Pharisaic bigotry ; but eating 
 with them was shockingly scandalous. 
 
 3. And he spake unto them this para- 
 ble. The word parable must have at least 
 a two-fold reference to that of the lost sheep, 
 and to that of the lost drachma, which is 
 connected with the former by the conjunc- 
 tion "or." The two are but phases of one 
 illustration. Perhajis the account of the 
 prodigal son might also be considered a branch 
 of the same discourse, as it obviously carries 
 forward the explanation of his position toward 
 publicans and sinners, and the justification 
 of it against the Pharisees. To it, however, 
 there was a new beginning. And he spake, 
 perhaps after noticing the effect of the pre- 
 ceding parables. It is worthy of special re- 
 mark that all the interesting and precious 
 instruction of this chapter, and almost all 
 that follows to chapter 17: 10, comes to us 
 through Luke's Gospel alone, and may have 
 all hung on the little incident of the murmur- 
 ing of hypocritical worldlings, because Jesus, 
 on a certain occasion, acted like himself. 
 "We might fondly wish, had God not pleased 
 to have it as it is, that still other evangelists 
 
240 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 4 « What man of you, having an hundred sheep^ if he 
 lose one oi ihem, doth not leave the ninety aud nine in 
 the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he 
 find it? 
 
 o And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his 
 shoulders, rejoicing. 
 
 ; A.id .Then he corueth home, he calleth together 
 hix friends and ."ighbours, saying unto them. Rejoice 
 with me: for I have found my sheep * which was lost. 
 
 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven 
 over one sinner that repenteth, ''more than over 
 ninety and nine just persons, which need no repent- 
 ance. 
 
 4 What man of you, liaving a hundred sheep, and 
 having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety 
 and nine in the wilderness, and go alter that which 
 
 5 is lost, until he tind it? And when he hath lound 
 
 6 it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And 
 when he cometh home, he calleth together his 
 friends and his neighbours, saying unto them, fte- 
 joice with me, for 1 have found wy sheep wliich was 
 
 7 lost. 1 say unto you that even so there shall be joy 
 in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than 
 over ninety and nine righteous persons, that need 
 no repentance. 
 
 a Matt. 18: 12 6 1 Pet. 2: 10, 23 c ch. 5 : 32. 
 
 had preserved for us still more of the gracious 
 words that proceeded out of his mouth. 
 
 4-7. The Lost Shkep. 
 
 Jesus supposes the case of a shepherd hav- 
 ing sheep enough to make the temporary 
 neglect of the vast majority for the sake of 
 one a striking fact, yet not so many that the 
 one should fail of the personal care of the 
 owner, and be constantly recognized or 
 missed. In the wilderness— the untilled, 
 treeless, hilly region in various parts of Pal- 
 estine, whose only use was for the pasturage 
 of stock, and into the ravines of which, and 
 bushy hollows along the scantily fed water- 
 courses, a vagrant animal might stray. That 
 he should leave the ninety and nine to go 
 after the lost one, is a feature of the figure not 
 applicable to the work of Christ as the 
 spiritual shepherd. This is here to signalize 
 his concern about the lost. Having pursued 
 the search till successful, he layeth it on his 
 shoulders, a familiar practice with shep- 
 herds when the creature is sick, fatigued, or 
 in any way unable to travel on its own 
 feet. Rejoicing alike in the retrieval of his 
 own loss, and in the rescue of his sheep from 
 danger and distress. And when he cometh 
 home, evidently bringing the sheep thither, 
 which he will not trust again readily to the 
 risks of the wilderness, he calleth together 
 his friends and {his) neighbors— probably 
 to some rustic entertainment — saying. Re- 
 joice with me, for, etc. The Good Shep- 
 herd would have all his friends share with 
 him the delight of saving souls. What man 
 would not act thus? Is it then strange that 
 God in Christ should act likewise? 
 
 Considering the manifest occasion of this 
 parable, we cannot doubt that the "ninety 
 and nine" represent, primarily, the mass of 
 the Jewish people, as professedly religious, in 
 Christ's time. The lost .sheep is the careless, 
 worldly, and ceremonially irreligious ele- 
 ment of the population, wretched in this 
 
 world, as being outcasts from more worthy 
 society, and depraved morally, through ex- 
 clusive companionship with such. The shep- 
 herd's care for the estray shows Christ's pity 
 for the erring and sinful, especially for the 
 neglected and despised of earth. The active 
 pursuit of the lost one until it is found illus- 
 trates his yearning desire that they should be 
 saved. And the joy of the owner, with his 
 friends and neighbors, over the recovered 
 wanderer, pictures the joy in heaven, i. e., 
 of God and the angels, over one repenting sin- 
 ner. Tims the defence of Christ's sj^nipathy 
 with the publicans rests on God's interest in 
 the salvation of every sinner that turns to 
 him. The just (righteous) persons which 
 — regarded as such {oItivks) — need no repent- 
 ance, are the more respectable part of the 
 community, and ostensibly' religious. They 
 think themselves righteous, and are so, in 
 outward respects, compared with the pub- 
 licans. Christ does not at all admit that they 
 are so in such sense as to remove them from 
 the need of repentance (see ch. 13 : 3, 5), but 
 according to tlieir own view of themselves. 
 He tells them that their life cannot afford him 
 the delight which he takes in the moral reno- 
 vation of a conscious and acknowledged 
 sinner. However many there may be who are 
 not such, they cannot occasion such rejoicing. 
 So the joy of parents over the recover^' of 
 a child from an apparently mortal disease 
 is greater than that over a whole family that 
 have occasioned no concern for their health. 
 No other language could be better adapted to 
 raise in his hearers the querj' whether thej', 
 too, did not really need repentance. It should 
 not be overlooked that this joy is in heaven^ 
 where thej' are familiar with instances in 
 plenty of perfect righteousness, none of which, 
 for their very commonness, can excite such a 
 thrill of delight as the case of one who turns 
 from the way of sin and ruin to holiness and 
 salvation. The joy of God and the angels 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 241 
 
 8 Either what wniiian having ten pieces of silver, if 
 she lose one piece, il<ith uot light a candle, and sweep 
 the huiise, and seek diligently till she tind ilf 
 
 y And when she hath found il, she calleth her 
 friends and her neighbours together, saying. Rejoice 
 ■with me; for I have Ibund the piece which 1 had lost. 
 
 ID LikewLse, I say unto you, there is joy iu the pres- 
 ence of the angels of God over one sinner that re- 
 penteth. 
 
 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 
 
 8 Or what woman having ten ' pieces of silver, if 
 she lose one i)ieee, doth not light a lump, and sweep 
 the house, and seek diligently until she tint! it? 
 
 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth together 
 her friends and neighbours, saying, liejoice with 
 me, for 1 have found the piece whicii 1 had lost. 
 
 10 Kveu so, I say unto you, there is joy iu the presence 
 of the angels of God over one sinner that repeuteth'. 
 
 11 And lie said, A certain man bad two sous: 
 
 1 Or. drachma, acnio worth about eiglit peace. 
 
 over the results of Christ's work among sin- 
 ners was a reproof to the Pharisees for their 
 morose indifference, and even displeasure 
 at it. 
 
 8-10. Thk Lost Drachma. 
 
 This parable has the same general design, is 
 indeed, as we have above noticed, only an al- 
 ternative statement of the preceding thoughts, 
 introduced by Either. As the otiier exhib- 
 ited the Saviour's care for abandoned sinners, 
 on account of their pitiable state, this con- 
 templates them as property, the value of 
 which to himself he cannot forego. — (Godet.) 
 It was a custom with Christ thus to dupli- 
 cate parables illustrative of one main truth 
 (5: 3639; 13: 19-21), with Only incidental differ- 
 ences. Here he may have desired to bring 
 home to the hearts of women the intensity of 
 divine love toward the ruined and wretched, 
 by an illustration drawn from their own 
 sphere. The proportion of the "lost" to the 
 safe, suggested here, is tenfold as great as in 
 the preceding parable — one piece of money out 
 often, one sheep out of a hundred. The piece 
 of silver was the Greek drachma, the Roman 
 denarius, "penny" of our version. See on 
 ch. 7: 41. This amount would be more, pro- 
 portionally, to a poor woman, than the one 
 sheep to the shepherd before supposed. — 
 Light a candle (better, lamp), and sweep 
 the house. These are actions parallel to the 
 hard and patient exploration of the shepherd 
 through the wilderness, and are equally nat- 
 ural to our thought, considering that the 
 house would be dark, without glazed windows, 
 and probabl}^ with no floor but the trodden 
 earth. — And when she hnth found it. She 
 exhibits her joy in a manner perfectly analo- 
 gous to that of the successful shepherd, and 
 strictly appropriate to a woman, since the 
 friends here are shown by the Greek word to 
 be women. As this parable says nothing of 
 " leaving" the nine coins, or of a comparison 
 of the joy with any other, we have impressed 
 
 11-32. Parable of the Prodigal Son. 
 The Saviour's course of condescending, labo- 
 rious, saving sympathy for the socially banr 
 ished and morally lost, has thus been doubly 
 justified by a comparison with familiar and 
 rational human proceedings. He has suf- 
 ficiently explained the divine care in the 
 matter, but has said nothing of the inward 
 experience of the objects of this care. For 
 this purpose, it was necessary that the object 
 of search and rescue should be of the human 
 kind, — a man, not an animal or a thing. He 
 now, therefore, adds a third parable, to clarify 
 and complement his instruction concerning 
 the rescue of a sinner through the gospel, and 
 so, ukiinatelj', though indirectly, to finish 
 his apology for intercourse with publicans and 
 sinners. The bereft shepherd and the impov- 
 erished woman become here the compassionate 
 and yearning father; the strayed sheep and 
 the lost coin, a wayward son, whose absence 
 makes the paternal mansion poor; and the 
 finding of whom involves the whole series of 
 experiences in the process of a sinner's re- 
 pentance and return to God. It has well been 
 held as the chief of the parables, most ex- 
 jjressive of God's love, most fully descriptive 
 of the affections of the soul, in its wanderings 
 and its conversion. 
 
 11. And he said, A certain man had two 
 sons. The man denotes God, the Father, by 
 creation, of all men. The two sons represent 
 two tyi)es of character, two classes of men, 
 everywhere mot with, and, in Christ's time^ 
 visible in the Pharisee and the publican. The 
 younger son is the publican, and chiefly en- 
 gages the attention of our Lord, as was to be 
 expected in this connection; the other being 
 presented rather as a background for this 
 picture. It is natural that, as the volume of 
 instruction widens, starting from verse 2. the 
 particular case of the publican and the Phar- 
 isee should be less sharply kept in view. It 
 does not, therefore, hinder that case from being 
 
 on us simply the joy of angels, and of all like still the real text, that this parable puts the 
 them, in the conversion of a sinner. I acknowledged sinner in contrast with the self- 
 
i242 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 12 And the younger of 'them said to his father, 
 Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. 
 And he divided unto them »his living. 
 
 i:i And not many days after the younger son gath- 
 ered all together, and took his journey into a far coun- 
 try, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 
 ■ U And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty 
 famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 
 
 16 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of 
 that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed 
 swine. 
 
 12 and the younger of them said to hi»./!«+her, Father, 
 give me the portion of Ifiy substance that falletb to 
 
 13 me. And he divided unto them his living. And 
 not many days after the younger son gathered all 
 together, and took his journey into a far country ; 
 and there he wasted his substance with riotous 
 
 14 living. And when he had spent all, there arose a 
 mighty famine in that country ; and he began to be 
 
 15 in want. And he went and joined himself to one of 
 the citizens of that country ; and be sent him into 
 
 a Mark 12 : 44. 1 Or. the. 
 
 'righteous professor in so general a way as to 
 describe any wanderer from God who sins 
 and suffers and repents. 
 
 13, And the younger ofthem said, Fa- 
 ther, give me the portion of goods— thy 
 property— that falleth to me, i. e., which is 
 to fall to me at thy death. This would be, 
 according to the principles of Jewish inher- 
 itance, one-third of the substance, leaving 
 twice as much to the older brother. His pro- 
 posal illustrates the rise of apostasy in the 
 soul. Man is not content to leave the control 
 of his means of enjoyment to his Creator, and 
 receive such allotments as he deems best; but 
 chooses rather to have all in his own hands, 
 and follow his own pleasure.— And he divided 
 unto them his living — rather, the living — 
 the means of subsistence for the family. Liv- 
 ing is the same as goods, or, property, in the 
 previous sentence, only thought of here as the 
 basis of a livelihood. As we see later that the 
 father is still at the head of the place (vor.22,31), 
 we understand that the partition to the elder 
 brother was only provisional ; allowing to him 
 the income, perhaps, above the father's sup- 
 port, until his death. God does not constrain 
 men to what is best for them, at the sacrifice 
 of their freedom. 
 
 13. And not many days after — so impa- 
 tient was he to taste the sweets of uncontrolled 
 self-will — he gathered all together — turned 
 his propertj' into such form that he could use it 
 abroad — and took his journey into a far 
 country. The Saviour may have imagined 
 him as going to Alexandria, Antioch, or Rome, 
 places which promised rich opportunities of 
 pleasure in the spending of his means. In the 
 interpretation, it pictures a growing alienation 
 from God, leading to forgetfulness and ina- 
 bility to perceive him, as if one had got into 
 a country where God was not. — And there 
 wasted— scattered right and left — his sub- 
 stance with riotous living. Riotous cov- 
 ers the idea of both luxury and profligacy. 
 He squandered his money on the gratification 
 
 of his baser appetites. One short sentence 
 tells the whole history of his fortune. It is 
 gone. A bare subsistence by hard labor is all 
 that he can hope for in that country, even 
 with a continuance of general prosperity and 
 abundance. Such is the state of the worldling 
 who, forgetful of God, has tried all forms of 
 earthly pursuit and indulgence that are pos- 
 sible for him, and, without more at any time 
 than the delusive phantom of enjoyment, now 
 sees that his way has been foH^', and says of 
 his remaining days, "There is no pleasure in 
 them." 
 
 14. And when he had spent all— just 
 when it was specially necessary for him that 
 other people should have plenty — there arose 
 a mighty famine in — throughout — that land 
 — country, as in ver. 13 — and he — he himself — 
 began to be in want. No art or talent of 
 his could insure him the means of easy subsist- 
 ence, when the most virtuous and industrious 
 were in straits. He is a type of the sinner 
 who begins to realize that there is no true sat- 
 isfaction for his soul in the ways of the world, 
 in leaning to his own understanding, following 
 his own caprice. But he will still try some 
 other resource before turning to the only pos- 
 sible stores of supply. 
 
 15. And he went and joined himself to a 
 citizen (lit., one of the citizens) of that coun- 
 try. The verb for "join," signifies, primarily, 
 "to glue" one thing to another, and implies 
 that he bound himself closely to a foreigner, a 
 Gentile. He who has forsalcen the gentle con- 
 trol of a father, is brought at length to subject 
 himself utterly to the power of an alien 
 stranger. Perhaps it was in expectation of 
 sympathy and consideration ; but what he 
 has done becomes painfully clear to him 
 when he finds to what a base, unhallowed 
 occupation he is assigned.— And he sent him 
 —out of the town— into his fields, to feed 
 swine. The dependence of a sinner upon 
 fellow-sinners, in his spiritual emergency, is 
 a delusive trust. 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 243 
 
 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the 
 husks that the swine did eat: and uo man gave unto 
 hiiu. 
 
 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many 
 hired servants of my lather's have bread enough and 
 to spare, and I perish with hunger! 
 
 18 I will arise and go to my lather, and will say unto 
 him, father, I have sinned against heaven, and before 
 thee, 
 
 IG his fields to feed swine. And he would lain > have 
 filled his belly with -the husks that the swine did 
 
 17 eat: and no man gave unto him. hi.t when he 
 came to himself he said. How many hired servants 
 ol my father's have bread enough and to spare, and 
 
 18 I perish here with hunger! i will arise and go to 
 my father, and will say unto him, Father, 1 have 
 
 1 MaDj ancient authnrtties read, kave been/Uled....i Qr. tkepod* of the curoh tret. 
 
 16. And he would fain have filled his 
 belly with the husks— pocfs — that the 
 swine did eat. Husks gives the etleot in- 
 tended, but does not translate the Greek word ; 
 that designates the fruit of a tree common 
 about the eastern end of the Mediterranean, 
 called the carob tree, and St. John's bread, 
 and box-horn. It is closely related to the 
 locust {acacia) with us (see the illustration in 
 Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, Art. Husks), 
 and the pods of one species of our locust are 
 very similar in appearance to those here 
 spoken of. They contain a slight amount of 
 coarse nutriment, and, in lack of better 
 provender, are sometimes fed to cattle and 
 swine, and are even eaten, in extreme need, 
 by the poorest people. This distressed man, 
 apparently, did not regard them as suited to 
 satisfy the appetite, still less as able to afford 
 real nourishment; but would have crammed 
 his belly with them to assuage the gnawings 
 of hunger. And no man gave unto him, 
 even a portion of this wretched fodder. Such 
 is the depth of degradation and misery to 
 which, by so ruinous stages, the wayward son 
 has sunk. And in his case we have a descrip- 
 tion, true to the life, of the forlorn condition, 
 the misery and helplessness, of the soul, 
 whether in poverty or wealth, which has 
 given itself up to worldly pursuits and plea- 
 sures, and has forgotten God Such a one 
 may not always be aware of his own wretch- 
 edness ; still less does he understand his guilt ; 
 but so does he appear to the angels, to God, 
 to Christ. 
 
 17-24. Picture of the Return of that 
 Soul to God. 
 
 17. And (or but) when he came to himself. 
 His desolate circumstances led him at last to 
 reflection on the causes of his sad condition. 
 This exercise of thoughtfulness is called a 
 coming to, or rather into, himself. A some- 
 what similar expresssion is used of Peter in 
 Acts 12 : 11, where the thought is that he came 
 into a distinct and clear use of his faculties. 
 Here, as if the prodigal had been "beside 
 
 himself," and a worse nature had had the 
 control of him, he comes to be himself once 
 more, so far as to exercise some natural, un- 
 perverted deliberation about his state. Clear 
 consideration at once showed him the reason 
 of all his unhappiness and penury, iu the fact 
 that he had forsaken his father. He said. 
 How many hired servants of my father's 
 have bread enough and to spare. There 
 is a profusion of all things necessary to health 
 and comfort abounding even to those mo.st 
 remotely connected with my father's house. 
 No special import of the "hired servants" 
 has been satisfactorily suggested, as having 
 been in the Saviour's mind. And I — a son, 
 naturally destined to a much happier lot than 
 they — perish — am perishing {here) with 
 hunger. A most pitiful end, and shameful, 
 surely, if it can be avoided, to perish here, in 
 this estrangement from my father; in rags, 
 debasement, and the contempt of unclean 
 strangers. Herein is a vivid portrayal of the 
 first steps of repentance of sin. Any man, 
 even the most fortunate outwardly, is liable, 
 in his worldliness, to have it flash across his 
 thought that his course is yielding no ret^l 
 enjoyment to his better nature; is, rather, 
 wrong and unworthy of him. He wonders 
 if there is not something better, something in 
 which all the capacities of his being can re- 
 joice. In some favored hour he goes further. 
 He seeks earnestly for the explanation of his 
 dissatisfaction and unrest. Why has utter 
 failure attended all his plans for the attain- 
 ment of true welfare? Candid, deliberate 
 inquiry finally discovers the reason why, in 
 his life-long abandonment of God as his 
 father, and refusal to accept his wise and 
 loving control. It is a short step from this to 
 see that the remedy lies in the contrite return 
 of the heart to him. 
 
 18. Repentance is complete; that is to say, 
 there is an effectual change of mind, of judg- 
 ment, affection, and purpose, when the man 
 can saj% sincerely and truly, I Avill arise 
 and go to my father, and will say unto 
 
244 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son : 
 make uie as one of thy hired servants. 
 
 M And he arose, and came to his lather. But " when 
 fie wa.s yet a great way ott', his father saw him, and had 
 compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed 
 him. 
 
 :il And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned 
 against heaven, ' and in thy sight, and am no more 
 worthy to be called thy son. 
 
 19 sinned against heaven, and in thy sight : I am no 
 more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one 
 
 20 of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to 
 his father. But while he was yet afar otf, his lather 
 saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, 
 
 21 and fell on his neck, and i kissed him. And the son 
 said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, 
 and in thy sight : I am no more worthy to be called 
 
 I Acts 2: 39; Epiies. 2: 13, 17 bTs. 51: 4. 1 Gr. kissed him much. 
 
 him, Father, I have sinned, etc. Here is 
 to the full the sense of guilt and folly, the 
 readiness to confess it, the longing after for- 
 giveness, the humility which is willing to 
 take the lowest place, hoping only that some 
 undeserved favor may yet be shown. This is 
 the rational posture of a soul which is con- 
 scious of having sinned against its God. With 
 this the warfare against God is at an end. 
 Faith is not named, but faith operates in 
 every exercise of such a disposition; belief 
 in God's fatherly compassion, and a trust 
 which commits itself unreservedly to him. 
 
 20. And he arose and came to his 
 father. This acting out of the better mind 
 that he had adopted is the counterpart of 
 what we theologically distinguish from re- 
 pentance, as conversion. The Scripture 
 constantly calls it "turning," where "to be 
 converted" is the phrase in our familiar ver- 
 sion. It is the practical reversal of the course 
 of life, conformably to the new purpose of the 
 soul ; conduct tinctured with holiness, ex- 
 pressive of the purer views, emotions, and 
 tendencies of the heart. It fulfills the direc- 
 tion, " Kepent and be converted." (Acts3:i9.) 
 A single phrase thus describes the whole pro- 
 cess of the wanderer's return, not accom- 
 plished with the fticility or the gayety of his 
 departure ; attended with many turns of 
 tboughtas to the manner in which he would be 
 received, but cheered with the assurance that 
 he might, at least, share the privilege of the 
 "hired servants." But when {while) he 
 was yet a great way off, his father saw 
 him, etc. As if he had never ceased ex- 
 pecting that the son would become wiser, and 
 return to the father's roof, he was perpetually 
 on the watch. As soon, apparently, as he had 
 come within the range of vision, the father 
 recognized the child. That that child was 
 making his weary way homeward was enough. 
 — He had (or, was moved vji.th) compassion ; 
 that indescribable yearning of affection which 
 melts the man arose within him, and, doubt- 
 less, affected both looks and gait. And ran — 
 
 notwithstanding his age and paternal dignity — 
 and fell on his neck (com p. Gen. 4-5: 14; 
 46: 29), and kissed him, tenderly, repeat- 
 edly, as at ch. 7 : 38. The truth to nature of 
 this description reveals a profound acquaint- 
 ance with the human heart, and with the 
 heart of God. For so God "waits to be 
 gracious," yearns over his distressed children, 
 in their folly, and joyfully meets the first 
 manifestation of a desire to return. 
 
 21. And the sou said unto him. Father, 
 I have sinned against heaven, and in 
 thy sight. The verb have sinned is pre- 
 terite in the Greek, and so in ver. 18, " 1 
 sinned,'^ looking back to the primal, all- 
 comprehending transgression, in breaking 
 away from the father's control. Against 
 heaven is rendered by some " unto heaven," 
 as though the magnitude of his iniquity was 
 to be represented as towering even to heaven, 
 and filling all the intervening space. But, 
 rather, heaven, as the abode of God and 
 angels and all that is holy, is personified, and 
 sin is thought of as violation of its will and 
 spirit and example. (Meyer. )— And I am no 
 more worthy to be called thy son. We.st- 
 cott and Hort add, "make me as one of thy 
 hired servants," whether rightly the text- 
 critics must decide. The sentence is found in 
 the three most important MSS. of this pas- 
 sage, B., D., and x., with other uncials, which 
 are supported by various auxiliary authori- 
 ities. Against it are the greater number of 
 uncials, including A. and L., with many 
 subsidiary authorities. What seems to have 
 contributed largely to its exclusion from most 
 critical texts is the fact that Augustine, not 
 finding it in his copies, has, in his comments 
 on the verse, shown such beautiful reasons for 
 the omission, cojnpared with v. 19, that we 
 feel that the prodigal ought not to have re- 
 peated these words to his father. It is easy to 
 see, however, what propriety the Latin Father 
 might have discovered in them, had he been 
 familiar with one of the early texts in which 
 they were found. If we understand that sen- 
 
On. XV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 245 
 
 22 But tte father said to his servants, Bring forth 
 the best rube, and put il un hiiu ; and put a ring on his 
 hand, and shoes on his feet: 
 
 2;i And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill U; and 
 let us eat, and be luerrj' : 
 
 24 o For tliLs uiy sou was dead, and is alive again ; he 
 was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 
 
 2.1 Now his elder son was in the tield : and as he 
 came and drew oigh to the house, he heard uiiisic and 
 dancing. 
 
 26 .'Vud he called one of the servants, and asked what 
 these things meant. 
 
 27 And Tie .said unto him, Thy brother is come ; and 
 thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath 
 received him safe and sound. 
 
 22 thy son.i But the father said to his -servants. 
 Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put il ou 
 him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes ou his 
 
 23 leet: and tiring the latted calf, and kill it, and let us 
 
 24 eat, and make merry: lor this my son uus dead, and 
 is alive again ; he was lost, and is lound. And they 
 
 25 began to be merry. Now his elder son w;ls in the 
 tield : and as he came and drew nigh to the house, 
 
 26 he heard music and dancing. And he called to him 
 one of the ^ servants, and inquired what tlie.se things 
 
 27 might l>e. And he said unto him. Thy brother is 
 come ; and thy father haih killed the latted calf, be- 
 
 a ver. it ; Kplies. t : 1 ; 5 : I« ; Rev. 3:1.- 
 
 tence not to have been spoken here, the better 
 explanation of the omission is that the father 
 was too eager, in his joy, to hear more of con- 
 fession. 
 
 22. But the father said to his servants, 
 Bring forth the best robe — the one best 
 suited to denote love and honor— and put it 
 on him. This and the following acts, putting 
 a signet ring on his hand (see Diet, of Bib., 
 Art. King), and shoes on his feet, are all 
 tokens of his full restoration to the paternal 
 favor, and a prcpjiratitm fur the further festiv- 
 ities in celebration of his return. 
 
 23. And bring (omit, hither) the fatted 
 calf. The Greek word is used also for a 
 heifer, or young bullock, of greater age than 
 we mean by "calf." Tiie article points 
 to a definite, well-known animal, kept for a 
 special feast, perhaps iti hope of tiiis very oc- 
 casion. Kill it, and let us eat, and be (or, 
 make) merry. This, according to universal 
 custom, would be the crowning evidence of 
 the joy of the father and family at therestora- 
 tion of his son. The merriment intended is 
 that joy which manifests itself in the gayetj^ 
 and mirth of a banquet. (Comp. Ruth 3: 7.) 
 The picture is drawn frtun the country cus- 
 toms of the time. The verb translated kill is 
 specifically approf»riate to the idea of "sacri- 
 fice." We cannot consistently suppose that it 
 was used fully in that sense here, but when the 
 father saj's "sacrifice it," his feeling reaches 
 after something more interesting and solemn 
 than an ordinary meal. 
 
 24. For this my son was dead, and is 
 alive again— came to life— he was lost, and 
 is found. An excellent reason for great 
 gladness. — Was dead. Dead to me, dead to 
 virtue, dead to happiness. \*as lost ; repeats 
 the thought, and, as would seem, in a way de- 
 signed to bring this recovery into the manifest 
 series of the lost sheep and the lost piece of 
 
 silver. The being dead typifies the state 
 of sin and exposure to eternal punishment 
 (Eom. 8:6); and the coming to life is the 
 entrance upon that state of freedom from sin 
 and service to God, the end of which is "ever- 
 lasting life." (Rom. G: 22, 23; comp. 1 John 
 3: 14.) — And they began to be merry. This 
 is for the present parable the parallel to the 
 rejoicing of the shepherd and the woman 
 (ver. 8, 9), and has also its counterpart in the 
 joy of God and his angels. That the latter 
 reasonably' exceeds the joy excited b3- the case 
 of an3^ number of such as need no repentance, 
 appears from the account — 
 
 25-32. Of thk Elder Son. 
 
 This is teaching additional to what could 
 find place in one of the preceding parables 
 concerning the ninety-nine just persons. 
 
 25. Now his elder son was in the field: 
 toiling in a spirit which he himself, in ver. 29, 
 calls "service," or, literally, "bond-service," 
 to his father — and as he came — at the close 
 of the day — and drew nigh to the house, he 
 heard music and dancing. This was a part 
 of the merry-making of the household, sig- 
 nificant of the joy of pardon; but the tired 
 and joyless soul of the Pharisee, and worker 
 out of his own righteousness, knows nothing 
 of this. Suspicious, jealous, and destitute of 
 true filial confidence, he does not go to his 
 father, in sympathy, or for explanation. 
 
 26. He called one of the servants, and 
 asked (or, inquired) what these things 
 meant (lit., might be). Cheerftilness and re- 
 joicing were things so strange in that abode 
 of slavish propriety, that their natural mani- 
 festations were a mystery. 
 
 27. And he said unto him. Thy brother 
 is come, etc. The servant told him all he 
 knew; the change in the brother's character 
 would not come within his range of notice. 
 
246 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore 
 came his father out, and entreated him. 
 
 "29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these 
 many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at 
 any time thy commandment: and yet thou never 
 gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my 
 friends: 
 
 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath 
 devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for 
 him the fatted calf. 
 
 • 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with 
 me, and all that I have is thine. 
 
 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be 
 glad; "for this thy brother was dead, and is alive 
 agaia ; and was lost, and is found. 
 
 28 cause he hath received him safe and sound. But he 
 was angry, and would not go in : and his lather 
 
 29 came out, and intreated him. But he answered and 
 said to his lather, Lo, these many years do I serve 
 thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of 
 thine: and yet. thou never gavest me a kid, that I 
 
 30 might make merry with my friends: but when this 
 thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with 
 
 31 harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. And 
 he said unto him, ' Son, thou art ever with me, and 
 
 32 all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make 
 merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, 
 and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. 
 
 a ver. 24. 1 Gr. Child. 
 
 28. The impulse of a natural fraternal affec- 
 tion would have been to rush in and sig- 
 nify delight at the wanderer's safe return. 
 But this man's conduct was like that of the 
 Pharisees toward the publicans whom Christ 
 Won to his kingdom. — And he was angry, 
 and would not go in. His base feeling par- 
 took of vexation that favor should be shown 
 tb an unworthy member of the family, a 
 grudging of joy to others in which he could 
 not sympathize, and grumbling for the con- 
 sumption of property which would be only a 
 loss to him. He would have nothing to do 
 with it all. — Therefore came his father 
 out. He might justly have left him sulking 
 to his own damage, yet he symbolizes God 
 Iti his universal kindness, desiring the salva- 
 tion of Pharisee as well as publican. — And 
 entreated him. We may imagine the argu- 
 ments by which he would try to induce the 
 reluctant spirit to join the festive company 
 within. 
 
 29. And he answering said to his fa- 
 ther. Of course, we are to have a surly re- 
 fusal ; but notice the ground on which it is 
 rested by a hard, pains-taking, self-satisfied 
 tinloving, unfmtornal, censorious Pharisee. 
 tiO — a thing to be particularly noticed; he 
 does not, like his repentant brother (ver. 21), 
 employ the appellation, Father — these many 
 year* — from my birth to the present hour — 
 do I serve thee; — render bond-service — 
 neither, etc. (better, and I never transgressed 
 a commandment 0/ thine)— 1 have been always 
 and absolutely perfect in obedience. But ob- 
 serve the lack of love in all he says. —And yet 
 thou never gavest me a kid— ^to say nothing 
 of a calf, or heifer. His selfishness and jeal- 
 ousy appear in his emphasis on me: to me, 
 thou never gavest. — That I might make 
 merry with my friends — honest and virtuous 
 people, as they are. 
 
 30. But as soon as (or, when) this thy 
 son Avas come (came), which hath de- 
 voured thy living with harlots, thou hast 
 killed for him the fatted calf. The loss 
 of the property evidently offends him as much 
 as the vice. And observe that it is a brother's 
 amiable comment which alone informs us, 
 specifically, of this most degraded trait of the 
 prodigal's excess, even if it were true, and 
 necessarily involved in the charge of "riotous 
 living." 
 
 31. And he said unto him, Son — the 
 Greek is, child, a term of more tender affec- 
 tion. The father's impartial love has regard 
 for both. — Thou art ever with me, and all 
 that I have is thine. This is an answer to 
 the objection that no special exhibitions of 
 favor had been made to the elder son. There 
 had been no occasion for them ; he had shal*ed 
 in the daily abundance of the father's house. 
 There had been no room for them ; he was al- 
 ways there, and the celebration of a return could 
 only be made when there had been a depart- 
 ure. The Saviour does not, in this connec- 
 tion, pass judgment on the question whetlmr 
 the Pharisees, represented by the elder son, 
 were as righteous as they claimed to be (ver.w). 
 Assuming them to be righteous, legaJly, they 
 were entitled to the blessings of a legal cove- 
 nant, and were enjoying them according to 
 their legality. But his kingdom includes 
 only those who feel and distinctly admit their 
 unrighteousness, and so are led to repenttince 
 and foith in God's promise of mercy, the re- 
 sult of which is forgiveness on his part, and 
 adoption. The enforcement of this truth was 
 better suited than anythingel.se imaginable to 
 awaken in the hearts of the self-righteous, 
 also, the inquiry whether this would not be 
 the better way for them. 
 
 32. (But) it was meet — morally iricum-' 
 bent— that we should {lit., ^o) make Iherry' 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 LUKR 
 
 247 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AND he said also uuto his disciples, There was a et-r- 
 laiu rich man, which had a steward : and the same 
 was aeuused uuto him that be bad wasted bis guods. 
 
 1 Aud he said also unto the disciples, There was a 
 certain rich man, who had a steward; aud the same 
 was accused uutu him that he was wasting his guods. 
 
 and be glad. This emphasizes the duty of 
 joy and gladness, as opposed to the sullen 
 nioroscness of the elder son— to make merry 
 and be glad standing first in the Greek sen- 
 tence. Joy and mirth are appropriate and 
 pleasing in the sight of God on tit occasions; 
 andihei)ringiiig up of the miserable, the out- 
 cast, the lost, to peace and virtue, is eminently 
 a fit occasion.— For this thy brother— his 
 brother, and so of the same nature and worth 
 as himself; although he would not call him 
 "brother," but, 'thy son" (ver. so). Wasdead 
 and is alive (omit again). The explanation 
 of the verse is the same as of verses 23, 24. 
 Rejoicing on such an occasion was as proper 
 for the ceremonially just, or righteous, men, 
 as for any; but their spirit was most unjust. 
 Some have interpreted this parable as indi- 
 cating the Jewish nation by the elder .son, 
 and the Gentiles by the younger. Doubtless, 
 we can apply it, in several particulars, to 
 the contrast between those two sections of 
 mankind; but its primary reference was, 
 clearly, as pointed out above. And on the 
 principle that every Scripture is applicabk to 
 all men, in proportion as they are such as 
 those originally addressed by it, we may find 
 it true t»f every sin-sick, repenting, believing 
 s<ml, over against the worldly, hard, impen- 
 
 the folly of the younger son in "wasting" 
 his inheritance (ch. i5: i3), instead of turning it 
 to some profitable use, may have suggested an 
 application to Clirist's lollowers, of tlie instruc- 
 tion given by another instance of the " wast- 
 ing" of a pecuniary trust, in the verse before 
 us. To impress the intended lesson, our 
 Saviour supposes the case of a rich landed 
 proprietor, the management of whose estate 
 is committed to a steward, completely trusted, 
 and of respectable social position. This man 
 is found by his employer to be in the habit of 
 wasting, squandering, his property ; i. e., the 
 income of the businc-^s carried on. When he 
 is notified that he is discharged from the (jffice, 
 and required to furnish his account of the 
 state of the property, he studies what means 
 of living are possible for him, now that this 
 is to be taken away. Promptly he decides to 
 court the favor of his master's tenants, by 
 great remission of claims that lay against 
 them, in return for wbich they would grate- 
 fully aflTord him a living when he shuuld need 
 it. It is assumed that this procedure, the 
 details of which are dramatically described 
 in a couple of cases, proves successful ; and as 
 a specimen of shrewd, though dishonest 
 policy, in the use of riches to promote tem- 
 poral good, Jesus finds in it a pattern of 
 
 itent, self-sufficient neighbor, who feels no j worthy prudence in the religious employment 
 
 need of repentance, and sees no sense in it. | of money to promote heavenly blessedness. 
 
 There was a certain rich man which had 
 
 Ch. IG. 1-13. Parablb of the Dis- a steward. The rich man represents God ; 
 HONEST Stkward. not Satan, nor Mammon. The steward is 
 
 1. And he said also unto his (literally, not called a servant, although even slaves 
 the) disciples. There is no intimation of often filled positions of exalted trust and re- 
 any change of scene or time, but only of the ' sponsibility. His office wae that of overseer 
 persons immediately addressed. Previously and manager of the aflTairs of his emjdoyer. 
 it had been the Pharisees (ch.is: s) ; now it is If we think of the latter as a great Roman or 
 the disciples, meaning the body of his ad- Oriental proprietor, whose slaves might be 
 herents, not merely the twelve. The particu- numbered by the thousand, and his tenants, 
 lar design of the parable was to teach all his some of them, large farmers, we see that the 
 followers the right use of earthly riches in post of steward would be one of no mean 
 reference to the future and eternal life. Its rank. In the parable he stands for a disciple 
 logical connection with the preceding parables, of Christ, entrusted with earthly possessions 
 supposing it to have followed them, in the to be turned to account for promoting the 
 hearing of substantially the same company interests of his proprietor, God. Although 
 (ver. 14, the Pharisees were listening, although | not many rich men were attaching themselves 
 he was not talking to them,) has been diflfer- I to Christ, yet some of the many publicans 
 ently understood. It is barely ppssible that I who flocked to him. were likely to be men oiu 
 
248 
 
 LUKE 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it 
 that 1 hear ihis of thee? give an account of thy stew- 
 ardship; lor thou mayest be no longer steward. 
 
 6 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I 
 do? for my lord taketh away trom me the stewardship; 
 ■1 cannot aig; to heg 1 am ashamed. 
 
 4 1 am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out 
 of the stewardship, they may receive me into their 
 bouses. 
 
 5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors tinto 
 him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto 
 iny lord? 
 
 ti And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he 
 
 2 And he called him, and said unto him. What is this 
 that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stew- 
 
 a ardship; lor thou canst be no longer steward! And 
 the steward said within himself, What shall I do, 
 "seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship 
 
 4 from me? I have not strength to dig; t<i beg I am 
 ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when 1 am 
 put out of the stewardship, they mav receive me into 
 
 5 their houses. And calling to him' each one of his 
 lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest 
 
 6 thou unto my lord? And he said, A hundred > meas- 
 
 1 Gr. baths, Ihe bath being a Hebrew measure. See Ezek. 45 : 10, 11, 14. 
 
 wealth, and many others had property to 
 make them comparatively rich. All such 
 should think themselves God's servants in the 
 administration of whatever they had. The 
 accusation of the steward, in the parable, was 
 of such a nature, and with such evidence, as 
 to convince the proprietor of the untrust- 
 worthiness of his agent. Hence he sum- 
 ipous him, not to institute any trial, or even 
 examination, but aftera complaint of wounded 
 confidence — 
 
 2. HoAV is it, etc. — better, what is this that 
 I hear of thee? — to announce his dismissal, 
 and to demand a statement of the affairs under 
 his charge. Give an account (lit., render' 
 the account) of thy stewardship ; for thou 
 mayest be no longer steward. It may 
 seem that, in the wide discretion involved in 
 the management of such a trust, the unfaith- 
 fulness and peculations had not been such as 
 would constitute a ground for a criminal pros- 
 ecution. The master appears ready to let 
 him go upon his presenting the account of the 
 state of the property, which was necessary to 
 conduct it properly thereafter. The minutiae 
 of the illustration can hardly be applied in 
 the practical lesson. They prepare the way 
 for his discharge from the office, which dis- 
 charge answers to the disciple's death. 
 
 3. The steward's reflections on his case sug- 
 gest no feeling of repentance for his conduct, 
 and no shade of unfairness on his lord's part. 
 They do betray imperturbable composure, 
 readiness of invention, unscrupulous willing- 
 ness for whatever .seems expedient. — What 
 shall I do? etc. His dependence on the 
 cimtinuance of his stewardship for a living, 
 shows that he had not saved, for his own per- 
 manent advantage, any part of what he had 
 embezzled from his master. In this, he was 
 a pattern of the rogues and defrauders of our 
 age, the most egregious of whom, while cheat- 
 ing the confidence of others out of enormous 
 sums, and involving many in utter ruin, are 
 
 seldom found to have secured any fortune to 
 themselves thereby. — I cannot (lit., hove not 
 strength to) dig; yet manual labor was all 
 that honestly lay between him and utter des- 
 titution.^— To beg I am ashamed. The Jew- 
 ish sentiment is well expressed in Eccles. 40: 
 28: "My son, lead not a beggar's life; for 
 better it is to die than to beg." 
 
 4. I am resolved what to do. It is as if, 
 after profound study, the thought had fla.shed 
 upon him: "I have it; I know now what to 
 do." — Farrar on the passage. That, when I 
 am put out of the stewardship, they may 
 receive me into their houses. His cessa- 
 tion from the office is decreed, but is not yet 
 actually effected. This fact gives the basis of 
 his scheme. They refers to the persons whom 
 he proposes to lay under such obligations, and 
 so to involve, apparently, at least, in his ras- 
 cality, tliatthey will, from gratitude, and from 
 fear of exposure, repay him wlien he needs it. 
 
 5. So he called every one of his lord's 
 debtors. There is room for difference of 
 opinion as to whether he called them jointly, 
 or in succession. His business was transacted 
 with them separately. Many understand that 
 these debtors were middlemen, shopkeepers, 
 who had bought large quantities of the crops 
 of the estate, for which they were yet holden. 
 But what follows agrees better with the sup- 
 position that they were tenants, each culti- 
 vating a considerable farm, and following, 
 mainly, a distinct line of production, of whose 
 fruits they were to return the proprietor's 
 .share in kind. Two cases are mentioned, 
 merely as specimens of the procedure with an 
 indefinite number. That they are to have 
 unequal abatements favors the view that they 
 came before the agent one at a time. — How 
 much owest thou? This question was nat- 
 ural, as addressed to a tenant, whose account 
 would be the basis of a settlement. 
 
 6. And he said, A hundred measures 
 (/SoTos, Heb., bath) of oil. As the ratio be- 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 249 
 
 said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and 
 
 ."V Then*' said he to another, And how much o west 
 thou "And he said, A hundred measures ot w eat. 
 And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and wr.te tour- 
 
 '""s And the lord commended the unjust f^^-^rd, because 
 he had done wisely : for the children of th.s «"rW arc 
 in their generation wiser than -the children of light. 
 
 ures of oil. And he said unto him. Take thy ' Inrnd, 
 
 7 andsitdownquickly and write titty. 1 hen said he 
 to another. And how much owest thou.' .\na ue 
 said, A hundred 2 mea-sures of wheat. He saith uuto 
 
 8 him Take thv ' bond, and write fourscore. And Ins 
 lord commended Uhe unrighteous steward becuuBe 
 he had done wisely : for the suns of this < world are 
 for their own generation wiser than the sons ol llie 
 
 o . -u t . R I Or writina: . . .2 (Jr. cor., tlie cor Leliig a Hebrew measure. 
 
 a John 12 : 36 ; Ephes. 5 : 8 ; 1 Thess. 5 : ^—^^^li^l'^^'Xo/ unrighteousne,, . . . .4 Or, age. 
 
 SeeEzek. 45: 14....3Gr 
 
 tween Hebrew measures and our own is hard 
 to make out, estimates of the capacity of the 
 bath vary from four and a half to nine 
 gallons. Joscphus, our most important aii- 
 thority, in spite of much inconsistency in his 
 several statements, clearly implies, however, 
 its equivalence to the Greek firkin (>i€tp„t^«), 
 (John 2: 6), which WG know (Sniitli's Class. An- 
 tiq., Art. Metretes), to have been about nine 
 gallons. (See Diet, of Bib., pp. 350G f.) Oil, 
 of the olive, was one of the staples of life in 
 Palestine, and the olive tree was held in high 
 esteem by the people. The oil stood to them 
 in place of butter, lard, oil, etc., in our 
 culinary uses. Notice, the debtor does n()t 
 say he is holden /or so much oil, but that this 
 quantity of that article is what he owes. 
 Take— rather, receive, as though it was handed 
 back to him— thy bill— lit., writings, account 
 current, or book account. Sit down quickly, j 
 and write fifty. Quickly,since time presses; 
 my settlement must be made. Write fifty— 
 either making out a new account, according 
 to which you are to pay fifty measures, or 
 simply alter the letter {qo}jh, or rho) for one 
 hundred into that {nun, or ntc) for fifty. This 
 man would thus be relieved of obligation for 
 fifty firkins of oil. 
 
 7. The next man would, in like manner, be 
 favored to the extent of twenty out of one 
 hundred measures of wheat. The proportion 
 was altered here, for aught we can see, at the 
 caprice of the steward. It was smaller than 
 in the preceding case, the measures being 
 very much larger. The Hebrew cor (Greek, 
 «opo«), which is named here, was a dry 
 measure, containing ten times the bath, or 
 firkin, mentioned above for the oil ; hence, 
 ten bushels and upward. There would be a 
 saving to the debtor of one hundred and sixty 
 bushels of wheat. Suppose such reductions 
 to be carried through a long list of tenants, 
 . and it is manifest that the steward is warranted 
 in expecting a large compensation from them. 
 We may suppose, with many, that he was 
 
 only foregoing the premium which he had 
 ordinarily taken for himself on what he 
 actually paid to the lord ; but such details 
 must be pure imagination. 
 
 8. At all events, the rich man, on learning 
 the trick to which his agent had resorted, was 
 pleased with it as a specimen of true Oriental 
 shrewdness.— And the lord— namely, of this 
 steward— commended the unjust steward 
 —the Greek, '' steward of injustice," strongly 
 marks this trait of his character— because ne 
 had done wisely {prudently). It is strange 
 that, with the better example of Wiclif hef.ire 
 them, Tyndale, and the chief translatorssince, 
 including the authors of the Revised Version, 
 should have rendered the Greek, <))poWmu>s, 
 prudently, as if it had been ao^!^<;, wisely. The 
 latter is used properly in a worthier sen.se ; the 
 former applies properly to what is ingeniously 
 adapted to the accomplishment of any practi- 
 cal ends. Both this adverb and the strong 
 assertion of the injustice of the steward show 
 that his master did not praise him as dishonest, 
 but as quick-witted, and shrewd in the choice 
 of measures fit to help him out of diflSoulty. 
 He had settled with the tenants in such way 
 that their books would show a great deal less 
 due to the proprietor than they had expected ; 
 yet, as he was still the agent, his act was con- 
 cKisrve. His course could be presented as an 
 example, accordingly, of the prudent, well- 
 considered, use of pecuniary means for the 
 promotion of future important designs. For 
 the children {sons) of this world (or, age)— 
 meaning the period which precedes the e.stab- 
 lishment of the Messianic kingdom— " this 
 present evil world "—are in (/or) their (ovn) 
 generation wiser (more prudent) than the 
 children (.son.s) of (Me) light. This sentence 
 gives a reason (for) why the worldling 
 steward should have acted shrewdly. It is 
 just a particular case under a genonil rule. 
 Children (or. sons) of this world are, ac- 
 cording to a Hebrew way of speaking, men 
 who share in the spirit of the time, bear a 
 character appropriate to it. So of "the 
 
^50 
 
 Luke. 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 9 And I say unto you," Make to yourselves friends I 9 light. And I say unto you. Make to yourselves 
 of the mamiuon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, friends ' by means of the uiammon of unrighteous- 
 
 they may receive you into everlasting habitations. | ness ; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you 
 
 a Dan. 4 : 27 ; Matt. 6 : 1!) ; 19 : 21 ; ch. 11 : 41 ; 1 Tim. 6:17, 18, 1». 1 Gr. out of. 
 
 children of light" ( Eph. 5:8; i Thess. 5:5).— Gen- 
 eration — sort of people, " kith and kin." The 
 sense of the sentence, then, is that the people 
 of the world are more shrewd and successful 
 in turning to profitable account their relations 
 to other such men, than the true children of the 
 kingdom (comp. .Matt. 8: 12) are in regard to their 
 brethren in Christ. The tenor of the parable 
 restricts this judgment, in large measure, to 
 the emploj'ment of wealth, worldly goods. 
 One "son of this world" is signalized, who 
 so used the property of which he had control, 
 though not his own, as to gain favor from his 
 fellows, of much value to the rest of his life. 
 What he did prudently, but not honestly, the 
 disciples should do, with the means committed 
 to them by God, both prudently and honestly, 
 by aid and favor to their brethren, that their 
 heavenly joys might be eternally the richer. 
 Kindness and beneficence to those in need 
 would, in the Christian sphere, be the course 
 analogous, in point of prudence, to that of tlie 
 unjust steward in the unscrupulous courses of 
 this world. 
 
 ^9. And 1 say unto you— as that lord 
 praised his agent — Make to yourselves 
 friends of (rather, by means of) the mam- 
 mon of unrighteousness. Mammon is 
 the Chaldee name for riches, sometimes per- 
 sonified, in thought, as when our Saviour 
 speaks of serving Mammcm (rer. 13). Making 
 friends by means of mammon, or, out of 
 mammon, is then, so using wealth as to gain 
 friends, and secure the gratitude and good 
 will of those whom we have helped. Mam- 
 mon is said to be the mammon of unright- 
 eousness, because in many cases its acquisi- 
 tion and use implied so much of iniquity that 
 one who saw this in its profoundest depths 
 and boundless breadth, might well character- 
 ize it sweepingly as, in itself, "richesse of 
 wickednesse," Wiclif; or, "wicked mam- 
 mon," Tyndale. Compare his declarations 
 concerning the difficulty of salvation to a 
 rich man. Among the first manifestations 
 of the distinctive Christian spirit, in the in- 
 fant church, was the disposition to act accord- 
 ing to this precept, (.uts 2: 44, 45; 4: .34, 35). It 
 was too strongly antagonistic to carnal nature 
 riot to declihe with "the decline of devotion 
 
 and zeal, in the church. But wherever we 
 get a view of the spirit of Christianity, in 
 subsequent ages, something appears of a con- 
 sciousness of duty to use money Christianly. 
 Even in our own day, with its immoderate 
 eagerness for pecuniary gain, there is, perhaps; 
 more than' ever a public sense of the claims 
 of society on wealth, plainly traceable to 
 Christ's teaching, which promises a yet closer 
 compliance with his example and spirit. 
 That when ye fail (rather, it shall fail), or, 
 "shall have failed," which it will at death, 
 when stewardship must cease — they may 
 receive you into everlasting habitations 
 (literally, the eternal tabej-nacles). This is a 
 more picturesque way of saying, "that you 
 may enjoy the fruit of your beneficent use' 
 of earthly riches through eternal ages." This 
 figure for the residence in heaven is obviously' 
 suggested by the mention of "their houses." 
 (ver. 4). Eternal tabernacles, or, tents, is an 
 oxymoron; which, in applying so incongru- 
 ous an epithet as eternal, emphasizes the 
 contrast between the transient habitations of 
 earth and the everlasting abodes to which we 
 go. (John 14: 2; 2 Cor. 5: 1). The Word they points 
 apparently to the friends who shall have been 
 made. There is indeed a difficulty in making 
 plain how the beneficiaries of the prudent 
 rich among the sons of light are to receive 
 them into the places of celestial joy. But 
 the fiction of the intercession of departed 
 saints is not even faintly suggested by the 
 idea that those who have gone bef()re re- 
 ceive=welcome — not lead, nor bring, nor in- 
 troduce, into the heavenly blessedness those 
 who have introduced them into the spiritual 
 life, or greatly enriched it for them, on the 
 earth. And when we see the glorified Jesus 
 himself making the kindness of his followers 
 to those less well off the comprehensive reason 
 for welcoming them to his Father's kingdom 
 (Matt. 25: 34 ff.), there seems great propriety in 
 those poor themselves joyfully greeting the ar- 
 rival of their benefactors among the blessed. 
 The only serious hindrance to the reception of 
 this view as being intended by the language, is 
 that it supposes the objects of loving liberality 
 to have departed first to the reward, while iti 
 practice that would be the' less corhnV6h easel. 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 251 
 
 10 <■ He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful 
 also in much: andhethal is unjuslin 1 he least is unjust 
 a. so in luiich. „ . l,- . ■ lu 
 
 11 If therefore ye have not been faithlul in tbe un- 
 righteous uiammou,who will commit to your trust the 
 
 12 And if ve have not been faithful in that which is 
 another man's, who shall give you that which is your 
 
 l:J 'No servant can serve two masters: for either he 
 will hate the one, and love the other; or else he wUl 
 hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve 
 Uod and mammon. 
 
 10 into the eternal tabernacles. He that is faithful in 
 a very little is faithlul also in much : and he that is 
 unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in 
 
 11 much. If therelbre ye have not been taithful in the 
 unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust 
 
 12 the true riches f And if ye have not been lailhlul in 
 that which is another's, who will give you that which 
 
 13 is ' your own ? No -'servant can serve two masters: 
 for either he will hate the one, and love the other; 
 or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye 
 cannot serve Uod and mammon. 
 
 a Mati. 25 : it ; ch. 19 : 17. . . •!> Matt. 6 : 24. 1 Some ancient aulliorities read, our otw». . . .2 Gr. koutehold-tervant. 
 
 But this partial incongruity may have been 
 inevitable in the otherwise very expressive 
 figure. The statement of the verse is thus an 
 application of the preceding parable, and sets 
 forth the Cliristian's duty, as antithetically 
 analogous to the course of the wicked steward. 
 The other possible reference of the word 
 they is, to those, indefinitely conceived of, 
 who may be the proper agents of such a ser- 
 vice, as the angels, (ch. i6: 22; M.itt.2«: 31). 
 10-13. The Right Use of Riches. 
 
 10. He that is faithful in that which is 
 least (or, in a very little— comp. 19: 17), is 
 faithful also in much, etc. A maxim of 
 experience in worldly affairs, which imports 
 that the right use of worldly goods is faithful- 
 ness in a sniiiU thing, and is indispensable to 
 the use and enjoyment of the higher riches of 
 salvation. It thus enforces the precept in 
 verse 9. The benevolent employment of 
 riches is faithfulness to that trust. 
 
 11. If therefore ye have not been faith- 
 ful—read, rather. If ye did not evince your- 
 selves faithful ; the point of view is at the day 
 of judgment— in the unrighteous mam- 
 mon. The sense was explained in the preced- 
 ing- paragraph. Who will commit to your 
 trust the true riches? The true riches 
 are the heavenly blessedness, which is genuine 
 wealth, or welfare, satisfS'ing and inalienable, 
 and so, real; while the earthly riches, being 
 neither satisfying nor permanent, are a sham 
 and mockery. The question implies that no 
 one will give them, and seems to import that 
 heaven itself will be a trust committed to him 
 that receives it, to be used for furthering the 
 purposes of God. What a rebuke to the sel- 
 fish and luxurious wealth of nominal Chris- 
 tendom ! How many candidates for the heav- 
 enly riches may be arrested at the door, by 
 the question. How did you employ the un- 
 righteous mammon trusted to you on the 
 earth? 
 
 12. That which is another man's— 
 
 (strictly, ariother's), namely, God's, whose 
 steward, for the administration of God's prop- 
 erty, the disciple was, during his earthly life. 
 —Who shall give you that which is your 
 own? i. e., an eternal interest in the kingdom, 
 that good part which shall never be taken 
 away from you. The heavenly possession, 
 once obtained, is ours, subject to no revoca- 
 tion, withdrawal, loss, or impairment. Tiiere 
 is evidence so strong in favor of tlie reading 
 " our own," instead of your own, that West- 
 cott and Hort have substituted the former for 
 the latter. It is not, however,- decisive, on ex- 
 ternal grounds; and anything less than that 
 cannot warrant our supposing that Jesus reck- 
 oned himself among the disciples, in an un- 
 certainty like this. 
 
 13. No servant— "domestic," Davidson, or 
 house-servant — can serve — obey the com- 
 mands of— two masters. A caution to the 
 disciples that they must not let the service 
 of God, in the use of wealth, slide into a ser- 
 vice of mammon. The maxim is found in a 
 perfectly appropriate connection at Matt. 6: 
 24 ; but its fitness here, also, is so obvious as to 
 warrant the conclusion that it was repeated 
 by Christ. It is h> re more precisely stated. 
 In a general view, it would bo questionable 
 whether no one can serve two masters. It 
 would have to be understood of a simultaneous 
 service to masters whose requirements are in- 
 compatible with each other. This is specific- 
 ally indicated in our passage. No house- 
 servant can render unqualified, absolute ser- 
 vice (aovAeutiK) to different masters. — For 
 either he will hate the one— A, and love 
 the other— B, so as to give the latter the real 
 allegiance — or he will hold to one— A, so as 
 to render him the real service -and despise 
 the other— B, giving no willing heed to bis 
 
252 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVL 
 
 14 And the Pharisees also, ■■ who were covetous, heard 
 all these things; and they derided him. 
 
 15 And he said unto then', Ye are they which 'justify 
 yourselves l>elore uieu; but <^God knoweth your hearts: 
 lor "^ that which is highly esteemed among men is abom- 
 ination in the sight of God. 
 
 1() 'The law and the prophets ivere until John : since 
 that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every 
 man presseth into it. 
 
 14 And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, 
 
 15 heard all these things; and they scoiied at him. And 
 he said unto them. Ye are they that justify your- 
 selves in the sight of men; but God kuowelh your 
 hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an 
 
 16 abomination in the sight of God. The Taw and the 
 prophets were until John ; from that time the gospel 
 of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man 
 
 '. Matt. 23: U 6 ch. 10: 29 c Ps. 7:9 d 1 Sam. 16: 7 e Matt. 4: 17; 11 : 12, 13 ; ch. 7: 29. 
 
 commands. — Ye cannot serve God and 
 mammon. These are, eminently two mas- 
 ters wlio demand, each, the full devotion of 
 the man. The service of God must be the 
 supreme care; and all care for mammon must 
 be brought under subordination to this. 
 
 14-18. The Pharisees Condemned. 
 
 14, 15. These verses stand in an equally 
 close relation to the foregoing and to the para- 
 ble below (ver. 19-31). — And the Pharisees 
 also (also doubtful) — the same to whom he 
 had spoken (is: 32) — who were covetous (or, 
 lovers of money), heard all these things. 
 Although he had ceased addressing them, 
 they were listening. This character of the 
 class agreed with many representations of our 
 Lord concerning them, and with various other 
 evidence. — And they derided (or, scoffed at) 
 him. The verb expresses great contempt, as 
 well as abusiveness= "turned up their noses 
 at him." We may almost hear their coarse 
 jeers at his teaching about wealth : "That he 
 should talk about the right use of money!" 
 " Stewardship ! " "The incompatiblity of the 
 love of riches with salvation!" "Sour 
 grapes !" — Ye are they which justify your- 
 selves before men. Pass yourselves off for 
 righteous, with those who see only the out- 
 ward appearance. — But God knoweth your 
 hearts, and knows that this is only an ap- 
 pearance^ a cloak and pretense. He finds no 
 righteousness there, where it should all be, if 
 there were any. — For that which is highly 
 esteemed (exalted) among men is (an) 
 abomination in the sight of God. What 
 a condemnation of the ambitions, pursuits, 
 honors, judgments, of this world! 
 
 16-18. These verses are hard to bring into 
 a manifest train with the discourse before and 
 after. Yet they here constitute a train of 
 their own, though reported each, in other 
 Gospels, in a different historical connection. 
 There is no reason, however, to conclude with 
 some that they are thrown in here as scattered 
 statements, not supposed to have any original 
 relation to each other. And, on careful con- 
 
 sideration, we find the whole to exhibit the 
 joints of an argument (the details not being 
 preserved) to prove the culpability of the 
 Pharisees in their sham righteousness, from 
 their own law, when apprehended in its true 
 spirit. The argument is that the law and the 
 prophets, the Old Testament system, which was 
 in legitimate force until John the Baptist, is, 
 although since replaced, as to its organized 
 polity, by the kingdom of God, not only not 
 abolished, but even sharpened and made more 
 exacting, on the disposition of its subjects. 
 This prepares the way for the sentence (ver. 31) 
 that that law shows the need of repentance, on 
 the part of the Pharisees, of their sin of covet- 
 ousness, and the misuse of wealth. The strict- 
 ness of the requirement of the law upon the 
 spirit is then exemplified in the gospel form 
 of the law concerning divorce. We have thus 
 a fresh application of the principles of the 
 kingdom of God as laid down in Matt. 5: 16, 
 20, 31 f. 
 
 16. Were until John; i. e., were in force, 
 or (in antithesis to "the gospel is preached," 
 below, comp. Acts 15: 21) were preached. No 
 verb is expressed in the Greek. Their full 
 and formal authority continued until John 
 the Baptist came, announcing the proximity 
 of the Messianic reign, and even until the 
 installation by him of Jesus in the Messianic 
 office. John was the boundary line between 
 the Old and the New Economy, yet not so 
 but that he himself stood at the highest 
 stage and culminating point of the former. 
 (Ch. 7: 28.)— Since (rather, from) that time 
 — (Matt. 11: 12; " from the days of John " )— the 
 kingdom of God is preached— announced 
 in glad tidings (ei/ayyeAt^erai). The announce- 
 ment is effected through John, but especially 
 by Christ himself and his disciples. On 
 the idea of the kingdom of God, see on 
 ch. 6: 20.— And every man — everybody; 
 men of every description, even the publicans, 
 in large numbers — presseth into it. The 
 same Greek verb is used in a similar connec- 
 tion, in Matt. 11 : 12, as a passive, in the sense 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 253 
 
 17 « Aud it is easier Tor heaven and earth to pass, than 
 one tittle of the law to fail. 
 
 l.S ' Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth 
 another, coiuiiiitteth adultery: and whosoever uiarrieth 
 her that is put away from her husband committeth 
 adultery. 
 
 17 entereth violently into it. But it is easier for heaven 
 and earth to pass away, than lor one little of the 
 
 18 law to lall. Kvery one that putteth away his wile, 
 and niarrieth another, coiuniilteih adultery : aud he 
 that niarrieth one that is put away Irom a husband 
 coiuuiittetb adultery. 
 
 a Ps. 10-.!: 26, 27; laa. 40: B; 51:6; Matt, 5: 18; 1 Pet. 1: 25 6 Malt. 5 : 32 ; 19:9; Mark 10: 11 ; 1 Cor. 7: 10, 11. 
 
 of "is the object of eager attempts." "suffer- 
 eth violence ; " here it is in the middle voice, 
 " is forcing his way into," "eagerly strives to 
 enter." This is a vehement statement of the 
 vehement facts then patent to the observation 
 of Christ's hearers. John's mission had pro- 
 duced a great excitement concerning the 
 kingdom of heaven, and Christ's own teaching 
 and works had latterly strengthened it, so 
 that multitudes were eagerly seeking unto 
 him, and were striving, more or less intelli- 
 gently, to secure the blessings which he 
 offered. This popular zeal had been strongly 
 manifested since the feeding of the five thou- 
 sand in Galilee. On the present journey to- 
 ward Jerusalem we catch frequent glimpses 
 of excited, enthusiastic throngs, in spite of the 
 enmity of many leading men, culminating 
 soon afterward in the multitudinous procession 
 of the so-called Palm Sunday before his cru- 
 cifixion. Jesus had, doubtless, sad reason to 
 note the absence from this following of most 
 of those rulers whose conversion would have 
 done so much to win the adherence to him of 
 the nation. He was also distinctly aware that 
 many of the people who heard him gladly 
 failed to appreciate him in his highest char- 
 acter, as the Saviour of sinners; but this wide- 
 spread and earhest favor toward him may 
 easily account for the hyperbole, every man, 
 etc. The more obviously so, since the present 
 tense (in Greek) of the verb presseth into 
 does not express a completed deed, but an 
 eflTort, a process, an inchoate and tentative act. 
 In Matthew the same meaning is differently 
 conceived, as already intimated in this note. 
 
 17. And (or, hvt)it is easier for heaven 
 and earth to pass, etc. The form of ex- 
 pression implies that it is impo.ssible for the 
 law, in its spirit as divinely intended, not to 
 reach complete fulfillment. This is affirmed 
 to prevent the mistake that, because now 
 the kingdom of God was superseding the 
 Mosaic Economy, the obligation of the true 
 law was in the least degree weakened. One 
 tittle (krrnia), is one of the minute append- 
 ages of Hebrew letters (comparable to the 
 dot of an i with us). The slightest particle 
 
 I of the meaning of no word or letter of the 
 law should relax its hold. Its true fulfillment, 
 the gospel alone, as Christ teaches (Matt. s: i7--.>o), 
 is adapted to bring about, and does, accord- 
 ing to Paul (Rom. 7: 1-6; 8: 2, 3), actually bring 
 about. 
 
 18. In what manner, and to what extent 
 Christ fulfills the law, even while he sets free 
 from the law its outward control, this verse is 
 intended to give a typical example. The 
 marriage relation, which the ancient law 
 aimed to strengthen and subject to divine 
 authority — although leaving, necessarily, for 
 the time (Matt. i9:8) much room for human 
 caprice, was now made absolutely indissoluble. 
 Neither party to the union can treat it as 
 null, so as to contract another marriage, with- 
 out forfeiting the character of Christ's disci- 
 ples. One qualification omitted in this brief 
 and fragmentary declaration, we are bound 
 to supply from the fuller discu.ssion in Mat- 
 thew — "saving for the cause of fornication" 
 (Matt. 3: .-ia). That cause, once established, has 
 of itself put asunder those whom God had 
 joined together. No law of the kingdom is 
 more plain than that adultery is chargeable 
 on man or woman who marries again while a 
 former wife or husband lives, not having been 
 found guilty of adultery. This principle was 
 peculiarly suited to show the superior purity 
 and unworldliness of Christ's in.structions, as 
 comjiared with the Jewish law. — The fore- 
 going explanation of these three verses, hs an 
 application of the law to condemn the self- 
 justification of the Pharisees, appears to be at 
 least as consistent with itself, and with what 
 went before, as any other which has been pro- 
 posed. It is at least an unwarranted dictum 
 of Immer ( Hermeneutics, p. 207 Eng. Trans.), 
 that "it is quite idle elaboration to strive to 
 bring out a connection between these three 
 sentences." They are in his view "only de- 
 tached apothegms. ' That each one stands 
 separatelj- in an apparently natural historical 
 connection in Matthew, and even the suppo- 
 sition that they have respectively their true 
 connections there, does not at all hinder their 
 having here a logical relation to each other 
 
;254 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [CH; XVI. 
 
 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed 
 in purple and tine lineu, and fared sumptuously every 
 day : 
 
 2U And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, 
 which was laid at his gate, lull of sores, 
 
 19 Now there was a certain rich man, and he was 
 clothed in purple and fine lineu, ' taring suuiptu- 
 
 20 ously every day -and a certain beggar named Lazarus 
 
 1 Or, living in mirth and tplendour every day* 
 
 and to- the whole train of discourse. If we 
 agree that the sentences were spoken under 
 the circumstances indicated in Matthew, we 
 may inquire whether Luke found them com- 
 bined in one of his documents, with or with- 
 out an evident design, or whether he himself 
 so combined them, finding them scattered in 
 his sources, without indication of the manner 
 of their origin. 
 
 19-31. Paraplk of thk Rich Man 
 (DiVKs) AND Lazarus. 
 
 If we give up connection of thought be- 
 tween verses 15-18 and the preceding, this 
 parable stands entirely out of relation to 
 them, and to everything before and after. 
 But in that train of ideas which we have indi- 
 cated, we may trace the joints of a continuous 
 and reasoned discourse, very much abridged 
 in our report. The instruction concerning 
 the right use of riches had led to the insulting 
 taunts of the Pharisees, whose hypocritical 
 self-righteousness had been shown condemned 
 by the true spirit of their own standard of 
 righteousness, namely, the Old Testament 
 revelation. Now a parable is added to ex- 
 hibit in concrete form the estimation in which 
 Grod actually holds men who are rich toward 
 themselves (ver. 25), and have failed to heed the 
 teaching on this subject of Moses and the 
 prophets. Verses 19-26 contain the practical 
 comment on verse 16; verses 27-31, that on 
 verses 16-18. 
 
 19. (Now) there was a certain rich man, 
 which (or, and he) was clothe^ in purple 
 and fine linen, and fared (lit., faring) 
 sumptuously every day. Some have alleged 
 that the Saviour, charging no crime on Dives 
 (the Latin word used in the Vulgate for a 
 "rich man"), condemns wealth absolutely. 
 But when we see the connection, as we 
 have traced it above, it appears at once 
 that we have here a type of those money- 
 loving Pharisees (ver. u) who made sport of 
 Christ's requirement, that money should be 
 benevolently used to the advantage of fellow- 
 men, in the service of God. His dress was 
 after the most luxurious, even royal, style 
 then known. "Living in mirth and splen- 
 
 dor," as in the margin of the Revision, is 
 nearer to the Greek than the familiar text. 
 The participle is of the verb which is trans- 
 lated "to make merry" in 15: 23, 32, and 
 describes a life given wholly to self-indul- 
 gence and merry-making. He was a perfect 
 example of the prosperity possible for a man 
 who acts not as a faithful steward for God. 
 God's judgment on such could best be shown 
 by following him into the eternal state. The 
 Pharisees held strongly to the doctrine of fu- 
 ture retribution. 
 
 20, ff. A certain beggar, named Laz- 
 arus. A "poor man"; that is, reduced to 
 such straits of penury, by affliction, as to be 
 dependent oii the charity of others for sub- 
 sistence. Christ had not given any name to 
 his imaginary rich man, although Christen- 
 dom has made one of the Latin adjective 
 "Dives," as stated above. His character was 
 apparent from his mode of life. But to indi- 
 cate the character of the poor man, Christ 
 sympathetically applies to him the Greek 
 equivalent of the Hebrew Eleazar, Lazarus 
 = God's help. Poor, neglected, and despise.l, 
 he still has God on his side. — Was laid^had 
 been laid, or thrown down, and so was lying — 
 at his gate, full of sores. He had been laid 
 down near the entrance to the rich man's 
 house, in the expectation of his friends that, 
 from the superfluity of the latter, he would 
 have, at least, subsistence. Thus was fur- 
 nished to the rich man, without trouble of 
 search, an opportunity to act as God's stew- 
 ard, and to make one friend by means of his 
 mammon. How complete the contrast be- 
 tween God's favorite and the devotee of mam- 
 mon I He was poor, even to perishing of need ; 
 the other, overflowing in wealth; diseased, 
 while the other was in sound health ; desiring 
 to be fed with the mere olfal of that table at 
 which the other surfeited himself in revelry. 
 That he. was not supplied with the mere 
 crumbs that he desired, is implied in more- 
 over, or, yea, even, of the second member of 
 verse 21. He did not receive even so much 
 attention, yea, even the dogs — those horrid 
 creatures, the dread and abomination of an 
 
Ch.XVL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 256 
 
 21 And duHiriiig to be fed with the criiiiibs which fell 
 froni tlie riuli uiuii s table: uiureuver the dugs cauiuuud 
 licked his sures. 
 
 22 And it cauiu to pass, that the beggar died, aud was 
 carried by the angels into Abraham's bosoui : the rich 
 luan also died, and was buried ; 
 
 '21 was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be 
 fed with the crumbs that lell Ironi the rich man's 
 table ; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
 
 22 Aud it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that 
 he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's 
 bosom: aud the rich mau also Uu-d, and was buried. 
 
 Eastern community — came and licked his 
 
 sores — as if ready to devour liim altogether. 
 The man was, doubtless, in rags, and nearly 
 naked, over against tlie "purple and fine 
 linen" in whic-li Dives was clad. 
 
 22. And it came to pass that the beg- 
 gar died, etc. Jesus hastens to the consum- 
 mation of the two lines of experience. Wc 
 are not offended with the details of a life of 
 sensuality and luxury on the one hand, or 
 distressed with the lingering account of tlie 
 pains of Lazarus. He died, famished, as 
 it would seem, and exhausted by maladies, 
 aggravated, not remedied, by proximity to 
 overflowing abundance. His end was a gentle 
 i-elease. While death reigns in the world 
 through sin, and is always a dreadful cloud 
 over our earthly relations, yet to how many 
 under the gospel, poor and sick and old, 
 yea, and to young also, lovers of God and 
 united to Christ, does his api)roach come as 
 the greatest of blessings! And was carried 
 (away) by the angels into Abraham's 
 bosom. The experience after death of the 
 two subjects is related, to some extent, in 
 terms and under images adopted and adapted 
 from the Pharisaic theology of that da}-. 
 (See the proofs in Wetstein on the passage, 
 and sources in Smith, Bib. Diet., Art., Abra- 
 ham's Bosom.) The being carried by angels 
 was regarded as a special privilege of favored 
 souls; because the doctrine was that only the 
 souls of the just could enter Paradise. Meyer 
 supposes that, from the entire omission of 
 reference to the pauper's burial, he is carried 
 away body and soul, adducing an expression 
 from the Kabbala (Idra Rabba), in which, 
 speaking of certain ones deceased, "holy 
 angels are said to have carried them within 
 that outspread vail." The proof is slight to 
 support so unique a view. Much more prob- 
 ably no funeral is spoken of in this case, be- 
 cause there was none worthy of mention, 
 Hs compared with that of the rich man. In 
 Abraham's bosom, was a familiar designa- 
 tion of the happy state of the righteous dead , 
 in Paradise (oh. 23: 43), during the interval be- 
 tween death and the resurrection (compare 4 
 Mac. 13: 16), where the faithful brothers are 
 
 sustained in death by the prospect of being 
 welcomed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
 To be in one's bosom was then to enjoy the 
 highest intimacy with him, since, wiiilu re- 
 clining at table, the head of the next lower on 
 the couch rested against the breast of the one 
 above him. Abraham, as father of the na- 
 tion, would occupy tiiu place of honor; and 
 to be in his bosom was to be as eminently dis- 
 tinguished as possible. Yet after this expres- 
 sion of the felicity of Paradise had become 
 once familiar, we need not suppose that it 
 always suggested the notion of a banquet; 
 but rather of association and companionship. 
 {And) the rich man also died, and was 
 buried. Meyer thinks the latter item is 
 stated in contrast with Lazarus, whom hie 
 makes to have needed no burial, being trans- 
 lated bodily. It is rather to show that his 
 earthly history was consistently terminated. 
 His burial was something to speak of. It 
 continued and crowned the vain and extrava- 
 gant pomp of his life. Lazarus' bod}' had 
 been as little cared for dead as living. 
 
 23. And in hell (rather, hades) he lifted 
 up his eyes, being in torment. On 
 hades, see note on ch. 10 : 15. It was the Greek 
 designation now familiar to the Hebrews, 
 through the Greek translation of the Old Tes- 
 tament, of the abode and condition of the 
 dead prior to the judgment. Thither went 
 good and bad alike, but each (by an 
 advance on the intimations of the Hebrew 
 sheol) to his own place, the righteous to Para- 
 dise—Abraham's bosom— the wicked to hell 
 iyitvva.), see on 12: o. He lifted up his 
 eyes— taking a survey of his altered state. 
 Comp. Milton, Par. Lost, I, 56 ff. Being 
 in torment. This indicates to which section 
 of hades he had gone. It is mentioned 
 as though a matter of course, seeing what he 
 was. There had been no external determina- 
 tion of his case; leaving this life, he simply 
 went to his own place. It was the righteous 
 antithesis to that ungodly and inhuman 
 merry-making in which he had lived splen- 
 didly on the earth. And seeth Abraham 
 afar off— being himself far away from the 
 father of the nation, and centre of the future 
 
256 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, heing in torments, 
 and t-eeth Abraliaiu alar on', and Lazarus iu his bosom. 
 
 M Ami he cried and said, Fatlier Abraliam, have 
 luercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the 
 tip oi his tiuger iu water, and "cool my tongue; for I 
 *am tormented in tliis tiame. 
 
 26 hut Abraham said, Son, ' remember that thou in 
 thy liletime receivedst thy good things, and likewise 
 Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou 
 an tormented. 
 
 a; And beside all this, between us and you there is a 
 great gulf nxed: so that they which would pass from 
 hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that 
 would come, trom theuce. 
 
 23 And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in tor- 
 ments, and seeth Abraham afar ott', and Lazarus irt 
 
 24 his bosom. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, 
 have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may 
 dip the tip of his tiuger in water, and cool my 
 
 25 tongue ; for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abra- 
 ham said, i.Son, remember that thou in thy liletime 
 receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like 
 manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, 
 
 26 and thou art in anguish. And 2 beside all this, 
 between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that 
 they who would pass I'rom hence to you may not be 
 able, and that none may cross over from thence to 
 
 1 ZeoU. 14: 12 6 Isa. 66: 24; Mark 9: 44, etc c Job 21 : 13; oh. 6: 24. 1 Gr. Child 2 Or, in all these thinga. 
 
 blessedness, which he had expected naturally 
 to share. And Lazarus in his bosom. 
 
 How precisely their conditions are reversed! 
 Lazarus, who had often sent a longing desire 
 toward the overplus of his feasts, now rejoices 
 in a perpetual ci»mmunion with holy souls, 
 while the rich man looks on at a distance, 
 and must beg — in vain — for some slight alle- 
 viation of his woe. 
 
 24. And he cried — called aloud, as the 
 distance required— and said, Father Abra- 
 ham. The appellation implies a claim for 
 favor on the ground of mere physical rela- 
 tionship, to which John the Baptist had 
 warned them (ch. 3:8) not to trust. —Have 
 mercy on me. Self-righteousness vanishes 
 in the light of eternity, and he pleads for relief 
 only on the ground of pity.— And send Laz- 
 arus, etc. ; spoken not at all in the tone of 
 supercilious mastership over the beggar, but, 
 as significant of his own profound misery, he 
 prays that the first one who is in a situation to 
 do it, should be allowed to grant him some 
 little relief; even so much as to let one drop 
 of water fall from the finger-tip on his burn- 
 ing tongue. — For I am tormented (better, 
 in anguish) in this flame. The verb is not 
 the one corresponding to torment, in verse 28, 
 but signifies "to be sorely distressed." That 
 fire was then commonly thought to be a cause 
 of pain to lost souls, seems implied ; but we 
 know of no documentary support of such a 
 view. Fire was, at all events, a most appro- 
 priate symbol of the remorse and apprehen- 
 sion of God's displeasure natural to the self- 
 condemned soul beyond the grave. 
 
 25. Abraham denies the request on account 
 of the moral fitness of the appointment as it 
 now is.— Son— (cAiW)— pitifully recognizing 
 the relationship which Dives had claimed, 
 only the more poignantly to impress a sense 
 of sin and consequent sorrow without end — 
 remember — not consider, or anticipate, or do 
 
 anything that implies hope; but remember, 
 and open ever afresh the sources of remorse to 
 the soul that cannot repent. — That thou in 
 thy lifetime receivedst thy good things — 
 
 all that thou didst choose as thy portion. The 
 Greek verb for ''receivedst'^ properly means, 
 "didst completely receive," "receive to the 
 full." Hadst thou employed that wealth— 
 which it was thy pleasure to squander — as 
 God's steward, and made to th^'self friends of 
 the unrighteous mammon, it would have 
 yielded thee happiness still, and forever. But 
 now it has not virtue to procure for thee one 
 drop of water. — And likewise {in like man- 
 ner) Lazarus evil things : not his evil 
 things, hut such as in God's providence were 
 allotted to him. The^'. too, are fully done 
 with. — But now (here) he is comforted, and 
 thou art tormented (i. e., iaanguish). Here 
 gives pungenc3- to the contrast, in memory, of 
 the former to the present state of being. 
 
 26. And besides all this — rather, m= 
 among all these things — showing that thy re- 
 quest cannot be granted, is the impossibility 
 growing out of the local relation of the two 
 classes of souls. — Between us and you — you 
 (plural), the class to which yon belong — there 
 is a great gulf— chasm — fixed. This is, 
 doubtless, a part of the poetically figurative 
 representation of the unchangeable separation 
 between the righteous and the wicked after 
 death.— So that— ui order that— they whicYi 
 would pass from hence to you cannot 
 (lit., mr73/=should — not be able). That sepa- 
 ration was planned in the verj' constitution of 
 their abode. There should be no passage 
 either way, to seek relief or render aid. 
 
 27-31. At the point now reached the lesson 
 
 called for by the mammon worship of the 
 
 Pharisees (ver. u) had been fully given. It 
 
 was graphically shown how truly "that 
 
 I which is exalted among men is an abomina- 
 
 i tion in the sight of God." But ^"^e connection 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 257 
 
 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that 
 thou wouldcst send him to uiy fatlier s house: 
 
 2(4 For I have live bretlireii; that he may testify unto 
 th<;m, le.st they also come into this plaee of torment. 
 
 •JS) Abraliam sailh unto him, "Tliey have Moses and 
 the prophets; let theui hear them. 
 
 :w And he said. Nay, lather Abraham : butifonewent 
 UDtu them from the dead, they will repent. 
 
 27 us. And he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that 
 
 28 thou wouldest send him to my father's house; for I 
 have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, 
 
 29 lest they also eome into this place of torment, but 
 Abraham saith, 'I'hey have Moses and the prophets; 
 
 30 let them hear them. And he said, Nay, lather Abra- 
 ham : but if one go to them from the dead, they will 
 
 al9a.8:20; 34: IS: JobD5:39,15i Aeu 15:21; 17: II. 
 
 between the doom of the rich man and his 
 religious cliaraotcr hud not been plainly 
 intiiiiiited. What follows at once completes 
 the picture of his posthumous state, and shows 
 it to be the result of a lack of faith and 
 repentance, such its a due regard to the Old 
 Testament would have produced. Want of 
 this pious dispo-sition could alone have led to 
 their mockery of Christ's exposition of duty 
 concerning the use of riches (ver. 15), and it 
 proved his opposers generally liable to the 
 rich man's condemnation. 
 
 27. I pray thee, therefore — seeing the 
 hopelessness of my case, and that all who die 
 impenitent and unprepared must come hither 
 to anguish. That thou wouldest send him 
 to my father's house. The idea of a mes- 
 senger from sheol to the habitations of men is 
 a part of the rhetorical scheme, to emphasize 
 the wretchedness of an impenitent death. 
 
 28. For I have live brethren— Aro^/iers. 
 It is a case where parents are dead. Kemem- 
 branee of brothers (and other relatives and 
 friends) still living unprepiired, is a part of 
 the di-stress of a lost soul, and shows that per- 
 dition docs not of necessity involve the de- 
 struction of such natural sentiments. That 
 he may testify unto them, lest they also 
 come into this place of torment. What 
 testimony he would have Lazarus bear to his 
 brothers was, as we may confidently infer, 
 that the self-indulgent use of their earthly 
 possessions, the failure to regard themselves 
 as God's stewards, would inevitably result in 
 cureless, helpless misery' after death. Note, 
 that he supj)oses it must be a holy soul that 
 can possiblj' deliver such a message; and 
 that the thought does not occur to him of an 
 effectual rcpc.'ntance for them, or for himself, 
 in that tibode of woe. He would have them 
 instructed in time to avoid the amazing folly, 
 as well as wickedness, which he must rue 
 through eternity. 
 
 29. {Rut) Abraham saith unto him. 
 They have Moses and the prophets — the 
 same source of wisdom and rule of life which 
 
 these Pharisees had before them (»er. le), and 
 which, in its ideal spirituality, is continued 
 in the new kingdom.— Let them hear them. 
 To hear is, in this case, to heed, to believe, 
 and to obey. This they could not do, accord- 
 ing to the true intent of that revelation, with- 
 out welcoming all light on the way of life, as 
 it came also from him. But even apsirt from 
 this thought, thej' had knowledge far beyond 
 what was vouchsafed to Abraham in the Old 
 Testament record. 
 
 30. And he said. Nay, father Abra- 
 ham : but if one went unto (better, go to) 
 them from the dead, they will repent. 
 The view expressed is that on which the nec- 
 romancy of all ages has subsisted. Testimony 
 from the dead returned to life must, it is sup- 
 po.sed, have a greater influence on the belief 
 and practice of men, in reference to the reali- 
 ties of that state, than all the testimony of 
 God himself, through his inspired spokesmen. 
 So it was with Saul, King of Israel, in the 
 attempted evocation of Samuel; and so in a 
 multitude of cases of modern conjuration, 
 called spiritualism, or, more properly, spirit- 
 ism. Yet we might know beforehand that real 
 messengers from the other world could ])rac- 
 tically testify only to our need of moral amend- 
 ment — repentance and faith — and a life of ho- 
 liness here, in order to happiness there. This 
 we know perfectly well already. It is the 
 depraved reluctance of men's hearts to such a 
 change and course of life which makes any- 
 thing more seem necessary, and would just as 
 surely break the powerof any other testimony 
 as it does that of the revelation God has 
 given. We read of no wonderfully good ef- 
 fect of the return of the other Lazarus from 
 the dead; and we know that when the apos- 
 tles afterward went abroad, testifying and 
 demonstrating that Jesus himself had risen, 
 and made them his witnesses concerning the 
 secrets of eternity, it was only those "who 
 were ordained unto eternal life" that be- 
 lieved; while ever}' where, " when they heard 
 of the resurrection of the dead» some mocked." 
 
258 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVII. 
 
 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and I 31 repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not 
 the prophets, "neither will they be persuaded, though Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per- 
 
 one rose from the dead. | .suaded, if one rite from the dead. 
 
 CHAPTEK XVII. 
 
 THEN said he unto the disciples, 'It is impossible but 
 that oH'eDces will come : but woe unto /um, through 
 whom they come ! 
 
 •I It were better for him that a millstone were hanged 
 about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he 
 should oll'end one of Ih.ese little ones. 
 3 Take need to yourselves: "^If thy brother trespass 
 
 1 And he said unto his disciples, It is imposs'ble 
 but that occasions of stumliling should come: but 
 
 2 woe unto him, through whom they come! It were 
 well for him if a millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than 
 that he should cause one of these little ones to 
 
 3 stumble. Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother 
 
 John 12: 10, 11.... 5 Matt. 18 : 6, 7 ; Mark 9: 42; 1 Cor. 11: 19 c Matt. 18: 15, 21. 
 
 Observe that Dives here recognizes his failure 
 to repent as the reason of his being in the 
 phice of torment. 
 
 31. If they hear not Moses and the 
 prophets, etc. The utter hopelessness of the 
 case of the Pharisaic class, is thus attested by 
 Abraham himself. Did the Saviour mean to 
 intimate the future incorrigibility of the peo- 
 ple, in the face of his own resurrection? To 
 "hear," in this verse, issj'nonymous with "be 
 persuaded," which is the same as to yield be- 
 lief to testimony; and all take the place of 
 "repent," in the preceding verse. [It may 
 be proper to add that, while Dives speaks of 
 one going to them from the dead, Abraham 
 substitutes for that expression, a rising from 
 the dead. This seems to imply the necessity 
 of resurrection in the case of the dead, if they 
 are to appear among men ; and so the fact 
 that the resurrection does not ordinarily take 
 place at death. — A. H.] 
 
 Ch. 17. 1-4. Woe to Him Who Causes 
 THE Disciples to Stumble. How Such 
 Evil is to be Avoided. 
 
 1. There is some doubt whether these verses 
 are a continuation of the preceding discourse, 
 or a different report of what may have been 
 said on another occasion (Matt, is: 7, 6, 21 t.). We 
 may say, at least, that they seem to stand in a 
 natural and reasoned connection here also. 
 The murmuring (ch. 15 : 2) and the derisive com- 
 ments (ch. 16: u) of the most influential classes 
 of the religious community on Chri-st's acts 
 and teachings, were well suited to shake the 
 faith and devotion to him of his weaker dis- 
 ciples; in other words, to cause them to stum- 
 ble. Then ( better,^ wrf) said he nnto the 
 {his) disciples— no longer to the Pharisees— 
 (ch. 16:15), and not yet to the apostles (^er. 5), 
 but to the body of his followers. It is im- 
 possible but that offences will (better, 
 should) come. Offences here {(TKdvSaka) 
 are what are commonly called "stumbling- 
 
 blocks," occasions of stumbling, or actual 
 fall in the course of discipleship to Christ. 
 The Greek word meant the trigger of a trap, 
 contact with which would cause the trap to 
 spring; then, in the Septuagint, the trap or 
 snare; then anything, stone or what not (Heb. 
 mikshol) with which one comes in contact, sO 
 as to stumble or be thrown down. Hence, 
 morally, whatever was adapted to shock the 
 confidence of believers, and cause waver- 
 ing or apostasy in the life of faith. It may 
 arise among Christians themselves, or in the 
 bearings of the world upon them, and is named 
 here, probably, with reference to the mali- 
 cious words and deeds of the Pharisees, as 
 calculated to turn the disciples away froni 
 him. The impossibility of their not coming 
 lies in the moral antagonism of the world to 
 him and his cause. It would cease should the 
 world become thoroughly converted to his 
 spirit. But woe unto him, etc. That ne- 
 cessity, lying in the prevalence of imperfec- 
 tion and sin, only makes more conspicuous 
 the criminality of him who voluntarily causes 
 the offence. 
 
 2. It were better (literally, well) for 
 him if a millstone, etc. The Saviour's 
 earnestness gives an extraordinary character 
 to his style. He conceives of the fate as 
 having already befallen ; and a literal transla- 
 tion would be, nearly: "It is profitable for 
 him — he is better oflT— if a millstone lies 
 about his neck and he has been cast into the 
 sea." In plain prose, to have lost his natural 
 life is a lesser damage than to have committed- 
 such a sin, viz., that he should offend one 
 of these little ones (rather, cause one of 
 these little ones to stumhle). These are the 
 recent converts, immature disciples, believers 
 who need encouragement, rather, and 
 strengthening; that one should deliberately 
 aim to turn them back, and lead them to fall 
 away, is a truly diabolical wrong. 
 
 3. Take heed to yourselves — lest yo 
 
Ch. XVII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 259 
 
 against thee, "rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive 
 him. 
 
 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in aday, 
 and seven times iu a day turn again to thee, saying, I 
 repent; thou shall lorgive him. 
 
 5 And tlie apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our 
 faith. 
 
 6 'And the Lord .said. If ye had faith a-s a grain of 
 mustard seod, ye might say uuto this sycaniiue tree, Be 
 thou phickcd up by the root, and be thou planted in the 
 sea; and it should obey you. 
 
 4 sin, rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive him. And 
 ii he sin against thee seven times iu the day, and 
 seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; 
 thou shalt forgive him. 
 
 5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our 
 
 6 faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain 
 of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine 
 tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the 
 
 a Lev. 19: 17; Prov. 17: 10 { James 5 : 19 6 Matt. 17: 20; 21 : 21 ; Mark 9: 23; 11: 23. 
 
 also, unawares, and through inconsistency 
 with your principles, practice the same evils 
 as the Pharisees have now practiced. This 
 seems to be the most probable connection, 
 unles.s we give up the attetnpt to trace any 
 at all. If thy brother trespass (sin) 
 — against thee, is pretty plainly in the 
 thought, considering what follows, although 
 the authorities for the Greek text fully war- 
 rant the Revision in leaving the words simply 
 to be understood. In case of a personal 
 wrong suffered by a disciple, he is not by 
 wanton severity of judgment and insistance 
 on punishment, to create "scandals," or 
 cause offence to Christ's little ones. Rebuke 
 him — i. e., point out to him the evil he has 
 done, and so represent its iniquity as to bring 
 him to feel it. This is required for his own 
 amendment. And if he repent — sincerely 
 recognize and confess his fault — forgive him. 
 To forgive is to remit all claim for punish- 
 ment, and positively to desire the offender's 
 welfare. One is thus to forgive the trespasses 
 of others as one hopes to be forgiven by God. 
 In both cases it is on the ground of manifested 
 repentance. 
 
 4. And if he sin against thee seven 
 times in a day, etc. The mention of seven 
 times, like that of "seventy times seven" 
 (Matt. 18: s'i), tcachcs that, no matter how often, 
 as often as occasion may require, the spirit of 
 forgiveness is to be exercised. It is as con- 
 stant a trait of the true Christian character as 
 is faith, or dependence on God for mercy. 
 And seven times in a day turn again to 
 thee, saying, I repent. "Turning again 
 to" implies that he has by his sin turned 
 away from ; and is here, toward man, what 
 elsewhere the verb signifies toward God — a 
 "conversion." It is the outward expression 
 of the inward change signified by I repent; 
 repentance and conversion toward an injured 
 brother. So eminently does this spirit of for- 
 giveness belong to the inmost essence of 
 
 Christianity, that nothing could be more nat- 
 ural than for the Saviour to treat the lack of 
 it as a dangerous occasion of offence. Who- 
 ever fails to exhibit it, egregiously misrepre- 
 sents the profession of discipleship. 
 
 5, f. The Apostles Taught the Power 
 OF Faith. 
 
 Even the apostles are made sensible of 
 their insufficiency for such imitation of the 
 Master. This appears to be the sense of their 
 prayer, Increase our faith ; literally, ''add 
 to us faith." Faith is rightly apprehended 
 by them as the root principle of all holy emo- 
 tion and acts, love among the rest, in which 
 is included the spirit of forgiveness.. ' 
 
 6. This verse should be rendered. And the 
 Lord said. If ye have faith as a grain of 
 mustard seed, ye would say unto this 
 sycamine tree. Be thou, etc. The syca- 
 mine tree was a species of mulberry, proba- 
 bly distinct from "the sycamore" (ch.i9:4). 
 This was named as an apparently solid and 
 immovable object then before their eyes. The 
 present indicative of the verb following if 
 assumes that they have such faith — "if ye 
 have faith, and I know ye have." Thus the 
 sentence implies, by the very irregularity of 
 its form, the surprise of our Lord that they do 
 not act out the faith which they have. "Ye 
 have so much faith, — and exercising it" — ye 
 vjould say, not ye might say. Be thou 
 plucked up, (better, rooted up), etc., =" let 
 any work of divine power be performed," in 
 the way of your duty as members and min- 
 isters of my kingdom. He could hardly have 
 intended, literally, to promise the power of 
 merely physical prodigies, something which 
 neither Christ nor his apostles ever wrought. 
 And it wottld have obeyed you. This way or 
 speaking supposes the ye would say to have 
 been actually done, and the effect to have in- 
 stantly followed. So certain is it that it would 
 follow, if they should so say. The Saviour 
 thus teaches that, to increase faith, we simply 
 
260 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVII. 
 
 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or 
 feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is 
 come irom the field, do and sit down to meat? 
 
 H And will not rather say unto him. Make ready 
 wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, "and serve me, 
 till 1 have eaten and driibken ; and afterward thou shalt 
 ■eat and drink? 
 
 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the 
 things that were commanded him? 1 trow not. 
 
 li» ISO likewise ye, when ye shall have done "all those 
 things which are commanded you, say, We are 'unprof- 
 itable servants: we have done that which was our duty 
 to do. 
 
 11 And it eame to pass, i^as he went to Jerusalem, 
 that he passed through the midst of Samaria and 
 Galilee. 
 
 7 sea ; and it would obey you. But who is there of 
 you, having a i servant plowing or keeping sheep, 
 that will say unto him, when he is come in from the 
 
 8 field. Come straightway and sit down to meat; and 
 will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith 
 I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have 
 eaten and drunken ; and afterward thou shalt eat 
 
 9 and drink? Doth he thank the ' servant because he 
 
 10 did the things that were commanded? Even so ye 
 also, when ye shall have done all the things that are 
 commanded you, say, We are unprofitable -servants; 
 we have done that which it was our duty to do. 
 
 11 And it came to pass, *as they were on the way to 
 Jerusalem, that he was passing ■* along the border* 
 
 need to exercise what we have, however little, 
 even as a grain of mustard seed. 
 
 7-10. The Ab.sence of Merit in the 
 Works of the Disciples. 
 
 The continuity of discourse which we have 
 been able to trace, with a degree of proba- 
 bility hitherto, through this chapter, can 
 hardly be carried further. Meyer finds a link 
 in the implied liability of the disciples to ar- 
 rogance, on account of the works of faith, of 
 which they were capable. It seems more 
 reasonable to suppose that Luke found this 
 piece of instruction well suited to close up the 
 series of counsels which the Lord had been 
 addressing to them. For this purpose what 
 could be more fit than a lesson of humility? 
 This lesson is delivered in a sort of hypothet- 
 ical parable. Suppose a master should require 
 his slave, when returning from the day's work 
 out of doors, to prepare and serve for him the 
 supper, before taking his own meal. The 
 slave, in obeying, would have done no more 
 than his recognized task, and no one would 
 think it worthy of special commendation or 
 reward. 
 
 10. So likewise ye» when ye shall have 
 done all, etc. — if that time should ever come 
 — it will still be incumbent on you to be 
 humble; say to yourselves, We are un- 
 profitable servants. This does not mean 
 " we have been of no use," but " we have no 
 surplusof merit beyond any faithful servant;" 
 or, as the Saviour himself explains, "we have 
 simply done that without doing which we 
 should have been culpably unfaithful" — 
 that which it was our duty to do. The 
 things commanded were all comprehended in 
 love (Jnh'i 15: 10, 12), in its various manifestations. 
 If humility became those who should have 
 fulfilled this commandment, how much more 
 those who are perpetually conscious of coming 
 
 short in this duty. In perfect consistency 
 with this, Christ teaches plainly, elsewhere, 
 that there are, and are to be, ample rewards 
 for fidelity in his service, only as a pure gift 
 of grace, and most ample where there is least 
 thought of merit, or claim for any benefit as 
 earned. 
 
 11-19. The Cleansing of Ten Lepers. 
 
 The evangelist now turns from the series 
 of discourses beginning with chapter 14, and 
 continued to this point without evident change 
 of place. From the statement in verse 11, it 
 appears that the following incident occurred 
 nearthe border between Galilee and Samaria. 
 It belongs to the final journey toward Jeru- 
 salem, announced ch. 9: 51, and again men- 
 tioned ch. 13 : 22. But whether it comes in 
 chronological order, so that all reported in ch. 
 9: 51 — 17: 10 has taken place in the south of 
 Galilee, or whether a part of the foregoing 
 events have occurred in Perea, so that we now 
 have an earlier transaction, out of its real order, 
 cannot be positively decided. We think it 
 more likely that portions of the preceding 
 narrative belong to a more advanced stage of 
 the journey, and that what is reported in 
 this paragraph had taken place considerably 
 earlier. 
 
 11. And it came to pass, as he went 
 (rather, as they were on the way) to Jerusa- 
 lem — a general designation of the time — that 
 he passed — was passing— through the midst 
 of Samaria and Galilee. This designation 
 of locality might, with equal warrant of the 
 Greek, be translated between Samaria and 
 Galilee. This suits better with the mention 
 of Samaria first, instead of Galilee, and with 
 the statements in Matt. 19: 1; Mark 10: 1, 
 that this journey lay through Perea, and 
 with the fact that the next place definitely 
 named is Jericho (oh. i9:i). We may thus 
 
Ch. XVIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 261 
 
 12 And a« he entered into a certain village, there met 
 him ten men that were lepers, "which stood alar ott': 
 
 la And the}' lilted up their voices, and said, Jesus, 
 Master, have uicrcy on us. 
 
 14 And whcu he saw litem, he said unto them, *Go 
 shew yourselves uuto the priests. And it came to pass, 
 that, a-s they went, they were cleansed. 
 
 15 And oue ol' them, when he saw that he was healed, 
 turned hack, and with a loud voice gloritied God, 
 
 IG And tell down on hU face at his feet, giving him 
 thanks : and he was a tjamaritau. 
 
 12 of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a 
 certain village, there ujet him ten men tliat \ver« 
 
 13 lepers, who stood alar ott': and they lilted up their 
 voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on lis. 
 
 14 And when he saw them, he .said unto tlieiu, (io and 
 shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to 
 
 15 pass, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of 
 them, when he saw that he was healed, turned hack, 
 
 16 with a loud voice glorifying God ; and he lell upou 
 his face at his feet, giving him thau^s: aud he was 
 
 •tLev. 13:46....6Lev. 13:2; 11:2; MalL8:4; eh. 5:11. 
 
 see the Saviour now turned ea.stward to- 
 ward the Jordan, with Samaria on the 
 right and Galilee on the left hand. The 
 proportion of Galileans among the lepers 
 would lead to the inference that he was 
 on Galilean ground, perhaps soon after 
 the event of ch. 9: 52-55. That this eastward 
 movement was understood by Luke to have 
 crossed tlte Jordan is uncertain, as he neither 
 mentions such a fact, nor says anything in- 
 consistent witli the supposition of it. 
 
 12. As he entered into a certain vil- 
 lage, there met him ten men that were 
 lepers. On the case of Lepers, see on ch. 5: 12. 
 Of the ten, it appears that nine were Jews, 
 one a Samaritan; iningling without scruple, 
 in their misery. That so many were together 
 makes it probable that they had assembled in 
 anticipation of Christ's arrival. Which 
 stood afar off, under a sense of their re- 
 puted uiicleaiiness, especially in the presence 
 of a great teacher, like Jesus of Nazareth. 
 Little did they realize his superiority to those 
 ceremonial scruples when good was to be 
 done to needy men. Wetstein, on the passage, 
 gives quotations from the Rabbinic literature 
 to show their aversion to lepers. Two Rabbis 
 disputing the question maintained: one, that 
 it was not fit to come within a hundred cubits 
 of a leper; the other, within four cubits, when 
 he stood between them and the wind. An- 
 other would not eat an egg if laid in a court- 
 yard where a leper was. One, when he saw a 
 leper, a.ssailed him with stones, saying: "Off 
 to thy own place, lest thou defile others," etc. 
 
 13. And they — of themselves, without 
 waiting to be spoken to, as the Greek shows — 
 lifted up their voices, so as to be heard a 
 long way, saying, Jesus, Master, using, 
 appropriately here, the term peculiar to 
 Luke, which signifies rulership, authority 
 (ea-urroTi)?!. Have mercy on us. In what 
 manner, needed no explanation. The plea 
 was obviously equivalent to "Heal us of our 
 dreadful malady." 
 
 14. And when he saw them — being roused 
 by their cry— he said unto them — without 
 waiting for plea or explanation, callingaloud — 
 Go and shew yourselves unto the priests. 
 
 From the mention of priests, more than 
 one, it has been supposed that Chri.st had in 
 mind one for the Jews and one for the Sa- 
 maritans, as he would have each go to his own 
 priest. This, if so, would be a curious and 
 peculiar case; and it is more probiible that our 
 Lord first had his attention called to the Sa- 
 maritan, as sucli, when he came afterward to 
 thank him. Our Lord had probably in mind 
 the class of priests. He gave no explicit 
 answer to their prayer, but his direction to 
 them to fulfill the commandment of the law, 
 touching those who were healed of leprosy 
 (Lev. u:2), must have given them confidence 
 that healing was to come to them. And it 
 came. They started promptly for Jerusalem ; 
 for the purificatory rites must be performed 
 at the seat of sacrifice (Lev. u: 13.23). And . . . 
 as they went — apparently without anj^ sud- 
 den or .striking change — they were cleansed 
 of their defilement and most cruel plague. 
 Such an experience might well suspend the 
 ceremonial duty, until they had discharged 
 the moral duty of gratitude and praise to the 
 author of their cure. They had not gone so 
 far awaj' that they did not know Jesus was 
 still where they had left him. 
 
 15. And one of them . . . turned back, 
 and with a loud voice glorified Cwod 
 (literally, with a loud voice glorifying God.) 
 In him the appropriate sentiment was 
 awakened, and the right conduct followed. 
 He recognized God as the source of the great 
 blessing to him, and made the air resound, 
 as he retraced his steps, with songs and .shouts 
 of praise to God. He would have everybody 
 know of the divine mercy illustrated in his 
 case. 
 
 16. Jesus also, as the medium through whom 
 the mercy had come to him, seemed to him 
 almost as the real author of it, which indeed 
 
262 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVII. 
 
 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten 
 cleansed? but where (/re the nine? 
 
 18 There are not Ibiind that returned to give glory to 
 God, save tliis stranger. 
 
 I'.i "And he said unto him. Arise, go thy way: thy 
 faith hath made tliee whoh;. 
 
 20 And wlien he was demanded of the Pharisees, 
 .wlien llie kingdom otiiod sliould come, he answered 
 them and said, The kingdom of (iod Cometh not with 
 ohservation : 
 
 21 '• Neither shall they say, Lo here I or, lo there! for, 
 behold, 'the kingdom o( (jod is within you. 
 
 17 a Samaritan. And .Icsus answering .said. Were not 
 1« the ten clean.sed ? hut where are tlie nine? ' Were 
 
 there none found tliat returned to give glory lo dod, 
 11) .save this '■'stranger? And he said unto him. Arise, 
 
 and go thy way: thy faith hath ^ made llice whole. 
 
 20 And heing asked by the I'hari.secs, when tlu^ king- 
 dom of (loil Cometh, tie answered them and said, 
 'I'he kingdom of (iod conielh not with observation: 
 
 21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or,Thure! for lo, 
 the kingdom of (jod is ■* within you. 
 
 a UaU. 9: Ti; UBi'k&:34; 10: M; oh. T: SO; B: 48; 18: 42....6 ver. 2.'<....eRniii. 14: IT. 1 Or, there were none found . 
 
 itranger . . . . i Or, alien..,. ^ Or, eaved thee.... 4 Or, in the mldtt of you. 
 
 lie •was. And fell down on his face at his 
 feet, giving him thanks — worship iind 
 gratitude. And he was a Samaritan — iiri- 
 piyiiig tliat tlie otlicrs wcro Jews, and ])r()b- 
 ably that tlie fact of this oik; beiiif? a Samari- 
 tan now first broke on the attention of .lesu.s. 
 It s(!enis to have d(!eply saddened his heart. 
 It afl'orded, indeed, an omen of the aeces.sion 
 of worshijters to liis kingdom from among the 
 strangers, but of the tlianklessne.ss of his own 
 nation. 
 
 17. And Jesus answering said. Were 
 there not ten (literally, Wt:rc not the ten) 
 cleansed? But where are the nine? The 
 point of his question is that the nine were 
 morally bound, as well as the one, to express 
 their gratitude to him. It was a case where 
 " mercy," the spiritual service of God, might 
 properly interrupt, for a sufficient season, the 
 •'sacrifice," or coniinonial service, which, ac- 
 cordingto the law, Christ had enjoined. Their 
 case seems to show, again, that (jffectual faith 
 in th(! healing power of .Jesus was consistent 
 with great dullness of the; moral regard that 
 he prized so much more highly. 
 
 18. There are (rather, vyr.re) not found 
 that returned to give glory to God except 
 this stranger— ^alien, man of another race. 
 The interrogative form (s(!0 Revision) is 
 preferred by some, and is consistent with 
 the (Jreek; but not more so than our familiar 
 rendering. The logical force of the .statement 
 has been already indicated. 
 
 10. And he said. Arise, go thy way, thy 
 faith hath made thee whole (literally, 
 saved thee, as in 7: 50); thou mayest proceed 
 to the priest witli the assurance that thou art 
 thoroughly cured; and it is thy faith in me, 
 as the dispenser of supernatural bbjssing.s, on 
 account of which thou art resetted from .so sad 
 a case. "What could more powerfully tnove 
 him to consider and accept all which .lesus 
 had to oft'er to the faith of men? Might not 
 
 he, who had thus made this life a new thing to 
 him, disp(!ns(! th(! higher boon of eli^rnal life? 
 
 20,21. conckunino tllk comino of tiik 
 Kingdom. 
 
 The appearance of the Pharisees again lead.s 
 to the sujiposition of a distinct occasion, whoso 
 date and locality an; hift undoleriniiied. 
 
 20. And when he was demanded of (hot- 
 ter, Andhc.uu) a.'i/ctul /jy) the Pharisees when 
 the kingdom of (^od sli(nild come (literally, 
 Cometh). They were looking lor a reign of 
 the Messiah, under which all the glorious j)re- 
 dictions ol'the proi)h(!ts would b(! literally ful- 
 filled, with many circumstances added by 
 th(;ir latter thciology. (See on 0: 20.) Tlxry had 
 their views as to wlmt tht; manner of the Mes- 
 siah would b(!, and whitt events would pr(!ct;(le 
 and attend his coming, but hardly assumed to 
 fix a precise date for the event. Tlit^y could 
 not, being Pharisees, htive inquired of Jesus, 
 as being himstdf the M(;ssi!ih, around whoso 
 throne the kingdom w(juld crystallize ; but, as 
 a religious t(mchcr of high repute, they might 
 be curious to have his views on the question. 
 A loss charitable, but, perhaps, at this time, a 
 more probable, explanation, would be, that 
 they hoped, by some unrtiasonablo, or unor- 
 thodox, expression of his», to disparage liis 
 wisdom, or his piety, and perhaps bring him 
 into collision with the authorities. What- 
 ever the motive, our Saviour wa.s, as ovtsr, 
 prepared. He answers thtMr query by sh()W- 
 ing the impossibility of answering it in their 
 .u(;nKe. The kingdom of God cometh not 
 with ohservation ; i. e., attended by such 
 outward phenomena that, by observing them, 
 one mtty say, H(!re it is; it has comel 
 
 21. Neither^when it isninUy come — shall 
 they say, IjO, here I or, lo, there I it is— su 
 that if you g<>to sucVi or .such a plac<!, you will 
 see it. The coming <»f the kingdom, being a 
 spiritual thing, is nuirked by no apf)earanc<i», 
 or limitations, of which men can say thu( 
 
Ch. XVll.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 263 
 
 22 Aud ho said unto the disciples, ' The days will l Ti And ho said unto tho diaciplo.s, Tho dtiy.-i will 
 conio, when yo ahull du.siru to see one of the days of the cuiue, whou ye shtiii detiire to sve uue ut' the duya oC 
 Son ul' man, iind ye .shall not see il. \ 
 
 a Sm Matt. 9 : 16 ; J6hn II : 12. 
 
 they arc here or there. Ilonce, noithor run 
 tho iiistimt of its I'liiiTgoiKH! on tlio lii'hi t)f liis- 
 tory bo oxiu-tly known by signs piitont to 
 huMiiin obsorviition. — For, behuld, the 
 kingdom of diod is within you. Thu 
 GrtM'k proposition for within («»'T6t), is found 
 ol.scwlu'rii in the Now Testiiniont only at Matt. 
 23: 2(1, "tlio insido." Other (Jroi-k usage will, 
 doubtless, warrant sueli a rendering as that of 
 our version. Nor would tlie sense thus given 
 concerning the kingdom of God, iis being u 
 Spiritual experience, be in the least unaerip- 
 tural. It would also bo a suitable answer to 
 the Pharisees, that tho kingdom was not to bo 
 discovered by exteriuil scrutiny. Such rea- 
 sons might suffice to prevent a change of tlio 
 text in the Revision; but wo thi?ik, neverthe- 
 less, that their marginal alternative reading is 
 to be preferred, in the midat of you, among 
 you ^within youreircle, not outside of if. F«)r 
 this tho lexical authority is at leastecpial. (See 
 tho use illustrated in Meyer on the jiassage, 
 and more fully in the later editions of Liddell 
 ilnd Scott's Lexicon, or in Host und Palm's 
 th-ifch. Wdrti-rhuch). The same .sources will 
 supi)ly instances of the other use. But it is 
 less i)robable tliat one who wished to say 
 "within you," in the s(^nso of "in your 
 minds," should avoid the very familiar phrast! 
 (iv vixlv), and employ one nowhere else found 
 in tho New Testament. Again, that Christ 
 sliould speak of the kingd(un of (Jod as being 
 an affair of the soul merely, a " p.sycliological 
 kingdom," "an ethical condition," may not 
 bo, as Meyer suggests, a modern idcMi, yet it 
 does seem strange to tiie teaching of the Synop- 
 tical (lospels. Once rtion?; siniu; this language 
 is addressed expressly to the Pharisees, it is 
 hard to perceive how tiie Kingdom could bo in 
 their spirits, at all events. But it miglit with 
 truth and great i)ropriety bo said to be "among 
 them," "in their sphere, circle, neighborhood, 
 society," when ho the King was there, with 
 oven one faithful believer and subject. See 
 onO: 20. This fact was equally a confirma- 
 tion of the statement that the kingdom conu^th 
 not with observation, ami, as plainly as was 
 likely to be useful, intimated their duty to 
 rouognizo Ills Messiahship. 
 
 'I'l-'AT. (^)^•("KRNINO THK FlITirKK (ll.OIlY 
 OK TUK KlNUDOM. 
 
 'Z'Z. And he said nnto tho disciples. 
 
 They had listen<'d to his declaration of the 
 presence and invisibility to sense of the king- 
 dom, from which they might assume (tithur 
 that thoy aln^ady knew all there was of it, 
 and so think it of little account, or concludu 
 that the fuller measure of its privileges was to 
 be immediately enjoyed, and so be deluded 
 into premature exultation. To forestall either 
 form of mistake, the following tiiscourso was 
 admirably adapted. It shows that a con- 
 siderablo period of waiting was to elapse, 
 bringing some exjieriences to tho disciples; 
 that meanwhile, he himsidf must sutVer and 
 bo oast off; that tho world would then fall 
 into great forgetfulncss of him, and live as 
 though he was never to return; that this 
 would involve peril and ttMuptation to his fol- 
 lowers, in the midst of which the Son of man 
 would bo reveah'd. A comparison o( this 
 passage with tho corresponding portions of 
 Matt. 24, viz., verses 2(i, 28, 37-41, raises the 
 (luestion, as in one or two cas(>s before, whether 
 wo have twi> reports of the same discourse, 
 referred to dilfcrent occasions, and if .so, which 
 is to bo regarded as the true dale, or whether 
 our Lord so nearly rep(>ated tht> same words 
 at different times. Now, il is pretty obvious 
 that our discourse has ri>ference almost en- 
 tirely to tho final advent of the Lord, at 
 tho end of tho world; while Matthew's em- 
 braces many features of tho coming at tho 
 destruction of .lerusalem and of the Jewish 
 State. The Note of Dr. Fred. (Jnnliner on 
 the question, at p. ir>r) of his (Inek Harmony 
 offhf (fospels, is discriminating and helpful: 
 "Another instance in which St. Matthew, 
 having omitted the narrative of this period, 
 preserves some imjiortantpartsof its discourses, 
 by connecting them with a similar discourse 
 uttered somewhat later. By tra?isposing Iheso 
 passages to this pbu'o (into j)arallelism with 
 the corresponding verses of the passage before 
 us], the twenly-fourlh chapter of St. Matthew 
 may becom(t clearer to the student. A single 
 verso of St. Luko (3i), on the other hand, 
 reciuires to be transposed to that discourse by 
 
264 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVII. 
 
 23 " And they shall say to you, See here ; or, see there : 
 go not alter t/irm, nor lollow Ihem. 
 
 24 'i'or as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the 
 one part under heaven, sliiueth unto the other part 
 under heaven ; so shall also the Son of man be in his 
 day. 
 
 ■^5 "But first must he suffer many things, and be 
 rejected of this generation. 
 
 2G ''And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be 
 also in the days of the Son of man. 
 
 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they 
 were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered 
 into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 
 
 23 the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they 
 shall say to you, Lo, there ; Lo, herel go not a»ay, 
 
 24 nor follow alter the in : for as the ligiitunig, when it 
 lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, 
 shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall 
 
 25 the Son of man be ' in his day. But tiri-t must he 
 sutfer many things and be rejected of this genera- 
 
 23 lion. And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, 
 even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 
 
 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they weregi\en 
 in marriage, until the day that Noah entered inio 
 the ark, and the liood came, and destroyed them all. 
 
 oMatt. M:23; Mark 13 : 'it ; ch. 21:8....6 Matt. 24: 27.... c Mark 8: 31: 9:31; 10:33; oh. 9:22.... d Ueu. 7; Matt. 24: 37.- 
 
 ancient authorities omit, in hU day. 
 
 the arrangement of both St. Matthew and St. 
 Mark."— The days will come— rather, days 
 wilt come. The Greek has no article. The 
 Saviour would not indicate definite days, but 
 more affectingly, days of a certain quality, 
 days of difficulty, hardship, distress, as shown 
 by what follows. See on 5: 35.— When ye 
 shall— mW— desire to see one of the days 
 of the Son of man. Their troubles and trials 
 would be such, at various times before his 
 return, that they would long for the rest and 
 refreshment of even one of those days which 
 he had taught them to anticipate, in the glory 
 and blessedness of the finished kingdom in 
 heaven. The following context shows this to 
 be the meaning, rather than to make the sen- 
 tence refer backward to the days they were 
 then spending in his earthly society.— And ye 
 shall— i/>i/^— not see it; i.e., not till many 
 repetitions of such desire. They would still 
 have to wait and toil and suflfer. 
 
 23. And they shall— ?/;i(!;— say to you— 
 in your fatigue and faint-heartedness — See 
 here, or see there: (correctly, Lo there! 
 or, Lo here !) — is the Messiah manifested. The 
 rest of the verse should be translated — Go 
 not {away) from the place in which Provi- 
 dence has placed you— nor follow after 
 them. In your forlorn ness you will be es- 
 pecially liable to delusion; but no one shall 
 know of my coming sooner than you. 
 
 24. For as the lightning that (or, better, 
 when it) lighteneth, etc. The point of com- 
 parison is the instantaneousness and universal 
 visibility of the lightning flash, throughout 
 the whole circle of the horizon. So shall 
 also the Son of man be in his day. 
 "The brightness of bis coming" also will 
 shine equally, in the same moment, over the 
 whole world, and prove, not only that he has 
 come, but that he is as near to one as to 
 another. Without attempting at all to fore- 
 tell the date of that glorious appearing, our 
 
 Lord mentions some things which must pre- 
 cede it, the occurrence of which would mark 
 the lapse of the intervening time, and tlie 
 prediction of which was well calculated to 
 check elation on their ]jart, and to quicken 
 them in diligence to "be found of him in 
 peace." The first thing was the sad and 
 shameful fate soon to overtake their blessed 
 Master himself. 
 
 25. First must he suffer many things — 
 all, indeed, that were involved in the un- 
 speakable humiliation, dishonor, and violence 
 that should precede the crucifixion, and in 
 the agonies of that death itself. And be re- 
 jected of this generation. This rejection 
 may be mentioned as one item of that suffer- 
 ing, or, more probably, as an additional dis- 
 tress, from the refusal of his generation, even 
 after his death and resurrect on, to receive 
 him as their Messiah. 
 
 26. The state of things to follow these 
 events, the general forgetfulness of him, and 
 indiflference to all the interests of eternity, 
 are compared to the unbelief and utter world- 
 liness of men in Noah's times. This will be 
 the case especially in the period within which 
 will fall the days of the Son of man— the 
 time when he shall come again for judgment 
 and for redemption. 
 
 27. They did eat, they drank, etc. A 
 graphic picture of the absorption of men in 
 merely worldly aifairs, made more vivid by 
 the omission of the conjunction. The use of 
 the imperfect ten.se in the original, "they 
 were eating," etc., helps to conceive the un- 
 expectedness of the great catastrophe when it 
 came. They married, is said of the men ; 
 they were given in marriage, of the wo- 
 men. And the flood came and destroyed 
 them all. Carelesness and unbelief of God's 
 word did not arrest his threatened judgment. 
 Compare Gen. 7: 11-23. 
 
Ch. XVII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 265 
 
 2S o Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot ; they 
 did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, 
 they builded ; 
 
 2\) Hut 'the same day that Lot went out of Sodoiu it 
 rained tire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
 lU.iii all. 
 
 :MI ICven thus shall it be in the day when the Son of 
 man ' is revealed. 
 
 31 In that day, he •'which shall be upon the housetop, 
 and his stuff in the house, let him not comedown to 
 take it away: and he that is in the field, let him like- 
 wise not return back. 
 
 ;i2 «llememt)er Lot's wife. 
 
 3^i /Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lo.se it ; 
 and whosoever shall lose liis life shall preserve it. 
 
 ;U a I tell you, in that nifjlit there shall be two men in 
 one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be 
 left. 
 
 28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot ; 
 they ate, they drank, they bouj^bt, they sold, they 
 
 29 planted, they builded; but in the day that Lot went 
 out from .Sixlom it rained tire and brimstone from 
 
 30 heaven, and destroyed them all: after the same 
 manner shall it be iu the day that the Son of man is 
 
 31 revealeti. In that day, he who shall be on the house- 
 top, and his yocnls in the house, let him not go down 
 to take them away: and let him that is in the field 
 
 32 likewise not return back. Kemembcr Lot's wile. 
 
 33 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it : but 
 
 34 whosoever shall lose his lij'f. shall 'preserve if. I 
 say unto you. In that night there shall be two men 
 on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other 
 
 aOeD. 19.... i Ocii. 19: 16, 2t....c 2 Thi-.ss. 1 : 7.... (i Malt. 'H: 17; Murk IS: 15.... e Gen. 19: 26. .../Matt. 10: 39; 16:25: Mark 3: 35; oh. 
 9 : 24 : Joliu 12 : 26 g Malt. '.'4 : 40, 41 ; 1 Thcas. 4 : 17. 1 Gr. »ave it alive. 
 
 28, 29. The Samk Lesson is Repeated 
 FROM Another Most Imi'ressive Por- 
 tion OK THE Sacred History. (See Gen. 
 19: 15-25.) 
 
 30. ThLs verse make.s the application of 
 both the parallel cases preceding to the case 
 of the world at the second advent. 
 
 31. It was remarked abovethat this verse ap- 
 pears, by a reference to the corresponding pas- 
 .sages of Matthew and Mark, to belong to a 
 prophecy of the destruction of .Jeru.salem, as 
 typical of the end of the world. It may have 
 been uttered as a part of another discourse, and 
 gathered out of the general store of Christ's 
 recorded sayings by different apostolic men in 
 different combinations. On this hypothesis, 
 the whole remainder of the address now before 
 us naturally points to the final appearance of 
 our Lord ; but in that day, of this verse, will 
 point to the visitiitioii upon Jerusalem, before 
 the end of that generation. Then, when the 
 Roman forces should be at hand (seech. 21 : 20 r), 
 there would be no security for Christ's disciples 
 but in immediateflight.— He which shall be 
 upon the housetop, etc. A graphic enforce- 
 ment of the necessity of haste. An^' one in the 
 (Mty, at the moment on the flat roof of his house, 
 whither they went for fresh air, or retirement 
 and meditation, must, as soon as he is in- 
 formed of the impending danger, give all 
 heed to escape from the city. To save property 
 in the house below must not detain him. To 
 descend, if that could be done without deten- 
 tion, or to rescue dependent lives, is not in 
 these terms forbidden; but the losing of time 
 to save goods. One must, of course, leave the 
 roof somehow ; but it is probable that, in many 
 cases, time might be gained by passing from 
 one roof to another before coming down. The 
 same direction would apply, with the requisite 
 
 modification, to all who should be in any city. 
 —And he that is in the field, let him like' 
 wise not return back, viz. : to his house, to 
 rescue property, or promote any temporal in- 
 terest. Godet would apply these two verses 
 also to the duties pertaining to the final ad- 
 vent; but this is, in our judgment, rather to 
 extort a sense than to develop the true sense. 
 
 3i. It is a case like that of the destruction 
 of Sodom, where infinite consequencesdepend 
 on expedition and even haste. — Remember 
 Lot's wife. She stands as a perpetual me- 
 mento to subsequent generations of the danger 
 of delay in the crisis of salvation. It is always 
 a crisis of salvation to one who has not solidly 
 established peace between himself and God. 
 
 33. Whosoever shall seek to save (liter- 
 ally, ^a/n = acquire) his life shall lose it. 
 This, with what follows, connects itself not 
 inappropriately with verse 31, regarded as 
 referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, as is 
 perfectly natural from the typical character 
 of the latter event. But with the most perfect 
 propriety it continues the train of discourse 
 supposed to be interrupted at ver. 30, as re- 
 lating to the last judgment. In reference to 
 that, all efforts to secure the natural life, at 
 the sacrifice of fidelity to the Lord, will be 
 thrown away, and result in a lo.ss of the life 
 eternal. On the contrary, whosoever shall 
 lose his life — faithfully persevere in obedi- 
 ence to Christ , even unto death, if necessary 
 — shall preserve it, by carrying it forward, 
 perfected and blessed, in the heavenly state. 
 
 34-36. The world, alas! will not have 
 been all converted to Christ, and sad discrim- 
 inations of destiny will be made, involving 
 eternal breach of the nearest natural associa- 
 tions. — In that night there shall be two 
 men in one bed, etc. The word night, so 
 
266 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVIII. 
 
 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one ! 35 shall be left. There shall be two women grinding 
 
 shall be taken, and the other leti, 
 
 31) Two men shall be in the field ; the one shall be 
 taken, and the other left. 
 
 37 And they answered and said nnto him, "Where, 
 Lord? And he said unto them. Wheresoever the body 
 is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. 
 
 together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall 
 37 be left. ' And they answering say unto him, W.here, 
 Lord? And he said unto them. Where the body is, 
 thither will the 2 eagles also be gathered together. 
 
 AND ho spake a parable unto them to this end, that 
 men ought ''always to pray, and not to faint; 
 '2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared 
 not God, neither regarded man : 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that 
 
 2 they ought always to pray, and not to taint ; saying, 
 
 c Job 39: 30; Matt. 24 : ^8 6 cli. tl : 5; '.Jl ; 36 ; Rom. t'2 : 12; Ephes. 6: 18; Cot. 4:2:1 Tlie*8. 5; 17. 1 Some aucient authorities add 
 
 ver. 36, There shall be two men in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left 2 Or, vultures. 
 
 used, no more obliges us to believe the 
 Parousia will occur in the night time than 
 the mention, afterward, of grinding at the 
 mill proves that it will take place in the dtiy- 
 light. Indeed, we know that it must take 
 place to some in the daj'-time, while it is 
 night to others. So one example is taken 
 here from the night and one from the day. 
 
 — The one — who is read3' for Christ's 
 coming — shall be taken — to the eternal 
 felicity of the glorified kingdom ; the other 
 
 — when unprepared — shall be left — apart 
 from all that joy, in his own appropriate 
 iexperience. 
 
 35. Women, among their other drudgery, 
 had each morning to grind the quantity of 
 meal for the family uses during the day. 
 This was done with a hand-mill, at which the 
 strength of two women was required. Thus 
 is indicated the interest of women also in the 
 solemn lesson. 
 
 Ver. 36 of the Received Greek Testament 
 and of the Common Version is, beyond rea- 
 sonable question, an interpolation here in 
 Luke, from Matt. 24: 40. 
 
 37. And they — the disciples (ver. 22) — an- 
 swered and said (or, literally, answering 
 sny) unto him. Where, Lord? Where will 
 these wonderful events take pltice? Bewil- 
 dered, perhaps, certainly not intent simply on 
 the practical use of what the Master had com- 
 municated, the disciples, as the Pharisetis had 
 asked after the precise time of the manifesta- 
 tion of the kingdom, seek to know \ts place. 
 But our Lord knew how to turn their minds 
 from outside matters of curiosity to deeper 
 truths, requiring and exercising spiritual pen- 
 etration. — Where the body is. Body = 
 carcass (Matt. 24: .s); thati.s, of a dead animal, is 
 a symbol of the spiritually dead mass of 
 men whom the Advent will overtake. — 
 Thither will the eagles be gathered 
 together. Perhaps the more correct word 
 
 for eagles would have been "vultures" ; but 
 it matters little, as the vultures were eagle- 
 like, and both sorts familiar in Palestine, 
 were carrion eaters. They represent the min- 
 isters of God's justice (comp. Matt. 13: 41-42), 
 and will be present wherever the guilty are 
 found. In this view the accomplishment of 
 the kingdom is considered in its bearing on 
 the impenitent and incorrigible; and we are 
 taught that it can as little be located in a par- 
 ticular place as referred to a definite time. 
 
 Ch. 18. — 1-8. Duty of Unremitting 
 Prayer. Parable of the Unjust Judge. 
 
 1. And he spake a parable unto them — 
 
 — the disciples — ta this end, that men (bet- 
 ter, they) ought always to pray, and not to 
 
 faint. Not content with foretelling and de- 
 scribing that perilous period (ch. 17:22 er.), he 
 spake a parable, to illustrate their duty in 
 the long waiting for his advent. — Always to 
 pray— to be always praying. His object was 
 not so much to teach this duty as, assuming it, 
 to show something of the manner and effect of 
 it. They would be in great danger of losing 
 heart (ch- 17: 22) and forsaking their faith, the 
 remedy for which would be unceasing prayer; 
 and in reference to this duty {nphs to Seiv, k. t. a.), 
 he spake the parable. 
 
 2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, 
 which (v>ho) feared not God, neither re- 
 garded man. The Greek gives a fictitious 
 character to the narrative by saying a certain 
 city, a certain judge. That our Saviour 
 should represent his Father by so unworthy a 
 judge is perplexing, till one notices that it is 
 by way of contrast that he so represents him. 
 It is, in this respect, like the parable of the un- 
 neighborly friend (ch. it: sir.), and analogous to 
 that of the unju.st steward (oh. ib: 1 tr.). To give 
 the intended lesson of perseverance in prayer 
 under discouragement, .Jesus could not so for- 
 cibly have used the image of an earthly judge, 
 
Oil. XVIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 267 
 
 3 And there was a widow in that city ; and she came 
 unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 
 
 4 And lie would not tor a while: but alterward he 
 said within himsell, Though I fear not Uod, nor regard 
 man ; 
 
 r> o Yet because this widow troubleth mc, I will 
 avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 
 
 6 And the Lord said, Hear what llie unjust judge 
 saitb. 
 
 7 And *shall not (iod avenge his own elect, which 
 cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with 
 them ? 
 
 3 There was in a city a judge, who feared not (jod, 
 and regarded not man: and there was u widow iu 
 that city ; and she came oft unto him, .saying, 
 
 4 'Avenge me of mine adversary. .\nd be woula not 
 lora while: but alterward he said within lumsell, 
 
 5 Though 1 fear not (iod,uor regard man; yet Ucausc 
 this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, 2 lest she 
 
 6 wear me out by her continual coming. And the 
 
 7 Lord said, Hear what ^ the unrighteous judge sailh. 
 
 a ch. 11:8 b Rev. 8 : 10. 1 Or, Do mejuatice of: and ao in ver. 5. 7, 8 'I Gr. 1>ru\»t ; or, Ie«l at latt by her coming *ke wear m« 
 
 out 3 Or. the judge o/ unrighleotuneti. 
 
 upright, and promptly considerate of the 
 equity of a cau.se. But when he shows that 
 such perseverance might overcome the slug- 
 gishness of one most utterly void of piety, 
 justice, and philanthropy — fearing not God, 
 nor caring for the rights or wrongs and sufler- 
 ings of men — he had already proved what 
 power it would have with our just and com- 
 passionate God. 
 
 3. And there was a widow in that city. 
 She represents Christ's disciples, his church. 
 No image could be better suited to express 
 their helplessness and pitiable state in an un- 
 friendly world, and their absolute dependence 
 on the equity of the Supreme. Judge. — And she 
 came (oft) unto him, or, kept coming to him, 
 showing that her case was urgent, and received 
 little attention, saying. Avenge me of mine 
 adversary — do me ju.stice against him, so 
 that I may be free from injuries and annoy- 
 ance at his hands. The special nature of her 
 wrongs, whether of dues withheld, or unjust 
 claims alleged, is left entirely to imagination. 
 4. And he would not for a while — 
 and evidently never would, from any dispo- 
 sition to do justice in the case. But after- 
 ward he said within himself. Though, 
 etc. He owns himself insensible to any un- 
 selfish and proper motive, from heaven or 
 earth. 
 
 5. Yet because this widow troubleth 
 me — as I have some regard for self, for my 
 own ease and quiet. I will avenge her — 
 cause justice to be done her, and defeat her ad- 
 versary. Lest by her continual coming— 
 "her coming forever." — Dr. S. Davidson — 
 she weary me. The preferable rendering 
 is, lest she come at last and beat me. Greek, 
 "lest at last coming she beat me." For 
 the last clause the Revision substitutes 
 "wear me out," but places "bruise" in 
 the margin as the sense of the Greek. The 
 (Jreek word is hard to translate faithfully ' 
 
 without an appearance of unbecoming levity. 
 But our Lord pictures the un|)rincipled judge 
 to the life. In the spirit of mingled impatience 
 and jest, he uses a verb which signifies " togive 
 one a black eye"; much like our "to beat 
 one black and blue." In his bantering so- 
 liloquy the man supposes she may do him 
 bodily harm; lest she pound me. (Vulg. 
 siKjillet me.) See, particularly, Farrar on 
 the passage. 
 
 6. Hear what the unjust judge — Greek, 
 judge of injustice — saith. Behold how such 
 a wretch is constrained bj' inces.sant petitions 
 against his inclination to help a woman in 
 distress. 
 
 7. And shall not God avenge— cause the 
 vindication of— his own elect (omit own), 
 which cry day and night unto him ? The 
 argument is what logic calls from the less to 
 the greater. If such a man, from mere selfish 
 annoyance at importunity, will do what i.'* 
 requested, how much more will a holy and 
 righteous God hear the prayers of his chosen 
 people, ascending by day and by night, for 
 deliverance from affliction? Though he 
 bear long, etc. ; rather. And he is long-suf- 
 fering over them. This reading is better 
 supported than that of the Common Version. 
 The construction and meaning is not clearly 
 obviou.s, which may have occasioned a change 
 of the text: We might tran.slate interroga- 
 tively, "Will he not avenge .... and will 
 he be long-suffering over them ? " that is so as 
 to spare their adversaries? The answer to 
 the last question would then be "No." Or, 
 we may regard this sentence as having slipped 
 colloquially from the relative into the direct 
 affirmative form; "which cr^' unto him and 
 he is long-suflfering over them," instead of 
 "which cry, and over whom he is long-.suflrer- 
 ing," i. e., bears long with their adversaries. 
 The latter we prefer. It supposes that there 
 is to be some delay in God's vindication of 
 
268 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVIII. 
 
 8 I tell you "that he will avenge them speedily. 
 Nevertheless when the Bon of man comelh, shall he 
 tind faith on the earth ? 
 
 y And he spake tliis parable unto certain 'which 
 trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and 
 despised others : 
 
 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the 
 one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
 
 8 And shall not (Jod avenge his elect, who cry to him 
 day and night, i and yet he is lougsuilcnng over 
 them'.' 1 say unto you, that he will avenge them 
 speedily. Howbeit when the Sou of man comelh, 
 shall he find 2 faith on the earth ? 
 
 9 And he spake also this parable unto certain who 
 trusled in themselves that they were righteous, and 
 
 10 set ^all others at nought: Two men went up into the 
 temple to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and the other a 
 
 a Heb. 10: 37; 2 Pe(. 3 : 8, St 6 ch. 10: 29; 16: 15. 1 Or, and is he alow to punish on ttieir behalf f 2 Or, the faith 3 Or. thereet. 
 
 his church, even while she calls on hira, 
 whether for her own increase of sanctlfication, 
 or that tlie time of her enemies may be ful- 
 filled; but the answer will come. 
 
 8. I tell you (better, siy uiito you) that 
 he will avenge them speedily. The ques- 
 tion proposed answers itself in tiie asking; but 
 this "I say unto you'' betrays the depth of 
 the Saviour's earnestness. Speedily cannot, 
 in consistency with the design of the parable 
 (ver. 1), mean "very soon," measured from the 
 moment of its utterance ; but measured from 
 the point where the vindication begins, after 
 long waiting, it will soon be accomplished. — 
 Nevertheless, when the Son of man com- 
 eth, shall he find faith on the earth? He 
 bad already foretold (cn. n : 26, 27) that, at his ad- 
 vent, the disciples would find themselves in a 
 world given up to business and pleasure, ut- 
 terly forgetful of him. At another time, 
 looking forward into the same general state 
 of things, he said (Matt. 24: 12), "and because in- 
 iquity shall abound, the love of many shall 
 wax cold." And now the prospectof the trials 
 and temptations to which his followers are 
 to be subjected before his return, is so clearly 
 present to him, so much had he seen already 
 of the possibility of defection, that our Lord 
 appears sadly to question whether he should, at 
 his coming, find faith, manifested in perse- 
 vering prayer, like that of the widow, still 
 existing on the earth. Shall not his very 
 earnest concern in this matter itself so affect 
 many hearts of his followers, that they will 
 not be found asleep, or intoxicated with the 
 spirit of the world? 
 
 9-14. Parable of thk Pharisee and 
 Publican. 
 
 It is not so clear that what is now to be re- 
 lated followed immediately upon the preceding 
 events. It may have done so, and Luke prob- 
 ably received the account of it as belonging 
 to this journey and time. 
 
 9. And he spake {also) this parable unto 
 certain which trusted, etc. To what class, 
 sect, or party, they belonged, or whether to 
 
 any one class, is not told us. It is, consider- 
 ing the commonness of unreasonable self- 
 esteem, well left applicable equally to disciples 
 and unbelievers, Pharisees and publicans, to 
 all who trusted in themselves — had confi- 
 dence resting on themselves — that they were 
 righteous. The word righteous is used in 
 its ordinary, Old Testament sense, meaning, 
 "conformed to the will of God," and so enti- 
 tled to his favor. Whoever thinks he already 
 stands well enough in the sight of God, and 
 needs no repentance and spiritual renewal, 
 belongs to the kind of people here intended. 
 An exact translation gives the sentence a per- 
 fectly general reference: "Certain who trust 
 in themselves that they are righteous, and set 
 others at naught." — So Dr. S. Davidson. Our 
 curiosity is naturally excited as to the partic- 
 ular marks by which Jesus at this time recog- 
 nized such. They seem to have been very 
 clearly differentiated to him. — And despised 
 others (lit., set all others at naught). The 
 next step to the opinion that one is as good as 
 is necessary, is spiritual pride. Pride is essen- 
 tially the disparagement of others in compar- 
 ison with oneself. So this clause is only the 
 other face of the same medal. God's right- 
 eousness in a man will lead him, first, to look 
 on whatever he can possibly approve in him 
 self as the fruit of divine grace; and, sec- 
 ondly, to recognize good in every fellow-man ; 
 at least, not to think all others of no account. 
 10, 11. Two men went up into the tem- 
 ple, etc. In prayer, if anywhere, we may 
 expect to discern the true character of men. 
 It was consistent with the whole formal and 
 ritualistic character of the Old Testament 
 religion that the temple should give a 
 special sacredness and value to its exercises. 
 Hence, we tind that all who lived at Jerusalem 
 thought it important to offer their prayers, at 
 the hours consecrated to that, in the temple 
 courts. Thus, all classes and qualities of men 
 would come into proximity and comparison 
 there. The Saviour signalizes two, standing 
 at the opposite poles of reputed righteousness, 
 
Ch. XVIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 269 
 
 11 The Pharisee "stowl and prayed thus with hin:- 
 self, »(i<)d, I tliank thee, that lam not as other luuii are, 
 extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publi- 
 can. 
 
 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I 
 possess. 
 
 1,J .Vud the publican, standing afar off, would not lift 
 up so much as luii eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his 
 breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
 
 11 publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with 
 himself, God, 1 thank thee, that I am not ax the rest 
 of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as 
 
 12 this publican. 1 last twice in the week ; 1 give tithes 
 
 13 of all that I get. But the publican, standing afar oil", 
 would not lift up so much as his eyes tinlo lieaven, 
 but smote his breast, saying, God, i be merciful to me 
 
 a Ps. 1S5 : 2 b Isa. 1 : 15 ; 58 : 2 ; Bev. 2 : 17. 1 Or, 6e propitiattd. 
 
 a Pharisee and a publican, in regard to 
 whom, he is partiouhir to intimate, that they 
 had one thing in common: they were both 
 men. See the general account of the two 
 classes, on ch. 3: 12; 5: 17.— The Pharisee 
 stood. It is not intended to reprehend the 
 standing posture, for that was then common, 
 and the publican also assumed it. But the 
 Greek word implies a certain ostentation and 
 formality in his act, like our "taking his 
 stand" (Hebrew, yatsabh, Hithp.). — And 
 prayed thus with himself. Tlie authorities 
 leave it not quite certain whether we should 
 connect the words "stood by himself, and 
 prayed thus," or, as just given. The latter is 
 much more probable. With himself— includ- 
 ing the idea of "by himself," "apart," but, 
 specifically, "to himself" — in his unexpressed 
 thought. — " God, I thank thee." The omis- 
 sion of the interjection O, is warranted by 
 the Greek, which uses only the vocative (or 
 nominative) case; but as that is true of a 
 thousand instances in the New (likewise in the 
 Old) Testament, where the feeling of tran.s- 
 lators has led them to prefix the interjection, 
 we cannot understand this as designed to in- 
 dicate lack of reverence in the Pharisee. The 
 publican again followed the same wa^'. We 
 may judge him, not bj' the form, but by the 
 substance, the contents, of his prayer. — That 
 I am not as other men are (lit., as the rest 
 of men), etc. Here we see nothing properly 
 called prayer, as there is not a word of sup- 
 plication, or even request, in it. There is no 
 confession, no consciousness of sin or moral 
 deficiency, no want of anything. There is an 
 air of thanksgiving to God, but without evi- 
 dence of reason for it, to assure us of sincerity ; 
 as he ascribes nothing of his vaunted excel- 
 lences to God's help or influence, but enumer- 
 ates all as if they were a natural growth out 
 of his unaided nature. It is a most graphic 
 self-delineation of one who trusts in himself 
 that he is righteous. The meritorious grounds 
 of his proud thankfulness are, negatively, 
 that I am not as the rest of men. He, in 
 
 terms, makes of himself one class, possibly in- 
 tending to embrace other members of his own 
 sect, over against which he looks down on the 
 other class, embracing all the human race be- 
 sides. The latter are conceived of as guilty 
 of the sins which pertain not to him — extor- 
 tioners, unjust, — or, unrighteous — adul- 
 terers. A truly sublime display of the set- 
 ting at naught of other men. We may com- 
 pare the divine judgment of his class, at least, 
 in ch. 11 : 42 fl'., with the parallel passages 
 in Matthew and Mark, and John 8: 7-9. — 
 Or even as this publican. How, then, 
 does the publican stand towards the rest of 
 mankind? He must be one of them, and the 
 even presupposes that he is not necessarily so 
 bad as the criminals who have been named. 
 It is hard to think that a Pharisee would 
 acknowledge anything good in a publican ; 
 but, perhaps, the fact that the latter is found 
 in the house of prayer, at the proper hour, is 
 allowed some weight in his favor. That is the 
 more charitable view of the Pharisee's mean- 
 ing. Itmtiybe understood, I thank thee that 
 I am not as bad as even this publican, not to 
 say extortioners, etc. The deficiency of other 
 men goes even to that length. 
 
 12. The positive virtues of this paragon are, 
 I fast twice in the week ; I give tithes of 
 all that I possess (or, get, or, acquire). Both 
 were extra-legal merits, as no weekly fasting 
 was required by the law, and tithes were due 
 not from ail gains, but only from the pro- 
 ductions of the fields. These are doubtless 
 mentioned as tj-pical of the whole .sy.stem of 
 traditional performances, which, totheabomi- 
 nation of Jesus, had superseded the weightier 
 matters of the law— judgment, and the love of 
 God. Thus ends the Pharisee's pretence of a 
 prayer. 
 
 13. But the publican, stan«ling afar 
 ofT- as if feeling himself unworthy to mingle 
 with other worshipers, or to come near the 
 sanctuary — would not lift up so much as 
 his eyes unto heaven — so far was he from 
 "taking his stand" like the Pharisee — but 
 
270 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVIII. 
 
 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justi- 
 fied rattier than the other: "for every one that exalteth 
 hiujselt' shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself 
 shall be exalted. 
 
 1") 'And they brought unto him also infants, that he 
 would touch them: but when Aj« disciples saw t/, they 
 rebuked them. 
 
 li) But .lesus called them unlo him, and said, Suffer 
 little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: 
 for » of such is the kingdom of (iod. 
 
 14 'a sinner. I say unto you, This man went down to 
 his house justitied rather than the other: lor every 
 one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he 
 that humbleth himself shall be exiilted. 
 
 15 And they were bringing unto him also their babes, 
 that he should touch them: but when the disciples 
 
 16 saw it, they rebuked them. But .lesus called them 
 unto him, saying, Sutler the little children to come 
 unto me, and forbid them not ; for -' to such belongeth 
 
 JohTi: 29; Matt. 23; 12; oh. 14 ; II ; Jaoies 4 : 6; I Pet, 5^5, 6.... i Malt. 19: 13; Mark 10: 13.... c I Cor. 14: 20; 1 Pet. 2:2.- 
 
 tAe ainncr* . . .2 Or, o/ such is. 
 
 smote — kept smiting — upon his breast — 
 
 "the seat of conscience" (Beng. ), in token 
 of grief mid shame for his sin. Saying, 
 God be merciful to me a sinner ; properly, 
 </te sinner. The American Bible Union Ver- 
 sion and Dr. S. Davidson give the article 
 conformably to the Greek, and . the Re- 
 vision allows it as the alternative. The 
 verb rendered be merciful, found else- 
 where in the New Testament only once, signi- 
 fies "be thou propitiated," and implies the 
 need of expiation, in order to reconciliation 
 with God. We cannot say that the Saviour 
 meant to make the publican distinctly con- 
 scious of this meaning, but a word is ascribed 
 to him which carries the feeling of it. He cer- 
 tainly might have thought of the sacrificial 
 significance of the offerings connected with 
 the hour of evening prayer (oh. i: 9-io). And 
 that was all the publican's prayer. Unlike 
 the efTusion of the Pharisee, it was all prayer. 
 And what element of a true prayer, in the 
 light of his time, did it lack? It was a most 
 earnest and humble petition, from the heart, 
 giving utterance to profound repentance, an 
 all absorbing desire for the favor of God, 
 through mercy alone, as the fruit of atone- 
 ment. 
 
 14. The Saviour's vigorous I say unto you 
 — repeated (see on ver. 8) — assures us that it 
 had the effect of true prayer. — This man 
 went down to his house — which would nat- 
 urally be lower than the temple— justified 
 rather than the other. The Greek verb 
 "justified" is cognate with the adjective for 
 "righteous" (ver. 9). Thus the outcome of 
 the parable is that those who feel and own 
 their sins in prayer to God are recognized by 
 him as righteous (justified), while those who 
 trust in themselves that they are so remain 
 condemned. — For every one that exalteth 
 himself— cherishes a high sense of his own 
 goodness — shall be abased — rated low in 
 God's esteem; but he that humbleth him- 
 self—takes a low view of himself, in relation 
 
 to God and his fellow-men — shall be exalted 
 
 — in the favor of God. God's thoughts of a 
 man are inversely as his own of himself, when 
 he is considering his standing before God. 
 
 15-17. Christ's Treatment of Little 
 Children. 
 
 Here our narrative comes into parallel again 
 with the other Synoptical Gospels. (Matt. 19 ; 13 ir.; 
 Mark 10: 13 fr.). From this point forward Luke 
 proceeds, for the most ptirt, side hy side with 
 one or both the others. Either he has reached 
 the end of his special account of this journey, 
 or has taken from it all that answered to his 
 design. By comparing the order in Mark's 
 Gospel, we see that this incident occurred 
 after an instructive discourse concerning 
 divorce. 
 
 15. And they brought unto him — were at 
 the time bringing unto him — also infants 
 (their babes), that he should touch them. 
 Mothers in the companj'^ that now followed 
 him, impressed with his holiness and be- 
 nignity, and finding their own souls helped by 
 his teaching and consolation, desired his bless- 
 ing on theirchildren. To this end they wished 
 him to touch them ; put his hands on them, 
 as the gesture of blessing, and pray. (Matt. i9: is.) 
 There is no evidence that they expected any 
 material effect from thelayingonof his hands, 
 but they may have supposed that this act 
 would constitute a physical channel for the 
 spiritual benefit from the holy prophet to the 
 child. — But when his disciples saw it — 
 that they were actually bringing their infants 
 into contact with the Master— they rebuked 
 them — spoke chidingly, to prevent them from 
 carrying out their purpose. The disciples 
 probably thought it wrong that the time of 
 their Lord should be taken up about women 
 and little children. It was beneath his dig- 
 nity, and likely to diminish the honor in 
 which they would wish him to be held. 
 
 16. But Jesus called them unto him — 
 either addressing the little ones directly, in 
 tones of gentle invitation, or bidding the 
 
Ch. XVIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 271 
 
 17 « Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not re- 
 ceive the kingdoui of Ciud as a little child shall in no 
 wise enter therein. 
 
 18 'And a certain ruler aske<l hiiu, ' saying, Good 
 Master, what shall 1 do to inherit eternal lite? 
 
 17 the kingdoui of ( iod. Verily I say unto you, Whoso- 
 ever sliall not receive the kingdoui of (iod as a little 
 child, he shall iu no wise enter therein. 
 
 18 And a certain ruler asked hiui, saying. Good > Mas- 
 
 a Murk 10 : 15 b Matt. 19 : 16 ; Mark 10 : 17. 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 parents to bring them, and said — to the dis 
 ciples— unci thus severely rebuking them— 
 suffer [the) little children to come unto 
 me, and forbid — hinder — them not. Our 
 
 Lord thus expressed the deep interest which 
 he ever felt in little children, and may well, 
 at the same time, have desired to administer 
 salutary correction to the arrogant mind of 
 his disciples. Indeed, it seems extremely 
 probable that, if the disciples had not inter- 
 fered, Jesus would have simply granted the 
 request of the mothers, and we should have 
 heard little of it. The following account is 
 rather a lesson to the disciples, than a judg- 
 ment concerning the state of children. The 
 use of a word appropriate to babes, and of 
 another denoting little children, to the same 
 persons, shows that they were of various 
 tiges, from earliest infancy up. For of such 
 is the kingdom of God. Such — in re- 
 spect to docility, submissiveness, absence of 
 worldly ambition, and filial love, are the 
 members of my kingdom. Of course it is 
 not meant that all the traits of all children 
 are desired by Christ in his followers; but 
 those which all recognize as appropriate to 
 early childhood, and notice with pleasure in 
 them. 
 
 17. Verily I say unto you. Whosoever 
 shall not receive the kingdom of God as 
 a little child, etc. This generalizes the 
 preceding statement, and shows, not that 
 mere child-likeness guarantees membership in 
 Christ's kingdom ; but that, without that 
 teachableness, humility, trust, and obedience, 
 no one can have part or lot therein. Thus it 
 explains how multitudes of excellent people, 
 as the world judges, naturally remain aloof 
 from connection with Christ. Yet who can 
 deny or doubt that this childlike attitude 
 toward God and his gracious offers in the 
 gospel, is as much more reasonable for a man 
 than the opposite character, as it is in the 
 case of a child toward its earthly parent? 
 The attempt to draw any direct authority for 
 infant baptism from this passage, has long 
 been given up by scholars. The absolute 
 lack of all proper ground for that practice is 
 
 I indicated, however, in the way even so excel- 
 lent a commentator as Van Oosterzee still 
 strives to draw some warrant from these 
 verses. "The desire of the mothers to see 
 their children blessed by Jesus sprang from a 
 similar feeling of need [to that] from which 
 afterward the baptism of children proceeded," 
 But the baptism of children is a sacrament, in 
 the view of all Pedobaptist theologians; and 
 does a sacrament proceed from the wish of 
 mothers? Kather, as they (Protestants, at 
 least) tell us, from express divine appointment, 
 recorded in the Scripture. Van Oo.^terzee 
 proceeds: "The Saviour, who approved the 
 first named wish, would, if asked about it, 
 undoubtedly not stand in the way of the 
 latter." This "undoubtedly" is surely too 
 .strong. If it were certain that the Saviour 
 was favorable to infant baptism, why did he 
 not say it, or have it said ? If the idea be that 
 he would now consent to it, if asked, it i.s 
 amazing that one aware of the innumerable 
 and inexpressible evils which have obviously 
 cursed his cause in consequence of it, should 
 dream of such a thing. 
 
 18-23. A Ruler Instruotkd as to thk 
 Attainment of Eternal Life. 
 
 18. And a certain ruler asked him, say> 
 ing. Good Master— f^ffcAp;— what shall I 
 do to inherit eternal life? As ruler, he 
 was a magistrate of some degree, probably as 
 a head man of the synagogue. Matthew 19: 
 20, tells us that he was "a young man," and 
 Mark 10: 17, that he was very earnest in his 
 manner, running to meet Jesus, as he was 
 coming out of some house, and "kneeling 
 before him." Everything promised a willing 
 and obedient learner. There is no appearance 
 of a desire to "tempt" Jesus, as in a .some- 
 what similar case (oh. lo: 25), but a sincere wi.sh 
 to know the truth touching a most important 
 question. His address to Jesus shows that he 
 regarded him simply as a Teacher=Rabbi ; 
 and the epithet "good" would have as much 
 the air of patronage as of reverence. The 
 question. What shall I do ? etc., proves him 
 to stand on the platform of outward legality, 
 
272 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVIII. 
 
 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me 
 good '! none is good, save one, that is, (iod. 
 
 20 Thou knowest the commandments, " Do not com- 
 mit adultery. Do not kill, Do not steal. Do not bear lalse 
 witness, ' Honour thy father and thy mother. 
 
 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth 
 up. 
 
 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto 
 him. Yet lackest thou one thing: <^sell all that thou 
 hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have 
 treasure in heaven : and come, follow me. 
 
 19 ter, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And 
 Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good? 
 
 20 none is good, save one, cccn Liod. Thou knowest 
 the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not 
 kill. Do not steal, Do not bear false witness. Honour 
 
 21 thy father and mother. And he said, AH these 
 
 22 things have I observed from my youth up. And 
 when Jesus heard it, he said unto him, One thing 
 thou lackest yet: sell all that thou hast, and distri- 
 bute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in 
 
 oEx. 20: 12, 16; Deut. 5: 16-20; Eoni. 13 : 9 6 Ephes. 6:2; Col. 3 : 20 c Matt. 6: 19, 20; 19: 21; 1 Tim. 6: 19. 
 
 Hssuming that salvation was to be acquired by 
 particular acts, and not otherwise. 
 
 19. Jesus finds in the word "good," which 
 he had used, a text for a sermon on that 
 goodness which was necessary to eternal life. 
 — Why callest thou me good? As teacher, 
 in which character alone thou dost recognize 
 me, that term does not apply to me, in the 
 eminent sense which thou shouldst compre- 
 hend. — None is good, save one, that is, 
 God. By that standard, the man might 
 judge what character was needed, on his part, 
 to dwell happily with God in life eternal. 
 
 20. Thou knowest the commandments, 
 etc. The statement implied a direction to 
 keep them in the spirit of that goodness, as an 
 answer to his question. Notice, that Jesus refers 
 him only to commandments "of the second 
 table," enjoining duties to fellow-men. Some 
 judge this to have been because he thought 
 reflection on these would suffice to convict 
 him of sin. How much, then, would he be 
 humbled in view of deficiencies of obedience 
 and love toward God? But as it is a common 
 fact that Jesus and his apostles, in sum- 
 marizing the law, confine themselves to the 
 commandments of this class, we may sup- 
 pose that it was because men could more 
 easily test themselves by these than by the 
 profounder, more spiritual requirements of 
 Godlike love. 
 
 31. And he said. All these have I kept — 
 (did I keep)— from my youth up. He ap- 
 pears surprised that Jesus should think it 
 necessary to remind him of these command- 
 ments. He was a virtuous and pious man. 
 Possessed with the Pharisaic idea of keeping 
 the law as being the performance or avoidance 
 of such and such acts, and supposing there 
 was some great thing more, probably, among 
 the added requirements of the Rabbis, on 
 which salvation must clearly hang, he could 
 not see any value in Chnst's instruction. Was 
 there nothing more? 
 
 23. Now (rather, And) when Jesus heard 
 
 these things, he said unto him, Yet lack- 
 est thou one thing. One thing ; but in that, 
 everything. The external observance of the 
 law, Christ does not dispute with him. He 
 seems even to have been sincerely interested 
 in the young man, as Mark's account ex- 
 pressly shows. The one thing lacking, was 
 that spirit of self-denying love, which is the 
 first commandment of all, and the soul (if 
 each commandment. It can exist towards 
 men in Christ's sense, only as it is the redund- 
 ancy, the overflow, of supreme love to God. 
 To bring this home to his inquirer, Jesus pre- 
 scribes conduct, by his course concerning which 
 the presence or absence of such a spirit will at 
 once appear. — Sell all that thou hast and 
 distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt 
 have treasure in heaven ; and come, 
 follow me. A unique requirement, ex- 
 pressly given to this man alone, of all with 
 whom Christ discoursed about salvation, can- 
 not convey the absolute and general condition 
 of salvation. It was given to him as suited to 
 make plain what he lacked in order to moral 
 perfection (Matt., ch. 19:21) and eternal life. It 
 required him to sacrifice earthly wealth for 
 the good of needy fellow-men, because that 
 would be the most eflTectual test of his love to 
 his neighbor; and, quite probably, because 
 Christ desired him to give himself to the min- 
 istry of the gospel, as Peter and Andrew, 
 James and John had done — leaving all. We 
 can easily imagine that he would, thus proved, 
 have made a useful laborer in God"s harve.st. 
 It will be noticed that this consecration of his 
 worldly goods to charity was not itself to bo a 
 saving act. It was only preparatory to that 
 course of discipleship to Christ which would 
 lead to eternal life.— And come, follow me. 
 Thus, the loss of his property would prove an 
 eternal gain ; it would simply have been con- 
 verted into a fund of divine favor, which 
 would yield him unfailing revenues of bliss, 
 as treasure in heaven. Thus had the man 
 been answered on the ground of the law, sous 
 
Ch. XVIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 273 
 
 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: 
 for lie was very rich. 
 
 21 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, 
 he said, " How hardly sliall they tliat have riches cuter 
 iuto the kiii>;iloui of (iud ! 
 
 '2.') For it is easier for acatuel to ^o through a needle's 
 eye, than lor a rich ujau to enter into the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 2(5 And they that lieard it said, Who then can be 
 saved ? 
 
 23 heaven : and come, follow me. But when he beard 
 these things, he became exceeding sorrowful; lor he 
 
 24 was very rich. And Jesus .seeing him said, ilow 
 hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
 
 25 kingdom of (jlod ! For it is easier lor a camel to enter 
 in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to 
 
 2G enter into the kingdom of God. And they that 
 
 a ProT. 1 1 : 28 ; Matt. 19 : 2.1 ; Mark 10 : 23. 
 
 to bring him to salvation in the gospel, if there 
 was in his heart any drawing of the Father 
 toward Christ. 
 
 23. And when he heard this, he was — 
 became — very sorrowful : for he Avas very 
 rich. That lie was sorrowful shows that he 
 could not dispute the teaching. These were 
 different things, liowever, from what he was 
 used to hear concerning the way of life. To 
 do any number of the most difficult works 
 would be a trifle to the renunciation of his 
 darling treasure.*. "His countenance fell at 
 the saying." (Mark. ch. lO: 22, Revi-ion.) The conse- 
 cration of his deepest heart to God, to make 
 his whole earthly life subservient to the will 
 of God, and thus to find his own happiness in 
 promoting that of otliers, was too great a price 
 for him to pay. We can imagine the Saviour 
 disappointed and grieved. The test which he 
 luid proposed — essentially the same, though 
 different in phrase — that he had required of 
 several of his followers, instead f)f develo])ing 
 a germinant ftiith, had ajiparently driven him 
 away from salvation. True, as Farrar says 
 on the passage, " nothing forbids us to hope 
 that the words of Jesus, who loved him, sank 
 into his soul, and brought him to a humbler 
 and holier friime of mind. . . . The day came 
 when Saul of Tarsus was, like this j'outh, 
 'touching the righteousness which is in the 
 law, blameless;' but he had grace to count 
 all things but loss for Christ." The ruler, 
 certainly, never found eternal life on any 
 easier conditions, i)robably never at all. 
 
 24>30. SuooKSTED Lesson Concekninq 
 "Wealth. 
 
 24. And when Jesus saw, etc. Accord- 
 ing to the best text the verse reads : And 
 Jesus (sceitiff him] said. How hardly shall 
 (or, do) they that have riches enter into 
 the kingdom of (^od! The man's despond- 
 ency and perturbation reminded Jesus of a 
 fact which he must have often noticed. His 
 converts had been mostly from the poor. The 
 rich also heard him, in numbers; but their 
 
 greater contentment with their earthly lot; 
 their engrossment in the business, the cares, 
 and the pleasures of life; pride of intellect; 
 and the fetters of fashionable society, — all 
 operated to restrain them from embracing the 
 humiliating, though pure and blessed, tenets 
 of the Teacher of Galilee. The ))resent tense 
 of the verb, which is to be preferred, supposes 
 that some actually become true disciples; 
 which fact it is, in all the circumstances, that 
 seems remarkable to our Lord. What diffi- 
 culties wealth throws in their wa^' ! 
 
 25. For it is easier for a camel to go 
 (or, enter in) through a needle's eye, etc. 
 Perhaps some signs of surpri.se and incredulity 
 in the hearers led the Saviour thus to confirm 
 and intensify his statement. For a camel to 
 pass through the eye of a needle was a nat- 
 ural impossibility; and for a rich man to be 
 saved he declares is still harder. All attempts 
 to soften this statement, either by supposing 
 the needle's eye to be a figure for a narrow 
 door in a city gate — of which use of the term 
 there is no proof at all — or, that the Greek 
 word for camel was changed from one mean- 
 ing "cable," or "rope" — for which there is 
 no text authority, and which ahso would be 
 literally impossible, all such attempts are vain 
 and unnocessar3'. Christ, as often, to more 
 deeply impress a truth, speaks the language 
 of hyperbole, for which his hearers would, 
 and all sensible readers do, nuike proper al- 
 lowance. 
 
 26. And they that heard it— including 
 .someof the disciples (Matt., cii. i9: 25) — said, Who 
 then can be saved ? They would perhaps 
 have been less surprised, if he had said, 
 "How hardly do the poor enter in ! " And 
 the bearing of their question was, "If the 
 rich, with all their mesins forgiving alms, and 
 time for the perfttrmance of religious works, 
 have so great difficulty, what is to become of 
 us?" Or, is it possible that, in the crudeness 
 of their conceptions concerning the Messiah's 
 kingdom, they had included riches as an es- 
 
274 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XVIII. 
 
 27 And he said, "■ The things which are impossible 
 with men are possible with Goi'. 
 
 28 'Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and fol- 
 lowed thee. 
 
 29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
 « There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or 
 brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of (jod's 
 sake, 
 
 30 ''Who shall not receive manifold more in this 
 present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. 
 
 31 «Then he took unto him the twelve, and said 
 unto them. Heboid, we go up to Jerusalem, and all 
 things /that are written by the prophets concerning 
 the Soa of man shall be accomplished. 
 
 27 heard it said. Then who can be saved? But he said, 
 The things which are impossible with men are pos- 
 
 28 sible with God. And Peter said, Lo, we have left 
 
 29 1 our own, and followed thee. And he said unto 
 them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that 
 hath left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or 
 
 30 children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall 
 not receive manifold more in this time, and in the 
 2 world to come eternal lUe. 
 
 31 And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto 
 them. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the 
 things that are written through the prophets shall 
 
 «Jer. 32: 17 ; Zech. 8:6; Matt. 19: 26; cli. 1 : :i7 I Malt. 19 : 27 c Deut.33: 9 d Jnb 42 : 10 e Matt. 16 : 21 ; 17: 22; 20: i; ; Mark 
 
 10: 32..../ Pi. 22; Isa. 53. 1 Or, our own liomes 2 Or, age. 
 
 sential endowment of all its members, and 
 could not imagine salvation without it? 
 
 27. And (rather, But) he said, The things 
 which are impossible with men — to their 
 
 view, and by their power — are possible with 
 
 God. This is the true explanation of the 
 foregoing paradox. The conversion of a rich 
 man, without special divine interposition, was 
 literally impossible. That of any man was a 
 work of God's grace; that of a rich man, 
 from the incident which they had just wit- 
 nessed, seemed most strikingly so. But God 
 could accomplish even that. 
 
 28. And Peter said, Lo, we have left 
 (we left when thou didst call us) — all (rather, 
 our oion) — property, or, homes — and fol- 
 lowed thee. Coleridge, somewhere, sharply 
 reproaches Peter's question (Matt. i9; 27) as indi- 
 cating a groveling and mercenary spirit. But 
 surely it requires no great charity to the chief 
 apostle to presume that he was naturally and 
 unselfishly curious, if not anxious, after the 
 exciting case of the ruler, and the startling 
 comments of the Saviour, to understand how 
 he himself and his fellow apostles stood re- 
 lated, in these respects, to the eternal life. 
 
 29. Luke does not record the answer of 
 Jesus in special refereni^e to the case of the 
 apostles, given in Matthew, but the more 
 general one applicable to all disciples who 
 had made any sacrifice for him. Verily — a 
 statement t)f importance is to follow — there 
 is no man that hath left house, or wife, 
 etc. Christ seems, by his enumeration of ob- 
 jects given up, to represent all types of loss 
 and sacrifice to which his disciples were, and 
 wouldbe, liable. Such things were, of course, 
 to be abandoned when, and in so far as, they 
 stood in the way of a complete devotion of 
 the believer to the service of Christ. For 
 _th.e kingdom of God's sake — in order to 
 
 gain, and worthily to maintain citizenship, in 
 that. 
 30. Who shall not receive manifold mo_ 
 in this present time — age, world. Mark 
 says "an hundred fold," and both he and 
 Matthew refer expressly to the objects which 
 had been specified as forsaken for Christ. 
 This proves that there was no thought in- 
 tended of material or quantitative recom- 
 pense; onlj' that much greater satisfaction of 
 the higher nature of every such man would 
 come than he could have enjoyed in a selfish, 
 worldly use of what he has thus sacrificed. 
 And in the world to come life everlast-' 
 ing (better, eternal life.) This, while begun 
 in the present, mundane state (John 17:2), is 
 still enjoyed with so many drawbacks and 
 limitations, that it is natural to our imperfect 
 experience to think of its main blessedness as 
 lying entirely in the world above. The con- 
 dition of attaining it is here seen to be the 
 renunciation of earthly delights found in- 
 compatible with whole-hearted attachment 
 to Christ and his cause. Its essence is peace 
 with God, and the unhampered exercise of all 
 the faculties of the soul in communion with 
 him — partial in time, perfect and complete 
 throughout eternity. 
 
 31-34. Jesus again Foretells his 
 Death and Kesurrection. 
 
 31. The Saviour takes an occasion, as be- 
 fore (ch.9: 22, 44), when the hopes of the disci- 
 ples had been excited, so that thej' could 
 better bear, and perhaps needed, a more so- 
 bering aspect of their case, to declare what he 
 was to suflTer, in order to establish the kingdom 
 of God. The nearness of his passion, too — 
 we go up to Jerusalem — made some fresh 
 announcement concerning it appropriate. The 
 prediction here given, as compared with the 
 passages just cited, discloses that hissufl'erings 
 
Ch. XVIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 275 
 
 32 For* be shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and 
 shall be mucked, uud spitcl'uUy entreated, and spitted 
 ou: • 
 
 S.i And llioy shall scourge him, ami put him to death : 
 and the third day ho shall rise again. 
 
 ;U 'And they "uudurstuod nciue iil' these thiu<?s: and 
 this saying was hid I'roui theui, uuilher knew they the 
 thinjjs which were spoken. 
 
 35 «Aud it caiac lo p:iss, that as he was come nigh 
 unto Jcrichu, a certain blind man sat by the wayside 
 begging : 
 
 .i.i And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what 
 it meuiiL 
 
 S^ And they told him, that Jesus of Kazarcth passeth 
 by. 
 
 "as And he cried, saying, Jesus, Ihou son of David, 
 have mercy on aie. 
 
 ;w And they which went before rebuked him, that he 
 should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, 
 T/tou sun of David, have mercy ou me. 
 
 be accomplished unto the Son of man. For he shall 
 be delivered up unto the (;entiles,and shall be mock- 
 ed, and bhamelully eutrealcd, and spit u|>uii: and 
 thuy shall scourge and kill him: anil the third day 
 he shall rise again. And they understood none oi' 
 these tilings; and this saying was hid Irom them, 
 and they perceived not the things that were said. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, 
 acertain blind man sat by the wayside begging: and 
 hearing a multitude going by, he inqiiireU what this 
 muant. And they told him, that Jesus of ^<a^areth 
 passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou .S<jn of 
 David, have mercy on me. .And they that went 
 before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: 
 but be cried out the mure a great deal, Thou iSon of 
 
 a Hate 2T: 2; ch. 13: 1; JohDl8:28; Acts 3: 13.... & Mark 9: 32; oli. 2: 50; 9: i5; Jobul0:6; 12: 16.. ..c Mutt. 20 : 29; Mark 10: 46. 
 
 were to be in fulfillment of proplieoy, at the 
 hands of Gentiles; and adds some details 
 of the abusive treatment which would pre- 
 cede his death. See on those passages. — Then 
 — (And) he took unto hira the twelve— took 
 them apart from the throng, that he might 
 fully unbosom his heart to them alone. — We 
 go up to Jerusalem, with the understanding 
 (ooiup. vcr. :ij), "and sliiill soon be there." — And 
 all things that are written concerning 
 the Son of man shall be accomplished — 
 better, as in tlie Revision, all things that are 
 written through the prophets shall be accom- 
 plished tinto the Son of man. That what was 
 to be accomplished unto the Son of man would 
 take place in fultillment of the prophets, was 
 as well suited as any truth could be, to recon- 
 cile the disciples to their occurrence, and 
 would eventually have such an effect. 
 
 32. They would afterward reflect that 
 almost every det:iil of the humiliation and 
 suffering of their Lord had been precisely 
 foretoUl by him. 
 
 34. And they — emphatic, or distinctive= 
 "the^', on their part' — understood none of 
 these things. The teaching was so contrary 
 to all their previously formed notions concern- 
 ing the Messiah and his fortunes, that the 
 words, although perfectly intelligible in other 
 connections, conveyed no clear thought to 
 their minds. Yet it is intimated that there 
 was a higher reason for their blindness, so 
 peculiarly dense, in the counsels of (iod. For 
 it is added, And this saying — the declaration 
 itself, in which Christ had spoken of the.*e 
 things — was hid — had been concealed — 
 from them. Not so much, we may believe, 
 in the way of judicial blindness, as if they 
 
 had blamefully missed the true sense; but 
 rather through mercy, that they might not be 
 prematurely aware of the trials before them, 
 but first find the import of the prediction, 
 when they should most need its comfort. — 
 Neither knew they, etc. A necessary result 
 of the preceding statement. 
 
 35-43. Hkaling of a Blind Man near 
 Jericho. 
 
 Luke's account of this event, compared 
 with that of Matt., ch. 20: 29-:U, and of Mark, 
 ch. 10: 4G-52, suggests two difficulties: First, 
 he mentions one sufferer relieved (agreeing in 
 that with Mark) ; .second, he places the occur- 
 rence at their entrance into Jericho; th<i 
 others, at his departure. The first is easily 
 obviated. Though there were two, manj' rea- 
 sons are supposable why some of the reports 
 of the event should have dwelt upon one, to 
 the neglect of the other. Mark indicates one : 
 that one of tho.se healed was son of a man of 
 more or less note, one Timteus. As to the 
 place, one cure may have been effected when 
 the Lord was drawing near to the city; the 
 other, when he was going away from it. It 
 would be consistent with Matthew's practice, 
 to condense the two accounts into one; while 
 Luke mentions the former, Mark, the latter 
 case. It is easy to conjecture what, with more 
 circumstantial knowledge, might be seen to 
 be the fact, and so do awa^' with all appear- 
 ance of discrepancy. This is sufficient to 
 refute the charge of necessary contradiction. 
 
 The narrative is highly graphic. We are 
 made to see the sufferer sitting, as if to rest 
 from his own journey, by the way-side. The 
 great multitudes which have been repeatedly 
 mentioned as following Jesus of late, raise a 
 
276 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIX. 
 
 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be 
 brought unto him: and when he was come near, he 
 asked him, 
 
 41 Saying, Wliat wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? 
 And he said, Lurd, that I may receive my sight. 
 
 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: "thy 
 faith hath saved thee. 
 
 43 And immediately he received his sight, and fol- 
 lowed him, 'glorifying God: and all the people, when 
 they saw il, gave praise unto Uod. 
 
 40 David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and 
 commanded him to be brought unto him : and when 
 
 41 he was come near, he asked him. What wilt thou 
 that I should do unto thee? And he said. Lord, that 
 
 42 I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Receive thy sight: thy faith hath i made thee whole. 
 
 43 And immediately he received his Sight, and followed 
 him, glorifying (iod : and all the people, when they 
 saw it, gave praise unto God. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 AND Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 
 2 And, behold, (here was a man named Zaccheus, 
 which was the chief among the publicans, and he was 
 rich. 
 
 1 And he entered and was passing through Jericho. 
 
 2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchseus; and 
 
 ocb. 17: 19 b ch. 5: 26; Acts 4 : 21 ; 11 : 18. 1 Or. eaved thee. 
 
 din in passing, which excites the curiosity of 
 one who could not see as to what it meant. 
 The answer is given as a cold matter of foct : 
 "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by." The name 
 reminds him of what he has heard of the won- 
 derful deeds of this personage in that part of 
 the country. Instantly, therefore, he calls 
 aloud, Jesus, thou son of David — thus 
 proving his persuasion of the Messiahship of 
 our Lord — have mercy on me. This speaks 
 his sense of need, and, equally, of unworthi- 
 ness. He can ask help only for pity's sake, 
 without any claim or allegation of merit. — 
 And they which went before — in the van 
 of the procession, leaving Jesus nearer the 
 middle of the line than he generally stood 
 (oh. 19:28; Mark, oh. 10: 32) — rcbukcd him — think- 
 ing it unseemly that so great a personage, on 
 so stately an occasion, should be disturbed by 
 a blind beggar. Surely, they could not have 
 been long in the Master's company. The 
 blind man instinctively appreciated his char- 
 acter more truly. — But he cried so much 
 the more — what a trait of natural earnest- 
 ness! — Son of David, have mercy on me! 
 It seems probable that the appellation Son 
 of David, from the lips of a few petitioners 
 in the Gospels, recognized Jesus in the most 
 general way as the fulfillment of obvious pro- 
 phecies concerning the Messiah. 
 
 40. The true princeliness of- our Saviour 
 now appears in what his would-be guardians 
 thought unworthy of him. — And Jesus stood 
 — catching, through the stir, the cry of need; 
 himself on foot, he arrested the attendant 
 throng. — And commanded that he should 
 be brought— led— unto him, by the hands, 
 very likely, of some who had thought it un- 
 becoming that the wretch should address their 
 Lord. 
 
 41. What wilt thou that I shall do unto 
 
 thee? The question would excite the faith 
 of the sufferer, and draw the attention of all 
 to his wretched case. It itself throws the 
 door of mercy open, implying that whatever 
 was needed should be done. — And he said, 
 liOrd, that I may receive my sight — is 
 what I desire — but a blessing so great that I 
 dare not plainly ask it. 
 
 42. Without the slightest hesitation, the 
 healing word was spoken : Receive thy 
 sight ; thy faith hath saved thee. 
 
 43. With the former word sight came to 
 the blind eyes; immediately he received 
 his sight. The latter was added to honor the 
 faith which the man had exercised, and show 
 that there had not been merely an arbitrary 
 exercise of the divine power. For the man 
 not only, but for the whole crowd, this refer- 
 ence to faith was of essential consequence. — 
 And followed him, glorifying God. (See 
 on ch. 5 : 25.) He thus gave the best evidence 
 possible, at the moment, that the mercy of 
 Christ had reached not only his bodily eyes, 
 but his heart, now filled with joyful gratitude 
 to God, who had wrought through Christ. — 
 And all the people .... gave praise unto 
 God. A general enthusiasm of outward 
 praise, at least, animated the throng, which 
 their leaders, just before (ver. 39), would fain 
 have hindered from ibis glorious view. 
 
 Ch. 19. 1-10. Conversion of Zaccheus. 
 I. And Jesus entered and passed (or, 
 
 ivas passing) through Jericho. This city, 
 famous, rich, and strong, before its destruc- 
 tion by Joshua on his entering the land of 
 Canaan, had afterward arisen, in spite of the 
 curse which he pronounced on its site; and, 
 through various fortunes, had become again, 
 under Herod the Great, and later, a flourish- 
 ing and important city. It lay about seven 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 277 
 
 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could 
 not for the press, because he was little of stature. 
 
 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore 
 tree to see him : for he was to pass that Mviy. 
 
 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked 
 up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make 
 haste, and come down ; for to day I must abide at thy 
 bouse. 
 
 3 he was a chief publican, and he was rich. And he 
 sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not 
 
 4 for the crowd, because he was little of stature. .\nd 
 he ran on before, and climbed up into a sveomore 
 
 5 tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. Ami 
 when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and 
 said unto him, Zacchaus, make haste, and come 
 
 miles west of the Jordan, opposite the place 
 where the river parted to allow passage for the 
 Israelites, and the same distance northwestof 
 the Dead Sea, where that river empties into it. 
 Standing in a little oasis of freshness and ver- 
 dure, it seemed a Paradise to the traveler 
 who came upon it, wearied from the arduous 
 canyons of the western mountain (cb. io:30), 
 or parched and thirsty through the arid sands 
 ofthe Jordan plain. We have rather assumed, 
 in the preceding exposition, that Jesus now 
 came to Jericho through Perea, the country 
 bcj'ond the Jordan, according to the repre- 
 sentation of Matthew and Mark (M«tt. i9:i; nark 
 10: 1). Luke, indeed, does not say so, nor does 
 he say anything to the contrary. It was pos- 
 sible to come from Galilee to Jericho follow- 
 ing the west bank of the Jordan, down 
 through the inhospitable gorge in which the 
 river winds its way (the Arabah, Ghor). But 
 as our Saviour evidently desired on this jour- 
 ney to reach as many people as possible, and 
 made provision (ch. loii) for quite extensive 
 pmciamation of the gospel, we cannot think 
 Luke supposed that to be the real course, or 
 that the Saviour could have been detained 
 through a long series of discourses at any one 
 place in the sparsely inhabited valley of the 
 Jordan. Nor would he then have needed to 
 pass through Jericho. He had now crossed 
 that river bj' the well-known ford, where 
 Joshua had crossed in the early day. 
 
 2. And, behold, there was a man named 
 Zaccheus. The name being Hebrew, from 
 a root meaning pure, he was evidently ofthe 
 Jewish stock. The name (Zaccai) occurs ( Err« 
 I: »: Neh. 7; u); which was the chief among 
 the publicans — chief of the tax-gatherers — 
 and he was rich. Jericho was celebrated 
 for its production of highly prized balsam, 
 and other articles of commerce; and lying on 
 the only route of trade across Southern Pales- 
 tine, between the "West and the East, must 
 have given much occupation to the exactors 
 of revenue. Such were frequently Jews; and 
 as Zaccheus is called a chief of the tax gath- 
 erers, we may suppose he superintended the 
 collection of revenue over a district requiring 
 
 others, more strictly called "publican.s," 
 under him. See on ch. 3: 12. We have seen 
 (on the passage just cited) that those who fol- 
 lowed his business were able to make it very 
 profitable. Perhaps no one of them in Pales- 
 tine would have opportunity for greater gains. 
 Hence it is very naturally added— and he 
 was rich. 
 
 3. And he sought to see Jesus who he 
 was. He wanted to know by his actual looks 
 the man of whom he had heard much in that 
 region, as a great teacher and wonder-worker, 
 and especially as one considerate and sj-mpa- 
 thizing toward men of his class. His feeling 
 may have partaken of a desire which would 
 prepare him more readily to receive the in* 
 structions of Christ; but that we can only 
 conjecture. And could not for the press, 
 because he was little of stature. The 
 earnestness of his desire appears in the man- 
 ner in which he overcame the difficulty. 
 
 4. And he ran {on) before— in front of 
 the advancing procession — and climbed up 
 into a sycamore tree— more exRct\y—ivent 
 up on a sycamore. The sycamore, or fig- 
 mulberr\% was a low-growing, wide-spreading 
 tree, which gave little occasion for "climb- 
 ing," in the proper sense, and the Common 
 Version may mislead our conception of what 
 Zaccheus really did. For he was to — had 
 to, was bound to — pass that way. 
 
 5. We cannot at all say whether Jesus had 
 known anything of Zaccheus before; he might 
 easily learn his name, and something of his 
 character, from the comments which his con- 
 duct would draw from the crowd. We may 
 well suppose that this conduct, interpreted by 
 the look and air of the man, as Jesus drew 
 near, would indicate in him an unusual pre- 
 paredness for the reception of the gospel. 
 Hence the seemingly abrupt direction, Make 
 haste, and come down ; for to-day I must 
 abide at thy house. The necessity implied 
 in I must, lay in the fitness with his whole 
 plan of saving the lost, of such a tarrying to 
 enlighten and win the chief tax-gatherer. At 
 his house, would he be better able to influence 
 Zaccheus for his spiritual good. There i^ 
 
278 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIX. 
 
 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received 
 him joyliilly. 
 
 7 And when they saw it, they all nuiruuired, saying, 
 "That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a 
 sinner. 
 
 8 And Zaccheiis stood, and said unto the Lord; Be- 
 hold, Lord, the half of my goods 1 give to the poor; 
 and if 1 have taken any thing from any man by "false 
 accusation, "I restore him fourfold. 
 
 9 And Jesus said unto hini. This day is salvation 
 come to this house, forasmuch as "^ he also is « a son of 
 Abraham. 
 
 6 down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. And 
 he made haste, and came down, and received him 
 
 7 joyfully. And when they saw it, they all mur- 
 mured, saying, He is gone in to lodge with a man 
 
 8 that is a sinner. And Zacchieus stood, and said 
 unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I 
 give to the poor; and if I ha\e wrongfully exacted 
 
 9 aught of any man, I restore lourfold. And Jesus 
 said unto him, To-day is salvation come to this 
 
 a Malt. »: 11 ; ch. 
 
 .6 oh. 3: 14 c Ex. 'U: 1; 1 Sam. 12 : 3 ; !! Sam. 12 : 6 d Eoiu. 4: 11, 12, 16; Gal. 3: 7 « ch. 13: 16. 
 
 nothing to lead us to think that the house of 
 Zaccheus stood outside of the city. 
 
 6. And he made haste, and came down, 
 and received him joyfully. Everything 
 bespoke heartfelt and lively gratitication at 
 the privilege of entertaining the great teacher, 
 the reputed Messiah. 
 
 7. And when they — the accompanying 
 multitude— saw it, they all murmure»l. In 
 the brevity of the narrative, much is left to 
 imagination in filling out the scene. We may, 
 first of all, emphasize the impression which 
 the mere presence of Jesus, the manner of his 
 intercourse, the tones of his voice, and the 
 sentiments of his conversation made on Zac- 
 cheus. We can hardly help assuming, also, 
 that there was much discourse exchanged be- 
 tween the host and his guest, during the stay 
 of the latter. — I must abide — in the house, 
 whether the stay was of a few hours only, or 
 lasted over night. Much of this may have 
 passed, and the interest of the publican have 
 ripened into an intelligent and deliberate 
 fiiith, while this murmuring went on. — Say- 
 ing that he was — is — gone — in — to be 
 guest — to lodge — with a man that is a sin- 
 ner. To lodge, would naturally imply that 
 Christ was tarrying over at lea.st one night; 
 but not necessarily so. He is gone m=he 
 went in^is spoken after the visit has con- 
 tinued for some time. Their calling Zaccheus 
 a sinner does not prove that he was more so 
 in their estimation tban any publican.. 
 
 8. And Zaccheus stood — properly, took 
 his stand, as at ch. 18: 11. At some point of 
 the time, he, being aware of their opprobrious 
 cries, resolved to meet them before the Saviour, 
 and so stood forth, in calm and unabashed 
 dignitj'. Was it the dignity of conscious in- 
 nocence toward their accusations, or of peni- 
 tent rectification of conscious wrongs ? Godet 
 and others take the former view, according to 
 which the publican says: " Lord, I am not so 
 unworthy of thy attention as they allege; I 
 
 give, habitually, the half of my goods to the 
 poor," etc. This has in its fsivor the present 
 tense of the verbs — I give, I restore. But 
 against it lies the absurdity of habitually giv- 
 ing half one's goods, and remaining rich; 
 that it almost precludes the question of such a 
 man's exacting aught "wrongfully" of any 
 man ; and, above all, that it breathes no whi.s- 
 per of repentance. Therefore, we hold to the 
 common view, that Zaccheus now meets his 
 defamers by declaring that he doe.s, here and 
 now, to Jesus vow the gift of half his fortune 
 to the poor, both out of gratitude for the bless- 
 ing which comes to him through the presence 
 of the Lord, and also as a restitution of what 
 he may have acquired not with that honesty 
 which, in Christ's presence, at least, he feels 
 right. To make this la.st point sure, he spe- 
 cifically vows to restore fourfold to any indi- 
 viduals from whom it shall ap})ear that he 
 has, in his office, taken what they should not 
 have paid. Thus, the present tense of the 
 verb is fully justified. (Comp. Matt. 24: 40 fl". ; 
 26: 2; Kevision; comp. Butt, N. T. Gram., p. 
 205). The resolution and promise went far 
 bej'ond anything required in the law in such 
 a case. See the law concerning such a tres- 
 pass, in Num. 5: 6, 7, where a fine of one- 
 fifth only, besides the principal sum, is im- 
 posed. Here was such exercise of the spirit of 
 the law of love as had been required of the 
 rich young man (ch. is.- 22). It was an exhibi- 
 tion of true repentance, and faith in the Lord 
 Jesus, which Zaccheus might more confi- 
 dently rely on against the reproaches of the 
 crowd, than upon protestations of innocence, 
 even tliough well founded. 
 
 9. And Jesus said unto him. This day — 
 in consequence of my abiding at this house 
 to-day (ver. 5) — is salvation come to this 
 house — in the pardon of sins to its proprie- 
 tor — forasmuch as he also is a son of 
 Abraham. The last sentence, while ad- 
 dressed to the publican, is modified in form 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 279 
 
 10 ■ For the 8on of man is couie to seek and to save 
 that wliich wai$ lost. 
 
 11 Aud a.s thuy heard these things, he added and 
 spake a parable, because lie was uigh to .Jerusalem, and 
 *beeause they thought that the kingdom of Ciod 
 should inimediuU'ly appear. 
 
 12 ' lie .said therefore, .V certain nobleman went into 
 a far country to receive lor Liuiself a kingdom, and to 
 return. 
 
 10 house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 
 l''or the .Sou of mau came to seek aud to save that 
 which was lost. 
 
 11 Aud a.s they heard these things, he added aud 
 spake a parable, because he was nigh to .lerusalem, 
 aud becatt-if they supposed that the kingdom of liod 
 
 12 was immediately to appear. He said therefore, A 
 certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive . 
 
 a Matt. IH: U. See Matt. 10:6; 15: 21.... b Acts 1: 6....C Mutt. 25: U; Mark 13: 34. 
 
 into a justification of the favor shown him as 
 against the reproaches of the people. Christ 
 would say, "in blessing him, I go not beyond 
 the circle of my mission" (Matt, lo: 5, 6; lo: -2*). 
 He was one of "the lost sheep of the house of 
 Israel." 
 
 10. For the Son of man is come to seek 
 and to save that which was lost. Quite 
 in the spirit of chs. 6: 32; 13: IG; and of the 
 whole of chapter 15. Zaccheus was lost to 
 his neighbors, in the infamy of his occupation; 
 to Jesus, in tiie cstraiigoment of his heart from 
 the peace of God. Thus we see Christ at the 
 very close of his life, {)ersisting, and now 
 against greater inducements than ever before, 
 through the ott'ered homage of a numberless 
 and friendly throng, in manifesting a special 
 favor toward tliose wliom tliat throng specially 
 despised and avoided; or — because they speci- 
 ally needed his .sympathy and aid. 
 
 Part IV. Ch. 19: 11; 24: 53. Ap- 
 proach to Jerusalem, AND Fulfillment 
 OF the Time that He Should be Re- 
 ceived Up. (ch.9:5i). We cannot maintain 
 that Luke's narrative expro.ssly indicates a 
 new beginning here, as it has done for the 
 three preceding Parts; but, in common with 
 all the other Gospels, it treats the events of 
 the week now to follow with such fullness, 
 and such concentrated unity of interest, as to 
 show that they had a pre-eminent and unique 
 interest in his plan. Henceforth be is entirely 
 on common ground with one or more of the 
 evangelists, in the principal statements of his 
 Gospel to the end. 
 
 11-27. Parable of the Ten Pounds. 
 (Or, nmiae.) 
 
 11. And as they hoard these things, he 
 added, etc. This is evidently a general desig- 
 nation of the time. Not precisely while they 
 were hearing bis discourse with Zaccheus, 
 but while the impression of that was fresh in 
 their minds; the next recorded thing that 
 he spoke, was the following parable. Ad- 
 ded and spoke, is a Hebraism for "spoke 
 
 further." Becanse he was nigh to Jeru- 
 salem — about fourteen miles only from the 
 objective point of their long pilgrimage, at 
 which the opportunities of instructing them 
 would .soon end. And because they thought 
 (or, supposed) that the kingdom of (iod 
 should immediately appear— show itself, 
 or be displayed. Immediately is emphatic. 
 This was the main reason for uttering the para- 
 ble. Their idea wa.s, that, as soon as they 
 reached Jerusalem, "the glorious appearing" 
 of the Son of man would blaze forth. Tiiis 
 statement of reasons why he spoke the jjarable, 
 proves that its intention was, primarily, to 
 show that the glory of his kingdom would be 
 seen only after a considerable interval; and, 
 secondarily, to teach the chief di.sciples liow 
 that interval should be spent. He accordingly 
 compares himself to a man of noble birth, 
 entitled to exercise kingly dominion, but 
 needing first to be duly invested with this 
 authority by the supreme power, a long way 
 off. Meantime, he leaves with selected bond- 
 slaves of his an important sum of money, an 
 equal amount to each, to be employed for the 
 furtherance of his interests during his ab- 
 sence. On his return he finds that some of 
 these servants have made excellent use of his 
 deposit, and rewards them proportionally; 
 while one, who had done nothing, is dis- 
 graced and stripped of his trust. Incidentally 
 we learn that the community at large, over 
 whom he sought the dominion, disliked him, 
 and vainly sought to hinder his receiving it; 
 but, being defeated in their opposition, they 
 were cruelly punished by him in histriumpb. 
 12. A certain nobleman. The. figure 
 might be suggested by the frequent cases in 
 which princes of the Herodean family, and 
 others, in that age, had to apply to the Roman 
 Emperor, for monarchical authority in Pales- 
 tine, and the adjacent provinces. The case 
 of Archelaus, in particular, might, as Meyer 
 and others have noticed, the more naturally 
 be remembered here, at Jericho, becau.se ho 
 had left there a splendid palace, and other 
 
280 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cu. XIX. 
 
 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered 
 them ten pounds, and said unto theiu, Occupy till 1 
 come. 
 
 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message 
 after him, saying. We will not have this man to reign 
 over us. 
 
 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, 
 having received the kingdom, then he commanded these 
 serv; uts to be called uulo him, to whom he had given 
 the money, that he might know how much every man 
 had gained bv trading. 
 
 Ki Then came the first, saying. Lord, thy pound hath 
 gained ten pounds. 
 
 13 for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he 
 called ten * servants of his, and gave them ten 
 2 pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye hereu-ilh till I 
 
 14 come. But his citizens hated him, and sent an am- 
 bassage after him, saying. We will not that this man 
 
 15 reign over us. And it came to pass, when he was 
 come back again, having received the kingdom, that 
 he commanded these i servants, unto whom he had 
 given the money, to be called to him, that he might 
 
 16 know what they had gained by trading. And the 
 first came before him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath 
 
 -1 Gr. bondservants i Mina, here traudlated a pound, is equal to uue hundred dracUinris. See ch. 15 : 8. 
 
 memorials of his luxurious reign. ( Josephus, 
 Antiquities, xvii., 13, 1.) His case, atall events, 
 would furnish a strict parallel to the incidents 
 mentioned in ver. 14, 27.— A far country 
 stands for the celestial state, in which the 
 Father dwells in glory. To receive a king- 
 dom signifies the sending the Son of man 
 forth again in the glory of his Father and of 
 the holy angels, when every knee shall how 
 before him, and every tongue confess that he 
 is Lord. 
 
 13. And— before he went— he called ten 
 servants = sluves — of his — own. By a collo- 
 quial inaccuracy, the commissioning the ser- 
 vants is mentioned after he is said to have 
 departed. The ten servants were only a 
 selection of the whole number that such a per- 
 sonage would possess. Their being bond- 
 servants would not hinder their standing high 
 in the confidence and favor of their lord. 
 "Why just ten? A smaller number would 
 hardly have been consistent with the dignity 
 of such a nobleman, while twelve would have 
 pointed too palpably to the apostles.— Of 
 his own, and, therefore, absolutely subject 
 to his authority.— And gave to them ten 
 pounds — one to each servant. What is here 
 called a pound was the Attic mina, containing 
 silver equivalent to near seventeen dollars 
 now, but then, practically, far more valuable. 
 At most the sum is so small, compared with 
 the talents, in Matt. 25: 14, ff., as to prove 
 that that cannot be a report of this parable. 
 It was sufficient to exercise and test the 
 capacity of these servants with reference 
 to larger responsibility after his return. 
 (Meyer.) — Occupy — trade ye — till I come. 
 The pound symbolized the ability for useful- 
 ness in the cause of Christ, and trading there- 
 with would be the turning such ability to the 
 best account for its purpose. In particular, 
 we may perhaps safely say, that the pound 
 committed to each servant was Christ's truth 
 
 (the gospel), his ordinances, his Spirit. Oc- 
 cupy formerly meant nearly the same as " use 
 money for gain " (Plut., m Richardsun s Dic- 
 tionary), from the Latin verb occupare, one 
 meaning of whicli was "to invest money,"' 
 either as a loan at interest, or in purchases for 
 profit. This is the sense of the Greek verb 
 used by Christ. Coverdale, "chaffer ye"; 
 Tyndale, "buy and sell." Compare "by 
 trading" (ver. id). — Until I come is, in the 
 best MSS., "while I am coming," as if the 
 whole interval of absence was one coming. 
 
 14. His citizens are his fellow-citizens, 
 while he is yet a candidate merely for the rule 
 over them; his future subjects, should he be- 
 come king. The Jews are plainly intended, 
 as using every possible means to hinder Jesus 
 from attaining to his destined dominion. 
 There may probably have been an allusion to 
 the well-known caseof Archelaus. (Josephus, 
 Antiquities, xvii. 11, 1 ff. ) 
 
 15. This verse is prophetic of Christ's pro- 
 cedure when he shall come in royal authority 
 at the end of the world. How much every 
 man had gained by trading ; the Greek is, 
 nearly, " Who had accomplished anything 
 by trading, and what." This would deter- 
 mine \frith what fidelity and success they had 
 occupied. In "that day" the Judge will 
 strictly inquire who has turned to account 
 that fund of truth and grace which was lent 
 to each one, and how much more there is of it 
 now for future use. 
 
 16. Then came the first, etc., (literally, 
 And the first came before him). The reports 
 of three only are given, that being enough to 
 exhibit the whole method and spirit of the 
 trial. The order, first, second, third, is so 
 conceived that the first proves the one who 
 has been most successful in his traffic, the 
 second the next best; then (passing over all 
 who were profitable in less degrees), third, the 
 one who has done nothing. Or, are we to 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 281 
 
 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou go'>d servant : 
 because thou hast been Muithful iu a very little, ha^e 
 
 ^'ls'1^1' t'il:^;;:;uLi'cr::^saying. Lord, thy pound 
 
 ';Vil'St^affiewte to him.Be thou alsooverfive 
 
 "VrXnd another came, saying. Lord, behold, here is thy 
 pound, which I have kept laid up lu a I'^Pkin: 
 
 21 ''i-'or I feared thee, because thou art an aubttrc 
 man: thou takest up thit thou layedst uoldowu, aud 
 TiJ-iiicst that thou didst not sow. 
 
 '"rind he saith unto him « Out "f /'^I^Xrkniwes'i 
 will I iud^e thee,M'y« wicked servant. Jlhou kuc«est 
 U.at 1 was an ailstere man, taking up that I laid not 
 down, and reaping that 1 did not sow : 
 
 17 made ten pounds more. And he said unto him, 
 Well done, thou good i servant : because thou wast 
 lound laitlilul in a very little, have thou authority 
 
 18 over ten cities. Aud the second came saying 
 ly Thv pound. Lord, hath made live pounds. And 
 
 he said unto him also, IJe tlnm also over hve 
 
 20 cities. And 2 another came, saying, Lord Ije- 
 hold ht^re is thy pound, which i kept laid i.p 
 
 21 iu a napkin: for 1 feared thee, because thou art 
 an austere man: thou lakesl up that tl.ou layedst 
 
 22 not down, aud reapest that thou didst not sow. He 
 saith unto him. Out ofthine own mouth will 1 ju(l),e 
 thee, thou wicked 'servant. Tl.uu knewest that 1 
 am an austere man, takiug up thai 1 laid not down, 
 
 ^"m;.^;:;!:;;;^:^^:^^:::^^ 
 
 understand that out of every three one has 
 turned out useless, and two, more or less 
 profitable servants? Saying, Lord, thy 
 pound hath gained— did of itself work out 
 besides— ten pounds. He does not take the 
 credit of having done it; the master's pound 
 has wrought with this result. Supposing the 
 capital to have signified, as imagined above, 
 we need not puzzle ourselves as to the form 
 in whicii the increment appears at the last day. 
 It may be in the enlarged spiritual acquire- 
 ments and developed gifts and graces of the 
 servant himself, or, also, in the propagation 
 of these powers of usefulness in other con- 
 verted souls. Enough, that there are now 
 eleven pounds where there was but one. He 
 has invested, traded, well. 
 
 17. And he— the Lord— said— ?<«!'o him— 
 Well !— 6mi!o— thou good servant. AVhat 
 joy does even this foreshadow, for the dis- 
 ciple who shall behold the smile of his Lord 
 and Saviour, at the last day ? Because thou 
 hast \ieei\— didst inove—i&\i\\iu\ in a very 
 little, have thou authority over ten cities. 
 Comp. ch. 16: 10. Farrar says that Arche- 
 laus thus rewarded the chief subjects who 
 had been faithful to him. In a very little. 
 All duties and performances in the prelimi- 
 nary dispensation of the Son of man will 
 seem trifling, like the charge of a few dollars, 
 when measured on the scale of eternal affairs. 
 Have thou authority over ten cities. The 
 Greek expression strongly marks the con- 
 tinuation of this office, nearly as "be thou 
 having," etc. The government of cities may 
 prefigure oversight and responsibility in be- 
 half of those less well off in the heavenly 
 state. At all events, we may conclude that 
 the Lord will there have a field for the exer- 
 cise of all the talents and capacities of his 
 
 servants which he has developed in them 
 here. 
 
 18, 19. The second servant called has, ac- 
 cording to his ability, done well also witli the 
 treasure committed to him, and receives a 
 reward proportional to thafof the other, as 
 was the efficiency. The teaching naturally 
 suggests a gradation in the rewards of the 
 blessed, absolutely considered, while that of 
 each one is complete for him. Comp. Matt. 
 20: 23; Mark 10: 40. 
 
 20. The third, instead of being so called, is 
 spoken of 3imply as another — Greek, the 
 other; that is of the three. Lord, behold, 
 here is thy pound, which I have kept 
 (rather, I kept) laid up in a napkin. He lias 
 effected nothing by trading with, or otherwise 
 investing it; and all his time, which was due 
 to his master, has been simply idle. 
 
 21. For I feared thee, etc. His apology 
 mingles equally insult and liypocrisy.— Thou 
 art an austere man. Harsh and unjust in 
 thy dealings with inferiors. Every trait 
 of the imaginary nobleman is incompatible 
 with the supposition that this could have been 
 spoken sincerely— Takest up that thou 
 layedst not down, sounds like a proverbial 
 euphemism for "dost commit robbery." The 
 point of this, as an apology, would be, that it 
 was obviously unsafe, with one so inhumane, 
 to venture his money in commercial enter- 
 prises, which might miscarry; and so he had 
 simply kept the deposit safely idle. 
 
 22. Out of thine own mouth will I judge 
 thee=from thy excuse I will convict thee 
 of unfaithfulness to me— a wicked servant. 
 Thou knewest that I was— Greek, ant— An 
 austere man, etc. This sentence is best un- 
 derstood as ironically interrogative: Thou 
 
282 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cn. XIX. 
 
 23 Wherefore Ihen gavest uot thou my money into 
 the bank, that at my coming I might have requireil mine 
 own with usury? 
 
 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from 
 him the pound, and give il to him that liath ten pounds. 
 
 25 (And they said unto him. Lord, he hatli ten pounds.) 
 
 26 For I say unto you, "That unto every one wliich 
 hath shall be given ; and from him that hath nut, even 
 that he hath shall be taken away from him. 
 
 27 But those mine enemies, which would not tliat I 
 should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them 
 before me. 
 
 28 And when he had thus spoken, 'he went before, 
 ascending up to Jerusalem. 
 
 23 and reaping that I did not sow ; then wherefore 
 gavest thou not my money into the bank, and i 1 at 
 my coming should have required it with interest? 
 
 24 And he said unto them that stood by. Take away 
 from him the jwuud, and give it unto him that hath 
 
 25 the ten pounds. And they said unto him. Lord, he 
 
 26 hath ten pounds. I say unto you, that unto every 
 one that hath shall be given ; but from him that hath 
 not, even that which he bath shall be taken away 
 
 27 from him. Howbeit these mine enemies, who would 
 not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and 
 slay them before me. 
 
 28 And when he had thus spoken, he went on before, 
 going up to Jerusalem. 
 
 a Matt. i:t: I'i; 25 : 39 ; Mark 4 : 25 ; ch. 8: 18....6 Mark 10: 32. 1 Or, lehould have gone and required. 
 
 knewest, didst thou ? and so didst not dare 
 to trade with \ny money ? 
 
 23. Wherefore, then — for that very rea- 
 son — gavest not thou my money into the 
 bank, that at my coming I might — rather, 
 and /, at my coming, would have requii-ed it 
 with interest. It is assumed that there it 
 would have been safe, and drawing interest. 
 Bank is, in the Greek, ^\m\)\y table, viz., of the 
 brokers, or money-changers (Matt. 21:12; johii2:i5). 
 These became also lenders; and their business 
 developed, in the course of ages, into that of 
 the bank. The interest on the master's pound, 
 so used, would, doubtless, in that day, have 
 amounted to more than so unenterprising 
 a servant would have made in any other way. 
 No satisfactory explanation of the religious 
 significance of the bank has been offered. 
 The words mine own are warranted by noth- 
 ing in the Greek. 
 
 24. And he said unto them that stood 
 by — the ofiicers of this king — Take (away) 
 from him the pound, etc. A direction so 
 strange led the attendants to expostulate, ap- 
 parently interrupting their lord before he had 
 finished his sentence. 
 
 25. 26. And they said unto him. Lord, 
 he hath ten pounds — as though that was a 
 reason why he should not have more given 
 him. But in a case like this, it was the very 
 reason why he should. And our Saviour 
 proceeds, without noticing the interruption, 
 I say unto you. That unto every one that 
 hath shall be given, etc. Here the meaning 
 might still admit of api)lication to an earthly 
 case; but it is evident that the antitypical 
 truth alone is in the mind of Jesus. The 
 parable showed that the disciple that hath the 
 spiritual gift« and means of Chri-stian useful- 
 ness, is he that uses them. Every such tnan, 
 by the very use, increases their amount, and 
 becomes fit to have more committed to him. 
 
 The man who had put them away in a hand- 
 kerchief, did not have them, in any proper 
 sense of the word, and eventuallj' will be 
 stripped of them, in every sense. Nothing is 
 said here, as in regard to the misused talent 
 in Matt., ch. 25, of punishment to the craven 
 servant, beyond the disgraceful deprivation 
 of his trust. This may, perhaps, signify that 
 he has been convicted only of inefficiency in 
 the special and selected function assigned to 
 him, but may still continue in some lower 
 grade of service than that of the ten. Some 
 hint of such an intention is suggested by the 
 conjunction "howbeit" of the next sentence. 
 
 27. But (or, howbeit) — there is a more seri- 
 ous case than his to be attended to — those 
 mine enemies Avhich would not, etc. 
 This sentence, which was primarily aimed at 
 those Jewish foes who so malignantly hated 
 Jesus then, and afterward madly remon- 
 strated, in effect, with the Great King (see 23: 
 18) against having him as their Messiah, is of 
 dreadful import to all, of every nation and 
 age, who refuse our Saviour's gentle yoke. 
 
 (Matt. 27: 25; John 19: 15.) 
 
 28. Progress Toward Jeru.salem. 
 
 28. And when he had thus spoken, he 
 went before — in front of the crowd — as- 
 cending up (l)etter, rfoing itp) to Jerusalem. 
 
 The solemn journej', which had been inter- 
 rupted in Jericho, was resumed upon finishing 
 this discourse. Jesus took his customary 
 place, at the head of the line. In what sense 
 they were going up to Jerusalem, was ex- 
 plained in the note on the reverse movement 
 of the man going down to Jericho. See on 
 ch. 10: 30. Jericho, about fourteen miles 
 distant, was not far from 3,(i00 feet lower than 
 the summit of Mount Olivet, which they 
 must cross. 
 
 29-46. Arrival at Jerusalem. 
 
 At least one day must be understood to 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 283 
 
 29 "And it caiuo to pass, wben he was come uigh to 
 Bethphaf^e aud liethauy, at the mount called the moant 
 of Olives, be sent two of his disciples, 
 
 t 29 And it came to pass, when he drew nigh unto 
 1 Bethphage aud Bethany, at the mount ihat is called 
 
 a Malt. -Jl : 1; Mark II: 1. 
 
 hiive passed between the movement just 
 treated of, and the continuation of it, which 
 is now before us. Of that day no notice is 
 taken in either of the Synoptical Gospels. 
 For we have now come where we can, from 
 the Four Gospels, determine, with great prob- 
 ability, the dates of events, relatively to the 
 day of the crucifixion. Our Saviour died on 
 Friday of the week; and, as generally under- 
 
 Of our Lord's experience, in the bosom of a 
 
 well-beloved family, during t!:at last Sabbath 
 of his life, we can form imaginations <)nly. 
 Luke writes as if entirely unaware of that 
 stop at Bethany, as do Matthew and Mark 
 also, though they show afterward that they 
 were cognizant of the supper at Bethany. 
 
 (Malt. 26: 6; Mark 14: 3.) 
 
 29. And it came to pass— mi the morn- 
 
 stood, that was the 15th of Nisan. the day of 
 the Pa^^sover. Now in John 12: 1, we read 
 that Jesus came to Bethany, which was on 
 the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, "six 
 days before the passover," and was enter- 
 tained in the house of Simon the leper. In 
 ver. 12 he sets out, the next day, on this jour- 
 ney to Jerusalem, which we are following in 
 Luke. As the Passover began, that year, 
 Thursday evening at sun-down (Friday eve. 
 in the Jewish reckoning), "six days before" 
 carries us to the evening of Friday, 9th 
 Nisan, Sabbath eve, where and when on his 
 passage from Jericho, as spoken of in ver. 28 
 here, be must have rested over the Sabbath. 
 
 ing of the first day of the week— when he 
 came nigh to Bethphase and Bethany, 
 at the mount that is called the mount of 
 Olives. This mountain, so named from 
 ample olive orchards on its western slope, 
 stretches from north to south on the east of 
 Jeru.salem, and distant, at its summit, from 
 the wall of the city, 2.0()0 or 2,;300 feet. It 
 must be crossed in passing between Jerusa- 
 lem and Jericho. The village of Bethany 
 lay on the eastern slope of the ridge, "fifteen 
 furlongs," or about a mile and three-quarters 
 southeast of the citv. Bethphage was a 
 place closely connected with Bethany; but 
 whether merely a district in which Bethany 
 
284 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIX. 
 
 30 Saying, Go ye into tlie village over against you; 
 in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, 
 whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him 
 hit her. 
 
 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose himf 
 thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need 
 of him. 
 
 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found 
 even as he had said uuto them. 
 
 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners 
 thereof said unto them. Why loose ye the colt? 
 
 34 And they said. The Lord hath need of him. 
 
 35 And they brought him to Jesus: "and they cast 
 their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus 
 thereon. 
 
 3() 'And as he went, they spread their clothes in the 
 way. 
 
 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the 
 descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of 
 the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a 
 loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen ; 
 
 30 Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying. Go your 
 way into the village over against you ; in the which 
 as ye enter ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man 
 
 31 ever yet sat : loose him, and bring him. And if any 
 
 32 one ask you. Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye 
 say, The Lord hath need of him. And they that 
 were sent went away, and found even as he had said 
 
 33 unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the 
 owners thereof said unto them. Why loose ye the 
 
 34 colt? And they said. The Lord hath need of him. 
 3.5 And they brought him to Jesus: and they threw 
 
 their garments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon. 
 
 36 And as he went, they spread their garments in the 
 
 37 way. And as he was now drawing nigh, even at 
 the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole mul- 
 titude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise 
 God with a loud voice for all the ' mighty works 
 
 a 2 Kings 9: 13; Matt. 21 : 7 ; Mark U : 7 ; John 12 : 14 I Matt. 21 : i 
 
 -1 Gr. poicers. 
 
 was, or some village otherwise unknown, or the 
 village spoken of in the next verse, is a matter 
 of dispute. The latter is quite probable; in 
 which view it is mentioned before Bethany, 
 as being the point now brought to mind, and 
 defined by the latter as being more generally 
 known. This place must have lain between 
 Bethany and Jerusalem. He sent two of 
 his disciples. He had now come so near 
 that it was necessary to make preparations 
 that he might enter the city conformably to 
 the description of the prophets. 
 
 30. Saying, Go ye into the village 
 over against yon. In the absence of more 
 definite topographical knowledge, it is not 
 clear in what sense the village was over 
 against them. Dr. F Gardiner {Greek 
 Harmony, p. 172, note) is authority for the 
 statement that "the road from Bethany to 
 Jerusalem, as it passed along the side of 
 the Mount of Olives, encountered a deep 
 valley, and made a long detour around the 
 head of the valley, to avoid the descent and 
 ascent. A short footpath, however, led di- 
 rectly across the valley, and it was, probably, 
 from the point where this parted from the 
 road, that the disciples were sent for the ass to 
 the village on the opposite side, where the 
 path again met the road [at the winding-road 
 (Mark 10; 4), not whcre two ways met] — a site 
 still marked by ruins. The owner could have 
 seen the whole procession winding around the 
 valley; and he must have already known, 
 from the multitudes going out of Jerusalem to 
 meet Jesus (John 12: u), what it meant." The 
 colt was an ass's foal (Matt. 21:2, 7). Such were 
 not despised among the Jews, but held honor- 
 able (Jo'ig- 5: 10 ; 10:4; 12:14). — Tied, as if awaiting 
 
 the Messiah's use. — Whereon yet never man 
 sat. Animals unsubdued to earthly uses 
 seem to have been thought more worthy of 
 the divine use. See Deut. 21 : 3 ; 1 Sam. 6: 7. 
 
 31. The Lord would here be understood to 
 mean the Teacher, perhaps the Messiah; and 
 rather implies that the owner of the animal 
 was a disciple, or one interested in Jesus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 32-35. The exact correspondence of the 
 facts, as they found them, with what Christ 
 had foretold, was well adapted to confirm 
 their faith, and that of all who became aware 
 of it. — And they — the throng of people — cast 
 (or, threw) their garments upon the colt, 
 and (omit they) set Jesus thereon. It was 
 the best substitute they could afford for the 
 trappings with which the steeds of monarchs 
 and other dignitaries were caparisoned, when 
 they rode in state. He was now ready to 
 receive their recognition of his Messiahship, 
 and for the first time in his life, so far as we 
 are informed, journeyed otherwise than on 
 foot, or in the boats on the Lake of Gennes- 
 aret. 
 
 36. And as he went, they spread their 
 clothes in the way. Another touching dis- 
 play of their reverence. Matthew and Mark 
 add, that they cut oft' branches from the trees 
 and tender herbage, and strewed in the way, 
 as if to carpet the road for their Heavenly 
 King. For similar display, see 2 Kings 9; 
 13 ; 2 Mace. 10: 7 ; Herod. 7 : 54, and a multi- 
 tude of references in Wetstein on Matt. 21 : 8. 
 
 37. And when he was come (better, as he 
 roan now drawing) nigh — to Jerusalem — at the 
 descent of the mount of Olives, having 
 just crossed the summit, when the view of the 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 285 
 
 38 Saying, "Blessed be the King that coiueth in tlie 
 name of the Lord : ' peace in heaven, and glory in the 
 highest. 
 
 'M And .some of the Pharisees from among the multi- 
 tude said unto him. Master, rebuke thy disciples. 
 
 4it And ho answered and said unto them, 1 tell you 
 tliat, if these should hold their peace, ''the stones would 
 immediately cry out. 
 
 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, 
 and «' wept over it. 
 
 ■38 which they had seen; saying. Blessed is the King 
 that comeih in the name oi the J>ord: peace in 
 
 39 heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the 
 Pharisees from the multituue said uuto him, i Mas- 
 
 40 ter, rebuke thy disciplt/s. And he answered and 
 said, I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, 
 the stones will cry out. 
 
 41 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept 
 
 a Ps. 118: 26; ch. 13: »6 b cb. 2 : 14; Ephes. 2:1 c Hab. 2: 11 d John 11: 35. 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 city first broke upon them— the whole mul- 
 titude of the disciples began to rejoice. 
 The word disciples is liere used in a com- 
 prehensive sense (comp. John 6: GO, Oti), as 
 including the mass of the great throng which 
 we can see swayed by tlie surges of an irre- 
 sistible enthusiasm. It is, in the main, the 
 same multitude, or, ^nultitudes, making up 
 the caravan from Galilee, and Perea, who 
 accompanied him through Jericho; many of 
 whom liad probably- hastened on to Jerusa- 
 lem, when ho paused, on Sabbath eve, with 
 his friends in Bethany. These, with numbers 
 from other quarters, influenced by their re- 
 port of his coming, were the "much people" 
 (John i2: 12, 13) who, on this Sunday morning, 
 "took branches of palm trees, and went out 
 to meet him." Turning then in the direction 
 of the train, they might constitute those whom 
 Matthew (ch. 2i:9) speaks of as "those that 
 wont before"; while the procession from 
 Bethany were those "that followed." When 
 we remember what countless numbers flocked 
 to the holy city, on occasion of the Passover, 
 and how easily such a host is heated to a pop- 
 ular excitement, even without clear under- 
 standing of the cause of their zeal, imagina- 
 tion easily combines the scattered hints of the 
 Four Gospels into a scene of gigantic commo- 
 tion, like what is beheld in some great city in 
 honor of a favorite ruler; on the departure of 
 an arm^' in an agonizing national crisis; or at 
 the return of a victorious commander from 
 the salvation of a people's cause. We may 
 hear tlu-ir jubilant hallelujahs, as they began 
 to rejoice and praise God with a loud 
 voice, etc. The mighty works that they 
 had seen, included all those which had re- 
 cently occurred on their journey ; but, partic- 
 ularly, the raising of Lazarus — an event that 
 had lately drawn many of them out to Beth- 
 any, to see Jesus and Lazarus ; and all the 
 long series of mighty works of mercy, which 
 one and another could recall out of his past 
 
 life. Their praise was to God, who had sent 
 them the Messiah. 
 
 38. One form of their ascription was, 
 Blessed be the King that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord. When they style Jesus 
 a king, they distinctly recognize in him the 
 Messiah. (P9.ii«;26.) — In the name of the 
 Lord, as representing the penson, wearing the 
 character, and sharing the authority, of Je- 
 hovah.— Peace in heaven. The cessation 
 of divine anger toward sinners, as the fruit of 
 the Messiah's mission, and consequent salva- 
 tion. — Peace, with the Hebrew, compre- 
 hended all welfare, and was equivalent to 
 salvation. This is the effect of it to men. — 
 And glory in the highest— that is, places- 
 accrues to God from his mercy in the Anointed 
 One. See the hj'mn of the angels. (Ch.2:u.) 
 
 39. And some of the Pharisees from 
 (omit among) the multitude— a] ii)arently 
 of the milder sort, who were yet uncertain 
 about the character and aims of the Galilean 
 Teacher— said unto him, 3Iaster=7'^v7c/«^;- 
 —rebuke thy disciples. Finding that the 
 zeal of the people tended actually to make of 
 Jesus the Messiah, they seem to have supposed 
 that, if reminded of it, he would correct their 
 mistake. 
 
 40. He rather rebukes them. The fact of 
 his Messiahship should no longer be sup- 
 pressed, or in any degree concealed. It must 
 c<mie forth ; and these human voices are 
 God's proclamation of tlie truth. That the 
 stones would immediately cry out, is a 
 hyperbole, similar to that used by John the 
 
 Baptist. (Matt. 3:9.) 
 
 41. And when he was come near, he 
 beheld the city. This marks a stage of 
 the journey in advance of that intended 
 in ver. 37. There he "was drawing nigh." 
 and the van of the vast procession may have 
 caught sight of the Holy City, and thus been 
 roused to an outburst of adoration. Now the 
 view had fairly arrested the attention of our 
 
2S6 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XIX. 
 
 42 Saying, If thou haclst known, even thou, at least I 42 over it, saying, ' If thou hadst known in this ''day, 
 in this thy day, the thiugs «;/t«cA6«/t;/tj/ uuto thy peacel I even thou, the things which beloug unto " peace! 
 but now tuey are hid from thine eyes. | 
 
 1 Or, Oh Ikal (Aau hadat known, . . .2 Some auuiuut i 
 
 ities read, tftjf day. . . .3 Some ancient uuthu)-itie.s read, thy peace 
 
 Lord himself.— He saw the city. By which- 
 ever of the three, branches of the road from 
 Bethany he might be following — it was prob- 
 ably the southern and more gentle one — he 
 would, on surmounting the crest of the ridge, 
 stand one or two hundred feet higher than 
 the temple area, and still farther above most 
 other parts of Jerusalem. It was then a very 
 strong and splendid city, although nar- 
 rowly limited in extent by its very site. 
 
 few moments, grouped in silence. . . . The 
 one thought 'This is Jerusalem' absorbs all 
 others. ' Thy servants take pleasure in her 
 stones.' It is like revisiting a father's grave, 
 or the home of one's youth, and no one is dis- 
 posed to expatiate on the outline or details 
 of the landscape; for over it hover the mem- 
 ories of redemption achieved, and the victory 
 over the grave." (Canon Tristram, Lnndof 
 Israel.) What memories, what historic asso- 
 
 JERUSALEM. 
 
 Among a number of striking features, the 
 temple would attract the first glance by its 
 grandeur and magnificence. Even in the 
 present dilapidation of the city, this scene 
 awakens profound emotion in every thought- 
 ful and sensitive soul. " It is a glorious burst 
 as the traveler rounds the shoulder of Mount 
 Olivet, and the Haram wall [on the site of 
 the temple] starts up before him from the 
 deep gorge of the Kidron, with its domes 
 and crescents sparkling in the sunlight — a 
 royal city. On that very spot he once paused, 
 and gazed on the same bold cliffs, supporting 
 a more glorious pile. . . . We gazed for a 
 
 ciations, therefore, must it now have awakened 
 in the breast of Jesus! But only to darken 
 and distress his prevision of the fate of the 
 beloved city. He Avept over it. Broke out 
 into loud and tearful lamentations. The verb 
 used ((cAaieif) properly denotes " lortd expres- 
 sions of grief" ; see Liddell and Scott. The 
 dreadful contrast between what might have 
 been and what is to be I 
 
 42. If thou hadst known, even thon, 
 at least in this thy day, the things which 
 belong: unto thy peace 1 Excess of the 
 Saviour's feelings breaks off the sentence 
 (compare note on ch. 13: 9), "what wouldst 
 
Ch. XIX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 287 
 
 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thiue 
 enemies shall "cast a trench about (hue, aud couipa^^s 
 thee round, and keep thee iu on every side, 
 
 4t Aud '•shall lay ihee even with the ground, and thy 
 children within thee; and «tliey shall not leave iu theo 
 one stone upon another ; '' because thou kue west not the 
 time of thy visitation. 
 
 45 "And he went into the temple, and began to cast 
 out them that sold thereiu, and them that bought ; 
 
 43 but .now they are hid I'rom thine eyes. For the days 
 shall come upon thee when ihiue enemies shall casl 
 up a 1 hank atiout thee, anii ciiinpa.ss line niunii, and 
 
 44 keep thee iu on every sule, ana sliall uash ihee lo 
 the ground, and thy cuilureu within lliec; and they 
 shall not leave in thee one stone upon anoilier; be- 
 cause thou kueWesl not the lime ol ihy visilulion. 
 
 4o Aud he entered iuto the temple, aud began to cast 
 
 ilsa. a9; 3,4- Jer. 6:8, 6; oh. 21 : 20.... » I Kings » : 7, 8; Mic;ih»: 12.. .c Mull. 24: 2; Mmk 13 : 2 ; ch. 21:6....d l>Bu.9: 24; ch. 1: 
 ' 6h,TS; 1 Pet. 2 : 12 e Hull. 21 : 12 ; Mark 11 : 11, la ; JobD 2 : 14, lo. 1 Qr. |)it(iau((e. 
 
 thou not have escaped?" The shorter and 
 more simple form of tlie Revision lyr^bably 
 represents tlie correct text. Peace is, here 
 again, prosperity, welfare, salvation. The 
 things which belong to it tire repentance, 
 faith in the Messiah, true righteousness, on 
 the ground of which alone it could be en- 
 joyed. To know these is not merely to 
 recognize them as being necessary, but to 
 approve, adopt, and cherish them. In this 
 thy »lay, or, "in thy day," the last oppor- 
 tunity afforded thee. Even thou, or," thou 
 also," as well as others who believe in me; 
 thou especially whose leaders are so alien- 
 ated from God, and on whose repentance so 
 much depends. But now they are hid 
 from thine eyes. Now— as the case stands ! 
 They are hid from thine eyes, or, more 
 exactly, were hidden, viz., by the judicial 
 appointment of God'. Thou loouldst not see 
 them ; hence it was his will that thou shouldst 
 be blind to them. Comp. ch. 9: 45; 18: 34; 
 concealment, but with a merciful design. 
 
 43-44. These verses predict so preciselj* 
 what actually befell Jerusalem forty years 
 afterward, that critics who deny all real 
 prophecy, even on the part of Christ, 
 of course treat them as a prophecy after 
 the event. Not only the general evidence 
 of an earlier date of the Gospel refutes 
 this, but the supernatural character of 
 Christ, in any view of the record, and the un- 
 questionable fact that he did, in soine terms, 
 foretell the ruin of the city, give an antece- 
 dent probability that he would come thus 
 near to the history. The days shall come 
 — should rather be, days irill come. See on 
 ch. 5: od ; 17: '11. Cast a trench — rather, a 
 hnnk—a.\>o\\t thee. The Revision is to be 
 preferred in these verses, where it differs from 
 the Common Version. A bank about thee — 
 is the enclosing rampart, by which the enemj' 
 will shut thee in, to prevent escape or succor. 
 Because thou kncAvest not, etc. It is 
 implied that if they had appreciatively known 
 
 that the coming to them of Jesus was the 
 crisis of their opportunity to turn unto the 
 Lord, they would have believcjd, and been 
 saved. Then their city would have stood per- 
 petually illustrious in the kingdom of God. 
 Their failure, however, to apprehend the full 
 purport of the manifestation of Jesus being 
 the result of prejudice and self-interest, was 
 no excuse for their murderous oi)positii>n to 
 him. Comp. ch. 23; 23, 24. 
 
 45, 46. Christ EIxkrcises Supreme 
 Authority in thk Temple. 
 
 Mark (oh. ii : u) gives the succession of events 
 with special distinctness, and Matthew 
 (oh.2i: II, 12) adds some graphic details. It 
 would appear that that "Palm Sunday" 
 ended with a survey of the temple, prelim- 
 inary t(» further work there. The driving out 
 of the traffickers, as reported here by Luke, 
 occurred, probablj', the next day. Compare 
 Mark 11 : 12, "on the morrow." The night 
 was spent, as were all that followed, until the 
 last, at Bethanj' (Markn:n), or, at least, on the 
 Mount of Olives (ch.21 : :i7.') 
 
 45, And he went into the temple, and 
 began to cast out, etc. The Revision rightly 
 leaves (>ut hero, in Luke, the four last words 
 of this verse. That Jesus should have thus 
 purified the temple courts twice in his life 
 (comp. John 2: 13 ff.), is thought by some so 
 improbable, that they take this as only another 
 report of the same occurrence as that in John. 
 Really, however, it is not in the least unnat- 
 ural that there should be fresh occasion for 
 our Lord's righteous displeasure. The im- 
 pression made by the former chastisement 
 would soon pass away. The sooner, because a 
 great number, whose pecuniary interests were 
 involved in the unsoemly traffic, would com- 
 bine their influence against the innovation. 
 Officials of the temple, and some of high rank 
 in the Sadducean priesthood, whose great for- 
 tunes were at stake, would make a mighty 
 combination. They would, doubtless, insist 
 on the great convenience of having money- 
 
288 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX. 
 
 46 Saying unto them, "It is written, My house is the 
 bouse oi piayer; luu 'ye liave inaUe ii aaeu of thieves. 
 
 47 Auu lie taught daily iu the teujple. But "the chief 
 priests and ttie scribes aud the chief of the people 
 sought to destroy hiiu, 
 
 40 And could not tiud what they might do: for all 
 the people ^ were very attentive to hear him. 
 
 46 out them that sold, saying unto them. It is written, 
 And my house shall be a house ol prayer: but ye 
 have made it a den of robbers. 
 
 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. But 
 the chief priests ajid the scribes aud the principal 
 
 48 men of the people sought to destroy him; and they 
 could not find what tuey might do; for the people 
 all hung upon him, listening. 
 
 CHAPTEK XX. 
 
 AND 'it came to pass, thai on one of those days, as he 
 taught the people iu the temple, and preached the 
 gospel, tUe cliiei priests aud the scribes came upon him 
 With the eluers. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was 
 teaching the people in the temjile, aud preaching 
 the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests 
 
 a Isa. 56: 7 6 Jer. 7: 11 c Mark 11 : 18; John 7 : 19; 8 : 37 d Acts 16: 14 e Matt. 21 : 23. 
 
 changers present at this central spot, to give 
 coin current at Jerusalem to those who came 
 Irom all parts of the world, in order to meet 
 the demands of the temple, and all their need 
 for other purchases. And -what should hinder 
 the animals required for sacrifices from being 
 kept in the same convenient neighborhood? 
 The scruples of some might be obviated by 
 the consideration that it was only the Court of 
 the Gentiles that they used for tliese purposes. 
 A number of festivals had passed since Jesus 
 taught them the previous lesson, and it would 
 be strange if the old practices had not re- 
 established themselves in full vigor, with all 
 the accompanying fraud, extortion, and prac- 
 tical robbery of the ignorant, poor, helpless 
 worshipers in the sacred precincts. Jesus 
 would at once perceive the vanity of all pleas 
 of convenience, as a justification of such 
 abuses and crimes. Therefore, "he began 
 to ca.%t— drive— t\vem out." We are not 
 told now of the use of scourges, as before 
 (John 2: 15). His personal presence, after the 
 demonstration of the day before, was enough 
 to scatter the evil doers ; and we see, from the 
 parallel passages, that he made a clean sweep 
 of all their traffic, with its apparatus. 
 
 46. Saying unto them, It is written 
 (Isa. 56: 7), {And) my house is — shall be — the — 
 a — house of prayer — upon which some of 
 his hearers might recall from Isaiah, "for all 
 the nations," those Gentiles whom the.y did 
 their utmost to cheat and despoil. Jeremiah 
 (7: 11) had addressed his contemporaries as if 
 they thought the house called by Jehovah's 
 name "a den of robbers," in which very 
 words Jesus tells the people who cowered 
 before him, but ye have made it a den of 
 thieves — "a robbers' cave." What could 
 more clearly portend a destruction of the 
 hypocritical place, as complete, and vastly 
 
 more astounding than that which followed 
 Jeremiah's words! 
 
 47, 48. Sketch of our Lord's Action, 
 and of the machinations of his foes. 
 
 47. And he taught (better, was teachitig) 
 daily in the temple — through Mondaj', 
 Tuesday, and Wednesday. But the chief 
 priests and the scribes, and the chief 
 {7nen) of the people sought — all this time — 
 to destroy him. The favor of the people 
 toward him had risen to such a pitch as to 
 allow no delay. They must destroy him, or a 
 religious revolution, through his influence, 
 would destroy them — destroy their influence 
 and emoluments. 
 
 48. And could not find what they 
 might do — what means they could employ 
 to reach their end. Not that scruples of con- 
 science could have restrained them from any 
 measures, however violent or bloody. But 
 prudence hindered. For all the people 
 were very attentive to hear him. (Better, 
 as in the Revision, Fo?' t/te people all hung 
 upon Ai?n, listening.) These were the days of 
 Christ's lordship in his temple. The power 
 of the ordinary rulers was utterly subverted, 
 and thej' were obliged to resort to under- 
 handed and deceitful ways, lest they should 
 bring upon themselves the fury of their own 
 populace. This was eminently so in the first 
 days of the week. 
 
 Ch. 20. 1-8. The chai)ter presents several 
 instances of the thwarted attempts of the 
 chief priests and scribes to destroy him; and 
 specially graphic is this picture of the failure 
 of the whole body of the rulers to entrap the 
 Lord in his speech. 
 
 1. And it came to pass (omit that) on 
 one of those days. A comparison of Mat- 
 the^v and Mark shows that it was on Tuesday, 
 
Ch. XX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 289 
 
 2 And spake uuto him, saying, Tell us, "by what 
 authority Uoest thou these things'.' or who is he that 
 gave thee this authority V 
 
 ;! And he answered and said unto them, I will also 
 ask you oue thing; and answer me: 
 
 4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of 
 men '.' 
 
 .» And they reasoned with themselves, saying. If we 
 shall say, From heaven ; he will say, Why then believed 
 ve hiru not? 
 
 2 and the scribes with the elders; and they spake, 
 saying unto him, Tell us: iJy what authority doest 
 thou these things? or who is' he that gave thee this 
 
 ;{ authority? And he answered and said unto them, 
 
 4 1 also will ask you a 'question; and tell me: The 
 baptism of John, was it Ironi heaven, or from men? 
 
 5 And they reasoned with themselves, sai ' 
 shall say, From heaven ; he will say, Why 
 
 ying, II 
 
 (• did ye 
 
 Acta 4:7; 7 : 27.- 
 
 after the withering of the fig tree that he had 
 cursed tlie preceding (Monday) morning, on 
 the way from Betlmny to Jerusalem. As he 
 taught (better, was teaching) the people in 
 the temple, and preached (or, vfas preach- 
 iiKj) the gospel, according to the custom 
 noted, (ch. 19:47). The teaching would be 
 principally an exposition of the Messianic 
 intent of the Old Testament, the application of 
 which to his own character and work would 
 be the preaching of the gospel. (Comp. 
 cli. 4: 16-21.) We may well suppose that 
 large numbers were now thronging him, 
 "hanging upon him, listening," so that any 
 interruption would attract great attention. 
 Just at such a moment, an interruption did 
 occur, of the most formidable description; 
 one which, if anything could, might have 
 abashed Jesus himself The chief priests 
 (ch.9: -fi) and the scribes (ch.5: 21) came upon 
 him, with the elders (oh. m: m). The order 
 of words in the lievision is preferable to that 
 in the Common Version. It looks like a 
 formal delegation from the Sanhedrin, or 
 great r::ligious council of the nation, similar 
 to that which was sent to John the Baptist, in 
 the beginning of the Gospel (Johui: lair.). Se- 
 lected members, representing all sections of 
 the bod^', venerable in years and character, 
 and arrayed in their distinctive robes of office, 
 constituted an apparition well adapted to 
 overwhelm the po[)ulace with reverence and 
 awe. The statement that they came upon 
 him, implies a degree of suddenness, if not 
 surprise, in their appearance. The design 
 was soon manifest. 
 
 2. And (tfiei/) spake unto him, saying. 
 Tell us, by what authority doest thou 
 these things ? The imperative. Tell us, is 
 consistent with the whole air of superiority 
 and command which the visit bespoke. As 
 overseers, in divine providence, of the religious 
 instruction of the people, neither the people 
 nor Jesus himself would question the propriety 
 of their inquiring into the credentials of one 
 
 who assumed the function of a messenger of 
 God; only let them do it with an honest and 
 earnest desire to know the truth. But their 
 question was rather in regard to things done. 
 These things would include, primarily, the 
 cleansing of the temple courts, the day before, 
 and all that he had done and allowed on the 
 day of his arrival. The people listening 
 would be likely to associate with these the 
 blasting of the tig-tree, the giving sight to the 
 blind, the raising of Lazarus — all thai guaran- 
 teed him to be the prophet of Galilee, the Mes- 
 siah of the nation. With this extent, the 
 question, by what authority doest thou 
 these things I — understood, as they intended 
 it, viz., what man, what eldership, what col- 
 lege of rabbins, gave it to thee? (which is the 
 sense of their alternative question) — was likely 
 to seem absurd. The practical sum of it was, 
 in their minds, "How, when, where, did.st 
 thou receive this authority from us?" As 
 their inquir3' was proper in form, the Lord 
 gave a resp»^ctful reply. 
 
 3. And he answered and said unto 
 them, I will also ask you one thing 
 (better, rt question); and answer (or, tell, 
 as in ver. 1) me. To answer a question by 
 proposing another has alwa\'s been allowable, 
 but is often very troublesome. Christ's repe- 
 tition of their Tell me assumes a dignity and 
 dominion equal to theirs. 
 
 4. The baptism of John, was it from 
 heaven, or of (literally. /row) men ? The 
 baptism of John is put briefly for the whole 
 mission of John. Now. John had notoriously 
 testified to the Messiahship of Jesus, and that 
 to the embassy sent from this very body, per- 
 haps including some of these very men. An 
 answer to his question, therefore, would 
 greatly clear the way toward an answer to 
 theirs, and perhaps render further answer 
 unnecessary. Did John do what he did, and 
 say what he said, as a prophet, the spokesman 
 of God ? 
 
 5. The tables were at once turned. They, 
 
290 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX. 
 
 6 But and if we say, Of men ; all the people will stone 
 us: "for tliey be persuaded that John was a prophet. 
 
 7 And they answered, that they could not tell whence 
 it was. 
 
 8 And Jesus said unto theiu, Neither tell I you by 
 what authority I do these things. 
 
 9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; 
 'A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to 
 husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long 
 time. 
 
 6 believe him? But if we shall say, From wen ; all the 
 people will stone us: for they are persuaded that 
 
 7 Johu was a prophet. And they answered, that they 
 
 8 knew not whence it was. And Jesus said unto them. 
 Neither tell I you by what authority I do these 
 things. 
 
 9 And he began to speak unto the people this par- 
 able : A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to 
 husbandmen, and went into "another country for a 
 
 a Matt. 14: 5; 21: 26; oh. 7: 2»....& Matt. 21 : 33 ; Mark 12: 1. 
 
 not he, were perplexed. — And they reasoned 
 with themselves — thus betraying to the 
 people their confusion, at once — saying. If 
 we shall say, From heaven, etc. It was as 
 plain as day that, if they admitted the pro- 
 phetic character of John (of which they had 
 convincing evidence), they condemned them- 
 selves for not welcoming as tlie Christ him 
 whom that prophet had declared such. They 
 might, therefore, have denied John this char- 
 acter, evidence or no evidence ; but then the^' 
 would forfeit the confidence, and even incur 
 the hatred, of the people — which, in all their 
 malice and machinations, they were now 
 anxious to avoid. 
 
 6. But and — omit and — if we say. Of 
 men — acting self-moved, or with only the war- 
 rant of other men — all the people will stone 
 us : for they be {are) persuaded that John 
 was a prophet. So universal was this belief, 
 that the rulers feared a general insurrection if 
 it was challenged. An additional proof of the 
 extent and depth of the impression made on 
 the nation by John's work. Perhaps none of 
 the ancient prophets had been so completely 
 recognized as such. Hence, stones would be 
 the ready weapons of the enraged people 
 against blasphemous impeachment of his au- 
 thority. 
 
 7. And they answered, that they could 
 not tell (rather, kneio not) whence it was. 
 This answer, if truthful, proved, as everj' one 
 might see, such incapacity to recognize the 
 source of prophetic authority', that they had 
 no claim to^ question Christ's. If false, as 
 would be the more natural view, it the more de- 
 cidedly exempted him from their jurisdiction. 
 
 8. He could not say, like them, "neither 
 do I know" ; but assuming that their answer 
 meant "we will not tell you," he dismissed 
 them, silenced and crest-fallen, with, Neither 
 tell I you by what authority I do these 
 things. We may profitably notice the divine 
 calmness of our Saviour; the promptness, pro- 
 priety:, and force with which he met this sud- 
 
 den, unexpected, and most imposing assault 
 from hostile powers, before which an ordinary 
 Hebrew would have quailed. 
 
 9-19. Parable of the Wicked Hus- 
 bandmen. 
 
 Having effectually baffled these dignitaries, 
 Jesus uttered a parable to the people, but for 
 the rulers, who, or a portion of whom, con- 
 tinued to listen. This is sufficiently apparent 
 from verse 16, below, and is confirmed by 
 Matt. 21 : 28-33 ; Mark 12 : 1. 
 
 9. Then {Atid)hegHn he to speak to the 
 people this parable : A certain man 
 planted a vineyard, and let it forth (out) 
 to husbandmen, and went into a far 
 (rather, another) country for a long time. 
 The intended reference of the chief features 
 of the allegory is plain. Tlie proprietor is 
 God. The vineyard is the Jewish State, the 
 Theocracy, with its resjjonsibilities, privileges, 
 promises, rewards. The planting it, was its 
 establishment in the land of Palestine, with 
 all that inclosure of institutions, rites, and 
 customs which should at once promote its own 
 prosperity', and keep it distinct from the rest 
 of the world. The husbandmen to whom 
 it was let out, were the administrators of 
 the government under God — the judges, 
 kings, priests, and all that successively consti- 
 tuted the hierarch3\ The "fruits" expected 
 by the proprietor of this vineyard, were obe- 
 dience to his will, as declared in the law, 
 which was to prepare the wa3' for a universal 
 reign of grace to sinful men, while it mean- 
 time fostered acharacter of humility, upright- 
 ness, mercy, piety, among the people who 
 made up the plants of the vine3-ard. The 
 servants, were the prophets, sent in succes- 
 sion, to require this fruit at the hands of the 
 people, represented and moulded bj' their 
 rulers. Three stages of their mission are men- 
 tioned, denoting that they were sent repeat- 
 edly ; not, necessarily, just thrice. Many of 
 them were ill-treated; some of them, even 
 slain — particularly, John the Baptist. The 
 
Ch. XX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 291 
 
 10 And at the season he sent a servant to the hus- 
 bandiueu, thai thev should jrive hiiu ol the Iruit ol the 
 vineyard: but the LusbaDduieu beat hiiu, uud sent him 
 away empty. 
 
 1 1 And a;<ain he sent another servant : and they beat 
 him also, and entreated him shaiuel'ully, and sent htm 
 away empty. 
 
 l/And a^aia he sent a third: and they wounded 
 him also, and cast /i/i/tuiit. 
 
 V.i Then said the lord ol" the vineyard, What shall I 
 do? t will send uiy l>e!oved son : it may be they will 
 reverence him when they see him. 
 
 14 Kut when the husbaudmen saw him, they rea- 
 soned amon>; themselves, .saying, This is the heir: 
 come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 
 
 15 So they ca^t him out of the vineyard, and killecl 
 him. What" therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do 
 unto them? 
 
 16 He shall come and destroy these husbaudmen, and 
 
 10 long time. And at the season he sent unto the 
 husbandmen a I servant, that they siiould give him 
 of the Iruit of the vineyard : but the husbandmen 
 
 11 beat him, and sent him away empty. And he sent 
 yet another ' servant : and fiim also they beat, and 
 handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 
 
 V2. And he sent yet a third: ami him also they 
 lii wounde.', and east him forth. And the lord of the 
 14 vineyard said. What shall 1 do? 1 will send my be- 
 loved son : it may l>e they will reverence him. hut 
 when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one 
 with another, saying. This is the heir: let us kill 
 lo him, that the inheritance may be ours. And they 
 oust him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. 
 What therefore will the lor\l" of the vineyard do 
 IG unto them? He will come and destroy these hus- 
 bandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 
 And when they heard it, they said, 2 God forbid. 
 
 1 Gr. hondttrvant 2 Gr. Be it not ao. 
 
 son — wlioin the proprietor decides to send 
 after tiie last of his servants has failed, is, of 
 course, the Lord Jesus himself; and the plot 
 of the husbandmen against him, is what the 
 chief priests and scribes are now engaged in 
 working out, that they may continue to hold 
 their control over the people, with its honors 
 and emoluments. It is a pathetic picture of 
 the present case of the Son of man, with ref- 
 erence to its historical antecedents, and its 
 impending tragedj*. The husbandmen — a 
 more comprehensive term, instead of tlie more 
 precise, " vine- dressers," "vineyardists." 
 They are the men who would employ the vine- 
 dressers. — For a long time, covers the pe- 
 riod from the settlement in Canaan to the 
 coming of Christ. 
 
 10. At the season — namely, when the 
 effect of his favor to this people should have 
 shown itself in their gratitude, obedience, and 
 love to him. — Of the fruit of the vineyard, 
 not absolutely all of it. It implies an ar- 
 rangement with the husbandmen that they 
 were to have some share of the benefit, in im- 
 proved and happier lives of rulers and people. 
 
 12. In no case, at no period, do they meet 
 God's reasonable requirement with fidelity 
 and righteousness. In this, the Saviour 
 simply summarized their recorded history. 
 Throughout that, from the men who "out- 
 lived Joshua" (Judg. 2:7), we search in vain for 
 the account of a single generation that served 
 Jehovah with more than a rare, meagre, half- 
 hearted devotion. Scarcely a king that, 
 through his life-time, remained faithful to the 
 national covenant with God. The ascending 
 degrees of their cruelty to his servants, as 
 here set forth, show that they became worse 
 instead of better. 
 
 13. Their course had culminated in this 
 harder than brazen-heartedness of these men, 
 who now hear without relenting the pathetic 
 emotion of the Father in heaven, when, as 
 the last expedient, he says, I will send my 
 beloved Son: it may be they will rever- 
 ence him. 
 
 14. It was painting the present state of 
 things to the life, when Jesus represents the 
 rulers as turning this extremity of fatherly af- 
 fection into an occasion for the supreme exer- 
 cise of their rebellion and hate. — Let us kill 
 him, that the inheritance may be (become) 
 our.s. The motive of their murderous wicked- 
 ness is laid open before them— tliat, the Mes- 
 siah being put out of the way, they may sit in 
 his place, as they already sat "in Moses' seat." 
 "What was originally and properly a piece of 
 land entrusted to their care, on certain unful- 
 filled conditions, has become, in their view, 
 an inheritance handed down to them , so that, 
 if the legitimate heir be got rid of, it will fall 
 of right to them. 
 
 15. Their plan is put in execution. — They 
 cast him out of the vineyard, and killed 
 him. Christ speaks of that as already accom- 
 plished, which is to take place after three 
 days. The casting the son out of the vine- 
 yard, means, perhaps, nothing more than that 
 they put him off from the field which he 
 claims, and which they usurp, before they put 
 him to death. Some think it refers to a for- 
 mal excommunication of Jesus, but without 
 adducing any proof of such a fact. For.«aking 
 now the form of narrative, Christ inquires 
 as to the future consequences of this conduct. 
 — What therefore shall the Lord of the 
 vineyard do unto them? 
 
 16. The answer to his question must prob- 
 
292 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX. 
 
 shall give the vineyard to others. And when they 
 heard U, they said, (iod I'orbid. 
 
 17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then 
 that is written, "The stone which the builders rejected, 
 the same is become the head of the corner? 
 
 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be 
 broken ; but *on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind 
 him to powder. 
 
 19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same 
 hour sought to lay hands on him ; and they feared the 
 people : for they perceived that he had spoken this 
 parable against them. 
 
 17 But he looked upon them, and said, What then is 
 this that is written, 
 
 The stone that the builders rejected, 
 
 The same was made the head of the corner? 
 
 18 Every one that falleth on that stone shall be broken 
 to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will 
 scatter him as dust. 
 
 19 And the scribes and the chief priests sought to 
 lay hands on him in that very hour; and they 
 feared the people : for they perceived that he sijake 
 
 ( Ps. 118: 2-'; Matt. 21 : 42. ...5 Dan. 2 : 34, .Sd; Matt. 21 : 44. 
 
 ably be understood in our passage, and so in 
 Mark, as the Lord's own to his own question. 
 Matthew gives substantially the same, as ex- 
 torted from one of those rulers by the vivid- 
 ness of the narrative. — He shall (rather, will) 
 come and destroy these husbandmen, 
 and shall {will) give the vineyard to oth- 
 ers. The privileges of the kingdom of God 
 will soon be withdrawn from the Jews, as a 
 visible polity, with temporal advantages ; its 
 earthly' rulers will be superseded, and its in- 
 tended benefits will become the spiritual pre- 
 rogative of individuals, Jews or Gentiles, who 
 are ready to receive it. — And when they — 
 that is, some of the parties threatened — heard 
 it, they said, God forbid (or, rather, Let 
 it not be). The familiar form may be more to 
 our taste, but that does not warrant bringing 
 the name of God into such vehement expres- 
 sions a thousand times, in the Bible, when its 
 authors left it out. From what follows, it 
 would seem that what they would avert was 
 not merely the destruction, but the cause of it, 
 in the murder of the son of the lord of the 
 vineyard. "Let that not be, in order that 
 those natural consequences may not follow! " 
 17. The Saviour replies, in effect, "That 
 must be, else how shall the Scripture be ful- 
 filled?" And he beheld them — looked on 
 them — with a glance of searching penetration 
 — and said, What is this then that is 
 written (ps. iis: 22). The stone, etc. Do you 
 not see that what my parable portends is 
 deeply suggested in your ancient Scripture? 
 The passage cited celebrates the triumph of 
 some prominent personage typically con- 
 nected with the typical kingdom of God. 
 Foes would have depressed him ; but he is 
 raised to the highest honor. This Jesus ap- 
 plies to himself, making the rulers the build- 
 ers of the Theocracy, who have rejected him 
 only to be defeated, in seeing him exalted to 
 headship in that structure. The same— that 
 very person, he and no other — is become — 
 
 (or, was made) the head of the corner. 
 
 This last phrase is a Hebraism for a stone so 
 fitted and placed as, by forming part of two 
 walls, to bind them togetlier at a corner, 
 and give security to the whole structure. 
 Whether it is conceived of as coping out the 
 main wall at the top (Jer. 51: 26), or the founda- 
 tion wall, on which the edifice rested (is.28: ig; 
 iPet.2:6,7), or, as placed at any desired eleva- 
 tion, admits of question. 
 
 18. Whosoever shall fall upon that 
 stone shall be broken, etc. Now the 
 corner stone is imagined lying on the ground, 
 and liable to be stumbled over; then as raised 
 aloft, ready to be precipitated on the heads 
 below. Or the idea of construction may 
 simply have been dropped ; the thought hav- 
 ing passed to that of a stone capable of doing 
 harm. The teaching is, that those who took 
 offence at Jesus in his earthly manifestation 
 would perish ; but still more miserablj' those 
 who should continue to despise him after his 
 exaltation to the right hand of God. The 
 former will be crushed, the latter scattered as 
 dust — literally, winnowed — with the effect 
 that the wind will blow them away. Comp. 
 Ps. 1 : 4. 
 
 19. This verse at once closes the account of 
 the parable, and introduces the next attempt 
 of his enemies. And the chief priests and 
 the scribes the same hour sought to lay 
 hands on him. The order in the Greek is: 
 And the scribes and the chief priests sought 
 to lay (their) hands on him in that very hour. 
 We shall see on ch. 22: 8, that they had 
 already contracted with Judas for the betrayal 
 of Jesus, but did not think it expedient to try 
 to carry out their plan until after the feast. 
 But the exasperation of the Sanhedrists had 
 now become so intense that they were almost 
 ready to seize him on the spot. And they 
 feared the people. Comp. ver. 6. Another 
 important fact which tempered their rage, 
 and obliged them to try other expedients to 
 
Ch. XX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 293 
 
 20 "■ And they watehed Aim, and sent forth spies, which 
 should IVign themselves just luen, that they mij^lit take 
 hold of his words, that so they luight deliver him unto 
 the power and authority of the governor. 
 
 21 And they asked him, saying, '•Master, we know 
 that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest 
 thou the person oj any, but teachest the way of God 
 truly : 
 
 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? 
 
 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto 
 them. Why tempt ye me? 
 
 24 Shew me a penny. Whose ima^e and superscrip- 
 tion hath it ? Tney answered and said, Cesar's. 
 
 20 this parable against them. And they watched him, 
 and sent fortu spies, who feigned themselves to be 
 righteous, that they might take hold of his .speech, 
 so as to deliver hiui up to the ' rule and to the 
 
 21 authiJrity of the governor. And they asked him, 
 saying, -'Master, we know that thou sayest and 
 teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of 
 
 22 any, but of a truth teachest the way of God : Is it 
 lawful for us to give tribute unto Cicsar, or not? 
 
 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto 
 them, Shew me a ■'denarius. Whose image and 
 
 24 superscription hath it? And they said, Cccsar's. 
 
 a Uait. it: M i Malt. 22: 16; l£ark 12: 14. 1 Or, ruling power 2 Or, Teacher 3 See margiual note on Matt, xvlii. 28. 
 
 reach their end without danger to themselves. 
 For they — i. e., tlie scribes and chief priests — 
 perceived that he had spoken {literally 
 spake) this p.irable against them. This 
 e.\|thiins the first member of this verse — they 
 gonght to lay hands on him. 
 
 20-26. Another Plot of Theirs 
 Foiled. 
 
 20. And they watched him — looking out 
 for a good opportunity and contrivance — 
 and sent forth spies^men suborned, or in- 
 stigated to practice fraud — which should 
 feign (literally, feigned) themselves just 
 (better, righteous) men. They hypocriticallj' 
 professed great care to do tbeir duty to God 
 and man, in the hard relation which they 
 stood in toward the existing government. 
 That they might take hold of his words 
 (speech), that so they might deliver him, 
 etc. Tiiey had arranged a scheme of such in- 
 genuity that, whatever he might say, .«eenied 
 certain to make liim guilty before the religious 
 orthe civil authority. Untothe power ; i.e., 
 the civil rule or magistracy, however admin- 
 istered—and authority of the governor — 
 tiie Roman Procurator, Pilate. Only the 
 latter could decree the death penaltj', nothing 
 less than which would satisfy their malignitj'. 
 Fnun the other Synoptists we learn that 
 among tlie.se lyers-in-wait were some who 
 were disciples of the Pharisees, and some who 
 were Ilerodians. The former would share the 
 spirit and represent the ability of the Phari- 
 sees, althougli, apparently, not full-fledged 
 members of tlie sect {uaa. n -. le) ; and they could 
 serve a.s witnesses on the Pharisaic side. The 
 Herodians were such as originally supported 
 the rule of the Herodian family ; and, as this 
 depended on the Roman power, they indi- 
 rectly supported the Roman, as opposed to 
 the patriotic rule. They were thus at the 
 opposite pole of political .principle to the 
 Pharisees ; but common antagonism to Jesus, 
 
 as a revolutionary reformer, made them one 
 for the moment. Their coming to liim in 
 company might tend to throw liim off his 
 guard ; their consentient testimony, at all 
 events, would have the greater weight. It 
 is worthy of note that Luke sa^'s nothing of 
 Pharisees here ; only of chief priests and 
 scribes. So also in the preceding section, 
 from ver. 1. He does not even mention them 
 again through all these procedings. And 
 here is, chronologically, the last reference 
 to them by Matthew or Mark, until they 
 come, with others, to Pilate (Matt. 27:62) about 
 the body of Jesus. John also alludes to them 
 as now active only once. (Ch. i8:s.) The de- 
 nunciation of the Pharisees, in Matt. 23s 
 belongs to an earlier date. 
 
 21. And they asked him, saying. Mas- 
 ter ( TcrtrAer), we know that thou sayest 
 and teachest rightly, etc. Tiieir ques- 
 tion is suspended by a very adroit piece of 
 flattery, which they might naturally suppose 
 would be likely to throw Jesus off his guard. 
 —Neither acceptest thou the person of 
 any. To accept the person was the same as 
 "to respect persons " — a Hebrew exi)ression 
 for "to pervert justice in favor of any one," 
 to show partiality in pronouncing judgment. 
 They say. in effect, " We desire to know the 
 honest truth, however it may bear on our con- 
 duct, and are sure that thou art the teacher 
 who can give it to us." 
 
 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute- 
 pay taxes — unto Ca'sar, or no? The last 
 two words betray the desire for an explicit and 
 categorical answer. Yes, or no? 
 
 23. 24. But he perceived their crafti- 
 ness. If he said "Yes," the Herodians 
 would be pleased, while the whole Pharisaic 
 zeal, and that of the patriotic populace, would 
 be kindled against him. But if he answered 
 "No," siding with the Pharisees against 
 such political subjection, he would still more 
 
294 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX. 
 
 25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto 25 And he said unto them, Then render unto Caesar 
 
 Csesar tlie things which be Cwsar's, and unto (jod the 
 things whieli be God's. 
 
 2^ And they could not take hold of his words before 
 the people : and they marvelled at his answer, "and held 
 their peace. 
 
 27 "Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, 
 ' which deny that there is any resurrection ; and they 
 asked him, 
 
 the things that areCa;sar's, and unto Uod the things 
 
 26 that are liod's. And they were not able to take 
 hold of the saying before the people: and they 
 marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. 
 
 27 And there came to him certain of the Ijadducees, 
 they that say that there is no resurrection ; and they 
 
 a Mail. '22 : a3 ; Mark 12 : 18 6 A -ts 23 : 6. 8. 
 
 directly come into collision with the ruling 
 power of his nation. We should not have 
 been surprised to tind it written that he re- 
 flected for a moment. But no; instantly, 
 with the same imperturbable serenity which 
 ■we noticed in ver. 3, ti"., he said uuto them, 
 . . . . Show me a penny — a denarius. 
 This coin would be appropriate, as a unit in 
 the reckoning of the taxes and tolls. Whose 
 image and superscription hath it? They 
 answered and said, Caesar's. The coin 
 current in their country, bearing the likeness 
 of the Emperor for the time being, would be a 
 proof that he was sovereign over them, and pre- 
 pare the way for the admirable solution of 
 their question which is to follow. The coin 
 produced would probably be one of Tiberius, 
 the reigning Emperor. (Csesar was the dynas- 
 tic designation of the Emperors, like Kaiser 
 in Germany, Zar in Eussia, and not a per- 
 sonal name. " On one side would be the once 
 beautiful, but now depraved, features of Ti- 
 berius ; the title Poniifex Mnximns was prob- 
 ably inscribed on the obverse." — (Farrar.) 
 
 25. Render therefore (or, 7%c»)— in con- 
 sideration of what that implies— nnto Csesar 
 the things which be (or, that rrre) Caesar's, 
 and nnto God the things which be {that 
 are) God's. The former were the tribute, in 
 various forms of tax levied, necessary to sus- 
 
 tain the government under which they lived; 
 the latter, the love and service, constituting 
 piety and true holiness, which were due to the 
 Heavenly Kuler. Christ does not content 
 himself with an answer to their secular ques- 
 tion merely, but shows that there is a religious 
 side to secular duties. Fidelity to the state is 
 not only consistent with duty to God, but is 
 included in it. 
 
 26. And they could not (or, were not able 
 to) take hold of his words (lit., the saying) 
 — as they had set out to do (ver. 20) — before the 
 people. Again, in the presence of the peo- 
 ple, they were plainly defeated in their at- 
 tempt to entrap him. — And they — the spies — 
 marvelled at his answer — it was the won- 
 der, not of admiration, but of amazement — 
 and held their peace. Their efforts against 
 the Saviour were, for the time, entirely si- 
 lenced. "They left him, and went their 
 way" (Matt.22:22). This was the end of an 
 attempt proceeding from the Pharisaic party. 
 
 27-39. Sadducees Would Test Him 
 Concerning the Kesurrection. 
 
 27. Then came — And theyi came — to him 
 certain of the Sadducees. These were a 
 sect of the Jews next in prominence to that of 
 the Pharisees, which we have met so often. 
 In Matthew's Gospel they are much more fre- 
 quently mentioned than in Luke.' — Which 
 
 iThey appear obscurely, first about the middle of the second century before Christ, as the priestly party of 
 the AsnionaaD rulers. Around them gathered a small but powerful number of the worldly rich, and influential 
 officials of the commonwealth. They were in some sense politico-religious liberals. Against the tendency of 
 the Pharisees to multiply traditional precepts, " fencing" the law, and to sharpen the distinctions which should 
 naturally .separate the .Tews from other nations, they favored freedom from other restrictions than those which 
 were expressly commanded in the law; and although rigid in their interpretation of some of these requirements, 
 were inclined, gener.illy speaking, to let down the barriers between themselves and the heathen, and, at times, 
 to make very little of the Jewish peculiarities. What was at first a practical tendency, the result of inclination 
 and regard for personal interest, would eventually work out principles for itself. What was at first largely 
 political and secular in their course could not fail, in a period of such intense popular religiousness, to take on 
 also a religious character. The rule of their development, in every respect, was antithesis to the principles and 
 movement of the Pharisees. For a considerable period the fortunes of the nation varied with the varying pre- 
 ponderance of the two parties in the government of the state. More particularly, as to their principles, we see 
 both by inevitable inference from what is explicitly told us about them, and from the utter absence of any con- 
 trary intimation : 
 
 1. That they took no account of a Messiah to come. This would be enough of itself to justify our Saviour's 
 -warning to his disciples to beware of their teaching and influence (Matt. 16: 6, 11, 12). They are by him asso- 
 
Ch. XX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 295 
 
 28 Savinu Ma.ster; -Moses wrote unto us, If any 
 n.fu-rbrott.er die. having, a ^^ife and he ^le without 
 children, that his brother should take his wile, and 
 raise up seed unto his brother. i.i.., «,«. 
 
 2U There were therefore seven brethren : and the first 
 took a wire, and dieil without children. 
 
 !jo And the second took her to wife, and he died 
 
 '"'•ll'^Ami the third took her; and in like wanner the 
 seven also: and they left no children, and died. 
 i> Last of all the woman died al.so. 
 
 33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife ot them 
 is she' for seven had her to wife. 
 
 34 \nd .Jesus answering said unto theiu, The children 
 of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 
 
 28 asked him, saving, 'Master, Moses wrote unto us, 
 that if a man s brother die, having a wile, and he 
 be childless, his brother should take the wile, and 
 
 29 raise up .seed unto his brother. There were there- 
 fore seven brethren: and the first took a wile. 
 
 30 and died childless; and the second; and the third 
 
 31 took her; and likewi.se the s.veu also lelt no chi - 
 
 32 dren, and died. Afterward the woman also died. 
 3;j In the resurrection therefore whose wile ol them 
 34 shall she be? for the seven had her to wile. And 
 
 Jesua said uulo them, The sous of this -world 
 
 aDeuI.25:&. 1 Or, Teacher iOr.age. 
 
 deny that there is any resurrection. Some 
 meinbei^ of tliis sect, emulous of a victory 
 over the Great Teiicher, by whom the riviil 
 party had been baffled, and in a matter where 
 confirmation of their own tenet might be 
 gained, now come forward with a puzzle con- 
 cerning the doctrine of the resurrection of the 
 dead. They evidently thought they had a 
 reductio ad absurdum of that doctrine. 
 
 28. Moses wrote unto us, If any man's 
 brother die, having a wife, and he die 
 without children (or, better, and he be child- 
 less), etc. They refer to the peculiar provision 
 ofthe Mosaic law (neut.-io: s) concerning levirate 
 marriages. According to that, in order appar- 
 ently to preserve the family estate in the 
 land, as well as the name of each individual 
 proprietor, when a man died childle.ss, his 
 brother (the eldest, probably, by preference, 
 whether already married or not), should take 
 the widow to wife, and the first born son 
 should be reckoned, not as his, but the son of 
 the former husband, and inherit his name. 
 This had probably been an ancient u.sage of the 
 
 Hebrews, as of some other nations, and would 
 be less remarkable in a society where polyg- 
 amy was practiced, and not forbidden in the 
 law. 
 
 29-33. On this provision of law they pre- 
 sent a case, real or supposed, of a woman who 
 became the wife of seven brothers in succesion, 
 who all died childless. How would the doc- 
 trine of a resurrection appb' to such a case, 
 seeing that— for this is the uurve of tiiuir argu- 
 ment—in that supposed other life, she must 
 be the wife of a former husband, and cannot 
 be of more than one ? They had very prob- 
 ably found this a graveling question to the 
 orthodox party, judging from verse 39. 
 
 34. And Jesus said unto them — as 
 calmly and as promptly as in the preceding 
 cases— the children {smus) of this world (or, 
 age) marry — spoken of the men — and are 
 given in marriage — spoken of the women. 
 The word sons is very frequently lised in the 
 Bible to denote the people— sons and daugh- 
 ters, men and women. So here. In a large pro- 
 portion of the instances in the Common Ver- 
 
 ciated with the Pharisees, not as similar, but antithetical, and complementary, so that between them they 
 represented all opposition to the gospel. 
 
 •» .Jiisephus tells us that they rejected the fiction of the Pharisees concerning a body of unwritten laws, or 
 precepts, handed down from Moses through the elders of the i>eoplc. Herein they had the full support of Jesus 
 in his condemnation of their " traditions," which so often made void the true law of (.od. They may probably 
 at first have claimed to be bound only by the plain requireinents of their ancient .'Scriptures; but finding their 
 spontaneous tendency in practice to l>e hampered by the prophetic teachings, it is exceedingly probable, though 
 not stated, that they shortened their rule of life to the Five Books of Moses. 
 
 3. From Luke we learn, in the passage l>efore us, and from Acts 23: S (comp., alRO.4: 1, 2), that they denied 
 the doctrine of the resurrection, .loseplius says the same, and furthermore, that they dislx-lievetl the immor- 
 talitv of the soul. As he belonged to the Pharisaic party, we cannot be certain just what abatement is to be 
 uiatle from his statements on the latter point. We can easily suppose, from their almost certain undervaluation 
 ofthe other Scriptures, compare<l with the Pentateuch, that they would maintain that there was no clearly 
 revealed proof of any resuvrection. That their skepticism should have gone so far as to reject (Acts 23. S1 the 
 existence of "angel" and "spirit", namely, a supermundane, finite spirit, can with difficulty be reconciled with 
 faith, even in the Pentateuch. Indeed, we greatly lack the means of making out completely any article of their 
 
 doctrinal system. 
 
 4. One other thing of some importance we are told by Josephus: that they held to the absolute freedom of a 
 man to will good or evil, unhelped and unhindered by any Divine Providence, or power of fate; the latter 
 meaning, probably, any divine decree. Hence, a man's fortunes were in his own hand. Rewards and punish- 
 
296 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX. 
 
 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to 
 obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, 
 neither marry, nor are given in marriage : 
 
 36 Neither can they die any more : lor " they are 
 equal unto the angels ; and are the children of God, 
 ''being the children of the resurrection. 
 
 37 Now that the dead are raised, "even Moses shewed 
 at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the tfod of Abra- 
 ham, and the Ciod of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
 
 85 marry, and are given in marriage: but they that are 
 accounted worthy to attain to that 'world, and the 
 resurrection troni the dead, neither marry, nor are 
 
 36 given in marriage : for neither can they die any 
 more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are 
 
 37 sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But 
 that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed, in the 
 place conv.erniiig the Bush, when he calleth the Lord 
 the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the 
 
 a I Cor. 15 42, i». 52; 1 John 3: 2 b Rom. 8:23 c Ex. 3:6. 1 Or, age. 
 
 sion of the Old Testament where "children" 
 occurs, the Hebrew has "sons." From the 
 other Synoptists we learn, in addition, that 
 Jesus referred their question to two mistakes, 
 and very gross mistakes for expounders of 
 Scripture to make, in that they knew not the 
 Scriptures, nor the power of God. Both 
 which mistakes are exposed in his argument; 
 the second one first. 
 
 35. But they which be (rather, that are) 
 accounted worthy to obtain that world, 
 (or, age) to which, namely, the resurrection 
 will lead, the age of completed Messianic 
 blessedness — and the resurrection from 
 the dead — without which that is not obtained 
 — neither marry nor are given in mar- 
 riage. This, we have reason to think, was 
 then a great theological novelty. They, not 
 knowing the power of God to provide for a 
 different social state in the future life, suyj- 
 posed that there also the family relation must 
 be repeated and continue. 
 
 36. .Tesus shows them why that would be 
 neither necessary nor appropriate. For (this 
 is in the true text) neither can they die any 
 more. They are immortal ; hence there is 
 no need of procreation to maintain the popu- 
 lation of that world ; therefore they do not 
 marry. But why can they not die any more? 
 For they are equal unto the angels — 
 
 angel like, in that they are spiritual beings; 
 not, necessarily bodiless, but incapable of dis- 
 solution. This again is confirmed by the state- 
 ment : and are the children — sons — of God, 
 being the children — sons — of the resur- 
 rection — that is to sa3% owing that life, not to 
 any human or created parentage, but to the 
 power working in their resurrection, which 
 power is God's, they are the sons of God, 
 and so as immortal as he. How truly the 
 Sadducees had not known "the power of 
 God"! And the argument which spoiled 
 their catch in regard to the resurrection of 
 the pious dead, assumes and teaches also the 
 existence of the angels, in refutation of 
 another tenet of theirs. (Acts 23: 8.) 
 
 37. Now he will show that they "knew not 
 the Scriptures," either. Now (rather. But) 
 whatever you may think of my declaration— 
 that the dead are raised — present for fu- 
 ture — even Moses shewed. This does not 
 prove that the Sadducees held that only the 
 Pentateuch was sacred and authoritative, how- 
 ever this may have been ; but it asserts that, 
 without looking further into the Scriptures, 
 even in one of its first books, Moses shewed. 
 The Greek verb means "disclosed," "gave the 
 means of knowing." — At the bush=in that 
 part of the Scripture which treats of God's 
 interview with Moses in the Burning Bush 
 
 ments must all come in the present life; therefore, the man who prospered proved that he had chosen right; 
 and if he was poor, or otherwise unfortunate, he was, as he ought to be, simply reaping the fruit of his character 
 and acts. It was, accordingly, quite natural that the Sadducees should be charged with harshness toward the 
 poor, and unrelenting severity against those who had broken the laws. This is of interest, when we learn that 
 Annas and Caiaphas, at the time of Christ's trial, were Sadducees, "and all that were with them" in the San- 
 hedrim" (Acts 5: 17). It was the Pharisees in this Council, if ever any, who inclined to leniency in judgment 
 of the accused (Acts 5: 33 ff. ; 23: 9). 
 
 There were priests among the Pharisees, also; but notgenerally those of the highest rank, or wealth, or power. 
 The Sadducees desired the welfare of their country, but through worldly policy, and for temporal advantage; 
 the Pharisees, through the favor of God toward their scrupulous piety, and in the expectation of Messianic 
 rewards. 
 
 If we were to guess which is right among the three conjectures that have been put forth in regard to the 
 origin of the name Sadducees, we should side with those who think it to be from the Hebrew root for " righteous." 
 
 The chief source of Information concerning them is Josephus. His scattered, fragmentary, and sometimes 
 partial notices, are discussed in Whiston's foot-notes; in Prideaux's Connections ; better, with some estimate 
 of the Rabbinic references, in Ewald's History, vol. 5; still better, as regards the Talmudic lore, in Griitz, 
 Geschichte der Juden, vol. 3; Derembourg, Histoire de la Palestine, etc. ; and Edersheim's Life and Times of Jesus, 
 B. iii., ch. 2. 
 
Cii. XX.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 297 
 
 38 For he is not a fiod of the dead, but of the living: 
 for "all live unto him. 
 
 39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, 
 thou hast well said. 
 
 40 And after that they durst not ask him any queslion 
 
 cU (ill. 
 
 41 And he said unto them, 'How say they that Christ 
 is David's son'.' 
 
 42 And i>avid himself saith in the book of Psalms, 
 «The LoKD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right 
 hand, 
 
 43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 
 
 38 God nf Jacob. Now he is not the God of the dead, 
 
 39 but of the living: for all live unto liim. And cer- 
 tain of the scribes answering s<}id, 'Master, thou 
 
 40 hast well said. For they durst not any more ask 
 him any question. 
 
 41 And he said unto them. How say they that the 
 
 42 Christ is David's son? For David himself saith in 
 the book of Psalms, 
 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my 
 right hand, 
 
 43 Till 1 make thine enemies the footstool of thy 
 
 feet. 
 
 a Bom. 6: 10, 11 6 Matt. 22: 42: Mark 12: 36 c Ps. 110: 1; Acts 2 : 34. 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 (Ex. 3: 2-6). Before the convenience of division 
 into chapter.-? and verses was known, the He- 
 brews referred vaguely to a considerable sec- 
 tion of their Bible b}' naming some prominent 
 feature of the record there, as the Bush, in 
 this place; Elijah (Rom. u: 2), (comp. Meyer's 
 note ; the Bow (2 sam. 1 : ]8). — When he calleth 
 the Lord the God of Abraham, etc. How 
 Moses reveals to us that he had a conception 
 of the great truth of a future life, is explained 
 in the next verse. In that conception was in- 
 volved that of the resurrection of the dead. 
 
 38. The Sadducees might have been ready 
 to dull the edge of his proof by alleging that 
 this language meant that God, in speaking to 
 Moses, was the same God who had been wor- 
 shiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, succes- 
 sively, during their lives. Our Saviour, with 
 a divine insight, perceives that such a view 
 stripped the declaration of all reason and 
 value, in relation to those to whom it was ad- 
 dressed. Of what consequence was it to Moses 
 and his people, to be informed that the God 
 who now summoned them to a task of enor- 
 mous hardship, hazard, and privation, had 
 been the God of men preceding them, whom 
 he had left to death and annihilation? No; 
 they still lived; for he is not a God of the 
 dead, but of the living. The article is 
 wanting in the Greek: ''Of dead, of living 
 2Jerson.s." — For all live unto him — to his 
 view, in relation to him. Sublime, consoling 
 truth ! Gone from their wonted places on 
 the earth, lost in the darkness to those who 
 remain behind, the departed saints, "that are 
 accounted worth3' to attain to that world," 
 live unto God, and are more immedi- 
 ately present with him. This being clear, 
 the certainty of a resurrection for them was as 
 much a tenet of Jewish theology at that time 
 as it is of Christian now. 
 
 39, 40, Impression Made by this Dis- 
 course. 
 
 39. Then (or. And) certain of the 
 scribes answering said. Master, thuu 
 hast well said. Tlie scribes were Pharisaic 
 in their views and practice, and would sin- 
 cerely rejoice in the refutation of the heretical 
 Sadducees. Still, it implied unusual frank- 
 ness and liberality on the part of these few, 
 that they should express their sentiments in 
 Christ's favor now. 
 
 40. Well, indeed, had the Teacher spoken. 
 —And (Fot-) after that they durst not ask 
 him any question at all ; or, durst nut any 
 man ask him any question. It is common 
 for the harmonizers to place before this verse 
 the question of a scribe concerning the greatest 
 
 commandment (Man. 22:34fr. ; Mark 12:28 ff.). If it 
 
 were certain that this occurred so late, we 
 must suppose Luke to have spoken of those 
 questions which he knew, excluding this; or 
 that he regarded this as substantially identi- 
 cal with what he had before narrated, and 
 not having a different intention from the 
 former questions of this chapter. All parties 
 had now been utterly foiled in their attempts 
 to harm him. 
 
 41-44. David's Lord David's Sox. — 
 Ho-w? 
 
 41. And he said unto them — the scribes 
 (vcr. 39), although tlie question probably chal- 
 lenged the understanding of all professed 
 teachers present — How say they — the 
 rabbis — that (the) Christ — the Anointed, 
 the Messiah of the Old Testament — is 
 David's son? The question shows that the 
 Jewish teachers interpreted the prophecies a.s 
 indicating that the Messiah would be of the 
 offspring of David. But how do they recon- 
 cile that with other statements of Scripture? 
 
 42. And {For) David himself saith in the 
 book of Psalms (iio: 1), The LORD said 
 unto my Lord, etc. Here the LORD stands 
 for Jehovah in the Hebrew, and my Lord is a 
 different word, used when the Supreme Being 
 
298 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XX, 
 
 44 David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then 
 his son? 
 
 45 "Then in the audience of all the people he said 
 unto his disciples, 
 
 4(i * Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in 
 long robes, and <^love greetings in the markets, and the 
 highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at 
 leasts ; 
 
 47 '^ Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew 
 make long prayers: the same^hall receive greater dam- 
 nation. 
 
 44 David therefore calleth him Lord, and how is he his 
 son? 
 
 45 And in the hearing of all the people he said unto 
 
 46 his disciples. Beware of the scribes, who desire to 
 walk in long robes, and love salutations in the 
 market-places, and chief seats in the synagogues, 
 
 47 and chief places at feasts; who devour widows' 
 houses, and for a pretence make long prayers : these 
 shall receive greater condemnation. 
 
 a Matt. 23: 1 ; Mark 12: 38 b Mutt. 23: 5 c oh. 11 : 43 d Matt. aS : U. 
 
 was to be named without calling him Jeho- 
 vah, or simply God {Elohirn). Thus David, 
 the author of the Psalm, in prophetic vision, 
 hears Jehovah addressing his (David'sj Lord 
 = God, as the Messiah, and placing him in 
 the position of divine honor and authority 
 over all the enemies of Jehovah's rule. 
 
 44. David therefore calleth him Lord, 
 how is he then his son? How, indeed, 
 except as the bearer of two characters, that of 
 his son by natural descent, that of his Lord, 
 as sharing in the divine nature, by which he 
 is qualified to sit at the right hand of Jeliovah 
 and wield the government over liis subjects, 
 some of whom are in rebellion against him. 
 (Ps. 110: 5, 6; comp. P.S. 2.) Jesus does not answer 
 the question, but leaves it for them to answer. 
 He had claimed the honor due to the Messiah 
 (oil. 19: 38-40), born in Bethlehem, of the seed of 
 David, and had shown at the same time that 
 they were about to put him to death. Could 
 it be that they would murder him whom 
 David had worshiped as his Lord? Whether 
 the thought of such a thing came into their 
 minds, we cannot say. At all events, they 
 made no answer. Answering as well as ques- 
 tioning, in the way of argument, was done 
 with between them and Christ. 
 
 45-47. Warning Against the Scribes. 
 
 45. Then (rather, And) in the audience 
 (better, hearing) of all the people, he said 
 unto his disciples. To his disciples ; but for 
 the people also who heard. The experience 
 of the last two days might well have given 
 him a fresh and heightened sense of the will- 
 ing blindness, the self-seeking, and fraudulent 
 hypocrisy, of the ruling classes, and of the 
 peril to the people from their influence. He 
 would fain have received them to his favor, 
 up to the last moment; but without repent- 
 ance on their part this could not be, and re- 
 
 pentance was the furthest in the world from 
 their hearts. They would murder their Lord 
 rather. 
 
 46. Beware of the scribes. Be not de- 
 ceived by their show of piety ; catch not their 
 spirit; follow not their example. — Which 
 desire to walk in long robes — official 
 gowns, distinctive of office, and calling for 
 special reverence. — And love greetings (or, 
 salutations) in the markets [rnarket-places, 
 or public squares) — those profound snlaams^ 
 humble and protracted prostrations, which 
 simulated, even where they did not express, 
 respect; such as may be seen in any Moham- 
 medan city at the present daj', especially to- 
 ward their holy men. — Chief rooms— cJiief 
 places. (See on 14: 7, 8.) 
 
 47. Which devour w^idows' houses. 
 They abused the confidence placed in them 
 by reason of their reputed piety, and which 
 secured to them the trusteeship of the estates 
 of widows. These they so far perverted to 
 their own emolument, through commissions 
 and charges, sometimes, probably, by more 
 palpable spoliations, that the widows saw them- 
 selves impoverished while their guardians 
 grew fat. It is a pity and shame that similar 
 hypocrisy and fraud has continued ever since, 
 often sheltering itself under the Christian 
 name. — And for a shew [pretence) make 
 long prayers. By spending much time, at 
 the hours of prayer, in forms of devotion, in 
 the temple or the public squares, and openings 
 of the streets (where things were exposed for 
 sale), they disguised their lack ot love toward 
 God, and regard for the rights of men.— The 
 same shall receive greater damnation — 
 greater, that is, than open and manifest of- 
 fenders, by as much as their hypocrisy has 
 secured to them a greater facility in wrong. 
 The Greek for damnation is "judgment," 
 often, as here, involving condemnation. 
 
Ch. XXL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AND he looked up. "and saw the rich men casting 
 /l their (^it'ts into tne treasury. 
 
 2 And he saw also a certain pf)or widow ca.-sting in 
 thither two ' mites. 
 
 :j And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, "that this 
 poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 
 
 4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto 
 the offerings of God: but she of her penury halh cast 
 in all the living that she had. 
 
 1 And he looked up, 'and saw the rich men that 
 
 2 were casting their gilts into the treasury. And he 
 saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two 
 
 3 mites. And he s:iid, (Jf a truth 1 say uiitu v.iu. This 
 
 4 poor widow cast in more than they all: lor' all these 
 did <U' their superlluity cast in u'ulo the gilts: hut 
 she of her want did cast in all the living that she 
 had. 
 
 a Mark 12 : 41 ... .6 See Mark 12 : 42 e 2 Cor. 8 : 12. 1 Or, and tau them that . . . treoMvry, and they were rich. 
 
 Ch. 21. 1-4. The Widow's Contribu- 
 tion. 
 1. And he looked up, and saw the rich 
 
 men — t/mt were — easting their gifts into 
 the treasury. This beautiful incident be- 
 longs to the series of events and teachings 
 which have filled chapter 20, and might well 
 have terminated that chapter. Compare Mark 
 13: 1, which shows that after this, Jesus left 
 the temple, at evening, as usual in these day.*, 
 for the Mount of Olives. That he looked up, 
 may mean that he had been bowed in medi- 
 tation, or that the offerings were made on a 
 place above that on which he sat. The exact 
 position of the treasury is not certainly 
 known. Ligiitfoot, in his Area Templi 
 (opera I. 697 ff., also in Ugolino, Thesaurus, 
 Vol.34; translated in his irorAs, IX. 313. ft".), 
 understiinds tlie treasury to have been in the 
 Court of the Women, where stood, according 
 to Talmudic testimony, eleven of the thir- 
 teen treasure chests, with trumpet-mouth 
 openings, which Jewish tradition declares to 
 have been placed for the reception of dona- 
 tions toward the several needs of the divine 
 service. If it was the cloi.ster surrounding 
 this court, or some part of it, Christ, sitting 
 in thecourt, would obviously be over against 
 it. (Mark 12: 4.) Beff)re this time, Jesus is 
 said (John 8: 20) to havc spoken "in the treasury, 
 as he taught in the temple." The gifts of the 
 rich men were voluntary contributions for 
 various religious and charitable uses; and 
 probably the several chests just spoken of 
 were labeled, each to receive the money for a 
 separate purpose. The men were thus per- 
 forming one of the three great acts of piety, in 
 which their "righteousness"' was exercised. 
 (Matt.6: 1-4.) In the former temples, treasuries 
 are spoken of as though they had been 
 strong "chambers," for the reception and 
 preservation of temple gifts, in which at times 
 wealth of immense value was held. 
 2. And he saw also a certain poor 
 
 widow casting in thither two mites — 
 
 worth, say, two centimes, French, or two- 
 fifths of our cent. On the value of the mite, 
 see on ch. 12: 59. SciiOttgen on Mark 12: 42, 
 cites a Rabbinic rule that a single mite should 
 not be given to the eleemosynary chest, from 
 which he infers that the widows gift was 
 the very smallest that was allowed. Unless 
 we knew that her gift was not eleemosynary, 
 it does not appear how Meyer can deny that 
 tile citation is apposite. 
 
 3. And he said. Of a truth, I say unto 
 you, that this poor widow cast (not hnf/i 
 cast) in more than they all. How truiv 
 God looketh at the heart! According to that 
 the gift of one, a woman, very poor, out- 
 weighs the donations of "many rich men," 
 
 who "cast in much." (Markl2: 41.) 
 
 4. For all these have (rather, di>i) of 
 their abundance (or, superfluity) cast in 
 unto the offerings (simply, gifts) of (iod ; 
 but she of her penury=(w«^ (omit hath) 
 cast in all the living that she had. God s 
 estimate of benevolence takes in not onlj^ 
 what is given, but what is reserved. The 
 mere pittance of the widow, bestowed out of 
 what was not enough for a living— A<?r toant, 
 or lack— was of more value in his sight than 
 the great sums out of the superfluity of men 
 who. no matter how much they gave, had 
 still left more than they had any need to use.— 
 Abundance, or. superfluity, is the overplus 
 bej-ond reasonable needs; penury, or, 7/'-^/«!', 
 is deficiency compared with the requirements 
 forlife.— All the living, etc., means, probably-, 
 all that she had for the nextdtiy's subsistence. 
 
 Thus close.*, in Luke's narnUive, the public 
 activity of the life which began in a .stable, 
 and passed on to the end, zealous, indeed, 
 for the true welfare of all men. hut specially 
 concerned that the poor, the outcast, the 
 wretched, should not fail of the riches and 
 blessedness of the life everlasting. The 
 wealth and magnificence of the temple, soon 
 
300 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXI. 
 
 5 <r<»And as some spake of the temple, how it was 
 adorned with goodly sloues and gifts, he said, 
 
 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will 
 come, in the which '' there shall not be left one stone 
 upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 
 
 7 And they asked him, saying. Master, but when 
 shall these things be? and what sign will there be when 
 these things shall come to pass ? 
 
 5 And as some spake of the temp|le, how it was 
 adorned with goodly stones and olierings, he said, 
 
 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will 
 come, in which there shall not be lelt here one stone 
 
 7 upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And 
 they asked him, saying, i Master, when therefore 
 shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign 
 
 ( Mark 24 : 1 ; Mark 13 : 1 5 oh. 19 : 44. 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 swallowed up in fire and blood, are to us a 
 tradition and a dream. The benevolence of a 
 poor widow stands forever distinct and con- 
 spicuous over its ruin, as a proof that the 
 humble heart, and Christ-like, is God's most 
 precious temple. 
 
 5-36. Prophecy of the Destruction 
 OF THE Temple, and of the Last Days. 
 
 It seems not inappropriate that our Great 
 Prophet, who was about to accomplish his 
 function of Great High Priest, should close 
 his utterances connected with the temple by 
 this prophecy in the strictest sense. He looks 
 forward to the destruction of the temple, of 
 the Old Testament polity, and, as closely 
 joined with that, of the whole pre-Messianic 
 constitution of things. We need to bear in 
 mind that he here speaks as a prophet, in the 
 manner of other prophets; sometimes, in fig- 
 urative and metaphorical language, not de- 
 scribing the future with the definiteness of 
 history, leaving much obscure in the inter- 
 pretation, until the events shall be fully 
 accomplished. These are obvious features of 
 prophecy in the Old, and elsewhere in the 
 New Testament, and hence, to be looked for 
 here. If it be objected that he was divine, 
 and other prophets human, let us not forget 
 that he, also, was human. When we consider 
 that he himself said, concerning this very 
 subject — his own second advent — that he knew 
 not the day nor the hour, we can only specu- 
 h\te, with reverence, as to what difference 
 there was in prophetic activity between him 
 and the earlier prophets, who spoke as they 
 were borne on by the Holy Spirit. See on 
 ch. 17: 22 ff. 
 
 5-9. Occasion of the Follo winq Proph- 
 ecy. Preliminary Caution. 
 
 5. And as some spake of the temple, 
 how it was adorned with goodly stones 
 and gifts. From Luke's account, we might 
 think of this conversation as arising within 
 the temple courts. Matthew 24: 1, and 
 Mark 13: 1, show us that it was as he went 
 forth from the temple, on Tuesday evening 
 
 — Wednesday eve, in the Jewish reckoning 
 — and that the subject was proposed by his 
 disciples. Could it be that they remem- 
 bered what he had said (oh. i9: 43, 44), and spake 
 in the way of lamentation over so much 
 beauty and grandeur? The goodly stones 
 included splendid pieces of marble; colossal 
 columns, wrought with the highest perfection 
 of architectural skill; mighty masses of shaped 
 stone, that entered into the substructure and 
 main walls of the enclosure. The gifts were 
 costly objects, which the piety of ages had 
 dedicated to the God of the temple, until 
 they had become a treasure of incalculable 
 value. Comp. 2 Mac. 3: 6, 11 ; 5: 16; Jo- 
 sephus. Antiquities, xv. 11 : 3. 
 
 6. As for these things which ye behold, 
 . . . there shall not be left one stone 
 upon another, etc. How this must have 
 amazed the disciples, with their ideas of the 
 sanctity, as well as the vastness, of the place, 
 we may conceive from the fact that Titus him- 
 self, when he saw the greatness of the rock 
 masses in its walls, ascribed its conquest to the 
 power of God. (Josephus. Jewish Wars, vi., 
 9, 1.) But the demented obstinacy of the 
 Jews had driven him to destroy it against his 
 choice (Josephus, Jewish Wars, vi., 4, 5), and 
 thus God had, indeed, through him, wrought 
 out the Saviour's prediction. 
 
 7. They had walked on, perhaps in medita- 
 tive silence, down the steep slope from the 
 temple eastward, and up the side of Olivet, 
 until they were again on a level with, or 
 above, the temple platform, and over against 
 it. Then Jesus sat down, as we learn from 
 Matt. 24 : 3, and Mark 13 : 3. And they asked 
 him — as if nothing else had engaged their 
 thought — but when [when therefore) shall 
 these things be? Familiar with those ex- 
 pressions of the Old Testament which seemed 
 to ascribe eternal perpetuity to the temple and 
 
 the holy city (iKiogsOrS-, 2Chron.6:6i7:16), and to 
 
 make it the centre of worship for the univer- 
 sal and perfected kingdom (isa. 2:2, ff. ; 27: is; 
 ps. 68: 15, 16), the disciples might easily conclude 
 
Ch. XXI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 301 
 
 8 And he said, "Take heed that ye be not deceived : 
 for many shall come in my name, saying, I am C/iri.it ; 
 aiid tlie lime draweth near: go ye not iherel'ore after 
 them. 
 
 9 J5ut wlien ye shall hear of wars and commotions, 
 be not torritied: for these things must first come to 
 pass ; but the end is not by and by. 
 
 10 ^ Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise 
 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 
 
 8 when these things are about to come to pass? And 
 he said, Take heed that ye be not led asfray : for 
 many shall come in my name, saying, I am //(■; and, 
 
 9 The time is at hand: go ye not alter them. And 
 when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not ter- 
 rified: for these things must needs come to pass 
 first ; but the end is not immediately. 
 
 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against 
 
 a Matt. 24: 4; Mark 13: 5; liphes. 6:6; i Thess. 2: 3 b Matt. 24: 7. 
 
 that this predicted destruction involved, in 
 some vfkiy, the end of all earthly things. 
 Having heen already roused from the grosser 
 fancies of the Jewish theology, concerning an 
 earthly, sensuous reign of the Messiah, they 
 had also caught from their Master the idea of 
 a celestial, spiritual reign, to begin after that 
 state of things should be broken up. Matthew 
 shows that their question did actually make 
 reference to the "end," consummation, or com- 
 pletion, of the world, or age, as well as to 
 Christ's coming again, when the destruction 
 should take place. Neither Mark nor Luke 
 alludes to that here. Having before (inch, n) 
 given a discourse of Jesus concerning the end 
 of the world (see on ver. 22-37), Luke's 
 sources seem to have presented here what 
 principallj' related to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, but not witliout mingling to some 
 extent a view of the final coming. And Avhat 
 sign will there be (more correctly, vjhot 
 shall be the si(/ii) when these things shall 
 come to pass (or, are about to come to 
 pass) 9 Their question is two-fold : When? 
 and preceded by what sign? Jesus may have 
 seen that to answer the former, had it been 
 possible for him, would have been a shock to 
 their preconcei>tions, as harmful as it would 
 be for him to say that he could not answer it 
 in the sense in which they proposed it. As to 
 the sign, also, it was best that they should 
 think about it in such a way as to stimulate 
 their perseverance in the faith. Accordingly, 
 as in other cases of curious and unpractical 
 questionings, he turns their attention, rather, 
 to such trl^th as will be important for them 
 in all their future career. And note, that, as 
 indefiniteness of the time to elapse must be 
 maintained, while it is intimated (ver. 32) that 
 in some sense all is to be accomplished within 
 that generation, he must speak throughout as 
 though those whom he addressed were to live 
 till the final consummation. 
 
 8. Take heed that ye be not deceived 
 (or, led astral/). Comjiare ch. 17: 22. A 
 caution not to be dissuaded from faith in him 
 
 duringthe time of waiting for "these things to 
 come to pass." For many shall come in my 
 
 name, i. e., calling themselves the Christ, 
 Saying, I am Christ ; and the time draw- 
 eth near, i. e., the time of the enthronement 
 of the Messiah, and the end of the world. The 
 history of the times immediately following is 
 too scanty to allow us to say that this was, or 
 was not, fulfilled of pretended Christs. The 
 analogy of generations before (in Palestine) 
 and since, renders it extremely probable that 
 there were such Christs; and if his words be 
 understood in a more general sense of re- 
 ligious leaders, Simon Magus is a type of 
 common occurrence. The Lord would guard 
 them from supposing prematurely that his 
 return, indissolubly associated in their minds 
 with the destruction of Jerusalem, was near. 
 Go ye not therefore after them. Give 
 them no credence. Be not persuaded to leave 
 your posts of patient continuance in my ser- 
 vice, where your heavenly Father shall have 
 stationed you. 
 
 9. But when ye shall hear of wars 
 and commotions — tumults — political dis- 
 turbances — be not terrified. The last verb 
 is appropriately used in classical Greek of a 
 scared animal : "be not scared." Thehistories 
 of Josephus and Taoitus are sufficient to show 
 that numbers of such events occurred within 
 the next forty years, some of them within, 
 and others bordering on, the Jewish sphere. 
 The general coloring of Old Testament proph- 
 ecies might lead the disciples to interpret 
 these things as portents of the judginent — 
 "the day of the Lord." But the end is not 
 by and by {i. e., immediately). Such an an- 
 nouncement of the plan of Providence was 
 well adapted to prevent unnecessary appre- 
 hension and disturbance of mind. 
 
 10-19. A Cursory View OF Commotions, 
 Dangers, and Duties, to Precede the 
 Siege of Jerusalem. 
 
 10, 11. Then said he unto them. This 
 formula denotes a certain solemnity, as though 
 the prophetic forecast took a higher flight, u 
 
302 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXI. 
 
 n And great earthquakes shaU be in divers places, 
 and fauiines, aud pestilences; and fVartul sights and 
 great signs shall there be Iroui heaven. 
 
 V2 "ISutbelure all these, they shall lay their hands 
 on yon, aud persecute you, delivering you up to the 
 synagogues, aud 'inlo prisons, "^ being brought before 
 king.s and rulers'* ("or luy name's sake. 
 
 1,} And « it shall turn to you lor a testimony. 
 
 14 /Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to medi- 
 tate before what ye shall answer: 
 
 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, 9 which 
 all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor 
 resist. 
 
 IC) *And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and 
 brethren, and kinsfolk.s, and friends ; and *some ol you 
 shall they cause to be put to death. 
 
 11 nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there 
 shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places 
 famines aud pestilences ; and there shall be terrors 
 
 12 and great signs from heaven. But before all these 
 things, they shall lay their hands on yon, and shall 
 persecute you, delivering yon up to the synagogues 
 and prisons, i bringing you before kings and gover- 
 
 13 nors for my name's sake. It shall turn unto you 
 
 14 for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, 
 \o not to meditate beforehand how to answer: for I 
 
 will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your 
 adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to 
 16 gainsay. But ye shall be delivered up even by 
 parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; 
 and some of you 2 shall they cause to be put to 
 
 o Mark 13; 9; Rev. 2: 10.... 6 Acts 4:3; 5: 18j 12: *; 16: 24....C Acts 25: 23 d 1 Pet. 2; 13.... e Phil. 1 : 28 ; 2 Thess. 1 : 6.... /Matt. 10: 
 
 IM; Maris 13: 11; oh. 12: 11 j Aois 6 : 10.... ft Mio. 7:6; Miirk i;<: 12 i Aocs 7 : 5a ; 12: 2. 1 Gr. you being brought 2 Or, ahall 
 
 they put to death. 
 
 broader sweep. We need not be particular to 
 show that all these predictions were literally 
 fulfilled before the year seventy, although this 
 has often been done. As our Lord looked 
 into the future, he saw the world full of these 
 convulsions of society, and of nature, and that 
 each generation, including the first, would 
 have its share of them. Fearful sights— or, 
 more generally, terrors — include all sights, 
 sounds, reported wonders. — Great signs shall 
 there be from heaven — meteoric prodigies, 
 comets, boreal lights, falling stars, flaming 
 swords, and conflicts of warriors in the sky, as 
 reported by Josephus and Tacitus. Such things 
 have been often apparent to the imagination, 
 in times of national trouble. Book vi. of 
 Josephus' Wars of the Jews, is sutRcient to 
 help one to realize what may have been be- 
 fore the mind of Christ. 
 
 12. But before all these, they— the peo- 
 ple about you, Jews or Gentiles — shall {will) 
 lay their hands on you, etc. If any one 
 feels a lack of harmony between this state- 
 ment and Matt. 24: 9, or Mark 13: 9, which 
 seem to make the persecutions come after, or 
 in company with these things, he may obviate 
 the difficulty either by laying a special em- 
 phasis on all — "before all the.se" — which the 
 Greek will v^rarrant, or he may understand 
 "before," not as showing a relation of time, 
 but of importance— above all these things. 
 Excellent scholars have, respectively, adopted 
 both views. But the adverb "then" hardly 
 gives occasion for much difficulty. The 
 persecutions here foretold, were, as" a mat- 
 ter of fact, among the first experiences of 
 disciples after the time of this discourse. See 
 the Book of Acts, from ch. 4: 8, throughout. 
 —Delivering you up to the synagogues— 
 as in the case of Stephen, and those whom 
 
 Saul persecuted.— And intoprisons— as with 
 Peter and John (Aot»4; s; 5: i8) ; the apo.stle9 
 (16:23), Paul and Silas.— Being brought— 
 rather, Bringing yow— before kings and 
 rulers — as in the case of Paul. ( Aots 23 ; 24 ; 25 : 13, 23.) 
 
 13. It shall turn to you for a testimony ; 
 i. e., prove an opportunity for you to testify 
 more widely and eflTectively to the truth of 
 the gospel. (Compare Acts 6: 41 ; Phil. 1 : 12, 
 fl'. ) The practice of the apostles, Peter and 
 Paul eminently, as familiar to us from the 
 Acts, interprets the meaning here. 
 
 14. Settle it therefore — seeing that it is 
 to be a te.stimony for me — not to meditate 
 before what ye shall answer (literally, 
 study not beforehand to defend yourselves). 
 To meditate has in it something of anxious 
 forethought; the parallel word in Mark be- 
 ing that which the Eevision translates "be 
 not anxious." In such an emergency they 
 are forbidden to depend on any ability of 
 their own. 
 
 15. For I will give you a mouth and 
 wisdom. Utterance and thought, matter 
 and manner, substance and form of discourse. 
 The cause being his, Jesus assumes the 
 whole care of its management through them. 
 — Which all your adversaries shall not be 
 able to gainsay nor resist (rather, to with- 
 stand or to gainsay). That is, so as eflTect- 
 ually to arrest their testimony, or to break its 
 evidential force. In another sense they might 
 powerfully resist and silence the disciples, but 
 the testimony of these would prevail, even at 
 the sacrifice of their lives, if need be. 
 
 16-19. The darkest aspect of their future is 
 yet to be mentioned, and the best of their 
 consol£\tion. 
 
 16. And ye shall be betrayed (will be de- 
 livered up) both by parents, and brethren 
 
LUKE. 
 
 Ch. XXIJ 
 
 17 And « ye shall be hated of all men for my name's 
 
 ^^IsMUit there !<hall not a hair of your head perish. 
 
 19 In your patieuce possess ye your souls. 
 
 oO'Aud when ve shall see Jerusalem compassed 
 wUh armies, then know that the desolation thereol is 
 
 "'•n'rhen let them which are in Judiea flee to the 
 mountains; and let them which an- in tlieimUst ol it 
 depart out; and let not them that arc- in the countries 
 enter thereinto. .u * j n 
 
 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that "all 
 things which are written uiay be fulfilled. 
 
 303 
 
 17 death. And ve shall be hated of all men for uiv 
 
 18 name's sake." And not a hair of your head shall 
 I'J perish. In vour 'patience ye shall win your -isouls. 
 20 But when ve see Jerusalem compassed with ar- 
 mies, then know that her desolation is at hand. 
 
 ■'1 Then let them that are in .ludic-a lice unto the 
 mountains; and let them that are in the midst of 
 her depart out; and let not them that are in the 
 
 •2'' country enter therein. For these are days ol ven- 
 geance, that all things which are written may be 
 
 aMaU.10:-»....>M.U.10:»0....ell»U..4:15;MHrR13:U....dD.c.9.-i6.-27;Zcch.n = l.— 10r..»ead/«.»».......iOr.»»»». 
 
 (brothers), and kinsfolks, and friends. 
 
 This, which has often come to pass, in the ex- 
 perience of Christ's followers, has given thcin 
 a sharper pang than all the distress which 
 other enemies could possibly inflict. — And 
 some of you shall they cause to be put to 
 death. Many a martyrdom has been brought 
 about, in the persecutions of the Christian ages, 
 through the murderous zeal of near relatives, 
 and, alas! professed disciples of Jesus. 
 
 17. And ye shall (or, wiU) be hated of all 
 men for myname's sake. (Afli»28: «; i cor. i5: 
 30,.ii; iPet. 2: li.) These passages but indicate 
 the sentiment awakened by the first presenta- 
 tion of the pure principles of Jesus in all 
 countries and times. 
 
 18. But (rather, And)—sit the same time- 
 there shall not a hair of your head 
 perish. This is not put as an antithesis to 
 the preceding statements, as "but" would 
 imply ; it simply continues the enumeration 
 of particulars, adding to those fearful predic- 
 tions this pleasant one. Thus, of course, it 
 could not, after ver. 16, mean that no physical 
 harm should befall them; but they should 
 suffer no damage as to the best portion of their 
 true, spiritual welfare, nor fail of the full ac- 
 complishment of all which God would work 
 through them. The utmost rage of their ad- 
 versaries should turn out "rather for the fur- 
 therance of the gospel," and for their personal 
 salvation. (Pbii.i: 12. '9-) 
 
 19. In your patience possess ye (rather, 
 ye shall win) your souls. The Revision cor- 
 rectly reads it as a promise, not a command. 
 Patience, here, as commonly in the New 
 Testament, is persevering endurance, against 
 obstacles, in the exercise of faith. By this, 
 those who held out faithful till his return 
 would mn, or gain, acquire, " purchase" (Mc- 
 Clellan), make sure of, their souls. This is 
 according to Matt. 10: 22; Rom. 2: 7; 2 Tim. 
 2; 12. The opposite case is that of John; 
 
 15: 6. The declaration clo.scs the preceding 
 series thus: By faithful endurance of persecu- 
 tions and trials for my sake, not only will ye 
 not suffer the least real damage, but rather, by 
 this very course make sure of your souls = 
 your eternal life. 
 
 20-23. Siege and Suujuoation of Je- 
 rusalem. 
 
 The discourse approaches nearer to an inti- 
 mation of what the sign of these things should 
 be. (Ver. 7.) 
 
 20. Compassed with armies — accord- 
 ing to the prediction (oh.i9:*»). The history 
 may be read in Jos. Wars of the Jeivs, V. 6. 7. 
 The sense is equivalent to that of "the 
 abomination of desolation," (Matt. 24: 15). The 
 Greek participle being in the present tense- 
 becoming surrounded— there is no ground for 
 
 ! Meyer's saying that Luke makes the designa- 
 tion of time ton late for the escape of Chris- 
 tians in Jerusalem. 
 
 21. Then let them which are in Judara 
 flee to the mountains. The warning is 
 intended for the disciples who may be there ; 
 and early Christian writers tell us that by fol- 
 lowing this instruction when the danger came, 
 those warned did flee to the high lands over 
 the Jordan, and all escaped. Eusebius, Ecrl. 
 Hist. III. 5. Epiphanius Cont. Harrs, Ed. 
 Migne, 1. col. 404 f. The direction is then 
 made more specific, Judsra including, 1. the 
 city of Jerusalem, 2. the "countries," the 
 rural spaces, or fields, with their villages. In 
 the midst of it. This means of Jerusalem, 
 mentioned (ver. 20). Chri.«tians there must 
 leave the place, and those in the country parts 
 of Judwa must not think of entering into the 
 city, as would be natural, considering its ap- 
 parently impregnable security. That would 
 now be a broken reed to all who should lean 
 upon it. 
 
 22. For these be (are) the days of ven- 
 geance—the infliction of righteous retribu- 
 
304 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXI. 
 
 23 " But woe unto thorn that are with child, and to 
 them that give suck, in those days ! lor there shall be 
 great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 
 
 24 And they shall lall by the edge of the sword, and 
 shall 1)0 led awav captive into all nations : and Jerusa- 
 lem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, 'until the 
 times of the (ientiles be fulfilled. 
 
 2.'i Tf "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the 
 moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of 
 nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the waves roar- 
 ing; 
 
 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for look- 
 ing after those things which are coming on the earth: 
 <i for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
 
 23 fulfilled. Woe unto them that are with child and 
 to them that gi\e suck in those days! for there 
 shall be great distress upon the i laud, and wraih 
 
 24 unto this people. And they shall lall by the edge 
 of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the 
 nations: aud Jerusalem shall be trodden down of 
 the (ientiles, until the times of the (jentiles be ful- 
 
 2.5 tilled. And there shall be signs in sun and moon 
 and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, 
 in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the bil- 
 
 26 lows ; men - fainting for fear, and for expectation of 
 the things which are coming on 3 the world : for the 
 
 aMatt. 24 : 19. . . .h Daa. 9 ; 27 ; 12 : 7 ; Rom. 11 : 25. . . .c Matt. 24 29 ; Mark U : 24 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 10 : 12. . 
 
 expiring 3 Gr. the inhabited earth. 
 
 .d Matt. 24: 29. 1 Or, earth 2 Or, 
 
 tion on the guilty, forewarned, obstinate, 
 blinded capital of the Jews. That all 
 things which are written may be fulfilled. 
 
 ( Ueut. 28 : 49 tr. ; 1 Kings 9 : 6-9 ; Isa. 29 : 1 ff. ; Mic. 3 : 12 ; Dan. 9 : 
 
 2Bf.). "For the wrath is come upon them to 
 the uttermost." (iThess. 2: le). 
 
 33. Woe unto them that are with child, 
 and to them that give suck in those days. 
 
 Their case in particular is bewailed, because 
 they will be peculiarly unable to bear that 
 long and hurried flight, which alone can 
 avert a horrible fate. For there shall be 
 great distress in (iipon) the land, and 
 wrath upon (unto) this people. Josephus, 
 speaking long afterward of the fulfillment of 
 this prophecy, says (Pre/, to Jewish Wars), 
 "It appears to me that the misfortunes of all 
 men from the beginning of the world, if they 
 be compared to these of the Jews, are not so 
 considerable as they were." {Jewish Wars, 
 V. 10, 5). "Neither did any other city sutfer 
 such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a 
 generation more fruitful in wickedness than 
 this was, from the foundation of the world." 
 Such, repeated in substance a hundred times, 
 was the testimony of one of themselves, an 
 eye-witness both to the wickedness and the 
 distress. 
 
 24. And they shall fall by the edge of 
 the SAVord, etc. Here again Josephus {Jew- 
 ish Wars, V. 9, 3 f.) is our authority for the 
 statement that in that whole war there were 
 97,000 of the Jewish people sold as .slaves into 
 the various countries, and that 1,100,000 per- 
 ished— 600,000 by famine. "Accordingly, the 
 multitude of those that therein perished, ex- 
 ceeded all the destruction that either God or 
 man ever brought upon the world." And 
 Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the 
 Gentiles— a striking representation of the 
 humiliation of the once glorious city ! Until 
 the times— seasons— of the Gentiles be 
 
 fulfilled. The times of the Gentiles— their 
 seasons — or opportunities, are to be understood 
 as the antithesis of the season of Jerusalem 
 (ch. 19: 44), the opportunity, that is, which is to 
 be afforded the Gentiles for sharing the bless- 
 edness of the gospel. They are even to ad- 
 minister the kingdom of God, the true theoc- 
 racy, which will be taken away from the 
 wicked husbandmen, and given to others, 
 (ch. 20: 16). That period, as distinguished from 
 the existing one, would be eminently the 
 times of the Gentiles. The plural, the times, 
 is freely employed by us, as a larger syno- 
 nym, for "the time," and so in Scripture. 
 (iTim. 4; i;2Tim. 3: 1). The plural maj', of couTse, 
 be used to signify different periods, of the 
 nations successively (Godet), but not so 
 reasonably . Fulfilled=ended, brought to a 
 close. That would be naturally at the end of 
 the world, unless some intimation were given 
 of a prior date. There is nothing to indicate 
 that Christ had in mind a restoration of the 
 city, and re-occupation of it hy the Jews. 
 
 25-28. Precursory Intimations of the 
 Second Advent. 
 
 25. And there shall be signs in the sun, 
 and in the moon, and in the stars. The 
 time intended is that near the close of "the 
 times of the Gentiles." Then the world, in- 
 cluding a worldly church (ch. 17:20, 30), will be 
 admonished by prodigious phenomena, in 
 heaven above, and in the earth beneath. Un- 
 wonted and portentous aspects of the heav- 
 enly bodies above, eclipses, meteors, comets. 
 These, which had been witnessed before the 
 destruction of Jerusalem, are to be expected 
 prior to the coming of the Lord. — And upon 
 the earth distress of nations, with (rather, 
 in) perplexity; the sea and the waves 
 roaring ( rath er,/or=on account of — the rotr- 
 ing of the sea. and of the hilloivs — as in the Ke- 
 vision). The distress or anxiety of the na- 
 
Ch. XXI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 305 
 
 27 And then shall they see the Son of man "coming 
 in a cloud with \h wer and great glory. 
 
 2S And when these thirigM begin to come to pass, 
 then look u|), and lift up your heads; for 'your re- 
 demption draweth nigh. 
 
 29 'And he spake to them a parable : Behold the fig 
 tree, and all the trees ; 
 
 ;-iO When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of 
 your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 
 
 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these thiuigs come to 
 pass, know ye that the kingdom of Gud is uigh at 
 fiand. 
 
 32 Verily I say nnto you. This generation shall not 
 pass away, till all be fultilled. 
 
 27 powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then 
 shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud 
 
 28 with power and great glory. But when these things 
 begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your 
 heads; because your reuemptiou draweth uigh. 
 
 29 And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig 
 3U tree, and all the trees: when they now shoot forth, 
 
 ye see it and know of your own selves that the 
 
 31 summer is now nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see 
 these things coming to pass, know ye that the kiug- 
 
 32 dom of tiod is nigh. Verily 1 say unto you, This 
 generation shall not pass away, till all things be 
 
 a nut. U: 30 : Bev. 1 : 7; 14: li....6 Rani.8 : 19, 23....C Matt. 24: 32; Mark 13: 28. 
 
 tions=Gentiles? — is occasioned by their per- 
 plexity, or inability to understand tkeroaring 
 of the sea, etc. These com motions on the 
 earth are the counterpart to the celestial won- 
 ders just spoken of. 
 
 26. A more particular statement of the na- 
 ture of that distress, and its cause. — Men's 
 hearts failing them (or, Men fainting) for 
 fear — because of the persuasion raised that 
 some dreadful visitation is portended — and 
 looking after (lit., expectation of) those 
 things which are coming on the earth 
 — world; i. e., the inhabited world {oiKoviJ.€vf\). 
 Fainting, or swooning, is more true to the 
 Greek, which, however, is stronger yet, as the 
 Revision shows in the margin; "expiring," 
 breathing out life. Some great catastrophe 
 is certainly at hand. — For the powers of 
 heaven (of the heaoens) shall be shaken. 
 This is given as the ground of all the changes 
 spoken of in these two verses, the powers 
 of the heavens being those forces and laws 
 which hold the heavenly bodies in their places, 
 and maintain the visible order of the universe. 
 These are so disturbed, to the Saviour's view, 
 that it is as if all nature were falling into 
 ruin. Luke avoids all decided recognition of 
 the popular and poetic view of the heavens, 
 or sky, as a firm canopy, or vault, in which 
 the heavenly bodies are fixed, or under which 
 they move. In the Revelation (ch. 6: i3), the 
 stars fall out of it upon the earth. And 
 in Matthew 14: 29, it is added to what we 
 have here, that "the stars shall fall from 
 heaven." In the light of the more advanced 
 science of modern times, such views may be 
 thought childish, as, doubtless, many of the 
 most advanced scientific views now seem to 
 perfect knowledge; but to the simple con- 
 ception of earlier days, nothing could be more 
 sublime than these descriptions of general col- 
 lapse and destruction. 
 37. And then— in the midst of these agita- 
 
 tions, which themselves occur suddenly — while 
 the framework of nature is breaking up — shall 
 they see the Son of man coming in a 
 cloud. They are the inhabitants of the earth 
 at the time, saints and sinners. — In a cloud. 
 So the Saviour departed from the earth, and 
 so, it is promised, that he shall return (Acts i : s-ii). 
 Comp. 1 Tliess. 4: 16, 17. The cloud is his ve- 
 hicle — "who inaketh the clouds his chariot" 
 (Pa. 104:3). — With power and great glory. 
 Expressive, partly, of the indescribable maj- 
 esty and splendor of his personal appearance, 
 partly, of the imprcssiveness of his attendant 
 
 train. (Matt.25:31; 1 Thess. 4: 16.) 
 
 28. And when these things begin to 
 come to pass. The emphasis is on begin. 
 That state of things will not long continue. 
 It is the omen of an imminent revolution, 
 which will be to the disciples a glad and glo- 
 rious deliverance. It is a time, therefore, that 
 calls for prompt action. Ilonce, the Lord 
 says: Look up, and lift up your heads. 
 He views them as bowed down under the 
 trials and disappointments of the long waiting 
 for him (ch. 17:22; is : s), and calls to them, lit- 
 erally, "Straighten yourselves up"; behold 
 the happy change! The Lord is at hand! — 
 For your redemption draweth nigh. Re- 
 demption is, here, deliverance from the in- 
 firmity, pains, and various trials of the mortal 
 state, and introduction into the perfect holi- 
 ness and bliss of heaven. 
 
 29-31. A parable. The word is used in 
 its most general sense — an illustrative com- 
 parison. The sense is obvious: As surely as 
 you know from the fresh shoots of the trees in 
 spring that summer is at hand, so surelj' may 
 you understand, when the things of which I 
 have spoken come to pass, that the kingdom 
 of God is nigh, in its completed glory and 
 blessedness. 
 
 32. Verily I say unto yon, This genera- 
 tion shall not pass away, till all be ful- 
 
 U 
 
306 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXI. 
 
 33 <'■ Heaven and earth shall pass away ; but my 
 words shall not pass away. 
 
 33 accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away : 
 but my words shall not pass away. 
 
 filled. This generation — the raoe of men 
 now living. Their term of life was then esti- 
 mated, a.s now, at from thirty to forty years. 
 The term might be fairly extended, if there 
 were need, to sixty or seventy years, during 
 which some portion of tliose then living would 
 continue. But this does not seem to be called 
 for. Doubtless the term generation, in it- 
 self considered, might apply to the Jewish 
 race, or to the perpetual succession of be- 
 lievers; but the propriety of such reference 
 in this case is not apparent. True, the declara- 
 tion that all which had just been predicted 
 would come to pass within about forty years 
 from that time occasions a serious difficulty, 
 when we look back on it in the cool light of 
 history, and can see that, after many genera- 
 tions, the Son of man has not come in his final 
 glory yet. There are three obvious ways of 
 diluting the difficulty: 
 
 1. The discourse, as given by Luke, or by 
 either of the other Synoptists, is abridged, and 
 demonstrably not given in the actual order 
 of its delivery. This appears from the fact that 
 each differs, in points, from both the others. 
 And if we suppose some sentence to have 
 been spoken which is not recorded for us, or 
 the present sentence to have been spoken with 
 some unrecorded modification, the knowledge 
 of that might relieve the statement of all ap- 
 pearance of discrepancy with later facts. 
 
 2. Christ, as we have said before, is speaking, 
 in all this, as a prophet. Now prophecy, as a 
 rule, takes no precise note of elapsing time. 
 What it foresees, it foresees as passing picto- 
 rially before the vision, in its separate acts, or 
 even as simultaneously present, with no 
 standard to measure, or, rather, with no hint 
 of the existence of, definite intervals of time. 
 On this view of prophecy, see Jahn, Introduc- 
 tion to the Old Testament, § 81 ; Fairbairn, 
 On Prophecy, ch. v., ? 2; Oehler, Theology of 
 the Old Testament, ?? 210, 215, f. ; Hengsten- 
 berg, Christology of the Old Testament, iv., 
 App. vi. ; and the same, briefly. Smith, Dic- 
 tionary of the Bible, iii., p. 259 a. If, then, 
 we might be allowed reverently to imagine 
 that our Lord now beholds all down to the 
 destruction of Jerusalem as one moving pic- 
 ture, and all after that down to the grand 
 
 consummation as another, then all [things) 
 might express the former, which would take 
 place before that generation should have 
 ceased from the earth. "The times of the 
 Gentiles," the commotions of heaven and 
 earth, and the coming of the Son of man, ap- 
 pear as one event, accomplished in effect 
 when its first hour struck; following the "all 
 things" which shall have been fulfilled. 
 
 3. The sentence under consideration may 
 have early become misplaced in the reports 
 of the discourse. We see frequently verses 
 and whole paragraphs, of the same contents, 
 differently situated in the different Gospels.' 
 It does not Seem improbable that, if another, 
 a verbatim, report had been brought from the 
 very lips of Jesus, we should havefound these 
 words somewhat differently connected with 
 the preceding. Such variation would be par- 
 ticularly liable to occur in the discourse before 
 us. The subject was mysterious and abstruse. 
 The two ends, that of Jerusalem and that of 
 the world, were so blended in the prophecy, 
 and according to the custom of prophecy, 
 that, to the apprehension of the disciples, they 
 became almost entirely identified. We, who' 
 live after the fulfillment touching the one 
 event, find it difficult to distinguish in the 
 oracle what related, to each event. How im- 
 possible must it have been for the disciples to 
 do so before either event ! They would, natu- 
 rally, remember the discourse as one, on 
 one theme, and did notoriously cherish the 
 belief that the second coming might take 
 place within the term of their own lives. 
 There would thus be to them no occasion for 
 minute care in the connection of this sentence. 
 It seems, therefore, in no special degree im- 
 probable that some change of its position had 
 become fixed in the early reports of the 
 discourse. That it was allowed, in God's 
 providence, to be so handed down to us, might 
 be (known unto God are his own reasons) to 
 give the most effectual proof that our records 
 of the Gospel were written before the year 
 70 A. D. — a proof which the speculations of 
 these last days have shown to be of exceeding 
 great importance. 
 
 33. Heaven and earth shall pass away ; 
 but my words shall not pass away. The 
 
Cn. XXI.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 307 
 
 34 TT And«take heed to yourselves, lest at any tiiue 
 your hearts be overcharged with siirleiting, aud 
 driiiikeiiuess, and cans of this lite, aud so that day 
 couie upon you uuauares. 
 
 'd't VoT 'as a snare shall it couie on all them that 
 dwell ou the face of the whole earth. 
 
 3G « Watch ye therefore, aud "^pray always, that ye 
 may be accouuted worthy to esc;i|>e all these things 
 that shall come to pass, aud ' to sLaud before the Sou 
 of uian. 
 
 34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your 
 hearts be overcharjjed with surleitiug, aud druuk- 
 euuess, aud cares of this life, aud thai day come ou 
 
 35 you suddenly as a snare : for so shall it couje upon 
 all theiu that dwell on the face of all the earth. 
 
 36 Hut watch ye at every season, making s ipplicatiou, 
 that ye luay prevail to escape all these tilings that 
 shall couie to pass, aud to stand before the Sou of 
 niau. 
 
 a Rnm. 13: U; I Thess. S:C; I Feu 4: 7 6 1 Tbess.5:2; 2 Pet. 3 : 10; Rev. 3:3; 16: 15....cUati. H: 42; 2&: 13; Mark 13: Xi....dch. 
 
 18: 1... ePs. 1:6; Epbes. 6: 13. 
 
 strongest possible assertion of the verity and i Surfeiting, is the effect of yesterday's de- 
 trustworthiness of his prediction. It was ! bauch. — Cares of this life — rather, "cares 
 firmer tlian the solid earth, more enduring pertaining to life," here viewed as a worldly, 
 than the changeless firmament. They might self-indulgent life, a luxiiridus living. — And 
 remove; but his words, never. I so that day come upon you unawares. 
 
 MOUNT OF OLIVKS. 
 
 34-36. Warning Against Forgetful- 
 NKss, AND Worldly Inpulqf.nces. Need 
 OF AVatohfulnf.ss and Prayf.r. 
 
 34. And (But) take heed to yourselves, 
 lest at any time (hnphj) yonr hearts be 
 overcharged, etc. It gives u.s a fresh sense 
 of the painful apprehension which Christ had 
 of the instability of his disciples, that he 
 should, under these circumstances, intimate 
 the possibility of such a lapse of faith and pa- 
 tience on their part. Comp. 18: 8; 17: 27, 28. 
 How soon his faithful messengers found it 
 necessary to utter like admonitions, may be 
 seen in Eom. 13: 12-14; Heb. 10: 35-39.— 
 
 The Greek word for unawares is used to de- 
 note the suddenness of the da^' of the Lord 
 (i The««.5: 3). It IS properly translated in the 
 Revision sudde)ily, and, according to the best 
 authorit es, as a snare follows immediately 
 upon it, instetid of going into the next verse. 
 It is this suddenness which makes it overtake 
 one "unawares." As the springing of a trap 
 on the game, will be the ruin of those found 
 unprepared. 
 
 35. None in all the earth but those who 
 are waiting for their Lord, at his coming, will 
 escape an a%vful surprise. 
 
 36. Watch ye therefore (But watch ye) — 
 
308 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 37 "And in the day time he was teaching in the 
 temple; aud' at night he went out, and abode in the 
 mount that is called the inutint of Olives. 
 
 a8 And all the jjeople came early in the morning to 
 him in the temple, tor to hear him. 
 
 37 And every day he was teaching in the temple ; 
 and every night he went out, and lodged in the 
 
 38 mount tliat is called Olivet. And all the people 
 came early in the morning to him in the temple, to 
 hear him. 
 
 N 
 
 OW "the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, 
 which is called the Passover. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXII. 
 
 1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh. 
 
 a JolinS: 1,2 b ch. 2'2 : 39....C Mt.tt. 26 : -l; Mark U: 1. 
 
 be wide awake, having your faculties all in due 
 exercise, and tit for serious service — always {at 
 every season) — by day and by night, wliether 
 he come in the second watch, or in the third. 
 — And pray — rather, Making supplication. 
 This precept su;:>poses tiiat, beyond all vigi- 
 lance and fidelity on their part, they needed 
 divine care and help.— That ye may be ac- 
 counted Avorthy (the more probable reading 
 is, may prevail — have strength) — to escape 
 all these things— these faults and iniquities 
 (ver. 34); probably, also, the calamities and 
 punishments implied in that day (ver. 34) — 
 and to stand before the Son of man. 
 Stand=take your stand, as in ch. 18: 11 ; see 
 note ch. 19 : 8. It implies a certain stateliness, 
 and consciousness of dignity and right. This 
 is more conformable to usage of the verb form 
 than Meyer's "be placed"; that is, by the 
 angels. So to stand before the Lord, at his 
 coming, requiresthat one should have watched 
 and prayed, and faithfully done a servant's 
 part. 
 
 37, 38. Luke closes his narrative of Christ's 
 labors and teachings during the last three days 
 of his public activity, by a particular state- 
 ment of how he spent the time. The days in 
 the temple, from the Sunday on which he 
 arrived there; his nights on the Mount of 
 Olives, probably at the house of his friends in 
 Bethany. The first night he spent there; the 
 more general expression h«re, allows us to 
 think that he may have changed his location, 
 as prudence required. Abode=/,or;r3rec/ — 
 passed the night. In classic Greek, the verb 
 often signifies "to lodge in the open air"; 
 but probably not so here. Early in the 
 morning— strictly, at the dawn, as the cus- 
 tom was to be stirring very early. His nights 
 were without ease, and his days diligently 
 devoted to his Father's business. 
 
 Ch. 22, 1-6. Judas Bargains -with 
 
 THE EULERS TO BeTRAY JeSUS. 
 
 The work of our Lord on earth was done. 
 
 "Wednesday (most of Thursday also) appears 
 to have been spent in a seclusion, the expe- 
 riences of which are completely hidden from 
 us. According to the Jewish custom at that 
 time, of beginning the day at sundown, and 
 reckoning the hours which followed, to the 
 next daj', the discourse in chapter 21, be- 
 longed to the eve of Wednesday. But ex- 
 cept one pathetic sentence in Matthew (26:2) 
 we have no further information concern- 
 ing him during all that day. When we re- 
 member how often, during his previous life, 
 the Master, in great emergencies, retired for 
 special prayer and communion with his 
 Father, we may well suppose that he vnis 
 thus engaged on this critical day. The ten- 
 derness of his address to the disciples (ver. u et.), 
 breathes something of the spirit of Geth- 
 semane, and may well imply hours of pre- 
 vious converse with God, concerning his ap- 
 proaching sufferings, and the peril and dis- 
 consolateness of his brethren. 
 
 1. Now the feast of unleavened bread 
 drew^ nigh, which is called the Passover. 
 Feast of unleavened bread— so called be- 
 cause all leaven, through the entire week, 
 and part of the preceding day, must be care- 
 fully banished from their houses. "The 
 Passover" and "the feast of unleavened 
 bread," were often entirely synonj'mous ex- 
 pressions, to name the period of seven (or 
 eight) days, set apart in Exodus, (chapters 12, 
 13), as a per])etual memorial of the deliver- 
 ance of the people out of captivity in Egypt. 
 It properly began on the eve of the 15th of 
 the first month (now called Nisan), or, as we 
 should say, on the evening of the 14th, and 
 extended through the 21st. But the four- 
 teenth, as a preparation day, was often reck- 
 oned with it. From Matthew and Mark, we 
 learn more definitely that the Passover was 
 now two days oflT. The time is accordingly 
 some point in the 13th of the month. All 
 attempts to identify the day with the pre- 
 cisely corresponding one in the Roman Calen- 
 
Ch. XXII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 309 
 
 2 \n(l "the chief priests oud scribes soiiulit how 
 thi-v lui'ht kill him ; l<>r they feared the people. 
 
 ;\V"The" '^"t^'r^^d «"''"' '"'" •'"^'" s..rnamed 
 Iscariot lii^ini; of the number ol the twelve. 
 
 4 V I he went his wav, a.id communed with the 
 Chief priests au.l captains, how he might betray him 
 
 "'.5^ AndThey were glad, and c covenanted to give him 
 money. 
 
 2 which is called the Passover. And the chief priests 
 and the scrilwjs sought how they might put him to 
 death; for they feared the people. 
 
 3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called 
 
 4 Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And 
 he went away, and communed with the chici priests 
 and captains, how he might deliver him unto them. 
 
 5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him 
 
 . Ps. 2: 2; Johu 11 : 47 ; Aotsi: 27.. ..4 M.tt. 26: 14; M.rK U: 10; John 13 : 2, 27.. ..c Z«»ch.U:12. 
 
 dar, and so with our own, are frustrated by I 
 the uncertainty as to what year it was of the 
 buiklinnj of Rome. | 
 
 2. And the chief priests and scribes i 
 sought— more exactly, were seeking— ^ow \ 
 they might kill him— in what possible way 
 they might be able to do that which, in some 
 way, they had determined should be done. 
 For they feared the people. This is a 
 reason for their having to seek how they 
 might do it without harm to themselves. 
 
 3, At the nick of time for them, comes 
 Judas with a plan which meets their need. 
 Then (And) entered Satan into Judas. 
 ^nci— associates this event with their "seek- 
 ing how they might destroy him," so as to 
 show that the treachery of Judas relieved 
 their perplexity. That Satan entered into 
 Judas, means that the devil, to accomplish 
 his malignant purposes against our Lord, took 
 advantage of the wickedness of Judas, to 
 direct him as a serviceable tool. Many other 
 psychological explanations of the act of the 
 traitor have been ingeniously attempted ; but 
 to carry them through without the supposi- 
 tion of^ Satanic agency has proved a sea of 
 difficulty in which all have floundered— none 
 swum. John (i*: ') informs us that at a feast 
 in Bethany, on the previous Sabbath eve, 
 (ver. 1, "six days before the Passover"), 
 Jesus had rebuked Judas for his complaint 
 on account of the waste of costly ointment by 
 Mary, in testimony of her affection for the 
 Lord. Matthew (26= •♦) and Mark (i4: »o) con- 
 nect the action of Judas here with that same 
 feast, and imply, though they do not state, 
 that he took oflTence at the Master's remark. 
 In the rebuke which Jesus there administered 
 to the false disciple (John 12; 7), they appear to 
 find the motive to the now ripened crime. 
 Luke omits that episode. Being of the 
 number of the twelve. This adds a pa- 
 thetic touch to the description of our Sa- 
 viour's fate, while it shows how acceptable 
 such co-operation would be to themselves, 
 
 and fixes a blacker stain on the treachery 
 of Judas. 
 
 4. And he went his Avay (literally, away), 
 and communed with the chief priests and 
 
 captains— heads of the Levitical force of 
 temple guards — how — on what terms, at what 
 time, in what manner— he might betray (lit- 
 erally, deliver) him unto them. 
 
 5. And they were glad — as well they 
 might be, at a proposition to do the very 
 thing they desired, even "during the feast " 
 (comp. Matt. 26:5), and from such a source — and 
 covenanted to give him money. The 
 sum mentioned by Matthew was thirty pieces, 
 shekel.^ doubtless, containing each 'J70 grains 
 of silver. The authorities differ considerably 
 concerning the value of the shekel in the 
 period now before us. Some put it as low as 
 48 cents, (Gesenius, Hebrew Wbrterbuch, 
 8th ed., s. v. Shekel; two-thirds of a Prussian 
 thaler, although the data there given lead nat- 
 urally to a different result); others, as high as 
 74cents(Prideaux, Conne.ri.ons, i., 117, Wheel- 
 er's ed., three English shillings). The most def- 
 inite fact in the case is that Josephus (Antiq- 
 uities, iii., 8, 2) states the value of the shekel 
 as equal to the Attic tetradrachmon, which 
 contained 270 grains of silver. This is ascer- 
 tained partly from theoretical statements, and 
 partly from the weight of existing specimens. 
 Thus it would now be worth somewhat more 
 than 57 cents of coin silver; much more in our 
 nominal silver dollar. See, on the weight of 
 the Attic didrachm, R. S. Poole, in Smith's 
 Dictionary of the Bible, p. 3496 a; McClin- 
 tock and Crook's Theological Cycloptrdia, 
 article Money, p. 044; Madden's Jewish Coin- 
 age. It must always be understood, however, 
 that a given weight of the precious metals was 
 then several times more valuable, relatively 
 to the necessaries of life, than it is at present. 
 Less than twenty dollars, therefore, in our 
 money, was what they weighed to Judas as 
 the price of his Master's life. Whether he 
 distinctly understoood that he was selling that 
 
310 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cn. XXII. 
 
 6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to be- 
 tray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 
 
 7 1[ "" Then came the day of unleavened bread, when 
 the passover must be killed. 
 
 money. And he consented, and sought opportunity 
 to deliver him unto them i in the absence of the 
 multitude. 
 And the day of unleavened bread came, on which 
 
 a Matt. 26: 17; Mark 14: 12. 1 Or, viithout tumuU. 
 
 life, appears questionable, from the compunc- 
 tion which he manifested when it became clear 
 (Miitt. 27:3, 4) that such was likely to prove the 
 fact. Eighteen or nineteen dollars they 
 offered to give. 
 
 6. And he promised = agreed to it. To 
 appreciate fully the mental process of the 
 traitor, is, as we before remariied, almost 
 hopelessly difficult. Certain facts are obvious, 
 and certain inferences are natural ; but we 
 have still left ample scope for the influence of 
 Satan in the result. He was a hard, avaricious 
 man, with no sentiment that could stand 
 against his greed for gain. "He had the 
 bag, and bare what was put therein," 
 (johni2:6.) — is best uuderstood to mean 
 "he took for himself from the bag." He 
 even stole contributions that were made to 
 the support of Jesus. At the same time, he 
 may have shared the gross ideasof his genera- 
 tion concerning the temporal advantages that 
 were to come through the Messiah to those 
 who should join themselves to him. As treas- 
 urer of the Lord and his company, he would 
 naturally calculate on some corresponding 
 honor in his manifested kingdom. From re- 
 cent discourses he might have noticed indica- 
 tions that the manifestation was yet remote, 
 and that an interval of want, and trial, and 
 danger, and shame, was to precede it. The 
 course of Jesus in the matter of the three hun- 
 dred pence worth of spikenard perfume would, 
 of course, reveal to him the profound want of 
 sympathy between the Master and himself. 
 The pomp and enthusiasm of Palm Sunday 
 might well revive his expectation of a speedy 
 assumption by Jesus of royal dominion; but 
 this was soon blasted by the failure to take 
 advantage of the popular favor, and by the 
 explicit predictions of Tuesday evening, on 
 Olivet. Disappointment, vexation, overmas- 
 tering covetousness, combined to prepare him 
 to fall under the influence of Satan. The 
 latter was said above to have entered into him, 
 possessed him, not so as to relieve him of the 
 guilt of his conduct, but, rather, so as to make 
 it the heavier, in that he voluntarily opened 
 the way to such a possession. — And sought 
 opportunity to betray (deliver) him unto 
 
 them in the absence of the (a) multitude. 
 
 They had not contemplated the possibility 
 (Matt. 26:5) of putting Jesus out of the way 
 "during the feast," simply because the as- 
 sembled crowd, largely from Galilee, would 
 endanger insurrection. But Judas' plan of 
 seizing him in the night, when he could 
 guide thenij obviated that objection. But he 
 still had to seek opportunity, as not knowing 
 the place, perhaps not even the time, when 
 Christ would observe the Passover. 
 7-13. Preparation for the Passover. 
 (Thursday evening; eve of Friday.) 
 7. Then came, etc.; better, And the day 
 of unleavened bread came when — on 
 which — the passover must be — in com- 
 pliance with the law — killetl or, sacrificed. 
 Before (ver. i) it was drawing nigh ; now it has 
 come. This Any was the 14th of Ni.san, before 
 noon of which all leaven must be put away 
 from the houses; and in the afternoon the 
 paschal lamb must be slain. On this account, 
 it appears also to have been called "the prep- 
 aration of=for, the Passover." (Johnisiu). 
 But with what day of the week did this 14th 
 day of Nisan coincide that year? If we 
 knew certainly what year it was of the Ro- 
 man era, chronologers could easily determine 
 the question. As it is, we are turned to 
 another question. On what day of the month 
 was Christ crucified? That the day of the 
 week was a Friday, scarcely is or can be dis- 
 puted. (Oh. 23:54; John 19: 31). Could WC add 
 
 that it was the 15th of Nisan, then we should 
 know at once that the 14th was Thursday, 
 beginning at about 6 p. M. on Wednesday. 
 If we suppose now that the day mentioned in 
 our verse was Thursday, the natural inference 
 would be that the Passover would be killed 
 in the afternoon, after about three o'clock, 
 and the supper eaten by the disciples that 
 evening, after Friday, the 15th, had begun, 
 when the whole nation were doing the same. 
 Ths same impression is made by the other 
 Synoptic Evangelists (Matt. 26: n), especially 
 Mark 14: 12, and from every mention of the 
 meal as a " Passover." Indeed, from the chief 
 indications of date in these Gospels no doubt 
 would probably ever have arisen, that the 
 
Ch. XXII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 311 
 
 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and pre- 
 pare us the passover, that we may eat. 
 
 !) And they said uuto hiiu. Where wilt thou that we 
 prepare .' 
 
 8 the passover must be sacrificed. And he sent Peter 
 and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the 
 
 9 passover, tlia't we may eat. And tliey said unto 
 
 Last Supper of our Lord took place simulta- 
 neously with the Passover meal of the Jews 
 generally. But when one goes with unbiased 
 mind to the Gospel of John, he finds the 
 leading indications of time pointing to a 
 different hour. The "supper" spoken of 
 (John 13: 2) is corrcctly regarded as identical 
 with that of the Passover in our chapter; 
 hut it is said (ver. i) to have taken place "be- 
 fore the Passover." Again in ver. 29, when 
 Judas went out, some thought he had gone 
 to buy the things which they needed for 
 the feast; as if the feast was yet to come, and 
 there was free opportunity' to make any pur- 
 chases. This, many think, could hardly have 
 been supposable on the Passover evening. 
 In John 18: 28, the rulers, on the morning of 
 the crucifixion, were careful against defiling 
 themselves, that "they might eat the Pass- 
 over." In ch. 19 : 31, the Jews, because it was 
 "the preparation," that the bodies should not 
 remain upon the cross on the Sabbath (for the 
 day of that Sabbath was a high day [as it 
 would be if also the day of the Passover sup- 
 per] ) besought Pilate, etc. On the basis of 
 these diverging representations, the judgment 
 of Christian scholars has always been divided as 
 to whether Jesus then celebrated the Passover 
 with his disciples, according to the common 
 usage, and at the regular ^^ime, or instituted a 
 new observance, ''thin Passover"^" our Pass- 
 over," on the evening before, and was him- 
 self put to death at the hour when the Jew- 
 ish lambs were superfluously bleeding, at the 
 temple. Those who are controlled hy the 
 obvious sense of John's narrative, suppose 
 that Saturday (the Sabbatli) was the proper 
 Passover day, the 15th of Nisan; that the 
 lambs were sacrificed on Friday afternoon, 
 and the supper eaten that evening, after the 
 Sabbath had begun. The early Christian 
 writers generally appear to have taken this 
 view, as have several of the most eminent 
 scholars recently, especially those who have 
 treated John's Gospel by itself. The preva- 
 lent view, however, has been that to which 
 the Synoptical narrative would most natu- 
 rally lead — that Friday was the true Passover 
 day, and Thursday evening the hour of the 
 Passover meal. We do not undertake to 
 
 decide the question, which would involve too 
 much of the interpretation of John's Gospel. 
 The fact that the most eminent expositors 
 have differed in their judgment in the matter, 
 through all periods of independent exegesis 
 of the New Testament, and never more so 
 than within the past twenty-five years, shows 
 that the probabilities are pretty evenly bal- 
 anced. Whichever conclusion a nam may 
 have reached, he will be more likely, in pro- 
 portion as he has investigated most tiioroughly, 
 to see how another may have come to a dif- 
 ferent result from the same data. A breath 
 may seem sufficient to have turned the scales. 
 We shall proce(;d to develop what saliently 
 presents itself as the view of our Evangelist. 
 The day of unleavened bread was Thurs- 
 day, beginning at sundown, or, at that season, 
 about 6 P. M. on Wednesday. Must be 
 killed, properly, sacrificed. Not merely 
 killed, or slaughtered, but the use was re- 
 garded as a sacrifice, commemorative of the 
 birth of the people into a nation at their 
 deliverance from Egypt, the house of bond- 
 age, and typical of the "Lamb slain from 
 the foundation of the world." Here, how- 
 ever, we need think only of the day, after 
 the night was past. Must be — because the 
 law so required. Many changes in the 
 mode of celebrating the Passover distin- 
 guished the now existing practice from that 
 first prescribed, but onlj' as they had been 
 found necessary, or helpful. The usages will 
 be found described in any of the better Bible 
 Dictionaries. 
 
 8. And he sent — probablv from Bethany — 
 Peter and John, saying, (io and prepare 
 us the passover, that Ave may eat. This 
 direction may have been issued in the fore- 
 noon of the day, or even early in the after- 
 noon. Luke alone gives the names of the 
 "two of his disciples" (Mark u; 1.1) who were to 
 find and suitablv furnish the needed room, to 
 select the lamb, and have it slain and roasted, 
 and to provide the other viands required for 
 the meal. 
 
 9, 10. The Lord's answer to their question, 
 where they should eat the supper, maj' have 
 been given designedly in such a way as to 
 keep the knowledge of the place from Judas, 
 
312 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cii. XXII. 
 
 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are 
 entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, 
 bearing a pitcher ot water; follow him into the house 
 where he entereth in. 
 
 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, 
 The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestcham- 
 ber, where 1 shall eat the passover with my disciples ? 
 
 12 And he shall shew you a large upper room fur- 
 nished : there make ready. 
 
 \.i And they went, and found as he had said unto 
 them : and they made ready the passover. 
 
 14 "And when the hour was come, he sat down, and 
 the twelve apostles with him. 
 
 10 him. Where wilt thou that we make ready? And 
 he said unto them. Behold, when ye are entered 
 into the city, there shall meet you a man bearing a 
 pitcher of water; follow him into the house whtre- 
 
 11 into he goeth. And ye shall say unto the goodman 
 of the house. The i Master saith unto thee. Where is 
 the guest-chamber, where 1 shall eat the passover 
 
 12 with my disciples? And he will shew you a large 
 
 13 upper room furnished; there make ready. And 
 they went, and found as he had said unto them: 
 and they made ready the passover. 
 
 14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and 
 
 a Matt. 26: 20; Mark 14: 17. 1 Or, Teacher. 
 
 for the present. That a man should be car- 
 rying water in the street, was remarkable, 
 since that was the task of women, and would 
 imply that he was of a servile condition. This 
 is implied also in the Greek word for man ap- 
 plied to him (ar^pcoTTos), and, more plainly, by 
 the distinction between him and the house- 
 holder, of the next verse. It is said there was 
 a custom that the head of each family should 
 bring water from a certain spring, with which 
 to wet up the unleavened bread for the Pass- 
 over. But this man was not head of the 
 house; nor does it appear how, among the 
 thousands that would be carrying water at the 
 same time, on that supposition, the incident 
 could have served as a sign. 
 
 11. The Master (Teacher) saith unto 
 thee, Where is the guest-chamber? etc. 
 The man must probably have been an adher- 
 ent of Jesus, with whom there had been an 
 understanding that the Teacher should have 
 the use of his chamber, or attic. It was re- 
 garded as a duty that householders in Jeru- 
 salem, and the suburbs, within which the sac- 
 rificial Passover might be eaten, should grant 
 any spare room for the use of vi.siting wor- 
 shipers at the feast. 
 
 12. A large upper room furnished. It 
 would need to be of a good size to accommo- 
 date thirteen men at table. Nothing is certain 
 as to whose house it was. Some have ingeni-. 
 ously fixed on that of the mother of John Mark, 
 author of the Second Gospel, in which the dis- 
 ciples were gathered at Acts 12: 12, as if it 
 were a usual thing. In Acts 1 : 13, the disci- 
 ples had also met in a large "upper-chamber," 
 and this, it is said, may have been understood 
 as connecting the other two instances. The 
 argument is not so strong as a spider's thread. 
 Furnished — properlj^, spread — having ref- 
 erence, primarily, to rugs and cushions, but 
 including, doubtless, the table, dishes, and 
 other necessary articles. The simple earthen 
 
 dishes were usually supplied by the company ; 
 and these, with the skin of the sacrificial vic- 
 tim, were left as remuneration to the proprietor 
 of the house. 
 
 13. The correspondence of the facts with so 
 unusual an announcement, was calculated to 
 confirm their faith in the divine mission of 
 their Master, at a time when sui^h confirma- 
 tion was needed. 
 
 14-18. The Passover Meal. 
 
 14. And when the hour was come, he 
 sat down — reclined at table — and the twelve 
 apostles with him. The word twelve is 
 omitted by the best editors. The hour for 
 commencing the meal was not definitely pre- 
 scribed. The roasting of the lamb would not 
 begin till after sundown, and at anj' time after 
 that was finished they might proceed to the 
 table. The posture at the table was the usual 
 one, at that time, of reclining on couches, ex- 
 tended nearly at full length. A figure repre- 
 senting to the eye a formal banquet scene, of 
 the later classical period, may be seen in 
 Smith's Diet, of the Bib., Art. Meal, and in 
 others. We must divest the Last Supper of all 
 the luxury and parade of such pictures, and 
 think only of the recumbent posture about a 
 plain table, possibly so arranged as to form 
 three sides of a square. This may be com- 
 pared with a family scene in our time ; that 
 picture, more to the formality' of our public 
 banquets. To the list of Greek verbs signi- 
 fying this reclining posture, given in Smith's 
 Diet, of the Bih., p. 1843, should have been 
 added the verb used here (ivamnTuj). The 
 apostles were all with him, certainly at the 
 paschal meal, at least, yet the word twelve 
 was probably added to the text much later. 
 Whj' no other disciples, men or women, were 
 joined with the twelve, we n\i\y conjecture. 
 Evidently, not many could be drawn into one 
 Passover company ("not less than ten, nor 
 more than twenty" — Josephus); and, besides 
 
Cii. XXII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 313 
 
 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have de- 
 sirod to eat tliis passover with you before I sulior : 
 
 IG For I say unto you, I will not any nmre eat there- 
 of, "until it be t'lilhlled in the l<ingiloni of tiod. 
 
 17 And he took the eup and gave thanks, and said, 
 Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 
 
 15 the apostles with him. And he said unto them, 
 With desire I have desired to eat this iiassover wiiU 
 
 16 you before I sulfer: for 1 say unto yi.u, 1 shall not 
 eat it, until it be fulfilled in tlie kingdom oi Uod. 
 
 17 And he received a cup, and when he had given 
 thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among 
 
 cli. 14: 15; Acts lU: 41 ; Kev. Itf: >). 
 
 the need of a strictly private opportunity with 
 the apostles, he could not prudently make 
 selections out of the general body of his fol- 
 lowers. Other reasons are obvious why he 
 should not summon a crowd to th^i prepara- 
 tory rxie, which he inteiided to institute. 
 
 15. With desire I have desired to eat 
 this passover with yoii before I suffer. 
 Compare " blessing I will bless," " hearing ye 
 shall hear, and seeing ye shiill see," a Hebrew 
 way of expressing certainty of assertion, or 
 intensity of emotion. It is with the shadow 
 of Calvary already casting its solemnity* over 
 his spirit — before I suffer — that our Lord 
 opens his tender address. That would be one 
 reason why he should earnestly desire to eat 
 this Passover — it was his last. In it were 
 represented the most sacred memories of his 
 nation, some of his own cherished religious 
 associations since he was twelve years of age, 
 and the most affecting truths of the ancestral 
 r(;ligion. That he should choose to associate 
 its observance so closely with his last hours on 
 the earth, was most natural. To eat it with 
 the ap(»stle3 — with you — would peculiarly 
 hallow their intercourse, and afford him op- 
 ]iortunity to intimate to them, most impress- 
 ively, the cessation of the old ordinance, by 
 its passing over into the antitypical observance 
 which was to distinguish the new kingdom to 
 the end of the world. Being his last, this was 
 to be the last Passover of the system of types 
 and shadows, and to merge in that simple rite 
 which would commemorate the origin of the 
 new spiritual society on etirth. 
 
 16. For I say unto you, I will not any 
 more eat thereof (or, iO, until it be ful- 
 filled in the kingdom of God. This con- 
 firms and exi)lains the "desire" of the pre- 
 ceding verse, by showing that this is his last 
 Passover.— Any more, which is omitted in the 
 llevision, has respectable evidence in its favor, 
 but was perhaps only a natural supplement 
 to till out the obvious sense. — Will not is a 
 strong negative =" certainly shall not." — 
 Until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 
 This meant "never again in our earthly rela- 
 tion to each other" ; but that he would join 
 
 them in celebrating a feast of analogous sig- 
 nificance in that glorious relation which he 
 should afterward sustain to them, and to which 
 this was leading. It is not so certain that he 
 did not here look forward to the communion 
 of his saints with himself and with each 
 other in "the breaking of bread," under the 
 Dispensation of the Spirit, as Godot, on the 
 passage, assumes. Comp.ch. 14: 30, 35; Acts 
 10: 41. But, surely, the full sense of it 
 cannot exclude the heavenly banquet, at 
 which they shall come from the east and 
 west, from the north and south, and shall 
 sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob 
 in the kingdom of heaven, (cu. i3: iv-, u-. ib-zi; 
 Matt. 8: 11; Rev. I'j: 9. ). That ccrcmony would be 
 fulfilled in that which it signified, the bless- 
 edness of complete salvation. This blessed- 
 ness is compared to the joys of a banquet. 
 
 17. And he took the cup (better, receiveda 
 cup), and gave thanks, and said. Each of 
 the Four Evangelists has his own order of nar- 
 mtiiig the incidents connected with this metil, 
 although Miitthewand Mark nearly coincide, 
 and Luke and John each relate much which 
 the others do not speak of. To make out of 
 the four different, but consistent, accounts the 
 actual order of proceeding, is the task of the 
 harmonist. "We may notice that all assume 
 the Jewish meal to have gone on, to a more 
 or less full completion, before the Last Supper 
 was instituted. Thus, here, the cup was one 
 of the drinking cups, filled with diluted 
 wine, which were required in the process of 
 the Passover. Farmr, on the passage, briefly 
 indicates the custom of the Jews, in observing 
 the Passover, as follows: "(1.) Each drinks a 
 cup of wine — 'the cup of consecration ' — over 
 which the master of the house pronounces a 
 blessing. (2.) Hands are washed, and a table 
 carried in, on which are placed bitter herbs, 
 cakes of unleavened bread, the charoaeth (a 
 dish made of dates, raisins, and vinegar), the 
 paschal lamb, and the flesh of the chnfjifjah, or 
 feast offering. (3. ) The father dips a morsel of 
 unleavened bread and bitter herbs, about the 
 size of an olive, in the charoseth, with a bene- 
 diction, and distributes a similar "sop" to 
 
314 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 18 For "I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit 
 of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 
 
 19 lI'And he took bread, and gave thanks, and 
 brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body 
 which is given for you: "this do in remembrance of 
 me. 
 
 18 yourselves: for I say unto you, I shall not drink 
 irom henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the 
 
 19 kingdom of God shall come. And he took i bread, 
 and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and 
 gave to them, saying, This is my body 2 which is 
 
 a Mait. 26: 21»; Mark 14: 25.... 6 Matt. 26: 26 ; Mark U: 22 c 1 Cor. 11 : 24. 1 Or. aloaf 2 Some ancieot authorities omit, which is 
 
 given for you . . . which is poured out for you. 
 
 all present. (4.) A second cup of wine is 
 poured out, and the youngest present asks the 
 iiieauiiig of the service, to which the father 
 replies. (5.) The first part of the Hallel (Psa. 
 107-114) is sung. (6. ) Grace is said, and a ben- 
 ediction again pronounced ; after which the 
 father distributes bitter herbs and unleavened 
 bread dipped in the charoseth. (7.) The pas- 
 clial lamb is eaten and a third cup of wine is 
 handed round. (8.) After another thanks- 
 giving, a fourth cup — the cup of joy — is 
 drunk. (9.) The rest of the Hallel (Psa. 115- 
 118) is sung." It will be noticed how often 
 "blessing," "benediction," all being of the 
 nature of thanksgiving to God, is mentioned 
 here, showing the joyful, eucharistic nature 
 of the feast. To which "cup," as mentioned 
 in this series, the cup in our text refers, is 
 not certain ; but probably the first. It ap- 
 pears to have been handed to the head of the 
 table by some attendant, from whom he re- 
 ceived it. It should be observed that our 
 minute accounts of Jewish usage, in the cele- 
 bration of the Passover, are all modern, com- 
 pared with the time of Christ; and, while we 
 know that some changes have resulted from 
 the cessation of the sacrifices, we cannot be 
 sure how far what is now done resembles the 
 original practice.'— Divide it among your- 
 selves. Share ye tlie contents of the one 
 cup, either by drinking out of it in turn, or by 
 pouring out a portion into each one's cup. 
 This does not preclude the idea of Christ 
 drinking a portion of the wine also. But this 
 occasion is to be the last. 
 
 18. I say unto you — a solemn assertion — 
 I will not— as in ver. 16— drink of the fruit 
 of the vine. Some have inferred, from this 
 way of speaking, that Jesus, here and in ver. 
 16, declared that he would not eat this Pass- 
 over, nor drink of the wine which he offered 
 them. From henceforth, as in the Kevision, 
 which is, by general consent, the true reading 
 in this verse (whether "any more" stand in 
 ver. 16 or not), forbids that conclusion. Be- 
 
 sides, he had just said (ver. 15) that he had 
 longed for that privilege, and not to "eat and 
 drink" would be to treat the solemn ordi- 
 nance with disrespect, in the absenceof known 
 justifying reasons. — Fruit of the vine=wine. 
 There is supposed to be an allusion to the 
 formula of praise and blessing just used at 
 the consecration of the cup, which is said to 
 have included the sentence, " Blessed be thou, 
 O Lord, our God, who hast created the fruit 
 of the vine." 
 
 19, 20. Institution of the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 19. And he took bread — a loaf, or flat 
 cake (like our sea-biscuit) of the unleavened 
 bread — and gave thanks. This may have 
 come in where, according to the usual prac- 
 tice, the lamb had been eaten, and the re- 
 quirements of the original law fulfilled. We 
 may suppose the Saviour to have explained 
 to his disciples the abrogation of the cere- 
 mony which they had just concluded; how 
 the typical significance of that lamb was to 
 be fulfilled in him ; and that the breaking of 
 this loaf, often repeated, would keep them in 
 remembrance of him as the source of their 
 spiritual life, and of the formal establishment 
 of a new spiritual society, founded on faith 
 and love to him. What was essential to be re- 
 corded is reported to us; but we cannot sup- 
 pose that so important an event would take 
 place without much explanation. And 
 brake it, and gave unto them. As to the 
 manner of doing it, we are left in the dark ; 
 whether he himself distributed a portion to 
 all, or simply broke the loaf in two, and left 
 each one to break off a piece for himself, or 
 effected the object in some other way. Each 
 Christian will be likely to think the mode to 
 which he is used the original one; and hap- 
 pily, it is quite immaterial whether it be so or 
 not. Saying, This is my body which is 
 given — not — has been given, but, "is in the 
 act of being given" — for you. For the 
 metaphorical use of is, in the phrase •* this 
 
 1 We may now refer to the full and specially learned account of Passover customs in Edersheim's Life and 
 Times of Jesus. Book v., ch. 10. 
 
Ch 
 
 XXIL] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 LU 
 
 K] 
 
 E. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 315 
 
 20 
 cup 
 for y 
 
 Likewise also the cup 
 ■v tlic new testament 
 ou. 
 
 after supper 
 in uiy blood, 
 
 saying 
 wliieh 
 
 ""This 
 
 s shed 
 
 20 
 
 give 
 the 
 cup 
 
 n for you : this do in remembrance of 
 cup in like manner alter supper, saj 
 is the new covenant in my blood,' 
 
 nie. 
 ■ing 
 
 And 
 
 This 
 thai 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 a 1 Cor 
 
 10: 
 
 16. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 is my body," compare John 10 : 7 ; 15 : 1 ; 1 
 
 Cor. 10: 4. Recall also how often, in the Old 
 Testament, God is said to be a shepherd, for- 
 tress, high tower, rock, shield, etc., etc. That 
 the language could ever have been supposed 
 to assert the actual identity of the loaf with 
 the body in which he was then active before 
 them, is one of the greatest marvels of intel- 
 lectual subtilty and pcrverseness. But still 
 greater is the fancy that, even if such a thing 
 could have boon true in that case, bread, or 
 semblance of bread in the hands of any one 
 of millions of the professed tninisters of Christ 
 (Romish or other priests) would become every 
 moment anew, in a thousand places, the veri- 
 table body of the Lord. And greatest wonder 
 of all is, that belief in the truth of such delu- 
 sions, should be pronounced essential to salva- 
 tion by those assuming to be rational stewards 
 of Christ's household. Probably, body is used 
 by synedoche for the person, as in Rom. 2: 1, 
 because it is in relation to the body that his per- 
 son, slain in founding the new economy of sal- 
 vation, is viewed. My body which is [being) 
 given for you, should be taken in connection 
 with— as represented by the bread. Not his 
 body absolutely, but his body so situated and 
 regarded. Thus the metaphor may be roughly 
 paraphrased: "In this broken loaf you may 
 see me, giving myself to death, through the 
 rending of my body, as your Redeemer from 
 sin and all misery." However little the dis- 
 ciples may have then apprehended the full 
 significance of his words, we may be sure that 
 they swelled in the soul of Jesus into a full- 
 ness of mt^aning which it is our wisdom to 
 ponder rather than discuss, or try in other 
 words to explain. They were spirit and they 
 were life. The disciples must have delighted 
 afterward to reflect how, not in anger or 
 complaint, but with the tenderness of yearn- 
 ing love, he said : Which is being given for 
 you. AVhat a gift! This do in reme-n- 
 brance of me. Here we have, as in 1 Cor. 
 11 : 24, in the same words, the direction to the 
 disciples to repeat the act which he was per- 
 forming, after he was gone. From Paul's 
 account (which he had "received of the 
 Lord") (iCor.n:23), we learn also(ver.26) that 
 
 the usage was to be kept up till the return of 
 the Saviour. This do, viz. — break a loaf, 
 and distribute to each other. How often, is 
 left to their judgment, as they should ascer- 
 tain in their practical need. In remem- 
 brance of me. Observe that he does not 
 say. In perpetual view of me, as materially 
 present. Not, henceforth, primarily in com- 
 memoration of the salvation out of Egypt, 
 but in remembrance of redemption wrought 
 through me. Observe, he does not say "of 
 my death," but of me, who, through my 
 earthly life and death have wrought out your 
 salvation from sin and eternal death. [But 
 compare 1 Cor. 11: 26, Revision. For as 
 often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, 
 yeproclaim the Lord' s death till he come; and 
 the language of Christ in John 6 : 53, 54. These 
 passages certainly suggest that it is the Sa- 
 viour as crucified who is to be remembered at 
 the Holy Supper.— A. H.] The Supper was 
 thus, all its oircumstances considered, ap- 
 pointed to be a feast commemorative of the 
 Author and Finisher of our faith, who, 
 through death, destroyed him that hath the 
 power of death. (Hob.2:i4). It would aid 
 them to think of him as he that "liveth and 
 wa.s rfmr^"— sad necessity! wonderful con- 
 descension !— and behold he is alive, and 
 liveth forevermore. (Rev. i: is). "We cannot 
 fail to see that through the Acts and Epistles. 
 even in the Revelation, the suffering, humilia- 
 tion, death, in which, on the part of Christ, 
 redemption began, is prevailingly swallowed 
 up, to the thought of his disciples, in life, ex- 
 altation, and glory. 
 
 20. Likewise also the cup, etc.— (better, 
 Atid the cup in like 7nanner)—ihiit is, he took, 
 giving thanks, and gave to them— after (the) 
 supper. We may see that after the preceding 
 incident had broken in upon and superseded 
 the progress of the Passover meal, conversa- 
 tion had gone on, as they were wont to pro- 
 long the customary feast; and that when the 
 time arrived for closing the service, Jesus 
 completed the new rite by this addition. So 
 is it well where his disciples, in this feast, join 
 with the use of the symbolical emblems of 
 their Lord's body, edifying converse of their 
 
816 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 [Ch. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 21 U "But, behold, the hand of h 
 me is with uie on the table. 
 
 LIU 
 
 that 
 
 betrayeth 1 21 which 
 1 of him 
 
 is poured out fo 
 that betrayeth 
 
 r you. But 
 uje is with 
 
 behold 
 me on 
 
 , the hand 
 the table 
 
 
 
 
 a Fa. 
 
 41 
 
 9 ; Matt. -Jti : il, M ; Mark 14 
 
 ; 18; 
 
 John 13 : 21, '^6. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lord, and of their progress in the divine life. 
 He took the cup— that, namely, in which he 
 had them drink the Passover wine. Mat- 
 thew and Mark make no mention of that; 
 hence they say here, "a cup." From this, we 
 may gather that there were several cups on 
 the table, doubtless one for each guest, as 
 there was a loaf for each ; but that Jesus chose 
 to have them drink also of one and the same 
 cup, and to eat of one and the same loaf. Luke, 
 irtdeed, does not expressly mention the eating 
 and drinking— only implies it; but Matthew 
 repeats the injunction to eat and drink, and 
 Mark mentions the fact that they drank. The 
 symbolical significance of this act is fully as 
 important as that of the eletnents themselves. 
 Thelikenessof our Redeemer's flesh and blood 
 is not set before us in this ordinance merely 
 for contemplation ; not as an object lesson, to 
 present to us through the eye what we have 
 already seen and heard ; but as the food of 
 spiritual sustenance, to be appropriated by 
 us, ever anew, in that peculiar exercise of 
 faith and love which we have, through sym- 
 pathy of brethren and joint participation with 
 them, in the very nature of Christ. This, and 
 nothing less, is to eat that bread and drink 
 that cup.— vSaying, This cup is the new 
 testament {covenant) in my blood. Here 
 there would be the same room, as above, with 
 the "bread and body," to assert that the cup 
 was, actually and materially, the new cove- 
 nant. The word is, though in the Greek not 
 expressed, is there in effect. There is really a 
 double figure: the cup for its contents, the 
 red wine; and the wine for the blood by 
 •which the covenant was ratified and sealed. 
 The word frequently translated testament in 
 the Common Version, meaning, widely, an 
 arrangement or disposition of affairs, specifi- 
 cally by will or testament, is generally used 
 in Scripture in the sense of bargain, league, 
 covenant ; and especially of that arrangement 
 entered into between God and the Hebrew 
 nation, at Sinai, according to the condi- 
 tions of which he was to be their God, and 
 they his people. That covenant was consum- 
 mated and ratified by the sacrificial use of 
 
 blood (F,x. 24: 8; Lev. 17: ll! Heb. 9: 19, 20). That hav- 
 ing, after long trial, failed to produce its in- 
 
 tended results, in a people worthy of God, 
 Jeremiah (si : si) declared that a new cove- 
 nant should be established in its place. This 
 new covenant, we learn from the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews, was established through the me- 
 diation of Christ (oh.8:6,8-10;10:16ff.). Toitthc 
 
 Saviour refers in our verse, saying, in eflfect, 
 that the cup, by its red wine, showed the es- 
 tablishment, through his blood, of that new 
 relation between God and men, in the gospel, 
 such that, by virtue of the expiation efl^ected 
 by that blood, faith in him would secure par- 
 don, friendship with God, holiness of spirit, 
 and true salvation. — Which is {be.ing) shed 
 =poured oiit^ior you. The blood has not 
 been shed yet; but, as is said in Mattliew and 
 Mark, also, is in the act of being poured out. 
 The atoning work is conceived of as already 
 begun. — For you — as individuals who need 
 and are benefited by it, and as representing 
 the whole needy race of men. 
 
 21-23. Treachery of Judas Exposed. 
 
 Matthew and Mark mention this incident 
 prior to their account of the Last Supper, but 
 without saying when Judas went out. In 
 John, it is less easy to make out its relation 
 to the other events. The question is inter- 
 esting simply from its bearing on another, 
 namely: Was Judas present at the Lord's 
 Supper? Tlie narrative before us proceeds 
 as if he was. John, who does not mention the 
 institution of the Lord's Supper, places the 
 departure of Judas at some point of the pre- 
 liminary meal — "after the sop," or morsel, 
 dipped in that sauce called charoseth. See 
 on verse 17. The other Synoptics easily admit 
 the supposition that he left the table before 
 the institution of the Supper. 
 
 21. But, behold, the hand of him that 
 betrayeth me — delivers me njt — is Avith me 
 on the table. The but here is, rather, "ex- 
 cept," "only," or "nevertheless." "Is 6c- 
 ing shed for you ; nevertheless one of you is 
 planning to put me to death." The hand 
 being on the table is simply an incident of the 
 close relation of friendship which it implied. 
 The thought was much in the mind of Jesus 
 through the evening, as we may judge from 
 John's narrative. 
 
Cii. XXIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 317 
 
 22 <• And truly the Son of man goeth, »as it was de- 
 terniiued: but woe inilo that mau by wboiu he is be- 
 trayed ! 
 
 23 'And they began to inquire among themselves, 
 which ol'thom'it was that should do this ihinj,'. 
 
 24 II ■' And there was also a strile among them, which 
 of them should be accounted the grealtsl. 
 
 25 'And he said unto them, The Icings of the Gen- 
 tiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exer- 
 cise authority upon them are called l>euelaet rs. 
 
 2i> /Hut yex/in// not In' so: abut he that is greatest 
 among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is 
 chief, a-s he that doth serve. 
 
 27 A for wlicther i.v greater, he that sitteth at meat, 
 or he that serveth? ix nut he that sitteth at meat? but 
 • I am among you as he that serveth. 
 
 22 For the Sun of mau indeed goeth, as it hath been 
 determined: but woe unto that man ihnmgli wliom 
 
 23 he is betrayed: And tliey began to qUL-stiou aiiioug 
 themselves, which of lli'em il was thai should ilo 
 this thing. 
 
 24 And there arose also a contention among them, 
 2o which of \hem was accounted to be 'greausi. And 
 
 he said unto them. 'Ihe kings of the (.euulcs ha\e 
 lordship over them; and they that have aulhorny 
 
 26 over them arc called Benefaclors. But ye nficl! m.'t 
 he so: but he that is the greater among you, lei him 
 become as the younger; and he that is chiel, as be 
 
 27 that doth serve. I'or whether is greater, he that 
 ^sitteth at meat, or he that serveth .' is not he that 
 2 sitteth at meat '.' but i am in the midst of you as he 
 
 a M:at. 26: 24 ...h Acts 2 : 2.1; 4: 28. ...e Matt. 26; 22 d John 13: 22. 25....e Mark 9: 34; ch. 9: 46...^ Mutt. 20: 26; Mark 11: 42.... 
 
 Mait. 20:26; lPet.6: 3 g ch.9:48 A cli. 12 : .17 > Matt. 20: 2S ; Jobo 13 : 13, 14; Pbll. 2 : T. 1 Gr. greatar 2 Ur. rectinefk. 
 
 22. And truly the Son of man goeth, as 
 
 it was (or, hath been) determined, viz., by 
 the eternal counsel of God. The crime of 
 Judas would not of itself necessitate the death 
 of hi3 Miistcr — that was already bound to be. — 
 But — again=ncvortheless — woe unto that 
 man by whom he is betrayed, or, delivered 
 vp. Tlie f;ict ti)at conduct is overruled by 
 God for the furtlicrance of his plans, does not 
 clear the iigont of any particle of his respon- 
 sbility for the iniquity of his acts. Comp. 
 Acts 2: 28; 4: 27, 28. 
 
 23. How earnest and sad their inquiries, 
 may be read in John 13: 22flF'. 
 
 24-30. Amhition of the Apostles 
 AOAIN CoRRKtrrKD. 
 
 It is, doubtless, :<trange to find the apostles, 
 at this point of such an occasion, comparing 
 views as to the estimation in which they were 
 respectively held a.v apostles; but to change the 
 order of the section to an earlier hour of the 
 evening, on that account, is very precarious. 
 Here, agiiin, our Gospel appetirs plainly to look 
 back to what has immediately preceded. 
 
 24. And there was (arose) also — besides 
 the inquiry of the preceding verse, or, more 
 probabJN', besides the strange incident con- 
 cerning .Judas — a strife — emulation, rivalry 
 — among them, which of thorn should be 
 (rather, is) — now, after the experience had of 
 them, and when, it seems, great responsibil- 
 ities are to come upon them — accounted the 
 greatest (lit., greater). On the Greek use of 
 the compiirative where we should expect the 
 superlative adjective, see on 9: 40. Ac- 
 counted — in whose judgment? Perhaps in 
 that of the body ; perhaps, in the Master's ; or, 
 more generally, in everbody's. If we may 
 suppose the difference to have arisen at their 
 roming together, it might relate to position at 
 
 the table, to be determined by their Lord's 
 estimation. 
 
 25. Such peculiarly untimely ambition 
 must have grieved the heart <>f Jesus, but ilid 
 not affect his temper. Calmly and patiently 
 he set himself to quell strife, hy recalling to 
 them the true idcji of disci|)leship to him. 
 The kings of the Gentiles exercise (or, 
 have) lordship over them. Their noblest 
 really stiind aV)oveand control the rest. — And 
 they that exercise authority upon them 
 are called benefactors. The siime truth 
 stated, with the terms inverted. Thev that 
 exercise authority=have lordship; bene- 
 factors^kings. Those who exercise c<>ntn>l 
 enjoy the honor of it. The title henrfnctnr 
 (Euepye'Ti)?), al.so of Saviour fSwr^p , was assumed 
 by several Syrian and Egyptian nionarchs as 
 their officiiil designation. The people, in 
 their abjectness, sometimes bestowed the title 
 — once honorable — on rulers neither worthy 
 nor helpful. This fact makes it less .strange 
 that the disciples should have made the mis- 
 take. 
 
 26. But ye shall not be so — as members 
 of my kingdom, where other principles i)re- 
 vail. — Bnt he that is greatest among you, 
 let him be (hemmet as the younger, etc. 
 Another Hebrew-like parallelism, to impress 
 the thought by repeating it, with slight vari- 
 ation, in carefully balanced phrsises. The 
 greatest (lit., the (/reafer)=^ho that is chief; 
 the younger (since old men were rather to be 
 waited on)=he that doth serve. The law here 
 is. that honor accrues to service; he that hum- 
 bleth himself shall be exalted. Comp. 14: 
 11; 18: 14. 
 
 27. He enforces his lesson by reference to 
 his own example. — But I am among (or, in 
 the midst of) you as he that serveth. Re- 
 
318 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in 
 "my temptations. 
 
 zy And 'i appoint unto you a kingdom, as my 
 Father hath appointed unto me ; 
 
 3U lliafye may eat and drink at my table in my 
 kingdom, ''and sit on thrones judging thetwelve tribes 
 of Israel. 
 
 61 ^ And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, 
 « Satan hath desired to have you, that he may /sift you 
 as wheat : 
 
 '62 But f I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail 
 not: A and when thou art converted, strengthen thy 
 brethren. 
 
 28 that serveth. But ye are they that have continued 
 
 29 with me in my trials; and '1 appoint unto you a 
 
 30 kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, 
 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my king- 
 dom ; aud ye shall sit on thrones judging thetwelve 
 
 31 tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan tasked 
 
 32 to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: but I 
 made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not : 
 and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, 
 
 a neb. i: 15....» Matt. 24: 47; ch. 12; 32; 2 Cor. 1 : 7; 2 Tiiu. 2: 12 c Matt. 8 : 11; ch. 14 : 15 ; Rev. 19: 9.... d Ps. 49: 14; MaU. 19: 28; 
 
 ICor. 6:2; Eev. 8:21 e 1 Pet. 5: 8. . . ./ Amos 9 : 9 p John 17: 9, 11, 15 h Ps. 51 : 13; John 21 : 15, IC, 17. 1 Or, I appoint unto 
 
 you, even ax my Father appointed unto me a kingdom, that ye may eat and drink, etc.... 2 Or, obtained you by asking. 
 
 versing the usage of this world, according to 
 which a master sits at the table and others 
 wait on him, I, who am your master, place 
 m^'self in relation to yt>u as a servant. (Comp. 
 Matt. 20:28.) He refers almost certainly to the 
 fact of his washing their feet that evening. 
 His whole course had been full of the mani- 
 festations of the same helpful condescen.=ion. 
 " It is enough for the di.sciple that he be as his 
 master," or, teacher. Matt. 10: 25, Kevision. 
 
 28. (But) Ye are they which have con- 
 tinued with me in my temptations. The 
 but is essential. It marks strongly the passage 
 of the Saviour's thought to a more favorable 
 view of their case. Your present low ambition 
 surprises and grieves me; but I remember that, 
 whilethousandshave comeand gone, attracted 
 for the moment by certain aspects of my 
 work, and repelled by the first glimpse of its 
 unworldly spirituality, ye have continued 
 with me— remained faithful through all. — 
 In my temptations. These were the persecu- 
 tions, trials, and dangers, which, with still in- 
 creasing force, appealed to him to turn aside 
 from the arduous and fatal course to which he 
 had been api)ointed. They were at once afflic- 
 tions and temptations, trying also to his disci- 
 ples ; but they no more than he had swerved. 
 
 29. And I — I, on my part, in return for 
 your fidelity — appoint unto you a king- 
 dom, (even) as my Father hath appointed 
 unto me. Your relation is not to be always 
 one of inferiority, service merely, carrying 
 with it privation and reproach. There is 
 rule, dominion, kingship, for you; but, like 
 mine, a share of mine, not of this world, not 
 in its fruition here. 
 
 30. That ye may eat and drink at my 
 table in my kingdom. This is mentioned 
 as the object of appointing to them a kingdom, 
 namely, that they may enjoy closest intimacy 
 and supreme felicity with him. (Ch.i9: i7,i9; Rom. 
 
 8:17; 2 Tim. 2 : 12.)— And sit (rather, ye shall sit) 
 on thrones judging the twelve tribes 
 of Israel. (Mntt. i9:28; Rev. 3:21.) Not twelvc 
 thrones, as in Matthew. Judas is no longer 
 of them, and they know not yet how his place 
 is to be filled. The sitting on thrones and the 
 number twelve are a part of the drapery of 
 his idea, but the essence of it is that in the day 
 of judgment their testimony concerning the 
 truth of the gospel and its indispensable power 
 to save shall condemn the mass of the unbe- 
 lieving Jews, who now condemn him and 
 them. In this verse is the only instance in 
 which Jesus calls the "kingdom of God " and 
 "ofheaven" "mykingdom." He is think- 
 ing of that state when he shall appear as the 
 King indeed, (comp. Matt. 25:34, 40.) 
 
 31-34. Peter Warned and Encour- 
 aged. 
 
 31. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath 
 desired (rather, asked) to have you. The 
 abruptness of the opening suits with a deeply 
 moved mind, as if recalling a peril which had 
 threatened all the disciples (you, j)lural) as 
 well as Judas. The Saviour is aware of a 
 specially vehement temptation to them which 
 the adversary had planned, probably in con- 
 nection with his own capture and death, which 
 he represents in terms drawn from Satan's 
 appeal against Job. (Jobi:9-ii; 2: s-e.) His 
 eagerness is spoken of as a request to God 
 that the disciples might be given into his 
 power. That he may sift you as wheat. 
 The force of the comparison is that he may 
 toss and shake you up and down ; i. e., alarm 
 and harass you, by threats and aflSictions, 
 until you lose your presence of mind, and 
 3H)ur hold of the promises, and so fall from 
 the faith, as the chaff and dust fall from the 
 sieve and are blown away. To what danger 
 from Satan may one be exposed unawares! 
 
 32. But I have prayed (rather, Imadesup- 
 
Ch. XXIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 319 
 
 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go 
 with thee, both into prison, and to death. 
 
 34 "And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not 
 crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that 
 thou knowest me. 
 
 35 * And he said unto them, AVhen I sent you with- 
 out purse, and scrip^ and shoes, lacked ye any thing? 
 And they said. Nothing. 
 
 36 Then said he unto them. But now, he that hath a 
 purse, let him take il,txnd likewise his scrip: and he 
 that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy 
 one. 
 
 33 stablish thy brethren. And he said unto liim. Lord, 
 with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to 
 
 34 death. And he said, I tell thee, I'eier, the cock 
 shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny 
 that thou knowest me. 
 
 35 And he said unto them. When I sent you forth 
 without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye any 
 
 36 thing? And they said. Nothing. And he said unto 
 them. But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, 
 and likewise a wallet: land he that hath none, let 
 
 a Matt. 26 : 34 ; Mark 14 : 30 : John 13 : 38. 
 
 .& Matt. 10: 9; cb9: 3; 10: 4.- 
 buy one. 
 
 -1 Or, and he thai hath no sword, let him tM his cloke, and 
 
 plication) for thee — offered earnest, longing 
 prayer— that thy faith fail not. This was 
 for Peter specially ; for thee, thy faith. Why 
 for him in particular of all the disciples? Be- 
 cause he was a leader in influence, whose stand- 
 ing or falling would largely deterniine that 
 of the rest. — And when thou art converted 
 (when thou o)ic.e hast turned again), strength- 
 en thy brethren. Tamed ; that is, from 
 that denial of his Lord which Peter was soon 
 to make. This is the general sense of the verb 
 translated "to be converted," "to turn 
 again." On the idea of strengthen, see Acts 
 14; 22. 
 
 33. And he said unto him. Lord, I am 
 ready to go with thee, both into prison, 
 and to death. The order of tlie Kevision is, 
 Lord, with thee, etc., and indicates the em- 
 phasis on with thee. Peter felt that the 
 blaster' s language implied a special peril to 
 his fidelity; and, with characteristic prompt- 
 ness, protests a courage and constancy, which 
 it must have pained the heart that knew him 
 better than he knew himself to hear. 
 
 34. And he said, I tell thee, Peter. 
 The honorable name (Matt. i6: is) is used, for the 
 sentiment is honorable; but with a pathetic 
 intimation that as the name was at first (M^tt. 
 16; Ti) followed by " Be it far from thee. Lord," 
 so the present audacity would turn to shame- 
 ful cowardice.— The (a) cock shall not crow 
 this day — which began at sundown that 
 evening — before that thou shalt thrice 
 deny that thou knowest me. All three 
 Synoptists speak of a three-fold denial, Mark 
 of the cock crowing "twice." Cock-crowing, 
 here, as elsewhere, is a synonym for earliest 
 morning. "Before the morning light fairly 
 dawns thou wilt deny, not once, but three 
 times; not that thou art a disciple of mine, 
 one of my company, a sharer of mj' aims, but 
 that thou even knowest who I am." This to 
 him who had once said, " Thou art the Christ, 
 the Son of the living God ! " 
 
 35-38. The 1)isciples Forewarned of 
 Coming Dangers. 
 
 35. And he said unto them. When I 
 sent you without purse, and scrip (or %oal- 
 let), and shoes, lacked ye anything? Coinp. 
 ch. 9: 1, ff. ; Matt. 10: 9, 10. He turns their 
 thoughts back to that comparatively peace- 
 ful time, that they might the better realize the 
 great change which they are to meet, now 
 that the power of his enemies is about to re- 
 move him, and to operate uncontrolled. 
 They were able to answer, Nothing. The 
 favor in which Jesus and his work were held 
 in Galilee, secured to them a welcome recep- 
 tion, and hospitable, or, at least sufficient, en- 
 tertainment. 
 
 36. But now, he that hath a purse, 
 let him take it— he may often have to pay 
 his way— and likewise his scrip (or, a wal- 
 let);— is, store of provision and clotliing will 
 stand him in hand, when otlier resources are 
 not available— and he that hath no sword, 
 let him sell his garment [cloak) and buy 
 one. The rendering of the Revision, whicli 
 puts the word sword, as in the Greek, at the 
 end, may not necessitate a different meaning. 
 "He that has none" — meaninga "sword" — 
 "let him by all means buy a sword." But 
 more probably, considering the marked cor- 
 relation of "he that hath" (a purse and 
 wallet) and "he that hath not," we are to 
 supply to the latter also " a purse and wallet." 
 Then the meaning is : if one hath these, let him 
 out of them, with money or extra clothing, 
 buy a sword ; but if not, let him sell even the 
 indispensable outer garment for that purpose. 
 Verse 38 shows that this was not to be taken 
 literall3', and the whole course of the apostles, 
 subsequently, proves that they did not, on re- 
 flection, so understand him. It was an im- 
 pressive way of saying that they must be 
 careful for their defence and preservation by 
 natural means against opposition and dangers 
 hitherto strange. 
 
320 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must 
 yet be accomplished in me, "And he was reckoned 
 among the transgressors: lor the things concerning 
 me have an end. 
 
 :ii And they said, Lord, behold, here are ^wo swords. 
 And he said unto them, It is enough. 
 
 39 1[ 'And he came out, and <: went, as he was wont, 
 to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed 
 bim. 
 
 40 "^And when he was at the place, he said unto 
 them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 
 
 37 him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. For I say unto 
 you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in 
 me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: lor 
 
 38 that which concerneih me huth ^ fulhlmeut. And 
 they said. Lord, behold, here are two swords. And 
 he said unto them, It is enough. 
 
 39 And he came out, and went, as his custom was, 
 unto the mount of Olives; and the disciples also fol- 
 
 40 lowed him. And when he was at the place, he said 
 unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 
 
 a I>a. b'd: 12 ; Mai-k 15 
 
 37. For — as y^ cannot expect more favor- 
 able treatment than I, your Lord— I say 
 unto you, that this that is written must 
 yet be accomplished in me : And he was 
 reckoned among (with) the transgressors. 
 The quotation is substantially from Isa. 53: 
 12. What was there said of the faithful and 
 suffering servant of Jehovah, Jesus declares 
 must, according to the divine intention, be 
 fulfilled in his experience. He should be 
 treated as a trangressor; as such should suffer 
 death. Similar treatment they must expect 
 to receive, (ch. 21 : 12,16.) For the things, 
 etc. ; rather, that which concerneih me hath 
 an end=Avci?, reached its end. The time for 
 the fulfillment of the prophecj' has come. 
 All this goes to emphasize the truth that each 
 one should, metaphorically, have a sword. 
 
 38. The disciples had taken him literally. 
 And they said, L,ord, behold, here are 
 two swords. They had found, on examina- 
 tion, that there were among them tvs'o such 
 weapons; — Peter had one of them (ver. 50) — how 
 obtained, or for what use, we can onlj' 
 guess — and probably desired to know whether 
 those would suffice. They must have felt how 
 stupid they had been in supposing that Jesus 
 really advised them to use such carnal 
 weapons against a hostile world, when they 
 perceived the tone of compassionate irony in 
 which he said, It is enough. 
 
 39-46. The Agony in the Garden. 
 ■ 39. And he came out, and went, as he 
 was wont, to the mount of Olives. The 
 Supper was ended, with its attendant dis- 
 courses, including some at least of the long 
 series in John 14-17. A part of these may 
 have been spoken while on the way out of the 
 city, across the ravine of Kidron, or even 
 after they had reached the scene of the fol- 
 lowing incident. From our narrative we 
 might judge that the movement was made 
 simply to reach the usual lodging place of 
 these nights (ch. 21:37), the Mount of Olives. 
 
 On the relation of this mountain to Jerusalem, 
 see again on ch. 19: 37, and the Bible Dic- 
 tionaries. And his (rather, the) disciples 
 also followed him, as they were wont, 
 probably, although it may be meant that he 
 preceded them, and that they followed in 
 fear, as at Mark 10 : 32. 
 
 40. And when he was at the place. This 
 may mean, consistently with the preceding 
 verse, the place to which he was wont to go; 
 and thus it would countenance the supposition 
 broached above, on ch. 21 : 37, that he did not 
 go always at night to Bethany, but may have 
 lodged privately at some other place on that 
 mountain. More probably, it means the place 
 for which he had set out that evening. Luke 
 does not name, or even describe it. From 
 John (18 : 1), we learn that it was "a garden^ 
 pleasure-ground, park. The particular word 
 translated "place," in Matt. 26: 36; Mark 14: 
 32, would lead us rather to think of a private 
 property — a place, or cjuntry-seat — into which 
 visitors had liberty to enter. It was named 
 Gethsemane=oil-press, as the spot where the 
 olives which grew abundantly, at that time, 
 in the neighborhood, were pressed for their 
 oil. Near the foot of Mount Olivet, as it 
 slopes toward Jerusalem, and about 250 yards 
 from the Golden Gate, .stands an ancient 
 church, bearing a name in Arabic, evidently 
 derived from Gethsemane. In close prox- 
 imity, a walled enclosure shuts in a few (eight) 
 very old olive-trees, which eminent botanists 
 have supposed to be 2,000 years old. (Eitter 
 iv., 169). Tradition affirms that they were 
 there in the fourth century. That this is the 
 veritable scene which heard the prayers and 
 groans of our Saviour, is as likely as any of 
 the unsupported traditions of great antiquity. 
 The most competent modern observers, how- 
 ever, are here, also, much divided in opinion. 
 See Caspari, Chron. a.nd Geog. Introd. to the 
 Life of Christ, p. 222.— He said unto them, 
 Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 
 
Ch. XXII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 321 
 
 41 "And he was withdrawn i'roiu them about a 
 stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayeU, 
 
 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willin;', remove this 
 cup from me : nevertheless ' not my will, but thine, be 
 done. 
 
 41 And he was parted from them about a stone's oast: 
 
 42 and he kneeled down and prayed, saying, l-ather, ii 
 thou be willing, remove this cup Irom me: oever- 
 
 a Mali. 26: Si); Mu-kUiSS i Jalia&:30; fi:38. 
 
 Luke is brief in his account of the scene, 
 although he alone mentions the assisting angel 
 (ver. 43), and the bloody sweat (ver. 44). He says 
 nothing of the preliminary selection of the 
 three chief apostles; of Christ's peculiar dis- 
 tress of tnind; of his withdrawing from the 
 three selected companions; of the three-fold 
 
 41. And he was withdrawn from them 
 about a stone's cast. The passive form, 
 "was withdraw'n," "separated," is noticeable, 
 as if it was by some influence exerted upon 
 him that he removed. He was not so removed 
 but that he could have the sense of their pres- 
 ence and sympathy, and that they, sunic of 
 
 «ETII.<EMANE. 
 
 repetition of his prayer; of his gradual res- 
 toration to serenity of mind, as he pra^'ed ; 
 of the somnolence of the disciples, renewed 
 again and again ; and of his apology for them. 
 
 them, could be aware of what ho experienced 
 in that dark hour. — And kneeled down, 
 and prayed. While Luke, as we have said, 
 does not mention the thrice-repeated petition. 
 
 We can only explain this bj'^ supposing that | he uses a form of the verb which distinctly 
 our Gospel follows an account of the scene shows that it was not a single request, but a 
 
 which aimed to give only the substance of the 
 transaction. This it does, in full harmony 
 with the othei accounts, with the particulars 
 of which Luke was, possibly, not acquainted. 
 Pray — continue in prayer— that ye enter 
 not into temptation. This was to be the 
 matter of their constant desire toward God, 
 that they might not, in the trying circum- 
 stances before them, be found off their guard 
 so that these should prove sufficient to turn 
 them from their discipleship. 
 
 continued supplication = wtis engaged in 
 prayer, or, kept praj'ing. 
 
 42. Father. In this hour of overwhelm- 
 ing distress through the carrying forward of 
 God's plan concerning him, he still looks up 
 with filial confidence to him as his Father. — 
 If thon be {art) willing — if thou canst con- 
 sent — find it consistent with thy pleasure — 
 remove this cup from me. Cup, by met- 
 onymy, for its contents, which, again, is the 
 measured experience of joy or sorrow allotted 
 
322 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 43 And there appeared » an augel unto him from 
 heaven, strengthening him. 
 
 44 'And being in an agony he prayed more earn- 
 estly : and his sweat was as' it were great drops of 
 blood falling down to the ground. 
 
 43 theless not my will, but thine, be done. 'And there 
 appeared uulo him an angel from heaven, strcngth- 
 
 44 euiug him. And being in an agony he prayed more 
 earnestly : and his sweat became as it were great 
 
 a Matt. 4 : 11 6 John 12 : 27 ; Heb. 5 : 7. 1 Man; ancient antlioriiies oniii ver. 43. 44. 
 
 to one as his portion by God. This was a 
 common way, in Hebrew, of naming one's di- 
 vinely appointed fortune, especially when 
 regarded in the light of a retribution (H3.23: s; 
 
 T5:8;Isa. 51;17;E2ek. 22;31.). ReiHOVe. The Greek 
 
 verb was employed by classical writers to de- 
 note the act of a servant in taking dishes off 
 the table. (Grimm, Clavis, s. v.). Thus, 
 Christ prays that, if it please God, that expe- 
 rience of pain, and shame, and death with 
 torture, which was now beginning, might be 
 removed from before him. The combined 
 statements of the three Evangelists open to 
 our view a mystery of agony which no other 
 being on earth, not the most exquisitely tor- 
 tured of martyrs, ever knew. The perfect 
 humanity of Jesus, instead of rendering him 
 less susceptible to pain, and grief, and sorrow, 
 would render him the more capacious of all 
 these, through its identification with the di- 
 vine nature, which made him properly the 
 Son of God. Beyond the susceptibility to 
 agony arising from the obvious circumstances 
 of our Saviour, natural, as we may say, to such 
 a being, and capable of being imagined by 
 us, there was that infinite volume of experi- 
 ence connected with his propitiatory function, 
 about which we may inquire and wonder, but 
 not dogmatize. If it seem strange to us that 
 he should even conceive the po-ssibility of 
 his now escaping that end, to which his whole 
 earthly mission had pointed, we perhaps do 
 injustice to the unique perfection of his hu- 
 manity. The sympathy which he himself 
 gave to John the Baptist, in an analogous, but 
 infinitely less trying case, we may well accord 
 to him. For he, too, was a man (iTim.2:5). 
 Deity lay involved ever in that "form of a 
 servant," not so as to hinder at all that be 
 should act as one "found in fashion as a man." 
 Hence, we need not wonder that a human 
 shrinking from unspeakable distress should, 
 for a moment, have made him quail. Luke 
 beautifullj' makes this phase of his feeling a 
 transient outburst; as, indeed, the other Gos- 
 pels also represent it as passing away in a 
 moment. For the sentence of which we are 
 speaking ends with : Nevertheless — whether 
 
 it may be removed or not — not my will, but 
 thine, be done. This, which is the essence 
 of all true prayer, repeats with emphasis the 
 "if thou art willing," and, with the previous 
 request, condenses the Pater Noster into a 
 single sentence. Who can ever require such 
 faith to say, "Father, thy will be done," as 
 Jesus needed and exercised at that moment? 
 The prayer can never fail of fulfillment, and 
 that the best possible fulfillment, "even thy 
 will, O my Father." 
 
 43. In our Saviour's case it was fulfilled, 
 as with the prayer of Paul that his thorn in the 
 flesh should be taken away, by giving the re- 
 quisite support that God's will might be en- 
 dured. — And there appeared an angel un- 
 to him from heaven, strengthening him. 
 It is uncertain whether the angel would have 
 been visible to other eyes, if others had been 
 present. He is not said to have come, but he 
 appeared unto=was seen by the Saviour. 
 In some way this proof of the presence and 
 sympathy of celestial beings gave him in- 
 creased ability to bear what he had taken 
 upon him with the approbation of his Father. 
 We cannot so well comprehend this as the 
 benefit of that earlier angel-ministry, after his 
 temptation (Man. 4:n); but the help was, 
 doubtless, equally real to him. And so the 
 terrible conflict might go on. 
 
 44. And being in an agony, he prayed 
 more earnestly. The participle is of the 
 Greek verb "to become," and means, here, 
 "getting to be in an agony"; so that the 
 thought is that, after he had pniyed, and had 
 received angelic succor, the distress was al- 
 lowed to increase, and, with it, his prayer 
 grew more intense. Even the sympathy of 
 his Father, manifested through his angel, did 
 not prevent his anguish from reaching such a 
 pitch that it forced the sweat through his 
 pores — and his sweat was (i.e., became) as 
 it were great drops of blood falling down 
 to the ground. This phenomenon was 
 neither sweat alone nor blood alone. The 
 latter is forbidden by the as if, the former by 
 the fact that there would be little force in 
 comparing sweat to blood, in respect merely 
 
Ch. XXII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 323 
 
 45 Aud when he rose uf from prayer, and was come 45 drops of blood falling down upon the ground. And 
 to his discijiles, he found theui sleeping for sorrow, i when he ro.se up from his prayer, he came unto the 
 
 4G And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and ' 46 disciples, and found them sleeping for sorrow, and 
 « pray, lest ye enter into temptation. j said unto them. Why sleep ye'.' rise and pray, that 
 
 47 «I And while he yet spake, 'behold a multitude, I ye enter not into temptation, 
 and he that was called Juda.s, one of the twelve, went j 47 While he yet spake, behold, a multitude, and he 
 before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. that was called Judas, one uf the twelve, went be- 
 
 I fore them; and be drew near unto Jesus to kiss 
 
 avei.tO b Malt. ?6 : 47 ; Mark 14 : 43 ; JohD 18 : 3. 
 
 to its form as drops, or as to their size. It is 
 the color, also, caused by blood oozing forth 
 through the skin, and coagulating as such, 
 so that the sweat was like blood-clots (flpoM/Soi), 
 not mere drops, rolling ofl' on the ground. 
 Aristotle (//is<. Anim., iii., 19) is cited as au- 
 tiiority for the occurrence of this bloody sweat 
 in abnormal experiences of men. He says 
 tliat in certain extraordinary states the blood 
 becomes very much liquified — and flows 
 througli in such a manner that scmie have 
 perspired blood. (Other references in Wet- 
 stein, Liglitfoot, Exercit. in loci. Me3-er. ) 
 Gethseinane thus appears a prelude and epit- 
 ome of Calvary, wanting only the physical 
 distress and actual death to complete the 
 experience. Alone with God, he faces the 
 final agony, feels it by anticipation over- 
 whelming him, — all that was involved in 
 being made sin for sinners; shrinks from it, 
 receives strength, rather, to endure it still 
 further; then becomes calm and self-pos- 
 sessed, so as to be ready for the public sacrifice 
 of himself, wliich he goes forth to meet. 
 
 45. And when he rose up from prayer 
 — having been bowed down to the ground 
 (Matt. -26 ; 39) — and was come (better, /le came) to 
 his disciples, he found them sleeping for 
 sorrow. We liave thus condensed, in Luke, 
 the three-fi>ld return to the three chosen dis- 
 ciples in Matthew and Mark, and their thrice 
 renewed drowsiness. Here, as no mention has 
 been made of the selected three, all the eleven 
 are assumed to have fallen asleep. That any 
 of them should have fallen asleep in such cir- 
 cumstances is naturally, to our thought, mon- 
 strous, es()ecially after the injunction in ver. 
 40. It certainly shows us that thej' were far, 
 even yet, from comprehending the seriousness 
 of the crisis in which they stood. That the 
 Saviour, deeply grieved as he was, should 
 still find some apology for them, in the weak- 
 ness of the flesh (.Matt. 26: 4i), may lead us to 
 judge them lenientlj'. They had begun the 
 previous day early ; it was now certainly 
 after midnight. They were in the habit of 
 
 going early to rest. The Saviour had tarried 
 long in his agony, the night was chilly, and 
 the sorrow which they felt, from even their 
 dim apprehension of their Master's trouble, 
 would predispose them to sleep. This efl^ect 
 has been not unfrequently experienced in 
 cases of grief and sorrow, and that it iiad been 
 noticed in early times is evident from the 
 more or less appropriate citations in Wetstein 
 on this passage. 
 
 46. And said unto them— as he waked 
 them— Why sleep ye '.—" Wiiat, could ye 
 not watch with me one hour? " ( Ma t. 26 : 40. ) 
 Rise and pray, lest ye enter into tempta- 
 tion. Rise=rou.se yourselves. The direction 
 to pray must have painfully reminded them 
 how they had heeded the same given to 
 them an hour or two before. The same, yet 
 not exactly. The Greek allows us at least 
 to question whether the former did not pre- 
 scribe what they were to pray for, namely, 
 ■'not to come into temptation ' ; and this 
 why they should pray, namely, in order that 
 they might not come into temptation. It is 
 not certain that such a dittVrence was in- 
 tended. Rise expresses here, as just said, 
 the notion of "stand promptly up," and im- 
 plies their urgent need of faith and courage: 
 and keep praying that you ma3' not find your 
 trials a temptation. 
 
 47-53. The Arrest. 
 
 Everything is now ready for the sacrifice. 
 AVe see no more reluctance on the part of 
 the Lamb of God The experience of the 
 garden, while it has shown the inevitable- 
 ne.ss of the long foreseen issue, has given 
 something of a foretaste of its pains. It has 
 shown, also, that, however appalling, Heaven 
 will give strength to bear them to the end. 
 Calm resignation to the lot which has been 
 appointed to him, explainable only from a 
 clear perception of what is involved in his 
 mediatorial office, is what we notice in him 
 henceforth to the end. 
 
 47. While he yet spake, behold, a mal* 
 
824 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the 
 Son of man with a kiss '! 
 
 49 When they which were about him saw what 
 would follow, they said unto him. Lord, shall we smite 
 ■with the sword ? 
 
 50 ^ And "one of them smote the servant of the high 
 priest, and cut oil' his right ear. 
 
 51 And Jesus answered and said. Suffer ye thus far. 
 And he touched his ear, and healed him. 
 
 52 'Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and cap- 
 tains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to 
 him. Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords 
 and staves ? 
 
 4S him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest 
 
 49 thou the Son of man with a kiss? And when they 
 that were about 'bim saw what would follow, they 
 
 50 said. Lord, shall we smite with the sword / And a 
 certain one of them smote the ' servant of the high 
 
 51 priest, and struck off his right ear. But Jesus an- 
 swered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched 
 
 52 his ear, and healed him. And Jesus said unto the 
 chief priests, and captains of the temple, and elders, 
 that were come against him. Are ye come out, as 
 
 a Matt. 26 : 51 ; Mark U : 47 ; John 18 : 10 6 Matt. 26 : 55 ; Mark 14 : 48. 1 Gr. bondservant. 
 
 titude, and he that was called Judas, 
 
 etc. The compositit)n of the multitude is 
 described in John 18: 3. It included a band 
 of the Koman garrison near the temple en- 
 closure, as well as a number of the Hebrew 
 rulers and their minions. They were guided 
 by Judas, as he had bargained, (ver. e.) The 
 clear indications at the table (ver. 21) that 
 Jesus was aware of his treachery had de- 
 cided him, if not already so intending, to 
 take the moment of the feast for carrying 
 out his purpose. Knowing the habit of his 
 Master to resort to this mountain at night, 
 he would, if he found that the company 
 had left the upper room, proceed 
 thither at once.— And he drew near unto 
 Jesus, to kiss him, and did actually kiss 
 him (Matt. 26: 49; Mark 14: 45), and that with a 
 show of affection, as the form of verb there 
 used shows = kissed him tenderly. The kiss 
 was a common expression of greeting among 
 friends, of men toward each other ; and 
 Christ submitted to it now, that the will of 
 God might be accomplished. 
 
 48. Jesus makes no resistance, as their 
 formidable array of men, and weapons, and 
 torches, indicated a belief that he would; 
 he interpo.se^ no supernatural obstruction, 
 as they probably supposed he might. By 
 his simple question, Judas, betrayest thou 
 the Son of man with a kiss ? he proves 
 that he is aware of the secret intention of 
 that salute (M.att. 26: 48), and rebukes the traitor 
 for so much superfluous hypocrisy. With a 
 kiss betrayest thou me, dishonoring that 
 sacred sign of love, when simply to have 
 pointed a finger would have been enough ? 
 The Son of man, and, as such, Son of 
 God, and divinely attested Messiah. 
 
 49. It might have been what Jesus had said 
 in the upper room about the need of swords, 
 which led his followers now to think of 
 physical resistance. Perhaps Calvin' s thought 
 
 that it was a special temptation of the devil, 
 here, as in their recent sleep, which confused 
 them, is not without probability. 
 
 50. Without waiting for Christ's answer, 
 Peter (see John 18: loj drcw one of the two swords 
 which were among them, and smote the 
 servant — slave — of the high priest— Mal- 
 chus by name — and cut off his right ear. 
 The right ear is mentioned simply because 
 the report included that little circumstance. 
 When and where the Synoptic accounts were 
 framed, it might not have been safe to men- 
 tion the name of him who struck this blow; 
 when and where John wrote, there could be 
 no danger. 
 
 51. And (rather, But) Jesus answered — to 
 their question in verse 49 — and said, Suffer 
 ye thus far. He addresses the disciples, and 
 says in effect, "No. do not smite" (but' the 
 deed was done, even as he spoke); "rather 
 suffer even this, namely, that with wicked 
 hands they should take and slay me." Other 
 expositions — some very far fetched, some 
 trivial — have been given to thus far. The 
 Greek — "even unto this," implies that it was 
 a great concession which he asked of them ; as 
 indeed it was. To repair the injury done to 
 Malchus, which standing might greatly harm 
 his cause (comp. John 18: 36), he now for the last 
 time — and probably in behalf of one who was 
 most forward against him — put forth that 
 healing touch which had so often carried 
 health to the sick, soundness to the lame, the 
 leprous, the deaf, the blind, and life to the 
 dead. He touched his ear, and healed 
 him. Whether by replacing the several 
 pieces, or b^' causing its equivalent to grow, it 
 is vain to conjecture. It was probably at this 
 time that his disciples all forsook him and 
 
 fled. (Matt. 26: 56.) 
 
 52. One word did our Lord then deign to 
 the heads of the different sets who made up 
 the "multitude " of his pursuers. Be (or, Ai-e) 
 
Ch. XXIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 325 
 
 5;$ When I was daily with you in the temple, ye 
 stretched I'orth iid hands against me: "but this is your 
 hour, and tlii' power of darkness. 
 
 r)4 II 'Then took tliey him, and led him, and brought 
 hiu) into the high priest's house. ■'And I'eter followed 
 alar olf. 
 
 .").T "^And when they had kindled a fire in the midst 
 of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat 
 down among them. 
 
 5(> But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the 
 fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This 
 man wa^ also with him. 
 
 53 against a robber, with swords and staves? When I 
 was daily with you in the temple, ye stretelR-d not 
 forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, 
 and the power of darkness. 
 
 51 And they seized him, and led him away, and 
 brought him into the high priest's hou.se. But 
 
 .55 Peter followed afar oil'. And when they had kin- 
 dled a lire in the midst of the court, and had .sat 
 down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. 
 
 56 And a certain maid seeing him as he sat in the light 
 of the fire, and looking stedfastly upon him, said, 
 
 John 12: 27 b Matt. 26: 57 c Malt. 26: 68; John 18; 15 d Matt. 26: 69; Mark 14: 66; John 18: 17, 18. 
 
 ye come out as ap:ainst a thief —robber ? 
 
 Tlii.s wa.s indeed to be reckoned with the trans- 
 gre.ssors, and seems tu have most keenly stung 
 the pure and holy soul which no man had 
 ever yet convinced of sin. 
 
 53. When I was with you daily in the 
 temple, ye stretched forth no hands 
 against me. Had 1 been a criminal, ye might 
 have apprehended me on any day of my life 
 among you. No. your attack is directed 
 against a man whom ye know to be innocent; 
 and for the capture of such a man ye take 
 upon you, in the night, the task t)f the lowest 
 constable. But this is your hour. So the 
 Saviour explains their conduct: it is the hour 
 appointed in God's counsel, foretold in the 
 prophets (Matt. 26: 56), for you to work your un- 
 hallowed will. And the power of dark- 
 ness — the power by which you are impelled 
 is that which darkness gives to wicked men 
 to perpetrate evil deeds (Grimm, Clavis, s. v. 
 (TKOTos), a power which you could not have ex- 
 ercised in the light of day, when I was among 
 you. The word darkness inevitably sug- 
 gests also, in this connection, metaphorically, 
 that moral empire whose rulers were "the 
 powers of darkness." (Coi. i:i3). But the ex- 
 planation here does not require that. 
 
 54-62. He is Carried a Prisoner to 
 THE High Priest's House. Peter's 
 Denial. 
 
 54. Then took they (or, A7id they seized) 
 him, and led him, and brought him into 
 the high priest's house. The high priest 
 at this time was Caiaphas (Matt. 26: 57), accord- 
 ing to the api>ointment of the Roman power. 
 His father-in-law, Annas, however, was an 
 ex-high priest, in the disordered customs of 
 the time, and considered in some sense as in- 
 vested with the oflSce still (see on chap;.'!: 1), and 
 from John 18: 13. we learn that Jesus was 
 taken first to his house, and there subjected to 
 a preliminary examination (Johnis: 19-24. Revision, 
 ver. 24). Anuas is there (ver. 19) called the high 
 
 priest. Of this, neither of the Synoptics takes 
 any account, and, although it actually involved 
 nearly all there was even of a pretended trial, 
 it was of no decisive importance in the result. 
 On the probable succession of the trials, see 
 on verses 66-70. — And Peter followed afar 
 oil". Interest in his Master struggled in him 
 yet with moral cowardice. He would see 
 what became of him. We are not told here 
 how he got into the court of the high priest's 
 house, but John supplies the information. 
 John himself had gone in with the crowd 
 about Jesus, and then, through some acquaint- 
 ance with the high priest, was able to induce 
 the woman who kept the entrance gate to let 
 Peter come in also. See John 18 : 15, 16. But 
 as that was in the court of Annas, while what 
 follows here took place in the court of Cai- 
 aphas, it seems necessary to assume that both 
 lived in different parts of a house which sur- 
 rounded one and the same central court. As 
 they were so closely related, and the house of 
 the wealthy and powerful Anna? would be 
 grand and spacious, nothing could be more 
 natural than that it should afford habitation 
 for them both. The sending Jesus, therefore, 
 from Annas to Caiaphas, need be nothing more 
 than having him taken acro.ss a spacious in- 
 terior court to the opposite apartment. 
 
 55. Peterjoined the company of subordinate 
 officers and servants, who had kindled a fire of 
 charcoal (John is : 18) in the midst f>f the court, 
 under the open sky. The nights there, at that 
 season, were likely to be quite cr)ld. 
 
 56. But (or. And) a certain maid beheld 
 him as he .sat by the fire (rather, toward 
 the light). Fire is not in the Greek, though 
 the light is from the fire. — .\nd earnestly — 
 steadfast/;/ — looked upon him, and said, 
 This man was also— as well as John— with 
 him. The Revision is more accurate than 
 the Common Version. See it above. The 
 maid-servant was either the portress, whom 
 John mentions as having called forth one de- 
 
326 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXII. 
 
 57 And he denied him, saying. Woman, I know him 
 not, 
 
 58 "And after a little while another saw him, and 
 said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I 
 am not. 
 
 59 ''And about the space of one hour after another 
 confidently attirmed, saying, Of a truth thisfellow also 
 was with liiui : lor he is a (jalilEean, 
 
 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou say- 
 est. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock 
 crew. 
 
 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. 
 "And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he 
 had said unto him, ''Before the cock crow, thou shalt 
 deny me thrice. 
 
 57 This man also was with him. But he denied, say- 
 
 58 ing. Woman, I know him not. And alter a little 
 while another saw him, and said, Thou also ait one 
 
 59 of them. But Peter baid, Man, I am not. And 
 after the space of about one hour another confi- 
 dently affirmed, saying. Of a truth this man also 
 
 60 was with him • for he is a GaliUean. But Peter 
 said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And im- 
 
 61 mediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And 
 the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And 
 Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that 
 he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day. 
 
 a Matt. 26 : 71 ; Mark 14 : 
 
 nial from Peter, or some one who may have 
 been with her when the company came in. 
 
 57. And (or, But) he denied him — him is 
 of doubtful autliority— saying. Woman, I 
 know him not. The very form of expression 
 which Jesus had predicted. Why should he, 
 more than John, who also was known, and by 
 implication ("this man, also"), declared to 
 have been with Jesus, have lied to shun the 
 charge ? 
 
 58. Another— "man" must be understood, 
 as the word man in Peter's answer shows. 
 Moreover, the j)ronoun, in the Greek, is mas- 
 culine. 
 
 59. And about the space of one hour 
 after another— man— confidently affirmed, 
 etc. This appears to correspond to the third 
 denial, 'In Matthew and Mark, inasmuch as 
 they all find the proof in the fact that Peter 
 was a Galilean. 
 
 60. Man, I know not Avhat thou sayest : 
 I do not understand whom or what j'our talk is 
 about. This completely fulfilled what Christ 
 had predicted: "Thou wilt deny that thou 
 knowestme" (ver.34). The different reports of 
 Peter's denials present the agreements and 
 differences natural to so many independent, 
 triithful accounts of the*same series of ex- 
 citing events, in which numbers have partici- 
 pated. They all speak of three denials, in the 
 courtyard of the high priest's house, or in 
 the space surrounding it, with a fire burning 
 in the midst of it. The persons bringing the 
 charge do not coincide throughout. In the 
 first denial, it is a maid-servant in each ac- 
 count. In the second, Luke has "another," 
 in the masculine; John has "they," the com- 
 pany. In the third, Matthew and Mark have 
 "they that stood by"; Luke, "another" mwn,- 
 John, "oneof the servants of the high priest." 
 In jregard to the time, all make the three to have 
 
 taken place before a cock crew, except Mark, 
 who informs us, in 14: 30, that Jesus had 
 said, "before the cock crow twice," and who 
 mentions one cock crowing after the first de- 
 nial. It is hard to see how, under the cir- 
 cumstances, three truly independent narra- 
 tives could better agree in everything essentiiil 
 to a true report. The subject is fully treated 
 in Andrews' Life of our Lord, in Robinson's, 
 and Gardiner's Harmonies, and well, suc- 
 cinctly, by Westcott, Introd. to Gospels, p. 
 301, note. — And immediately, while he yet 
 spake, the cock crew. We may well suj>- 
 pose that in the state of mind which had 
 racked Peter for the last hour or two, the 
 sound must have struck him as a death knell. 
 61. And the Lord turned, and looked 
 upon Peter. Luke alone has preserved for 
 us this touching incident — one of the most 
 precious items of knowledge concerning Christ 
 which wc owe to his Gospel. In any of the 
 rooms on the lower floor of the house, all 
 opening out through the porch into the court, 
 it would, naturally, be possible for the Saviour 
 to see Peter, anywhere within the light of the 
 fire. Probably, Jesus, absorbed in his own 
 cause, had paid little attention to him before. 
 It is almost certain that Peter could have paid 
 little attention to him. But now, the sound 
 of the cock drew the eyes of both together, 
 and Peter met that look. In it were mingled- 
 sorrow, admonition, yearning love, beseech- 
 ing appeal. But we cannot describe it; its 
 quality must be judged from what we previ- 
 ously knew of the parties, and from its pres- 
 ent effect. It had power to prevent the back- 
 sliding of Peter from hardening into the 
 apostasy of Judas. It awakened in his breast 
 the clear memory of that love which trembled 
 in the tones of Jesus, when he said, "Before 
 the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." 
 
Ch. XXII.] 
 
 Luke. 
 
 327 
 
 6"J And Peter went out, anil wept bitterly. 
 
 6;i 1[ « And tbe men that held Jesus mocked him, and 
 smote hint. 
 
 04 And when they hatl blindfolded him, they struck 
 him on the lace, and asked him, saying. Prophesy, 
 who is it that smote thee? 
 
 65 .\nd many other things blasphemously spake 
 they against him. 
 
 6i> ^ ' And as soon as it was day, =the elders of the 
 people anil the chief priests and the scribes came to- 
 gether, and led hini into their council, saying, 
 
 6' ''.Vrt thou the Christ? tell us. Anil he said unto 
 them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 
 
 62 thou Shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and 
 wept bitterly. 
 
 63 And the men that heVi'^ Jems mix;ked him, and 
 
 64 beat him. And they blindfolded I im, and asked 
 him, saying. Prophesy: who is he that struck thee? 
 
 65 And many other things spake they against him, re- 
 viling him. 
 
 OG And as soon as it was day, the assembly of the 
 elders of the people was gathered together, both 
 chief priests and scribes; and they led him away 
 Into their council, saying. If thou art the Christ, 
 
 67 tell us. But he said unto them, If 1 tell you, ye 
 
 aM*tt.26: 6T. S8; Mark 14: 65.... ft Matt. 27 : 1....C .' cu 4 : 
 
 See Acta 22 : S. . . .<f Matt. 26 : 63 ; Mark 14 : 61. 1 Or. Aim. 
 
 G3. And Peter went out, and wept bit- 
 terly. Oh, could he have confessed his sin to 
 his Master 1 Could he have heard one word of 
 pity and encouragement! But he could only 
 weep in deep repentance, with loud and bitter 
 litiiicntation. 
 
 03-85. Mockery of Jesus by the 
 Jewish Captors. 
 
 This is the same abuse of the Saviour whicn 
 Matthew and Mark report at the ends of their 
 account of the preliminary night trial before 
 Caiaphas. Luke consistently' places it here, 
 as he does not notice that trial, only supposes 
 it going on through the time of Peter's second 
 and third denials. The chief men having 
 brought the Lord to a pretended conviction 
 of blasphemj', leave him, while waiting for 
 the morning court, to the contumely of 
 the constables and other Jews. The abuse 
 was to be repeated afterward by the Gentiles. 
 
 (M:itt. 27: 27 ; Mark 15; 16; John 19: 2.). 
 
 63, 64. And the men that held Jesus 
 mocked him — made sport of him — and 
 smote him. The original makes the par- 
 ticular injuries to be the mockery, thus: 
 " mocked him, beating him ; and blindfolding 
 him, they asked him," etc. Into the hands 
 of what men had he fallen, that this could be 
 sport for them? The "beating" here was 
 such as properly implies the use of rods or 
 scourges. For blindfolding, McCloUan has 
 properly " muffling." Prophesy — with thy 
 ej-es bandaged, tell by thy prophetic power — 
 who is it that smote (struck) thee? It was 
 the peculiarly Jewish manifestation of hatred 
 toward the Prophet whom Moses had fore- 
 told for them. 
 
 65. And many other things blasphe- 
 mously spake they — and did — against him. 
 See the parallel passages, and compare Isa. 
 60: 6. 
 
 66-70. The Regular Trial Before 
 THE Full Court by Daylight. 
 
 All the Evangelists make much of the case 
 of Peter, from the point when he came into 
 the courtyard of Annas and Caiaphas, until 
 the decisive cock crowing. One, two or three 
 hours may have elapsed. Meantime, Jesus, 
 after being sent over from Annas to 
 the proper high priest (Johu 18:24), had been 
 questioned by Caiaphas and the other mem- 
 bers of the chief court, or Sanhedrin, with 
 such as had been among hi,s captors, or were 
 waiting his arrival, in hope of drawing from 
 him something that might serve as a ground 
 of condemnation. The narrative of their 
 persecution, rather than examination, may be 
 read in Matt. 26: 59-68; Mark 14: 55-65. 
 Neither of the other Gospels mentions this 
 pretence of a trial. It could not claim, on 
 their own principles, to be a regular trial on a 
 capital charge, for they were now forbidden 
 to condemn any man to death in the night. 
 (Sanhedrin, 9. 1). But they made it serve to 
 bring him to an utterance of what they, with 
 great pretence of horror, called blasphemy, 
 and so held the case until the full S:inbedrin 
 (a quasi Sanhedrin) could be formally assem- 
 bled. Of the decisive inquest held in the 
 third instance, Luke in the following verses 
 gives the only account.— See note on p. 355. 
 
 66. And as soon as it was day— as soon> 
 therefore, as it would be lecfal, and lonir before 
 sunrise — the elders of the people and the 
 chief priests and the scribes came to- 
 gether. The three constituent elements of 
 their head council are formally narrated, as 
 they were at ch. 20: 1. "We have before no- 
 ticed the absence of all mention of the Phar- 
 isees in connection with these last scenes. 
 The fact is considered in Farrar, L. of C, ii., 
 332.— And led him into their council. The 
 place of their meeting was, probably, no 
 longer the office in one front of the high 
 priest's palace. Comp. Matt. 27: 5. 
 
 or. Art thou (Revision, If thou art) the 
 
328 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor 
 let me go. 
 
 69 " Hereafter shall the Sou of man sit on the right 
 hand of the power of God. 
 
 70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of 
 God? And he said unto them, * Ye say that I am. 
 
 71 "And they said, What need we any further wit- 
 ness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 
 
 68 will not believe: and if I ask you, ye will not 
 
 69 answer. But from henceforth shall the Son of man 
 be seated at the right hand of the power of God. 
 
 70 And they all said. Art thou then the Son of God? 
 
 71 And he said unto them, i Ye say il, for I am. And 
 they said, What further need have we of witness? 
 for we ourselves have heard from his own mouth. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 AND ■* the whole multitude of them • arose, and led I 1 And the whole company of them rose up, and 
 him unto Pilate. I 
 
 ; Matt. '26: 64; Mark U: 62; Heb. 1:3; 8:1 6 Matt. 26: 64: Mark U: 62 c Mutt. 26: 65; Mark 14: 63 d Matt. 27 : 2 ; Mark 15 : 1 ; 
 
 John 18 : 28. 1 Or, Ye eay that I am. 
 
 Christ? tell us. Their object was to draw 
 from him here what he had previously declared 
 (Matt.26:64;MarkU:62), that they might base for- 
 mal action upon it. The attempt to convict 
 him of any secular crime appears to have 
 broken down with the failure of the cruel and 
 unprincipled Annas. Perhaps they thought 
 they might use his claim to be the Messiah as 
 threatening to the civil government estab- 
 lished. Any evidence of such a purpose 
 might leave the Saviour, while rot at all 
 varying from his previous acknowledgment, 
 to repeat it now, by implication, in such a 
 way as to give not the slightest color to a sec- 
 ular complaint.— If I tell yon, ye will not 
 believe. It was simply to turn his declara- 
 tion into a weapon against him that they 
 wanted him to speak. Former professions of 
 his Messiahship (John 8: 58; 10:30) had Only sharp- 
 ened their hatred against him. 
 
 68. And if I also ask you — questions 
 touching the Scripture proof of my Messiah- 
 ship — ye will not answer me, nor — when 
 those questions indicate my innocence — let 
 me go. The last clause is probably spurious. 
 
 69. Hereafter (rather, from henceforth) 
 — from now on — shall the Son of man sit 
 (or, be seated) on the right hand of the 
 power of God. The meaning is, although 
 you will not admit my title as Messiah, your 
 action is bringing it to pass that I shall be 
 recognized, from this day, if not on earth, 
 yet in my seat of heavenly majesty, as a 
 sharer of God's power. 
 
 70. They saw that this was more than an 
 assertion of Messiahship, even of divinity. 
 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son 
 of God? — as thy language plainly implies. — 
 Ye say that I am. A Hebrew way of saying, 
 Yes; I am. Comp. Matt 26:64 with Mark 
 14: 62. So that the Lord had repeated his 
 confession, but without saying a word calcu- 
 
 lated to offend the Roman power, or in the 
 slightest degree to violate any law, human or 
 divine. 
 
 71. And they said, What need we any 
 further Avitness? Finding it impossible to 
 obtain more, they must content themselves 
 with what only they could wrest into a ground 
 of accusation. What they had heard from 
 him might be misrepresented as blasphemy ; 
 but this would have little weight with a Ro- 
 man judge. 
 
 Ch. 23. 1-25. Jesus Before Pilate. 
 
 In the account of the trial before the Roman 
 governor we may recognize in Luke throe 
 distinct stages— ver. 1-7, 8-12, 13-25. Of these 
 the second, in which he submits the prisoner 
 to Herod's judgment, is peculiar to our 
 Gospel ; the others are distinctly marked in 
 all the rest. The outline of these, as given in 
 the Sj'noptics, must be filled up from John's 
 report. 
 
 1-7. First stage of the trial. Summary ac- 
 quittal of Jesus by the Roman authorit.y. 
 
 1. And the Avhole multitude of them 
 arose, and led him unto Pilate. The 
 word here is not the one (oxAo?) usually 
 translated multitude in the Gospels; 
 but, as this Greek also (tfA^Sos) distinctly 
 denotes a full number, crowd, or throng, 
 multitude seems more appropriate than 
 "company." (Revision.) They would of 
 themselves constitute a numerous bodj^ ; 
 and it is enough to suppose that, in order to 
 command compliance with their desire, they 
 went in a full procession and official array. 
 How many of the "people" (ver. is) had 
 already joined the "whole council" (Martti5:i) 
 we cannot tell. It is a disputed question 
 whether Pilate now lived, when at Jerusalem, 
 in the magnificent palace on Zion, left by 
 King Herod, or in the Castle Antonia, where 
 
Ch. XXIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 329 
 
 2 And they began to accuse hiui, saying, We found 
 this ffllow " perverting the nation, and * forbidding to 
 give tribute to Cmsar, saying, 'that he himself is 
 Christ a King. 
 
 :i '^ And I'ilate asked hira, saying. Art thou the King 
 of the .lews'.' And he answered liini and said, Thou 
 sayest il. 
 
 4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the 
 people, 'I find no fault in this man. 
 
 2 brought him before Pilate. And they began to 
 accuse him, saying. We louiid this man perverting 
 our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, 
 
 3 and saying that he himself is Christ a king. And 
 Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the 
 Jews'.' And he answered him and said. Thou say- 
 
 4 est. And Pilate said unto the chief priests and the 
 
 a Acts 17: 7....i See Matt. 17:27; 22:21; Mark 12: 17.... c John 19: 12.... d Matt. 27 : 11; 1 Tim. 6 : 1.1 e 1 Pet. 2 : •i2. 
 
 the Roman garrison was quartered, ju.st off the 
 northwest corner of the temple. The hitter 
 supposition is more probable, at this time, 
 since Herod Antipas being in the city, would 
 more likely be allowed the use of the palace. 
 There was, hmvever, another palace, west of 
 the temple and above it (Josepluis, Antiquities, 
 XX., 8, 11), which Herod might have occui)ied. 
 A proper conception of Pilate himself, and of 
 his relation to the distribution of justice at Je- 
 rusalem, is necessary to a right ai)preciatioii 
 of this narrative. After the dethronement of 
 Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, Judea 
 and Samaria were put under the control of im- 
 l)erial procurators, who governed the district 
 in behalf of the Emperor. Their primary 
 function was the collection of the r. venues ; 
 but they also had, while interfering as little 
 as possible with the local laws and customs, to 
 superintend the administration of justice. 
 The Roman policy was careful, in particular, 
 that the lives of the provincials should not be 
 unjustly sacrificed under a pretence of jus- 
 tice. In Palestine, on what occasion is not 
 definitely known, the authority of carr^-ing 
 into execution a sentence of death had been 
 taken away from the Jewish magistrates. 
 (John 18: 31.) Poutius Pilatc was the fifth of this 
 series of Roman governors of Palestine. 
 (Derenbourg, Histoire de la Palestine, p. 197, 
 f ) He had been appointed by Tiberius, at 
 the instance of his favorite, the crafty and 
 cruel Sejanus, whose creature Pilate was. He 
 was an unprincipled and haughty Roman 
 knight, who, for his own ease, would have 
 liked to rule over Palestine quietly; but who 
 had alrcad^^ blundered, perhaps, rather than 
 j)ushed himself, into two serious conflicts with 
 tlie Jewish authorities and people. Out of 
 these he had come, not without peril to him- 
 self He now thoroughly hated and despised 
 that people, and they repaid him with like 
 sentiments. To this man, standing in this 
 superior, and to them galling, relation, the 
 proud and arrogant Jewish magnates led 
 
 Jesus on that early morning of the Passover 
 day. They led him unto Pilate. Compare 
 
 the particulars in John. 
 
 2. And they began to accuse him, say- 
 ing, We found this Tellow (better, man) 
 perverting the (better reading, our) nation, 
 etc. This was probably after they had at- 
 tempted, as in John, to have Pilate condemn 
 him on the ground simply that they called 
 him a malefactor. The present charge brcnight 
 out the fact, not previously apparent, that they 
 wished him sentenced to death. Even he could 
 not think of that without some proper proof. 
 For proof, they now substitute clamorous and 
 vague accusations that he was ruining the 
 nation by teaching the people political here- 
 sies. The forbidding to pay taxes we have 
 seen (ch.20:25) to be precisely the opposite to 
 what he had solemnly taught within the 
 week. Pilate may have had some general 
 knowledge of the Jewish expectation of a 
 Christ. That could only be of interest to him 
 if it threatened the civil welfare. 
 
 3. AVhen, therefore, he heard the idea king 
 associated with him, he simjjlj- asked him, 
 Art thou the King of the Jews? strongly 
 emphasizing the pronoun thou, so incredible, 
 not to say absurd, did the notion seem. 
 Christ's calm and frank afl^rmative. Thou 
 sayest it, would be the best proof possible to 
 the world-worn Roman that his prisoner used 
 the word king in some unworldly sense (see 
 this fully in John), and would rather awaken 
 awe in himself than apprehension of guilt on 
 the part of Jesus. The skepticism of that day 
 was, as it generally is, compatible with the 
 profoundest superstition. 
 
 4. This process of accusation and investiga- 
 tion, though the account is doubtless greatly 
 abridged, took but a short time; and, as the 
 result, Pilate said— to the excited throng of 
 accusers— I find no fault in this man. This 
 is the first declaration of his innocence, from 
 the only competent — even approximately 
 competent— and impartial tribunal. It car- 
 
330 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth 
 up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, begin- 
 ning from Galilee to this place. 
 
 6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether 
 the man were a Galil*an. 
 
 7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto 
 « HercKl's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who him- 
 self also was at Jerusalem at that time. 
 
 8 fAud when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding 
 glad : for ' he was desirous to see him of a long si'dson, 
 because ' he had heard many things of him ; and he 
 hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. 
 
 y Then he questioned with him in many words ; but 
 he answered him nothing. 
 
 5 multitudes, I find no fault in this man. But they 
 were the more urgent, saying. He stirreth up the 
 people, teaching throughout all Judtea, and begin- 
 
 6 ning from tialilee even unto this place. But when 
 Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man were a 
 
 7 tialiltean. And when he knew that he was of 
 Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him unto Herod, who 
 himself also was at Jerusalem in these days. 
 
 8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding 
 glad : for he was of a long time desirous to see him, 
 because he had heard concerning him ; and he 
 
 9 hoped to see some 2 miracle done by him. And he 
 questioned him in many words ; but he answered 
 
 ach. 3: 1 6 cli. ! 
 
 . ,.c Matt. 14: 1 ; Mark 6: 14. 1 Gr. sign. 
 
 ried with it, of course, that he would not con- 
 sent to the harmless man being put to death. 
 
 5. And they were the more fierce (or, 
 urgent). Was their so nearly won success to 
 prove a failure, after all? We may imagine 
 what the urgency of an Oriental mob would 
 be, in the fear of such a disappointment. Still, 
 they have nothing to add to their complaint, 
 except to substitute stirreth up for "per- 
 verting," (vcr. 2), and to state the extent to 
 which his agitation had reached — from Gal- 
 ilee to (rather,*"!'?/? unto) this place — i.e., over 
 the whole land. They may have intended to 
 remind Pilate of the immense excitement of 
 the preceding first day of the week, when the 
 host which had been gathering, from Galilee 
 thitherward, had thrown the whole city and 
 environs into commotion, 
 
 6, 7. In the perplexity of Pilate, balancing 
 between unwillingness to commit a great ju- 
 dicial outrage, and fear to provoke the hostility 
 of the Jewish leaders, the word Galilee struck 
 his ear as a signal of relief And as soon as 
 (or, loken) he knew that he belonged unto 
 (or, tons of) Herod's jurisdiction— Galilee 
 and Perea— he sent him to Herod, etc., (lit., 
 sent him tip unto). To send uj) was the tech- 
 nical term for "submit to a superior tribunal " 
 The vileness of Herod's character and life did 
 not at all hinder scrupulous attention on his 
 part to the ceremonial observances of the 
 Jewish religion.— Who himself also was at 
 Jerusalem, He had come to the Passover 
 with the rest. He had no authority here, 
 where he did not stand fully on a par with a 
 Roman knight, with whom he had before 
 quarreled. It would be good policy, how- 
 ever, for Pilate to stand well with him, and 
 he now had an opportunity to show him 
 harmless respect. He might, also, probably, 
 get help toward a better understanding of 
 what was becoming to him a terribly embar- 
 
 rassing question : What to do about this 
 Jesus? Herod would be likely to know if he 
 were a criminal ; and, if not, his decision 
 would countervail the demand of the priests. 
 The first stage of the trial had resulted in a 
 clear declaration of the innocence of Jesus. 
 
 8-12. Second Stage of the Trial. 
 Jesus Before Herod. 
 
 8. And when-Herod saw Jesus, he was 
 exceeding glad. His joy was in the gratifi- 
 cation of a curiosity like that which he had 
 once cherished concerning John the Baptist 
 (Maik6:2o), before he understood him. — For he 
 was— had been — desirous to see him of a 
 long season (thne) — ever since the time of 
 ch. 9: 9, AT. — because he had heard many 
 things of him — {. e., concerning him. 3Iany 
 things is, probablj', not part of the text. 
 This was enough to give him a wish to see the 
 man of whom so much was said. When he 
 used to hear that talk, at least, at one period 
 (»: 9), he was in a very different state of mind 
 from the present. He was then conscience- 
 smitten, and afraid that Jesus was John, risen 
 from the dead. Now all is changed. His 
 conscience no longer disturbs him, and to his 
 earthly soul, a man in chains was very difl"er- 
 ent from the same man filling all Galilee with 
 the rumor of his might^^ works. Still, we read 
 that he hoped to have seen some miracle 
 done by him. It was in the spirit which had 
 led the Jews, again and again, to demand cf 
 the Lord a sign, which, from the time of Sa- 
 tan's call, that he should throw himself down 
 from the pinnacle, he would never give. Had 
 it been the request of some poor, blind one for 
 siglit, or of some leper for healing, doubtless 
 the miracle would still have been wrought. 
 But not for heartless and caviling curiosity. 
 
 9. Then (or, And) he questioned with 
 him (omit with) in many words— put many 
 forms of questions, and renewed his effort 
 
Ch. XXIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 331 
 
 10 And tlie chief priests aud scribes stood aud vehe- 
 meutlv accused hiiu. 
 
 11 "'And Herod with his meu of war set him at 
 Dou^'lit, and mocked him, aud arrayed him iu a gor- 
 geous robe, and sent him again to l-'ilate. 
 
 12 If Aud the same day ''Pilate and Ilerod were 
 made friends together : for" before they were at enmity 
 between themselves. 
 
 l;{ i^And Pilate, when he had called together the 
 chief priests aud tlie rulers and the people, 
 
 14 Said unto them, -^ Ve have brought this man unto 
 me, as one that pervert eth the people: and, behold, «I, 
 having examined him before you, have found no fault 
 in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse 
 him : 
 
 15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, 
 lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 
 
 10 him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes 
 
 11 stood, vehemently accusing hiui. Aud Ilerod wiih 
 his soldiers set him at nought, aud mocked him, 
 and arraying him in gorgeous ap|)arel seut him 
 
 12 back to Pilate. Anil Herod and Pilate became 
 friends with each other that very day: lor belore 
 they were at enmity between themseKes. 
 
 i;i And I'ilate called together the chief i>riests and 
 
 14 the rulers and the pccii)le, and .said unto them, Ve 
 brought unto me this man, as one that jierverteth 
 the people: and behold, I; having examined him 
 before you, found uo fault in this man touching 
 
 15 those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet 
 Herod: for i he sent him back unto us; aud behold, 
 
 oIsa.53:3 6 Acts 4 ; J? c Matt. '^T : 23 ; .Markl5:U; John 18:38; 19: ♦ d ver. 1 : 2 ever. 4. 1 Many aucieot nuitaorltlea 
 
 reud, / stntyouto him. 
 
 again and again. His questions aimed prob- 
 ably at tile siatisfaction of his personal and 
 staiuliiig de.sire to solve the mystery of his 
 popular influence, more than at a determina- 
 tion of the criminality or innocence of Jesus 
 — the point now at issue. But he answered 
 him nothing. He saw the utter frivolity of 
 the attempt of Herod, before whom he must 
 have felt a human mortification more oppres- 
 sive than in anything else connected with his 
 passion. And while against his persecutors 
 no words could avail aught, his own dignity 
 was best preserved by silence. Kecall the 
 Lord's indignant designation of him as "that 
 fox." 
 
 10. Meanwhile, impatient for the condem- 
 nation which alone they desired, the chief 
 priests and scribes stood and vehemently 
 accused him. They thought it necessary to 
 rouse Herod lo do the business for which they 
 visited hiin. 
 
 11. And Ilerod Avith his men of war — 
 i. e., soldiers — who were only a body guard 
 there in Jerusalem— set him at nought — 
 treated him as if of no account— and mocked 
 him — treated him with ridicule; nothing 
 liere is said of bodily injury — and arrayed 
 him in a gorgeous robe (rather, in gor- 
 geous ajjpnrel), and sent him again to 
 Pilate. In this burlesquing of the dress of 
 roj'alty consisted the mockery. As to the 
 color of the robe we can determine nothing, 
 though it was probably purple, the imperial 
 color, although the Greek marks only its 
 splendor (Kaixirpav). We are not told that he 
 sent any word with Jesus, as indeed he could 
 have little to tell; little that he had discov- 
 ered. But he either said, or his act implied, 
 that Pilate must take the responsibility of 
 
 I deciding his case, and that he found no fault 
 in him (ver. la) worthy of punishment. 
 
 12. And the same day Pilate and 
 Herod were made friends together: for 
 before, etc. Herod was won by the respect 
 that Pilate had shown in submitting so im- 
 portant a prisoner to his jurisdiction, and 
 Pilate was glad to be at peace with Herod, 
 whose ill-will might be dangerous to him at 
 Rome. We can hardly say that the mutual 
 estrangement melted away in common oppo- 
 sition to Jesus, for Pilate has shown no per- 
 sonal enmity to him. He evidently desired 
 to find ground for setting him free, without 
 peril to himself. This second stage of the trial 
 has resulted in a second admission of our 
 Lord's innocence. 
 
 13-25. Third Stage. Fresh Expedi- 
 ents OF Pilate to Avoid a Condemna- 
 tion. 
 
 13. The chief priests and the rulers 
 and the people. Notice that now, for the 
 first time, Pilate formally calls the people 
 into the consultation. We had once (ver. ■•) 
 mention of the "people" as an accidental 
 thing. Now they are to play an important 
 part in the transaction. He had not failed to 
 perceive thtit these accusations had slight 
 backing from the respectable masses, and 
 probably knew what remarkable zeal for this 
 teacher they had manifested within the last 
 few days. By their co-operation he might 
 resist the demand of the rulers that Jesus 
 should be slain. 
 
 14. 15. Ye have brought (have is to be 
 omitted) this man unto me, etc. The eftect 
 of the whole declaration is, that the case 
 stands just where it did when he pronounced 
 judgment at an earlier hour(v«r. 4). Nay, it 
 
332 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 16 "I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 
 
 17 ' (For of necessity he must release one unto them 
 at the feast.) 
 
 18 And "they cried out all at once, saying, Away 
 with this man, and release unto us barabbas: 
 
 l-J (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and 
 for murder, was cast into prison.) 
 
 16 nothing worthy of death hath been done by him. I 
 
 18 will therefore chastise him, and release him.i But 
 they cried out all together, saying, Away with this 
 
 19 man, and release unto us Barabbas : one who for a 
 certain insurrection made in the city, and for mur- 
 
 a Matt. 27 : 26 i John 19:1 6 Matt. 27 : 15 ; Mark 15 : 6 ; John 18:39 c Acts 3 : 14. 1 Many ancient authorities insert Ter. IT, Now 
 
 he must needs release unto them at the feast one prisoner. Others aild the same words after ver. 19. 
 
 was stronger now ; for Herod's judgment sup- 
 ported his own. Whichever of the two read- 
 ings in verse 15 we follow— I sent you to him 
 (or, he .sent him up unto us) — the main sense is 
 the same. Herod has examined him, and 
 finds no fault in him, touching those things 
 of which ye accuse him. In the Common Ver- 
 sion, unto him applies to Herod : it is decided 
 that Jesus has committed no capital crime 
 against Herod, under whose jurisdiction he 
 has lived. The Greek might mean "in his 
 (Herod's) estimation." In the Revision, by 
 him, of course, refers to Christ. 
 
 16. I will therefore chastise him, and 
 release him. Notice the therefore. What 
 an inference! I have examined him and 
 found him innocent. Pilate, who is most 
 competent to judge, has examined him, and 
 found him innocent. The charge of a cap- 
 ital crime is not sustained ; no other crime 
 is even alleged. Therefore I will chastise 
 him. If he could only have had the man- 
 hood, the decision, of an honorable judge, 
 and have said firmly and finally, "therefore 
 he is acquitted," he would not have stained 
 his hands with the blood of " that just man" 
 (Matt.27:i9) and his own name with eternal 
 infamy. But how, then, would the Scripture 
 have been fulfilled, and the eternal counsel 
 that the Christ must suff'er? The chastise- 
 ment here referred to was that awful scourg- 
 ing at the hands of Roman soldiers which 
 often preceded crucifixion, and did so here. 
 (Miitt. 27: 26.) Pilate now wished to substitute 
 this for a proper death sentence. He might 
 well suppose that this ought to satisfy 
 even the Jewish malice; for this scourging 
 sometimes ended in death. See, once for all, 
 the tragic description in Cicero, Against 
 Verres, and others. They are quoted in 
 Wetstein on Matt. 27: 26. The details are 
 too horrible to recite. 
 
 17. The sentence (in the Common Ver- 
 sion) here put in parentheses as ver. 17 lacks 
 support of the most decisive documents, and 
 seems to have been a gloss from Matt. 27 : 15, 
 
 which crept into the text. [It is wanting 
 A, B, K, L, J, H.— A. H.] It was intended 
 to explain by it the mention of Barabbas in 
 the next verse. The custom alluded to, of 
 releasing a prisoner at the Passover Feast, is 
 spoken of by Matthew and John as obliga- 
 tory on the governor. Of the reason for 
 such a custom, and of the time of its origin, 
 nothing is known. 
 
 18. The people had abundant evidence of 
 the wavering state of Pilate's mind, and, 
 finding that he had begun to yield, had all 
 encouragement to persevere. They knew, 
 indeed, that they had no basis of argument, 
 but they knew also the virtue of uproar. — 
 And they cried out all at once, saying. 
 Away Avith this man, and release unto 
 us Barabbas. We maj' imagine a clamor 
 (like that at Ephesus, Acts 19: 28-34) in which 
 nothing was heard, for a length of time, but 
 "Away with him! Give us Barabbas!" 
 They had once before extorted a great conces- 
 sion from Pilate in this manner. Josephus 
 tells us (Antiquities, xviii., 3, 1), that when 
 Pilate had offended the people, by placing the 
 effigies of the Emperor on the military en- 
 signs in the city of Jerusalem, they went to 
 Cesarea and surrounded his palace with their 
 importunities day and night, holding out 
 against threats of instant death, which were 
 backed up by the presence of Roman troops, 
 until the procurator was obliged to yield, and 
 order the images removed. 
 
 19. The verse explains the mention of 
 Barabbas in the preceding verse. Earabbas 
 ^Bar-Aba, signifies, probably, son of a 
 father, or Rabbi. (Comp. Bartim^us, Bar- 
 Jonah.) Nothing at all is known concerning 
 him except what is told in the Gospels at this 
 place. The Greek pronoun who (o(rTts)^"a 
 man of such sort that" indicate.'* the feeling 
 of the writer. It appears that he had been 
 concerned, probably as a leader, in one of 
 those tumultuary outbreaks which marked 
 that time — in the course of which he had 
 committed murder. He was thus in prison, 
 
Ch. XXIIL] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 333 
 
 20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake 
 again tu them. 
 
 21 Hut they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 
 
 22 And he'said unto them the third time. Why, what 
 evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in 
 him: I will therefore chastise him, and let fiiin go. 
 
 23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring 
 that he might he crucified. And the voices of them 
 and of the chief priests prevailed. 
 
 2i And o I'ilate gave sentence that it should be as 
 they required. 
 
 2o And he released unto them him that fi r sedition 
 and murder was cast into prison, whom they had de- 
 sired: but he delivered Jesus to their will. 
 
 20 der, was cast into prison. And Pilate spake unto 
 
 21 theiu again, desiring to release Jesus; but they 
 
 22 shouted, saying, (, rucify, crucily him. And he said 
 unto them the third time. Why, what evil hath this 
 uiau done? I have found no cause of death in 
 him: I will therefore chastise him and relea.se him. 
 
 2;i Hut they were urgent with loud voices, asking that 
 he might be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 
 24 And Pilate gave sentence that what they asked for 
 2.*j should be done. And he released him that for in- 
 surrection and murder had been cast into prison, 
 whom they asked for ; but Jesus he delivered up to 
 their will. 
 
 a Matt. 27 : 2!} ; Murk 15 : 15 ; Joliu 19 : 16. 
 
 ready to be punished with death. Being of 
 better parentage, his guilt would be the 
 greater; and it was probably because Pilate 
 supposed hiin to be thought so very bad tiiat lie 
 suggested to them (Matthew and Mark) that 
 he would let loose upon thein Barabbas, if he 
 condemned Christ. Luke siinjjly assumes 
 tliat Piliite had proposed to release Jesus and 
 keep Barabbas. The others tell us that his 
 suggestion was encouraged by his knowing 
 that the persecution of Jestis arose not from 
 ill-will of the people, but from the envy 
 of the chief priests, lest the influence of 
 Jesus sliould supersede theirs. Not only did 
 he not find the people falling in with 
 tliat, but the influence of the leaders was 
 effectually used (Matt. 27:20) to enlist an obstrep- 
 erous detntmdof the multitude that the insur- 
 gent murderer should be released, and Jesus 
 put out of the way. There may well have 
 been many among them who kept aloof from 
 jiny such demonstration. They were silent; 
 iind that so large a proportion of a crowd 
 which, in great part, unquestionably, joined 
 in the applause and adoration of Jesus as tlie 
 Messiah on the preceding Sunday, now joined 
 in the cry, is a sad illustration of the pro- 
 verbial fickleness of popular favor. 
 
 20. Pilate (omit therefore), willing 
 {desirous) to release Jesus, spake again 
 (called aloud) to them. This was in the 
 midst of their shouting, when it would be 
 hard to make himself heard. What he 
 wanted to say was in the strain of further 
 protestation against wrong to an innocent 
 man. 
 
 21. It was of no use. But they — insti- 
 gated by the priests, and many of them now 
 rid of their transient and superfici.il faith in 
 Jesus — cried (shouted)^ .... Crucify him, 
 crucify him. It was the first mention of this 
 awful mode of execution, and showed how I 
 
 their fury rose as they gave it breath, and 
 how their demand of Pilate increased as they 
 saw more clearly that they could get what 
 they would have. 
 
 22. The judge who had lost the oppor- 
 tunity oi deciding the case, by parleying with 
 tlie perverters of justice, wastes his brcatii in 
 repeating a.ssertions of the innocence of their 
 victim, and pro]ioses anew the already re- 
 jected substitute for death. 
 
 23. And (or. But) they were instant 
 — urgently insisted — with loud voices, 
 requiring {nsking) that he might be cru- 
 cified. Requiring, in the .sense of demand- 
 ing, would seem the appropriate designation 
 of their act, but is not the natural sense of the 
 Greek verb.— And the voices of them and 
 of the chief priests prevailed. And ot 
 the chief priests is left out by the best 
 authorities. Against reason and justice, noise 
 carried the day. They got, by sheer pressure 
 of voices, what they had neither argument 
 for nor any particle of proof 
 
 24. And Pilate gave sentence that it 
 should be as they required (lit., that mhnt 
 they asked for should he done). A sad and 
 shameful verdict. It seemed toourEvangeli.st 
 so perver.se a decision, that we plainly di.scover 
 the melancholy interest with which he viewed 
 it, in the comment of the next verse. 
 
 25. And he released unto them him 
 that for sedition (or, insurrerfioji) and 
 murder was cast into prison, whom they 
 had desired; but he delivered Jesus to 
 their will. The Revision gives the emphatic 
 arrangement of the Greek: But Jesus he de- 
 livered to their will. And their will was Mc 
 cross. Mon.strous preference! to keep a mur- 
 derer and destroyer of the public peace, while 
 sending to torture and death the Saviour of 
 human souls— even theirs— the Lord of life 
 and glory. At an early period, as early as 
 
334 
 
 LUKE 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 26 " And as they led him away, they laid hold upon 
 one Simon, a Cyreuian, coming out ot the country, and 
 on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it alter 
 Jesus. 
 
 27 And there followed him a great company of 
 people, and of women, which also bewailed and la- 
 mented him. 
 
 And when they led him away, they laid hold upon 
 one .Simon of (Jyrene, coming from the country, and 
 laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. 
 
 And there followed him a great multitude of the 
 people, and of women who bewailed and lamented 
 
 a Matt. 27: 32; Mark 15: 21. See John 19: 17. 
 
 ■Origen's time, there were copies of Matthew's 
 Gospel, which had, in 27: 17, the word "Je- 
 sus" before Barabbas: "Jesus Barabbas, or 
 Jesus which is called the Christ." It was a 
 curious mistake, which, having once crept into 
 the text, presented the alternative so forcibly: 
 Will ye have Jesus (the Saviour) Barabbas, 
 or Jesus (the Saviour) that is called the Christ? 
 and would be so rich in homiletical sugges- 
 tions that it naturally became quite common. 
 Meyer, following Fritsche, and some other 
 respectable critics, supposes that to have been 
 the original reading ; but see "VVestcott and 
 Hort (Appendi.x, p. 20), twid Tregelles on the 
 passage, who give ample reasons for regarding 
 it as an interpolation. The events of this 
 chapter, hitherto, must have busily occupied 
 the time from 5 a. m., or earlier, until about 
 8 A. M. During a considerable part of it, 
 amid all the movements to and fro, the rib- 
 aldry and violence, the clamor and uproar, 
 of which he was the subject, the Divine Suf- 
 ferer has not uttered one recorded word. "As 
 a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he 
 •openeth not bis mouth." But what thoughts 
 must have passed through his mind ! What 
 feelings must have torn his heart! He had 
 not closed bis eyes in sleep during the pre- 
 ceding night. His experience, from the mo- 
 ment ho entered the garden, had been of a 
 kind most exhausting to body and soul, closing 
 ■with that terrible scourging which Luke alone, 
 of all the Evangelists, has left under the veil 
 of silence. 
 
 26-3*2. The Way to the Cross. 
 
 26. And as they led him away— from the 
 scene of the trial to the place of crucifixion. 
 That place was doubtless the usual one for the 
 execution of criminals, in which character, 
 merely, these who now had to deal with Jesus 
 would regard him. They laid hold upon 
 one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of 
 the country, and on him they laid the 
 cross, that he might (or to) bear it after 
 Jesus. They started with Jesus bearing his 
 cross himself (J"hn 19: 17), according to the cus- 
 tom usual with those who were on the way to 
 
 crucifixion. We need not think of the cross 
 as being so large and heavy a structure as it 
 is often represented in the pictures. The 
 scarcity of timber in the neighborhood of 
 Jerusalem would hardly allow that, at least 
 for the numbers of Jews that were crucified 
 there sometimes by the Romans. (Jos. Ant., 
 xvii. 10, 10; Wars ii. 14, 9). It would 
 contain no more material than enough, whe:! 
 set in the earth, to raise a man clear of the 
 ground, and to support his weight. It is not 
 unlikely that the perpendicular posts may 
 have remained permanentlj' fixed in the place 
 of death, and only the rude cross timber have 
 to be carried thither. (Farrar, L. of C, ii., 
 393). But in the state of weakness to which 
 we have just seen the Saviour reduced, even 
 this may naturally have overpowered him 
 before he had gone far. At the point where 
 he was ready to sink, thej' meet Simon, a 
 Cyrenian — from Cyrene, a country stretch- 
 ing along the northern coast of Africa. That 
 he was coming out of the country, proves 
 nothing as to whether be was first coming into 
 the city, or was resident there for a shorter 
 time (as for the Passover), or for a longer 
 period. Whether he was then a disciple we 
 •know not, but from the familiar way in which 
 Mark (is: 21) speaks of hini as the father of 
 Alexander and Rufus (compare for the latter, 
 Rom. 16: 13), we judge that he was afterward 
 known as such; possibly as converted at this 
 time. The names were too common, how- 
 ever, to afford any certainty that Alexander 
 and Rufus, occurring later in the New Testa- 
 ment, designate the same men. Him the cen- 
 turion, sparing the citizens of Jerusalem, 
 impressed into service for relieving Jesus of 
 the burden of the cross. 
 
 27. The great multitude which followed 
 probably included, besides those men who 
 gloated over his sufferings, and would feast 
 their eyes with his death, many also that 
 shared only in the popular curiosity tha-t 
 always attends an execution, modified in this 
 case by wonder as to what might happen with 
 ohe who had so lately received the general 
 
Ch. XXIIl.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 335 
 
 28 But Jesus turning to tbem said, Daugliters of 
 Jerusalem, weep not lor lue, bul weep for yourselves, 
 and for your children. 
 
 2i) "For, behold, the days are coming, in the which 
 they shall say. Blessed (iir the barren, and the wombs 
 that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 
 
 30 'Then shall they begin to say to the niouutains. 
 Fall on us; and to the hills. Cover us. 
 
 31 "For if they do these things in a green tree, what 
 shall be done in "the dry ? 
 
 32 ''Anil thefe were also two others, malefactors, led 
 with him to be put to death. 
 
 33 And 'when they were come to the place, which is 
 called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the male- 
 factors, one on the right hand, and the other on the 
 left. 
 
 28 him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters 
 of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep lor your- 
 
 29 selves, and for ywn- children. For Udiold, the days 
 are coming, iu which they shall .say, Isle.ssed are the 
 barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the 
 
 30 breasts that never gave suck. Then shall ibey be- 
 gin to say to the mountains. Fall on us ; and lo the 
 
 31 hills. Cover us. For if they do these things in the 
 green tree, what shall be done in the drv? 
 
 32 And there were also two others, malefactors, led 
 with him to be put to death. 
 
 33 And when they came unto the place which is 
 called ' The skull, there they crucified him, and the 
 malefactors, one on the right hand and the other ou 
 
 a Matt. 24: 19; ch. 21 : 23 6 I a. 2 : 19 ; Hosea 10: 8; Rev. 6: 16; 9:6 c Prov. 11 : .11 ; Jer. 25: 29; Ezek. 20: 47; 21 : 3, 4 ; 1 Pel. 4: 17 
 
 (i Isn. i>3: 12; Matt. 27 : 38 eMati. 27:33; Mark 15 : 22 ; Jolin 19 : 17, 18. 1 According to (be Latiu, Calvary, wbicb lias the smme 
 
 mcaniug. 
 
 wor-sliip. Some at least must have felt 
 sympathy and amazement at the .strange 
 fortune through which their beloved and 
 trusted leader was now passing. But 
 what was remembered as worthy of record 
 was the outspoken grief of women in the 
 company, who bewailed— with vehement 
 gestures of woo — and lamented him. They 
 are addressed afterward as daughters of Jeru- 
 salem ; but this does not, from Old Testament 
 usage, hinder our supposing tliere were among 
 them some of those who came with him from 
 Perea and Galilee. 
 
 28. This manifestation of interest in his 
 suffering, bold even in its weakness, had 
 power to unseal the closed lips of Jesus, and 
 draw forth a response, which Luke alone has 
 preserved for us, from the incidents of that 
 hour. Weep not for me, but weep for 
 yourselves, and for your children. I am 
 not to be pitied. Great as are my appointed 
 pains, they have a great end in view; they 
 are transient also, and will end in glory and 
 joy. (Heb. 12: 2.) But woeful, indeed, is the 
 experience which I foresee for you and the 
 next generation of this people. 
 
 29. Blessed are the barren, etc. Those 
 tenderest relations of parentage, which should 
 naturally be an occasion of the richest blessing, 
 will, in the times of starvation and slaughter 
 that are coming, till life with anxiety', and 
 mourning, and horror, and inflict a sharper 
 pang on mothers, fiimished, or dying of vio- 
 lence, as they think of the woes of their 
 children left behind. 
 
 30. An application of the prophecy in 
 Hosea 10: 8. Comp. Isa. 2: 19; Rev. 6: 16; 
 9: 6. It was originally intended to picture 
 the helplessness and despair of God's enemies, 
 when they find the threats of punishment 
 
 which they have despised now receiving ful- 
 fillment, perhaps in the caves and recesses of 
 the mountains, to which tliey liave fled for un- 
 availing slielter. All tliis would be eminently 
 fulfilled in tlie near history of the Jewish na- 
 tion ; and the more dreadfully, by rea.<on of 
 this crowning crime of crucifying their Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 31. The aim of this obscure verse is evi- 
 dently — for — to confirm the prediction just ut- 
 tered. The green tree represents the innocent 
 and holy Saviour in the spirituality and vigor 
 of his life ; the dry tree, the morally dead and 
 sapless people, typified by the fig-tree,- bla.sted 
 by his word, four days ago. The figure in- 
 volved in the verse, lies in the comparative 
 facility with which fire, the .symbol of wnith, 
 kindles upon a dry tree and a green. If they, 
 these wicked rulers, so easily vent their wrath 
 on me, what will be done to them by God ! 
 
 3 2. It is probable that Pilate, having two 
 criminals awaiting execution, took this (Oppor- 
 tunity to put them to death, as much to sig- 
 nif3' his contempt for the Jews and their 
 .solemn feast-day, as for the convenience of 
 disposing of three cases at once. He was, un- 
 consciously, fulfilling the prophecy: "And he 
 made his grave with the wicked," "And he 
 was numbered with the transgressors." (i«a. 53: 
 912). It has, not without some force, been 
 urged by those who hold this Friday to have 
 been only the preparation for the Pas.sover, 
 that the scribes, however ready to allow the 
 death of Jesus to be perpetrated, would not, 
 without remonstrance, have suffered the great 
 Paschal Sabbath to be defiled by ordinary ex- 
 ecutions. 
 
 33-38. Jesu.s Raised Upon the Cross, 
 AND Again Mocked. 
 
 33. And when they were come to the 
 
336 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 place, which is called Calvary (or, The 
 skull). The local and vernacular name was 
 Golgotha, as given in the other Gospels. This 
 signified, in the Aramaean tongue, a skull, 
 the Greek word for which was naturally used 
 by Luke. That was the meaning of the Latin 
 word Gdoaria, also, which served to translate 
 the Greek in the earl^^ Latin versions, and so 
 came into the early English versions from the 
 Latin. Tlie name was probably applied to the 
 place before us from some resemblance of form 
 to that of the crown of the skull. If so, that is 
 the only intimation of any "hill" there — 
 (•'hill of Calvary") — even of the slightest ele- 
 vation. We can say nothing further concern- 
 ing the locality than what the Scripture itself 
 aftbrds us, with any certaint3' whatever. From 
 Hebrews 18: 12, we infer that it was " without 
 the gate," and John 19: 20 tells us that "the 
 place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to 
 the city." That is all we can know as to 
 its distance from, or its relations to, the 
 city. In that locality, there was a gar- 
 den, and in the garden, a tomb (John i9: 41). 
 Accordingly, we find in the present city of 
 Jerusalem a Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
 which conveniently shows under its one roof 
 the cave of the entombment, and the place 
 where the cross stood. The evidence in favor 
 of that being the place is as trustworthy as that 
 which abounds in Koman Catholic churches in 
 favor of the genuineness of pieces of the "true 
 cross," or of a bone of John the Baptist. The 
 arguments pro and con may be seen balanced 
 in Smith, Diet, of Bib., Art. Palestine; Rob- 
 inson's Bib. Geography ; and Ritter's Geog. of 
 Pnl., Gage's Translation. — There they cru- 
 cified him — meaning here, precisely, raised 
 him upon the cros.s. It is well, once for all, to 
 consult a full description of the punishment by 
 the cross, in any good Bible Dictionary, or in 
 a work on Jewish Antiquities, as Jahn's 
 Arehceology. It was not, properly, a Jewish 
 practice, but, derived from the East, and from 
 the Semites of Northern Africa, it had be- 
 come common through the Macedonian and 
 Roman Empires. It was employed only in 
 the case of the most desperate criminals, and 
 of slaves. The cross was, as we have described 
 it on verse 26; yet some report that, instead of 
 the single cross-piece, on which the arms were 
 stretched, two pieces were sometimes used, so 
 fitted to the post that the arms extended ob- 
 liquely forward. See Geikie, Life of Christ, 
 
 ii., 558. In the middle of the upright stick 
 was fixed a stout peg, astride of which the suf- 
 ferer was relieved of a part of the excruciating 
 burden upon his hands. Sometimes, as it ap- 
 pears, he was attached to the cross before that 
 was set in the ground; but, usually, not till 
 afterward. The hands were nailed to the 
 cross bar, the feet (whether separately?) to 
 the upright below. Wmer, Realworterbuch, 
 Art. Kreuzzigung, strongly maintains, how- 
 ever, that the feet were not, ordinarily, pinned, 
 but only bound. His citations should be crit- 
 ically compared with those of John. In the 
 case of strong men, in full vitality, death 
 might not follow from this infliction for sev- 
 eral days; not, indeed, until hunger produced 
 it. From the first moment, however, the pain 
 of the lacerated limbs; the impeded circula- 
 tion through the whole distorted frame; the 
 fever, and naked exposure to -the weather, — 
 were trials such as to make death seem a bless- 
 ing, and to insure its arrival, in most cases, in 
 two or three days. It is a truly horrible fate 
 to think of, in the case even of malefactors, 
 such as those who were to sufl'er on either side 
 of Jesus, and supposing them to have been 
 the worst wretches that ever ravaged human 
 society. "When we would mention it in con- 
 nection with our gracious Lord, whose whole 
 life was one of stainless innocence, of perfect 
 righteousness, of self-sacrificing kindness to- 
 ward all men, the pen refuses to complete the 
 description. Yet it is well, sometimes, to 
 dwell upon the facts which are intimated in 
 the trite phrase, "the sufl^'erings of Christ," 
 and when we say we believe that "he suf- 
 fered under Pontius Pilate." Suffered — what? 
 Happily, we need not and cannot comprehend 
 it all ; but we may profitably remember that, 
 with all that infinite physical anguish, the 
 holy soul of our Saviour grieved at a fate so 
 contrary to his proper desert — almost forsaken 
 by friends, the laughing stock of his foes, and 
 under that unimaginable consciousness that he 
 was enduring it all as the representative of a 
 sinful race, even of those who were putting 
 him to death — dying thus himself, that they 
 might not eternally die. One touch of mercy 
 seems to have been given to the Crucifixion by 
 the Romans, or, possibly, by Jewish compas- 
 sion, but of which Jesus chose not to share the 
 intended advantage. They were accustomed 
 to give to the condemned person a stupefying 
 potion before he was nailed to the cross, that 
 
Ch. XXIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 337 
 
 .14 Then said Jesus, Father, "forgive theiu; for they 34 the left. >Anil .lesus .said, Father, lort;ive them; for 
 know not wliat they Jo. And 'they parted his raiment, > tliey know not wliat they do. And ]iartin){ liis'(;ar- 
 and cast lot.s. ; :}5 nient.s amonK them, tln.-v exst loi.s. .Vnd the [H-iiple 
 
 Vi And "tliepeoplestood heholdinj;. And the ''rulers i sioimI beholding. And the riders also >cotled ai h>i 
 
 also with tluni derided A/zh, saying.'He saved others 
 let him save hiniself, if he be Christ, the chosen of (iod. 
 M And the .soldiers also mucked him, coming tu him, 
 and oflferiug him vinegar, 
 
 saying. He saved others; let him save hlin>ell', l/ 
 36 this is the C hrist of t.od, his chosen. And the si I- 
 diers aUu mocked him, coming to him, oileriug liiiu 
 
 a Matt. 5: 44; Act« 7 : 60 ; 1 C>'r. 4 : 12 b Acts 3 : 17 c Mart. 27 : 35; Mark 15: 24; John 19; 23 d Pn. 22; 17; Z«ch. 12: 10 a Matt. 
 
 27 : 39 ; Mark 15 ; i9. 1 Sume ancient auihiiritien oiuii, And Jetut said, Father, /orgivt them ; for they know not icAa( they do. 
 
 liis susceptibility to pain might be diminished. 
 It WHS a mixture of the juice or extract of 
 some bitter herb with myrrh, in wine; and 
 tliis, according to Matthew and Marie, was 
 ottered to Jesus the first thing, but refused by 
 him. lie would pass through his appointed 
 trial with faculties clear, and all his powers in 
 full exercise. 
 
 34. Then said Josiis, Father, forgive 
 them; for they know not what they do. 
 This was probably sj)oken at the moment 
 when they began their horrid task of torture. 
 He must have had reference, not to the Koman 
 soldiers, who wereactutilly inflicting the pain, 
 but to those Jewish scribes and priests who 
 were virtually doing it, as they were actually 
 gloating over it. That Jesus should, even in 
 that extreme agony, pray for those who were 
 j)ersecuting him unto the death, is a sublime, 
 but not iimazing, exhibition of the spirit 
 which he ever inculcated on his followers 
 
 (M.itt. 5: 44; compare Isa. 53: 12); but it haS iu all ageS 
 
 seemed strange to many that he could stiy 
 they knew not what they were doing. Yet 
 Peter, addressing a part of this same com- 
 pany (Acts 3. 17), said, "I wot that through 
 ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." 
 In neither case was the statement intended to 
 clear them from blame. It purported only 
 that, blinded by prejudice and self-interest, 
 or, naturally influenced by leaders who were 
 so, they understood not clearly that they were 
 murdering their Messiah, the Son of God. 
 This was the first of the seven "words" or 
 
 John (19:23.24) gives the detail of their pro- 
 ceedings. Luke summarily says that they dis- 
 tributed all by lot. 
 
 35. And the people stood beholding. 
 They are not said to have derided him. More 
 humane and sympathetic, apparently, than 
 the cla.ss above them, they looked on with 
 wonder, and many, we may be assured, with 
 grief; contrasting this end with what their 
 crude hopes had promised five days before. 
 And the rnlcrs also (omit with them) de- 
 rided him — as well as looked with the peo- 
 ple. Derided — ^jeered; the Greek denotes 
 the most intense mockery. See on ch. 10: 14. 
 They added to derisive looks and gestures, 
 taunting words; saying, He saved others; 
 let him save himself, if he be Christ, 
 the chosen of God. The Ki'-vision reads 
 properly, "The Christ of God, his chosen." 
 The he was ironically emphatic. Saved— in 
 the mouths of these people— meant no more 
 than deliverance from pains and bodily evils. 
 In that view there was it certain point in their 
 ridicule. Little did they imagine that only 
 hy thus suffering unto death could their inno- 
 cent victim become, in the highest sense, a 
 Saviour, "the authorof eternal salvation" to 
 those who should be willing to suffer with 
 him. Their taunt became very familiar to 
 his discijiles, as it was repeated wherever they 
 went, in the first ages— the absurdity of pre- 
 senting as j\ Saviour, one who had died on 
 the cross. 
 
 3G. And the soldiers also— Romans and 
 
 utterances of Jesus on the cross. Of these heathen, as well as Jews — mocked him — 
 Luke gives three (a<id vcr. 43, 4r.), all additional mailc sj^ort of him — coming to him, and 
 to what are preserved in the other Gospel.s. offering him vinegar. There may prob- 
 The other four are — John 19: 20; ""Woman, ably have been three quaternions of the sol- 
 behold thy son" ; Matthew '27: 40; Mark 15: diers, one for each cross. To their hardened 
 34, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" John 10: 1 souls, yet not harder than the .Jewish priests, 
 28, "I thirst"; and 19: 30, " It is finished. ' no dignity was sacred, all suffering was simply 
 
 And they parted his raiment, and cast 
 lots. Comjiare Revision. The persi^n cruci- 
 fied was usually stripped naked ; and the four 
 soldiers that carried out the execution of each 
 victim regarded his clothes as their perquisite. 
 
 W 
 
 food for laughter. They, accordingly, had 
 their own brutal way of making amusement 
 out of the most exquisite agony that was ever 
 known. Being aware that Jesus was suffer- 
 ing as one called King, they came with mock 
 
338 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Cii. XXIII. 
 
 37 And saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save 
 thyself. 
 
 38 "And a superscription also was written over him 
 in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS 
 THE KIN(; OF THE JEWS. 
 
 :W 'And one of the malefactors which were hanged 
 railed on him, saying. If thou be Christ, save thyself 
 and us. 
 
 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying. Dost 
 not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condem- 
 nation ? 
 
 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due 
 
 37 vinegar, and saying. If thou art the King of the 
 
 38 Jews, save thyself. And there was also a super- 
 scription over him, this is the kinu of the jews. 
 
 39 . And one of the malefactors that were hanged 
 railed on him, saying. Art not thou the Christ? save 
 
 40 thyself and us. But the other answered, and re- 
 buking him said. Dost thou not even fear God, see- 
 
 4-1 ing thou art in the same condemnation? And we 
 indeed justly ; lor we receive the due reward of our 
 
 a Matt. 27 : 37 ; Mark 15 : 26 ; John 19 : 19 6 Matt. 27 : 44 ; Mark 15 : 32. 
 
 reverence, offering him vinegar, i. e., the 
 soured wine of their own drink, mingled with 
 water. At a hvter hour (Matt. 27: 48), some one, 
 moved with real compassion, reached to his 
 mouth a sponge filled with vinegar, that he 
 might ta.ste it, if he would; but now they 
 brought it before him, tantalizing him, if pos- 
 sible, with the sight of what he could not 
 touch. It was a savage jest. 
 
 37. They here took up the gibe of the Jews 
 (rer. .15), and handed it down in the Gentile 
 line — a stumbling-block to Jews, and to Greeks 
 foolishness, (icor. 1:23.) 
 
 38. And a superscription also was 
 written over him. . . . This is the King 
 of the Jews. This had probably been at- 
 tached to the upper extremity of the cross, 
 over his head, immediately when Jesus was 
 raised upon it. It had been written by Pilate 
 himself, or by his order (John i9: 19). Mark 
 (15: je) speaks of it as a customary thing; and 
 it is known to have been usual to carry a sign 
 before the condemned, stating his offence, or 
 (perhaps, also) to have it proclaimed by a 
 crier. Luke mentions the inscription here, 
 either to show why the soldiers addressed Christ 
 as King of the Jews, or, more probably, as an 
 additional feature of the mockery. The dif- 
 ferent forms of the "title" in the Four Evan- 
 gelists, may be accounted for, largely, by the 
 variations of expression for the one thought in 
 the three languages (.Tohni9:20) in which it had 
 been written. Luke might have rendered lit- 
 erally into Greek an Aramtean sentence, KrxG 
 OF THK Jkws, he (the is is not expressed in 
 the Greek). "He," thus used, would be likely 
 to convey a shade of contempt (often given in 
 our Gospels as "this felloto"). This was in- 
 tended by Pilate as an insult to the Jews, who, 
 when they saw the aim of his sentence, would 
 realize that in yielding to them he had given 
 them again a dagger stab. See Josephus, 
 Antlq., xviii. 3, 2. Hence their vain petition 
 .to Pilate (John 19 : 21, 22) that it might be changed. 
 
 39-43. The Penitent Malefactor. 
 
 39. And one of the malefactors Avhich 
 were hanged railed on him. Were hanged 
 
 intimates simply the suspended position of one 
 on the cross. Matthew and Mark speak in the 
 plural, of " the thieves also which were cruci- 
 fied with him," "they that were crucified 
 with him," as having reproached him. From 
 this, it is probable that, at first, both taunted 
 him. It was evidently brought into the early 
 and commonly diffused account as another 
 instance, and an eminent one, of the obloquy 
 vented on Jesus by passers by, by priests and 
 scribes, by soldiers, and now by fellow-suf- 
 ferers. With that aspect of the case, the first 
 two Gospels stop, especially as these were both 
 only malefactors,while Luke, in his researches, 
 found the additional fact here following, for 
 which the world must ever remain indebted to 
 his truly catholic Gospel.— If thou be Christ 
 (or, in the true text. Art not thou the Christ), 
 save thyself and us. This might, in itself, 
 be understood as no worse than an impatient 
 and faithless appeal to Jesus, on the ground 
 of his Messiahship, to save them from their 
 wretched condition. But the thou has, in the 
 Greek, a sarcastic tone, and the statement of 
 the narrator, as well as the comment of the 
 other felon, shows that it was spoken (comp. 
 ver. 35, 37) in ridicule. 
 
 40. But the other — now, at least, fully 
 convinced of the Messiahship of his com- 
 panion in distress — answering, rebuked 
 him, saying. The rebuke consisted in 
 what follows: Dost not thou — an echo of 
 "thou" in the other's question to Jesus — 
 (even) fear God — not even fear him, to say 
 nothing of repentance and praj'er to him — 
 seeing thou art in the same condemna- 
 tion — under a sentence of death, and there- 
 fore about to stand before God. 
 
 41. And we indeed justly — stand in this 
 condemnation— for we receive the due re- 
 Avard of our deeds. It has been, not un- 
 
Ch. XXII L] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 339 
 
 reward of our deeds: but this man bath done nothing 
 aiuisii. 
 
 ■12 And lie said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when 
 thou comest into thy kingdom. 
 
 43 And Jesus said unto liim, Verily I say unto thee, 
 To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 
 
 44 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was 
 a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 
 
 42 deeds : but this man hath done nothing amiss. And 
 ho said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest Un 
 
 43 thy kingdom. And be said unto bim, Verily I say 
 unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in I'arudise. 
 
 44 And it was now about the sixth hour, and a dark- 
 ness came over the whole -laud until the ninth 
 
 a Matt, 27 : 45 ; Mark 15 : 33. 1 Some aucUat authorltiei read, inCa thy kingdom 2 Or, earth. 
 
 reasonably, conjectured that these "robbers" 
 had been concerned in the affair with Harab- 
 bas, which involved " in.surrection and mur- 
 der." But this man hath done nothing 
 amiss. Not only has committed no crime, 
 done no wrong, as against any human law, 
 but has done nothing amiss, bad, improper. 
 This defence of Jesus supposes much more 
 knowledge of him than what the speaker could 
 have gathered on this scene, as still more evi- 
 dently does his praj'er which follows. From 
 the wide publicity of Christ's travels and 
 teaching, through the country as well as the 
 city and towns, nothing is more supposable 
 than that the man had heard him speak, and 
 got some idea of his principles, claims, and 
 promises. 
 
 42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, 
 remember me when thou comest into 
 (in) thy kingdom. Into is unwarranted 
 by the text used by the translators of 1011. 
 They should have written in. Westcott 
 and Hort have now adopted "into," but on 
 hardly convincing authority. It is not possi- 
 ble to overestimate the clearness and strength 
 of faith which could lead the man witli .such 
 earnestness to recognize in his fellow-sufferer 
 a king, who was afterward to reappear in 
 royal majesty. He even commits his eternal 
 interests into that king's hands. The thought 
 of his prayer was, probably, "in the gathering 
 together of thy subjects, when thou comest 
 again in royal power, to condemn and to save, 
 do not forget to call me from the grave, and 
 place me among thy redeemed." It was, in 
 his mind, a distant blessing for which he thus 
 humbly prayed. As given in the Common 
 Version, supported by Westcott and Hort, 
 the sense of the prayer might, in consistency 
 with the circDiinstances, probably be, "When 
 thou comest back into thy promised reign as 
 Messiah on the earth, forget not to let me 
 share in its blessings." 
 
 43. In granting his prayer, Jesus assures 
 him, not of a far distant, but an immediate, 
 blessing. Verily I say unto thee. To-day 
 
 shaft thou be with me in paradise. 
 To-day has the place of (.'mphasis. The sum 
 of the promise is, "I will remember thee 
 then ; and, as the earnest of it, thou shalt at 
 once be with me in the region of the bies.sed 
 dead."— Paradise— a word of Persian, or Ar- 
 menian, origin, meant, probably, a pleasure- 
 garden, or beautiful park. Traii.sferrod into 
 the later Hebrew, it is translated "orchard" 
 (Caot. 4: 13), "garden" (bcci.2:5), "forest" (stk. 
 2:8), and, spelled in Greek letters, as here, it 
 is used in the Septuagint to translate the 
 Hebrew for "garden," as the "Garden of 
 Eden." Thus it was freely adopted to denote 
 a place of delight; and we find it in the later 
 portions of the New Testament as a synonym 
 for heaven, or at least some part of the imme- 
 diate honieof God (2Cor.i2: 4; EeT.2: 7) — "para- 
 dise of God." Some think that to be the ref- 
 erence here; but, as Acts 2: 31 (comp. Aots2: 27; 
 1 Pet. 3 : 18, 19) sBems plainly to teach that 
 Jesus spent the interval between his 
 death and resurrection in the world of the 
 dead, or at least went directly thither, it is 
 generally thought more likely that in our 
 passage Paradise is, rather, that sphere of 
 Hades— the general receptacle of the dead— in 
 which the saints are happy in "Abraham's 
 bosom." See note on ch. 16: 23. Certain 
 early church Fathers, following .Jewish spec- 
 ulations, supposed the Garden of Eden .«tiil to 
 exist as a scene of extra-mundane felicity, 
 neither in heaven nor on earth. (Griiym, 
 Clavis, s. V.) The penitent on the cross would 
 understand it in the sense common among his 
 countrymen at that time. Indeed, if Christ 
 had spoken directly in Greek, the language 
 used here would naturally have reached the 
 allegorical meaning, consciously, through the 
 literal and primary : To-day wilt thou be with 
 me in the pleasure-garden (iv tu napaSeiiru). 
 
 44-49. The Last Scene. Mid-day 
 Darkness, A Silence of Three Hours, 
 Broken Only by an Expiring Word. 
 
 44. And it was (now) about the sixth 
 hour — 12 M, Our Lord had been three hours 
 
340 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 45 And the sun was darkened, and "the veil of the 
 temple was rent in the midst. 
 
 46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he 
 said, ''father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: 
 •= and having said tlius, he gave up the ghost. 
 
 45 hour, 'the sun's light failing: and the veil of the 
 
 4() 2 temple was rent in the midst. <*And Jesus, crying 
 
 with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I 
 
 commend my spirit: and having said this, be gave 
 
 oMuU. 27:51; Mark 15: 38 6 Ps. :il : 5 ; lPei,.2;'23 c Matt. 27: 50; Mark 15: 37; Ji>lin 19: 30.— 
 
 sanctuary 3 Or, A7id when Jesus had cried ivith a loud voice, he said. 
 
 -1 Gr. the sun /ailing 2 Or, 
 
 on the cross (Mark 15:25), and the agony from 
 his wounds, and the distorted posture in 
 which he hung, might have made further 
 speech impossible. And there was a dark- 
 ness over all the earth (better, the whole 
 land) until the ninth hour. How must all 
 mockery and jeering have been turned into 
 amazement and fear! The secondary cause 
 of it, if there was any, cannot be known. 
 The elBcient cause was God's power, exerted 
 so as to veil from human eyes the closing 
 pains of his own dear Son. 
 
 45. And the sun was darkened (rather, 
 the fiun's light failing). This adds to the pre- 
 ceding statement of the fact of darkness, sim- 
 ply that it was due to a darkening of the sun, 
 by which light was cut off everywhere. Or, is 
 the thought of the writer that darkness spread 
 over the face of the earth so dense and broad 
 that the sun itself was hidden from view? 
 The text followed by the Kevision is clear of 
 ambiguity, and assigns a true cause of the dark- 
 ness. "The sun's light" — or, more directly, 
 "the sun failing." The terms used are those 
 appropriate in Greek to signify an eclipse ; 
 but might be used to mark an effect like that 
 of an eclipse, without asserting that the moon 
 then shut out the light. That, of course, 
 would be an imposibility at the Passover sea- 
 son, when the moon was full. It is difficult 
 to decide between the texts ; but the authority 
 for the latter seems at least fully equal to 
 that against it. No explanation of the fact, 
 however, which attempted to do away with 
 its miraculous character, would be consistent 
 with the earthquake, the torn veil of the 
 temple, the rending of the rocks, and burst- 
 ing of tombs (Matt.27:5i, ff.) — all in sympathy 
 with the Divine Sufferer on the cross. And 
 the veil of the temple was rent in the 
 midst. This veil was the great and splendid 
 curtain which served in part as the partition, 
 in the temple, between the inner shrine, 
 "holy of holies," and the outer sanctuary, in 
 which some priest must visit the altar of in- 
 cense every day. Beyond that dividing veil 
 had betin the ark, in the tabernacle, and in the 
 first temple, and the cherubim over the ark, 
 
 the seat of the Shechinah, whither only the 
 high priest could ever penetrate, and he only 
 once in the year, to make atonement for the 
 sins of the people. The tearing of that veil 
 from the top to the bottom, in connection with 
 the death of Christ, was suited better than 
 anything else imaginable to shadow forth the 
 end of the office of the earthly high priest, 
 and the opening of a new and living way, by 
 which every one, through Christ's all suffi- 
 cient sacrifice, may approach the very throne 
 of God for himself. This event took place 
 near the end of the three hours of darkness. 
 Luke mentions no word spoken during this 
 awful interval, and we can only dimly 
 imagine what thoughts and feelings occupied 
 the mind of our Lord. From the finst two 
 Gospels we may gather something of the in- 
 tensity of his distress, by their one recorded 
 utterance : " My God, my God, why hast thou 
 forsaken me!" Such was his sense of aban- 
 donment and solitariness in that dreadful 
 gloom ; so intolerable and overwhelming were 
 his pains of body and mind ; that for the mo- 
 ment, while we must believe that his Father 
 had never been more well pleased in him, it 
 was to him as if God had utterly forsaken 
 him, and left him without sympathy or 
 aid. See the valuable notes on that passage 
 in Doctor W. N. Clarke's Commentai-y on 
 Mark, in this series. It might have been 
 about that time that there was extorted from 
 him the one only expression of natural in- 
 firmity — "I thirst" (Johni9:z8). Somcwhat 
 later the darkness echoed the words "It is 
 finished," and the scene closes with a sentence 
 which Luke alone records. 
 
 46. And when Jesus had cried with a 
 loud voice, he said — rather. And crying 
 with a land voice, Jesus said. It was the last 
 effort of dissolving nature. Not as if he were 
 yet in full strength ; we have seen reasons 
 above why, phj'sicallj', Jesus could not be ex- 
 pected long to survive that accumulation of 
 sufferings; but as is often seen that, just be- 
 fore a lingering death, the remnant of life 
 blazes forth in one supreme effort, so Jesus, 
 with a full and distinct voice, uttered these 
 
Ch. XXIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 341 
 
 47 "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he 
 glorified God, saying, Certaiuly this was a righteous 
 uiau. 
 
 4.H And all the people that came together to that sight, 
 beholding the things which were done, smote their 
 breast ;, and returned. 
 
 4!i 'Aud all his acquaintance, and the women that 
 followed him from Oalilee, stood afar off, beholding 
 these things. 
 
 47 up the ghost. And when the centurion saw what 
 was done, he glorified (iod, saying. Certainly mis 
 
 48 was a righteous man. And all tlie multitudes that 
 came t gether to this sight, when they beheld the 
 things tliat were done, returned smiling tlieir 
 
 49 breasts. And all his acquaintance, and the women 
 that followed with him Irom Galilee, stood afar olf, 
 seeing these things. 
 
 a Matt. 27: 54; .Mark 15: 39 6 Ps. 38: 11; Matt. 27 : 55; Mark 15: <0. See Johu 19: 38. 
 
 last words: Father, into thy hands I coni> 
 mend my spirit. It is the language now of 
 calm and filial trust in a Father consciously 
 present. "I intrust to thy cliarge and dispo- 
 sition that life which I received of thee, and 
 which has accomjilished thy appointed work, 
 borne all thy holy will." Spirit is, here, the 
 principle of life. Conip. ch. 8: 55; James 2: 
 26. — And having said thus (rather, this), he 
 gave up the ghost (or, he expired). That, of 
 course, is what the verb here, translated 
 strictly, means; but the translators and re- 
 visers have, perhaps, been moved to retain it 
 in this passage, and in Mark 15: 37, 39, in- 
 stead of giving its direct sense, to favor the 
 idea that Jesus gave up his life in some other 
 sense than that in which Stephen, or Paul, or 
 John yielded his. It is, indeed, noticeable 
 that both the expre-ssions for Christ's decease 
 ("gave up the ghost," Matthew and John) 
 avoid the usual word, "died." This, we sup- 
 pose, is not so much because they thought of 
 what he had said in John 10: 18, but because 
 they thought of him, in an altogether pe- 
 culiar way, as alive even in death ; he was 
 dead, and is alive, and liveth forevermore. In 
 the death of our Lord, moreover, it is in- 
 volved, necessarily, that there was a unique 
 consent of his will to the will of his Father, 
 known beforehand, that he should thus die. 
 But this must be so thought of as to dis- 
 tinguish it from everything like the vol- 
 untary shortening of his stay in life. How 
 terrible, even to our apprehension, was that 
 misery, in view of which, prolonged through 
 those hours of agony, we breathe more freely, 
 knowing that the Son of man is dead! His 
 pains are ended, and he has entered into "the 
 joy that was set before him." By this one 
 sacrifice of himself, all other sacrifices are for- 
 ever superseded, as a condition of the forgive- 
 ness of sin, and of full salvation. 
 
 47-49. Impression Made Upon Be- 
 holders. 
 47. On the centurion, tiow when the 
 
 centurion— who had charge of the soldiers 
 that wrought the crucifi.xion— saw what was 
 done— the death of Christ in that niaiiner, 
 and all the wonderful phenomena attending 
 it— he glorified God— by rendering due 
 honor, though late, to God's Servant and 
 Messiah— saying. Certainly this was a 
 righteous man. Both his own manifesta- 
 tions of character and God's remarkable inter- 
 position in his case proved it— Righteous 
 man is only an interpretation of the senti- 
 ment which in the other Synoptics took the 
 form, " a (n(»t the) Son of God." 
 
 48. The multitude. And all the people 
 (literally, multitudes) that came together 
 to that (rather, this) sight. This describes 
 the mass of the people whom we have seen 
 attracted to the vicinity of the cross, as to any 
 popular spectacle (?e<opia, a sight), and who 
 "stood beholding " (ver. as), not reviling. 
 Even the rabble that mocked maj' also have 
 been referred to now, as changed in their 
 views and feelings, by beholding the things 
 which were done— a more comprehensive 
 expression than that in the preceding verse. 
 —Smote their breasts, and returned. 
 They felt that groat cruelty and a horrible 
 wrong had been committed on an innocent 
 person, and may have feared the vengeance 
 of that God who had so exhibited his die- 
 pleasure in the heavens above them and the 
 solid earth beneath. 
 
 49. The nearer circle. And all his ac- 
 quaintance — those who had some interest in 
 him from personal knowledge, including even 
 some di.sciples, probably, that lingered in 
 amazement — and the women that fol- 
 lowed {raith) him from Clialilee. See 8: 1-3. 
 They neither skulked, nor were so lost in the 
 crowd as to be undistinguishable. Their 
 names are several of them given in the par- 
 allel narratives. The word stood is emphatic 
 in this place, as if, while others were breaking 
 up, or had left the ground, they remained, 
 unwilling to abandon the spot. Thus we 
 
342 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIII. 
 
 50 " And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a 
 counsellor; and he wan a good man, and a just: 
 
 51 (ihe same had not consented to the counsel and 
 deed of them;) he was of Arimathea,acity of the Jews: 
 'who also himself waited tor the kingdom of God. 
 
 52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body 
 >of Jesus. 
 
 50 And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a 
 
 51 councillor, a good man and a righteous (he had not 
 consented to their counsel and deed), a man of Ari- 
 malhaa, a city of the Jews, who was looking for 
 
 52 the kingdom of God: this man went to Pilate, and 
 
 a Matt. 27 : 5T ; Mark 15: 42 ; John 19 : i 
 
 .h Mark 15 : 43 ; ch. 2 : 25, 38. 
 
 notice a three-fold rendering of homage to 
 Jesus after his death: of the centurion; 
 of the Jewish multitude ; of Christ's 
 acquaintances and disciples. And the at- 
 tentive reader will have seen, in these last 
 chapters, that there were three forms of trial 
 hefore the Jewish authorities, and as many 
 sentences to death for blasphemy ; three 
 accusations before the secular magistrates, 
 Pilate and Herod, and as many declarations 
 of innocence. 
 
 50-56. The Burial. 
 
 Of course, no friends of Jesus could have 
 previously made any preparations for the 
 burial of their Master, and no known friend 
 was in a situation that he could do it now, 
 when the necessity appeared. Yet how much 
 depended on his being buried in some way 
 like that which God had planned. To men it 
 might indeed seem that no necessity for burial 
 had arisen, since the bodies of those crucified 
 were commonly left on the cross until burial 
 was no longer possible. But here that diffi- 
 culty was obviated by the ceremonial sanctity 
 of those Jews who had slain Jesus, but could 
 not bear that his unburied corpse should re- 
 main into the next day, which was a day of a 
 great Sabbath. That would defile their city, 
 and hinder the worthy celebration of their 
 feast. This led them to ask and obtain of 
 Pilate TJohn i9: 31) that the body should be taken 
 down that night. So it was, not a bone having 
 been broken, after his side had been pierced 
 with a spear, so that there flowed from it 
 mingled blood and water, which the bursted 
 arteries had allowed to collect about his heart. 
 And now the providence of God calls forth 
 out of the darkness two men, able and will- 
 ing, with the fiiithful women, to do the rest. 
 
 50. And, behold — a divine interposition ! 
 —(Omit the words there Avas) a man named 
 Joseph (?o/ioi<7as) a conn seller — a member of 
 the Sanhedrin, and so of eminent respecta- 
 bility — a good man, and a jnst^Hff hteorts 
 — excellent in general character, and scrupu- 
 lously upright and just. He would neither 
 RS a private man do wrong, nor, as a coun- 
 
 sellor, sanction injustice. This is proved by 
 the parenthetic sentence : 
 
 51. The same (or. He) had not consented 
 to the counsel and deed of them — (better, 
 their counsel, etc.), namely, in condemning 
 Jesus. Matthew adds that he was rich, which 
 made his intervention here the more efl^ectual. 
 His residence — Arimathea — was, apparently, 
 the city of Samuel's parents (isam. i: i)^ Rama- 
 thaim ; called, also (iSam.i:i9)^ Ramah, which 
 is supposed to have lain a few miles north of 
 Jerusalem.— Who also himself waited (or, 
 was looking) for the kingdom of God. This 
 is a proper description of most of that class 
 who had, during the life of Jesus, shown a 
 readiness to receive him. That one so promi- 
 nent, before unheard of, should appear at this 
 dark hour, may help to explain the instances 
 of seeming friendliness toward Jesus which 
 we have more than once had to notice, on the 
 part of Pharisees. Such were anticii)ating 
 the near advent of the Messiah, and were more 
 free to consider his claims. Joseph, indeed, 
 had before this become a disciple of Jesus 
 (Matt. 2T : 57), SO far as to believe in his Messianic 
 character and claims, but had concealed this 
 fact (John 19: S8) until now. Strange revelation ! 
 to bo made at such an hour, of a brotherhood 
 with the band of scattered and dismayed dis- 
 ciples, in attachment to the Saviour slain, on 
 the part of one of the members of the great 
 Council of the nation. 
 
 52. This man went unto Pilate, and 
 begged (simply, asked for) the body of Je- 
 sus. The act was a strange one, as seldom 
 did any person concern himself about the 
 body of one who had been gibbeted on a 
 cross. It even required a considerable bold- 
 ness, at the time, to show an interest in that 
 man's bodj'. But the character and social 
 position of Joseph would now stand him in 
 hand ; and Pilate, after making himself sure 
 that Jesus was really dead so soon, freely 
 granted his reque.st. Cicero states that the 
 Roman procurators sometimes exacted money 
 of those who desired the bodies of their friends. 
 Meantime, another secret disciple, Nieodemus, 
 
Ch. XXIII.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 343 
 
 6.3 " And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, 
 and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, 
 wherein never man before was laid. 
 
 54 And that day was *the preparation, and the sab- 
 bath drew on. 
 
 55 And the women also, "which came with him from 
 Galilee, followed after, and "^ beheld the sepulchre, and 
 how his body was lai<i. 
 
 56 And they returned, and ' prepared spices and oint- 
 ments ; and rested the sabbath day /according to the 
 commandiren^. 
 
 53 asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down, 
 and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a 
 tomb that was hewn in stone, where never man had 
 
 54 yet lain. And it w.-is the day of the Preparation, 
 5o and the sabbath 'drew on. And the women, that 
 
 had come with him out (»f (lalilee, followed alter, 
 and beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid. 
 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and oiuv- 
 meuts. 
 
 a .MaW.27 : 59; Mark 15: «....& Matt. 2T: 62....C oh. 8: .i....cj Mark 15: «....e Mark 16: l..../Kx. 20: 10. 1 Gr. hegan to daan. 
 
 of sittiilar standing among the Jews, altliough 
 we are not told expressly that he was a mem- 
 ber of the Council, came to take part in this 
 pious care for the remains of the Teacher sent 
 from God (Joha 19 : 39. 4o). There ha.d, probably, 
 been concert between him and Joseph. 
 
 53. And he took it down — with the help 
 of Nicodeinus (John 19: 38.40) — and wrapped it 
 in linen — in a linen cloth. The deceitful 
 imagination of painters has depicted this sim- 
 ple transaction in a hundred phases of false- 
 hood, to which the simple sentence given to it 
 in each of the Four Evangelists, lends not a 
 shadow of warrant. There is not a hint that 
 any disciple, save Joseph and Nicodemus, had 
 anything to do with it; as, indeed, the women 
 could not properly have. The linen was at 
 once a covering, and a temporary winding- 
 sheet. — And laid it (rather, him) in a sepul- 
 chre (better, toinh) that was hewn in stone. 
 We have already seen that, in the vicinity of 
 the place of crucifixion, was a garden, in the 
 sense in which Gethsemane was a garden; 
 "and in the garden a new sepulchre" (John 
 19: »). From Matthew (27:60), we learn fur- 
 ther, that Joseph had caused this tomb to be 
 hewn, proving that the property was his. The 
 tomb having been carved out of the rock, 
 would make it a secure receptacle. — Wherein 
 never man before Avas laid. Entirely un- 
 defiled, therefore, and more suited, in the esti- 
 mation of our Lord's followers, to be the 
 resting-place of one so holy as he. Comp. 
 ch. 19: 30. 
 
 54. And that day was the prepara- 
 tion. Although the Scripture had required 
 no such thing, the tradition of the elders had 
 made Friday, after the ninth hour, a prepara- 
 tion for the Sabbath, beginning at sunset. 
 Jos. Ant. xvi., 6, 2. This day was not only a 
 preparation for the Sabbath, but for the Pass- 
 over, in some sense of the word. (.iohni9: u.) 
 And the sabbath drew on — literally, the 
 Sabbath was dawning — a curious transfer of 1 
 
 ideas appropriate to the opening light of the 
 natural day, to the deepening twilight of the 
 day beginning with night. There was need 
 of haste, therefore, in disposing of the body 
 before the sacred time should begin. This 
 made the nearness of the new tomb a more 
 manifest favor of Providence. 
 
 55. And the women, etc., followed after, 
 and beheld the sepulchre. Although 
 they could take no part in the lowering or 
 draping of the naked body, they had noted, 
 at a distance, what was done, and would not 
 leave the precious relic out of sight, until 
 they had marked the place where it was to 
 rest. As far as appears, if they had not done 
 so, none of the eleven would have known 
 where to look for the Master's body, when the 
 question should arise whether he had risen. 
 Two other Gospels name two in particular, 
 "Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary," 
 "Mary of Joses," who were among these 
 women. The statement that they followed — 
 to see where the tomb was to be — almost of 
 itself refutes the tradition that the cross and 
 tomb were in close proximit}', so as to be both 
 included within the compass of the Church in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 56. And they returned— into the city — 
 and prepared spices and ointments. 
 These were the aromatic and fragrant sub- 
 stances necessary for anointing the body. 
 They might procure them that evening before 
 business was suspended. Mark expressly says 
 (ch. 16:1) that the two Mar3's bought spices 
 after the Sabbath was past — i. e., after sun- 
 down Saturday, and although the tense of his 
 verb there maj' rarely be used where a plu- 
 perfect might have been (asLukej*: 1), this ought 
 never to be presumed, where the writing does 
 not intrinsically require it. It would be 
 better to assume, as Luke makes no mention 
 of the hour, that he had put that item of his 
 narrative out of its proper order; or, better 
 still, that the women of whom he speaks were 
 
344 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIV. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIV. 
 
 ■\TOW »upon the first day of the week, very early in 
 IN the Diorning, they came unto the sepulchre, 'bring- 
 ing the spices which they had prepared, and certain 
 others with them. 
 
 And on the sabbath they rested according to the 
 commandment. But on the nrst day of the week, 
 at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing 
 
 I Matt. 28 : 1 ; Mark 16 : 1 ; John 20 : \....b ch. 2:* : 56. 
 
 other than the two Marys, and made their 
 purchases at a difterent time. And rested 
 the sabbath day according to the com- 
 mandment. This really belongs with the 
 first sentence of the next chapter, as together 
 making one verse, as the rendering and ar- 
 rangement in the Eevision shows. They 
 could not, according to the received views of 
 their time, proceed with even so sacred a 
 labor as the proper laying out of the remains 
 of their revered Master, until the Sabbath 
 was past, and the light of the first day of the 
 week had come. As there was nothing to tell 
 of the word or work or fortune of Christ 
 during the interval, we hear not a syllable 
 out of those thirty-six hours. Yet how much 
 must have passed in the experience of the 
 disciples! A merely human narrative v/ould 
 surely have entertained us with an account of 
 the individual reflections, and the mutual 
 conferences, during that day of memories and 
 anticipations on the part of the disciples of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Ch. 24. The chapter is occupied with a 
 summary account of two great events — the 
 Kesurrection, and the Ascension— in some of 
 their circumstances and effects. 
 
 1-49. The Kesurrection. 
 
 This is represented to us by Luke in the 
 four stages following: (1.) The tomb is dis- 
 covered to be empty by certain of the believ- 
 ing women (lu). (2.) Jesus manifests him- 
 self alive to two disciples, on the way to Em- 
 maus (13-32). (3.) He was meantime seen by 
 Simon in Jerusalem (33-35). (4.) He appears 
 to the whole company, as they were com- 
 paring accounts, proves to them that he is 
 really risen, and that this is according to the 
 Old Testament Scriptures (36-46.) (5.) Solemnly 
 commissions them to bear witness through the 
 world of these truths (47-<9). 
 
 The other Gospels mention a number of 
 other appearances of the Saviour to his disci- 
 ples prior to the ascension. The arranging of 
 them all into a clearly consistent history is, 
 
 confessedly, a perplexing task, as would be 
 the same in the case of any exciting fact, 
 presenting man.y phases to man.y interested 
 persons, all whose accounts might influence 
 the various reports concerning it, that were 
 preserved some time after. Such perplexity 
 is, notoriously, often experienced in recon- 
 ciling the various prooi's of crime committed, 
 which proofs, nevertheless, completely estab- 
 lish the fiict of the wrongful deed. All that 
 can be required in such a case is, that on some 
 natural supposition all these reports might be 
 true; and even this would not, ordinarily, be 
 indispensable to their credibility. On such 
 hypotheses, harmonizers of the Gospels have, 
 more or less satisfactorily, arranged the vari- 
 ous incidents connected with the resurrection 
 of our Lord. 
 
 In all thinking on the subject, it is to be 
 borne in mind that the facts pertaining to the 
 great event of that day, and within the 
 knowledge of some, were practically innu- 
 merable ; that of these, each writer consciously 
 limits himself to a selection, alluding to some 
 which he does not relate (Matt. 28: 16; Luke 24; 34); 
 that each is determined by his own character, 
 and the specific design of his writing, in the 
 choice which he makes ; and that all have a 
 practical, not a philosophical or dialectic end 
 in view, namely : to show that Jesus was alive 
 after his death and burial, so that we, believ- 
 ing in him, may have eternal life. Comp. 
 John 20: 31. More particularly on this last 
 point, it may be important to remark that 
 none of the Synoptics, if even John, writes to 
 prove that Jesus rose from death. This was a 
 cardinal foct, not questioned, as would ap- 
 pear, by the Jews of Jerusalem, on the basis 
 of which believers, for whom the Gospel me- 
 moirs were written, were believers (1 cor. 15: i-s). 
 All that these memoirs did, was to narrate 
 such facts connected with the resurrection as 
 their authorities severally furnished them, 
 and as it comported with their respective ob- 
 jects in writing to mention. Quite diff"erent 
 might have been their dealing with the facts 
 which they relate, had they proposed them to 
 
Cn. XXIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 345 
 
 2 <"And they found the stone rolled away from the 
 sepulclire. 
 
 a 'And they entered in, and found not the body of 
 the Lord Jesus. 
 
 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed 
 thereabout, "behold, two men stood by them iu shiuiiig 
 garments : 
 
 2 the spices which they had prepared. And they 
 
 3 found tlie stone rolled away Iroiu the tomb. And 
 they entered in, and found aol the body 'of ihe 
 
 4 Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, while ihey were 
 perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by 
 
 a .Matt. 28 : 2 ; Mai'k 16 : 4 b ver. 23 ; Mark 16 : 5 c Jobn 20 : 12 ; Acts 1 : 10. 1 Some ancient autboriiiea oiuil, o/tAe Lord Jetut. 
 
 be traversed by coldly critical unbelievers, 
 not to say that they might have added others, 
 for the simple purpose of averting or si- 
 lencing skepticism. As it is, there is no trace 
 of any such purpose. Thus, we have not a 
 treatise, an argument, a polemic, but a Gospel, 
 an announcement of glad tidings. 
 
 An excellent Essay on this subject is that 
 of Dr. Edward Rt)binson, in the Bibllotheca 
 
 STONE AT A JEWISH SEI'l'I.t UKE. 
 
 Sacra, February, 1835. See also his brief 
 statement in the Greek Harmony of the 
 Gospels, p. 258, if. ; Gardiner's note, Greek 
 Harmony, p. 253, f. ; and, on the principles 
 of comparison of the Gospels, especially West- 
 cott, Introduction to the Study of the Gospels, 
 ch. vi., p. 325, ff. 
 
 1-12. The Tomb Found Vacant. 
 
 1. Now upon the first day of the week, 
 etc. This, as we saw at the close of the pre- 
 ceding chapter, is but the complement of the 
 sentence there begun : " The preparations for 
 anointing the Lord's body were interrupted,, 
 
 indeed, by the rest of the Sabbath, but were 
 resumed at the first light of the next day." 
 Very early in the mornin?; literally, at 
 deep dawn. This shows their diligtiuce to 
 complete the delayed duty of suitably dis- 
 posing of the beloved relic. The subject of 
 the sentence, they came, etc., is "the 
 women" of 23 : 55. — Bringing the spices. 
 Powdered aromatic substances and fluid per- 
 fumes appear to have been used in laying 
 out the dead body for burial. Nothing is 
 said of embalming — a practice not in any 
 strict sense employed by the Hebrews; but 
 we are told (Markis: 1) that their design was 
 to "anoint" the body. 
 
 2. And they found the stone rolled 
 away from the sepulchre — tomb. Tliis 
 was at once a surprising and a welcome 
 fact ; because the stone used to close the 
 entrance to the tomb was so large as to have 
 given the women anxiety about removing 
 it (Mark 16: 3). The rolling it away somewhat 
 favors the idea that the entrance was from 
 tlie horizontal surface of the ground ; yet 
 the same term might have been em|)loyed 
 if the door opened into the perpendicular 
 face of a hill or rock. The latter supposi- 
 tion is the more probable., .John uses a more 
 general word — "taken away." See cut of 
 stone at a Jewi.sh sepulchre. 
 
 3. And they entered in. This could 
 lianlly have included Mary Magdalene, 
 who, when she saw the stone removed, 
 "runs and comes to Sinum Peter." (Joim 
 
 20: 2.) And found not the body. The Lord 
 had arisen before their arrival, at the earliest 
 dawn. More particularly we are not informed 
 as to the time. 
 
 4. Even after the proof of their obtusoness 
 concerning the Saviour's promise, displayed 
 in thi'XT plan for anointing the body, one 
 would think that the vacant tomb would have 
 brought it to their mind tinit he was to rise 
 the third day, so as to leave no room for ^^ per- 
 plexity.^' They may have thought something 
 about those predictions in a blind way, but 
 needed an aid to their faith. And, behold 
 
346 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIV. 
 
 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their 
 faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye 
 the living among the dead? 
 
 ij He is not here, but is risen: « remember how he 
 spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 
 
 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the 
 hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day 
 rise again. 
 
 <S And ("they remembered his words, 
 
 9 <^ And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these 
 things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 
 
 lu It was Mary Magdalene, and ''Joanna, and Mary 
 the niolher of James, and other women that were with 
 them, which told these things unto the apostles. 
 
 11 'And their words seemed to them as idle tales, 
 and they believed them not. 
 
 5 them in dazzling apparel : and as they were af- 
 frighted, and bowed down their faces to the earth, 
 they said unto them. Why seek ye 'the living 
 
 6 among the dead? -He is not here, but is risen: re- 
 member how he spake unto you when he was yet 
 
 7 in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be de- 
 livered up into the hands of sinful men, and be 
 
 8 crucified, and the third day rise again. And they 
 
 9 remembered his words, and returned 3 from the 
 tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to 
 
 10 all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene, and 
 Joanna, and Mary the mother of James: and the 
 other women with them told these things unto the 
 
 11 apostles. And these words appeared in their sight 
 
 a Matt. 16: 21 ; 17 : 23 ; Mark 8: 31: 9 : 31 ; ch. 9 : 22 6 John 2: 22....C Matt. 28: 8; Mark 16: 10 d ch. 8: 3 e Mark 16: 11 ; ver 
 
 •^5. 1 (Jr. him that livcth....1. Some aucient authorities omit, Be is not here, hut is riaen....3 Some aucient authorities omit, from 
 
 the tomb. 
 
 two men stood by them in shining gar- 
 ments. It was the form of men which they 
 saw ; but the lustre of their apparel was that 
 peculiar to angelic epiphanies (John 20 : 12; Acta 
 I: 10), although the appearance of Moses and 
 Elijah on tiie Mount of Tranfiguration had 
 probably been similar, as the raiment of 
 Jesus himself certainly was at that time 
 (ch. 9: 29, 30). It was the earthly parallel to 
 the unspeakable brilliance and glory of 
 heaven. 
 
 5. XirsiiiX— affrighted— anA bowed down 
 their faces to the earth — the posture of 
 awe and reverence. Why seek ye the living 
 (properly, him who is living) among the 
 dead?— in a tomb, where the dead alone are 
 ordinarily found. There were no dead really 
 in that tomb. 
 
 6, 7, He is not here, but is risen. This 
 simple and obvious explanation has now to be 
 confirmed to them (it could not be more 
 plainly proved) by the very language which 
 Jesus himself had repeatedly spoken to them, 
 not long before— Remember how he spake 
 unto you when he was yet in Galilee. 
 
 (Ch. 9: 22; corap. ch. 19; 32f). The fulfillment SO 
 
 exact of the former part of his prediction 
 might well have prepared them to believe the 
 whole of it. 
 
 8. And they remembered his words, 
 
 and understood them now ; and, doubtless, 
 began to wonder whether the word concerning 
 resurrection might not have come true. How 
 much trouble would they have spared them- 
 selves, had they sooner taken his explicit lan- 
 guage to heart! But then we should have 
 lacked one proof of the reality of the resur- 
 rection, which comes to us from the perfect 
 absence, on their part, of all suspicion that 
 •any such thing had taken place, until the 
 
 evidence thrust upon therh from many sources 
 became overwhelming. 
 
 9. And returned from the sepulchre, 
 
 etc. It is reasonably supposed that they may 
 have done this by diflferent routes, and that the 
 various experiences of two (or more) parties of 
 them may have occasioned differences in the 
 several narratives. — Unto the eleven. This 
 is now the designation of the remaining body 
 of the disciples, and might be employed where 
 the number was not complete. — And all the 
 rest. Not only the eleven, had regained 
 courage and faith ; but other adherents of Je- 
 sus, of whom we afterward find one hundred 
 and twenty assembled, had begun to associate 
 again with the apostles. 
 
 10. All the Evangelists mention Mary Mag- 
 dalene as one who was first at the tomb, and 
 the first two include other two Marys; all 
 these stating this fact at the.beginning. Luke 
 writes as if it had now occurred to him that 
 he had omitted this statement, and needed to 
 supply the lack. He also adds, what the other 
 Gospels presuppose, that there were others 
 with the Marys. — Mary Magdalene (seech. 8: 2), 
 Joanna (ch;8: 3). — Mary the mother of 
 James, viz. : James the Less, as he is called, 
 to distinguish him from James the son of 
 Zebedee. We thus identify her with " Mary 
 the wife of Ctopas," John 19: 25, Kevision, 
 but not with the sister of our Lord's mother, 
 there mentioned. The latter half of the verse 
 reads, in the best text, as represented by the 
 Revision, omitting which. 
 
 11. And their words seemed to them 
 (ajjpenred in their sight) as idle tales. The 
 apostles, we might almost say, were kept from 
 believing in the resurrection of .Jesus until all, 
 in succession, had the evidence of personal 
 demonstration, that they might the more con- 
 vincingly testify of this fact to the world. 
 
Ch. XXIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 347 
 
 1> aThen arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre ; 
 andst.K.i-i>'i! ^»"«u. >'«•■ '•eheia the. linen V'."^'"=?,>,"!, '^ 
 theiuselve.;, and departed, wondering in himsell at that 
 which was come to pass. 
 
 IJ "aikI hehold, two of them went that same dav to 
 a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem 
 about threescore furlongs. 
 
 1> as idle talk; and they disbelieved them. > Hut Peter 
 arose, and ran unto the tomb; and stooping ana 
 looking in, he seelh the linen cloths hy themselves; 
 and he -departed to his home, wondering at that 
 which was come to pass. 
 
 13 And behold, two of them were going that \ery 
 day to a village uamed Emmaus, which was threo- 
 
 o John 20: 3,6... 
 
 .b Mark 16 : 12. 1 Some ancient authorities omit rer. 12. . . » Or, dn><«rtea. wmdtrtng mlh hinuet/. 
 
 13. Then (or, But) arose Peter, and ran 
 
 untothe sepulchre, etc. Tliismoveiueiitseeins 
 likely to have been the same as that recorded in 
 John (20: 310) ; and if it was, it had taken pb\ce 
 earlier in tlieday, when Mary Magdalene first 
 reported that the Lord was gone from the 
 tomb. Stooping down— may indicate that 
 the entrance to the tomb was of slight eleva- 
 tion in the hill-side, or that it ran sloping into 
 a subterranean chamber.— He beheld the 
 linen clothes laid (rather, lying) by them- 
 selves—literally, alone; i.e., apart from any 
 corpse. This was evidence that the body had 
 not been snatched away, but that care had 
 been taken in leaving the place. This idea is, 
 however, much more fully expressed in the 
 parallel passage of John, who gives the ac- 
 count which had possibly served as a source 
 of this statement in Luke.— In himself. This 
 is more jirobably to be referred to the verb 
 dcparteil, signifying, departed to himself; 
 i. e., to his own house=went home. We seem 
 rather to need information whither he went, 
 than as to the sphere of his wonder. The ex- 
 pression "to himself,'" in this sense, suggests 
 at once the French, {chez soi) to his home; and 
 Kypke, on the passage, gives many examples 
 of a similar use of the Greek phrase. Peter 
 was yet in that state of wonder which involves 
 study and leads to knowledge. Tischendorf 
 omits this verse; Tregelles brackets it ; West- 
 cott and Hort enclose it in double brackets; 
 but the Kevision rightly retains it as proba- 
 bly aullii'iitic. 
 
 13-32. Jesus manifests himself to two dis- 
 ciples at Emmaus. 
 
 13. Two of them went ( rather, were 
 going) that same day to a village called 
 Emmaus, etc. These two were, apparently, 
 of "the rest." (ver.9;conip. ver. 33.) The site of 
 this village is still a matter of search, as no 
 place bearing the name has been discovered 
 at a distance of about seven miles from Jeru- 
 salem. The place called Culonieh, N. N. W. 
 of Jerusalem, is by many thought to be the 
 spot. That seems like the Latin Colonia, 
 
 which might not unnaturally be applied to 
 that Ammaus where Josephus says (Jewish 
 Wars, vii., G. 6) that Titus Cesar settled eiglit 
 hundred veteran soldiers. The distance of 
 this place, however, from Jerusalem, is 
 dubious, from the various texts of Josephus. 
 [It seems very probable, if not perfectly cer- 
 tain, that the site of Emmaus has at last been 
 ascertained, through the enterprise of Mr.s. 
 Finn, widow of the late James Finn, Briti.*h 
 Consul for Jerusalem and Palestine from 1845 
 till 18G3. In a paper contributed by her to the 
 "Quarterly Statement of the Palestine Ex- 
 ploration Fund," for January, 188:i, is an 
 account of the steps by which she was led to 
 the discovery of this site. "The etymo".()gy 
 of the name Emmaus led us to the conclusion 
 that, wherever the Emmaus of St. Luke might 
 be, there must also have existed hot baths ; 
 and the modern Arabic use of the term Ham- 
 mam, as applied to baths generally, whether 
 of natural hot springs or of water artificially 
 heated, led us further to the idea that St. Luke's 
 Emmaus need not be a place of hotspring.s, but 
 that it might be a place where abundance of 
 water had caused the establishment of artifi- 
 cial baths of some importance. AVe convinced 
 ourselves, before long, that there is but one 
 place, within the circuit of sixty furlongs 
 from Jerusalem, where there is a sufficiently 
 copious spring of water for the sup}>ly of 
 baths. That place is the pretty valley of 
 Urtas, which is about seven and one-half 
 lioinan miles, or sixty furlongs, from Jeru- 
 salem, south of Bethlehem. The valley de- 
 scends from the ancient Etham (the fountain 
 of which still bears that name), and passes 
 round the base of the Herodium (or Fnmk 
 Mountain), on its way to the Dead Sea. These 
 two places, Etham and Herodium, are among 
 those whose distance from Jerusalem is speci- 
 fied by Josephus. He tells us that Etham was 
 fifty furlongs off {Antiquities, viii., 7, 3), and 
 that Herodium was sixty furlongs off (Anti- 
 quities, xiv., 13, 9). Urtas, village and spring, 
 lies between the two." Seethe article referred 
 
348 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIV, 
 
 14 And tliey talked together of all these things which 
 had happened. 
 
 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed 
 tugcthfi- and reasoned, " Jesus himself drew near, and 
 went with them. 
 
 10 But ' their eyes were holden that they should not 
 know him. 
 
 17 And he said unto them. What manner of commu- 
 nications <tre these that ye have one to another, as ye 
 walk, and are sad .' 
 
 18 And the one of them, 'whose name was Cleopas, 
 answering said, unto him, Art thou only a stranger in 
 Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are 
 come to pass there in these days? 
 
 19 And he said unto them. What things? And they 
 said unto him. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, i* which 
 was a prophet, « mighty in deed and word before God 
 and all the people : 
 
 20 /And how the chief priests and our rulers deliv- 
 ered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified 
 him. 
 
 21 But we trusted ('that it had been he which should 
 have redeemed Israel : and beside all this, to day is the 
 third day since these things were done. 
 
 22 Yea, and '' certain women also of our company made 
 us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 
 
 2;i And when they found not his body, they came, 
 saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which 
 said that he was alive. 
 
 24 And ' certain of them which were with us went to 
 the sepulchre, and found (7 even so as the women had 
 said: but him they saw not. 
 
 14 score furlongs from Jerusalem. And they com- 
 muned with each other of all these things which 
 
 15 had happened. And it came to pass, while they 
 communed and questioned together, that Jesus him- 
 
 16 self drew near, and went with them. But theireyes 
 
 17 were holden that they should not know him. And 
 he said unto them, i What communications are these 
 that ye have one with another, as ye walk? And 
 
 18 they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, 
 named Cleopas, answering said unto him, 2 Dost thou 
 alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things 
 
 19 which are come to pass therein these days? And 
 he said unto them. What things? And they said 
 unto him. The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, 
 who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before 
 
 20 God and all the people: and how the chief priests 
 and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to 
 
 21 death, and crucified him. But we hoped that it was 
 he that should redeem Israel. Yea and beside all 
 this, it is now the third day since these things came 
 
 22 to pass. Moreover certain women of our company 
 
 23 amazed us, having been early at the tomb; and 
 when they found not his body, they came, saying, 
 that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said 
 
 24 that he was alive. And certain of them that were 
 with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as 
 
 a Matt. 18; 20; ver. HR....ft Jnlin 20 : 14 ; 21 : 4 c John 19; 25 d Matt. 21 : 11 ; ch. 7; 1«; John 3; 2; 4 : 19 ; 6 : 14 ; Acts 2: 22 e Acts 
 
 7: 22.... /oh. 21: 1 : Acts 1:J ; 27. 28 g ch. 1 : «8 ; 2 ; Us ; Acts 1:6 A .Matt. 28 : S ; Mark 16: 10; ver. 9, 10; .lohii 20:18 ! ver. 12. 
 
 1 Gr. Wliat words are these that ye exchange one with another 2 Or. Vast thou sojourn alone in Jerusalem, and knowest thou -not 
 
 the things. 
 
 to for the full evidence, which appears to be 
 sati.sfactory. — A. H.] The men, probably, 
 started early in the forenoon. 
 
 14. Talked together (better, communed 
 one with another), as in the next verse. 
 
 15. Communed together and reasoned 
 — (more exactly, questioned, or debated to- 
 gether). The subject engaged their deep- 
 est interest, and they were discussing with 
 each other the possible reconciliation of diffi- 
 culties and clearing up of their perplexity. 
 This absorption in the theme of their dis- 
 course might itself have hindered their 
 noticing particularlj- the man who drew near 
 and vvent=was journeying^with them. 
 
 16. But their eyes were holden, etc. 
 This was an additional, and, apparently, a di- 
 vinely ordered impediment to their recog- 
 niz/iiig him. Their vision was supernaturally 
 restrained. Comp. verse 31. Mark (i6: 12) sim- 
 ply represents Jesus as being manifested "in 
 another form." 
 
 17. What (omit manner of) communica- 
 tions are these? etc. The literal translation 
 is, What words are these which ye tlirow back 
 and forth to each other? As though their dis- 
 course was of the nature of an inconclusive 
 discussion. See the Revision for the last part 
 of the verse, though the text is doubtful. 
 
 18. And the one of them, Avhose name 
 was Cleopas, answering said. Omit the 
 before one. The mention of the name would 
 guide some of the first readers of the Gospel 
 to a definite person ; to us, it is only a name. 
 Art thou only a stranger, etc., (or, Dost 
 thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem, and not 
 know ? etc.) The sense is, " Art thou the only 
 one sojourning in Jerusalem without becom- 
 ing aware of these all-important events''? 
 The men are themselves so full of the fate of 
 Jesus, that they see not how even a stranger, 
 as they judge him to be, there only for the feast, 
 can fail to be thinking of the same subject as 
 themselves. If he is not, ho must be the only 
 such man. 
 
 19-24. The Saviour, in order that he may 
 the more precisely adapt himself to their state 
 of mind, chooses to draw out their sentiment 
 in their own words. Accordingly, in answer 
 to his question. What things? the^' intimate 
 that they have viewed Jesus as a mighty 
 prophet, whom the rulers have had unjustly 
 condemned and crucified. Would Peter and 
 the other ten, at this time, have fiiiled to speak 
 of Jesus as the Messiah ? Even the confession 
 of these two implies such a conception of him; 
 for they had trusted (rather, hoped) that it 
 had been (or, was) he — he, and none other — 
 
Ch. XXIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 349 
 
 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart 
 
 ^«.)ri:r,::«ht ;!r /^ri!:[t^!:;^^ei;:;^"hese things. 
 
 ^°;^'rv::\-b.i;in;.i^li:o/oses andean the nrophets, 
 heexpouiuhMr uiilo them in all the scriptures the things 
 
 ''"H'\n!rt'hoydrew nigh unto the village whither they 
 went: ami 'lie made as though he would have gone 
 
 '""''But/thev constrained him, saying, Abide with us: 
 for it is toward evening, and the day is lar spent. And 
 he went in to tarry with them. 
 
 25 the women had said : hut him they saw not. And 
 he said unto them, (» foolish men, and slow of heart 
 to helieve Mu all that the prophets have spoken! 
 20 Kehoved it not the < h,rist to sutur these things, and 
 •.>7 to enter into his glorv ? And beginning from Moses 
 and from all the prophets, he interpreted to theni 
 in all the scriptures tiie things conceriiing himself. 
 
 28 .\nd thev drew nigh unto the village, whither they 
 were going: and he made as though he would go 
 
 29 further. .\nd they constrained him, saying, Abide 
 with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is now 
 
 " " T 7- , no„ <»• li- •>2- 18- 26- ♦• 4»: 10: Num. 21: 9; Deut. IR: \b....d P«. 18: 9.10; «; 
 
 aver. 46; Ac» 17 : 3 : 1 Pe- 1 : 1 ....» ver «... v-c Gen-.»^.^ .,5. d^„;<,, .^4. Micah 7 • 20; Mai. 3 : I ; 4 : 2. 
 i:«: 11; lHa.7: ^*l^^j^^^^:'^:^,l;,^^,^^i^3^-i;ii^r^6:*»..../Q.n.l9:3i Act, 16: 15— 1 Or. .^r»«r. 
 
 which should have redeemed (would re- 
 deem) Israel. Yc-t their hope hus been dis- 
 appointed. Their einpliasis on tlie fact that 
 to day is the third day, shows that they re- 
 call his prediction about rising on that day ; 
 but tills may, quite probably, have been 
 brought to them by the women's report of 
 what the angels had said on that subject. 
 They relate the mission of the women to the 
 tomb, that morning, and, probably, that of 
 Peter (ver. 12) ; whetlier of John, also (Joim20::i)? 
 —Certain of them which were with us. 
 There had two or more gone to the tomb, 
 within the knowledge of these men, and so 
 within that of Luke. As he had not related 
 the event, it shows that he was not aiming to 
 tell all he knew. These last had found it 
 even so as the women had said — in re- 
 spect, namely, to tlie absence of the body, and 
 perhaps, to the presence of the angels. The 
 result of it all was, that they find themselves 
 intellectually perplexed; while their senti- 
 ment of attachment to the Great Teacher is 
 affecrioii;itt> and strong. 
 
 25. Then he said unto them, O fools— 
 (better,/o()/(.sA men). It is not the strong term, 
 "fools,"' but,rather," unintelligent," "without 
 due understanding."— And slow of heart- 
 sluggish and backward in disposition— to be- 
 lievei jrt) all that the prophets have spoken. 
 The Saviour recognizes a state of tlie heart 
 and readiness of the will as entering, equally 
 with clearness of understanding, into thecon- 
 ditions of faith. .V strong emphasis lies on 
 the word all. They had overlooked the 
 l)r(ii)hecies of suft'cring and death. 
 
 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered, 
 etc. The Revision is better: Behoved it not 
 the Christ to suffer these </k"h<7s?— rejection 
 at the hands of men, humiliation, pain, and 
 death. Did not God's purpose concerning the 
 Messiah, as indicated in the Scriptures, in- 
 
 volve all this? And to enter into his glory. 
 
 Was not this also a part of that jiurpose, 
 which could be acconii)lished only through 
 the Messiah's death ? "Thus St. Luke mainly 
 dwells on the resurrectitm as a spiritual ne- 
 cessity ; St. Mark as a great fact; St. Mat- 
 thew as a glorious and majestic manifestation ; 
 and St. John in its etlects on the minds of the 
 members of the church." Farrar, epitomizing 
 Westcott. 
 
 27. And beginning at (.strictly from) 
 Moses— touching on all the Messianic intima- 
 tions in the Pentateuch— and (from) all 
 the prophets— and going through witli the 
 prophecies in them pertaining to himself— he 
 expounded unto them in all the Scrip- 
 tures the things concerning himself. Of 
 cour.se it was only a selection out of all the 
 Scriptures, that the time would allow him to 
 expound. Besides Moses=the law, and the 
 prophets, there was that third section, as the 
 Jews classified the books, the Hagiograjdia, or 
 "holy writings," including particularly the 
 Psalms and other poetical books. (See ver. 44). 
 If Luke could have imparted to us the in- 
 struction communicated in that di.scourse, 
 developing the true sense of the prophecies, 
 from the opening Gospel of Genesis 3: 15, to 
 the Sun of Righteousness, Mai. 4: 2, what 
 volumes of groi)ing discussion in later ages 
 might we well have spared ! 
 
 28. And he made as though he would 
 have gone (rather 7") fnrther— /. e., he 
 carried forward the part still, in which he had 
 acted, of one traveling in the same direction 
 with them, and would have gone on if they 
 had not besought him to tarry. It was hi.s 
 general course to bestow his blessings upon 
 faith, in answer to prayer. 
 
 29. And they constrained him — prac- 
 ticed a sort of gentle violence upon him— 
 saying, Abide with us; for it is toward 
 
350 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIV. 
 
 30 And it cauie to pass, as he sat at meat with theiu, 
 "he took bread, and blessed il, and brake, and gave to 
 tlieni. 
 
 SI And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; 
 and he vanished out of their sight. 
 
 '6'J. And they said one to another. Did notour heart 
 burn within us, while he talked with lis by the way, 
 aud while he opened to us the scriptures? 
 
 30 far spent. And he went in to abide with them. And 
 it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to 
 meat, he took the i bread, aud blessed ; and breaking 
 
 31 (/, he gave to them. And their eyes were opened, 
 aud they knew him; and he vanished out ot their 
 
 32 sight. And they said one to another, Was not our 
 heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the 
 
 a Matt. U : 19. 1 Or, loa/. 
 
 evening, and the day is (already) far spent. 
 His conversation niay have whiled away some 
 hours, between walicing and rest. They 
 would have had him spend the night with 
 them. And he went in to tarry — i. e., 
 abide — with them. It was apparently their 
 own house, or that of one of them. He 
 simply granted their prayer; the word 
 ''abide," in this sentence, being from the 
 same Greek as that in the preceding sentence. 
 It is applicable to a longer or shorter stay. 
 
 30. And it came to pass, as he sat at 
 (better, when he had sat down to) meat — re- 
 clined at table— with them, he took (the) 
 bread— Greek, the loaf— and blessed it, 
 and brake, and gave to them. Offered 
 7)?-ai.se— would be a better rendering than 
 blessed it. The Saviour's assumption of 
 the headship of the table must have seemed 
 strange to the two disciples, even if, us some 
 suppose, they were tarrying at an inn ; still 
 more so, if it was at their own house. An old 
 Jewish rule, reported in later books, makes it 
 obligatory to say grace where there are three 
 Ht the table. Had these disciples been of the 
 eleven, we might naturally think the meal 
 intended as the repetition of the Supper three 
 nights before. Still we should feel that there 
 was much lacking to the proper description 
 of such a meal. And as these two disciples 
 had not been present at the institution of the 
 Lord's Supper, they could not be reminded 
 of that. It was rather in the way of his usual 
 custom of praising God for his goodness, at 
 the beginning of a meal, that the Saviour 
 now proceeded. This disposes at once of va- 
 rious dogmatic inferences of Roman Catholics 
 and others. 
 
 31. And their eyes were opened, and 
 they knew — recognized — him. Here was a 
 divine act performed upon them, nt the mo- 
 ment of his distributing the bread, which did 
 away with the restraining influence spoken of 
 (ver.iB); their eyes were no longer " holden," 
 and in the peculiar spirit and manner of his 
 opening their meal, they perceived that it wa.s 
 
 he. And he vanished out of their sight. 
 
 As suddenly and mysteriously as he had 
 drawn near (ver. is), he now disappeared. He 
 did not go — but was gone. Already we dis- 
 cern that air of mystery, materiality spiritual- 
 ized, which hangs around the whole manifes- 
 tation of our Lord, during the forty daj's of 
 his resurrection life. To some he was visible 
 at certain times, but not at all times; and to 
 others not at any time. Now his organic 
 frame appears in the solidity of a human 
 body, and subject to ordinary human condi- 
 tions; and again, it moves as unrestrictedly as 
 if it were a bodiless soul. 
 
 32. Now they realized what they had lost. 
 Did not our heart burn within us, while 
 he talked with us by the way, and while 
 he opened to us the Scriptures? Better, 
 as in the Revision. The omission of and by 
 the best texts, makes the opening the Scrip- 
 tures more manifestly the same thing as the 
 talking to them in the way. The heart burn- 
 ing Avithin them denotes that indescribable 
 fervor of religious interest awakened in their 
 hearts by the clear apprehension of truth con- 
 cerning God, and his plan of redemption 
 through Christ. Opening the Scriptures to 
 one is, plainly, causing one rightly to appre- 
 ciate the truth there written, in its appropri- 
 ateness to the seeking soul. It was an un- 
 speakable privilege to have Christ humanly 
 near, to aid in this; and, thanks to his name! 
 he is equally present to the prayerful, trusting 
 heart, through the Comforter whom he sends 
 at all times. Very appropriately', Farrar, on 
 the passage, cites, upon this account of Christ's 
 interview with the brethren at Emmaus, Cow- 
 per's beautiful application of the narrative, in 
 his poem Conversation, at the passage begin- 
 ning; 
 
 It happened on a solemn eventide, 
 Soon after he that was our surety died. 
 
 Cowper piously moralizes upon the incident; 
 
 Now theirs was converse such as it behooves 
 Man to {oaintaio, and such as God approves. 
 
Ch. XXIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 351 
 
 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to 
 Jerusalem, and luuiid t lie eleven gathered together, and 
 theiu that were widi tlieiu, 
 
 3t Sayinjj, The Lord is risen indeed, and » hath ap- 
 peared 10 .>>iiuoii. 
 
 ;!."> And they told what things u-ere done in the way, 
 and how he was kuowu of them in breaking of bread. 
 
 :H> 'And as they thus spake,.lesus himselfstood iu the 
 midst of them, and saith unto tlieui. Peace hf iiuto you. 
 
 37 Hut they were terrilied and atl'riglited, and sup- 
 posed that they had seen "a spirit. 
 
 :j8 And he said unto them. Why are ye troubled? and 
 why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 
 
 .iij Behold my liands and my feet, that it is I myself: 
 ■'handle me, aiid see; for a spirit hath not fiesh and 
 bones, as ye see me have. 
 
 40 .\nd whtn he had thus spoken, he shewed them 
 his hands and A/.v feet. 
 
 41 .And while they yet believed not «for joy,and won- 
 dered, he said unto tluMu,/lIave ye here any meat? 
 
 41 .And they gave him a piece of a broiled tish, and 
 of an honeycomb. 
 4a ff And he look il, and did eat before them. 
 
 33 way, while he opened to us the scriptures? And 
 they rose up that very hour, and returned lo .leru- 
 sulcm, and I'ound the eleven gailieied logelber, nod 
 
 34 them that were with iheiu, saying, Tlie Lord h^nh 
 
 35 ri.^en indeed, and bath appealed lo .Simon. And 
 they rehearsed the things i/ml /i<ii,i,iii<-il iu the wav, 
 and how he was known of them in tlie breaking of 
 the bread. 
 
 36 And as they spake these things, he himself stood 
 in the midst of them, 'and saith unto them, I'eaee 
 
 37 bf unto you. But they were terrified and allrighted, 
 
 38 and supposed that they beheld a spirit. And he 
 said unto them, Why are'ye trouliled ? and wherefore 
 
 39 do questionings arise in your heart? See mv handi» 
 and my feet, that it is 1 myself: handle me, and see; 
 foraspirit hath not Hesh and bones, as ye lieholdme 
 
 40 having. -.And wlien he had said tliis, he shewed 
 
 41 them his hands and his feet. And while they still 
 disbelieved for joy, and wondered, be said unto 
 
 42 them. Have ye here anything to eat? And they 
 
 43 gave him a piece of a broiled fish.a And he took it, 
 and did eat before them. 
 
 a 1 Cor. 15: 5 h Murk 16: 14: .loliu M : 19; 1 Cor. 15: 5 c Mark S : 49 d John 20: 20.27 eGeu.43: 26.... /John 21 : 5....; Acta 
 
 10: 41. 1 Some aDcleut auiborttiea omit, and saith unto them. Peace be unto you... .2 Some auoleni ttUlhoriiies omit ver. 40.... :i Uan^ 
 
 ancient auiliorltte.i adti, and a honeycomb. 
 
 33-35. Return of the two disciples to Je- 
 rusalem. E.xchiinge of reports with the eleven 
 and others. 
 
 33. And they rose up the same hour, 
 
 etc. Joy would lend speed to their steps, and 
 whether a return that night had been in their 
 plan or not, they were back in Jerusalem be- 
 fore the evening had passed. With haste, we 
 may suppose that less than two hours would 
 suffice. 
 
 34. The eleven anticipate them in an- 
 nouncing an appearance of the Lord to Peter. 
 It was the eleven who said. The Lord is 
 risen, etc. The fact that Luke has not men- 
 tioned that in his narrative, shows that he 
 selects his facts out of an ample store. Comp. 
 on verse 34. 
 
 35. And they told, etc. — namely, Cleopas 
 and his companion. They is emphatic; 
 "they, on their part." The disbelief ascribed 
 to the eleven, in Mark 16: 13, 14, had refer- 
 ence to this particular appearance, and might 
 rest on the supposed improbability that Christ 
 should be in widely separated places at or near 
 the same time. 
 
 36-49. Chri.«t surprises the companj', con- 
 vinces them, gives them their commission. 
 
 36. And as they thus spake (lit., spoke 
 these things) — in the very warmth of their 
 agitated conference concerning him — Jesus 
 (rather, he.) himself stood in the midst of 
 them. Here, again, no coming on his part is 
 reported; but while their discourse went on, 
 there he stood 1 The effect of such an appari- 
 tion might well be to excite timidity and fear, 
 in spite of what they had heard of his being 
 
 alive — nay, indeed, specially on that account. 
 He therefore adds, Peace be unto you. It 
 was the familiar salutation which they had a 
 hundred times received at his lips. Even tiius, 
 it is not surprising that liis presence, in that 
 manner, as of one from the invisible world, 
 filled them with a joyful but wondering awe. 
 
 37. But they were terrified and af- 
 frighted, and supposed that they had 
 seen (better, saw) a spirit. Tlie perturba- 
 tion of mind is mentioned as a reason for their 
 mistake; literally, becoming terrified and af- 
 frighted, they supposed, etc. The same pop- 
 ular delusion, that the disembodied spirits 
 appear in the semblance of a body, led the 
 apostles once before to imagine that Christ, 
 walking on the water in the night, was a gho.st. 
 (Matt. 14: 26; Mark8: 49.) The word they uscd then 
 was "phantasm," or "spectre," butmeaning, 
 as here, " a ghost." Luke makes no mention 
 of reproach to them (comp. Mark i6 : u), which was 
 even more called for here, when they notonly 
 disbelieved the testimony of those who had 
 seen him risen, but that of their own eyes; 
 but he shows us the forbearance of the Lord 
 in reasoning with them, and giving them de- 
 mon-strative proof. 
 
 38. Why are ye troubled ? and AVhy do 
 thoughts (wherefore do reasonings) arise in 
 your hearts? Their feelings were abnor- 
 mally disturbed, and there were intellectual 
 struggles against the legitimate conclusion, 
 from the sight of him, that he was really' 
 alive. 
 
 39-43. He gave them three "infallible 
 proofs " that it was indeed he, the Jesus whom 
 
352 
 
 LUKE, 
 
 [Ch. XXIV. 
 
 44 And he said unto them, "These are the words which 
 I spake uuto you, while I was yet with you, that all 
 things must be fultilled, which were written iu the law 
 ot Moses, and in the prophets, and in tlie psalms, cou- 
 ceriiiug lue. 
 
 4o Tlien 'opened lie their understanding, that they 
 might understand the scriptures, 
 
 4o And said unto them, "Thus it is written, and thus 
 
 44 And he said unto them. These are my words 
 which I spalve unto you, while I was yet w'ith you, 
 how that all things must needs be fulfilled, which 
 are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, 
 
 45 and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he 
 their mind, that they might understand the scrip- 
 
 46 tures; and he said unto them. Thus it is written, 
 that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the 
 
 a Matt. I6:'ll\ 17: 2a; 20: 18; Mark 8 : 31 ; ch. 9 : 22; 18 : 31 ; ver. 6 6 Acts 16 : 14.. ..ever. 26; Ps. 22; Isa. 50: 6; 53: 2, etc.; Acts 17: 3. 
 
 they had known, in his proper person, and 
 no spectre ; first, by causing them to see his 
 scarred hands and feet (ver. 39, w), from which 
 we learn that the feet of Jesus had been 
 nailed to the cross; secondly, by letting them 
 feel him that he was not a mere semblance 
 of Jesus, but himself bodily. In regard to 
 this, as bearing on the relation of his person 
 to the glorified, spiritual body (comp. 1 cor. 15 : 50), 
 we can onlj' speculate, and that to little use. 
 We are, perhaps, warranted, from what the 
 chapter tells us, in concluding that our Saviour 
 was in an absolutely unique condition, belong- 
 ing of right to the future life, but called by 
 hisoiBceto maintain a recognizable relation 
 to his disciples here a little longer. Thirdly, he 
 did eat before them a piece of a broiled 
 fish, which they gave him. The clause and 
 of a honeycomb is a late addition, being 
 absent from all the four earliest manuscripts 
 which contain the passage. Nothing further, 
 surely, could be needed to scatter all their 
 doubts. 
 
 44-47. Harmony of all that has occurred 
 in his case with the Scriptures. 
 
 44. And he said unto them, These are 
 the (correct reading, my) words which I 
 spake unto you, etc. Some harmonists make 
 the following discourse parallel to what is re- 
 lated in Acts 1 : 4 ff., as if an interval of near 
 forty days had passed. But there is no hint 
 of any such separation in the record; on the 
 contrary, Luke connects this to the preceding 
 precisely as if Christ went on naturally from 
 verse 43. The section is to be regarded as a 
 provisional and private instruction, followed 
 by a commission, different from the public 
 and more formal declarations in Matt. 28: 
 18-20; Mark 16: 15-18; and Acts 1: 4-8. 
 These are my words. These events, per- 
 taining to my death and resurrection, are the 
 fulfillment of my words, which I spake 
 unto you. See the references at verse 6. 
 While I was yet with you. He looks back 
 on the relations existing before his death, as 
 now ended ; he is no longer with them, except 
 
 transiently and at intervals, and not at all to 
 continue work like that in which he was then 
 engaged. That all things must be ful- 
 filled. This, namely, was the purport of the 
 words which I spake unto you. Jesus often 
 referred his disciples to prophecies in their 
 Scriptures which must be fulfilled by action 
 or suflfering on his part; and John represents 
 him (ch. 1:28) as declaring his thirst on the 
 cross, in order that a typical prophecy in Ps. 
 69: 21 might be fulfilled by his drinking of 
 the vinegar. Then all had been fulfilled. 
 Which Avere (are) written in the law of 
 Moses, etc. This is the fullest description 
 that we have of the contents of the Old Tes- 
 tament, as arranged in his dtiy (see above on ver. 27). 
 There were, and are now, in the Hebrew 
 Bibles, three Divisions: (1) the Law (five 
 books of Moses); (2) the Prophets, including 
 the historical books from Joshua to II. Kings, 
 except Kuth (called the Former Prophets), 
 and what we call the Prophets, except Daniel 
 (the Later Prophets); (3) the Writings in 
 Latin, named Hagiographa (including all 
 the other books of the Old Testament). 
 As the Psalms are the first, and, in a pro- 
 phetic aspect, the most important portion 
 of this Division, the Saviour here calls the 
 whole, by synechdoche, the Psalms. Gen- 
 erally he is content to speak of the whole as 
 the Law and the Prophets; but here would 
 indicate the necessity of fulfilling everything 
 in the whole Bible. 
 
 45. Then opened he their understand- 
 ing that they might understand the Scrip- 
 tures. This seems to describe an effect pro- 
 duced in them such that they were thencefor- 
 ward to be capable of discerning the true 
 sense of any prophecy of the Old Testament. 
 Blessed power! What could it be but a larger 
 measure of the Spirit by which the prophets 
 were borne on, when they uttered their mes- 
 sages from God? (Comp. ver. 32; Ps.119: 18; 1 Cor. 2 : lOff.; 
 Matt. U: 27; 16: 17; John 16: 13.). The lack of this 
 
 power was shown in ch. 18: 34. 
 
 46. And said unto them. Thus it is 
 
Ch. XXIV.] 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 353 
 
 it ticliooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead I 47 dead the third day ; and that repentance 'and ra- 
 the third day: I mission of sins should he preached in his name unto 
 
 47 And that repentance and "remission of sins should j 48 all the -nations, heginniug from Jerusalem. Ye are 
 
 l)c preached in his name 'among all nations, beginning 
 at .ierusalem. 
 
 4S And "ye are witnesses of these things. 
 
 4'.t •'And, hehold, I send the promi.se of my Father 
 uiionyou: hut tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until 
 ye he endued with power from on high. 
 
 ■ >n And he led them out ' as far as to Bethany, and he 
 lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 
 
 41) witnesses of these things. And behold, 1 semi forth 
 the |)romiseof my Kather iijion you: but tarry ye in 
 the citv, until ye be clothed with power from on 
 high. 
 
 •W .\iul he led them out until thei/ t/rrr over against 
 Uethauy: and he lifted up his hands, and blessed 
 
 <t Dan. 9: '.14; Acts 13: 38, 46; 1 John 2 : 12 b Gen. 12: 3; Ps. 22: 27; Isa. 49: 6.22; Jer. 31 : 34; Boura 2: 23; Micah 4:2; Mai. 1 : U' 
 
 c John 15: 27; Acts 1: 8, 22; 2: 32; 3: 15 d Ua. 44: 3; Joel 2: 28; JobD 14: 16. 26: 15 : 26; 16: 7; Acta 1:4:2: 1. etc « AcM 
 
 1 : 12. 1 Some ancient auihoiilies read, vn(o... .2 Or, na(ion«. Beginning from Jenualem, ye are witnettea. 
 
 written, and thus it behooved Christ to 
 suffer. Better, a.s in tlie Kevision. See Psa. 
 •22; Isa. 50: 5-9; 53; com p. Acts 17 : 3. The 
 word.s, and thus it behooved, are wanting in 
 all the more iiii|»ortaiit MSS. — And to rise 
 from the dead the third day. See Psa. IG: 
 10, 11 ; conip. Acts 2: 25-82; 13: 33-35. The 
 absence of passages in the Old Testament 
 clearly applicable to the clause on the third 
 day (our Saviour found this t^'jjicaliy fore- 
 shadowed in the restoration of Jonah, after 
 three days), may have caused the words and 
 thus it behooved to be added as an explana- 
 tory gloss. But our Saviour passes freely from 
 the things expressly spoken beforehand about 
 him, to those which were logically or histori- 
 cally involved in them. This remark applies 
 especially to the next verse, which also comes 
 in here as a part of the things which were 
 written, because, to the Saviour's mind, they 
 are a mere extension of that. 
 
 47. And that repentance and (or, for) 
 remission of sins should be preached, 
 etc. The Greek order of the words implies 
 some emphasis on preached; "and that ]iroc- 
 lamation should be made in his name of re- 
 l)entance and remission of sins unto all the 
 iiiitions," etc. This indicates prominently the 
 next step that was to be taken, now that the 
 provision for universal pardon has been made 
 through his death and resurrection. It leads, 
 al-so, to the announcement of tlieir function in 
 the matter, in the next verse. — Beginning 
 at Jerusalem. "To the Jew first, and also 
 to the Greek" (Rom. i:i«). Although the nation 
 had sold its birthright to primacy in the king- 
 dom of God, as proposed to them by the iles- 
 siah personally, the offer should be still 
 extended to them, under the Dispensation of 
 the Spirit, through the witness to his resur- 
 rection. Comp. Acts 3: 19-26. 
 
 48. And ye are witnesses of these things. 
 And is no part of the text, and should be 
 
 omitted. This verse describes the primary 
 function of the apostles, and eye-witne.«ses 
 generally, of the risen Jesus. These things 
 are the same that he has been so designating in 
 verses 2(3, 44; namely, those pertaining to his 
 resurrection from the grave, implying the fact 
 of his death and burial, as it occurred. Of 
 course, these naturally drew after them the 
 account of liis whole ]>ublic life. Comp. Acts 
 1 : y, 21 ff. Here is no formtil consecration to 
 an office; that had already been done, so far 
 as was necessary ; but it was a statement of 
 the first and most important duty involved in 
 the office of the apostles, and which every dis- 
 ciple could discharge, in his measure, who had 
 .seen Christ alive from the desid. How clearly 
 the apostles recognized this as their duty; see 
 the last reference above, and .\cts 2: 32; 3: 
 15; as well as the tenor of their whole procla- 
 mation throughout the Ads. 
 
 49. And, behold, I send the promise of 
 my Father upon you. Tlu- compound verb 
 u.sed means send forth. The promise means 
 the special influence of the Spirit of God, 
 promised .Joel 2: 28. Comp. Isa. 44: 3; John 
 14 : 10, 17, 2(3 ; 15 : 26 ; 16 : 7 ; Acts 1 : 5, 8. This 
 would be the indispen.sable prerequisite to the 
 discharge of their office. Comp. 1 Cor. 2: 12-1(5. 
 Not 3'et fully understanding this, they might 
 be inclined to go forth on their mission prema- 
 turely.— But tarry ye— sit ye down— in the 
 city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued 
 a. e., clothed) with jiower from on high — 
 that power which only the reception of the 
 Si)irit could imj)art. See, again, Acts 1 : 8. 
 
 50-53. TiiK AscKNsioN-. 
 
 .50. Aud he led them out as far as to 
 Bethany. This also (comp. on ver 44) is 
 jidded as though no sjiace of time came be- 
 tween it !»nd the preceding discourse ; ])ut all 
 followed on the evening of the resurrection 
 day. Yet we find, in Acts 1 : 3-10. that Luke 
 was distinctly aware that Jesus had continued 
 
 X 
 
354 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 [Ch. XXIV. 
 
 51 n And it came to pass, while lie blessed them, he was 
 parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 
 
 52 'And they worsliipped him, and returned to Jeru- 
 salem with great joy : 
 
 o.S And were continually ''in the temple, praising and 
 blessing God. Amen. 
 
 51 them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, 
 he jiarted from them, 'and was carried up into 
 
 52 heaven. And they ^worshipped him, and returned 
 
 53 to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually 
 in the temple, blessing God. 
 
 a -1 Kiugs 2:11; Mark 16:19; John 20 : 17 ; Acts 1:9; Ephes. 4 : 
 ties oiuU, and was carried up into heaven. .,6 
 
 .* Matt. 28: 9, n c Acts 2 : 46 : 5: 42. 1 Some ancient authori- 
 
 e ancient authorities omit, worshipped him, and. 
 
 Oil the earth forty days longer. During that 
 time took place the meeting with the eleven 
 (joiin 20: 26-29), when Thomas was present, and 
 the last disbeliever was convinced ; his ap- 
 pearance to seven of the apostles, in the 
 familiar scene by the Sea of Tiberias (Joim 
 21 ; 1-24) ; and again to the eleven, in the moun- 
 tain in Galilee (Matt. 28: ic-20; Mark i6: i5-i8), where 
 he formally renewed and expanded their 
 apostolic commission. Some have supposed 
 that at the time of writing his Gospel, Luke 
 had not learned clearly this succes.sion of 
 events, but was informed of it before he com- 
 posed the Acts. As Paul, however, with 
 whom Luke was so intimately associated, had 
 shown before this (lOor. 15:4-7) that he knew 
 well of a considerable interval between the 
 resurrection and the ascension, it is hard to 
 believe that Luke did not understand it before 
 he wrote first. It is more probable that Luke, 
 knowing well that some time elapsed before 
 the ascension, but expecting to speak of that 
 more fully in his later treatise, now threw 
 into one view, "a perspective view," as it 
 has been called, all which he thought it neces- 
 sary to communicate now concerning the in- 
 terval before the ascension, and the ascension 
 itself. Some think that an intimation of suc- 
 cessive stages of the history is given, in the 
 repetition of "and he said unto them," in 
 ver. 38,44, 46, as well as in our verse. There 
 is nothing, certainl}', in this passage, like 
 a night experience, and it must have been 
 conceived of as running deep into the night, 
 if it followed upon the events of that first 
 Lord's Day. The spot on Olivet whence the 
 ascension took place, is not precisely indicated. 
 Tradition fixed the scene as at the highe.st 
 summit of the ridge. It is as likely to have 
 been in some retired nook near his beloved 
 Bethany. The phrase as far as to Bethany 
 marks the terminus nd quern of his movement 
 without obliging us to think that he entered 
 the village. — And he lifted up his hands — 
 the attitude of invocation — and blessed 
 them — besought, with thanksgiving and 
 
 praise, God's blessing on them. "We may im- 
 agine what intensity and fullness of desire 
 breathed through his prayer. 
 
 51. The verse paints his departure. While 
 be was in the act and Jittitude of blessing 
 them, he was (omit was) parted from them. 
 This is expressed in the Greek, naturally, as 
 an instantaneous act; while the next verb 
 causes the mind to dwell on the movement — 
 and carried up into heaven — borne on a 
 cloud, as we see in the Acts, slowly and 
 visibly, before their eyes. The upward direc- 
 tion accorded with the popular conception of 
 the celestial locality, as above the firmament 
 — a conception almost inevitable for everyone, 
 since the traditions of language have identi- 
 fied the blessed abodes with the sky. This 
 sentence is omitted from the text by Tischen- 
 dorf, and is admitted by other high authorities 
 to be doubtful; but three; of the five chief 
 ancient manuscripts have it, and it is rightly 
 retained in the Revision. 
 
 53. The same remark a])plies to the text of 
 the first clause here. And they worshipped 
 him — not as if now first seen to be worthy of 
 divine honor (comp. Matt. 28: 9, 19), but now, doubt- 
 less, with a special reverence and adoration. 
 And returned to Jerusalem with great 
 joy. Their Saviour had entered into his 
 glory, and they were sure of sharing the 
 same when he should return to take them to 
 himself What strength and zeal, to do and 
 bear, would this manifest demonstration of 
 the triuinjih of their Leader and Head impart 
 to the.se favored witnesses, and, through their 
 testimony, to the first generations of those 
 who believed on him through their word! 
 
 53. And Were continually in the tem- 
 ple, praising and blessing God. The best 
 MSS. omit praising. The temple, which 
 has been the scene for sf) many ages of all 
 authorized public worship of the true God, 
 and which Jesus has consecrated to their 
 hearts by his participation with them there, 
 will not readily be forsaken by the disciples. 
 The Master has taught them to tarry about it 
 
 I 
 
Ch. XXIV.] LUKE. 355 
 
 for the present, and great changes in their assembling to themselves. (acisI: 13.). Blcss- 
 views of what is involved in the gospel will ing God. All their view of him would mow 
 be required, before they can willingly desert be brightened by the light from the Sun of 
 it. The Acts will sliow the history of that : Righteousness; the types and shadows of tlieir 
 change. Coiitiiiiially — that is, whejiever the ceremonies would gradually become clear and 
 appointed services called them thither; but j significant, through their ac(iuaintaiice witli 
 not so as to prevent their having a place of 1 the antitype and substance of them all. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 See verses 615-71, piijiv :!i7. 
 
 "Was our Saviour suVjjected to one, two, or three exaniiiuitions before .Jewish authorities 
 at this time? The prima facie impression made as we read severally and compare the four 
 records is, unquestionably, that there were three. On that view, the interpretation given 
 above proceeds. In .John xviii. 1:5-24, as the llevision correctly reads and renders ver. 24, 
 we have a simple, interesting, and thoroughly' self-consistent scene, in the house of Annas. 
 He is called "high priest," as in Luke iii. 2; Acts iv. G, although Caiaphas is stated to be 
 formally such that year, and is particularly so named, as if to make the proper distinction, 
 when .Jesus is fiiuiUy sent over to the house of Caiaphas. For when the cruel and haughty 
 Annas makes nothing by liis impertinent questions to his prisoner; but brings on liimself 
 implied rebuke for his permission of illegal violence toward him — "Annas therefore sent 
 him [not to be transinted 'had sent,' even if there were much probability that it should be 
 so interpreted] bound unto Caiaphas, the high-priest." (.John 18: 24.) 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 57, •'')'.)-68 ; JNIark xiv. 53, 55-05, give an account oi another ])retence of 
 inquest in the house of Caiaphas, before a considerable body of chief priests and other coun- 
 cillors, for the assembling of whom time may have bticn given by the delay with Annas. In 
 the court of this house goes forward the same testing of Peter which liad begun in the court 
 of Annas' house. Nothing is rejjorted by these writers of such questions as had been put 
 to .Jesus by Annas; but the result is a mock judgment that he is worth3' of death. All this 
 took place deep in the night. The first two Evangelist? uUude also to a session of the formal 
 and complete council after daybreak. 
 
 Of this session, Luke, in the pa.ssage above considered, furni.sbes the only detailed r(>- 
 port. Of this alone does he give any report, indeed; perhaps, because it alone could pretend 
 to a legal, or even reasonable formality, or give a shape to their indictment of Jesus which 
 they would dare to lay before the Governor. 
 
 Here are thus three distinct, important, complementary accounts of the so-called trial, 
 with quite intelligible reasons why they should all be given. Probablj' thousands, in the 
 beginning of the written Gospel, having each only one of the four records, lived and died in 
 the belief that each had a veritable narrative of the transaction. Were they misled? We, 
 having all the four, and minutely comparing them, maj- desiderate fuller information to 
 harmonize them perfectly. But surely they present no extraordinary perjjlexitics. "\Ve 
 have noticed all that occur in the exi)osition of Luke. The sim))le and long-familiar 
 hyj)othesis of a domicile for Annas, such that its large inner court was the court also of that 
 of Caiaphas, clears away the chief difficulty. 
 
 A word further on this topic seemed called for since Ederslieim just now, in his very 
 valuable Ij'ife and Times of Jesus, also supposes .John to bring .Jesus before Annas for 
 nothing; and that what seems to be an interview with the latter, was really with Caiaj)ha.>. 
 Not so Weiss, nor Westcott, in his (hmmentary on John. But Mr. H. C Vedder, in a 
 learned and able monograph on the Trial of .Jesus, in the Bihliotliecn Sacra for October. 
 1882, maintains the identity of the examination of Annas with that before the assembly of 
 notables with (^aiajihas. C^mfining attention to his ingeniou* and suggestive diatessaron, one 
 will hardly escape his conclusion. But, as we have stated, the impression made by the re- 
 spective narratives seems to us different. The important thing is, that we should not, for 
 the sake of a form of harmony, introduce into the testimony of .John, an inconsistency more 
 serious than any seeming di.screpancy between him and the other Gospels. 
 
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