The 
 
 MewCentury 
 
 Bible 
 
 Saint Luke 
 
Divisioa "^^-'^^ 
 
 Section 
 
 r 
 
The following thirtan volumes, comprising the whole 
 New Testament, have already been arranged for. 
 
 1. MATTHEW, by Prof. W. F. Sl.ATER, ^T.A. 
 
 2. MARK, by Principal Salmonu, D.D. 
 
 3. LUKE, by Prof. W. F. Adenev, xM.A. 
 
 4. JOHN, by the Rev. J. A. M'Clymont, D.D. 
 
 5. ACTS, by Prof. J. Vernon Bartlet, M.A. 
 
 6. ROMANS, by the Rev. A. E. Garvie, M.A. 
 
 7. I AND n CORINTHIANS, by Prof. J. Massie, M.A. 
 
 8. PHILIPPIANS, EPHESIANS, COLOSSIANS, PHIL- 
 
 EMON, by the Rev. G. Currie Martin, .M.A., B.D. 
 
 9. I AND II THESSALONIANS, GALATIANS, by Prof. 
 
 W. F. Adexey, M.A. 
 
 10. THE PASTORAL EPISTLES, by the Rpv. R. F. 
 
 Horton, M.A., D.D. 
 
 11. HEBREWS, by Prof. A. S. Peake, M.A. 
 
 12. THE GENERAL EPISTLES, by Prof.W.H. Bennett, 
 
 M.A. 
 
 13. REVELATION, by the Rev. C. Anderson Scott, 
 
 M.A. 
 
THE NEW-CENTURY BIBLE 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
General Editor : Prof. W. F. Adeney 
 
 ^t ZuU 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 AUTHORIZED VERSION 
 
 REVISED VERSION WITH NOTES 
 
 INDEX AND MAPS 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 WALTER F. ADENEY. D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOK OF NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS, NEW COLLEGE, LONDOK 
 
 AUTHOR OF 'how TO READ THE BIBLE,' &C., AND 
 
 JOINT AUTHOR OP 'BIBLICAL INTRODUCTION' 
 
 KEW YORK: HENRY FROWDET 
 
 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, AMERICAN BRANCH 
 
 EDINBURGH: T. C. & E. C. JACK 
 
The Revised Version is printed by permission of the 
 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 As this little book is intended for popular use it has not 
 been thought desirable to cumber its pages with references 
 to authorities. The editor wishes to acknowledge great 
 indebtedness to Dr. Plummer among English writers for 
 his critical Commentary, which must be acknowledged as 
 the standard work on Luke; also to the Rev. Arthur 
 Wright (6'/. Lukes Gospelin Greek) and the Rev. Sir John C. 
 Hawkins {Hone Synopticce) for their most serviceable 
 tabulation of the materials of the Gospel. These three 
 books, articles in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible^ and 
 Edersheim's, Weiss', and Geikie's Lives of Christ, have 
 been consulted throughout. Among foreign authorities the 
 editor has found Renan, Pfieiderer, Jiilicher, Holtzmann, 
 and Zahn of great service. The Thayer-Grimm Dictionary 
 and Geddes' and Moulton's Concordance have been 
 constantly in hand. The text followed is that of the 
 Revisers, but comparison has been made with Westcott 
 and Hort's texts and the authorities in Tischendorf with 
 reference to doubtful passages. 
 
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 ' The most beautiful book that has ever been written.' 
 This superlative opinion of the Gospel according to Luke 
 is the judgement of a critic^ who, whatever we may 
 think of his theological position, must be acknowledged 
 as a scholar of the first rank and an author of consummate 
 artistic skill. It is not difficult to acquiesce in such 
 a verdict. Of course, if we thought only of the literary 
 graces of a work in estimating its attractiveness, we 
 should not look to the Christian Scriptures to furnish us 
 with successful rivals to Plato's dialogues or Shakespeare's 
 plays. Appreciative readers of the New Testament have 
 no desire to bring that volume, or any part of it, into 
 competition with the Symposium or PhcEdo, with King- 
 Lear or Hatnlet. Its claims on our regard are to be found 
 in other regions than those assigned to the philosopher 
 and the poet. But if the beauty of a book lies deeper 
 than grace of diction, strength of thought, wealth of 
 imagination — if we take into account the spirit of a work 
 as well as its form, its subject as well as its style, 
 the moral and spiritual phases of the beautiful as well 
 as the sensuous and the intellectual, the claim for this 
 
 ^ Renan. 
 B 2 
 
6 S r. l.UKK 
 
 Hebrew style of liis own will and choice, or by a sort of 
 instinct for what was fitting in those portions of his work 
 that read like Jewish idyls or approach the subject of 
 pastoral poetry, such as the visit of the Virgin to her 
 kinswoman in the hill country, and the scene of the 
 shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night. Each 
 gospel has its own charm. The graphic directness of 
 Mark and its rugged force more than reconcile us to its 
 neglect of literary polish. In Matthew— the gospel which, 
 as some think, was written especially for catechetical 
 instruction and use in public worship— we have a rotund 
 style, rich and mellow, and satisfying to the hearer. The 
 fourth gospel is more mystical, and in the mystic style 
 is always subordinate to thought. Turning from these 
 books, each so perfect in its way— Mark to make us see 
 the facts, Matthew to teach us the truths, John to 
 introduce us to the hidden mysteries — and coming to 
 the gospel of the Gentile man of letters, we find ourselves 
 in the hands of an able writer, keenly sympathetic, dealing 
 with his subject in a style of gentle grace. If we were to 
 look for types of the evangelists in our great English 
 prose writers, we might fancy w^e could recognize the 
 shadow of Matthew in Dr. Johnson, of John in William 
 Law ; Mark's realism in De Foe, and Luke's idealism in 
 Oliver Goldsmith. Now let us turn to more verifiable 
 details. 
 
 L Characteristics of the Gospel. 
 
 Apart from the general considerations of literary style 
 just referred to, there are certain features in this gospel 
 that mark it out in distinction from its companions, stamp 
 it with an individual character of its own, and incidentally 
 reveal the spirit and temper of its author. The following 
 appear to be the chief of these specifically Lucan 
 traits : — 
 
 I. Joyousness. Luke's is the most joyous of the 
 gospels. It contains more purely happy scenes than 
 
INTRODUCTION 7 
 
 any of the others. It is quicker to discover the brighter 
 side of the topics it deals with. A radiance like the 
 dawn, a freshness as of spring, suffuse its pages. It has 
 more about infancy, childhood, and youth than its com- 
 panions. While Mark in its concrete matter-of-fact style 
 is not especially adapted to any one period of life, and 
 Matthew in its thoughtfulness is the gospel for the mature, 
 and John contains meditations and consolations for the 
 aged, Luke is pre-eminently the gospel for the young. 
 It tells most of the infancy of Jesus ; it gives us all the 
 information we have about his boyhood. It has more 
 about young men than the other Synoptics — the widow's 
 son at Nain, the young man who would be for going 
 to bury his father. This gospel also stands alone in 
 introducing us to certain aged folk— Simeon and Anna. 
 But they appear in a story of infancy, and they are young 
 old people. They seem to be introduced for the express 
 purpose of shewing how the eagerness for the future and 
 the belief in it which we commonly associate with youth 
 may be experienced by the old if they are possessed with 
 the spirit of the new age. In them, as in the gospel 
 generally, we detect the note of hope. The angels' song 
 heard by the Bethlehem shepherds is both gladsome and 
 hopeful. Emphatically this book of Luke is a gospel ; it is 
 glad tidings. This one alone of the four gospels describes 
 our Lord's preaching at Nazareth, where he unfolds the 
 programme of his mission, and there we see that it is a 
 mission of light and liberty, health and gladness. From this 
 gospel especially we learn how erroneous it is to suppose 
 that throughout his life Jesus was ' a man of sorrows.' It 
 cannot hide from us the fact that the shadows gathered 
 about his course till at last that became a via dolorosa : 
 but even then this gospel, and this gospel alone, shews 
 that Jesus refused the compassion of the women of 
 Jerusalem, bidding them reserve it for themselves and 
 their children ; and this gospel is the only one that tells 
 how the dark horror which gathered about the spirit of 
 
8 ST. LUKE 
 
 Jesus was dispelled at the very last, so that he calmly 
 commended his spirit into his Father's hands. But 
 earlier there was not the gloom or sorrow we associate 
 with the great final tragedy. There was a gladness in 
 our Lord's aspect and bearing as well as in the words 
 he spoke; otherwise would children have come freely 
 to him at a word ? Luke contains more social festivitifes 
 than the other gospels, more occasions on which Jesus 
 accepts hospitality, more numerous accounts of these 
 pleasant amenities of life. Then how the same spirit 
 of gladness shines out of his account of the teachings of 
 Jesus ! It suffuses that central gem of the gospel, the 
 beautiful fifteenth chapter, the dominant note of which 
 is gladness— the shepherd and the housewife, in each 
 case calling their friends together to rejoice with them 
 over the recover^' of what they had lost ; and then, in the 
 great parable, the father actually running to meet his son, 
 and crying out for the robe, the ring, the calf, almost 
 beside himself with the excitement of a great joy, which 
 musicians and dancers must echo with their merry-making. 
 The three parables teach deep and aftecting lessons of 
 penitence, forgiveness, and restoration ; but, as the intro- 
 ductory narrative shews, their original purpose was to 
 rebuke Pharisaic moroseness, and lift the veil that hides 
 from churlish and gloomy souls the joy which is in the 
 presence of the angels of God. 
 
 2. Kindliness and liberality of spirit. This is 
 emphatically the gospel of grace. If the fourth gospel 
 reveals most profoundly the love of God as that dwells 
 in his own heart, and becomes the very source and 
 spring of the mission of Jesus, the third gospel exhibits 
 God's loving kindness in action and reflected in events. 
 This graciousness of the gospel appears as early as the 
 Magnificat, a psalm that is full of gladness because it is 
 full of gratitude for the goodness of God. It is almost 
 equally apparent in all the hymns of the idyllic early 
 period. The angels' song breathes a message of peace. 
 
INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 The programme at Nazareth is a programme of kindly 
 ministrations. The spirit of God has come upon Jesus 
 that he may bestow various blessings on the people. This 
 gospel and Matthew are the only gospels that contain 
 the Beatitudes; and in Luke they take the more direct 
 form of benediction, while in Matthew they are abstract 
 statements ^. 
 
 Luke reveals his own liberality of mind and charity of 
 temper by selecting and recording incidents and sayings 
 revealing these characteristics in our Lord, which are not 
 referred to by any of the other evangelists. While all 
 the Synoptic writers shew us that Jesus was the Friend of 
 publicans and sinners, Luke delights to give instances of 
 this fact with more abundance than the other evangehsts. 
 Thus, he it is who alone records the parable of the 
 Pharisee and the Publican, and the pleasant story of 
 Zacchasus in the sycamore tree. This has been pointed 
 to as one of the signs of the Pauline character of the 
 third gospel. Luke, as a disciple of the great apostle 
 of grace, delights to set forth the signs of grace in our 
 Lord. The Pauline liberalism is seen in less regard for 
 the law than is found in Matthew, and in a larger sympathy 
 for mankind. While Matthew's genealogy is Jewish, 
 beginning with Abraham and going through the list of 
 kings to shew the Messianic rights and royal heirship 
 of Jesus, Luke's is purely human in its relations, tracing 
 back the actual descent of Jesus and not ending till it 
 reaches Adam, the common ancestor of all mankind, to 
 shew the Christ as the brother-man akin to Gentiles as 
 well as Jews. It is in this spirit that Luke is the only 
 evangelist to record our Lord's words at Nazareth, 
 where he quotes the examples of Elijah and Elisha in 
 bringing blessings to heathen people, and shews that 
 God's blessings are not to be confined to the Jews. Luke 
 
 ' Matt, v, 3, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' &c. ; Luke vi. 20, 
 Blessed are ye poor,' Sec. 
 
lo ST. LUKE 
 
 too gives us interesting glimpses of Christ's kindness 
 towards Samaritans— in his rebuke of two over-jealous 
 disciples, who would have called down fire from heaven on 
 an unfriendly village of Samaria ; his naming a Samaritan 
 as the one leper out of ten cured who returned to give 
 thanks ; his selection of a Samaritan in contrast with 
 a Jewish priest and Levite for the type and pattern of 
 true neighbourliness. The same liberalism of the gospel 
 is seen in its record of our Lord's words about the 
 sufferers from disaster, in the case of Pilate's victims 
 and the people on whom the tower in Siloam fell, who 
 are not to be regarded as exceptionally guilty because 
 exceptionally unfortunate ; and again in our Lord's 
 generous excuse for the conservative prejudices of those 
 who refuse to receive his new teaching, comparing them 
 to the preference for old wine to new. How large minded, 
 how patient, how genial, it was to adduce that illustration ! 
 The passage is only in Luke. 
 
 The most touching form of grace is that which is known 
 as mercy, kindness to th6 helpless, and especially the 
 undeserving. This is very prominent in our gospel, 
 which is peculiarly the gospel of forgiveness. Luke 
 gives us two exceptionally beautiful instances of this 
 grace — one in the story of the woman of ill-repute who 
 washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, the forgiveness 
 of whose many sins results in her great love, a truth 
 further enforced by the parable of the two debtors ; the 
 other in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who is freely 
 and generously forgiven by his father. These narratives 
 are only found in the third gospel. So also, as already 
 observed, is the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, 
 where the latter appears as the type of the penitent, his 
 prayer being for mercy to a sinner. This is the only 
 gospel that records our Lord's prayer on the cross for 
 the pardon of his enemies, and that with the considerate 
 plea, * for they know not what they do ' ; and the only 
 gospel containing the incident of the penitent robber 
 
INTRODUCTION ii 
 
 and our Lord's promise to the dying man tluit he shall 
 be with him in Paradise. In this gospel then it is pre- 
 eminently that Jesus appears as ' the Sinner's Friend.' 
 
 3. Sympathy with the poor. We might regard this 
 feature of the gospel as One manifestation of that just 
 noticed, as a form of the kindliness of spirit that 
 pervades the whole book. But it is sufficiently peculiar 
 and pronounced to be relegated to a category of its own. 
 So prominent and emphatic is it that some have regarded 
 it as the most distinctive note of Luke's personal stand- 
 point. Accordingly, his book has been called the * Ebionite 
 gospel/ on the supposition that it emanated from those 
 primitive Christians who were known as the Ebionites, 
 that is to say, ' the Poor Men.' Such a view is extravagant, 
 and not reasonably possible. The Ebionites sprang from 
 the church at Jerusalem and other Jewish communities 
 of Christians. They represent a stiffening of the primitive 
 Christianity of Palestine on its Jewish side, the develop- 
 ment of the extreme Judaistic opinions of the party 
 sheltering itself under the name of James, the Lord's 
 brother. It is simply inconceivable that the most 
 liberal gospel, the gospel most close to Paul in spirit and 
 temper, should have its origin among these conservative 
 reactionaries. Moreover, this gospel does not proclaim 
 the sinfulness of wealth and forbid the possession of 
 property in the manner of pronounced Ebionism. There 
 are women of means who minister to Jesus with their 
 property ; Zachasus, though a rich man, is kindly treated 
 by Jesus, and his resolution to give half his goods to 
 the poor— not all— is recorded to his credit. Nevertheless, 
 this gospel does evince an especial sympathy for the 
 poor. That appears as early as the Magnificat, in which 
 Mary says : — 
 
 ' He hath put down princes from their thrones, 
 And hath exalted them of low degree. 
 The hungry he hath filled with good things ; 
 And the rich he hath sent empty away." 
 
12 ST. LUKE 
 
 In the Nazareth programme Jesus quotes the prophecy, 
 
 ' The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 Because [or vvhereforej he anointed me to preach good 
 tidings to the poor,' &c. 
 
 While in Matthew the Beatitudes refer to moral conditions, 
 in Luke they point to social differences. Thus, the first 
 gospel has ' Blessed are the poor in spirit,' but the third 
 has * Blessed are ye poor ' ; the first refers to those who 
 * hunger and thirst after righteousness,' but the third has 
 *ye that hunger now,' apparently meaning bodily hunger. 
 Still more significant is Luke's list of lamentations 
 following the Beatitudes, and peculiar to his gospel— 
 ' But woe unto you that are rich . . . woe unto you that 
 are full now.' Still it should be observed that the 
 repeated use of the word ' now ' does not suggest that 
 wealth as such is denounced. It points to the inference 
 that present possessions are no guarantee for future 
 security. The tables will be turned in the good time 
 coming. Similar ideas also come out in the parables 
 of the Rich Fool, and Dives and Lazarus, the first pointing 
 to the temporary character and comparative uselessness 
 of great wealth, the second to a complete reversal of 
 fortunes in the future world. Nevertheless, it is not 
 asserted that Lazarus is rewarded simply for being poor, 
 nor that Dives is punished solely because he is rich. 
 The point against the rich man is his thoughtless self- 
 indulgence to the neglect of his suffering neighbour. 
 Further, while the other gospels mention the Aramaic 
 mammon, virtually personifying it, only Luke characterizes 
 it by calling it ' the mammon of unrighteousness.' For all 
 that, he does not suggest the abandonment of it as an 
 unclean thing. On the contrary, he records teachings of 
 Jesus advising a wise use of it, wherewith to win friends 
 who may welcome us into the everlasting habitations. 
 He alone of tlie evangelists gives the difficult parable 
 of the Unrighteous Steward with its peculiar lessons on 
 
INTRODUCTION 13 
 
 behaviour in business ; and he alone the pretty incident 
 of the widow and her two mites, whose humble offering 
 is praised beyond the gifts of the affluent. He too is 
 the only evangelist to record our Lord's advice, that 
 when we make a feast we should not be content to 
 invite our personal friends and our wealthy neighbours, 
 but should gather in the poor and afflicted for our guests. 
 All this is in accordance with the one saying of Jesus 
 not in the gospels preserved for us by Luke's master, 
 the apostle Paul — ' It is more blessed to give than to 
 receive' (Acts xx. 35). 
 
 4. Prominence of prayer and praise. There are 
 more references to prayer in this gospel than we find 
 in its companions ; and inasmuch as these often occur 
 in narratives that are common to two or all three of 
 the Synoptics, Luke's references to the subject become 
 especially significant. Thus it is only Luke who tells 
 us that Jesus prayed at his baptism ; that he went up 
 into a mountain to pray before making the mom.entous 
 selection of the twelve apostles ; that he was praying 
 on the occasion when he drew forth Peter's great 
 confession of his Christship ; that it was for the purpose 
 of praying that he ascended the mountain on which 
 he was transfigured ; that what we call the Lord's 
 Prayer was given in answer to a request from his 
 disciples to teach them to pray, called forth by their 
 listening to him in prayer. From Luke alone we learn 
 that Jesus had prayed for Peter, that his loyalty might 
 not fail ; and, lastly, in this gospel only we have the 
 two prayers on the cross — 'Father, forgive them,' &c., 
 and 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.' It 
 is in this gospel only that the wisdom of persistent 
 prayer is illustrated by the parables of the importunate 
 friend who wakes up his neighbour at night, and the 
 importunate widow who wrests a decision of justice from 
 a careless judge by the sheer force of her persistence. 
 The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, recorded 
 
14 ST. LUKE 
 
 only by Luke, is designed to give a lesson on prayer, 
 shewing what kind of prayer is rejected, what accepted. 
 
 Then this gospel also abounds in notes of praise. This 
 is apparent in many of the scenes that reflect its abound- 
 ing joyousness. The various canticles in the narratives 
 of the infancy— the Magnificat, the Benedictus, the Nunc 
 Dimittis, the Gloria in Excelsis—2iXQ all psalms of praise. 
 One of the most frequently recurring and characteristic 
 phrases of the gospel is that which tells how the people 
 gave glory to God on the occasion of their witnessing 
 some wonderful and gracious work of Christ. 
 
 5. The prominence of women and the interest 
 of domestic scenes. It has been supposed with reason 
 that one of the authorities to which Luke refers in his 
 preface, one of the 'eye-witnesses,' was the Virgin Mary. 
 Certainly we know more of Mary herself from his gospel 
 than from all other sources put together. It is not too 
 much to say that the Madonna of primitive New Testa- 
 ment times, as distinguished from the legendary Madonna 
 of the later church and of Christian art, is Luke's 
 Madonna. In the early chapters Mary and Elisabeth are 
 the interesting figures. Then we come to Anna, the aged 
 prophetess in the temple. Luke only tells us of the 
 ministering women, with the well-known characterization 
 of the Magdalen as one from whom Jesus had cast out 
 seven demons ; the widow at Nain, whom Jesus bids not 
 to weep, and whose son he restores to life ; the woman 
 bowed down by Satan, and cured by Jesus ; the interesting 
 domestic scene in which Mary and Martha are so vividly 
 portrayed ; the woman who congratulates the mother of 
 Jesus ; the widow with her mites ; the women of Jerusalem 
 who sympathize with Jesus on his way to the cross. In the 
 parables of the Lost Piece of Silver and the Importunate 
 Widow, Jesus draws illustrations from the action of women, 
 only recorded in this gospel. The early incidents con- 
 nected with Mary and Elisabeth, Christ's presence in the 
 home -at a Pharisee's, at the house of Mary and Martha, 
 
INTRODUCTION 15 
 
 at the house in Emmaus which the two travellers persuaded 
 him to enter— the scenes in the parable of a man in bed 
 with his children, a woman sweeping her house, the father of 
 the prodigal ordering the details for the celebration of his 
 son's return, all illustrate a fondness for domestic scenes. 
 6. Historical relations. Luke alone among the evan- 
 gelists sets his gospel in relation to contemporaiy great 
 world movements. He fixes his dates with reference to 
 the reigning Caesars and provincial governors. The en- 
 rolment is in consequence of a decree of Cassar Augustus, 
 and when it is made Ouirinius is in office in Syria. John 
 the Baptist commences his ministry in the fifteenth year of 
 Tiberius Caesar. The names and localities of the various 
 Jewish authorities — the Herods and the high priests — 
 contemporary'' with this initial step in the proclamation of 
 the new age are also carefully recorded by Luke, but by 
 no other evangelist. No doubt one reason for this is 
 our author's desire to be accurate and definite in the his- 
 torical relations of his narrative. There was no universally 
 accepted numerical calendar at the time — some people 
 using the Greek Olympiads, some the names of the 
 Roman consuls, some the reigns of the emperors. But 
 Luke is thinking of more than the mere dates that he 
 thus carefully registers. The very fact that he is dis- 
 posed to turn to these historical facts connected with the 
 large world of the empire and the secular arrangements 
 of civil government shews that he does not regard Chris- 
 tianity as confined to ecclesiastical cloisters. He is some- 
 v.-hat a man of the world, and he likes to think of the 
 gospel as a factor in the life of the world. It is he who 
 records the saying that 'this thing was not done in a 
 corner ' (Acts xxvi. 26). A Gentile himself, dedicating his 
 book to a Gentile of rank in the Roman world, he is the 
 last man to take a sectarian and exclusive view of a move- 
 ment that sprang up in Jewish circles, but soon burst 
 all national and racial bounds. He is not one to allow 
 the gospel to run in a small canal apart from the main 
 
i6 ST. LUKE 
 
 stream of the empire's life. He will not have his Christ 
 confined to the Ghetto. To supercilious Roman gentle- 
 men the church may seem to be but a Jewish sect. Luke 
 would like to open their eyes to its true nature as the 
 leaven that is to penetrate every stratum of society. This 
 may account for his friendly and conciliatory tone in re- 
 ferring to imperial authorities and officers of the army. 
 The reason is not simply that he wishes to propitiate the 
 ruling powers in order to guard the Christians from per- 
 secution, as some have asserted. His aim is larger, less 
 selfish, more evangelical. He desires to win an entrance 
 for the gospel among the citizens of the empire. Here 
 he is just treading in the footsteps of his master. Paul 
 always spoke of the districts through which he travelled 
 by the names of the Roman provinces in which they were 
 situated, never by their local popular titles, and always aimed 
 at planting the gospel in the great metropolitan centres — 
 Thessalonica, Corinth, Athens, &c. His supreme ambition 
 was realized when he preached Christ at Rome. Luke's 
 gospel is thoroughly Pauline in its imperial breadth of 
 outlook. 
 
 n. The Author. 
 
 The name * Luke ' (in Greek, Loiikas) seems to be an 
 abbreviation of a Latin name, such as Lucanus or Lucius. 
 Since it was customary for slaves to receive an abbrevia- 
 tion of their master's name, it is likely that Luke was 
 a freedman ; for his culture and his practising as a physi- 
 cian would not be incompatible with his having been 
 a slave in those days of the empire when Romans often 
 owned as slaves Greeks who were much more cultivated 
 than themselves. When we first meet with our author 
 he is a friend and travelling companion of Paul. Grant- 
 ing that the ' we ' sections of Acts — those in which the 
 writer uses the first person plural— indicate the presence 
 of Luke S we meet with him first at Troas. Prof. Ramsay 
 
 ^ For proof of this see the volume on Acts. 
 
INTRODUCTION 17 
 
 has suggested that he may have been the ' man of 
 Macedonia ' who appeared in a vision to Paul, inducing the 
 apostle to cross to Europe. He imagines that Luke had 
 been conversing with the apostle on the previous evening, 
 with the result that Paul was deeply moved, in con- 
 templation of the new field for missionary work that lay 
 on the other side of the iEgean sea ; and in agreement 
 with Renan he thinks it probable that the evangelist was 
 a native of Philippi. It is commonly supposed that Luke 
 came from Antioch, on the ground of statements made by 
 Eusebius and Jerome ; but these are of the fourth century, 
 and we do not know on what foundation they rest. There 
 is a certain probability in Prof. Ramsay's theory. Meet- 
 ing Luke first at Troas, we find him travelling with Paul 
 to Philippi (Acts xvi. 10-17). The account in Acts of 
 the missionary work in this city is very full, and evidently 
 the writer was deeply interested in it. It would appear 
 that Luke remained at Philippi when the apostle con- 
 tinued his journey down into Greece, as he gives the 
 account of this journey and of subsequent events in the 
 third person. Six years pass, and during all this time 
 there is no evidence of Luke's presence. Then Paul 
 again visits Philippi, and at this point the narrative in 
 the first person is resumed, shewing that Luke is with 
 the apostle again, and continues Avith him on his travels 
 till he reaches Jerusalem (Acts xx. 5 to xxi. 18). There 
 they are separated, for the narrative falls back into the 
 third person. They are together again in the voyage to 
 Rome, in the exciting experiences of the storm and ship- 
 wreck, and until they reach the imperial city (Acts xxvii. 
 to xxviii. 16). We may gather some further information 
 about the evangehst from Paul's epistles. It is a mere 
 conjecture of Chrysostom that ' the brother whose praise 
 in the gospel is spread through all the churches ' (2 Cor. 
 viii. 18) is none other than Luke. He is named by Paul 
 in the epistle to the Colossians (iv. 14), and from this 
 reference to him we learn the following facts : — 
 
1 8 ST. LUKE 
 
 (i) He was a Gentile: that is clear from the context. 
 Paul has been giving salutations from Jewish Christians, 
 described at the conclusion as those ' who are of the 
 circumcision' (verse ii). Then he proceeds to add salu- 
 tations from other people, who must therefore be Gentiles ; 
 and among these is our evangelist. 
 
 (2) He was a physician. He has been named as ' the 
 beloved physician.' It has been suggested that he accom- 
 panied the apostle from Troas to Philippi, on the occasion 
 of their first meeting, in order to attend to the malady from 
 which Paul was suffering — that ' stake in the flesh ' of 
 which the apostle writes in 2 Cor. xii. 7. If so, he may 
 not have thought then of joining in the missionary work. 
 Thus we account for his remaining at Philippi, perhaps 
 for the six years during which we lose sight of him. There 
 is a remarkable work by Dr. Hobart on The Medical 
 Language of St. Luke, in which the author makes a minute 
 comparison of words used in the third gospel and Acts 
 with words employed by Galen, Hippocrates, and other 
 medical writers of antiquity ; the result is that many of 
 our evangeHst's favourite words, and many of the words 
 used by him exclusively among New Testament writers, are 
 found to be characteristic of those authors. Some of these 
 will be noticed in the commentary as they occur in the 
 text. It will be seen, too, that in several instances where 
 Luke is giving an account of a miracle of healing, he enters 
 into details concerning the condition of the sufferer more 
 fully than the other evangelists. 
 
 (3) He was a companion of the apostle at Rome. 
 This we should have gathered from Acts on the assump- 
 tion that Luke is the author of the ' we ' sections of that 
 work as well as of the rest of the book. Here Paul in- 
 cidentally confirms the information we learn in the history. 
 It is one of those cases of what Paley calls ' undesigned 
 coincidence.' In the companion epistle to Philemon (verse 
 24), which accompanied the Colossian epistle, we again 
 meet with Luke among those who send salutations from 
 
INTRODUCTION 19 
 
 Rome ; and there he shares the common title of ' my fellow- 
 workers.' Once more we meet with Luke in company 
 with the apostle, and this time it is in circumstances ot 
 pathetic interest. If Paul wrote 2 Timothy during a second 
 imprisonment at Rome, then Luke must have been wnh 
 him again on this later occasion, for the apostle says in 
 that letter 'only Luke is with me' (2 Tim. iv. 11). It 
 was a time of danger and sorrow. The apostle was near 
 the crisis that ended in martyrdom, and, though greatly 
 needing support and sympathy, was deserted by all his 
 friends except the one faithful companion, Luke. Thus 
 the last glimpse we have of the evangelist reveals him 
 in the pleasing light of a loyal friend, whose fidelity is 
 exceptionally apparent in a scene of great peril. 
 
 The legend that Luke was a painter is of quite late 
 origin. The oldest known reference to it is in one Theo- 
 dorus, a reader of the church at Constantinople in the 
 sixth century. 
 
 III. Authenticity. 
 
 In common with all the other gospels the third is an 
 anonymous work. But it was assigned to Luke in early 
 times, and, as far as we know, never attributed to any 
 other author by the church of antiquity. The first known 
 writer in whom we now possess a definite assertion that 
 the book was written by Luke is Irenaeus, who came 
 from Asia Minor and wrote in Gaul about A. D. 180. 
 Probably that would be a hundred years after the gospel 
 was written, so that the interval would be about the 
 same as that between a man writing to-day and the first 
 appearance of Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. But it is 
 not to be supposed that Irenseus had no authority for 
 his statements. Thus in one passage he writes, ' Now 
 if any one reject Luke, as if he did not know the truth, 
 he will manifestly be casting out the Gospel of which he 
 
 C 2 
 
20 ST. LUKE 
 
 claims to be a disciple \' Here it is assumed that while 
 some may be unwilling to receive the book, there is no 
 doubt that its author was Luke. Irenaeus quotes from 
 nearly every chapter of this book. Perhaps about the 
 same time, though probably rather earlier, a canon of 
 the New Testament was drawn up at Rome, most of 
 which has been preserved in a document known as the 
 'Muratorian fragment,' after its discoverer Muratori, 
 who found it in a monk's commonplace book at the 
 library of St. Ambrose in Milan. This canon ascribes the 
 third gospel to Luke. These then are our two oldest 
 authorities— Irenaeus and the Muratorian canon. There 
 is no good reason for doubting the correctness of their 
 statements. Very soon after their time many references 
 to Luke as the author of the gospel appear in Tertullian 
 of North Africa, Clement and Origen. of Alexandria, and 
 others whom it would be superfluous to name, since no- 
 body doubts that by this time the gospel was universally 
 known by the name it now bears. The very obscurity 
 of Luke makes for the correctness of this universally 
 accepted opinion of the churches at the end of the second 
 century. There was a strong tendency to assign anony- 
 mous works to prominent personages. Thus we have the 
 so-called * Gospel' and 'Apocalypse' of 'Peter,' the 
 'Epistle of Barnabas,' and 'Clementine Homilies' and 
 * Recognitions,' none of which were written by the men 
 whose names they bear. The same tendency might have 
 assigned the third gospel to Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, or 
 some other great leader; it would not have assigned it 
 to an unimportant person of whom but little was known 
 in the second century. The only satisfactory reason for 
 such a name as that of Luke having come to be attached 
 to the gospel must be that he was its author. 
 
 This conclusion is confirmed by a reference to the Acts 
 of the Apostles. It can scarcely be doubted that the 
 
 ' Contr. Hcer. iii. 14. 3. 
 
INTRODUCTION 21 
 
 same man wrote both works. Clearly, the preface to 
 Acts refers to the gospel. Both works are dedicated to 
 Theophilus as by one and the same author. Moreover, 
 the same literary style runs through the two books. Then 
 if the ' we ' sections of Acts are by the author of the book 
 itself— and this seems to be a most reasonable supposition, 
 which is borne out by the fact that the same characteristic 
 words and phrases and style are to be found in these 
 sections that we meet with in other parts of Acts and 
 also in the gospel — we are limited to the small group of 
 Paul's travelling companions, no one of whom better fits 
 into the situation than the 'beloved physician ^' 
 
 It is true that from Papias of Hierapoiis, who supplies 
 us with our oldest information about the gospel writings 
 of Matthew and Mark, we have no statement concerning 
 the third gospel and Luke. But we only have brief 
 fragments of Papias preserved in Eusebius and later 
 writers. Possibly Papias did not know the third gospel ; 
 possibly he knew it and did not refer to it; more probably 
 he knew and used it, but Eusebius saw nothing in his 
 references to it that he thought it necessary to transcribe. 
 Any one of these three hypotheses will account for what 
 has been called 'the silence of Papias.' 
 
 The existence of the gospel, earlier than any references 
 to it by the name of Luke, is seen in the use of it by the 
 church in more ancient times. Thus the recently dis- 
 covered Diatessaron of Tatian, a harmony of the four 
 gospels for use in the churches of Mesopotamia, drawn 
 up by Tatian of Edessa, includes the gospel of Luke. 
 Now Tatian wrote about A. D. 160. Here then we have 
 our gospel received with its companions, and with them 
 separated from all other attempts at gospel writing, and 
 all of them so well recognized that it is thought worth 
 while to fuse them together in one common story of the 
 
 * For evidence on Luke as author of Acts see volume on 
 th^t book. 
 
2 2 ST. LUKE 
 
 life of Christ. Tatian was a disciple of Justin Martyr, 
 a Samaritan Christian philosopher, who travelled widely 
 and was martyred at Rome. Justin composed his Apo- 
 logies and his Dialogue with Trypho near about the year 
 150. Not writing for Christians, he does not name our 
 gospels by their usual titles, as they would be named in 
 the church : he calls them ' Recollections of the Apostles.' 
 But he quotes from them freely, and some of his citations 
 are of passages only found in Luke. Thus he refers to 
 Elisabeth as the mother of John the Baptist, the visit of 
 Gabriel to Mary, the census under Quirinius, the fact that 
 there was no room in the inn, Jesus being thirty years old 
 when he began his ministry, his being sent to Herod, 
 his prayer, 'Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.' 
 All of these references can be traced to our third gospel 
 and to no other. We must say then that Justin Martyr 
 knew and used this gospel. But the most important 
 witness is Marcion, who came from Sinop^ on the Black 
 Sea, and travelled to Rome and other cities in the west, 
 reviving the neglected teaching of Paul, and especially 
 the great doctrine of salvation by the free grace of God. 
 His reformation was marred by extreme views as to the 
 evil of matter, violent ascetic precepts, and rejection of 
 the Old Testament ; but its aim was to bring out the love 
 of God in Christ, and the free gift of redemption as taught 
 by the apostle Paul. Marcion selected Luke's gospel as 
 the record of our Lord's life which most clearly expressed 
 these truths. Even this, as it stood, did not satisfy him. 
 It had phrases here and there too kindly towards the 
 Jews and their law ; these he altered. He also omitted 
 whole passages, such as the narratives of the infancy, 
 because these did not fall in with his theory of the nature 
 of Christ. Fifty years ago it was maintained by Baur 
 that our gospel of Luke was nothing but an enlargement 
 of Marcion's gospel. But that theory has entirely broken 
 down. It cannot stand the test of critical inquiry. Two 
 important facts militate against it. First, the omission of 
 
INTRODUCTION 23 
 
 certain passages can be entirely accounted for on doctrinal 
 grounds. They are just such as Marcion would object 
 to. Second, the style and language of these sections agree 
 in many points with what we find in parts of Luke that 
 Marcion accepts. Now it is not to be supposed that in 
 the second century — a time of intellectual feebleness, or, 
 at all events, simplicity in the writings of the Christians- 
 there was a man skilful enough to imitate Luke's peculiar 
 style so as to insert passages that should run on smoothly 
 like the authentic writing of the gospel — a patristic Walter 
 Savage Landor, whose Imaginary Conversations should 
 revive the manner of the author they affected to imitate. 
 Accordingly, it is now generally agreed among scholars 
 that Marcion's gospel is founded on Luke's, and not vice 
 versa. But now see what that implies. Marcion was on 
 his tour of reformation— what we might call his reviva- 
 list mission — with his gospel as early as the year a. d. 
 140. Then our third gospel is certainly at least as old as 
 that. Nay, it must have been much older. It was found 
 in the hands of Marcion away by the shores of the Black 
 Sea before this, and worked upon by him in the prepara- 
 tion of his scheme of teaching. Its author did not write 
 it there. Time must be allowed for the spread of the work 
 in those old days, when there were no printing-presses, 
 publishing houses, nor railways and steamships, to 
 accelerate the circulation of literature. Further, there 
 is reason to believe that two famous gnostic teachers, 
 Basilides and Valentinus, who wrote in the years A.D. 125 
 and 330, knew our gospel. If it was accepted without 
 dispute, both by orthodox and by heretical teachers, it 
 could not be a new publication of doubtful origin. If it 
 had been possible to doubt it, the question of its genuine- 
 ness would have been made a ground of objection on 
 one side or the other. But as far as we know, it can 
 be asserted without qualification that this question was 
 never raised. Marcion rejected all the other gospels — 
 on doctrinal grounds, not critical, it is true ; still he did 
 
2 4 ST. LUKE 
 
 reject them, while he and other so-called heretics, together 
 with the great body of the church cathohc, all accepted 
 the gospel according to Luke. 
 
 IV. Composition. 
 
 Luke is the only Avriter in the Bible who has ex- 
 plained how he composed his work, and what methods 
 he employed in obtaining his information. In his preface, 
 or dedication, he tells us that he had his materials from 
 ' eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,' and also that, 
 using these sources of authority, he had 'traced the course 
 of all things accurately from the first.' We cannot doubt 
 the honesty of these statements. The days have gone by 
 when it was possible for any intelligent person to think 
 of the four evangelists as vulgar 'impostors,' inventing 
 a tale at the bidding of priests to delude the credulous. 
 Undoubtedly Luke carried out the process that he here 
 describes. We cannot tell from his language whether he 
 received his information by word of mouth or in written 
 documents. There is nothing to forbid the supposition 
 that he would use both methods, just as a modern writer 
 composing the biography of a contemporary would collect 
 his facts from letters, newspapers, books, printed and 
 written matter, and also from the personal recollections 
 of any friends and acquaintances with whom he could 
 come in contact. 
 
 When we examine Luke's gospel we find that it bears 
 evidence of this method of composition. There are parts 
 that betray the presence of earlier documents in the back- 
 ground ; and there are parts that may have been con- 
 tributed by oral statements or traditions. The question 
 leads back to the whole Synoptic problem, for the dis- 
 cussion of which the reader is refen-ed to Prof. Slater's 
 introduction to the Gospel according to St. Matthew, in 
 volume i. of this series. The briefest reference to it is all 
 that is required here. Papias of Hierapolis, already 
 
INTRODUCTION 25 
 
 referred to ^, wrote an ' Exposition of the Sayings of the 
 Lord,' some fragments only of which have been preserved 
 to our time— unless indeed more may yet be lying in some 
 Greek monastery or Egyptian tomb unknown to the world. 
 Among these fragments we have the statements that Mark, 
 the companion and interpreter of Peter, wrote down what 
 he heard the apostle preach, and that Matthew wrote 
 out the sayings of our Lord in Hebrew. It is now the 
 growing opinion of scholars of all shades of opinion that 
 these two works constitute the principal sources of the 
 Synoptic gospels, or rather of two of them, Matthew and 
 Luke, for our Mark is identified with Papias' first volume, 
 that containing Mark's recollection of Peter's preaching, 
 though it may have undergone some subsequent editing. 
 There are still some, however, who cling to the theory 
 of oral tradition pure and simple. This is very difficult 
 to maintain, considering the close verbal resemblance 
 of many parts of the gospels, not only in sayings of our 
 Lord which might be preserved intact in the memory, 
 but in connecting narrative, where the exact words used 
 are often of comparative unimportance. The Rev. Arthur 
 Wright of Cambridge has endeavoured to revive the almost 
 extinct oral tradition theory. He holds that our Luke is 
 largely based on an oral Mark, that is to say, on the 
 traditionary teaching which came from Mark before that 
 was written down. Of course if this is regarded as rigid 
 and set in phrase, like the language of a well-known 
 ballad, like the poems of Homer when recited among the 
 Greeks, it is equivalent to a written document; and on 
 this view, for all practical purposes, the oral tradition 
 theory melts into the documentary theory. But it needs 
 to be proved. And, meanwhile, close verbal resemblances 
 point to the transference of statements from one writing 
 to another as the easiest explanation of the existence of 
 those resemblances. Compare, for example, Luke ix. 16 — 
 
 * See p. 21 
 
26 ST. LUKE 
 
 'And 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' — with the 
 parallel in Mark vi. 41, 'And he took the five loaves and 
 the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and 
 brake the loaves ; and he gave to the disciples to set 
 before them.' Here we have almost exact verbal identity. 
 We only see such slight changes as a second writer 
 with his own notions of form and style is accustomed 
 to introduce into the sentences of the authority on which 
 he is working. Notice in particular the participial form, 
 * a7id lookiiig up to heavejt, he blessed,' &c. ; it is quite 
 a literary phrase, and not at all such as we should expect 
 to be preserved exact in oral tradition. Yet it occurs in 
 both gospels. A comparison with Matthew immensely 
 strengthens the probabilityof literary association with Mark 
 in the case of both the first and the third gospels. But that 
 belongs to the larger subject of the whole Synoptic problem. 
 We may take it, then, that Luke's first authority is 
 our second gospel. Laying the two works side by side, 
 we can easily see where he has followed this authority 
 and where he has diverged from it, or rather where he 
 has omitted certain sections and imported new matter 
 from other sources. In general it will be found that he 
 wedges in his extraneous matter in large blocks at one or 
 two great chasms in his extract of Mark's narrative. The 
 results come out thus ^ : — 
 
 From Mark. Not from Mark. 
 
 i.— iii. 
 iii. 1-22. iii. 23-38. 
 
 iv. V. i-ii. 
 
 V. 12 — vi. 19. vi. 20— viii. 3. 
 
 viii. 4 — ix. 50. ix. 51 — xviii. 14. 
 
 xviii. 15-43. xix. 1-28. 
 
 xix. 29— xxiv. II. xxiv. 12-53. 
 
 See Wright, St. Luke's Gospel, xxviii. 
 
INTRODUCTION 27 
 
 Thus we see that the beginning and the end are 
 not from Mark — neither the infancy narrative, nor the 
 accounts of the resurrection appearances of our Lord. 
 Then having taken up Mark, Luke inserts five blocks 
 of narrative at five places where he breaks off from the 
 second gospel. These divisions are only rough and 
 general. Scraps from Mark appear in the non-Marcan 
 portions, and various smaller insertions from other sources 
 occur in the Marcan portions. 
 
 We have now to account for the non-Marcan portions 
 of the gospel. And here first we are brought to Papias' 
 second document, the Logia^ a collection of sayings of 
 Jesus, probably accompanied with some connecting 
 narrative. It will be seen that a great part of the matter 
 in Luke that cannot be traced to Mark consists of 
 parables, proverbs, and other of our Lord's teachings. 
 It seems natural to assign some, if not all, of this to the 
 Logia. But here we are not left to unguided conjecture. 
 There is good reason to suppose that our Matthew is 
 largely based on Matthew's collection of the sayings 
 of Jesus. Now some parts of what Luke has in the 
 non-Marcan portions of his gospel may be found also 
 in our Matthew. For instance, we have in both these 
 gospels— but not in Mark— the preaching of John the 
 Baptist, the detaik of the three temptations, most of 
 the sayings in Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, the 
 travelling commission to the apostles, a large number 
 of parables, condemnation of the Pharisees, and many 
 isolated incidents and sayings. 
 
 The question arises, Did Luke take all this direct from 
 our first gospel ? The answer to that question must be in 
 the negative, for two reasons : — 
 
 First, Luke could not have known our Matthew. In 
 particular, his accounts of the birth and infancy of Jesus, 
 the Sermon on the Mount, and the resurrection appear- 
 ances prove this. The various points of difference will be 
 referred to in the course of the commentary as they arise. 
 
28 ST. LUKE 
 
 Secondly, Luke's account of the sayings of Jesus so 
 often differ from those in the first gospel that they cannot 
 have been taken directly from that work. Compare, for 
 instance, the two versions of the Beatitudes (Matt. v. 
 3-12 and Luke vi. 20-23). Indeed, the divergence here 
 is so great as to suggest that the two evangelists could 
 not have been working on the same version of the sayings 
 of Jesus at this point. There seems to be a tendency 
 to make the theory of a common use of Matthew's 
 Logia account for too much. It is likely that other lists 
 of the sayings were drawn up, perhaps for the use of 
 teachers training catechumens ; and it is reasonable 
 to suppose that Luke was acquainted with some of these, 
 using them side by side with Matthew's Logia. 
 
 Next we have those portions of Luke that have no 
 sort of connexion with our Matthew. The first contains 
 the infancy narratives about Mary and EHsabeth, Jesus 
 and John the Baptist. These are only found in Luke. The 
 information supplied by the first gospel is of quite 
 different facts concerning the early times. It has been 
 suggested, not unreasonably, that Luke's information 
 came from the mother of Jesus. In fact, some part of 
 it could only have come from her in the first instance, 
 as it was only known to her. 
 
 Great interest attaches itself to the large section, 
 Luke ix. 51 to xix. 27. This contains some of the 
 most choice part of the gospel —for example, the parables 
 of the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan. It can 
 scarcely have come from iMatthew's Logia, for it is not 
 likely that the author of the first gospel would not have 
 made use of so large an amount of the very best gospel 
 narrative and teaching if he had found it available. We 
 have to thank Luke's diligent search after information 
 for the discovery of this precious lode of gold. It has 
 been all assigned to what is called ' the Perean ' ministry, 
 that is to say, to our Lord's ministry in Perea during his 
 last journey up to Jerusalem. But a careful examination 
 
INTRODUCTION 29 
 
 of this section shews that it cannot all be contained 
 in that one stage in our Lord's life. Some of its incidents 
 belong to Galilee. Probably Luke has here placed 
 many incidents and teachings, the exact localities and 
 times of which he does not know. Still the thread of 
 narrative on which he has hung them is the last journey 
 up to Jerusalem. 
 
 V. Arrangement. 
 
 In his preface Luke professes his intention to write 
 his statements * in order' (i. 3), and it is evident that he 
 aims at a chronological order. He gives certain dates, 
 and these follow in succession of time. Moreover, the 
 main structure of the book is obviously chronological. 
 We have the infancy narratives, the baptism, the early 
 ministry, the later ministry, the passion and death, 
 the resurrection— all in due succession of time. Never- 
 theless, it is not safe to assume that all the details are 
 arranged in the order of their occurrence. With a variety 
 of information gathered from several quarters, Luke 
 could not have known of the dates of everything he 
 recorded. Therefore we cannot venture to correct the 
 order in Matthew and Mark, where they differ from 
 Luke, by that in the third gospel. Two special features 
 of the plan of this gospel may be observed. The first 
 is its completeness. Luke traces 'all things accurately 
 from the first.' If he was using Mark, but ignorant of 
 our Matthew, he might mean that he was going back 
 further than our second gospel, which begins with the 
 ministry of John the Baptist. Luke is able to commence 
 before the birth of Jesus and John, and he carries his 
 gospel down to the end of the resurrection period, while 
 Mark concludes at the empty tomb ^. 
 
 The second special feature in the arrangement of 
 
 * It is generally allowed by textual critics that Mark xvi. 
 9-20 is not genuine. 
 
3© ST. LUKE 
 
 Luke's gospel is the connexion of the sayings of Jesus 
 with the occasions on which they arose. Thus, while 
 Matthew contains great blocks of continuous teaching, 
 in Luke the teaching is more mixed up with narrative 
 out of which it is seen to spring. For instance, the 
 Lord's Prayer in Matthew (vi. 9-13) occurs as part of 
 the Sermon on the Mount, but in Luke (xi. 1-4) it is 
 given by Jesus because his disciples, having watched 
 him in prayer, have asked him to teach them to pray. 
 
 VI. Purpose and Object. 
 
 The primary purpose of the gospel is stated in the 
 preface, where the author says tha,t he is writing that 
 Theophilus may 'know the certainty concerning things 
 wherein' he was instructed (i. 4). That is to say, the 
 object aimed at is the imparting of sure and certain 
 information. Luke desires to set out an historical 
 statement of facts, the fundamental facts of the gospel 
 story. There is no reason to doubt the straightforward 
 simplicity of this intention, though it has been argued 
 by Baur that the writer, approaching his subject from 
 the Pauline standpoint, wished to reconcile Paulinism 
 with the more Jewish type of Christianity, just as the 
 author of the first gospel— according to Baur — approached 
 his subject from the Jewish standpoint, with the object 
 of effecting the same reconciliation. Thus a doctrinal 
 tendency was said to dominate the book. But this view 
 has been exploded. Pfleiderer considers that both the 
 gospel and the Acts were written by Luke to conciliate 
 the Roman government. But it is going out of our way 
 to look for these subtle motives when the author has 
 stated his purpose distinctly, and his books bear out 
 his own description of their object. This, however, may 
 be said further. The gospel, though dedicated to one man, 
 Theophilus — according to a common custom of the 
 time— is evidently intended for the public, or, at all 
 
INTRODUCTION 31 
 
 events, more especially for such persons as Theophilus 
 might represent— friendly Gentiles, in order that they 
 might be more fully instructed in the facts of our Lord's 
 life. Thus it is especially the gospel which introduces 
 the facts and truths of the gospel to the outside world, 
 though among readers who are not antagonistic to it. 
 
 VII. Date of Composition. 
 
 The evidence for the early existence of the book will 
 not allow us to date it much later thari the end of the first 
 century ; and if Luke wrote it we cannot suppose that, 
 even if he postponed his work to extreme old age, he 
 would have lived to carry it out — with the addition of 
 Acts— beyond that time. The chief reason for attempt- 
 ing to place it so late lies in the notion that Luke 
 made use of Josephus. But on the other hand it is said 
 that Luke contradicts Josephus. If that were the case, 
 we should rather suppose that he did not know that 
 writer, and was relying on independent authority. The 
 discussion of this subject belongs to the study of Acts. 
 In favour of an earlier date, we have first the great 
 improbability that Luke would postpone his task for 
 so many years after the times to which it refers. 
 Then there are indications of a comparatively early age 
 in the text itself. Thus the name * Christ ' is here used 
 as the official title of the ' Messiah — as ' the Christ ' the 
 expected deliverer, not as a personal name for Jesus. But 
 very soon it came to be thus employed— as we have it in 
 Paul's epistles— 'Jesus Christ,' * Christ Jesus,' and simply 
 * Christ.' Then Luke rarely calls Jesus ' the Lord/ though 
 this also became a common designation in early times. 
 
 On the other hand, the work cannot be dated very 
 early. We must allow time for the other attempts re- 
 ferred to in the preface. The chief reason for fixing 
 on an extremely early date is the supposition that the 
 conclusion of Acts with the imprisonment of Paul points 
 
32 ST. LUKE 
 
 to the work having been composed at that time, and 
 just written up to date ; so that, since the gospel was 
 written before Acts, the time of its composition must be 
 pushed still further back. But this view of the origin 
 of Acts cannot be maintained. The chief reason for 
 a somewhat later date is found in the gospel references 
 to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. When 
 Luke's definite language on this subject is compared 
 with the much vaguer expressions in Matthew and Mark 
 concerning the coming troubles, a marked contrast may 
 be observed. It Is Luke, and he only, who mentions 
 the order to slay the nobleman's enemies who would not 
 have him reign over them (xix. 27), and gives the warning 
 words of Jesus to the women of Jerusalem (xxiii. 27-31). 
 The most striking difference comes out in the parallel 
 accounts of the eschatological discourse. First, Luke gives 
 very definite statements concerning the fate of Jerusalem — 
 ' and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall 
 be led captive into all the nations : and Jerusalem shall 
 be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the 
 Gentiles be fulfilled' (xxi. 24). Secondly, he separates 
 this fate of Jerusalem from the general judgement at the 
 end of the world. In the first and second gospels these 
 two things seem to be quite blended together so as to 
 form one occurrence. But here we have the indefinite 
 period, called 'the times of the Gentiles,' inserted 
 between them. Then Luke omits the hint, ' let him that 
 readeth understand,' which we have in Matthew (xxiv. 15) 
 and Mark (xiii. 14) ; and he must have seen it in the latter 
 gospel. It was no longer needed after the prophecy had 
 been interpreted by events. Now the destruction of 
 Jerusalem took place in A. D. 70. Thus we are led to 
 place the composition of the gospel after that date. But 
 the reasons for a comparatively early date forbid us to go 
 much later. Thus we come to the decade from A. D. 70 
 to A. D. 80 as the probable date. Most of the latest 
 writers of importance on this subject— such as Dr. Zahn, 
 
INTRODUCTION 33 
 
 Dr. Plummer, and the Rev. Arthur Wright — argue for this 
 period. It is impossible to determine where the gospel 
 was written. 
 
 VIII. Literature. 
 
 Besides the books that serve for all the gospels named 
 in the volume on Matthew, the following on Luke are 
 especially useful. 
 
 Plummer, Commentary (International Commentary). 
 
 GODET, „ 
 
 Meyer, ,, 
 
 Farrar, ,, (Cambridge Bible). 
 
 Plumptre, ,, (Cassell's Commentary for Schools). 
 
 A. Wright, St. Luke's Gospel in Greek. 
 
CONTENTS OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 I. Preface, i. 1-4. 
 
 II. Infancy Narratives, i. 5 — ii. 
 
 Zacharias and Elisabeth. Zacharias' vision. The 
 annunciation. Mary's visit to Elisabeth. The Magni- 
 ficat. Birth and naming of John. Song of Zacharias. 
 Birth of Jesus. The Bethlehem shepherds. Circum- 
 cision and presentation. Simeon and Anna. The 
 boy Jesus in the temple. 
 
 III. John the Baptist and the Preparatory Period, iii. 
 
 1— iv. 13. 
 
 Mission of John the Baptist. John's preaching. 
 John's announcement of Christ. Imprisonment of 
 John. Baptism of Jesus. Genealogy. The temptation. 
 
 IV. Early Ministry of Jesus in Galilee, iv. 14 — ix. 50. 
 
 Jesus in Galilee. Jesus at Nazareth. The demo- 
 niac in the Synagogue. Simon's wife's mother. 
 Evening cures. Jesus in a desert place. Call of Peter. 
 Cure of the leper. The Paralytic. Levi and Publi- 
 cans. Fasting. The Sabbath. Withered hand. The 
 Tv^relve. Beatitudes and lamentations. Mercifulness. 
 Blind guides. The tvi^o houses. Centurion's servant. 
 Nain. John's message. His character. A perverse 
 generation. The penitent. Ministering women. The 
 Sower. The lamp. Christ's mother and brothers. 
 Jesus in the storm. The demons and the swine. 
 Jairus. The border of Christ's garment. Commission 
 of the Twelve. Herod's perplexity. Loaves and 
 fishes. The great confession. Transfiguration. Dis- 
 ciples' failure. The little child. 
 
 D 2 
 
CONTENTS OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 V. Luke's New Contribution to the Gospel History, 
 
 ix. 51 — xix. 37. 
 
 A Samaritan village. Three doubtful disciples. 
 The Seventy. Revelation to babes. Eternal life. 
 The Good Samaritan. Mary and Martha. The Lord's 
 Prayer. Encouragements to prayer. Beelzebub. 
 The mother of Jesus congratulated. Seeking signs. 
 The lamp and its light. Cleansing. The Pharisees. 
 Lawyers. Fear conquered by trust. The Rich Fool. 
 Anxiety. Being ready. Stewardship. Coming 
 troubles. The sign of the age. Disasters. Barren 
 fig tree. Infirm woman. Mustard Seed and Leaven. 
 False hopes. Herod. Lament over Jerusalem. Man 
 with dropsy. Guests and hosts. The. Great Supper. 
 Counting the cost. The Lost Sheep. The Lost Piece 
 of Silver. The Prodigal Son. The Wise Steward. Self- 
 justification. The Rich Man and Lazarus. Stumbling. 
 Forgiveness. Faith. The ten lepers. The Unseen 
 kingdom. The days of the Son of man. The Un- 
 righteous Judge. The Pharisee and the Publican. 
 Babes brought to Jesus. The great test. The rich. 
 Death predicted. Blind man at Jericho. Zacchaeus. 
 The Pounds. 
 
 VL Conclusion of Public Ministry, xix. 28 — xxi. 
 
 Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus weeping over Jeru- 
 salem. Purification of the temple. Jesus questioned 
 as to his authority. The vineyard. Tribute to Caesar. 
 Sadducees and the resurrection. David's son. The 
 scribes. The widow's mites. Temple to be destroyed. 
 Coming troubles. Doom of Jerusalem. Coming of the 
 Son of man. Lesson of the trees. Unpreparedness. 
 
 Vn. Passion and Death, xxii, xxiii. 
 
 Judas' treason. Preparations for the feast. The 
 Lord's Supper. The traitor. Dispute about pre- 
 cedence. Warning to Peter. The coming peril. 
 The agony. Betrayal. Peter's denial. Jesus before 
 the council. Before Pilate. Before Herod. Pilate 
 condemns Jesus, Crucifixion. The two malefactors. 
 Death of Jesus. Burial. 
 
 VI IL Sesurrection, xxiv. 
 
 The empty tomb. Journey to Emraaus. Jesus 
 appearing to his disciples. The last commission. 
 The ascension. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 AUTHORIZED VERSION 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
 
 ST. LUKE chap.1 
 
 1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set Luke's 
 forth in order a declaration of those things which ^^^ ^^^' 
 
 2 are most surely believed among us, even as they 
 delivered them unto us, which from the beginning 
 
 3 were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word ; it 
 seemed good to me also, having had perfect under- 
 standing of all things from the very first, to write 
 unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 
 
 4 that thou mightest know the certainty of those 
 things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 
 
 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Zacharias 
 Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the beth^^^^^ 
 course of Abia : and his wife was of the daughters 
 
 6 of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they 
 were both righteous before God, walking in all 
 the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
 
 7 blameless. And they had no child, because that 
 Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now 
 well stricken in years. 
 
 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the Zacharias' 
 priest's office before God in the order of his course, ^^^°^' 
 
40 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 1 according to the custom of the priest's office, his 9 
 lot was to burn incense when he went into the 
 temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude 10 
 of the people were praying without at the time of 
 incense. And there appeared unto him an angel n 
 of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar 
 of incense. And when Zacharias saw ^/;;/, he 12 
 was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the 13 
 angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias : for thy 
 prayer is heard ; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear 
 thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 
 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many 14 
 shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in 15 
 the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine 
 nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the 
 Holy Gho3t, even from his mother's womb. And 16 
 many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the 
 Lord their God. And he shall go before him in 17 
 the spirit and power of Elias, 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. And Zacharias said unto 18 
 the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am 
 an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 
 And the angel answering said unto him, I am 19 
 Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and 
 am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these 
 glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, 20 
 and not able to speak, until the day that these 
 things shall be performed, because thou believest 
 not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their 
 season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and 21 
 marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 
 
ST. LUKE 41 
 
 2 3 And when he came out, he could not speak unto Chap.i 
 them : and they perceived that he had seen a vision " 
 in the temple : for he beckoned unto them, and 
 
 23 remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, 
 as soon as the days of his ministration were ac- 
 
 24 complished, he departed to his own house. And 
 after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and 
 
 25 hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord 
 dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on 
 me^ to take away my reproach among men. 
 
 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was The 
 sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named a^."^"^" 
 
 27 Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose 
 name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and the 
 
 28 virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in 
 unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly 
 favoured, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou 
 
 29 among women. And when she ^di^i hwi, she was 
 troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what 
 
 30 manner of salutation . this should be. And the 
 angel said unto her. Fear not, Mary : for thou hast 
 
 31 found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt 
 conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and 
 
 32 shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and 
 shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the 
 Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
 
 33 David : and he shall reign over the house of Jacob 
 for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 
 
 34 Then said Mary unto the angel. How shall this be, 
 
 35 seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered 
 and said unto her. The Holy Ghost shall come 
 upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall 
 overshadow thee : therefore also that holy thing 
 
42 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 1 which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son 
 
 of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she 36 
 hath also conceived a son in her old age : and 
 this is the sixth month \vith her, who was called 
 barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. 37 
 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; 38 
 be it unto me according to thy word. And the 
 angel departed from her. 
 Mary's And Mary arose in those days, and went into the 39 
 
 EiSabeth. ^^^^^ country with haste, into a city of Juda; and 40 
 entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted 
 Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisa- 41 
 beth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped 
 in her womb ; and Elisabeth was filled with the 
 Holy Ghost : and she spake out with a loud voice, 42 
 and said, Blessed art thou among women, and 
 blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is 43 
 this to me, that the mother of my Lord should 
 come to me ? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy 44 
 salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped 
 in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that 45 
 believed : for there shall be a performance of those 
 things which were told her from the Lord. And 46 
 Mary said. 
 The ' Mag- My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 
 nificat.* And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 47 
 
 For he hath regarded the low estate of his 48 
 handmaiden : for, behold, from henceforth 
 all generations shall call me blessed. 
 For he that is mighty hath done to me great 49 
 
 things ; and holy is his name. 
 And his mercy is on them that fear him from 50 
 generation to generation. 
 
ST. LUKE 43 
 
 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he Chap. 1 
 
 hath scattered the proud in the imagination 
 of their hearts. 
 
 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, 
 
 and exalted them of low degree. 
 
 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things ; 
 
 and the rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, - in re- 
 
 membrance of his mercy ; 
 
 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and 
 
 to his seed for ever. 
 
 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, 
 and returned to her own house. 
 
 57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should Birth and 
 
 58 be delivered ; and she brought forth a son. And Joto"^ °^ 
 her neighbours and her cousins heard how the 
 
 Lord had shewed great mercy upon her ; and they 
 
 59 rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on 
 the eighth day they came to circumcise the child ; 
 and they called him Zacharias, after the name of 
 
 60 his father. And his mother answered and said, 
 
 61 Not so ; but he shall be called John. And they 
 said unto her. There is none of thy kindred that 
 
 62 is called by this name. And they made signs to 
 
 63 his father, how he would have him called. And 
 he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, 
 
 64 His name is John. And they marvelled all. And 
 his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue 
 
 65 loosed^ and he spake, and praised God. And fear 
 came on all that dwelt round about them : and all 
 these sayings were noised abroad throughout all 
 
 66 the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard 
 them laid them up in their hearts, saying, ^^'hat 
 
44 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 1 manner of child shall this be! And the hand of 
 the Lord was with him. ; : M:.i\ 
 
 The Song And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy 67 
 rias.^*^^^ Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 
 
 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath C8 
 
 visited and redeemed his people, 
 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for 69 
 • us in the house of his servant David ; 
 As he spake by the mouth of his holy 70 
 
 prophets, which have been since the world 
 
 began : 
 That we should be saved from our enemies, 71 
 
 and from the hand of all that hate us ; 
 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, 73 
 
 and to remember his holy covenant ; 
 The oath which he sware to our father Abra- 73 
 
 ham. 
 That he would grant unto us, that we being 74 
 
 delivered out of the hand of our enemies 
 
 might serve him without fear, 
 In hoHness and righteousness before him, all 75 
 
 the days of our life. 
 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet 76 
 
 of the Highest : for thou shalt go before 
 
 the face of the Lord to prepare his ways ; 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people 77 
 
 by the remission of their sins, 
 Through the tender mercy of our God; 78 
 
 whereby the dayspring from on high hath 
 
 visited us, 
 To give light to them that sit in darkness and 79 
 
 in the shadow of death, to guide our feet 
 
 into the way of peace. 
 
ST. LUKE 45 
 
 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, chap.i 
 and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing 
 unto Israel. 
 
 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there Birth of 
 went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all J®^^^* 
 
 2 the world should be taxed. {And this taxing was 
 first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 
 
 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own 
 
 4 city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out 
 of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city 
 of David, which is called Bethlehem ; (because he 
 
 5 was of the house and lineage of David :) to be 
 taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great 
 
 6 with child. And so it was, that, while they were 
 there, the days were accomplished that she should 
 
 7 be delivered. 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. 
 
 8 And there were in the same country shepherds The 
 abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock shepherd^ 
 
 9 by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came 
 upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round 
 
 10 about them : and they were sore afraid. And the 
 angel said unto them. Fear not : for, behold, I 
 bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be 
 
 11 to all people. For unto you is born this day in 
 the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the 
 
 12 Lord. And this shall be a sign unto youj Ye shall 
 find the babe wrapped in swaddHng clothes, lying 
 
 13 in a manger. And suddenly there was with the 
 angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising 
 
 14 God, and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and 
 
46 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 2 on earth peace, good will toward men. And it 15 
 came to pass, as the angels were gone away from 
 them into heaven, the shepherds said one to an- 
 other, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and 
 see this thing which is come to pass, which the 
 Lord hath made known unto us. And they came 16 
 with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the 
 babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen 17 
 //, they made known abroad the saying which was 
 told them concerning this child. And all they that 18 
 heard // wondered at those things which were told 
 them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these 19 
 things, and pondered them in her heart. And the 20 
 shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for 
 all the things that they had heard and seen, as it 
 was told unto them. 
 
 And when eight days were accomplished for the 21 
 circumcising of the child, his name was called 
 JESUS, which was so named of the angel before 
 he was conceived in the womb. 
 
 And when the days of her purification according 22 
 to the law of Moses were accomplished, they 
 brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the 
 Lord ; (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 23 
 Every male that openeth the womb shall be called 
 holy to the Lord ;) and to offer a sacrifice according 24 
 to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair 
 Simeon of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. And, be- 25 
 and Anna, hold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name 
 was Simeon ; and the same man ivas just and 
 devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel : and 
 the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was re- 26 
 vealed unto him by the Holy Cxhost, that he should 
 
ST. LUKE 47 
 
 not see death, before he had seen .the Lord's Chap. 2 
 
 27 Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the 
 temple : and when the parents brought in the child 
 Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 
 
 28 then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, 
 and said, 
 
 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 
 
 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.' ir^n ^^r mi':! 
 
 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those 
 
 34 things which were spoken of him. And Simeon 
 blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, 
 Behold, this cAt'M is set for the fall and rising 
 again of many in Israel; and for a sign which 
 
 35 shall be spoken against ; (yea, a sword shall pierce 
 through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of 
 
 36 many hearts may be revealed. 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 
 
 37 virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore 
 and four years, which departed not from the temple, 
 but served God with fastings and prayers night and 
 
 38 day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks 
 likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all 
 them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 
 
 39 And when they had performed all things 
 according to the law of the Lord, they returned 
 
 40 into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the 
 
48 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 2 child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with 
 wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 
 
 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year 41 
 at the feast of the passover. And when he was 42 
 twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after 
 the custom of the feast. And when they had 43 
 fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus 
 tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his 
 mother knew not o/U. But they, supposing him to 44 
 have been in the company, went a day's journey; 
 and they sought him among t/ieir kinsfolk and 
 acquaintance. And when they found him not, 45 
 they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 
 And it came to pass, that after three days they 46 
 found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of 
 the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them 
 questions. And all that heard him were astonished 47 
 at his understanding and answers. And when they 48 
 saw him, they were amazed : and his mother said 
 unto him. Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? 
 behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 
 And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought 49 
 me ? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
 business? And they understood not the saying 50 
 which he spake unto them. And he went down 51 
 with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject 
 unto them : but his mother kept all these sayings 
 in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and 53 
 stature, and in favour with God and man. 
 Mission of Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Ti- 3 
 Ba^sf^ berius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of 
 Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and 
 his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the 
 
ST. LUKE 49 
 
 region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch Chap. 3 
 
 2 of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high 
 priests, the word of God came unto John the son 
 
 3 of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into 
 all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism 
 
 4 of repentance for the remission of sins ; 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, make 
 
 5 his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, 
 and every mountain and hill shall be brought low ; 
 and the crooked shall be made straight, and the 
 
 6 rough ways shall be made smooth ; and all flesh 
 
 7 shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to John's 
 the multitude that came forth to be baptized of ^^^^'^ "^^' 
 him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned 
 
 8 you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth 
 therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin 
 not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham to 
 our father : for I 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 fire. 
 
 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we 
 
 11 do then? He answereth and saith unto them. He 
 that hath two coats, let him impart to him that 
 hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do 
 
 12 likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, 
 and said unto him. Master, what shall we do? 
 
 13 And he said unto them. Exact no more than that 
 
 14 which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise 
 demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do ? 
 
 £ 
 
50 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 3 
 
 John's 
 announce- 
 ment of 
 Christ. 
 
 Imprison, 
 nient of 
 John. 
 
 Baptism of 
 Jesus. 
 
 The 
 genealogy, 
 
 x\nd he said unto them, Do violence to no man, 
 neither accuse any falsely; and be content with 
 your wages. And as the people were in expectation, 15 
 and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether 
 he were the Christ, or not ; John answered, saying 16 
 unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but 
 one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose 
 shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize 
 you with the Holy Ghost and with fire : whose fan 17 
 is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, 
 and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the 
 chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And 18 
 many other things in his exhortation preached he 
 unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being re- 19 
 proved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's v/ife, 
 and for all the evils which Herod had done, added 20 
 yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 
 
 Now when all the people were baptized, it came 21 
 to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, 
 the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost de- 22 
 scended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, 
 and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou 
 art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased. 
 
 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty 23 
 years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of 
 Joseph, which was the son of Heli, which was 24 
 the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 
 which was the son of Melchi, which was the son 
 of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, which was 25 
 the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, 
 which was the son of Naum, which was the son of 
 Esli, which was the son of Nagge, which was the 26 
 son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, 
 
ST. LUKE 51 
 
 which was the son ot Semei, which was tJie son of chap. 3 
 .!7 Joseph, which was the son of Juda, which was the ' 
 
 son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which 
 was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of 
 
 28 Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, which was the 
 son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which 
 was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmo- 
 
 29 dam, which was the son of Er, which was the son 
 of Jose, which was the son of EHezer, which was 
 the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, 
 
 30 which was the son of Levi, 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 
 
 31 was the son of Ehakim, which was the son of Melea, 
 which was the son of Menan, which was the son of 
 Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was 
 
 32 the son of David, 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 vv^as the son of 
 
 33 Naasson, which was the son of Aminadab, which 
 was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, 
 which was the son of Phares, which was the son of 
 
 34 Juda, which was the son of Jacobs 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 
 Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the 
 
 36 son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, which 
 was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Ar- 
 phaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the 
 
 37 son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, which was 
 the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, 
 which was the son of Jared, which was the son of 
 
 £ 2 
 
52 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 3 Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, which was 38 
 the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which 
 was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. 
 
 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned 4 
 from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the 
 wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. 2 
 And in those days he did eat nothing : and when 
 they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the 3 
 devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, 
 command this stone that it be made bread. And 4 
 Jesus answered him, saying, It is written. That 
 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 
 word of God. And the devil, taking him up into 5 
 an high mountain, shewed unto him all the king- 
 doms of the world in a moment of time. And 6 
 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. If 7 
 thou therefore wnlt worship me, all shall be thine. 
 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee S 
 behind me, Satan : for it is written, Thou shalt 
 worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt 
 thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, 9 
 and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said 
 unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself 
 down from hence : for it is written. He shall give 10 
 his angels charge over thee, to keep thee : and in 1 1 
 their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any 
 time thou dash thy foot against a stone. An* 
 Jesus answering said unto him. It is said, Thou 
 shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the 
 devil had ended all the temptation, he departed 
 from him for a season. 
 
ST. LUKE 53 
 
 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit Chap. 4 
 into Galilee : and there went out a fame of him jes^s^n 
 
 75 through all the region round about. And he GaUiee. 
 taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 
 
 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been Jesus at 
 brought up : and, as his custom was, he went into 
 
 the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up 
 
 17 for to read. And there was dehvered unto him 
 the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he 
 had opened the book, he found the place where 
 
 18 it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel 
 to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken- 
 hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and 
 recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
 
 19 them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable 
 
 20 year of the Lord. 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 syna- 
 
 21 gogue were fastened on him. And he began to 
 say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled 
 
 22 in your ears. And all bare him witness, and 
 wondered at the gracious words which proceeded 
 out of his mouth. And they said. Is not this 
 
 23 Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will 
 surely say unto me this proverb. Physician, heal 
 thyself : whatsoever we have heard done in Caper- 
 
 24 naum, do also here in thy country. And he said. 
 Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted 
 
 25 in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, 
 many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, 
 when the heaven was shut up three years and six 
 months, when great famine was throughout all the 
 
54 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 4 land ; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save 26 
 unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that 
 was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in 27 
 the time of Eliseus the prophet ; and none of them 
 was cleansed, saving Naanian the Syrian. And ^8 
 all they in the synagogue, when they heard these 
 things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and 29 
 thrust him out of the city, and led him unto 
 the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, 
 that they might cast him down headlong. But he 30 
 passing through the midst of them went his way, 
 
 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, 31 
 and taught them on the sabbath days. And they 32 
 were astonished at his doctrine : for his word was 
 with power. And in the synagogue there was a 33 
 man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and 
 cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; 34 
 what have we to do with thee, tliou Jesus of Naza- 
 reth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee 
 who thou art ; the Holy One of God. And Jesus 35 
 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. And they were all amazed, and spake among 36 
 themselves, saying, What a word is this ! for with 
 authority and power he commandeth the unclean 
 spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him 37 
 went out into every place of the country round 
 about. 
 
 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered 38 
 into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother 
 was taken with a great fever; and they besought 
 him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked 39 
 
ST. LUKE 55 
 
 the fever ; and it left her : and immediately she Chap. 4 
 arose and ministered unto them. 
 
 40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had Evening 
 
 cures, 
 any sick with divers diseases brought them unto 
 
 him ; and he laid his hands on every one of them, 
 
 41 and healed them. And devils also came out of 
 many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the 
 Son of God. And he rebuking ^/lem suffered them 
 not to speak : for they knew that he was Christ. 
 
 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into Jesus in 
 a desert place : and the people sought him, and place, 
 came unto him, and stayed him, that he should 
 
 43 not depart from them. And he said unto them, 
 I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities 
 
 44 also : for therefore am I sent. And he preached 
 in the synagogues of Galilee. 
 
 5 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed The call of 
 
 , ' ^^f, 11 Simon. 
 
 Upon hmi to hear the word of God, he stood by 
 
 2 the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing 
 by the lake : but the fishermen were gone out of 
 
 3 them, and were washing Mm* nets. And he entered 
 into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and 
 prayed him that he would thrust out a little from 
 the land. And he sat down, and taught the people 
 
 4 out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, 
 he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and 
 
 5 let down your nets for a draught. And Simon 
 answering said unto him. Master, we have toiled all 
 the night, and have taken nothing : nevertheless 
 
 6 at thy word I will let down the net. And when 
 they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude 
 
 7 of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned 
 unto ^keir partners, which were in the other ship, 
 
56 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 5 that they should come and help them. And they 
 came, and filled both the ships, so that they began 
 to sink. When Simon Peter saw /V, he fell down 8 
 at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I 
 am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, 9 
 and all that were with him, at the draught of the 
 fishes which they had taken : and so was also James, 10 
 and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were part- 
 ners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, 
 Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 
 And when they had brought their ships to land, n 
 they forsook all, and followed him. 
 The cure of And it came to pass, when he was in a certain 12 
 a eper. ^|^y^ behold a man full of leprosy : who seeing 
 Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, 
 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And 13 
 he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I 
 will : be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy 
 departed from him. And he charged him to tell 14 
 no man : but go, and shew thyself to the priest, 
 and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses 
 commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so 15 
 much the more went there a fame abroad of him : 
 and great multitudes came together to hear, and to 
 be healed by him of their infirmities. And he 16 
 withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 
 The And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was 17 
 
 FeTdown teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of 
 through the law sitting by, which were come out of every 
 town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem : and 
 the power of the Lord was presoit to heal them. 
 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which iS 
 was taken with a palsy : and they sought 7tieans to 
 
ST. LUKE 57 
 
 19 bring him in, and to lay him before him. And Chap. 5 
 when they cculd 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 his couch into the midst before Jesus. 
 
 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, 
 
 21 Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes 
 and the Pharisees began to reason, saying. Who is 
 this which speaketh blasphemies ? Who can for- 
 
 22 give sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived 
 their thoughts he answering said unto them, What 
 
 23 reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to 
 say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, Rise up 
 
 24 and walk? But that ye may know that the Son 
 of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he 
 said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, 
 Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine 
 
 25 house. And immediately he rose up before them, 
 and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to 
 
 26 his own house, glorifying God. And they were all 
 amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled 
 with fear, saying. We have seen strange things to 
 day. 
 
 27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a Levi and 
 publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of cus- ucans. 
 
 28 tom : and he said unto him. Follow me. And he 
 
 29 left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi 
 made him a great feast in his own house : and there 
 was a great company of publicans and of others 
 
 30 that sat down with them. But their scribes and 
 Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying. 
 Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sin- 
 
 31 ners ? And Jesus answering said unto them, They 
 
58 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 5 that are whole need not a physician ; out they that 
 
 are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but 32 
 sinners to repentance. 
 
 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples 33 
 of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise 
 the disciples of the Pharisees ; but thine eat and 
 drink ? And he said unto them, Can ye make 34 
 the children of the bridechamber fast, while the 
 bridegroom is with them ? But the days will come, 35 
 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from 
 them, and then shall they fast in those days. And 36 
 he spake also a parable unto them ; No man put- 
 teth a piece of a new garment upon an old ; if 
 otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and 
 the piece that was take7i out of the new agreeth 
 not with the old. And no man putteth new wine 37 
 into old bottles ; else the new wine will burst the 
 bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 
 But new wine must be put into new bottles ; and 38 
 both are preserved. No man also having drunk 39 
 old zvine straightway desireth new : for he saith. 
 The old is better. 
 
 And it came to pass on the second sabbath 6 
 after the first, that he went through the corn fields ; 
 and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did 
 eat, rubbing thein in their hands. And certain of 2 
 the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that 
 which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days ? 
 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read 3 
 so much as this, what David did, when himself was 
 an hungred, and they which were with him ; how 4 
 he went into the house of God, and did take and 
 eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that 
 
ST. LUKE 59 
 
 were with him ; which it is not lawful to eat but Chap. 6 
 
 5 for the priests alone ? And he said unto them, 
 That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 
 
 6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, curing 
 that he entered into the synagogue and taught : ^j^gred 
 and there was a man whose right hand was withered, hand on 
 
 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him. bath, 
 whether he would heal on the sabbath day ; that 
 
 8 they might find an accusation against him. But 
 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, 
 
 lo or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy itl And 
 looking round about upon them all, he said unto 
 the man^ Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so : 
 
 ri and his hand was restored whole as the other. And 
 they were filled with madness ; and communed 
 one with another what they might do to Jesus. 
 
 T2 And it came to pass in those days, that he went The choke 
 out into a mountain to pray, and continued all Twelve. 
 
 13 night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he 
 called unto him his disciples : and of them he chose 
 
 14 twelve, whom also he named apostles ; Simon, 
 (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his 
 
 15 brother, James and John, Phihp and Bartholomew, 
 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, 
 
 16 and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother 
 of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the 
 
 17 traitor. 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 Judaea and 
 
6o 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 6 
 
 The 
 
 Beatitudes 
 and La- 
 menta- 
 tions. 
 
 Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and 
 Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed 
 of their diseases ; and they that were vexed with i8 
 unclean spirits : and they were healed. And the 19 
 whole multitude sought to touch him : for there 
 went virtue out of him, and healed thcJii all. 
 
 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and 20 
 said, Blessed be ye poor : for your's is the kingdom 
 of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now : for ye 21 
 shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now : for 
 ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall 22 
 hate you, and when they shall separate -^qm from 
 their coitipany^ and shall reproach you, and cast out 
 your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Re- 23 
 joice ye in that day, and leap for joy : for, behold, 
 your reward is great in heaven : for in the like 
 ■manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But 24 
 woe unto you that are rich ! for ye have received 
 your consolation. Woe unto you that are full ! for 25 
 ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now ! for 
 ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when 26 
 all men shall speak well of you ! for so did their 
 fathers to the false prophets. But I say unto you 27 
 which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them 
 which hate you, bless them that curse you, and 28 
 pray for them which despitefully use you. And 29 
 unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer 
 also the other ; and him that taketh away thy cloke 
 forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every 30 
 man that asketh of thee ; and of him that taketh 
 away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye 31 
 would that men should do to you, do ye also to 
 them likewise. For if ye love them which love 32 
 
ST. LUKE 6i 
 
 you, wnat thank have ye? for sinners also love Chap. 6 
 
 33 those that love them. And if ye do good to them 
 which do good to you, what thank- have ye ? for 
 
 34 sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to 
 them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have 
 ye ? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as 
 
 35 much again. But love ye your enemies, and do 
 good, and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and 
 your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the 
 children of the Highest : for he is kind unto the 
 
 36 unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore mer- 
 
 37 ciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, 
 and ye shall not be judged : condemn not, and ye 
 shall not be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be 
 
 38 forgiven : give, and it shall be given unto you ; 
 good measure, pressed down^ and shaken together, 
 and running over, shall men give into your bosom. 
 For with the same measure that ye mete withal it 
 
 39 shall be measured to you again. And he spake a on blind 
 parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind ? s^ifes.tbe 
 
 ^ ' mote and 
 
 40 shall they not both fall into the ditch ? The dis- the beam, 
 
 ciple is not above his master : but every one that J^^®^ ^^^ 
 
 41 is perfect shall be as his master. And why be- fruit. 
 boldest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, 
 
 but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own 
 
 42 eye ? 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 
 
 43 brother's eye. For a good tree bringeth not forth 
 corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring 
 
62 
 
 ST. LVKE 
 
 Chap. 6 forth good fruil. For every tree is known by his 44 
 own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, 
 nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A 45 
 good man out of the good treasure of his heart 
 bringeth forth that which is good ; and an evil 
 man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth 
 forth that which is evil : for of the abundance of 
 rhetwo the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye 46 
 louses. ^g^ Lord, Lord, and do not the things which 
 
 I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth 47 
 my sayings, and doeth them, I wull shew you to 
 whom he is like : he is like a man which built an 48 
 house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation 
 on a rock : and when the flood arose, the stream 
 beat vehemently upon that house, and could not 
 shake it : for it was founded upon a rock. But 49 
 he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man 
 that without a foundation built an house upon 
 the earth ; against which the stream did beat 
 vehemently, and immediately it fell ; and the ruin 
 of that house was great. 
 
 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the 7 
 audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 
 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear 2 
 unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when 3 
 he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of 
 the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and 
 heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, 4 
 they besought him instantly, saying, That he was 
 worthy for whom he should do this : for he loveth 5 
 our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 
 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was 6 
 now not far from the house, the centurion sent 
 
ST. LUKE 63 
 
 friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not Chap. 7 
 thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest 
 
 7 enter under my roof: wherefore neither thought 
 I myself worthy to come unto thee : but say in 
 
 8 a word, and my servant shall be healed. For 
 I also am a man set under authority, having under 
 me soldiers, and I say unto one. Go, and he 
 goeth; and to another. Come, and he cometh; 
 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 
 
 10 not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 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 The 
 into a city called Nain ; and many of his disciples 7on*at'^ 
 
 12 went with him, and much people. Now when he Nain. 
 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 
 
 13 of the city was with her. And when the Lord 
 saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto 
 
 14 her, Weep not. And he came and touched the 
 bier : and they that bare him stood still. And he 
 
 15 said, Young man, I say unto thee. Arise. And 
 he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. 
 
 16 And he delivered him to his mother. And there 
 came a fear on all : and they glorified God, saying. 
 That a great prophet is risen up among us ; and, 
 
 17 That God hath visited his people. And this 
 rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, 
 and throughout all the region round about. 
 
64 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 7 And the disciples of John shewed him of all i8 
 these things. And John calling unto him two of his 19 
 disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he 
 that should come ? or look we for another? When 20 
 the men were come unto him, they said, John 
 Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying. Art thou 
 he that should come? or lock we for another? 
 And in that same hour he cured many of their 21 
 infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and 
 unto many that ivere blind he gave sight. Then 22 
 Jesus answering 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 preached. And blessed 23 
 is he^ whosoever shall not be offended in me. 
 
 And when the messengers of John were departed, 24 
 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? But what 25 
 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. 
 But what went ye out for to see ? A prophet ? Yea, 26 
 I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 
 This is he^ of whom it is written. Behold, I send 
 my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare 
 thy way before thee. 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. And 29 
 all the people that heard him, and the publicans, 
 justified God, being baptized with the baptism of 
 
 ^7 
 
 28 
 
ST. LUKE 65 
 
 30 John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected chap. 7 
 the counsel of God against themselves, being not 
 
 31 baptized of him. And the Lord said, Whereunto A perverse 
 then shall I liken the men of this generation ? and tion. 
 
 32 to what are they like ? They are like unto children 
 sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to 
 another, and saying. We have piped unto you, 
 and ye have not danced ; we have mourned to 
 
 33 you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist 
 came neither eating bread nor drinking wine ; and 
 
 34 ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is 
 come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold 
 a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of 
 
 35 pubhcans and sinners ! But wisdom is justified 
 of all her children. 
 
 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that heThepeni- 
 would eat with him. And he went into the *®" ' 
 
 37 Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, 
 behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, 
 when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the 
 Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of 
 
 38 ointment, and stood at his feet behind him 
 weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, 
 and did wipe the7n with the hairs of her head, 
 and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the 
 
 39 ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had 
 bidden him saw //, he spake within himself, 
 saying. This man, if he were a prophet, would 
 have known who and what manner of woman this 
 
 40 is that toucheth him : for she is a sinner. And 
 Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have 
 somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, 
 
 41 say on. There was a certain creditor which had 
 
 F 
 
66 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 7 two debtors : the one owed five hundred pence, 
 
 and the other fifty. And when they had nothing 42 
 to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me 
 therefore, which of them will love him most? 
 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he^ to 4,1 
 whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, 
 Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the 44 
 woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this 
 woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest 
 me no water for my feet : but she hath washed 
 my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs 
 of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss : but this 45 
 woman since the time I came in hath not ceased 
 to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not 46 
 anoint : but this woman hath anointed my feet 
 with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee. Her 47 
 sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for she loved 
 much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same 
 loveth little. And he said unto her. Thy sins are 48 
 forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him 49 
 began to say within themselves, Who is this that 
 forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, 50 
 Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace. 
 Minister- And it came to pass afterward, that he went 8 
 ingwomen. throughout every city and village, preaching and 
 shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God : 
 and the twelve were with him, and certain women, 2 
 which had been healed of evil spirits and in- 
 firmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom 
 went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza 3 
 Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, 
 which ministered unto him of their substance. 
 
 And when much people were gathered together, 4 
 
ST. LUKE 67 
 
 and were come to him out of every city, he spake Chap. 8 
 
 5 by a parable : A sower went out to sow his seed : The 
 
 and as he sowed, some fell by the way side : and parable of 
 J 1 r 1 r 1 .the Sower. 
 
 It was trodden down, and the fowls of the air 
 
 6 devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and 
 as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, 
 
 7 because it lacked moisture. And some fell among 
 thorns ; and the thorns sprang up with it, and 
 
 8 choked it. And other fell on good ground, and 
 sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And 
 when he had said these things, he cried. He that 
 
 9 hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples The 
 asked him, saying. What might this parable be ? expfained. 
 
 10 And he said. Unto you it is given to know the 
 mysteries of the kingdom of God ; but to others 
 in parables; that seeing they might not see, and 
 
 11 hearing they might not understand. Now the 
 parable is this : The seed is the word of 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 
 
 13 saved. They on the rock are they, which, when 
 they hear, receive the word with joy; and these 
 have no root, which for a while believe, and in 
 
 14 time of temptation fall away. 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 this life, and bring no fruit 
 
 15 to perfection. But that on the good ground are 
 they, which in an honest and good heart, having 
 heard the word, keep //, and bring forth fruit with 
 patience. 
 
 16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, The lamp. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 8 
 
 Christ's 
 mother and 
 brothers. 
 
 Jesus in 
 the storm. 
 
 The de 
 mons and 
 the swine. 
 
 covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a 
 bed ; but setteth // on a candlestick, that they 
 which enter in may see the light. For nothing 17 
 is secret, that shall not be made manifest ; neither 
 any thing hid, that shall not be known and come 
 abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for 18 
 whosoever hath, to him shall be given ; and who- 
 soever hath not, from him shall be taken even 
 that which he seemeth to have. 
 
 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, 19 
 and could not come at him for the press. And it 20 
 was told him by certain which said, Thy mother 
 and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see 
 thee. And he answered and said unto them, My 21 
 mother and my brethren are these which hear the 
 word of God, and do it. 
 
 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he 22 
 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 forth. But as they 23 
 sailed he fell asleep : and there came down a storm 
 of wind on the lake ; and they were filled with 
 water^ and were in jeopardy. And they came to 24 
 him, and awoke him, saying. Master, master, we 
 perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and 
 the raging of the water : and they ceased, and there 
 was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is 25 
 your faith ? And they being afraid wondered, saying 
 one to another, What manner of man is this ! for 
 he commandeth even the winds and water, and 
 they obey him. 
 
 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, 26 
 which is over against Galilee. And when he went 27 
 
ST. LUKE 69 
 
 forth to land, there met him out of the city a Chap. 8 
 certain man, which had devils long time, and ware 
 no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the 
 
 28 tombs. 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, thou Son of God 
 
 29 most high ? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For 
 he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out 
 of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him : 
 and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters ; 
 and he brake the bands, and was driven of the 
 
 30 devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, 
 saying, What is thy name ? And he said. Legion : 
 
 31 because many devils were entered into him. And 
 they besought him that he would not command 
 
 32 them to go out into the deep. And there was there 
 an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain : 
 and they besought him that he would suffer them 
 
 33 to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then 
 went the devils out of the man, and entered into 
 the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep 
 
 34 place into the lake, and were choked. When they 
 that fed them 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 man, out of whom 
 the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, 
 clothed, and in his right mind : and they were 
 
 36 afraid. They also which saw it told them by what 
 means he that was possessed of the devils was 
 
 37 healed. Then the whole multitude of the country 
 of the Gadarenes round about besought him to 
 depart from them ; for they were taken with great 
 
70 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 8 fear : and he went up into the ship, and returned 
 "" back again. Now the man out of whom the devils 38 
 
 were departed besought him that he might be with 
 him : but Jesus sent him away, saying. Return to 39 
 thine own house, and shew how great things God 
 hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and 
 published throughout the whole city how great 
 things Jesus had done unto him. 
 
 fairus. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was 40 
 
 returned, the people gladly received him : for they 
 were all waiting for him. And, behold, there came 41 
 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 : 
 for he had one only daughter, about twelve years 42 
 of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the 
 people thronged him. And a woman having an 43 
 issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all 
 her living upon physicians, neither could be healed 
 of any, came behind him^ and touched the border 44 
 of his garment : and immediately her issue of blood 
 stanched. And Jesus said. Who touched me? 45 
 When all denied^ Peter and they that were with 
 him said. Master, the multitude throng thee and 
 press thee^ and say est thou, Who touched me? 
 And Jesus said. Somebody hath touched me : for 46 
 I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And 47 
 when the woman saw that she was not hid, she 
 came trembling, and falling down before him, she 
 declared unto him before all the people for what 
 cause she had touched him, and how she was 
 healed immediately. And he said unto her, 48 
 Daughter, be of good comfort : thy faith hath 
 
ST. LUKE 71 
 
 49 made thee whole; go in peace. While he yet chap. 8 
 spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the xherais- 
 synagogue's house^ saying to him, Thy daughter is ing of ^ 
 
 50 dead ; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus daughter, 
 heard /V, he answered him, saying. Fear not : 
 
 51 believe only, and she shall be made whole. And 
 when he came into the house, he suffered no man 
 to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and 
 
 53 the father and the mother of the maiden. And all 
 wept, and bewailed her : but he said, Weep not ; 
 
 63 she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed 
 
 54 him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And 
 he put them all out, and took her by the hand, 
 
 55 and called, saying. Maid, arise. And her spirit 
 came again, and she arose straightway : and he 
 
 56 commanded to give her meat. And her parents 
 were astonished : but he charged them that they 
 should tell no man what was done, 
 
 9 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and The com- 
 gave them power and authority over all devils, and ^the°" 
 
 2 to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach Twelve. 
 
 3 the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And 
 he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, 
 neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither 
 
 4 money; neither have two coats apiece. And 
 whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and 
 
 5 thence depart. And whosoever will not receive 
 you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very 
 dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 
 
 6 And they departed, and went through the towns, 
 preaching the gospel, and healing every where. 
 
 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was Herod's 
 done by him : and he was perplexed, because that P«^^e^^'>- 
 
72 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 9 it was said of some, that John was risen from the 
 
 dead ; and of some, that Elias had appeared ; and 8 
 
 of others, that one of the old prophets was risen 
 
 again. And Herod said, John have I beheaded : 9 
 
 but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And 
 
 he desired to see him. . 
 
 The loaves And the apostles, when they were returned, told 10 
 and fishes, j^-^^^ ^jj ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ j^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 and went aside privately into a desert place be- 
 longing to the city called Bethsaida. And the n 
 people, when they knew //, followed him : and 
 he received them, and spake unto them of the 
 kingdom of God, and healed them that had need 
 of healing. And when the day began to wear 12 
 away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, 
 Send the multitude away, that they may go into 
 the towns and country round about, and lodge, 
 and get victuals : for we are here in a desert place. 
 But he said unto them. Give ye them to eat. And 13 
 they said. We have no more but five loaves and two 
 fishes ; except we should go and buy meat for all 
 this people. For they were about five thousand 14 
 men. And he said to his disciples. Make them 
 sit down by fifties in a company. And they did 15 
 so, and made them all sit down. Then he took 16 
 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. And j 7 
 they did eat, and were all filled : and there was 
 taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve 
 baskets. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, 18 
 his disciples were with him : and he asked them, 
 
ST. LUKE 73 
 
 19 saying, Whom say the people that I am ? They Chap. 
 answering said, John the Baptist ; but some say, doctrine of 
 Ehas ; and others say, that one of the old prophets tbe cross. 
 
 20 is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say 
 ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ 
 
 21 of God. And he straitly charged them, and com- 
 23 manded f/iem to tell no man that thing; 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. 
 
 23 And he said to t/iem all, If any man will come 
 after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
 
 24 cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will 
 save his life shall lose it : but whosoever will lose 
 
 25 his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For 
 what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole 
 
 26 world, and lose himself, or be cast away ? 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 
 
 27 Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you 
 of a truth, there be some standing here, which 
 shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom 
 of God. 
 
 28 And it came to pass about an eight days after The Trans- 
 these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, fi^^^*^^"* 
 
 29 and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he 
 prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, 
 
 30 and his raiment was white and glistering. And, 
 behold, there talked with him two men, which 
 
 31 were Moses and Elias : who appeared in glory, and 
 spake of his decease which he should accomplish 
 
 32 at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with 
 
74 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 9 him were heavy with sleep : and when they were 
 awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that 
 stood with him. And it came to pass, as they 33 
 departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, 
 it is good for us to be here : and let us make three 
 tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and 
 one for Elias : not knowing what he said. While he 34 
 thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed 
 them : and they feared as they entered into the 
 cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, 35 
 saying. This is my beloved Son : hear him. And 36 
 when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. 
 And they kept // close, and told no man in those 
 days any of those things which they had seen. 
 
 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when 37 
 they were come down from the hill, much people 
 met him. And, behold, a man of the company 38 
 cried out, saying. Master, I beseech thee, look upon 
 my son : for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit 39 
 taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it 
 teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising 
 him hardly departeth from him. And I besought 40 
 thy disciples to cast him out ; and they could not. 
 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse 41 
 generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer 
 you ? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet 42 
 a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. 
 And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed 
 the child, and delivered him again to his father. 
 
 And they were all amazed at the mighty power 43 
 of God. But while they v/ondered every one at 
 all things which Jesus did, he said unto his dis- 
 ciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears : 44 
 
ST. LUKE 75 
 
 for the Son of man shall be delivered into the Chap. 9 
 ^5 hands of men. But they understood not this say- 
 ing, and it was hid from them, that they perceived 
 it not : and they feared to ask him of that saying. 
 
 46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which The uttie 
 
 47 of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving t^i^un."^ 
 the thought of their heart, took a child, and set attached 
 
 48 him by him, and said unto them, Whosoever shall 
 receive this child in my name receiveth me 1 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 forbad 
 
 50 him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus 
 said unto him, Forbid him not : for he that is not 
 against us is for us. 
 
 f 1 And it came to pass, when the time was come Our Lord 
 that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his ^y a^'^'^ 
 
 52 face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Samaritan 
 his face : and they went, and entered into a village 
 
 53 of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And 
 they did not receive him, because his face was as 
 
 54 though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his 
 disciples James and John saw this^ they said. Lord, 
 wilt thou that we command fire to come down from 
 heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? 
 
 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said. Ye 
 
 56 know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the 
 Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but 
 to save them. And they went to another village. 
 
 57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the Three 
 way, a certain 7nan said unto him, Lord, I will follow di's^ipies. 
 
76 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said 58 
 unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air 
 have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to 
 lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. 59 
 But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my 
 father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury 60 
 their dead : but go thou and preach the kingdom 
 of God. And another also said. Lord, I will follow 61 
 thee ; but let me first go bid them farewell, which 
 are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto 62 
 him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, 
 and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 
 The After these things the Lord appointed other 10 
 
 Seventy, seventy also, and sent them two and two before his 
 face into every city and place, whither he himself 
 would come. Therefore said he unto them, The a 
 harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few : pray 
 ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would 
 send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your 3 
 ways : behold, I send you forth as lambs among 
 wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes : 4 
 and salute no man by the way. And into what- 5 
 soever house ye enter, first say. Peace be to this 
 house. And if the son of peace be there, your 6 
 peace shall rest upon it : if not, it shall turn to you 
 again. And in the same house remain, eating and 7 
 drinking such things as they give : for the labourer 
 is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 
 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive 8 
 you, eat such things as are set before you ; and 9 
 heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them. 
 The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But 10 
 into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you 
 
ST. LUKE 77 
 
 not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, chap.io 
 
 11 and say, Even the very dust of your city, which 
 cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you : not- 
 withstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom 
 
 12 of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto 
 you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day 
 
 13 for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, 
 Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! for if the 
 mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 
 which have been done in you, they had a great 
 while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 
 
 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon 
 
 15 at the judgment, than for you. And thou, Caper- 
 naum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust 
 
 16 down to hell. He that heareth you heareth me ; 
 and he that despiseth you despiseth me ; and he 
 that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 
 
 17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, The return 
 Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through set^nty 
 
 18 thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan 
 
 19 as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto 
 you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and 
 over all the power of the enemy : and nothing 
 
 20 shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in 
 this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto 
 you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are 
 
 21 written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in Thereve- 
 spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of {,^*^°s/° 
 heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things 
 
 from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them 
 unto babes : even so. Father ; for so it seemed 
 
 22 good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me 
 of my Father : and no man knoweth who the Son 
 
78 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 10 is, but the Father ; and who the Father is, but the 
 Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 
 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said 23 
 privately. Blessed are the eyes which see the things 
 that ye see : for I tell you, that many prophets and 24 
 kings have desired to see those things which ye 
 see, and have not seen ihe?n ; and to hear those 
 things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 
 On inherit- And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and 25 
 Hfl.^^*^'^"^^ tempted him, saying. Master, what shall I do to 
 
 inherit eternal hfe? He said unto him, What is 26 
 written in the law? how readest thou? And he 27 
 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 mind ; and thy 
 neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou 28 
 hast answered right : this do, and thou shalt live. 
 The good But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, 29 
 ■ And who is my neighbour ? And Jesus answering 30 
 said, A certain man 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. And by chance there came 31 
 down a certain priest that way : and when he saw 
 him, he passed by on the other side. And like- 32 
 wise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and 
 looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 
 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came 33 
 where he was : and when he saw him, he had 
 compassion o?t him, and went to him, and bound 34 
 up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set 
 him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, 
 and took care of him. And on the morrow when 35 
 
ST. LUKE 79 
 
 he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them Chap, lo 
 to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him ; 
 and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come 
 
 36 again, I will repay thee. Which now of these 
 three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that 
 
 37 fell among the thieves? And he said, He that 
 shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto. him, 
 Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he en- Mary and 
 tered into a certain village : and a certain woman *^*^^** 
 
 39 named Martha received him into her house. And 
 she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at 
 
 40 Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was 
 cumbered about much serving, and came to him, 
 and said. Lord, dost thou not care that my sister 
 hath left me to serve alone ? bid her therefore that 
 
 41 she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto 
 her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled 
 
 42 about many things : but one thing is needful : and 
 Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not 
 be taken away from her. 
 
 11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in The Lord's 
 a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples ^^y®^* 
 said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John 
 
 2 also taught his disciples. And he said unto them. 
 When ye pray, say. Our Father which art in heaven, 
 Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 
 
 3 will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us 
 
 4 day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our 
 sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted 
 to us. And lead us not into temptation ; but de- 
 liver us from evil. 
 
 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have 
 
8o ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 11 a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and 
 Encourage- say unto him. Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a 6 
 
 ments to friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and 
 prayer. ■' •' 
 
 I have nothing to set before him ? And he from 7 
 
 within shall answer and say. Trouble me not : the 
 
 door is now shut, and my children are with me in 
 
 bed ; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, 8 
 
 Though he will not rise and give him, because 
 
 he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he 
 
 will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 
 
 And I say unto you. Ask, and it shall be given 9 
 
 you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall 
 
 be opened unto you. For every one that asketh 10 
 
 receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to 
 
 him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
 
 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a 11 
 father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, 
 will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he 12 
 shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If 13 
 ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 
 unto your children: how much more sh2t\\ your 
 heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that 
 ask him ? 
 
 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. 14 
 And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, 
 the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But 15 
 some of them said, He casteth out devils through 
 Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, 16 
 tempting hivi, sought of him a sign from heaven. 
 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, 17 
 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to 
 desolation ; and a house divided against a house 
 falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, 18 
 
ST. LUKE 8i 
 
 how shall his kingdom stand ? because ye say that Chap, ii 
 
 19 I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by 
 Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons 
 cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 
 
 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no 
 doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 
 
 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his 
 
 22 goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he 
 shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh 
 from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and 
 
 23 divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is 
 against me : and he that gathereth not with me 
 
 24 scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out 
 of a man, he walketh through dry places^ seeking 
 rest ; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto 
 
 25 my house whence I came out. And when he 
 a6 Cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then 
 
 goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits 
 more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and 
 dwell there : and the last state of that man is worse 
 than the first. 
 
 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things. The 
 
 a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, Je^us con- 
 and said unto him. Blessed is the womb that bare gratuiated. 
 
 28 thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But 
 he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the 
 word of God, and keep it. 
 
 29 And when the people were gathered thick to- On seeking 
 gether, he began to say, This is an evil generation : ^^sns. 
 they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given 
 
 30 it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas 
 was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son 
 
 31 of man be to this generation. The queen of the 
 
 G 
 
82 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 11 south shall rise up in the judgment 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 ts here. The men of Nineve shall 32 
 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 
 The lamp Jonas is here. No man, when he hath lighted 33 
 Ugh/^^ a candle, putteth // in a secret place, neither under 
 a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which 
 come in may see the light. The light of the body 34 
 is the eye : therefore when thine eye is single, thy 
 whole body also is full of light; but when //line 
 eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take 35 
 heed therefore that the light which is in thee be 
 not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full 36 
 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. 
 External And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought 37 
 cleansing, j^j^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^-^^ y^^^ . ^^^ y^^ yj^nX. in, and sat 
 
 down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw /V, 38 
 he marvelled that he had not first washed before 
 dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do 39 
 ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup 
 and the platter; but your inward part is full of 
 ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he 40 
 that made that which is without make that which 
 is within also? But rather give alms of such 41 
 things as ye have; and, behold, all things are 
 Condemna- clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! 42 
 tion of the f^j. ^^ ^j|.|^g ^^^<^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ manner of herbs, 
 
ST. LUKE 8^ 
 
 and pass over judgment and the love of God : chap. 11 
 these ought ye to have done, and not to leave 
 
 43 the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees ! 
 for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, 
 
 44 and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, 
 scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are as 
 graves which appear not, and the men that walk 
 
 45 over them are not aware of ihem. Then answered Condemna- 
 one of the lawyers, and said unto him. Master, ia*^yers!^* 
 
 46 thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he 
 said. Woe unto you also, ye lawyers ! for ye lade 
 men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye 
 yourselves touch not the burdens with one of 
 
 47 your fingers. Woe unto you ! for ye build the 
 sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed 
 
 48 them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the 
 deeds of your fathers : for they indeed killed 
 
 49 them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore 
 also said the wisdom of God, I will send them 
 prophets and apostles, and some of them they 
 
 50 shall slay and persecute: that the blood of all 
 the prophets, which was shed from the foundation 
 of the world, may be required of this generation ; 
 
 51 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of 
 Zacharias, which perished between the altar and 
 the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be 
 
 52 required of this generation. Woe unto you, 
 lawyers ! for ye have taken away the key of 
 knowledge : ye entered not in yourselves, and 
 
 53 them that were entering in ye hindered. And 
 as he said these things unto them, the scribes 
 and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, 
 and to provoke him to speak of many things : 
 
 G 2 
 
84 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 12 laying wait for him, and seeking to catch some- 54 
 
 thing out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. 
 Fear to be In the mean time, when there were gathered 12 
 by^txust.^ together an innumerable multitude of people, 
 insomuch that they trode one upon another, he 
 began to say unto his disciples first of all, 
 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which 
 is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that 2 
 shall not be revealed ; neither hid, that shall not 
 be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken 3 
 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. 
 
 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid 4 
 of them that kill the body, and after that have 
 no more that they can do. But I will forewarn 5 
 you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, which after 
 he hath killed hath power to cast into hell ; yea, 
 I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows 6 
 sold for two farthhigs, and not one of them is 
 forgotten before God? But even the very hairs 7 
 of your head are all numbered. Fear not there- 
 fore : ye are of more value than many sparrows. 
 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me 8 
 before men, him shall the Son of man also confess 
 before the angels of God: but he that denieth 9 
 me before men shall be denied before the angels 
 of God. And whosoever shall speak a word 10 
 against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : 
 but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy 
 Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they 11 
 bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magis- 
 trates, and powers, take ye no thought how or 
 
ST. LUKE 85 
 
 what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say : Chap. 12 
 
 12 for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same 
 hour what ye ought to say. 
 
 1 3 And one of the company said unto him, Master, On covet- 
 speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance muSrated 
 
 14 with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made t>y the rich 
 
 15 me a judge or a divider over you? And he said 
 unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetous- 
 ness : for a man's life consisteth not in the 
 abundance of the things which he possesseth. 
 
 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The 
 ground of a certain rich man brought forth plenti- 
 
 17 fully : and he thought within himself, saying, 
 What shall I do, because I have no room where 
 
 18 to bestow my fruits? And he said. This will 
 I do : I will pull down my barns, and build 
 greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits 
 
 19 and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, 
 thou hast much goods laid up for many years; 
 
 20 take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But 
 God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul 
 shall be required of thee : then v/hose shall those 
 
 21 things be, which thou hast provided? So is he 
 that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich 
 toward God. 
 
 2 3 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say Anxiety, 
 unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye 
 shall eat ; neither for the body, what ye shall put 
 
 23 on. The life is more than meat, and the body 
 
 24 is more than raiment. Consider the ravens : for 
 they neither sow nor reap ; which neither have 
 storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: 
 how much more are ye better than the fowls? 
 
86 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 12 And which of you with taking thought can add to 25 
 his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to 26 
 do that thing which is least, why take ye thought 
 for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: 27 
 they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto 
 you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed 
 like one of these. If then God so clothe the 28 
 grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow 
 is cast into the oven ; how much more will he 
 clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not 29 
 ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, 
 neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these 30 
 things do the nations of the world seek after: 
 and your Father knoweth that ye have need of 
 these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom 31 
 of God ; and all these things shall be added unto 
 you. Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's 32 
 good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that 33 
 ye have, and give alms ; provide yourselves bags 
 which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that 
 faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither 
 moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, 34 
 there will your heart be also. 
 
 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights 35 
 burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that 36 
 wait for their lord, when he will return from the 
 w^edding; that when he cometh and knocketh, 
 they may open unto him immediately. Blessed 37 
 are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh 
 shall find watching : verily I say unto you, that 
 he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down 
 to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 
 And if he shall come in the second watch, or 38 
 
ST. LUKE 87 
 
 come in the third watch, and find thevi so, blessed Chap. 12 
 
 39 are those servants. And this know, that if the 
 goodman of the house had known what hour 
 the thief would come, he would have watched, 
 and not have suffered his house to be broken 
 
 40 through. Be ye therefore ready also : for the Son 
 of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 
 
 41 Then Peter said unto him. Lord, speakest thou Faithful 
 
 42 this parable unto us, or even to all ? And the Lord shiTand 
 said. Who then is that faithful and wise steward, the re- 
 whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, 
 
 to give them their portion of meat in due season ? 
 
 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he 
 
 44 cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto 
 you, that he will make him ruler over all that he 
 
 45 hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My 
 lord delayeth his coming ; and shall begin to beat 
 the menservants and maidens, and to eat and 
 
 46 drink, and to be drunken ; the lord of that servant 
 will come in a day when he iooketh not for 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. 
 
 47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and 
 prepared not himself^ neither did according to his 
 
 48 will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 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. 
 
 49 I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what Coming 
 
 50 will I, if it be already kindled ? But I have a bap- ^^^^^^es. 
 
88 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 51 
 
 52 
 
 Chap. 12 tism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened 
 till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am 
 come to give peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but 
 rather division : for from henceforth there shall be 
 five in one house divided, three against two, and 
 two against three. The father shall be divided 53 
 against the son, and the son against the father; 
 the mother against the daughter, and the daughter 
 against the mother ; the mother in law against her 
 daughter in law, and the daughter in law against 
 her mother in law. 
 
 And he said also to the people. When ye see 54 
 a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say. 
 There cometh a shower ; and so it is. And when 55 
 ye see the south wind blow, ye say. There will be 
 heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye 56 
 can discern the face of the sky and of the earth ; 
 but how is it that ye do not discern this time ? 
 
 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not 57 
 what is right? When thou goest with thine 58 
 adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, 
 give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from 
 him ; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge 
 deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee 
 into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart 59 
 thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. 
 
 There were present at that season some that told 13 
 him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had 
 mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering 2 
 said unto them. Suppose ye that these Galilaeans 
 were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they 
 suffered such things ? I tell you. Nay : but, except 3 
 ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those 4 
 
ST. LUKE 89 
 
 eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and Chap. 13 
 slew them, think ye that they were sinners above 
 
 5 all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you, Nay : 
 but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 
 
 6 He spake also this parable ; A certain vian had The barren 
 a fig tree planted in his vineyard ; and he came ^ "** 
 
 7 and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then 
 said he unto the dresser of his vineyard. Behold, 
 these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig 
 tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cumbereth 
 
 8 it the ground ? And he answering said unto him, 
 Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig 
 
 9 about it, and dung // ; and if it bear fruit, ivell: 
 and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. 
 
 10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues An infirm 
 
 11 on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman ^rTdon 
 which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and the sab- 
 was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up 
 
 12 herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her 
 to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed 
 
 13 from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on 
 her : and immediately she was made straight, and 
 
 14 glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue 
 answered with indignation, because that Jesus had 
 healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the 
 people. There are six days in which men ought 
 to work : in them therefore come and be healed, 
 
 15 and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then 
 answered him, and said. Thou hypocrite, doth not 
 each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his 
 ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? 
 
 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter 
 of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these 
 
90 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 13 eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the 
 
 sabbath day? And when he had said these 17 
 things, all his adversaries were ashamed : and all 
 the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that 
 were done by him. 
 
 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God 18 
 like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is 19 
 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. And again he said, Whereunto 20 
 shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like 21 
 leaven, which a woman took and hid in three 
 measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
 
 And he went through the cities and villages, 22 
 teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 
 
 Then said one unto him. Lord, are there few 23 
 that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive 24 
 to enter in at the strait gate : for many, I say 
 unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be 
 able. When once the master of the house is risen 25 
 up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to 
 stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, 
 Lord, Lord, open unto us ; and he shall answer 
 and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are : 
 then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and 26 
 drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in 
 our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know 27 
 you not whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye 
 workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and 28 
 gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, 
 and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in 
 the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust 
 
ST. LUKE 91 
 
 29 out. And they shall come from the east, and chap. 13 
 from the west, and from the north, and fro77i 
 
 the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of 
 
 30 God. And, behold, there are last which shall be 
 first, and there are first which shall be last. 
 
 31 The same day there came certain of the Phari- Herod's 
 sees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart chdis?^^ 
 
 32 hence : for Herod will kill thee. And he said lament 
 unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I saiem.^^" 
 cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to 
 morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 
 
 33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, 
 and the day following; for it cannot be that a 
 
 34 prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, 
 Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest 
 them that are sent unto thee ; how often would 
 I have gathered thy children together, as a hen 
 doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye 
 
 35 would not ! Behold, your house is left unto you 
 desolate : and verily I say unto you, Ye shall 
 not see me, until the time come when ye shall 
 say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of 
 the Lord. 
 
 14 And it came to pass, as he went into the house Jesus 
 
 of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the m^with 
 
 a sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, dropsy 
 
 on the 
 there was a certain man before him which had sabbath. 
 
 3 the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the 
 lawyers and Pharisees, saying. Is it lawful to heal on 
 
 4 the sabbath day? 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 
 
9i 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 14 
 
 Against 
 choosing 
 the chief 
 places. 
 
 On inviting 
 the poor 
 and the 
 afflicted 
 as our 
 guests. 
 
 The Great 
 Supper. 
 
 Straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 
 And they could not answer him again to these 6 
 things. 
 
 And he put forth a parable to those which were 7 
 bidden, when he marked how they chose out the 
 chief rooms ; saying unto them, When thou art 8 
 bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in 
 the highest room ; lest a more honourable man 
 than thou be bidden of him ; and he that bade 9 
 thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man 
 place ; and thou begin with shame to take the 
 lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit 10 
 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. For 11 
 whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and 
 he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 Then said he also to him that bade him, When 12 
 thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy 
 friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor 
 thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, 
 and a recompence be made thee. But when thou 13 
 makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, 
 the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they 14 
 cannot recompense thee : for thou shalt be recom- 
 pensed at the resurrection of the just. 
 
 And when one of them that sat at meat with him 15 
 heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he 
 that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then 16 
 said he unto him, A certain man made a great 
 supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at 17 
 supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; 
 
ST. LUKE 95 
 
 i8 for all things are now ready. And they all with Cbap.i4 
 one consent began to make excuse. The first said 
 unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and 
 I must needs go and see it : I pray thee have me 
 
 19 excused. And another said, I have bought five 
 yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them : I pray thee 
 
 20 have me excused. And another said, I have 
 
 21 married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So 
 that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. 
 Then the master of the house being angry said to 
 his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes 
 of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the 
 
 22 maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the ser- 
 vant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, 
 
 23 and yet there is room. And the lord said unto 
 the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, 
 and compel them to come in, that my house may 
 
 24 be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those 
 men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 
 
 25 And there went great multitudes with him : and On making 
 
 26 he turned, and said unto them, If any man come for Chrit's 
 to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and sake and 
 wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, the cost, 
 and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 
 
 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come 
 
 28 after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of 
 you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down 
 first, and counteth the cost, whether he have suf- 
 
 2<^ ficient 10 finish it] Lest haply, after he hath laid 
 the foundation, and is not able to finish ?V, all that 
 
 30 behold it begin to mock him^ saying. This man 
 
 31 began to build, and was not able to finish. Or 
 what king, going to make war against another king, 
 
94 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 14 sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he 
 be able with ten thousand to meet him that conieth 
 against him with twenty thousand ? Or else, while 32 
 the other is yet a great way off", he sendeth an am- 
 bassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So 33 
 likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not 
 all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 
 
 Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his savour, 34 
 wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit 35 
 for the land, nor yet for the dunghill ; but men 
 cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him 
 hear. 
 
 *hc lost Then drew near unto him all the publicans and 15 
 sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and 2 
 scribes murmured, saying. This man receiveth sin- 
 ners, and eateth with them. And he spake this 3 
 parable unto them, saying. What man of you, 4 
 having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, 
 doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilder- 
 ness, and go after that which is lost, until he find 
 it? And when he hath found //, he layeth // on 5 
 his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh 6 
 home, he calleth together his friends and neigh- 
 bours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I 
 have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto 7 
 you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one 
 sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and 
 nine just persons, which need no repentance. 
 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if 8 
 she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and 
 sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find 
 it? And when she hath found //, she calleth her 9 
 friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice 
 
ST. LUKE 95 
 
 with me ; for I have found the piece which I had Chap. 15 
 
 10 lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the 
 presence of the angels of God over one sinner that 
 repenteth. 
 
 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: The pro- 
 13 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, *^^saison. 
 
 give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And 
 
 13 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 
 
 14 wasted his substance with riotous living. And 
 when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine 
 
 15 in that land ; and he began to be in want. And 
 he went and joined himself to a citizen of that 
 country; and he sent him into his fields to feed 
 
 16 swine. And he would fain have filled his belly 
 with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man 
 
 17 gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he 
 said, How many hired servants of my father's have 
 bread enough and to spare, and I perish with 
 
 18 hunger ! I will arise and go to my father, and will 
 say unto him. Father, I have sinned against heaven, 
 
 19 and before thee, and am no more worthy to be 
 called thy son : make me as one of thy hired ser- 
 
 io vants. And he arose, and came to his father. But 
 when he was yet a great way off, his father saw 
 him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his 
 
 21 neck, and kissed him. 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. 
 
 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the 
 best robe, and put it on him ; and put a ring on 
 
 23 his hand, and shoes on his feet : and bring hither 
 
96 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 15 the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat, and be 
 
 merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive 24 
 again ; he was lost, and is found. And they 
 began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the 25 
 field : and as he came and drew nigh to the house, 
 he heard musick and dancing. And he called one 26 
 of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 
 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come ; and 27 
 thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he 
 hath received him safe and sound. And he was 28 
 angry, and would not go in : therefore came his 
 father out, and intreated him. And he answering 29 
 said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve 
 thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy com- 
 mandment : and yet thou never gavest me a kid, 
 that I might make merry with my friends : but as 30 
 soon as this thy son was come, which hath devour- 
 ed thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him 
 the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou 31 
 art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It 32 
 was meet that we should make merry, and be glad : 
 for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; 
 and was lost, and is found, 
 rhe wise And he said also unto his disciples. There was 16 
 iteward. ^ certain rich man, which had a steward ; and the 
 same was accused unto him that he had wasted his 
 goods. And he called him, and said unto him, a 
 How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account 
 of thy stewardship ; for thou mayest be no longer 
 steward. Then the steward said within himself, 3 
 What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from 
 me the stewardship : I cannot dig ; to beg I am 
 ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when 4 
 
ST. LUKE 97 
 
 I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive Chap. 16 
 
 5 me into their houses. So he called every one of 
 his lord's debtors unto him^ and said unto the first, 
 
 6 How much owest thou unto my lord? And he 
 said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said 
 unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and 
 
 7 write fifty. Then said he to another, And how 
 much owest thou? And he said. An hundred 
 measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take 
 
 8 thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord com- 
 mended the unjust steward, because he had done 
 wisely : for the children of this world are in their 
 
 o generation wiser than the children of light. And 
 I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the 
 mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, 
 they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 
 
 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful 
 also in much : and he that is unjust in the least is 
 
 11 unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not 
 been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will 
 
 12 commit to your trust the true riches ? And if ye 
 have not been faithful in that which is another 
 man's, who shall give you that which is your own ? 
 
 13 No servant can serve two masters : for either he 
 will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he 
 will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye 
 cannot serve God and mammon. 
 
 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard The seif- 
 
 15 all these things : and they derided him. And he iron^f the 
 said unto them. Ye are they which justify your- Pharisees 
 selves before men ; but God knoweth your hearts : ^^ 
 
 for that which is highly esteemed among men is 
 
 16 abomination in the sight of God. The law and 
 
 H 
 
98 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 16 the prophets were until John : since that time the 
 kingdom of God is preached, and every man 
 presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and 17 
 earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 
 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth an- 18 
 other, committeth adultery : and whosoever marrieth 
 her that is put away from her husband committeth 
 adultery. 
 
 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed 19 
 ill purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously 
 every day : and there was a certain beggar named 20 
 Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 
 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell 21 
 from the rich man's table : moreover the dogs came 
 and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that 22 
 the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into 
 Abraham's bosom : the rich man also died, and 
 was buried ; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being 23 
 in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and La- 
 zarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, 24 
 Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send 
 Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in 
 water, and cool my tongue ; for I am tormented in 
 this flame. But Abraham said. Son, remember that 25 
 thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and 
 likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is com- 
 forted, and thou art tormented. And beside all 26 
 this, between us and you there is a great gulf 
 fixed : so that they which would pass from hence 
 to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that 
 would come from thence. Then he said, I pray 27 
 thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him 
 to my father's house : for I have five brethren ; 28 
 
ST. LUKE 99 
 
 that he may testify unto them, lest they also come Chap, lo 
 
 29 into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto 
 him, They have Moses and the prophets ; let them 
 
 30 hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham : 
 but if one went unto them from the dead, they will 
 
 31 repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not 
 Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per- 
 suaded, though one rose from the dead. 
 
 17 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible On causing 
 but that offences will come : but woe unto hi?n, andon ^^ 
 
 2 through whom they come ! It were better for him forgive- 
 
 ness. 
 that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and 
 
 he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one 
 
 3 of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves : If 
 thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him ; and 
 
 4 if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against 
 thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a 
 day turn again to thee, saying, I repent ; thou shalt 
 forgive him. 
 
 5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase On faith 
 
 6 our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a 1^^°^ 
 grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this syca- stable 
 mine tree. Be thou plucked up by the root, and be 
 
 thou planted in the sea ; and it should obey you. 
 
 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or 
 feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when 
 he is come from the field. Go and sit down to 
 
 8 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 after- 
 
 9 ward thou shalt eat and drink ? Doth he thank 
 that servant because he did the things that were 
 
 ro commanded him ? I trow not. So likewise ye, 
 H 2 
 
1^' 
 
 loo ST. LUKE 
 
 lepers. 
 
 Chap. 17 when ye shall have done all those things which are 
 commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants : 
 we have done that which was our duty to do. 
 The ten And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, ii 
 
 that he passed through the midst of Samaria and 
 Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, 1 2 
 there met him ten men that were lepers, which 
 stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and 13 
 said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when 14 
 he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves 
 unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as 
 they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, 15 
 when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and 
 with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on 16 
 his face at his feet, giving him thanks : and he was 
 a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were 17 
 there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 
 There are not found that returned to give glory to 18 
 God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, 19 
 Arise, go thy way : thy faith hath made thee 
 whole. 
 
 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, 20 
 when the kingdom of God should come, he answer- 
 ed them and said. The kingdom of God cometh not 
 with observation : neither shall they say, Lo here ! 21 
 or, lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is 
 within you. And he said unto the disciples. The 23 
 days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of 
 the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see //. 
 And they shall say to you, See here ; or, see there: 23 
 go not after them, nor follow them. For as the 24 
 lightning, that lighteneth out of the one /ar/ under 
 heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven ; 
 
ST. LUKE loi 
 
 25 so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But Chap. 17 
 first must he suffer many things, and be rejected 
 
 26 of this generation. And as it was in the days of 
 Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of 
 
 27 man. 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, 
 
 28 and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was 
 in the days of Lot ; they did eat, they drank, they 
 
 29 bought, they sold, they planted, they builded ; but 
 the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained 
 fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
 
 30 them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when 
 
 31 the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which 
 shall be upon the housetop, and his stufif in the 
 house, let him not come down to take it away : 
 and he that is in the field, let him likewise not 
 
 J, 33 return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever 
 shall seek to save his hfe shall lose it ; and whoso- 
 
 34 ever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, 
 in that night there shall be two men in one bed ; 
 the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 
 
 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one 
 
 36 shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall 
 be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the 
 
 37 other left. And they answered and said unto him. 
 Where, Lord? And he said unto them. Where- 
 soever the body is^ thither will the eagles be 
 gathered together. 
 
 18 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, xheun- 
 that men ought always to pray, and not to faint ; ^^1^^^°^° 
 
 2 saying. There was in a city a judge, which feared 
 
 3 not God, neither regarded man : And there was 
 
102 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 18 a widow in that city; and she came unto him, 
 
 saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he 4 
 would not for a while : but afterward he said with- 
 in himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard 
 man ; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will 5 
 avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary 
 me. And the Lord said. Hear what the unjust 6 
 judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own 7 
 elect, which cry day and night unto him, though 
 he bear long with them ? I tell you that he will 8 
 avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the 
 Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the 
 earth ? 
 ThePhari- And he spake this parable unto certain which 9 
 pubUcan*^^ trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and 
 
 despised others: Two men went up into the temple 10 
 to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publi- 
 can. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with n 
 himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other 
 men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as 
 this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes 12 
 of all that I possess. And the publican, standing 13 
 afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto 
 heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be 
 merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went 14 
 down to his house justified rather than the other : 
 for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; 
 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 Babes And they brought unto him also infants, that he 15 
 
 brought to ^yQui(5 touch them : but when his disciples saw it, 
 
 they rebuked them. But Jesus called them mito 16 
 him, and said. Suffer little children to come unto 
 me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the king- 
 
ST. LUKE 103 
 
 17 dom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever chap.is 
 shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little ' 
 
 child shall in no wise enter therein. 
 
 iS And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good The great 
 Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? *®^^* 
 
 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me 
 
 20 good ? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou 
 knowest the commandments, Do not commit adul- 
 tery, Do not kill, Do not steal. Do not bear false 
 
 21 witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 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. 
 
 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful : 
 
 24 for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that The great 
 he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall ^^ the rich, 
 they that have riches enter into the kingdom of 
 
 25 God ! For it is easier for a camel to go through 
 a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into 
 
 26 the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, 
 
 27 Who then can be saved? And he said, The 
 things which are impossible with men are possible 
 
 28 with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, 
 
 29 and followed thee. 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, 
 
 30 for the kingdom of God's sake, 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 The ap- 
 unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, suflferingf 
 
I04 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 death, and 
 resurrec- 
 tion of 
 Christ 
 described. 
 
 Chap. 18 and all things that are written by the prophets 
 concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 
 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, 32 
 and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and 
 spitted on : and they shall scourge hi7n^ and put 33 
 him to death : and the third day he shall rise 
 again. And they understood none of these things : 34 
 and this saying was hid from them, neither knew 
 they the things which were spoken. 
 
 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh 35 
 unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way 
 side begging : and hearing the multitude pass by, 36 
 he asked what it meant. And they told him, that 37 
 Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, 38 
 saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on 
 me. And they which went before rebuked him, 39 
 that he should hold his peace : but he cried so 
 much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy 
 on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him 4c 
 to be brought unto him : and when he was come 
 near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that 41 
 I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that 
 I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto 42 
 him, Receive thy sight : thy faith hath saved thee. 
 And immediately he received his sight, and followed 43 
 him, glorifying God : and all the people, when they 
 saw it, gave praise unto God. 
 
 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 19 
 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchceus, 2 
 which was the chief among the publicans, and he 
 was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he 3 
 was ; and could not for the press, because he was 
 little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed 4 
 
ST. LUKE 105 
 
 up into a sycomore tree to see him : for he was to C hap. 1 9 
 
 5 pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, 
 he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, 
 Zacchceus, make haste, and come down ; for to 
 
 6 day I must abide at thy house. And he made 
 haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 
 
 7 And when they saw it^ they all murmured, say- 
 ing, That he was gone to be guest with a man 
 
 8 that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said 
 unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my 
 goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken 
 any thing from any man by false accusation, 
 
 9 I restore hwi fourfold. And Jesus said unto 
 him. This day is salvation come to this house, 
 
 10 forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For 
 the Son of man is come to seek and to save that 
 which was lost. 
 
 ; I And as they heard these things, he added and The 
 spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, of the ^ 
 and because they thought that the kingdom of God Pounds. 
 
 12 should immediately appear. He said therefore, 
 A certain nobleman went into a far country to 
 
 13 receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And 
 he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten 
 pounds, and said unto them. Occupy till I come. 
 
 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message 
 after him, saying. We will not have this man to 
 
 15 reign over us. And it came to pass, that when 
 he was returned, having received the kingdom, 
 then he commanded these servants to be called 
 unto him, to whom he had given the money, that 
 he might know how much every man had gained 
 
 i6 by trading. Then came the first, saying. Lord, 
 
io6 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 19 thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said 17 
 unto him, Well, thou good servant : because thou 
 hast been faithful in a very little, have thou autho- 
 rity over ten cities. And the second came, saying, 18 
 Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And 19 
 he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five 
 cities. And another came, saying. Lord, behold, 20 
 here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in 
 a napkin : for I feared thee, because thou art an 2 1 
 austere man : thou takest up that thou layedst not 
 down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And 22 
 he saith unto him. Out of thine own mouth will 
 I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest 
 that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid 
 not down, and reaping that I did not sow : where- 23 
 fore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, 
 that at my coming I might have required mine own 
 with usury? And he said unto them that stood 24 
 by. Take from him the pound, and give it to him 
 that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, 25 
 Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, 26 
 That unto every one which hath shall be given ; 
 and from him that hath not, even that he hath 
 shall be taken away from him. But those mine 27 
 enemies, which would not that I should reign over 
 them, bring hither, and slay them before me. 
 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, 28 
 ascending up to Jerusalem. 
 
 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh 29 
 to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called 
 the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 
 saying, Go ye into the village over against you ; 30 
 in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt 
 
ST. LUKE 107 
 
 tied, whereon yet never man sat : loose him, and Chap. 19 
 
 31 bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why 
 do ye loose him ? thus shall ye say unto him, 
 
 32 Because the Lord hath need of him. And they 
 that were sent went their way, and found even 
 
 33 as he had said unto them. And as they were 
 loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto 
 
 34 them. Why loose ye the colt? And they said, 
 
 35 The Lord hath need of him. And they brought 
 him to Jesus : and they cast their garments upon 
 
 36 the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he 
 
 37 went, they spread their clothes in the way. 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 
 
 38 had seen ; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord : peace in heaven, and 
 
 39 glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees 
 from among the multitude said unto him, Master, 
 
 40 rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said 
 unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold 
 their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. 
 
 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the Jesus 
 
 42 city, and wept over it, saying. If thou hadst known, ^g^jeru- 
 even thou, at least in this thy day, the things saiem. 
 which belong unto thy peace ! but now they are 
 
 43 hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come 
 upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench 
 about thee, and compass thee round, and keep 
 
 44 thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even 
 with the ground, and thy children within thee; 
 and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon 
 
io8 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 19 another; because thou knewest not the time of 
 
 thy visitation. 
 Thepuri- And he went into the temple, and began to 45 
 
 fhe temp°ie, ^^^^ °^^ ^^^^"^ ^^^^ ^°^^ therein, and them that 
 audits bought; saying unto them, It is written, My house 46 
 the^ Jews. ^^ ^^^ house of prayer : but ye have made it a den 
 of thieves. 
 
 And he taught daily in the temple. But the 47 
 chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the 
 people sought to destroy him, and could not find 48 
 what they might do : for all the people were very 
 attentive to hear him. 
 Jesus And it came to pass, ^/la^ on one of those 20 
 
 as to his^ days, as he taught the people in the temple, and 
 authority, preached the gospel, the chief priests and the 
 
 scribes came upon /lim with the elders, and spake 2 
 unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest 
 thou these things? or who is he that gave thee 
 this authority ? And he answered and said unto 3 
 them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer 
 me : The baptism of John, was it from heaven, 4 
 or of men ? And they reasoned with themselves, 5 
 saying, If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say. 
 Why then beHeved ye him not ? But and if we 6 
 say. Of men ; all the people will stone us : for 
 they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And 7 
 they answered, that they could not tell whence // 
 was. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell 8 
 I you by what authority I do these things. 
 The par- Then began he to speak to the people this 9 
 
 vhfeyard? P^^^^le ; A certain man planted a vineyard, and 
 let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far 
 country for a long time. And at the season he 10 
 
ST. LUKE 109 
 
 sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they Chap. 20 
 should give him of the fruit of the vineyard : but 
 the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away 
 
 11 empty. And again he sent another servant : and 
 they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, 
 
 12 and sent him away empty. And again he sent 
 a third : and they wounded him also, and cast 
 
 13 him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard. 
 What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: 
 it may be they will reverence hiiji when they see 
 
 14 him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they 
 reasoned among themselves, saying. This is the 
 heir: come, let us kill: him, that the inheritance 
 
 15 may be our's. So they cast him out of the vine- 
 yard, and killed him. What therefore shall the 
 
 16 lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall 
 come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall 
 give the vineyard to others. And when they 
 
 17 heard //, they said, God forbid. And he beheld 
 them, and said. What is this then that is written, 
 The stone which the builders rejected, the same 
 
 18 is become the head of the corner? Whosoever 
 shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but 
 on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to 
 
 19 powder. And the chief priests and the scribes Tribute to 
 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. 
 
 20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, 
 which should feign themselves just men, that they 
 might take hold of his words, that so they might 
 deliver him unto the power and authority of the 
 
 21 governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, 
 
no ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 20 we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, 
 neither acceptest thou the person of any^ but 
 teachest the way of God truly : Is it lawful for 22 
 us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he 23 
 perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, 
 Why tempt ye me ? Shew me a penny. Whose 24 
 image and superscription hath it ? They answered 
 and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, 25 
 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which 
 be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be 
 God's. And they could not take hold of his 26 
 words before the people: and they marvelled at 
 his answer, and held their peace. 
 Sadducees Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, 27 
 resurrec- ^hich deny that there is any resurrection ; and 
 tion. they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote 28 
 
 unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, 
 and he die without children, that his brother 
 should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his 
 brother. There were therefore seven brethren : 29 
 and the first took a wife, and died without 
 children. And the second took her to wife, and 30 
 he died childless. And the third took her; and 31 
 in like manner the seven also : and they left no 
 children, and died. Last of all the woman died 32 
 also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife 33 
 of them is she ? for seven had her to wife. And 34 
 Jesus answering said unto them, The children of 
 this world marry, and are given in marriage : but 35 
 they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain 
 that world, and the resurrection from the dead, 
 neither marry, nor are given in marriage : neither 36 
 can they die any more : for they are equal unto 
 
ST. LUKE III 
 
 the angels ; and are the children of God, being the Chap. 20 
 
 37 children of the resurrection. Now that the dead 
 are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when 
 he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and 
 
 38 the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For 
 he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: 
 
 39 for all live unto him. Then certain of the scribes 
 
 40 answering said, Master, thou hast well said. And 
 after that they durst not ask him any question 
 at all. 
 
 41 And he said unto them, How say they that David's 
 
 42 Christ is David's son ? And David himself saith ^°°* 
 in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my 
 
 43 Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine 
 
 44 enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth 
 him Lord, how is he then his son ? 
 
 45 Then in the audience of all the people he said Warning 
 
 46 unto his disciples, Beware of the scribes, which scribes, 
 desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings 
 
 in the markets, and the highest seats in the 
 
 47 synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts ; which 
 devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long 
 prayers : the same shall receive greater damnation. 
 
 21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men The 
 
 2 casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw mltesT ^ 
 also a certain poor widow casting in thither two 
 
 3 mites. And he said. Of a truth I say unto you, 
 that this poor widow hath cast in more than they 
 
 4 all : for all these have of their abundance cast in 
 unto the offerings of God : but she of her penury 
 hath cast in all the living that she had. 
 
 5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was The temple 
 
 6 adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As de^u-oyed. 
 
112 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 21 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. And they asked him, saying, Master, but 7 
 when shall these things be? and what sign will 
 there be when these things shall come to pass ? And 8 
 he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived : for 
 many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; 
 and the time draweth near : go ye not therefore 
 after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and 9 
 commotions, be not terrified : for these things 
 must first come to pass; but the end is not by 
 Coming and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall 10 
 troubles. ^.^^^ against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : 
 
 and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, 11 
 and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights 
 and great signs shall there be from heaven. But 12 
 before all these, they shall lay their hands on 
 you, and persecute you^ delivering you up to the 
 synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before 
 kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall 13 
 turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore 14 
 in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye 
 shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and 15 
 wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be 
 able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be 16 
 betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and 
 kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall 
 they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be 17 
 hated of all 77ien for my name's sake. But there 18 
 shall not an hair of your head perish. In your 19 
 The doom patience possess ye your souls. And when ye 20 
 °Iiitr* shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then 
 
ST. LUKE 113 
 
 21 know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then Chap. 21 
 let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains ; 
 
 and let them which are in the midst of it depart 
 out; and let not them that are in the countries 
 
 22 enter thereinto. For these be the days of 
 vengeance, that all things which are written may 
 
 ^3 be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with 
 child, and to them that give suck, in those days ! 
 for there shall be great distress in the land, and 
 
 24 wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the 
 edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive 
 into all nations : and Jerusalem shall be trodden 
 down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles 
 
 25 be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, Thecom- 
 and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon the ^^^If^^ 
 earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the .sea man. 
 
 26 and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them 
 for fear, and for looking after those things which 
 are coming on the earth : for the powers of heaven 
 
 27 shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son 
 of man coming in a cloud with power and great 
 
 28 glory. And when these things begin to come to 
 pass, then look up, and hft up your heads; for 
 your redemption draweth nigh. 
 
 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the The lesson 
 
 30 fig tree, and all the trees ; when they now shoot °/g^^® 
 forth, ye see and know of your own selves that 
 
 31 summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, 
 when ye see these things come to pass, know ye 
 
 32 that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily 
 I say unto you, This generation shall not pass 
 
 33 away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall 
 pass away : but my words shall not pass away. 
 
 X 
 
114 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 21 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time 34 
 Warnings Y^^^ hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and 
 against drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that 
 
 iinpre- 
 
 paredness. day come upon you unawares, ror as a snare 35 
 shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of 
 the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray 36 
 always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape 
 all these things that shall come to pass, and to 
 stand before the Son of man. 
 
 And in the day time he was teaching in the 37 
 temple; and at night he went out, and abode in 
 the mount that is called ^/le mount of Olives. And 38 
 all the people came early in the morning to him 
 in the temple, for to hear him. 
 judas's Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, 22 
 
 treason. ^yhich is called the Passover. And the chief priests 2 
 and scribes sought how they might kill him ; for 
 they feared the people. Then entered Satan into 3 
 Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of 
 the twelve. 
 
 And he went his way, and communed with the 4 
 chief priests and captains, how he might betray 
 him unto them. And they were glad, and cove- 5 
 nanted to give him money. And he promised, 6 
 and sought opportunity to betray him unto them 
 in the absence of the multitude. 
 Prepara- Then came the day of unleavened bread, when 7 
 tion for the ^^ passover must be killed. And he sent Peter 8 
 and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, 
 that we may eat. And they said unto him, AVhere 9 
 wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto 10 
 them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, 
 there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of 
 
ST. LUKE 115 
 
 water ; follow him into the house where he entereth Chap. 22 
 
 11 in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the 
 house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the 
 guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with 
 
 12 my disciples? And he shall 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 The Lord's 
 
 15 the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto "pp®^' 
 them, With desire I have desired to eat this 
 
 16 passover with you before I suffer : for I say unto 
 you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be 
 
 17 fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took 
 the cup, and gave thanks, and said. Take this, 
 
 18 and divide // among yourselves : for I say unto 
 you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until 
 
 19 the kingdom of God shall come. And he took 
 bread, and gave thanks, and brake //, and gave 
 unto them, saying. This is my body which is given 
 
 20 for you : this do in remembrance of me. Likewise 
 also the cup after supper, saying. This cup is the 
 new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 
 
 21 But, behold, the hand of him that betray eth me is Thepre- 
 
 22 with me on the table. And truly the Son of man ^^^^6 
 goeth, as it was determined : but woe unto that traitor. 
 
 23 man by whom he is betrayed ! And they began 
 to enquire among themselves, which of them it 
 
 24 was that should do this thing. And there was Dispute 
 also a strife among them, which of them should cg^^nce^^' 
 
 25 be accounted the greatest. And he said unto 
 them. The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship 
 over them ; and they that exercise authority upon 
 
 I 2 
 
ii6 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 22 them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be 26 
 so : but he that is greatest among you, let him 
 be as the younger ; and he that is chief, as he that 
 doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth 27 
 at meat, or he that serveth ? is not he that sitteth 
 at meat ? but I am among you as he that serveth. 
 Ye are they which have continued with me in my 28 
 temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, 29 
 as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye 30 
 may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, 
 and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
 Warning Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, 31 
 to Peter, g^j^^n hath desired to have you, that he may sift 
 
 you as wheat : but I have prayed for thee, that thy 32 
 faith fail not : and when thou art converted, 
 strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, 33 
 Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, 
 and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, 34 
 the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou 
 The com- shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. And he 35 
 mg peril, ^^j^ yxKilo them, When I sent you without purse, 
 and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing ? And 
 they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But 36 
 now, he that hath a purse, let him take //, and 
 likewise his scrip : and he that hath no sword, let 
 him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say 37 
 unto you, that this that is written must yet be 
 accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among 
 the transgressors : for the things concerning me 
 have an end. And they said. Lord, behold, here are 38 
 two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. 
 The agony. And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to 39 
 the mount of Olives ; and his disciples also followed 
 
ST. LUKE 117 
 
 40 him. And when he was at the place, he said unto Chap. 22 
 them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 
 
 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's 
 
 42 cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying. Father, 
 if thou be willing, remove this cup from me : 
 
 43 nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And 
 there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, 
 
 44 strengthening him. And being in an agony he 
 prayed more earnestly : and his sweat was as it 
 were great drops of blood falling down to the 
 
 45 ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and 
 was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping 
 
 46 for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? 
 rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 
 
 47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, Thebe- 
 and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, *^^y^^- 
 went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to 
 
 48 kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betray est 
 
 49 thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they 
 which were about him saw what would follow, 
 they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the 
 
 50 sword? And one of them smote the servant of 
 
 51 the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And 
 Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And 
 
 52 he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus 
 said unto the chief priests, and captains of the 
 temple, and the elders, which were come to him, 
 Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords 
 
 53 and staves? When I w^as daily with you in the 
 temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: 
 but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. 
 
 54 Then took they him, and led him^ and brought 
 him into the high priest's house. 
 
Tl8 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 22 
 
 Peter's 
 repeated 
 denial of 
 Christ, and 
 the first 
 mockery 
 of him. 
 
 And Peter followed afar off. And when they 55 
 liad kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and 
 were set down together, Peter sat down among 
 them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat 56 
 by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and 
 said, This man was also with him. And he denied 57 
 him, saying. Woman, I know him not. And after 58 
 a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art 
 also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 
 And about the space of one hour after another 59 
 confidently affirmed, saying. Of a truth this fellow 
 also was with him : for he is a Galilaean. And 60 
 Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. 
 And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock 
 crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon 6r 
 Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the 
 Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock 
 crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went 62 
 out, and wept bitterly. And the men that held 63 
 Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when 64 
 they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the 
 face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it 
 that smote thee ? And many other things blasphe- 65 
 mously spake they against him. 
 
 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the 6(5 
 people and the chief priests and the scribes came 
 together, and led him into their council, saying, 
 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto 67 
 them. If I tell you, ye will not believe : and if 68 
 I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me 
 go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the 69 
 right hand of the power of God. Then said they 70 
 all, Art thou then the Son of God ? And he said 
 
ST. LUKE 1 19 
 
 71 unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, chap. 22 
 What need we any further witness ? for we our- 
 selves have heard of his own mouth. 
 
 23 And the whole multitude of them arose, and Examina- 
 
 2 led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse Piiate!^°^^ 
 him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the 
 nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, 
 
 3 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 
 
 4 sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests 
 and to the people, I find no fault in this man. 
 
 5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth 
 up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, 
 
 6 beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate 
 heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were 
 
 7 a Galilsean. And as soon as he knew that he 
 belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him 
 to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at 
 that time. 
 
 8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding jesus 
 glad : for he was desirous to see him of a long Hg°Q^ 
 season^ because he had heard many things of him ; 
 
 and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by 
 
 9 him. Then he questioned with him in many words ; 
 
 10 but he answered him nothing. And the chief 
 priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused 
 
 11 him. And Herod with his men of war set him at 
 nought, and mocked him^ and arrayed him in 
 a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 
 
 I J And the same day Pilate and Herod were made 
 friends together : for before they were at enmity 
 between themoelves. 
 
T20 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 23 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief 13 
 priests and the rulers and the people, said unto 14 
 them. Ye have brought this man unto me, as one 
 that perverteth the people : and, behold, I, having 
 examined hwi before you, have found no fault in 
 this man touching those things whereof ye accuse 
 him : no, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; 1 5 
 and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto 
 him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 16 
 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at 17 
 the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, 18 
 Away with this man^ and release unto us Barabbas : 
 (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and 19 
 for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, 20 
 willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But 21 
 they cried, saying. Crucify hhn^ crucify him. And 22 
 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 him go. 
 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring 23 
 that he might be crucified. And the voices of them 
 and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave 24 
 sentence that it should be as they required. And 25 
 he released unto them him that for sedition and 
 murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired ; 
 but he delivered Jesus to their will. 
 On the And as they led him away, they laid hold upon 26 
 
 Cnf i°^^^ one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, 
 fixion. and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear 
 
 // after Jesus. And there followed him a great 27 
 company of people, and of women, which also 
 bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning 28 
 unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not 
 
ST. LUKE 121 
 
 for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your Chap. 23 
 
 29 children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the 
 which they shall say. Blessed are the barren, and 
 the wombs that never bare, and the paps which 
 
 30 never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to 
 the mountains. Fall on us ; and to the hills. Cover 
 
 31 us. For if they do these things in a green tree, 
 
 32 what shall be done in the dry ? And there were The Cruci- 
 also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to ^^°"- 
 
 33 death. And when theywere come to the place, which 
 is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the 
 malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other 
 
 34 on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ; 
 for they know not what they do. And they parted 
 
 35 his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood 
 beholding. And the rulers also with them derided 
 /^/;;/, saying. He saved others ; let him save himself, 
 
 36 if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the sol- 
 diers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering 
 
 37 him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the 
 
 38 Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was 
 written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, 
 and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE 
 
 39 JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were The two 
 hanged railed on him, saying. If thou be Christ, ^gjors. 
 
 40 save thyself and us. But the other answering re- 
 buked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing 
 
 41 thou art in the same condemnation? And we 
 indeed justly ; for we receive the due reward of 
 our deeds : but this man hath done nothing amiss. 
 
 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when 
 
 43 thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said 
 unto him. Verily I say unto thee. To day shalt thou 
 
122 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 23 be with me in paradise. And it was about the 44 
 The death ^^^^^"^ hour, and there was a darkness over all the 
 of Jesus, earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was 45 
 darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in 
 the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud 46 
 voice, he said. Father, into thy hands I commend 
 my spirit : and having said thus, he gave up the 
 ghost. 
 
 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he 45 
 glorified God, saying. Certainly this was a righteous 
 man. And all the people that came together to 48 
 that sight, beholding the things which were done, 
 smote their breasts, and returned. And all his 49 
 acquaintance, and the women that followed him 
 from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. 
 The burial. And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a 50 
 counsellor ; and he was a good man, and a just : 
 (the same had not consented to the counsel and 51 
 deed of them ;) he tvas of Arimathaea, a city of the 
 Jews : who also himself waited for the kingdom of 
 God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the 52 
 body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped 53 
 it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn 
 in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And 54 
 that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew 
 on. And the women also, which came with him 55 
 from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepul- 
 chre, and how his body was laid. And they 56 
 returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and 
 rested the sabbath day according to the command- 
 ment. 
 The empty Now upon the first day of the week, very early in 24 
 °°^ * the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bring- 
 
ST. LUKE T23 
 
 ing the spices which they had prepared, and certain Chap. 24 
 
 2 others \s\\.h. them. And they found the stone rolled 
 
 3 away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, 
 
 4 and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And 
 it came to pass, as they were much perplexed there- 
 about, behold, two men stood by them in shining 
 
 5 garments : and as they were afraid, and bowed 
 down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, 
 
 6 Why seek ye the living among the dead ? He is 
 not here, but is risen : remember how he spake 
 
 7 unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying. The 
 Son of man must be delivered into the hands 
 of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third 
 
 8 day rise again. And they remembered his words, 
 
 9 and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these 
 
 10 things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was 
 Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother 
 of James, and other wo7Jten that were with them, 
 
 11 which told these things unto the apostles. And 
 their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they 
 
 12 believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran 
 unto the sepulchre ; and stooping down, he beheld 
 the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, 
 wondering in himself at that which was come to 
 pass. 
 
 13 And, behold, two of them went that same day The 
 
 to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jeru- "Emmaus*." 
 
 14 salem about threescore furlongs. And they talked 
 together of all these things which had happened. 
 
 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed 
 together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, 
 
 16 and went with them. But their eyes were holden 
 
 17 that they should not know him. And he said unto 
 
124 ST. LUKE 
 
 them, What manner of communications are these 
 that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are 
 sad? And the one of them, whose name was i8 
 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? 
 And he said unto them. What things ? And they 19 
 said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which 
 was a prophet mighty in deed and word before 
 God and all the people : and how the chief priests 20 
 and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to 
 death, and have crucified him. But we trusted 21 
 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. Yea, and certain 12 
 women also of our company made us astonished, 
 which were early at the sepulchre; and when they 23 
 found not his body, they came, saying, that they 
 had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he 
 was alive. And certain of them which were with 24 
 us went to the sepulchre, and found // even so as 
 the women had said : but him they saw not. Then 25 
 he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to 
 believe all that the prophets have spoken : ought 26 
 not Christ to have suffered these things, and to 
 enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses 27 
 and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in 
 all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 
 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they 2S 
 went : and he made as though he would have gone 
 further. But they constrained him, saying. Abide 29 
 with us : for it is toward evening, and the day is 
 far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 
 
ST. LUKE 125 
 
 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, chap. 24 
 he took bread, and blessed //, and brake, and gave 
 
 31 to them. And their eyes were opened, and they 
 
 32 knew him ; and he vanished out of their sight. And 
 they said one to another. Did not our heart burn 
 within us, while he talked with us by the way, and 
 
 33 while he opened to us the scriptures ? And they 
 rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, 
 and found the eleven gathered together, and them 
 
 34 that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen 
 
 35 indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they 
 told what things were do?ie in the way, and how he 
 was known of them in breaking of bread. 
 
 36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in jesus ap- 
 the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be ^f^^^^ ^° 
 
 ' ' His dlSCl- 
 
 37 unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, pies. 
 
 38 and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he 
 said unto them. Why are ye troubled ? and why do 
 
 39 thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands 
 and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and 
 see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see 
 
 40 me have. And when he had thus spoken, he 
 
 41 shewed them his hands and his feet. And while 
 they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he 
 
 42 said unto them. Have ye here any meat? And 
 they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an 
 
 43 honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before 
 them. 
 
 44 And he said unto them, These are the words The last 
 which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, s°(J^[^^ 
 that all things must be fulfilled, which were written 
 
 in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in 
 
 45 the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their 
 
126 ST. LUKE 
 
 Chap. 24 understanding, that they might understand the 
 
 scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, 46 
 and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from 
 the dead the third day : and that repentance and 47 
 remission of sins should be preached in his name 
 among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And 48 
 ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I 49 
 send the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry 
 ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with 
 power from on high. 
 
 The As- And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and 50 
 
 he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it 51 
 came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted 
 from them, and carried up into heaven. And they 52 
 worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with 
 great joy : and were continually in the temple, 53 
 praising and blessing God. Amen. 
 
 cension. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 REVISED VERSION WITH ANNOTATIONS 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up 1 
 a narrative concerning those matters which have been 
 
 i. 1-4. Luke's preface. In a carefully phrased preface, the 
 literary style of which is exceptionally classical, Luke ex- 
 plains (i) the circumstances under which he has come to write 
 this book ; (2) the way in which he has collected his materials ; 
 (3) the manner in which he proposes to carry out his project ; 
 and (4) the end he has in view. Since many predecessors have 
 attempted to narrate the Gospel story, Luke considers that he 
 too may write on so attractive a theme. He has derived his 
 information from people who were both eye-witnesses of what 
 he is about to narrate and recognized Christian teachers. He 
 has been accurate in this collecting of materials. He has traced 
 the story out from the very beginning. He proposes to set it 
 forth in order. This explanatory statement is addressed to a 
 certain Theophilus that he may have positive knowledge of the 
 events concerning which he has already received instruction 
 from the catechists. 
 
 1. many. Possibly our Mark was among the numerous works 
 here referred to. No trace of any other of them has been preserved. 
 They have been entirely superseded by our ' four Gospels,' i. e, by 
 ' the survival of the fittest.' The extant apocryphal Gospels are 
 of much later date. 
 
 taken in hand. The phrase implies that Luke had no 
 great opinion of what his predecessors had done. He chronicles 
 the attempt ; he is discreetly reticent as to the result. 
 
 K 
 
I30 ST. LUKE 1. 3-4 
 
 3 fulfilled among us, even as they delivered them unto us, 
 which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers 
 
 3 of the word, it seemed good to me also, having traced 
 the course of all things accurately from the first, to write 
 
 4 unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus ; that 
 
 fulfilled. R.V. substitutes this word for the 'surely believed* 
 of A. V. The Greek admits of either interpretation. But it is 
 only found used in the sense given in A. V. when applied to 
 persons. Since it is here applied to things the other meaning 
 (e.g. see Acts xii. 25, xix. 21) is preferable. Luke will record 
 complete transactions, a finished story. 
 
 2. even as : a strong, definite term. The author will keep close 
 to his materials and not give play to his fancy. As we might say, 
 he will be a Freeman, not a Froude. 
 
 delivered. The technical word for tradition. Luke does 
 not profess to be a first-hand authority. The word does not 
 exclude written sources. 
 
 eyewitnesses and ministers. A common article for these 
 two substances shews that they both refer to the same persons. 
 Luke derived his information from people who had themselves 
 seen and heard Jesus, and who had also been engaged in preach- 
 ing the gospel. Perhaps the word * minister' means 'catechist' 
 
 tlie word : a phrase commonly used in primitive and apostolic 
 times for the subject-matter of Christian teaching, e, g. Acts xiv. 25. 
 
 3. me also. Luke modestly justifies himself by associating his 
 work with his predecessors' attempts. His Gospel is not an 
 official document issued authoritatively by the church. Its author 
 is solely responsible for it. 
 
 accurately : a point perhaps neglected by some of the pre- 
 decessors. Luke was careful and exact in collecting his materials 
 — a conscientious historian. 
 
 from tlie first. This third Gospel goes back to early 
 beginners, as for instance Mark does not. 
 
 in order. Luke seems to aim at a chronological order. 
 
 most excellent. Not a moral attribute, but a recognized form 
 of address for a person of rank. 
 
 Theophilus : some have thought the name is used allegori- 
 cally for the Christian reader (meaning either 'Lover of God' or 
 ' Beloved by God '). But it was a common Greek name, and the 
 title * most excellent ' suggests a person. Acts was addressed to 
 the same man (Acts i. i). We know nothing further of him. He 
 seems to have been a sort of literary patron in the early church — a 
 ' Mecsenas' of Christianity, yet not a professed Christian, as he is 
 addressed by his title and not as a brother. 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 5-8 131 
 
 thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things 
 wherein thou wast instructed. 
 
 There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, 5 
 a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of 
 Abijah : and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, 
 and her name was Ehsabeth. And they were both 6 
 righteous before God, walking in all the commandments 
 and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had 7 
 no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they 
 both were now well stricken in years. 
 
 Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's 8 
 
 4. Theophilus had learnt the facts of the Gospel from catechists. 
 Luke employs a term which implies catechetical teaching — by 
 question and answer, like that of the Rabbis. 
 
 Infancy Narratives, i. 5 — ii. 52. 
 i. 5-7. Zacharias and Elisabeth. This passage tells how in 
 the reign of Herod the Great there was a priest named Zacharias 
 who had a wife named Elisabeth. They were a couple of 
 excellent character, worthy people in the sight of God and 
 diligent observers of the law. Nevertheless they were childless, 
 and they were well advanced in years. 
 
 5. Eerod, known as ' Herod the Great.' A man of splendid 
 physique ; he was not a Jew by birth, but an Idumsean. Ihough 
 probably quite an irreligious person, he shewed respect to the 
 Jewish religion, rebuilt the temple with great magnificence, 
 abstained from religious persecution, and governed with vigour. 
 But he was of a dissolute character, and violently passionate. As 
 he grew old he became suspicious and cruel. He reigned from 
 B.C. 37 to B.C. 4. 
 
 a certain priest. Not the high priest, as an apocryphal 
 Gospel asserts. Therefore the vision was not in the Holy of 
 Holies on the Day of Atonement, as some have supposed. 
 
 tlie covirse of Abijali. One of the twenty-four courses 
 arranged after the return under Ezra, each 'course ' being supposed 
 to serve in the temple for a week in turn (see i Chron. xxiv. 10). 
 
 6. rigliteous before God : moral character. 
 
 walking in all tlie commandments, &c. : legal correctness. 
 
 i. 8-25. Zacharias^ vision. Zacharias, while taking his turn 
 of service at the temple, is chosen by lot to present the incense 
 in the holy place. He enters while the congregation without 
 
 K 2 
 
132 ST. LUKE 1. 9-II 
 
 9 office before God in the order of his course, according 
 to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter 
 
 10 into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And 
 the whole multitude of the people were praying without 
 
 11 at the hour of incense. And there appeared unto him 
 an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the 
 
 remains in prayer. An angel appears to him, standing at the 
 right of the altar. Zacharias is alarmed ; but the angel reassures 
 him, announcing that his pra3'er has been heard, and that Elisabeth 
 shall have a son, whom he is to name John, The child is not to 
 take any intoxicating drink ; he will be filled with the Holy Spirit 
 and will turn many to God, going before God like an Elijah. 
 Zacharias being in doubt about the promise, the angel reveals 
 himself as Gabriel, and declares that Zacharias shall be dumb until 
 the prediction is realized. When he goes out to the people he 
 is unable to speak to them. He returns to his home at the 
 expiration of his term of service. Elisabeth is in retirement for 
 three months. 
 
 8. in the order of Ms course. Each of the twenty-four 
 courses of priests came up in turn to perform the temple function. 
 It was now the turn of the course to v^^hich Zacharias belonged. 
 
 9. Ms lot. The officiating priests cast lots among themselves 
 both morning and evening to determine which one should offer 
 the incense. On this occasion the lot fell to Zacharias. 
 
 tlie temple. There are two Greek words translated * temple '" 
 in the N. T. One of these, being of more general application, is 
 used for the whole enclosure, buildings, porticoes, &c. ; the other 
 is employed for the small sanctuary in the centre, the ' holy 
 place.' That is the word used here. The congregation was 
 assembled in the large temple area ; Zacharias, as priest, entered 
 the ' holy place.' The word here used for the sanctuary is that 
 employed b}' Paul in the sentence, ' Know ye not that your bod}' 
 is a temple of the Holy Ghost?' (i Cor. vi. 19). 
 
 10. tile hour of incense. Either early morning or evening; 
 Luke does not say which. 
 
 11. an ang-elof the Ziord. The word ' angel' means messenger, 
 and it is sometimes used in that sense for a human messenger ; for 
 instance, in this Gospel for 'the messengers of John* (vii. 24). 
 But we cannot rationalize Luke's narrative by giving it that 
 meaning here ; the supernatural reference is too evident. With 
 the later Jews angels, as heavenly beings intermediate between 
 God and the world, are assigned functions in the administration 
 of nature as well as in communication with men. 
 
ST. LUKE. 1. 12-1; 133 
 
 altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he n 
 saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said n 
 unto him, Fear not, Zacharias : because thy supplication 
 is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, 
 and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt 14 
 have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his 
 birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 15 
 and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and 
 
 The appearance of angels is characteristic of the early part of 
 Luke's Gospel : here, at the Annunciation, and in the incident 
 of the shepherds. It is to be observed that this is the most 
 Hebraistic part of the Gospel. We meet with no more angel 
 appearances until we come to the Gethsemane events. There 
 Luke, and he only, tells us that an angel from heaven appeared 
 to Jesus, strengthening him (Luke xxii. 43). On the other hand, 
 while both Matthew (iv. 11) and Mark (i. 13) say that angels 
 ministered to him after the Temptation, Luke has no reference to 
 angels in his account of that occurrence. These angel appearances 
 are among the features of the early narratives of the third Gospel 
 that have led many critics to regard those narratives as mythical. 
 It must be allowed that Luke's unsupported stories do not come 
 to us with the authority of what is contained in the ' triple tra- 
 dition ' of the Synoptics. A person may hesitate about receiving 
 these narratives as history, and yet have no doubt as to the main 
 stream of the Gospel record and its picture of Christ. On the 
 other hand, those people who are disposed to abandon them 
 entirely because of the elements they regard as mythical, should 
 reflect that the essence of the narratives is not affected by the 
 question of the angel appearances. Supposing Zacharias' vision 
 were wholly subjective, entirely internal to himself; still he would 
 describe it as an external occurrence, and he would be more right 
 than wrong if he really received a message from heaven. 
 
 13. thy supplication. The word means a definite petition, not 
 worship generally. Zacharias had prayed for a son ; or perhaps 
 the meaning is that he had prayed for the coming redemption, 
 which his son was to herald. 
 
 Jolm. The name may bear either of two meanings, ' Jeho» 
 vah's gift' or 'Jehovah is gracious.' 
 
 15. no wine nor strong drink. Wycliffe translates this * ne 
 wine ne syder.' Thus John was to be like a Nazarite, tut with 
 two differences: (i) there is no reference to forbidding cutting 
 the hair or shaving, as in the case of the Nazarite ; (2) while the 
 
134 ST. LUKE 1. 16-19 
 
 he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his 
 
 16 mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel 
 
 17 shall he turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall 
 go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, 
 to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the 
 disobedient io walk in the wisdom of the just ; to make 
 
 1 8 ready for the Lord a people prepared for him. And 
 Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know 
 this ? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in 
 
 19 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 bring thee these good 
 
 Nazarite's vow was for a definite period, the conclusion of which 
 was marked by shaving, John's rule of life was to be perpetual, 
 as was the ease with Samson (Judges xiii. 5) and Samuel 
 (i Sam. i. 11). 
 
 the Holy Ohost. It is characteristic of this Gospel to have 
 frequent references to the Spirit of God. 
 
 17. Ms face, i. e. the face of God. As yet there has been no 
 reference to Jesus ; besides, this is an echo of an Old Testament 
 prophecy referring to the coming of God, as the words that follow 
 shew. * Face' is a Hebraism, signifying presence. 
 
 Elijali. A reference to Malachi's predictions (iii. i, iv. 5). This 
 had raised an expectation of the return of Elijah (cf. Luke ix. 19). 
 The comparison must be with the reforming energy of the great 
 prophet who worsted the followers of Baal at Carmel (cf. i 
 Kings xviii. 17-40). 
 
 to turn the hearts, &c. To lead harsh or negligent parents 
 to regard their children graciously — to restore happy family life. 
 From Malachi iv. 6. 
 
 19. Oabriel : * Man of God.' The name of this angel first 
 appears in Daniel (viii. 16), where several angel names are 
 met with, all for the first time. In form he is there described 
 as like a man. While Michael is the warrior angel, Gabriel 
 is the revealer. He explains Daniel's visions, and he reveals 
 wonders to Zacharias, and later to Mary. The Aramaic para- 
 phrases of the O. T., known as Targums, insert the name of 
 Gabriel in several other passages, e. g. as the man who shewed 
 Joseph the way to his brothers. Mohammed professed to have 
 had the Koran dictated to him by this angeU 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 2J-25 135 
 
 tidings. And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able 20 
 to speak, until the day that these things shall come to 
 pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall 
 be fulfilled in their season. And the people were waiting 21 
 for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in 
 the temple. And when he came out, he could not 22 
 speak unto them : and they perceived that he had seen 
 a vision in the temple : and he continued making signs 
 unto them, and remained dumb. And it came to pass, 23 
 when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he 
 departed unto his house. 
 
 And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived ; 24 
 and she hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the 25 
 Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon 
 nie^ to take away my reproach among men. 
 
 21. tlxey marvelled. According to the Talmud the priests 
 hastened back from the holy place, lest the people should suppose 
 harm had come to them from their near approach to the Divine 
 Presence. 
 
 22. a vision. This almost suggests that Zacharias' experience 
 was not a sense perception of a bodily presence, but was, in fact, 
 as Luke says, * a vision,' The priest's silent, awed expression 
 suggested to the people that he must have seen some vision in 
 the sanctuary. 
 
 23. the days of his ministration. The week of his priestly 
 course. 
 
 24. hid herself. There is no evidence that this was according 
 to custom. But Elisabeth's case being very unusual, she would 
 wish to avoid foolish gossip till she was beyond doubt as to her 
 condition. 
 
 25. looked upon me. The pronoun ' me' is not in the Greek. 
 The meaning of the sentence seems to be, * The Lord has seen 
 to it, that my reproach should be taken away.' 
 
 my reproach: the childless condition, keenly felt among 
 Hebrew women, as for instance in the cases of Sarah and 
 Hannah. 
 
 among- men. The Greek word does not mean men as 
 distinguished from women, but mankind, as we might say *in 
 the world,' or * in society.' 
 
136 ST. LUKE 1. 26-29 
 
 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent 
 
 27 from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to 
 a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, 
 of the house of David; and the virgin's name was 
 
 28 Mary. And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou 
 
 29 that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee. But 
 
 i. 26-38. The Anntindaiion. Gabriel appears to Mary, who is 
 betrothed to Joseph, in Nazareth, saluting her as highly favoured. 
 Mary is alarmed ; but the angel reassures her, declaring that she 
 has found favour with God, and shall have a son who is to be 
 named Jesus. He is to be called the Son of God, and he shall 
 reign on the throne of David for ever. In answer to Mary's 
 question how this can be, the angel tells her that the Holy Spirit 
 will come upon her, and informs her of Elisabeth's condition. 
 Thereupon Mary meekly accepts the message. 
 
 26. the sixth month. At the conclusion of the five months 
 mentioned in the previous verse. 
 
 Galilee. The northern division of Palestine. The word 
 means the ' circuit.' 
 
 Nazareth. A highland town beautifully situated in a nook 
 of the hills overlooking the plain of Esdraclon. Ten minutes' 
 walk from the town brings the traveller to the hilltop with 
 magnificent views. To the north, Lebanon and anti-Lebanon ; 
 to the east, the purple mountains of Gilead across the deep gorge 
 of the Jordan ; to the south. Tabor, the plain of Esdraelon, and 
 the mountains of Samaria ; to the west, the Mediterranean Sea, 
 with the ships at anchor in the Bay of Acre at the foot of Carmel. 
 The town is now known as en-Ndsirah, and is almost exclusively 
 inhabited by Christians. 
 
 27. betrothed. Betrothal usually lasted a year, during which 
 the bride-elect lived at her old home ; but her unfaithfulness would 
 be treated as adultery. 
 
 of the house of David. It is distinctly stated that Joseph 
 was of the royal family. The same is not affirmed of Mary ; but 
 it is plainly implied by the assertion of the Davidic origin of 
 Jesus (cf. verses 32 and 69) in a narrative that also asserts his 
 birth from a virgin mother. 
 
 28. Hail, &c. The commencement of the -^y^ il^anrt. 
 highly favotired. This is the correct grammatical rendering 
 
 of the Greek, which is a perfect passive, and therefore cannot 
 mean * full of grace ' in the sense of very gracious, bestowing 
 much grace, but must mean 'having received much grace or 
 favour.' 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 30-36 137 
 
 she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her 
 mind what manner of salutation this might be. And 30 
 the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for thou hast 
 found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt con- 31 
 ceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call 
 his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called 32 
 the Son of the Most High : and the Lord God shall give 
 unto him the throne of his father David : and he shall 33 
 reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and of his 
 kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said unto 34 
 the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ? 
 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy 35 
 Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most 
 High shall overshadow thee : wherefore also that which 
 is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God. And 36 
 behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath con- 
 
 30. found favour. This implies that Mary was of a character 
 to please God, and that she was chosen to the unique honour to 
 be bestowed in some degree on that account. The word * found ' 
 is contrary to the idea of the ' immaculate conception * — that Mary 
 was miraculously sinless from the first. The phrase is used of 
 Noah in Genesis vi. 8. 
 
 31. Jesus. The Greek for Joshua, which means 'Jehovah is 
 the Saviour/ 
 
 32. the Son of the Most High. The Jews assigned a certain 
 Divine sonship to the Messiah, though they did not ascribe 
 personal Divinity to him. The words He . . . shall be called point 
 to the phrase being used here as a title rather than to affirm our 
 Lord's personal Divinity, which, however, is plainly implied else- 
 where in the Gospel. 
 
 the throne of his father David, i. e. the Messiahship. 
 
 35. The Holy Ghost. Another instance of the importance 
 assigned to the work of the Spirit of God by Luke's Gospel. It 
 was to be by the coming of the Holy Ghost on her that Mary was 
 to become the mother of Jesus. 
 
 holy ; consecrated, set apart for God. The word used in the 
 Epistles for Christians and there rendered ' saints.' 
 
 36. Mary is to see from Elisabeth's case that a most unlikely 
 birth is possible. 
 
138 ST. LUKE 1. 37-43 
 
 ceived a son in her old age : and this is the sixth month 
 
 37 with her that was called barren. For no word from God 
 
 38 shall be void of power. And Mary said, Behold, the 
 handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy 
 word. And the angel departed from her. 
 
 39 And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill 
 ^0 country with haste, into a city of Judah ; and entered 
 
 41 into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. And 
 it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation 
 of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb ; and Elisabeth 
 
 42 was filled with the Holy Ghost ; and she lifted up her 
 voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed arf thou among 
 
 4.^ women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And 
 
 37. no word from God, &c. An allusion to Gabriel's message 
 to Zacharias. As that was verified by the result, so will his 
 message to Mary be also. 
 
 38. handmaid : ///. ' slave girl.' Mar}' both believes the 
 message and accepts its consequences — high honour in the sight 
 of God, with a risk of gross misunderstanding and cruel shame 
 among her neighbours. 
 
 i. 39-45. Mary's visit to Elisabeth. Mary visits Elisabeth at 
 her home in a town of the hill country of Judah. On seeing her 
 kinswoman Mary salutes her. Elisabeth, much moved and in- 
 spired by the H0I3' Spirit, blesses Mary, wondering at the honour 
 that is bestowed on herself, and adding a further congratulation 
 of Mary for her faith, since the Divine promise is to be fulfilled. 
 
 39. the hill country. The mountainous part of Judah, Mary 
 would travel either through Samaria or round by the east of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 a city of Judah. The name is not given, probably because 
 Luke did not know it — a sign that he is writing history, not 
 romancing ; he names the places he knows. A late tradition 
 followed by P6re Didon fixes on Ain Karim, but there is nothing 
 to authenticate it. 
 
 41. the Holy Ghost. Another of Luke's characteristic re- 
 ferences to the Spirit of God. Elisabeth is much excited: she 
 utters her congratulations in a loud voice, 
 
 42. Blessed art thou among- women. A Hebrew idiom, 
 meaning ' thou art a woman especially favoured.' 
 
ST. l.UKE 1. 44-46 139 
 
 whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should 
 come unto me ? For behold, when the voice of thy 44 
 salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my 
 womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed ; for 45 
 there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been 
 spoken to her from the Lord. And Mary said, 46 
 
 My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 
 43. the mother of my Lord: the Messiah's mother. 
 
 45. she that "believed: Mary in her faith. The verb is an 
 aorist form, pointing to the particular act of faith when Mary 
 accepted the angel's message. 
 
 for. It is possible to translate the Greek word ' that,' and then 
 the sentence following will give the contents of Mary's faith, i. e. 
 that she believed the Divine promise would be fulfilled ; but 
 * for ' or ' because ' is the more likely rendering, as the fulfilment 
 of the promise is faith's reward. 
 
 i. 46-56. The Magnificat. Luke gives us this now famous 
 hymn of the Christian Church as the expression of Mary's 
 thankfulness on receiving Elisabeth's ecstatic congratulations. 
 The language consists almost entirely of familiar phrases from 
 the Psalms ; as a whole, the hymn resembles Hannah's song 
 ■^i Sam. ii. i-io). Still it surpasses the Old Testament in spiritual 
 elevation, and the unity of feeling that pervades it makes it an 
 original composition. It has been said that the national character 
 of the Magnificat is unsuitable to the occasion. Mary begins with 
 a reference to her own condition, it is true ; but she soon passes 
 on to princes, Israel, &c. In fact, this is more like a hymn for 
 congregational worship than the lyric cry of a young girl in deep 
 emotion. Still there is nothing in it unsuitable to the period 
 to which it belongs, no distinctly Christian phrases. The main 
 theme is God's rejection of the great and proud, and His favour 
 for the poor and humble. It is not likely that Mary composed 
 the hymn while standing before Elisabeth. Possibly it was 
 a hymn of the Jewish Church which she then recited — as a 
 Christian woman might recite 'Rock of Ages' — or which is inserted 
 in the narrative to represent her feelings. See on verse 68. 
 
 Mary praises God her Saviour for His condescension to her; 
 all future ages will reckon her favoured by heaven. The Mighty 
 One has done great things to those who fear Him. He has 
 scattered the pror.d, but exalted the humble ; fed the hungry, but 
 sent the rich empty away, helping Israel in memorj^of His mercy 
 to Abraham, and in accordance with His promise to the fathers. 
 
 46, 47. My soul . . . my spirit. The parallelism of Hebrew 
 
I40 ST. LUKE 1. 47-51 
 
 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 
 
 48 For he hath looked upon the low estate of his hand- 
 
 maiden : 
 For behold, from henceforth all generations shall 
 call me blessed. 
 
 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; 
 And holy is his name. 
 
 50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations 
 On them that fear him. 
 
 CI He hath shewed strength with his arm ; 
 
 poetry in the form of these verses shews that the usual distinction 
 between soul and spirit is not here observed. The words are 
 synonymous. 
 
 God my Saviour. Observe, Mary speaks of her own rela- 
 tion to God. Highly favoured as she is, she needs a saviour. 
 
 48. low estate : a country carpenter's bride. 
 handmaiden : lit. 'slave girl,' as in verse 38. 
 
 shall call me blessed. This does not predict the adoration 
 of the Virgin, but describes a reckoning of her as one highly 
 honoured. 
 
 49. The hymn here passes from the future to the past tense. 
 Three explanations of the change have been offered : — (i) That 
 this is the Hebrew prophetic style in which the past is used 
 for the future ; an improbable form in Greek. (2) That this is 
 an instance of what is called 'the gnomic aorist,' i. e. the Greek 
 aorist used for what is habitual, and to be rendered in English 
 as a present ; also improbable ; the form is very rare. (3) That 
 the past sense is meant. This is quite intelligible. What is here 
 described had been seen in the history of Israel, and that history 
 is the ground of hope for similar doings in the future. Bat 
 probably the idea is that in what God has already done, in Mary's 
 own experience, there are involved the great blessings described, as 
 the seed contains the plant, and flower, and fruit. Thus this past 
 tense suggests that great results are concentrated in the first 
 moment of the incarnation, though only the future will see them 
 evolved in outward events. The language concerns future 
 deliverance and other good things not yet realized, but these 
 are considered to be already accomplished immediately the cause 
 of them has appeared. The very coming of Christ has in this 
 way accomplished, because it has secured, all the future course 
 of the Christian Gospel's achievements for the good of the race. 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 52-59 141 
 
 He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of 
 their heart. 
 
 He hath put down princes from their thrones, 52 
 
 And hath exalted them of low degree. 
 
 The hungry he hath filled with good things ; 53 
 
 And the rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
 He hath holpen Israel his servant, 54 
 
 That he might remember mercy 
 
 (As he spake unto our fathers) 55 
 
 Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. 
 And Mary abode with her about three months, and 56 
 returned unto her house. 
 
 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should 57 
 be delivered ; and she brought forth a son. And her 58 
 neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had 
 magnified his mercy towards her ; and they rejoiced with 
 her. And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they 59 
 
 55. As he spake, &c. By putting this line in brackets the 
 Revisers bring out the meaning of the whole passage. A variation 
 in the Greek construction shews that the phrase 'our fathers' is 
 not given as synonymous with 'Abraham and his seed.' The 
 thought is this — that God might remember His mercy to Abraham 
 and his descendants for ever, as He had promised our fathers. 
 
 56. three months : till the birth of John. Some have sup- 
 posed that Mary left just before this event. Surely it is more 
 probable that her visit was prolonged until it had occurred. 
 Therefore she would be one of the relatives present at the 
 circumcision and naming of John. 
 
 i. 57-66. Birth and naming of John. In due time Elisabeth 
 has a son. Then her neighbours and relatives congratulate her on 
 God's goodness to her. They come to the child's circumcision on 
 the eighth day, when they wish to have him named Zacharias after 
 his father. But his mother says he is to be called John. The 
 visitors expostulating on the ground that this name is not in the 
 family, the father is referred to. He writes on a tablet ' His name 
 is John,' and then recovers his speech, blessing God. The people 
 are awed at what they witness, and the fame of it goes abroad. 
 
 59. the eigrhth day : the time fixed by the law. See Genesis 
 xvii. 12. 
 
142 ST. LUKE 1. 60-66 
 
 came to circumcise the child ; and they would have called 
 
 60 him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his 
 mother answered and said, Not so ; but he shall be 
 
 61 called John. And they said unto her, There is none 
 63 of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they 
 
 made signs to his father, what he would have him called. 
 
 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His 
 
 64 name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth 
 was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed^ and he 
 
 65 spake, blessing God. And fear came on all that dwelt 
 round about them : and all these sayings were noised 
 
 66 abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And 
 all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, 
 What then shall this child be ? For the hand of the Lord 
 was with him. 
 
 after the name of Ms father. According to Josephus this 
 was a Jewish custom. 
 
 60. his mother, &c. She would have learnt the name from 
 her husband, who might have written it down for her. 
 
 63. a writing" tablet : probably a board covered with wax. 
 
 64. his mouth was opened : after the dumbness that came 
 on him during his vision in the temple. 
 
 66. laid them up in their heart : a characteristic expression 
 of this Gospel. Similar statements are made concerning Mary 
 (ii. 19, 51), Luke is hinting at the sources of his information. 
 
 the hand of the Lord: a Hebraism, meaning God's guidance 
 and upholding ; cf. Psalm xxxvii. 24. 
 
 i. 67-80. The Song of Zacharias. The old priest having 
 recovered his speech is inspired to give utterance to an ode. in 
 which he blesses the God of Israel for having redeemed His 
 people by raising up a saving power in the house of David in 
 accordance with prophecy, to bring deliverance from the enemies 
 in remembrance of the covenant with Abraham. The purpose of 
 this deliverance is that God's people shall serve Him righteously 
 and continuously. Then addressing his child, Zacharias declares 
 that he shall be a prophet to prepare for the coming of the Lord, 
 by shewing the way to the forgiveness of sins, because God's 
 mercy will come like a sunrise to people sitting in darkness. 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 67-72 143 
 
 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy 67 
 Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 
 
 Blessed he the Lord, the God of Israel ; 68 
 
 For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his 
 
 people. 
 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us 69 
 
 In the house of his servant David 
 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets 70 
 
 which have been since the world began). 
 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand 71 
 
 of all that hate us ; 
 To shew mercy towards our fathers, 72 
 
 And to remember his holy covenant ; 
 
 Luke adds that the child grew, became strong in spirit, and lived 
 in the wilderness till the time of his public appearance. 
 
 6*7. filled with tlie Holy Ghost. Another of Luke's references 
 to the inspiring influence of the spirit of God. 
 
 prophesied: spoke with inspiration, not necessarily pre- 
 dicted, though in this case there is a foretelling. The prophets 
 were God's representatives to men as the priests were men's 
 representatives to God. In the O.T. they are God's messengers, 
 as in the N.T. the apostles are Christ's messengers. 
 
 68. hath visited. Note the past tense again (the Greek aorist;, 
 as in the Magnificat. See on verse 49. God has brought all these 
 blessings because He has brought their cause, or rather, in the 
 case of John, their herald. This peculiar construction occurring 
 in the two hymns, as well as their close resemblance in other 
 respects, cannot but suggest common authorship. The strong 
 Hebraism is against ascribing them to Luke. It is more reason- 
 abla to suppose they are ancient hymns that the author of the 
 Gospel, or the author of one of his sources, considers suitable to 
 represent what was said by Mary and Zacharias on the occasion. 
 
 69. horn: a common Hebrew metaphor from the bull's horn 
 (cf. I Sam. ii. 10), suggesting victorious power, 
 
 70. As he spake, &c. Closely parallel to the Magnificat in 
 verse 55. 
 
 71. our enemies: a general phrase, a reminiscence of Jewish 
 history and prophecy; not definitely the Romans— the idea would 
 be too harsh in times of peace, especially in Luke, who is friendly 
 to the Imperial government. 
 
 72. covenant. In the Bible a covenant is a Divine arrangement 
 
144 ST. LUKE 1. 73-78 
 
 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 
 Should serve him without fear, 
 
 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our 
 
 days. 
 
 76 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 ; 
 7^ To give knowledge of salvation unto his people 
 
 In the remission of their sins, 
 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, 
 
 Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 
 
 or dispensation wherein God promises certain things on condition 
 that men accept and carry out certain conditions. It originates 
 in God, who settles its conditions, and therefore is not Hke a 
 human covenant agreed upon by two parties on an equal footing. 
 For this reason the classic Greek word for covenant isuntheke) is 
 not used in the LXX or the N. T., but instead of that a word 
 {diatheke) used by the Greeks for a 'testament,' i.e. a 'will.' 
 Thus we get our terms the Old and New Testaments— reall}' 
 mistranslations for Old and New ; Divine) Covenants. 
 
 •73. The oath. See Genesis xxii. 16-18. 
 
 74. serve : a term used especially of priestly ministration. 
 The priest Zacharias declares that the laity will serve as priests 
 in the redeemed Israel. 
 
 76. the face : Hebraism, suggesting the approach ; cf. Exodus 
 xiv. 25. 
 
 77. remission of sins. The Gospel accounts of John the 
 Baptist's ministry shew that this is the end to which it pointed. 
 
 78. tender mercy: lit. 'bowels of mercy/ a Hebrew idiom 
 equivalent to the English 'heart of mercy,' as in margin of R. V. 
 
 dayspring: a graceful English rendering of the original, 
 which is lit. 'the rising' or 'the springing up.' The Greek 
 word is used both for sunrise and for the sprouting of a plant ; the 
 former must be the meaning here, as verse 79 shews. 
 
 from on high. The sun docs not rise from above the earth ; 
 the metaphor is dropped here for the spiritual fact that this light 
 comes from heaven. 
 
ST. LUKE 1. 79—2. 3 145 
 
 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the 79 
 
 shadow of death ; 
 To guide our feet into the way of peace. 
 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and 80 
 was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. 
 
 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out 2 
 a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should 
 be enrolled. This was the first enrolment made when 2 
 Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to enrol 3 
 
 80. strong" in spirit. Paul has this idea in Ephesians iii. 16. 
 deserts: wild regions generally; the vague term shews 
 that no importance is attached to the particular locality. Possibly 
 John wandered far during these years of seclusion. 
 
 ii. 1-7. Birth of Jesus. Augustus having ordered a census of 
 his empire, the first census being taken while Quirinius is holding 
 office in Syria, everybody goes to his own city to be enrolled. 
 Accordingly Joseph goes from Nazareth to Bethlehem, taking Mary 
 with him. There she gives birth to a firstborn son, whom she 
 lays in a manger, because there is no room for them in the inn. 
 
 1. Caesar Augustus : the first Roman emperor ; he reigned 
 B.C. 31 to A. D. 14. 
 
 all the world: lit. all the inhabited world, meaning the 
 Roman Empire. 
 
 enrolled. The decree was not for taxation, as the A. V. has 
 it, but for a registration of names, property, &c., as a basis of 
 taxation. 
 
 2. This was the first enrolment. Probably the correct 
 translation, and therefore implying that another occurred later. 
 Luke refers to that in Acts v. 37. 
 
 Quirijxins. This man was the legate governing Syria from 
 A. D. 6 to 9, 
 
 g-overnor. The Greek is a verb, lit. ' governing,' and it is 
 general in application, not limited to any one kind of office, such 
 as that of legate. In iii. i Luke uses it concerning Pilate, who 
 held the minor office of procurator. 
 
 Difficulties concerning this statement of Luke's have been raised 
 on four points — (i) That Quirinius was not governor of Syria 
 till some years after the birth of Christ ; (2) that there is no record 
 besides this of the third Gospel of a census as early as that time, 
 whereas there is abundant evidence that a census took place under 
 Quirinius in A. d. 6, 7 ; (3) that Herod was now king, and there- 
 fore his dominion not subject to an imperial decree for a census ; 
 
 L 
 
146 ST. LUKK 2. 4,5 
 
 4 themselves, every one to his own city. And Joseph also 
 went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into 
 Judxa, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 
 
 5 because he was of the house and family of David ; to 
 enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being 
 
 (4) that a Roman census did not involve a man's travelling to his 
 birthplace or registered town, but took note of everybody, where- 
 ever he might be at the time. In reply it has been pointed out 
 (i) that though Quirinius w^as not legate of Syria at the time, a 
 recently discovered inscription suggests that he was then serving 
 in another office under the legate, which Luke's word for ' govern- 
 ing' is sufficiently indefinite to include; (2) that recently discovered 
 documents shew that a periodical census was taken in Egypt, onq 
 falling a few years earlier than the birth of Christ, sc that if a little 
 delayed in Palestine, owing to difficulties of carrying it out among 
 the Jews, it might have occurred there at that time ; (3) that Herod 
 was very subservient to Augustus, and was compelled to do un- 
 pleasant things on his imperial master's orders ; (4) that to humour 
 the Jews Herod would arrange the census after the Jewish style, 
 which would involve registration according to families and birth- 
 places. We owe the answers to the first two objections to Pro- 
 fessor Ramsay's researches, set forth in his book, Was Jesus born at 
 Bethlehem ? and it must be allowed that these researches have 
 lessened the difficulties. Plainly Luke knows of the later census, 
 for he refers to it in Acts (v. 37^ Still his statements are per- 
 plexing ; but even if it should be conceded that he was in error as 
 to the census here described, that is not sufficient ground for dis- 
 crediting his narrative of the birth of Jesus, as it only concerns 
 one of the accessories. 
 
 3. all. Luke must be thinking of the Palestine Jews, that all 
 these went in the Jewish way to their own cities. 
 
 4. went up. This might be said of going to Judaea and the 
 neighbourhood of Jerusalem the capital as we speak of going up 
 to London. But in point of fact both Jerusalem and Bethlehem 
 are on high ground, some 2,000 feet above the sea level, about as 
 high as the Dartmoor Tors. 
 
 Bethlehem : a little town still standing and situated about 
 six miles south of Jerusalem. David's connexion with it is fully 
 set forth in i Samuel (cf. xvi. i\ 
 
 5. hatrothed. According to Matthew (i. 24) Joseph had already 
 taken Mary to his home, and therefore the wedding ceremony — in 
 the Easta very important public function — had taken place, although 
 Matthew states that Joseph did not live with Mary as a husband 
 till after the birth of Jesus (see Matt. i. 25). It was as his wife 
 
ST. LUKE 2. 6-8 147 
 
 great with child. And it came to pass, while they were 6 
 there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. 
 And she brought forth her firstborn son ; and she 7 
 wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in 
 a manger, because there was no room for them in the 
 inn. 
 
 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding 8 
 
 that she accompanied him to Bethlehem ; so long as she was 
 merely betrothed she would have remained under the care of her 
 mother. 
 
 *7. firsfborn. There has been much discussion as to the infer- 
 ence to be drawn from this expression. These points are clear : 
 (i) It implies that Mary had had no child before this ; (2) it does 
 not assert that she ever had another child ; (3) it rather suggests, 
 what later references c. g. Mark iii, 31) more definitely imply, that 
 she had other children subsequently. The same word is used where 
 Jesus is called the * firstborn from the dead' (Col. i. 18), and the 
 ' firstborn among many brethren ' (Rom. viii. 29), in passages 
 which imply that Christians follow as his brothers. On the other 
 hand, where his solitary sonship is referred to Jesus is called 
 'only begotten' (John i. 14). 'Firstborn' therefore seems to 
 point to other births following. 
 
 she wrapped him. A poor woman, she had to attend to her 
 child herself as soon as he was born. 
 
 the inn. This may have been a khan, where travellers get 
 lodging in porticoes or the open courtyard ; and if so the stable 
 would be a quieter place. But the word here rendered ' inn ' is also 
 used for a 'lodging ' and a ' guest-chamber.' It is the word Luke 
 employs later for the room where the Last Supper was taken 
 (xxii. 11). Possibly Joseph expected to stay at a friend's house, or 
 perhaps a hired lodging of which he knew, but found it occupied. 
 
 ii. 8-20. Thd Bethlehem shepherds. Shepherds watching their 
 flock at night in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem are startled by 
 seeing an angel and the Shechinah light. The angel reassures 
 them, saying he is a messenger of good news, and announcing that 
 a Saviour, even the Christ, is just born in the city. They will 
 find him in a manger. Suddenly the angel is surrounded with 
 a heavenly host, singing of glory to God and peace on earth. 
 After the vision has passed, the shepherds set off at once for 
 Bethlehem and find the babe as described. They give an account 
 of their vision, which occasions wonderment ; but Mary treasures 
 these things in her heart. The shepherds return, glorif3nng God. 
 
 8. shepherds. Since it was customary for sheep to be fed on 
 
 L 2 
 
148 ST. LUKE 2. 9-13 
 
 in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 
 
 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory 
 
 of the Lord shone round about them : and they were 
 
 10 sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Be not 
 afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great 
 
 11 joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born 
 to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which 
 
 1 2 is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you ; Ye 
 shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying 
 
 13 in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel 
 a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and 
 saying, 
 
 the hills only during spring and summer, and folded by the towns 
 and villages in winter, it has been argued that our Christmas-time 
 cannot be the correct anniversary of Christ's birth. But, on the 
 other hand, Dr. Edersheim has shewn that sheep for the temple 
 sacrifices were kept out all the year round in places near Jeru- 
 salem ; it may be that the Bethlehem shepherds were tending 
 a flock of these sheep. We have only a late tradition of the time 
 of year when Jesus was born ; and this is found earliest in the 
 West, where the festival of Christmas first appeared. 
 
 keeping watcli by night. The margin of the R. V. has ' night 
 watches.' They would watch by turns, with fires burning to scare 
 wild beasts. 
 
 9. an angel. No name is given. This time the angel did not 
 declare it, but his message and his manner suggest Gabriel again. 
 
 tlie glory of the Iiord : the Shechinah, the brightness the 
 Jews associated with the Divine Presence. 
 
 10. all the people. The article, which the Revisers have 
 rightly inserted, as it is in the original, points to Israel, 'the 
 people,' as the special, immediate recipients of the joy. 
 
 11. Christ the Lord: lit. 'Christ Lord.' This might mean 
 * an anointed Lord ' ; but the word ' Christ ' was the recognized 
 translation of the Hebrew 'Messiah,' and as such the title of the 
 expected Redeemer. The angel announces the birth of the 
 looked-for Christ. 
 
 12. The sign was in the singular conjunction of circumstances — 
 a new-born babe lying in a manger. 
 
 13. host: or army. A multitude from this arm}'- appears. 
 praising. This word is in grammatical agreement with 'host,' 
 
 not with 'multitude,' thus suggesiing that the whole army of 
 
ST. LUKE 2. 14-18 149 
 
 Glory to God in the highest, 14 
 
 And on earth peace among men in whom he is well 
 pleased. 
 And it came to pass, when the angels went away from 15 
 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 hath made known 
 unto us. And they came with haste, and found both i6 
 Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. 
 And when they saw it, they made known concerning 17 
 the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 
 And all that heard it wondered at the thing!3 which were i S 
 
 heavenly beings was praising God. The shepherds heard but 
 a portion of this praising army. 
 
 14. The change in the form of the angels' song as it appears 
 in the R. V. is mainly due to a correction of the word meaning 
 'good will,' which according to the best MSS. is in the 
 genitive. Therefore instead of * good will to men ' we have to 
 read 'among men of good will' — a Hebraism meaning men to 
 whom God is favourable. Thus we get two members to the 
 sentence instead of three. The word 'and* beginning the second 
 member, but not used before the third as that stands in the 
 A. V. — 'And on earth peace,' then 'good will towr.rds men,' 
 not introduced by ' and ' — also makes the division into three 
 members awkward, and points to the division into but two as 
 preferable. Thus we have first a heavenly scene, and secondly 
 an earthly scene. This is parallel to the two parts of the Lord's 
 Prayer — the first concerning God, the second concerning man. 
 Dr. Hort proposes a further modification, and connects the words 
 'And on earth * with the first clause — ' Glory to God in the highest 
 and on earth'; but this destroys the symmetry of the clauses in 
 the Greek, over-weighting the first and making the second too 
 meagre in proportion. 
 
 in tlie higfliest: in the highest regions. The Jews thought 
 of seven heavens, one above another. 
 
 well pleased. The peace is for those in whom God takes 
 pleasure, whom He favours. 
 
 15. said: /ii. ' were saying.' It was a subject of conversation 
 among the shepherds. 
 
 1?. made known. To the y eople of Bethlehem as well as Mary 
 and Joseph. 
 
150 ST. LUKE 2. 19-24 
 
 19 spoken unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all 
 
 20 these sayings, pondering them in her heart. And the 
 shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all 
 the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was 
 spoken unto them. 
 
 21 And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising 
 him, his name was called Jesus, which was so called 
 by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 
 
 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 
 
 24 the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), and to offer 
 a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of 
 the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. 
 
 19. This verse throws light on the character of Mary, of whom 
 we know so httle ; she was of a. meditative disposition, pondering 
 what happened. It also hints at the source of Luke's information, 
 that he obtained it from Mary. 
 
 ii. 21-24, The Ciraimctsion and the Presentotion. When eight 
 days old the child is circumcised and named 'Jesus,' according to 
 the angel's previous direction. After completing the time of her 
 purification Mary presents her babe in the temple with the 
 sacrifice customary among the poor, according to the law. 
 
 21. The circumcision of Jesus was a recognition of his Jewish 
 privileges under the covenant with Israel and obligations under 
 the law. Paul says he was 'born under the law' (Gal. iv. 4). 
 
 22. purification: according to the law in Leviticus xii. 1-8. 
 tlie law of Moses : the usual title of the Levitical ordinances. 
 
 23. The firstborn male child was claimed for God, but ransomed 
 see Num. xviii. 15). Probably the historical root of the idea 
 
 was in the human sacrifice of barbarous times. But in its later 
 refined form that was not dreamed of. Christ was a conseciated 
 firstborn son. 
 
 24. a sacrifice : for the purification of the mother, not ior the 
 redemption of the child. 
 
 A pair of turtle-doves, &c. The law required a lamb as well 
 as a pigeon or dove, but allowed the poor to substitute a second 
 pigeon or dove for the lamb. Mary brought the offering of the 
 poor (see Lev. xii, 6, 8). 
 
ST. LUKE 2. 25-27 151 
 
 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name 25 
 was Simeon ; and this man was righteous and devout, 
 looking for the consolation of Israel : and the Holy 
 Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed unto 26 
 him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, 
 before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came 27 
 in the Spirit into the temple : and when the parents 
 
 ii. 25-39. Simeon and Anna. Simeon, a devout old man to 
 whom it has been revealed that he shall not die till he has seen 
 the Christ, comes into the temple at the time when Jesus is being 
 presented before God, takes him into his arms, and utters \\\sNunc 
 dimitiis. He is ready to depart now that his eyes have seen 
 God's salvation, which is a light for the Gentiles as well as for 
 Israel. While the father and mother are wondering at this, 
 Simeon predicts the great influence of the child, but warns Mary 
 that a sword shall pierce her soul. Then Anna, an aged widow 
 and a prophetess, who spends her days in the temple, gives thanks 
 to God for the redemption of Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph return 
 with the child to Nazareth. 
 
 25. Simeon. The father of Gamaliel, himself the son of Hillel, 
 and president of the Sanhedrin in a. d. 7, was named Symeon. 
 But it is not likely that he is the Simeon of this incident. Luke's 
 language points to an obscure person — ' a man in Jerusalem.' In 
 the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus Simeon is called * a great priest.' 
 
 righteous : in conduct among men. 
 
 devout: in spiritual relations with God. 
 
 looking' for, &lc. Simeon was one of the scattered believing 
 souls among whom the hope of Israel's redemption was cherished ; 
 Joseph of Arimathaea was another (see xxiii. 51). 
 
 consolation. The word may also mean 'appeal for help,' 
 an unsuitable sense here; or 'encouragement.' The Jews thought 
 of their redemption as a consolation for their troubles, as suggested 
 in Isaiah xl. i, * Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.' The Messiah 
 was called ' the Consoler.' 
 
 26. the Holy Spirit: another of Luke's characteristic references 
 to the Divine Spirit. 
 
 the ILord's Christ: i.e. the Christ of God, the Messiah God 
 was about to send. 
 
 27. in the Spirit: under the influence of the Spirit, in an 
 inspired condition. 
 
 temple. The Greek word is that for the whole temple area, 
 where the people assembled, not the word for the priest's sanc- 
 tuary which we met with in the story of Zacharias (i. 9). 
 
152 ST. LUKE 2. 28-34 
 
 brought in the child Jesus that they might do concerning 
 
 28 him after the custom of the law, then he received him 
 into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 
 
 29 Now lettest thou thy 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 revelation to the Gentiles, 
 And the glory of thy people Israel. 
 
 33 And his father and his mother were marvelling at the 
 
 34 things which were spoken concerning him ; and Simeon 
 blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, 
 
 the custom of the law : i. e. the presentation referred to in 
 verse 23. 
 
 29. servant: lit. 'slave.' 
 
 depart : the idea of a slave being emancipated or released 
 after the day's work. 
 
 Iiord : rather ' Master,' the word used for the master of slaves. 
 
 According' to tliy word: the revelation that Simeon had 
 received. 
 
 in peace : a beautiful oriental form of salutation ; but used by 
 Simeon with serious meaning. He is ready to die peaceably. 
 
 30. mine eyes, &c. : a vivid Hebrew expression. 
 
 31. before the face: another Hebraism; the idea is < in the 
 presence of and 'seen by.' 
 
 all peoples. Observe the universalism of this hymn. The 
 Magnificat and the Song of Zacharias celebrated the mercy of God 
 to Israel. The Nunc dimittis embraces all races of mankind. 
 
 32. revelation to the Gentiles: lit. 'revelation of the Gentiles,' 
 a difficult phrase, which might mean revealing the nature of the 
 Gentiles ; but that idea would be out of place here. Probably 
 the genitive is possessive, signifying a 'revelation belonging to 
 the Gentiles.' 
 
 gflory. While the heathen in their darkness are to be en- 
 lightened, the Jews are to have especial honour. 
 
 33. his father and his mother. Previously we read of * the 
 parents ' (verse 27). This narrative may be derived from a source 
 where the miraculous birth w^as not known ; but probably Luke 
 uses the words in their popular application. Joseph and Mary 
 were commonly spoken of as the father and mother of Jesus. 
 
ST. LUKE 2. 35-39 I53 
 
 this child is set for the falling and rising up of many 
 in Israel ; and for a sign which is spoken against ; yea 35 
 and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul ; that 
 thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. And 3>'> 
 there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of 
 Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, 
 having lived with a husband seven years from her 
 virginity, and she had been a widow even for fourscore 37 
 and four years), which departed not from the temple, 
 worshipping with fastings and supplications night and 
 day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks 38 
 unto God, and spake of him to all them that were 
 looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when 39 
 they had accomplished all things that were according 
 
 34. falling" and rising": corresponding to John the Baptist's 
 metaphor of the winnowing fan. They who meet Christ are 
 either uplifted and saved, or cast down and ruined, according as 
 they receive him. Tiius he said Capernaum was to be ' cast down 
 to Hades* ; but the reason w^as not his antagonism, but the people's 
 impenitence — 'because thej'^ repented not' (Matt. xi. 23). 
 
 35. a sword. The Greek word stands for a large sword or a 
 Thracian pike. This is a prophecy of what Mary is to suffer on 
 account of her Son. She will be a Mater dolorosa. 
 
 that thoughts, &c. : lit. ^so that,' &c. The sentence points 
 to one result of the coming of Christ. Characters will be dis- 
 covered by the touchstone of his presence. 
 
 36. prophetess: endued with inspiration like Miriam, Deborah, 
 Huldah. 
 
 Asher. We have no account of the return of this tribe ; but 
 all Israelites were free to go up to Jerusalem under Cyrus's decree. 
 Possibly, however, Anna was descended from ' the people of the 
 land,' who had never been removed. Since her tribe was of the 
 north, probably she was a Galilaean. 
 
 3*7. fourscore and four years. She had been a widow for 
 eighty-four years. She must have been a very aged woman. Yet 
 she utters no Nunc dtmittis. 
 
 38. gave thanks : for what Simeon said ; or from her own 
 prophetic insight, which is more probable, as Luke has signifi- 
 cantly called her a prophetess. 
 
154 ST. LUKE 2. 40-44 
 
 to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to 
 their own city Nazareth. 
 
 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with 
 wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 
 
 41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the 
 
 42 feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years 
 4?. old, they went up after the custom of the feast ; and 
 
 when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, 
 
 the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and his 
 
 44 parents knew it not ; but supposing him to be in the 
 
 ii. 40-52. 77?^ boy Jesus in the ietttple. The child grows and 
 develops under the favour of God. When twelve years of age 
 he accompanies his parents to the passover at Jerusalem. On 
 their returning home he remains behind unknown to them, as they 
 suppose he is with some of the travelling company. Not finding 
 him they go back to Jerusalem to search for him, and on the 
 third day discover him in the temple sitting in the midst of the 
 teachers, astonishing them with his intelligence. In reply to his 
 mother's expostulation he expresses surprise that they should not 
 know he would be in his Father's house. Returning with them 
 to Nazareth he lives in obedience to them, growing in mind and 
 body and universal favour. 
 
 40. filled with wisdom: rather, 'becoming full of wisdom.' 
 The wisdom was a matter of growth as much as the stature. The 
 child Jesus grew in knowledge and intelligence. 
 
 tile grace of God : Gods favour. God was always pleased 
 with him and smiling graciouslj' on him. 
 
 41. Ms parents. The law only required the attendance of 
 men at the passover ; Hillel had extended the obligation, or 
 privilege, to women. 
 
 the passover : originally a harvest festival, later the memorial 
 of the Exodus. For particulars see Exodus xxiii. 14-17. 
 
 42. twelve years old. At this age a Jew was required to keep 
 the ordinances of his religion. He was now called a 'son of 
 the law.' 
 
 43. the days : eight days. 
 
 boy. Jesus is no longer called 'child,' as in verse 40. 
 
 tarried. There is no reason to suppose he knew of his 
 parents having left. 
 
 his parents knew it not. It has been observed that this is 
 a sign of their confidence in him. They had left him free to do as 
 he chose in the great city. 
 
ST. LUKE 2. 45-48 155 
 
 company, they went a day's journey; and they sought 
 for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance : and 45 
 when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, 
 seeking for him. And it came to pass, after three days 4^ 
 they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
 doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions : 
 and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding 4" 
 and his answers. And when they saw him, they were 4^ 
 astonished : and his mother said unto him, Son, why 
 
 44. the company : the troop of Galilaean pilgrims on their 
 way back, especially those from Nazareth, containing friends and 
 relations of the carpenter's family. 
 
 a day's journey. Perhaps this would be as far as Bceroth. 
 We need not suppose that 'the Nazareth caravan was so long that 
 it took a whole da^' to look through it,' as Dr. Plummer remarks. 
 The parents would not commence a serious search until the 
 evening, when arranging for supper and the night's rest. 
 
 45. returned to Jerusalem. It has been said that this journey 
 would take another day ; but Luke suggests that they went back 
 at once, the same night. 
 
 seeking": a strong word in the Greek (according to the best 
 MSS.), pointing to a thorough search. 
 
 46. after three days. The Hebrew usage employs this ex- 
 pression if any part of the third day was involved. One day was 
 occupied in the journey out ; travelling back at night, the parents 
 spent the next day in a fruitless search of the citj'. On the 
 following day they found their son. 
 
 the temple: the word for the whole temple area. The 
 surrounding porticoes were used by Rabbis for teaching their 
 pupils. Thus Jesus taught in the temple (John vii. 14) ; so did 
 the apostles (Acts iii. 11). The interest of the temple to Jesus 
 was in the teaching that was to be had there, not the sumptuous 
 ritual at the altar, 
 
 doctors : teachers, the Rabbis. 
 
 asking them questions: for information. The boy Jesus 
 went to the Rabbis as a learner, listened eagerly to their in- 
 struction, asked them for further explanation, as a pupil his 
 teachers. 
 
 4*7. amazed, &c. : not at his teaching — the boy did not commit 
 the impertinence of offering to teach— but at his aptness as a pupil, 
 and the wonderful character of his answers to their questions. 
 48, Son: the Greek is Xhild.' The mother was slow to perceive 
 
156 ST. LUKE 2. 49—3. i 
 
 hast thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father and 
 
 49 I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How 
 is it that ye sought me ? wist ye not that I must be in 
 
 50 my Father's house ? And they understood not the saying 
 
 51 which he spake unto them. And he went down with 
 them, and came to Nazareth ; and he was subject unto 
 them : and his mother kept all these sayings in her 
 heart. 
 
 52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in 
 favour with God and men. 
 
 3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius 
 
 her boy's development, and therefore displayed more anxiety 
 than was necessary. 
 
 49. my Father's house. This is a better rendering than that 
 of the A. v., * my Father's business.' The Greek is literally ' in the 
 [regions or affairs] of my Father.' A similar idiom is used in 
 Genesis xli. 51, where Joseph speaks of 'all my father's house.' 
 Observe, Jesus is now conscious of God as his Father. His 
 explanation is that he took it for granted that his parents would 
 know he was in his Father's house. 
 
 50. they understood not : another of Luke's references to the 
 way Mary (in this case with Joseph also) regarded what was 
 happening, pointing to the parents for the source of his informa- 
 tion. Already Jesus was beyond their depth ; therefore already 
 the sword was near the soul of Mary. 
 
 51. subject: a significant remark after what had just occurred. 
 Jesus did not yet claim independence. 
 
 52. stature: the word may mean ' age,' as probably it does in 
 xii. 25. But here that meaning would be superfluous. 
 
 favour with God and men. Jesus grew spiritually to win 
 more of God's approval, and as his character opened out men 
 were more and more pleased with him. As a young man he was 
 a universal favourite. 
 
 John the Baptist and the Preparatory 
 Period, iii. i — iv. 13. 
 
 iii. 1-6. Mission of John the Baptist. At a date elaborately 
 described by Luke, John, having received his message from God in 
 the wilderness, begins to preach and baptize by the Jordan for 
 repentance and forgiveness of sins, in accordance with a prophecy 
 in Isaiah concerning the forerunner of the Lord, who is to make 
 
ST. LUKE 3. 2, 3 157 
 
 Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and 
 Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip 
 tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and 
 Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the high-priesthood 2 
 of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto 
 John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he 3 
 
 the way ready for God to come, that all mankind may see his 
 salvation. 
 
 1. Tiberias: the second Roman emperor. Augustus, his pre- 
 decessor, died A.D. 14. This would make the fifteenth year of 
 Tiberius a. d. 29, too late for other known dates in the N. T. But 
 Tiberius was associated with Augustus in the empire in a. D. it. 
 If Luke were thinking of this, the fifteenth year would be a.d. 26, 
 a very likely date. 
 
 Pontius Pilate : the Roman procurator, an inferior official, 
 only entrusted with the government of an inferior or turbulent 
 province. Thus Judaea was no longer under a Herod or any 
 native prince, but was directly ruled by a Roman governor. 
 
 Herod: surnamed Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the 
 Great and Malthace; he was banished to Spain a.d, 40. The 
 whole of the life of Jesus was in his reign, and most of our Lord's 
 ministry in his dominion. 
 
 tetrarch : one of four rulers, the ruler of one-fourth part of 
 his father's dominion. 
 
 Philip : a half-brother of Antipas, being a son of Herod the 
 Great and Cleopatra ; he died a.d. 33. 
 
 the region of Ituraea : lit. * the Ituraean region,' where the 
 Ituraeans lived, the valleys at the foot of Herraon. 
 
 Trachonitis: the ancient Bashan. 
 
 Lysanias: not known, but Josephus refers to 'Abila of 
 Lysanias,' and the name appears on a medal and on two in- 
 scriptions. 
 
 Abilene : a part of Syria ; the ruins of Abila and its Roman 
 cemetery remain. 
 
 2. Annas and Caiaphas. The Jewish law only allowed of one 
 high priest at a time. But Annas was deposed in a.d. 14 by the 
 Roman governor, and one after another of his sons set in his 
 place, the fourth of whom was Caiaphas, who came into the office 
 in A.D. 18. Thus the Jews could respect Annas as high priest 
 de jure, while they had to submit to Caiaphas as high priest 
 de facto. 
 
 the word of God came. John then felt the inspiration of 
 a Divine message. 
 
158 ST. LUKE 3. 4-6 
 
 came into all the region round about Jordan, preaching 
 
 4 the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins ; as it 
 is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the 
 prophet, 
 
 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 Make ye ready the way of the Lord, 
 Make his paths straight. 
 
 5 Every valley shall be filled, 
 
 And every mountain and hill 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. 
 
 3. tlie region round about Jordan : the plain of the Jordan, 
 preaching: publicly proclaiming. 
 
 "baptism : washing as a religious observance. 
 
 of repentance : a Hebraism meaning connected with or asso- 
 ciated with repentance. The Jews baptized proselytes from 
 heathenism. John taught that even Jews needed baptism, or 
 what it represenfed. 
 
 unto : or * for.' The baptism pointed to and prepared for the 
 remission of sins ; it did not confer that boon. We see here the 
 moral character of John's work. It was not enough to announce 
 the coming of the kingdom of God ; the people needed to be 
 prepared for it. The chief hindrance to be removed was their 
 sinful condition. 
 
 4. Isaiah. The passage is in Isaiah xl. i — part of the book 
 now known as the ' Deutero-Isaiah.' 
 
 in the wilderness. The voice is in the wilderness. So it is 
 expressed in Matthew and Mark, following the LXX. But 
 the original sense in Isaiah is ' prepare ye the way ... in the 
 wilderness.* 
 
 5. valley: lit. a gorge or ravine. The broken mountainous 
 country is to be levelled ; a level road. 
 
 crooked : winding routes to be straightened ; a straight road. 
 
 rough ways: rocky and broken ground in the ill-kept road 
 to be smoothed ; a smooth road. The idea is of preparation for 
 a great traveller, such preparation as the Sultan had executed 
 among the ill-kept roads of Palestine for the visit of the German 
 emperor. The moral preparation of Israel by John is thus to 
 have ready a road for the royal progress of Christ. 
 
 6. all flesh: a Hebraism : more than Israel, all mankind. 
 
ST. LUKE 3. 7^9 159 
 
 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out 7 
 to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned 
 you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth there- 8 
 fore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say 
 within yourselves. We have Abraham to our father : for 
 I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise 
 up children unto Abraham. And even now is the axe 9 
 also laid unto the root of the trees : every tree therefore 
 
 iii. 7-14. John s preaching. Addressing the people who come 
 to him as the offspring of vipers, John warns them to flee from the 
 approaching wrath by shewing evidence of repentance, and not 
 relying on their descent from Abraham. The axe is already lying 
 at the root of the trees to cut them down if fruitless. In reply to in- 
 quiries as to what they are to do, he advises charity in all, honesty 
 in publicans, contentment and the absence of exactions in soldiers. 
 
 7. offspring of vipers : a metaphor from the wilderness, where 
 vipers abound. In contradiction to the boast of descent from 
 Abrahr.m (in the next verse). Here it is applied by John to his 
 whole congregation. In Matthew (iii. 7) the Baptist uses it for 
 the Pharisees, and is followed by our Lord in fixing it on these 
 people (see Matt. xii. 34, xxiii. 33). The most terrible character- 
 ization of any people to be found in history. 
 
 the wrath to come. The people expected a Messianic 
 triumph, with judgement on their oppressors; John warned of 
 coming judgement and consequent outpouring of wrath for the 
 Jews themselves. 
 
 8. fruits worthy of repentance. There was a Rabbinical 
 saying, * If Israel would repent only one day, the Son of David 
 would come forthwith.* John requires evidence of repentance in 
 its effects on conduct. Savonarola, called to the death-bed of 
 Lorenzo di Medici, who appeared to be in agonies of penitence, 
 refused to speak words of hope because the dying man declined 
 to give back its liberties to Florence, which the great preacher 
 demanded as proof that the despot's repentance was genuine — 
 i. e. fruits of repentance. 
 
 Ahraham to oiir father: a common boast. See John viii. 
 
 33, 53- „ , 
 
 these stones : the loose rocks of the wilderness. Perhaps 
 there is a play on the Hebrew words : hanim (children) and 
 abanim (stones). 
 
 9. the axe : ready to cut down the fruitless trees, i.e. Israel, 
 if no fruits of repentance appear. Compare this with our Lord's 
 
i6o ST. LUKE 3. 10-15 
 
 that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and 
 
 10 cast into the fire. And the multitudes asked him, saying, 
 
 11 What then must we do? And he answered and said 
 unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to 
 him that hath none ; and he that hath food, let him 
 
 12 do likewise. And there came also publicans to be 
 baptized, and they said unto him, Master, what must 
 
 13 we do? And he said unto them. Extort no more than 
 
 14 that which is appointed you. And soldiers also asked 
 him, saying. And we, what must we do? And he said 
 unto them, Do violence to no man, neither exact anything 
 wrongfully ; and be content with your wages. 
 
 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men 
 reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply 
 
 parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke xiii. 6-9), and the incident 
 of the cursed tree (Mark xi. 13, 14). 
 
 the fire: to burn up the worthless tree; destruction, not 
 agony of burning, is suggested. 
 
 11. coats : vests or tunics. In all people the fruit of repentance 
 was to be practical, self-denying kindness, as selfishness is the 
 universal root of sin. 
 
 12. publicans: tax collectors of two classes: (i) those who 
 collected direct taxes, such as the poll tax ; (2) custom-house officers, 
 who collected the commercial imposts. The right to collect these 
 taxes was farmed to them, so that if dishonest they could exact 
 too much and keep the balance for themselves. 
 
 14. soldiers : more precisely 'men on military duty * ; probably 
 Jews serving as police. 
 
 exact: lit. 'to shew figs'; usejd in classic Greek for calumnious 
 accusations for the sake of reward. The police might be trumping 
 up charges to get paid or to exact ' black-mail.' 
 
 wag'es : lit. ' cooked food ' ; rations ; and then meaning ' pay.' 
 
 iii. 15-17. John's announcement of Clinst. The people asking 
 John if he were the expected Christ, he replies that he only 
 baptizes with water, but that a greater person will be baptizing 
 with fire and winnowing the people. 
 
 15. in expectation; for something to come of John's preaching. 
 
ST. LUKE 3. i6, 17 161 
 
 he were the Christ; John answered, saying unto them 16 
 all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but there cometh 
 he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes 
 I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with 
 the Holy Ghost and with fire : whose fan is in his hand, 17 
 throughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the 
 wheat into his garner ; but the chaff he will burn up with 
 unquenchable fire. 
 
 the Christ. It was questioned whether the Baptist were 
 the Christ, as later it was wondered whether Jesus might be John 
 (cf. ix. 19). 
 
 16. with water : the lesser baptism, suggesting what washing 
 can effect ; especially significant of penitence and its results, 
 
 mightier : possessed of greater power, able to effect more. 
 
 the latchet, &c. t endowed with higher dignity and of 
 superior personal worth. The action referred to is that of a 
 menial slave. 
 
 with the Holy Ghost and with fire: a greater baptism, 
 suggesting more effectual cleansing, the fire absolutely destroying 
 refuse and rubbish. The form is Hebraistic. John does not 
 mean two agents ; the Holy Ghost baptism is a fire baptism. 
 The idea is illustrated by the tongues of fire at Pentecost. Christ 
 goes beyond John, in giving the Holy Ghost for more thorough 
 purifying than water baptism and what that symbolizes. The 
 modern appliance of furnaces to destroy the offal of a city exhibits 
 the wholesome purifying by fire. John cannot mean the fire of 
 wrath that is to destroy the wicked, burning the chaff as described 
 in the next verse, for he speaks of this baptism as for all the people. 
 
 17. fan : the winnowing shovel of agriculture, for flinging up 
 the corn to the wind. 
 
 wheat . . . chaff. This distinction seems to point to a division 
 of persons, the harvest being the time of ingathering of souls at 
 the judgement. The wheat are those of good quality to be pre- 
 served ; the chaff are people of worthless character, who are to 
 be destroyed. Taking verses 16 and 17 together, we have this 
 twofold result of Christ's advent : a cleansing with the Holy 
 Spirit, as with a purifying fire ; then a sifting and subsequent 
 separation of the worthy, who are to be preserved, from the 
 worthless, who are to be destroyed as with a consuming fire. 
 An alternative view takes the wheat for the good elements in 
 character and the chaff for the worthless ; with this view the two 
 verses expound the same truth — the purifying of character. 
 
 nnqnenchahle : that which is not to be put out, not neces- 
 
 M 
 
i62 ST. LUKE 3. 18-21 
 
 18 With many other exhortations therefore preached he 
 
 19 good tidings unto the people ; but Herod the tetrarch, 
 being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, 
 
 ao and for all the evil things which Herod had done, added 
 
 yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 
 31 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, 
 
 sarily eternal. The word is used of the vestal fire at Rome. 
 Here the idea is that it cannot be mastered or extinguished. 
 
 iii. 18-20. Imprisonment of John. John continues his preaching 
 till Herod, reproved by the Baptist for adultery and other vices, 
 adds the further crime of imprisoning him. 
 
 18. good tidings : the announcement of the * remission of 
 sins' (cf. verse 3), 'salvation' (cf. verse 6), and * purifying by 
 the Holy Spirit' (cf. verse 16) at the approaching advent of 
 Christ. 
 
 19. Herod. See note on verse i. 
 
 Herodias: a granddaughter of Herod the Great, being the 
 daughter of his son Aristobulus, and therefore the niece of both 
 her husbands. 
 
 his brother: Philip (cf. Mark vi. 17). This was not the 
 tetrarch referred to in verse i, but another son of Herod 
 the Great, a man living privately at Jerusalem. Herod Antipas 
 had met Herodias in Rome, fallen violently in love with her, 
 divorced his wife to make room for her, and induced her to 
 desert her husband and live with him. It is interesting, however, 
 to know that the guilty woman remained faithful to Antipas, and 
 shared his exile with him. 
 
 20. added, &;c. : Luke's own comment on the wickedness of 
 Herod. 
 
 in prison. We learn from Josephus that this was in the 
 castle of Machaerus, situated by the north-east shore of the Dead 
 Sea. Josephus says that Antipas imprisoned John because he 
 feared lest John's great influence over the people might rouse 
 a rebellion {Ant xviii. 5. 2). Very likely this was the reason 
 Herod publicly assigned to his action. Luke brings out the 
 personal motive perceived pretty clearly by John's disciples. 
 
 iii. 21, 22. Baptism of Jesus. All the people being baptized, 
 Jesus is baptized. After this, while he is praying, heaven opens, 
 the Holy Ghost descends on him in a dove-like form, and a voice 
 from heaven addresses Jesus as the beloved Son with whom God 
 has been well pleased. 
 
 21. all the people, &c.: implying that Jesus associated himself 
 with the people, doing as they did. 
 
ST. LUKE 3. 22, 23 163 
 
 that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the 
 heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended 22 
 in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came 
 out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am 
 well pleased. 
 
 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach^ was about 23 
 
 havingr bean baptized. Luke gives no account of the event, 
 which is described in Matthew iii. 13-15 and Mark i. 9, but states 
 that it had occurred. 
 
 praying: : the act of worship, not necessarily asking for a 
 boon. Luke is the only evangelist to mention this. It shews 
 that Jesus was not merely going through a form in submitting to 
 baptism. It was to him a great spiritual crisis. 
 
 the heaven was opeiied. Luke states this as an objective 
 fact, and so is it in Matthew (iii. 16). But in Mark, the earliest 
 gospel, we read of it as an experience of Christ, a private vision, 
 as though no one else beheld it. * He saw the heavens being rent 
 open ' (the correct rendering of Mark i. 10). It is to be observed 
 that neither Luke nor Matthew state that this was actually seen by 
 any one else. Unless we believe in the primitive notion of a solid 
 firmament over our heads, we must take it as a vision. 
 
 22. in a bodily form. This expression is peculiar to Luke ; 
 but all four evangelists mention the appearance of the dove. Our 
 evangelist emphasizes that, not asserting that anything material 
 came, for he says * bodily /orw,' not '■hody^ In John (i. 32) the 
 evangelist says that the Baptist bore testimony to having seen it. 
 Mark gives it as seen by Christ. None of the evangelists assert 
 that the multitude saw it. This then also was a vision. There 
 was no concrete dove-like substance. Yet the vision was caused 
 by a reality ; it was not an illusion. The Holy Spirit really came 
 on Jesus at this time. All the evangelists imply that ; the vision 
 was the way in which this experience interpreted itself to our 
 Lord's consciousness. 
 
 a voice. Even Mark does not say that Jesus only heard the 
 voice ; but that is probable, as it was part of the vision, and was 
 addressed to him, not to the multitude. 
 
 Son : the Son of God, not merely the Messiah ; a personal 
 relation to God is plainly implied. 
 
 I am well pleased : lit. ' I was well pleased.' Christ's quiet 
 thirty years have delighted his Father, as we read before that he 
 grew in favour with God. 
 
 iii. 23-38. Genealogy. Jesus, being thirty years old when he 
 began to teach, was supposed to be the son of Joseph, whose 
 
 M 2 
 
i64 ST. LUKE 3. 24-27 
 
 thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) ot 
 
 24 Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son 
 of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son 
 
 25 of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the 
 
 26 son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son 
 of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the 
 
 27 son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son 
 of Rhesa, the j'i?^ of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the 
 
 genealogy is here traced back to Adam and so to God, whose son 
 Adam was. 
 
 23. about thirty. The indefinite phrase precludes an exact 
 chronology. 
 
 Joseph. This genealogy appears as giving us the pedigree 
 of Joseph. Two difficulties, in particular, have been felt in regard 
 to it, (i) If Jesus was only the nominal, not the real son of 
 Joseph (as Luke has asserted), what good was there in giving 
 Joseph's genealogy ? (2) How comes this list to be different 
 from that in Matthew (i. 1-16) ? In form this ascends to the 
 ancestors, while Matthew descends ; and while Matthew, being 
 more Jewish, begins at Abraham, Luke, the Gentile, shews his 
 Pauline spirit of sympathy with the human race in going back to 
 Adam. These are not discrepancies. The serious point is in the 
 different lists of names. A common reply to both objections is 
 that Luke gives the genealogy of Mary, and Matthew that of 
 Joseph. But Luke is as definite in stating that his belongs 
 to Joseph as Matthew. Supposing both apply to Joseph, the 
 first objection has been met by stating that Jews only reckoned 
 their pedigrees through their fathers ; Joseph was the reputed 
 father of Jesus, his legally recognized father. Then we have 
 no explicit statement that ]\Iary was of the Davidic stock ; but 
 the assumption of the evangelists, Matthew (ix. 27) and Luke 
 (xviii. 38), that Jesus was 'the son of David,' after they have 
 asserted his miraculous birth from the Virgin, seems to imply that 
 they held Mary to be of the royal family. Various attempts have 
 been made to explain the divergence between the two lists of 
 names. They are all purely hypothetical conjectures. The most 
 reasonable seems to be that where they diverge one list gives 
 the actual line of descent, and the other the line by which the 
 inheritance went. The evident fact is that there were two 
 pedigrees of Joseph, each tracing his line through David, the 
 essential point. Compare also the list in i Chronicle i-iv. 
 
 2V. Zeru'bba.bel, Shealtiel. These two names, and these only, 
 are common to both lists between Joseph and David. In Matthew 
 
ST. LUKE 3. 28—4. i 165 
 
 son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son a8 
 of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of 29 
 Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of 
 Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Symeon, the son 30 
 of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the 
 j^« of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, zi 
 the J^« of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of 
 David, the j<?« of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, 32 
 the j<?;? of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of 33 
 Amminadab, the ^^;z of Arni, the son of Hezron, the 
 son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the j<?« 34 
 of Isaac, the j-<?« of Abraham, the son of Terah, the 
 son of Nahoi, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the i"d?« 35 
 of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of 3^ 
 Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son 
 of Noah, the i-e?;^ of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the 37 
 ^d7« of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, 
 the son of Cainan, the j^;^ of Enos, the son of Seth, the 38 
 son of Adam, the son of God. 
 
 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the 4 
 
 Shealtiel is the son of Jechoniah, who however, according to 
 Jeremiah xxii. 28-30 (where he is called Coniah), had no son. In 
 Luke he is the son of Neri. Therefore it would seem that he 
 was really Neri's son, descended from David through Nathan, 
 but Jechoniah's nominal son, because his heir. Thus we get the 
 two Unes. 
 
 31. Here the two lines agree, back to Abraham, beyond whom 
 Matthew's is not traced. 
 
 38. son of God : a daring statement of Luke's, not in the dry 
 Jewish genealogy. 
 
 iv. 1-13. The Temptation. Jesus, now fully possessed by the 
 Holy Spirit, is led about under this influence in the wilderness 
 during forty days, and there tempted by the devil. Having fasted 
 throughout this time and being then hungry, he is tempted to 
 command the stones to become bread, but replies with the thought 
 that bread is not the sole essential of life. A second temptation 
 comes from a simultaneous vision of all the kingdoms of the world, 
 
1 66 ST. LUKE 4. 2, 3 
 
 a Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness during 
 forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did 
 eat nothing in those days : and when they were com- 
 
 3 pleted, he hungered. And the devil said unto him, 
 
 with a promise of possessing them on condition of worshipping 
 Satan. Jesus repUes with a sentence of Scripture confining 
 worship to God. Lastly, he is tempted to cast himself down 
 from a wing of the temple, trusting to a promise of angelic pro- 
 tection. He replies by quoting the command not to tempt God. 
 The devil having finished every temptation leaves Jesus for 
 a time. 
 
 1. fall of the Holy Spirit. Following the Baptism with its 
 subsequent endowment of the Spirit, this must refer to that 
 experience. Jesus was now in a new condition of spiritual grace, 
 beyond what he had enjoyed during the thirty quiet years at 
 Nazareth. 
 
 returned : on the way back from the Jordan valley towards 
 Galilee. 
 
 was led. The verb is in the imperfect, and therefore it 
 implies a continuous action. Mark had said that the Spirit 
 drove him into the wilderness (Mark i. la) ; now Luke has the 
 idea of his being under the influence of the Spirit during all his 
 forty days of wilderness wanderings. 
 
 the wilderness. Tradition has fixed on the mountain now 
 called Quarantania, above Jericho; but the direction taken by 
 Jesus in returning to Galilee would take him more north. 
 Probably he roamed over a considerable part of the wild hill 
 region west of the Jordan valley. 
 
 2. tempted. The Greek word may be used simply for testing, 
 as in Exodus xvi. 4, where it is translated ' prove ' — ' that I may 
 prove them ' — and also for provoking, apart from sin, as when it 
 is applied to God, ' Ye have agreed to tempt the Spirit ' (Acts v. 9). 
 But it is also used for enticing to evil, e. g. in James i. 13, 
 * Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.' 
 Evidently it is used in this bad sense here, because (i) the 
 tempter is the spirit of evil, (2) Jesus resists his suggestions as 
 proposals to do what is wrong. The innocence of Christ does 
 not preclude temptation, because the things proposed were in 
 themselves desirable for an innocent person, though the suggested 
 way to obtain them was wrong. It has been pointed out that an 
 innocent person will feel the full strain of a temptation, because 
 he holds out to the end, while a weak person who yields will n«t, 
 because he gives way at some earlier stage. 
 
 the devil : lit, ' the adversary ' ; the Greek name ff r the 
 
ST. LUKE 4. 4-9 167 
 
 If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that 
 it become bread. And Jesus answered unto him, It 4 
 is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. And 5 
 he led him up, and shewed him all the kingdoms of 
 the world in a moment of time. And the devil said 6 
 unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and 
 the glory of them : for it hath been delivered unto me ; 
 and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore 7 
 wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine. And Jesus 8 
 answered and said unto him, It is written. Thou shalt 
 worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
 serve. And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on 9 
 
 Hebrew * Satan/ There might have been a visible appearance, 
 corresponding to the visions of angels ; but this is not to be taken 
 for granted. All that follows may have taken place in the inner 
 consciousness of Jesus. Or perhaps the form of the three tempta- 
 tions is purely parabolic. The essential point is that Jesus was 
 really tempted in the directions indicated. 
 
 3. the Son of God. The Temptation was based on the con- 
 sciousness of sonship, following the voice Jesus heard at his 
 Baptism : * Thou art my beloved Son.' It was to use his Divine 
 power and rights of sonship for his own convenience. 
 
 this stone: one particular block of stone, of the limestone 
 abounding in Palestine, probably resembling a loaf. 
 bread: ///. *a loaf.' 
 
 4. Cited from Deuteronomy viii. 3. Christ answers with words 
 of Scripture, shewing he is familiar with it, and attaches weight 
 to its authority. He masters the appeal to his human lower 
 nature, in bodily hunger, by summoning thoughts of the require- 
 ments of a man's higher needs. 
 
 5. Manifestly this could not be done in actual fact with a round 
 earth. It is internal vision or thought. 
 
 6. *7. A special appeal to the Messianic aims of Jesus. By 
 adopting unworthy methods Jesus might hope the better to win 
 influence. This is the temptation before which Mohammed fell. 
 It is the temptation of all leaders of men. Our Lord's resistance 
 to it is seen in his continuous rejection of the popular role of the 
 Messiah as an insurgent patriot. Matthew puts this temptation 
 third, the more likely place as it is the climax. 
 
 8. Cited from Deuteronomy vi. 13, ' Thou shalt fear the Lord,* 
 &€., the word * worship ' being substituted for * fear.' 
 
i68 ST. LUKE 4. 10-14 
 
 the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou 
 
 10 art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence : for it 
 is written, 
 
 He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to 
 guard thee : 
 
 11 and, 
 
 On their hands they shall bear thee up, 
 Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
 13 And Jesus answering said unto him. It is said. Thou 
 shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 
 
 13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, 
 he departed from him for a season. 
 
 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into 
 Gahlee : and a fame went out concerning him through 
 
 0. pinnacle : /;'/. * wing,' perhaps the top of ' Solomon's Porch.' 
 Hegesippus tells us that James, the brother of Jesus, was flung down 
 from * the wing of the temple ' (the same phrase) at his martyr- 
 dom (Eusebius, Hist. EccL ii. 23). Undoubtedly this temptation 
 must have been in vision or imagination, or it is described in 
 parable. To assert that the devil had the power to carry Jesus 
 bodily flying through the air is to make the Gospel unbelievable 
 by reducing it to the level of a monkish legend. 
 
 10, 11. Cited from Psalm xci. 11, 12. 
 
 12. Cited from Deuteronomy vi. 16, where, however, the sen- 
 tence is in the plural. Thus all three of our Lord's answers are 
 from this book, the most spiritual of the five books of the law. 
 
 tempt. Plainly here the word means provoke. Cf. note on 
 verse 2. 
 
 13. for a season: more correctly 'until a convenient season.' 
 
 iv. 14, 15. Jesus in Galilee. Jesus returns to Galilee in the 
 power of the Spirit, and teaches in the synagogues, with the 
 result that he becomes famous throughout the neighbourhood. 
 
 14. returned : the word used in verse i before the Temptation. 
 He now continued his return to his own district. 
 
 in tlie power of the Spirit: a second reference to the 
 endowment of the Spirit at the Baptism. New energy for action 
 is seen as the fruit of that gift. 
 
ST. LUKE 4. 15-17 169 
 
 all the region round about. And he taught in their 15 
 synagogues, being glorified of all. 
 
 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought 16 
 up : and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue 
 on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there 17 
 was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. 
 And he opened the book, and found the place where 
 it was written, 
 
 15. synag-ogTies : the Jews' places of worship. It was open 
 to any competent person to teach in them, with the consent of 
 the elders. Jesus thus appears as a Jewish teacher in his national 
 church. Later he was expelled from the synagogue ; and then 
 he could teach no longer in the sabbath assemblies, but was 
 compelled to do so in private houses or in the open air. This 
 may be illustrated by the experience of John Wesley, who first 
 preached in the parish churches, and later, being refused them, 
 preached in separation from the church of his early days. 
 
 iv. 16-30. Jesus at Nazareth. In the course of his tour of 
 preaching through the Galilsean synagogues Jesus comes to his 
 own town, visits the synagogue, and there reads from Isaiah the 
 great prophecy of good tidings to the poor. The attention of 
 the congregation being riveted on him, he amazes all with the 
 grace of his speech. Yet they think of him as but the carpenter's 
 son, and look for him to justify his fame by working a miracle 
 in his own neighbourhood. He reminds them of a proverb that 
 tells how a prophet is not welcome in his own neighbourhood, 
 and quotes the instances of Elijah's and Elisha's miracles for the 
 benefit of foreigners. At this the people grow angry, and drive 
 him out of the city towards a cliff from which they are about 
 to fling him down, when he passes quietly through their midst 
 and goes his way. 
 
 This incident is placed later in the life of Christ by Matthew 
 (xiii. 53-58 ) and Mark (vi. 1-6) ; and rightly so, as the reference 
 to great deeds in Capernaum, even found in Luke's narrative 
 (verse 23), shews. Our evangelist has not yet recorded the 
 Capernaum miracles, which the other Synoptic writers describe 
 before they give the Nazareth incident. 
 
 16. the synagogne: implying that there was but one. 
 
 as his custom was. Here he had worshipped for nearly 
 thirty years. 
 
 17. the book: the roll, that of the prophet Isaiah. The lesson 
 from one of the prophets followed that from the law. ^ 
 
I70 ST. LUKE 4. 18-22 
 
 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 captives, 
 And recovering of sight to the blind. 
 To set at liberty them that are bruised, 
 
 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 
 
 20 And he closed the book, 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 began to 
 say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled 
 
 22 in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered 
 
 found the place : either purposely selected it, or turned to 
 the section fixed by the Jewish lectionary. 
 
 18. 19. Isaiah Ixi. i, 2. Somewhat freely cited from the 
 LXX. 
 
 the Spirit of the Iiord. Jesus claims that the coming of 
 the Spirit upon him (which he knew was at his Baptism) was the 
 realizing of the propliet's words. 
 
 anointed: divinely appointed. Both kings and prophets 
 were anointed. 
 
 g-ood tidings to the poor : the keynote of Christ's preaching, 
 especially noted by Luke, who always shews great S3'mpathy for 
 the poor. 
 
 release . . . liberty: primarily directed to the deliverance 
 of the Jews from the Babylonian, or some later, oppression. 
 Jesus brings spiritual liberty, as his subsequent work shews, (i) 
 from the bondage of legalism and Pharisaic traditions ; (2) from 
 sin, as we learn especially from John viii. 32, 34, 36. 
 
 sight. Jesus brings the most helpful form of revelation, the 
 capacity to see truth for ourselves. 
 
 19. acceptable : the welcome year, the time of God's especial 
 bounty. 
 
 20. closed: lit. ' rolled up/ The book was a parchment roll, 
 attendant : not the ' minister ' in our sense of the word ; 
 
 the chazzan, whose duty it was to take the Scriptures from their 
 chest and replace them there. 
 
 the eyes of all, &c. : out of curiosity, because of his fame 
 combined with their familiarity with his early life ; perhaps with 
 deeper interest roused by his inspired presence. 
 
ST. LUKE 4. 23-29 171 
 
 at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth : 
 and they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said 23 
 unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me his parable, 
 Physician, heal thyself : whatsoever we have heard done 
 at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country. And 24 
 he said. Verily I say unto you. No prophet is acceptable 
 in his own country. But of a truth I say unto you, 25 
 There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, 
 when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, 
 when there came a great famine over all the land ; and 26 
 unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, 
 in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 
 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of 27 
 Elisha the prophet ; and none of them was cleansed, but 
 only Naaman the Syrian. And they were all filled with 28 
 wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things ; and 29 
 they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led 
 
 22. words of girace. It was the kindliness of the teaching of 
 Jesus that most struck his hearers. 
 
 Joseph's son : the common surname of Jesus at Nazareth, 
 implying the popular idea of his origin. Jesus was well known, 
 and his family was that of a townsman, also well known and not 
 regarded with any especial honour. 
 
 23. Capernatun : plainly implying that Jesus had done much 
 there, although Luke has not yet reached his record of the events. 
 See note on verse 31. 
 
 25. Cf. I Kings xvii. 9-16. 
 
 three years and six months. James has the same period 
 (Jas. V. 17), although in the history we have under three years 
 (cf. I Kings xviii. i). Apparently, therefore, this was according 
 to a Jewish tradition, being, as Dr. Plummer suggests, the re- 
 cognized duration of calamity after the three and a half years of 
 Antiochus Epiphanes' persecution (cf. Dan. vii. 25, xii. 7 ; Rev. 
 xi. 2, 3, xii. 6, 14, xiii. 5). 
 
 27. See 2 Kings v. 
 
 28. all. At first 'all* fastened their eyes on him (verse 20) ; 
 then ' all ' wondered at his words of grace (verse 22) ; now ' all ' 
 turn against him. There was no faction of opposition as yet ; it 
 was a general popular revolution of feeling. 
 
172 ST. LUKE 4. 30-33 
 
 him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was 
 
 30 built, that they might throw him down headlong. But 
 he passing through the midst of them went his way. 
 
 31 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. 
 33 And he was teaching them on the sabbath day : and they 
 
 were astonished at his teaching ; for his word was with 
 33 authority. And in the synagogue there was a man, 
 
 29. the brow : the traditional precipice is some distance to the 
 south-east of the town. There were smaller precipices nearer. 
 Nazareth is built in a hollow of the hills among rocks and ravines. 
 
 30. This does not assert either (i) that Jesus became invisible, 
 or (2) that he had miraculous protection. The temptation scene 
 at the wing of the temple precludes the idea that Jesus would 
 resort to such means of saving himself. It is enough to conclude 
 that the mysterious majesty of the person of Christ overawed the 
 fickle mob. Even more remarkable is the escape of Athanasius 
 from the church of St. Theonas, when soldiers were sent to arrest 
 him ; he tells us in his own narrative that he passed out through 
 them {Apol. profiigd, 34). Cf. John's accounts of the officers who 
 dared not arrest Jesus (vii. 45, 46), and of the soldiers who fell 
 back when Jesus declared himself (xviii, 6). 
 
 iv. 31-37. The demoniac in the synagogue. Going down to 
 Capernaum Jesus teaches there on the sabbath, astonishing the 
 people. A demoniac in the synagogue recognizes him as the 
 Holy One of God. At a rebuke from Jesus the demon throws 
 its victim down, and then comes out of him. The people are 
 astonished at Christ's power, and his fame spreads. 
 
 31. came down. Nazareth is a mountain city ; Capernaum is 
 by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, 600 feet below the level of the 
 Mediterranean. 
 
 Capernaum. The site has been lost. The traditional Tell 
 Hiim, at the north of the lake, is generally given up, as it does 
 not agree with Josephus' description of the neighbourhood, or 
 with the gospel accounts which point to the plain of Gennesaret, 
 further west, and has a shore of big stones unsuitable for a port. 
 A more likelj' site is Khan Minyeh, at the north of the little plain 
 of Gennesaret. 
 
 a city of Galilee : stated as though this were the first 
 mention of the town in the narrative. Yet a reference to it 
 occurs previously (verse 23). This is a further sign that the 
 Nazareth incident is placed too early. 
 
 32. authority. The word stands both for 'right' and for 
 
ST. LUKE 4. 34-.c^8 173 
 
 which had a spirit of an unclean devil ; and he cried 
 out with a loud voice, Ah ! what have we to do with 34 
 thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy 
 us ? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 
 And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and 35 
 come out of him. And when the devil had thrown 
 him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done 
 him no hurt. And amazement came upon all, and they 36 
 spake together, one with another, saying, What is this 
 word? for with authority and power he commandeth 
 the unclean spirits, and they come out. And there went 37 
 forth a rumour concerning him into every place of the 
 region round about. 
 
 And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered into 38 
 
 power.' Henry Ward Beecher paraphrased it as 'weight.' The 
 people felt Christ's teaching to be weighty. 
 
 33. a spirit, &c. The belief in demoniacal possession was 
 common among Jews and Gentiles in the time of our Lord, and 
 it long obtained in the Christian Church. But it has been pointed 
 out that most, if not all, the phenomena associated with this behef 
 are now diagnosed as forms of disease — insanity, epilepsy, hys- 
 teria, &c. If we accept the view that there was nothing more, 
 we must allow that Jesus would speak and probably think, and 
 the people understand him, in accordance with current ideas, 
 and not in anticipation of twentieth-century pathological science. 
 But of course nobody can prove that there are not spiritual 
 agencies of evil behind physical phenomena. 
 
 devil : rather ' demon ' ; the word ' devil ' in Scripture is 
 reserved for one being, Satan. 
 
 34. the Holy One. It is the manifest holiness of Jesus that 
 provokes the unclean demon, or, if we prefer to put it so, the 
 unclean temperament of the miserable man. 
 
 36. this -word: either the word addressed to the demoniac, 
 or more probably the powerful utterance of Jesus throughout 
 the synagogue scene, consummated in the effect of his word on 
 this man. 
 
 iv. 38, 39. Simon's wife's mother. Leaving the synagogue, 
 Jesus enters Simon's house to find his wife's mother down with 
 severe fever. Our Lord's help being sought, he rebukes the fever ; 
 
174 ST. LUKE 4. 39,40 
 
 the house of Simon. And Simon's wife's mother was 
 holden with a great fever; and they besought him for 
 
 39 her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever ; 
 and it left her : and immediately she rose up and minis- 
 tered unto them. 
 
 40 And when the sun was setting, all they that had any 
 sick with divers diseases brought them unto him ; and he 
 laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 
 
 whereupon it leaves the sufferer, and she gets up and waits on 
 the household. 
 
 38. Simon: Peter, who therefore is living at Capernaum at 
 this time. 
 
 wife's mother : an indubitable evidence that Peter had been 
 married ; later we read of his wife as his travelling companion 
 (i Cor. ix. 5). 
 
 holden with a great fever : medical terms, suitable to * the 
 beloved physician,' Luke, as the author. Galen distinguished 
 fevers as 'great' and 'slight.' The low-lying, marshy land of 
 the plain of Gennesaret would readily engender malarious fever. 
 
 they besought him. Since in Luke, as also in Mark, this 
 is the first miracle of healing bodily disease, the cure of the 
 demoniac alone preceding it, we may wonder why the family 
 should think of applying to Jesus for help ; but in Matthew other 
 cases of physical cures precede — the leper and the centurion's 
 servant (see Matt. viii. 1-13). 
 
 39. rebuked the fever: as though this too were a sort of 
 demon. 
 
 ministered : a proof of complete cure after the exhaustion 
 and fever, and a sign of the worthy woman's sound character. 
 
 iv. 40, 41. Evening cures. At sunset many sick people are 
 brought to Jesus ; he lays his hands on every one and heals them 
 all. Demons recognize him to be the Son of God, and he rebukes 
 them. 
 
 40. when the sun was setting : as soon as the sabbath was 
 over. Jews would not carry burdens, even the sick for healing, 
 on the sabbath. This ended at sunset on Saturday, as it began at 
 sunset on Friday. 
 
 laid his hands : our Lord's usual method of cure. It brought 
 personal contact and encouraged faith. There were many cases ; 
 but there was no wholesale healing. Christ's method was always 
 individualistic. 
 
ST. LUKE 4. 41-43 175 
 
 And devils also came out from many, crying out, and 41 
 saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, 
 he suffered them not to speak, because they knew that 
 he was the Christ. 
 
 And when it was day, he came out and went into 42 
 a desert place : and the multitudes sought after him, 
 and came unto him, and would have stayed him, that 
 he should not go from them. But he said unto them, 43 
 I must preach the good tidings of the kingdom of God 
 to the other cities also : for therefore was I sent. 
 
 41. devils: rather 'demons' (see note on verse 33). 
 
 tlie Son of God : in the Messianic sense, as the last words of 
 the verse shew. Jesus is recognized by the demoniacs as the 
 Christ. It is not easy to explain this as merely the result of 
 brain and nerve disease. 
 
 snffered tliem not. Jesus did not yet put forth the claim to be 
 the Christ. Had he done so he would have been misunderstood. 
 For a long while he required those who believed in it not to 
 publish it. Assuredly he would not welcome the first proclama- 
 tion of it from such a source as the shrieks of maniacs. 
 
 iv. 42, 44. Jesus in a desert place. In the morning Jesus retires 
 to a desert place. The multitude pursue him, desiring to retain 
 him ; but he tells them that he must deliver his good tidings in 
 other cities, and goes on a preaching tour among the synagogues 
 of Galilee. 
 
 42. wlien it was day. Mark tells us it was very early, before 
 it was light (Mark i. 35). 
 
 sought : lit. ' were continuously seeking.* 
 
 43. the kingdom of God. In Matthew this is called * the king- 
 dom of heaven,' a more Hebraistic expression, common among 
 the Rabbis at the time of Christ. We cannot tell which phrase our 
 Lord used — possibly both at times ; the signification is the same, 
 as 'heaven' is a Jewish periphrasis to avoid using the sacred 
 name. The meaning may be either (i) the realm, or (2) the rule 
 of God. In our Lord's spiritual teaching these two meanings 
 necessarily run closely together. God's realm is always found 
 where God's rule is established. The root idea comes down from 
 the O.T. with its theocracy, the kings of Israel being regarded 
 as really viceroys of Jehovah, the supreme Sovereign. Later in 
 prophecy and apocalyptic writings the Jews learnt to look for a 
 coming kingdom in which Israel should enjoy to the full the 
 
176 ST. LUKE 4. 44—5. 3 
 
 ♦4 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. 
 5 Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon 
 liim and heard the word of God, that he was standing 
 
 2 by the lake of Gennesaret ; and he saw two boats 
 standing by the lake : but the fishermen had gone 
 
 3 out of them, and were washing their nets. And he 
 entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and 
 asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat 
 
 blessings of God's rule. Jesus accepted this idea and made it the 
 central theme of his teaching, but elevated it to the region of the 
 spiritual ; with him the kingdom of God is not an earthly realm, 
 whose subjects the Jews revel in material prosperity. As a rule it 
 is the government of God in the hearts of his people ; as a realm 
 it is the transformed society that results from that government. 
 
 44. Galilee. The best MSS, have 'Judaea,' the reading 
 accepted by Westcott and Hort. But the context and the parallels 
 in the other Gospels point to Galilee as the locality. If, as seems 
 probable from the MSS., 'Judaea' is the right word, we must 
 understand this to mean here ' the Jews' country,' and so to in- 
 clude Galilee. Luke uses the name with that wide application 
 elsewhere, e, g. in xxiii. 5. 
 
 V. i-ii. The call of Simon. Pressed by the crowd at the lake 
 side, Jesus enters a boat and teaches from it. Afterwards he bids 
 Simon launch out for a draught of fishes. Simon answers that 
 they have toiled all night and taken nothing ; yet he obeys, and is 
 rewarded by drawing in so great a number of fishes that the nets 
 begin to break, and assistance has to be obtained to draw them 
 up. The fishes fill the boats to sinking. Peter falls down and 
 implores Jesus to leave him as he is a sinful man, being amazed 
 at what has happened, as also are his partners James and John. 
 Jesus encourages him, and tells him he is to be a fisher of men. 
 When they reach land all three leave their boats to follow Jesus. 
 
 1. the word of God : a characteristic phrase of Luke's, that 
 may mean either (i) the word about God, or (2) the word God 
 speaks, God's word— probably the latter. Thus prophets spoke 
 God's word. The subject about which Jesus spoke was not 
 merely the Divine Nature, but rather ' the kingdom of God.' 
 
 2. two boats : i. e. one belonging to Simon (and Andrew), the 
 other belonging to Zebedee. 
 
 3. Simon's : chosen because Simon was Jesus' host (see iv. 38). 
 sat down : the usual attitude of the Jewish teacher, as to-day 
 
 it is the attitude of the Arab teacher. 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 4-1; 177 
 
 down and taught the multitudes out of the boat. And 4 
 when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Put out 
 into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 
 And Simon answered and said, Master, we toiled all 5 
 night, and took nothing : but at thy word I will let 
 down the nets. And when they had this done, they 6 
 inclosed a great multitude of fishes ; and their nets were 
 breaking ; and they beckoned unto their partners in the 7 
 other boat, that they should come and help them. And 
 they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began 
 to sink. But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down 8 
 at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am 
 a sinful man, O Lord. For he was amazed, and all 9 
 
 5. Master. This is not the usual word rendered ' Master ' in 
 our Enghsh Bibles, which really means ' teacher ' ; but a word 
 only used by Luke of N. T. writers and more significant of 
 authority. Our evangelist never uses the Hebrew title ' Rabbi.' 
 It implies that Simon already acknowledged the authority of Jesus 
 over his actions as well as his prophetic power. 
 
 6. No other evangelist gives this incident of the draught of fishes 
 at the call of Peter, not even Mark, who is thought to have derived 
 his information from that apostle. But in the fourth Gospel a 
 similar wonder occurs at the end of our Lord's ministry, after the 
 Resurrection (see John xxi. 6). Accordingly some critics have 
 concluded that the two evangelists are describing the same event, 
 and that one has it chronologically misplaced. But it is to be 
 observed that there are considerable differences between the 
 narratives. In John the apostle does not beseech Jesus to depart 
 from him. 
 
 were breaking' : were beginning to break ; they did not 
 actually burst open, or of course the fish would have been lost. 
 Canon Tristram says of the shoals of fish in the lake of Gennesaret, 
 Hhey sometimes cover an acre or more on the surface in one 
 dense mass.' 
 
 7. their partners: probably James and John ; but see note on 
 verse 10. 
 
 8. Simon Peter : the first mention of Simon's surname in this 
 gospel, here introduced by the evangelist from later associations, 
 although the apostle had not received it so early as the date of 
 the incident if that is correctly placed. 
 
 a sinful man: the voice of conscience awakened by the 
 
178 ST. LUKE 5. lo, n 
 
 that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which 
 lothey had taken; and so were also James and John, 
 
 sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And 
 
 Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not ; from henceforth thou 
 II shalt catch men. And when they had brought their 
 
 boats to land, they left all, and followed him. 
 
 perception of something superhuman in Jesus. This gives no 
 excuse for the outrageous statement of the so-called Epistle of 
 Barnabas, that the apostles had been excessively wicked men. 
 
 O Lord. A stronger term than 'Master,' It expresses the 
 awed feeling of the speaker before the wonderful Presence. 
 
 10. James: probably the elder brother, as his name comes first. 
 He was one of the three disciples of the inner group, and the first 
 of the apostles to be martyred, being killed by the sword near 
 the passover of a. d. 44 by the order of Herod Antipas (Acts xii. 2). 
 
 John : the ' beloved disciple ' of the fourth Gospel, who lived 
 to extreme old age at Ephesus, according to Polycrates, a bishop of 
 that city in the second century (Eusebius, v. 24), and other ancient 
 writers, among whom is Irenaeus, who had seen and heard Polycarp 
 of Smyrna, a disciple of John (Eusebius, v. 20). 
 
 Zebedee. Matthew informs us that he was with his two sons 
 when Jesus called them (see Matt. iv. 21) ; and this is implied in 
 Mark (i. 20). We may almost assume therefore that they went 
 with their father's consent. 
 
 partners : not the same word as that translated ' partners ' in 
 verse 7. Therefore we cannot be sure that the same men are in- 
 tended. The word here used is more personal, for those who work 
 together, while that previously employed points to the common 
 share in the proceeds. Still probably that also represents James 
 and John. 
 
 catcli : lit. * take alive.' 
 
 11. left all: even the great quantity of fishes just caught, 
 which would be some slight solace to Zebedee. 
 
 followed : primarily used in its literal sense. The four fisher- 
 men walked away with Jesus ; but it is implied that they went to 
 be his disciples. 
 
 In this section Luke differs from the other Synoptic writers (i) 
 in placing the call of the four fishermen after the cure of Simon's 
 wife's mother, while in Mark it precedes that event ; (2) in stating 
 that they were washing their nets, while Matthew and Mark have 
 them casting their nets in the sea ; (3) in inserting the account of 
 the great draught of fishes — variations that do not affect the vital 
 facts, the call and the response. 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 12-14 179 
 
 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, 12 
 behold, a man full of leprosy : and when he saw Jesus, 
 he fell on his face, and besought him, saying. Lord, 
 if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he 13 
 stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, 
 I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the 
 leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to 14 
 tell no man : but go thy way, and shew thyself to the 
 priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses 
 
 V. 12-16. The cure of a leper. In the course of his tour 
 through the cities of Galilee, Jesus is met by a leper, who beseeches 
 him to cleanse him. Jesus does so, charging the man to tell no- 
 body, but to present himself to the priest for the certificate of his 
 cleansing according to the Mosaic ordinance. But a rumour of 
 it going abroad increases the fame of Jesus and draws a crowd of 
 sick folk, whom he cures, afterwards withdrawing to the deserts 
 for prayer. 
 
 12. full of leprosy. It has been pointed out that the Bible 
 leprosy cannot have been elephantiasis^ the disease that now bears 
 the name, which eats away the body so that the nose, lips, and 
 limbs drop off ; since it is described rather as a skin disease. Sir 
 Risdon Bennett suggested psonasis as coming nearer to the 
 Scripture description ; but possibly, with the imperfect diagnosis 
 of antiquity, several skin diseases were included under the name. 
 
 clean. Leprosy was regarded as worse than disease, as a 
 defilement excluding its victim from all social intercourse. No 
 doubt it was largely due to dirt. 
 
 13. tonclied: Christ's usual method of healing, and a sign of 
 interest and compassion; but in defiance of Jewish notions of 
 defilement, for the touch would be held to have made Jesus him- 
 self unclean. 
 
 14. cliarg-ed. Mark even has a stronger word, suggesting an 
 indignant or vexed tone. Jesus saw that the man was likely to 
 disobey his orders. He often repressed the publishing of his 
 deeds, not coveting the notoriety of a wonder-worker. In this 
 case publicity hindered his work by making known the ceremonial 
 uncleanness. 
 
 shew thyself, &c. : in accordance with the law (Lev. xiii). 
 The priest was a sanitary officer, and his certificate was necessary 
 to establish the cure. Jesus would not dispense with this obviously 
 useful regulation. 
 
 N 2 
 
i8o ST. LUKE 5. 15-17 
 
 15 commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so much 
 the more went abroad the report concerning him : and 
 great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed 
 
 16 of their infirmities. But he withdrew himself in the 
 deserts, and prayed. 
 
 1 7 And it came to pass on one of those days, that he was 
 teaching ; and there were Pharisees and doctors of the 
 
 a testimony : to witness to the people that the man was 
 clean. 
 
 15. tlie report concerning- him. Mark states that the man 
 himself circulated this report of his cure, in spite of Christ's pro- 
 hibition (Mark i. 45). Luke merely states that the fame of the 
 miracle was spread abroad, with the consequence that crowds 
 flocked to Jesus for healing. 
 
 16. withdrew himself. Mark gives the reason of this, viz. the 
 wilful spreading of the fame of his cure by the cleansed leper, 
 implying that the uncleanness Jesus was supposed to have con- 
 tracted by touching him necessitated seclusion. 
 
 and prayed. Luke alone mentions this. It was in accord- 
 ance with our Lord's habit to seek solitudes of the wild hills for 
 his own private worship. 
 
 V. 17-26. The paralytic let cioivii through the roof. While Jesus 
 is teaching in the presence of leading Jews from far and near 
 a paralytic is brought on a bed. Not being able to reach Jesus for 
 the crowd by the usual means, the bearers let their burden down 
 through the roof. Recognizing their faith, Jesus declares the 
 man's sins to be forgiven. At this time the leading Jews are 
 scandalized, as though Jesus were usurping a Divine prerogative. 
 Perceiving their thoughts, he asks which is easier, to declare the 
 man's sins forgiven or to bid him walk. That they may know he 
 has the right to forgive sins, Jesus bids the paralytic arise, which 
 he does, walking out with his bed, to everybody's astonishment. 
 
 17. Pharisees: not a sect, in our sense of the word, but a 
 party laying claim to exceptional piety in the rigour of their 
 obedience to the law. Their name means * separatist,' and they 
 were notorious for their proud self-distinction from the common 
 people. Their origin was in the time of the Maccabaean struggle, 
 when they began to emphasize the religious as opposed to the 
 political aim of that uprising. The best side of their character is 
 represented in the apocryphal Psalms of Solomon. The worst 
 comes out in their behaviour to Christ at the time of their de- 
 generation — formalism and pretence having usurped the place of 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 18-20 181 
 
 law sitting by, which were come out of every village 
 of Galilee and Judaea and Jerusalem : and the power 
 of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, men 18 
 bring on a bed a man that was palsied : and they sought 
 to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And not 19 
 finding by what ivay they might bring him in because of 
 the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him 
 down through the tiles with his couch into the midst 
 before Jesus. And seeing their faith, he said, Man, thy 20 
 
 genuine devotion in too many cases. They believed in an over- 
 ruling Providence and in the resurrection of the dead. They 
 abstained from politics, considering it their duty to devote them- 
 selves to the law and leave the issue to God, who would vindicate 
 their cause in due time ; but they cherished undying hatred to the 
 Roman dominion, and looked for the Messianic kingdom which 
 was to liberate Israel from this tyranny. 
 
 doctors of the law: teachers of the law, i. e. Rabbis. It 
 was they who had developed the details of inferences from the 
 law in the form of tradition, now venerated even more than 
 the sacred text itself. 
 
 every village, &c. The fame of Jesus had attracted these 
 leading Jews — leaders in religion. The incident that follows is 
 the first case of antagonism between these people and Christ, as 
 recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels. 
 
 power of the Iiord: i. e. God's power. 
 
 to heal : not the Pharisees and teachers, as the text of the 
 A. V. implies ; but to heal generally — healing power. 
 
 18. men. According to Mark there were four (ii, 3). 
 bed : Mark calls this a mat, or mattress. 
 
 19. went up : by the outside staircase, if it were a small house ; 
 or by one in the courtyard, if it were a large mansion. Possibly 
 Jesus was teaching in the ' upper room,* which therefore would be 
 near the roof. 
 
 tiles. This word is only found in our Gospel. According to 
 Mark the men dug through the roof, as though it were the common 
 flat or domed Eastern roof of dry mud pressed on branches of trees 
 and more substantial beams. The work of making a way through 
 a tiled roof would not so much inconvenience the congregation 
 below as what Mark suggests. A possible explanation is that 
 Jesus was in the courtyard, and that some slight roofing for shade 
 was all that the men had to remove. 
 
 20. their faith. It may be assumed that the paralytic's faith 
 
i82 ST. LUKE 5. 21-24 
 
 21 sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees 
 began to reason, saying, Who is this that speaketh 
 blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins, but God alone ? 
 
 22 But Jesus perceiving their reasonings, answered and said 
 
 23 unto them, What reason ye in your hearts ? Whether is 
 easier, to say. Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, 
 
 24 Arise and walk ? But that ye may know that the Son of 
 man hath power on earth to forgive sins (he said unto 
 
 is included ; but certainly the faith of his friends whose action it 
 was to make a way through the roof is primarily in mind here. 
 
 thy sins, &c. There is no sign that the man was brought to 
 be cured ; he may have been eager to hear Jesus teach. Our 
 Lord's words imply that he was more anxious for the forgiveness 
 of his sins than for the cure of his affliction. 
 
 are forgiven : lit. * have been.' Jesus announces the accom- 
 plished fact. 
 
 21. scribes: evidently the same as the ' doctors ' of verse 17. 
 The primary duty of the scribes was to w^rite out the law ; but 
 they became its custodians and teachers, and in their teaching the 
 creators and preservers of tradition. 
 
 began to reason. The sequel shews that this was in their 
 private thoughts. 
 
 blasphemies. The Greek word is sometimes used for 
 calumnious speaking about our fellow men (e.g. 'railing,' Col. 
 iii, 8). But here it has the graver meaning of our word blas- 
 phemy, for language insulting to God. 
 
 22. perceiving-: lit. ' coming to know.' 
 
 in your hearts. This suggests that the thoughts were not 
 spoken. 
 
 23. easier, to say. The declaration of pardon was easier, 
 because nobody could test its results, while the effect or non- 
 effect of the command to do an outward action would be seen at 
 once. 
 
 24. the Son of man: a title our Lord applies to himself, occur- 
 ring some eighty times in the Gospels ; it is never given him there 
 by the writers in their narratives. Luke uses it in the account of 
 Stephen's vision (Acts vii. 56). The term * son of man' is met 
 with in the O. T. , especially in Ezekiel, where the prophet is 
 addressed some ninety times under that title. At the time of our 
 Lord it was commonly used in the Aramaic dialect, then spoken 
 in Palestine, simply to mean ' man.* But Jesus gives it a distinc- 
 tive signification by using the definite article — ' the Son of man ' ; 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 25-27 183 
 
 him that was palsied), I say unto thee, Arise, and take 
 up thy couch, and go unto thy house. And immediately 25 
 he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he 
 lay, and departed to his house, glorifying God. And 26 
 amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God ; and 
 they were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange 
 things to-day. 
 
 And after these things he went forth, and beheld a 27 
 publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and 
 
 and this same form of the expression is found in contemporary 
 apocalyptic literature for the Messiah, who was thus vaguely 
 described as 'the man.' Jesus may have been privately thinking 
 of this when he chose the name for himself; but it did not publicly 
 express his claim to be the Messiah, for we know that he forbade 
 his disciples to proclaim him as such during his ministry. By 
 calling himself ' the man ' he dwelt on his human brotherhood 
 and the simplicity of his personal position. 
 
 power: better 'authority' or 'right.* 
 
 on earth. This right is included in his mission on earth. 
 
 conch : a diminutive of the word rendered ' bed ' in verse 18. 
 It was a light mat. 
 
 25. glorifying" God. The man ascribed his cure to God rather 
 than Jesus only, whose Divine nature he could not then know. 
 The next verse indicates that it was the same with the people 
 who had witnessed it. But this phrase is characteristic of Luke. 
 
 v. 27-32. Levi and the publicans. On going out of the house 
 where the previous incident occurred, Jesus, seeing a publican 
 named Levi sitting at his place of toll, calls him. Levi forsakes 
 everything and follows Jesus. He has a feast with many guests 
 of his own associates. Pharisees and their scribes coming in com- 
 plain of the disciples of Jesus associating with such company. 
 Jesus answers in defence that it is not the sound but the sick who 
 need the physician. It is sinners, not righteous people, that he 
 has come to call to repentance. 
 
 27. pnljlican: see note on iii. 12. 
 
 Levi. This name appears in the parallel account in Mark, 
 where Levi is called 'the son of Alphaeus' (Mark ii. 14). In the 
 first Gospel the name 'Matthew' takes its place. Plainly these 
 are two names for the same man : (i) because the incident of the 
 call of the publican and the subsequent feast is the same in the 
 first Gospel as in the two others, and (2) because in both Mark 
 
1 84 ST. LUKE 5. 28-r.2 
 
 28 said unto him, Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose 
 
 29 up and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast 
 in his house : and there was a great multitude of publi- 
 cans and of others that were sitting at meat with them. 
 
 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against 
 his disciples, saying, AVhy do ye eat and drink with the 
 
 31 pubhcans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto 
 them, They that are whole have no need of a physician ; 
 
 32 but they that are sick. I am not come to call the 
 
 (iii. 18) and Luke (vi. 15^; the name * Matthew ' appears among 
 the names of the apostles, as it does in the Gospel according to 
 Matthew (x. 3), while the name ' Levi ' is not in any of the lists. 
 tlie place of toll : where the custom dues were collected, 
 Capernaum was on or close to the great trade route from Acre on 
 the coast to Damascus. 
 
 29. feast : lit. a ' reception,' a * banquet.' 
 
 in his house: plainly Levi's house. In Mark (ii. 15) the 
 account reads as though it were Christ's house. But he had no 
 house of his own. 
 
 others. There would be only such as would associate with 
 publicans — not over-strict people, possibly people of doubtful 
 reputation. 
 
 30. Pharisees: see note on verse 17. 
 
 their scribes : scribes of the Pharisaic party. See note on 
 verse 21. 
 
 sinners. The critics assume that the 'others* mentioned in 
 the previous verse were persons of bad character. Perhaps thej' 
 knew some of them to be of ill repute. 
 
 31. whole : or sound and healthy. The Greek word is peculiar 
 to Luke the physician. It would be used in pahology as the 
 opposite of 'diseased.' The illustration of the phj'sician explains 
 our Lord's reason for being in strange company. It was their 
 need that drew him to these people, not any fascination he felt 
 for them. His critics seem to hint that a certain indifference to 
 moral distinctions was seen in the disciples of Jesus ; perhaps 
 with a view to make their Master popular and so gain a following, 
 even though from among the most objectionable people. Our 
 Lord's answer implicitly repudiates all self-regarding aims. He 
 went to these people not for his own sake at all, but for their 
 sakes, because they needed a physician of souls. 
 
 32. the righteous. It was literally true that Jesus did not 
 come to call sinless people. Such people would not need a saviour. 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 33 185 
 
 righteous but sinners to repentance. And they said unto 3; 
 him, The disciples of John fast often, and make supplica- 
 tions ; likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees ; but 
 
 But there is irony in his language, for who are the righteous ? — 
 these Pharisees and scribes ? 
 
 to repentance : only in Luke. These words disappear from 
 the corrected text of Matthew and Mark, although they are in the 
 A. V. of these Gospels, because they are not in the good MSS. and 
 are therefore evidently supplied from Luke. This raises the 
 question whether Luke himself may have added them to complete 
 and so to safeguard our Lord's saying as a homiletic gloss. It 
 states a truth, indeed. If Jesus calls sinners in their sin, this is 
 to call them out of it. Still here the stress is not on that idea, 
 but on the bare fact that he calls sinners at all, condescends to 
 such, has mercy on them — that he is the sinner's Friend. 
 
 V. 33-39. Christ's disciples not fasting. It is complained that 
 while the disciples of John and of the Pharisees frequently fast, 
 the disciples of Jesus do not. He defends them on the ground 
 that wedding guests cannot fast in the bridegroom's presence ; 
 they will when he is removed. Then he enforces his point — the 
 necessary difference between the ways of his disciples and the 
 ways of the followers of the older religion — by two illustrations, 
 viz. that nobody would patch an old garment with undressed cloth, 
 or put new wine in old skins, as in the first case if such a thing 
 were done the result would be to destroy the old, and in the 
 second not only to do this, but also to waste the new. 
 
 33. they said. In Matthew the question is put by the followers 
 of John — 'Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why 
 do we and the Pharisees fast oft,' &c. (Matt. ix. 14). In Luke the 
 question seems to come from the scribes and Pharisees previously 
 mentioned. But the phrase ' they said ' may be understood as an 
 indefinite introduction of the subject, meaning some said, as the 
 expression is in Mark (ii. 18). 
 
 disciples of John. These then hold together and keep up 
 their customs after their master has been removed from them, and 
 in spite of the appearance of the new Prophet, thus declining 
 to follow John's own teaching in pointing on to Christ. We meet 
 such later at Ephesus (see Acts xviii. 25, xix. 3), 
 
 fast often. In the O. T. we read of fasting both as enjoined 
 by the law at the Day of Atonement (Lev. xxiii. 32), and as 
 practised b}'' people in times of trouble, or as an accompaniment 
 of penitence (e. g. Jonah iii. 7). But the Rabbis had added to the 
 frequency of the fasts. The word ' often ' in our texts points to 
 
1 86 ST. LUKE 5. 34-36 
 
 34 thine eat and drink. And Jesus said unto them, Can ye 
 make the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bride- 
 
 35 groom is with them ? But the days will come ; and 
 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, 
 
 36 then will they fast in those days. And he spake also a 
 parable unto them ; No man rendeth a piece from a new 
 
 this excess of fasting. The Pharisee in the parable boasts of fast- 
 ing twice a week (Luke xviii. 12). 
 
 "but tlune eat and drink. It is not denied that they ever 
 fasted ; but neither is it asserted. There is no saying of Jesus 
 requiring or commending fasting. Once he speaks of it as a 
 practice of his disciples which he assumes to be carried on, and 
 then he forbids ostentation in regard to it (Matt. vi. 16-18). The 
 recommendation of fasting in Mark ix. 29 and Matthew xvii. 21 
 disappears from the Revisers' Text, as it is not found in the 
 best MSS. 
 
 34. sons of tlie bride-chamber : wedding guests and friends of 
 the bride or bridegroom. The expression ' sons of is a Hebraism 
 denoting people closely connected with anything, e. g. a ' son of 
 peace' (x. 6), 'sons of this world,' and 'sons of light* (xvi. 8). 
 
 tbebrideg'room: i. e. Jesus. This image is applied to our Lord 
 in the fourth Gospel (John iii. 29), where it is attributed to John 
 the Baptist ; it is also found applied to Christ in the Revelation 
 (xviii. 23). The image and the use of it here made by Jesus 
 indicate the sunny joyousness of his early ministry. He is not 
 yet ' the man of sorrows.' His ministry opens in gladness, like 
 a wedding festival, the villagers' delight. But see next verse. 
 
 35. This verse shews that already the shadow of the cross is 
 before our Lord. The first mutterings of opposition have begun ; 
 he sees that this can end but in one way, for he has determined 
 on a course that must provoke growing antagonisms. 
 
 then will they fast : not as a rite, nor by rule ; not as pen- 
 ance, but as the natural result of grief. Christ's presence pre- 
 cludes fasting ; his departure will bring the mourning that fasting 
 expresses. 
 
 36. parable. Our Lord's parables consist of appeals to facts 
 of nature or to customs common among men, by comparison with 
 which it should be seen that what he says is natural or reasonable, 
 and therefore should not be rejected as unbelievable. Thus they 
 are very different from fables, which are often unnatural and even 
 impossible. It is of the essence of the parable that it should be 
 recognized at once as what cannot be denied in every-day life. 
 Then it serves as more than an illustration, as an argument from 
 analogy. It is often introduced with the formula ' What man ' 
 
ST. LUKE 5. 7,>j—G. i 187 
 
 garment and putteth it upon an old garment; else he 
 will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will 
 not agree with the old. And no man putteth new wine 37 
 into old wine-skins j else the new wine will burst the 
 skins, and itself will be spilled, and the skins will 
 perish. But new wine must be put into fresh wine-skins. 38 
 And no man having drunk old 7m'ne desireth new : for 39 
 he saith. The old is good. 
 
 Now it came to pass on a sabbath, that he was going 6 
 through the cornfields; and his disciples plucked the 
 ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 
 
 would do so and so ? or * No man' would do this or that, to lead 
 on to the thought that what is not to be seen in the world because 
 it is unnatural or unreasonable should not be expected in religioUo 
 a piece from a new g'arment. Mark (ii. 21) has *,a piece of 
 undressed cloth/ which explains the action. The raw, unshrunk 
 material in shrinking drags at the stiff, old garment and so tears it. 
 
 37. new wine, &c. It has been suggested that the old wine- 
 skin would contain dregs which would start the ferment again in 
 the new wine ; if the fermenting process had not been stopped it 
 would burst any wine-skins, new or old. 
 
 These two parables teach the incompatibility of the new life 
 Christ brings with the old life previously lived. Its immediate 
 application is to Judaism. In the first parable the old is the 
 principal thing ; Christianity cannot serve merely to patch up 
 Judaism, In the second, the new is the principal thing ; this new 
 life cannot be contained in the old forms of effete customs. 
 
 39. An illustration of the clinging to the old, and so refusing to 
 accept the new, commonly seen in the world, 
 
 vi. 1-5. Plucking com on the sabbath. On a sabbath day, while 
 Jesus is walking through a cornfield, his disciples pluck ears of 
 corn and eat them. Some of the Pharisees complain of this as 
 sabbath-breaking. Jesus replies by appealing to the instance of 
 David and his followers eating shewbread when hungry, and so 
 placing human need above ritual law. As the Son of man he 
 claims to be lord of the sabbath. 
 
 1. plucked the ears of corn, &c. There was no objection to 
 the act, which was expressly permitted in the law (see Deut. xxiii. 
 25). The objection was to * sabbath-breaking.' 
 
 rubbing them, &c. : only mentioned by Luke, a further act 
 which the Rabbis regarded as labour. 
 
i88 ST. LUKE 6. 2-5 
 
 2 But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which 
 
 3 it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day ? And Jesus 
 answering them said, Have ye not read even this, what 
 David did, when he was an hungred, he, and they that 
 
 4 were with him ; how he entered into the house of God, 
 and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to 
 them that were with him;, which it is not lawful to eat 
 
 5 save for the priests alone ? And he said unto them, 
 The Son of man is lord of the sabbath. 
 
 2. not lawful : i. e. though not expressly forbidden, still con- 
 sidered constructively unlawful, because reckoned a breach of the 
 law forbidding labour on the sabbath. It was treated as a kind of 
 reaping and winnowing, agricultural work not allowed on the 
 sabbath. 
 
 3, 4. what David did, &c. The incident is taken from i Samuel 
 xxi. 1-6, where we read how David came to Nob demanding bread 
 from the priest Ahimelech, who replied that he had none but the 
 sacrificial bread which only priests were allowed to eat, but on 
 David's demanding that, gave it him. Here then was a distinct 
 breach of law ; yet the necessity of hunger was allowed to 
 override the law. Our Lord's appeal takes the form of an argu- 
 ■mentuni ad homines. The Pharisees would not dare to impugn 
 David's action ; then why should they object to Christ's disciples 
 breaking another law— if so their action were to be regarded— to 
 satisfy their hunger ? 
 
 shewbread: * loaves exhibited' — twelve loaves deposited 
 weekly on a table in the ' holy place ' of the temple provided for 
 the purpose, and renewed weekly, being eaten by the priests at 
 the end of the week (see Lev. xxiv. 5-9). 
 
 5. This verse reads like a personal claim on the part of our 
 Lord to deal with the sabbath as he will. But (i) in Matthew 
 (xii. 8) we read ' Fo/ the Son of man,' &c., as a truth that should be 
 evident on the statement of it ; and [2) Mark (ii. 27) inserts ' The 
 sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath ' before 
 the words about the Son of man. Therefore it seems that it is 
 primarily as Son of man, in his full realization of the dignity and 
 rights of man, that Jesus is lord of the sabbath. When man rises 
 to his true position he is superior to ritual laws and can dispose 
 of them according to his own judgement. And j-et our Lord 
 hints at his higher dignitj', as in the claim to forgive sins. He is 
 no ordinary man, but the Son of man, who is lord of the sabbath. 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 6-10 189 
 
 And it came to pass on another sabbath, that he 6 
 entered into the synagogue and taught : and there was 
 a man there, and his right hand was withered. And the 7 
 scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would 
 heal on the sabbath ; that they might find how to accuse 
 him. But he knew their thoughts ; and he said to the 8 
 man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand 
 forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. And 9 
 Jesus said unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful on the 
 sabbath to do good, or to do harm ? to save a life, or to 
 destroy it ? And he looked round about on them all, 10 
 and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did 
 
 vi. 6-1 1. Cunng a tnan's withered hand on the sabbath. On 
 another sabbath, while Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, his 
 critics watch to see if he will cure a man with a withered hand. 
 Knowing their thoughts, he bids the man stand up, and then asks 
 whether it is right to do good or to do harm on the sabbath. 
 Jesus then tells the man to stretch out his hand ; he does so, and 
 it is healed. The Pharisaic party, greatly enraged, consult together 
 as to what they shall do with Jesus. 
 
 6. anotlier saTibath : not necessarily the next sabbath. The 
 two sabbath incidents are brought together. The second incident 
 aggravates the offence, because (i) it is committed by Jesus 
 himself, while the first was his disciples' action ; (2) committed 
 deliberately ; and (3) in the scene of sabbath worship. 
 
 the synagogue: the Capernaum synagogue, where he was 
 accustomed to attend. 
 
 right hand: this only specifically noted by Luke the phy- 
 sician, shewing that the man was the more helpless. 
 
 *J. to accuse him. The critics have now become antagonists. 
 
 8. knew their thoughts. Jesus' power of thought-reading is 
 frequently mentioned. 
 
 9. to save a life. The Rabbis admitted that the sabbath might 
 be broken when life was endangered. But Christ's opponents 
 would deny that to be the case with a man who only had 
 paralysis of the hand. Still the cure was in that direction, and 
 in striking contrast to what Jesus next referred to. 
 
 to destroy it : a hint of the dark thoughts already hatching 
 in his opponents' hearts. Would not such thoughts desecrate 
 the sabbath more than deeds of mercy ? 
 
I90 ST. LUKE G. 11-14 
 
 11 so: and his hand was restored. But they were filled 
 with madness ; and communed one with another what 
 they might do to Jesus. 
 
 12 And it came to pass in these days, that he went out 
 into the mountain to pray ; and he continued all night 
 
 13 in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his 
 disciples : and he chose from them twelve, w^hom also he 
 
 14 named apostles ; Simon, whom he also named Peter, 
 
 11. filled with, madness, &c. Jesus had defied the Pharisaic 
 party. We have had five grounds of complaint : (i) the claim 
 to forgive sins, (2) consorting with people of ill repute, (3) Jesus 
 sanctioning his disciples' neglect of fasting, (4) two cases of sup- 
 posed sabbath-breaking — the greatest of offences in the eyes of 
 rabbinism. The result is enraged antagonism and a consultation 
 of the Pharisaic party as to how to deal with the Offender. 
 
 vi. 12-19. 77!^ choice of the Twelve. About this time, after 
 spending a night on the mountain in prayer, Jesus calls his 
 disciples to him and selects twelve of them, whom he designates 
 apostles. The names of the Twelve are here given. On his 
 descent to a level place many people from as far south as Judaea 
 and as far north as Tyre and Sidon come to hear him or to be 
 healed of diseases ; he heals all who seek him for the purpose. 
 
 12. all niglit in prayer. This must be connected with what 
 follows. Jesus spent a whole night in prayer previous to the 
 momentous choice of his twelve apostles, as a preparation for 
 making the selection. 
 
 13. called his disciples, who must have been near, probably 
 awaiting him on the mountain, for we read after this of his descent 
 to lower ground (verse 17). 
 
 twelve : according to the twelve tribes of Israel, though not 
 one from each tribe. 
 
 apostles. The Greek word means 'messengers,*//?. * people 
 sent forth.* It is used in Herodotus, e. g. for a messenger to 
 Miletus {History, i. 21), and in the LXX by Abijah the prophet 
 in declaring his mission from God to Jeroboam's wife (i Kings 
 xiv. 6). In Hebrews (iii. i) Jesus is called 'the Apostle . . , 
 of our confession,' as one sent by God. It is common in Acts and 
 the Epistles as a designation of the Twelve, and sometimes used 
 there in a wider sense for messengers from the churches, or 
 missionaries, for James, Barnabas, Andronicus, and Junias. The 
 case of Paul is distinct, as he himself declares (Gal. i. i ff".). 
 The Twelve are rarely called apostles in the Gospels, and only 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 15 • 191 
 
 and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and PhiHp 
 and Bartholomew, and Matthew and Thomas, and James 15 
 the son of Alphseus, and Simon which was called the 
 
 in the present passage by Christ himself. Dr. Hort suggested 
 that the word is not used here in an official sense, as a title of 
 men in a certain office, but in the general sense of messengers or 
 missionaries. In Matthew (ix. 36 — x. i) the sending out of the 
 Twelve follows immediately on an account of our Lord's com- 
 passion for the shepherdless multitude, people who are like a 
 plenteous harvest-field while the reapers are few. It would seem 
 then that the immediate purpose of the selection was to send 
 the Twelve out on a preaching tour in Galilee. But they were 
 in training for a larger ministry. 
 
 14. First we have the four fishermen, the four men whom 
 Jesus first called to follow him, two pairs of brothers, and 
 formerly partners together in their fishing business (cf. v. 10). 
 
 Simon. This name appears first in all the lists. 
 
 Peter : meaning a stone, or a rock. It is not asserted that 
 the name was given on this occasion. Our Lord appears to have 
 conferred it later, on the occasion of the apostle's great confession 
 (Matt. xvi. 18). 
 
 James and John. James is always named before John, 
 apparently as the senior. He must have been a prominent man 
 in early apostolic times, as he was the one apostle whom Herod 
 selected for execution to mark his disapproval of Christianity. 
 
 Pliilip : according to John, from Bethsaida, the town of 
 Peter and Andrew (John i. 44). 
 
 Bartholomew : commonly supposed to be Nathanael men- 
 tioned in John, because (i) while the name Nathanael does not 
 appear in the Synoptics, the name Bartholomew is not found in the 
 fourth Gospel, and Nathanael is there associated with apostles 
 (John xxi. 2) ; (2) both are associated with Philip— in John (i. 45), 
 Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus ; in the Synoptics Bartholomew is 
 named next to Philip ; (3) the name Bartholomew, meaning ' son 
 of Tholmai,* reads like a surname, e. g. ' Simon, son of John.' 
 
 15. Matthew : probably the same as Levi, whose call has been 
 described (see note on v. 27). 
 
 Thomas. Nothing is said of him in the Synoptics ; he 
 appears several times in the fourth Gospel (xi. 16, xiv. 5, xx. 24- 
 29, xxi. 2). 
 
 James the son of Alphsens: probably the same as 'James 
 the little' (Mark xv. 40), therefore a short man. Certainly not 
 the same as 'James the Lord's brother,' for as yet his brothers 
 did not believe in him (John vii. 5\ 
 
 Simon . . . the Zealot : formerly of the party of the Zealots, 
 
192 ST. LUKE 6. 16-20 
 
 16 Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, 
 
 1 7 which was the 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 
 Jud^a and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and 
 Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of 
 
 18 their diseases ; and they that were troubled with unclean 
 J 9 spirits were healed. And all the multitude sought to 
 
 touch him : for power came forth from him, and healed 
 them all. 
 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said. 
 
 a fanatical party prepared to throw off the Roman yoke by 
 violence, always ready for insurrection. 
 
 16. Judas the son of James : Matthew (x. 3) and Mark (iii. 18) 
 have 'Thaddaeus,' evidently another name for the same man. 
 
 Iscariot: 'man of Kerioth,' a place in Judah mentioned 
 in Joshua xv. 25 ; probably he was the only man from the south 
 countrj', all the other apostles being Galilseans. 
 
 17. a level place: not necessarily a plain; it is not to be 
 assumed that this was at the bottom of the mountain. In 
 Matthew's (v. i) account of the discourse that follows, it is said 
 to be given on the mountain. It may have been on a level spot 
 among the hills. 
 
 Judaea . . . Tyre and Sidon: the fame of Jesus having 
 spread to the extreme north and south of Palestine. 
 
 vi. 20-26. Here we have Luke's version of what we call * The 
 Sermon on the Mount.' It not only differs from that in Matthew 
 (v-vii) in many details, as we shall see ; it also contains much 
 less matter. In particular it omits the passages dealing with the 
 law as superseded by the teaching of Christ, and it lays more 
 stress on love and mercy. Some portions of the larger collection 
 of teachings in Matthew occur in other parts of Luke later on. 
 
 The Beatitudes and Lamentations. Jesus begins his discourse 
 to his disciples by uttering four sentences of blessing on them, as 
 (i) the poor, (2) those who hunger now, (3) those who weep 
 now, (4) those who are persecuted. He bids them rejoice in 
 persecution because of their prospect of future reward. Then he 
 utters four lamentations, on (i) the rich, (2) those now full, 
 (3) those who now laugh, and (4) men when all speak well 
 of them. 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 21, 22 193 
 
 Blessed are ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God, 
 Blessed are ye that hunger now : for ye shall be filled. 2 1 
 Blessed are ye that weep now : for ye shall laugh. Blessed 22 
 are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall 
 separate you fro?n their company ^ and reproach you, and 
 cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 
 
 20. his disciples. The discourse is to Christ's disciples, not 
 to the public generally. So also in Matthew (v. i). 
 
 Blessed : the keynote of the discourse. Jesus begins with 
 felicitation, declaring who are truly happy and congratulating 
 them on the fact, 
 
 ye poor. The phrase is general, not 'the poor in spirit,' 
 as in Matthew. Some have taken it as a sign of Luke's 
 'Ebionitism,' i.e. his sympathy with the primitive Jewish 
 Christian Church, the members of which were actually poor, and 
 thought of themselves as the humble and lowly whom God 
 delighted to honour. But there is no reason to doubt that our 
 Lord used this mode of address. The people Jesus saw gathered 
 about him were socially poor for the most part, peasants and 
 fisherfolk. It is significant that this beatitude stands first. In 
 opposition to the way of the world, that secures the best things 
 to wealth, Jesus offers them to poverty, not necessarily as 
 rewards, as though poverty were a virtue, for that could onlj' 
 be the case if it were chosen voluntarily, as in the case of 
 St. Francis wedded to poverty as a bride. The idea is that the 
 poor, hitherto shut out of many good things, may now have the 
 best of all things, the kingdom of God. Their poverty is no 
 barrier ; elsewhere Jesus shews how a rich man's wealth is 
 a barrier to his obtaining this treasure, not on God's side, 
 however, but on his own. 
 
 21. The futurity of the blessings for the hungry and sorrowful 
 is here indicated. There will be a reversal of their conditions. 
 Again, it is not said that this is to be as a reward, or as a mere 
 compensation ; but the great fact is secured. Note, this is for 
 Christ's disciples, to whom the whole discourse is addressed. 
 Not all needy and sorrowing people will have fullness and joj', 
 but Christ's disciples who sorrow now will rejoice hereafter. 
 
 22. separate you: Jewish excommunication. 
 
 your name as evil: calumnies. Latin writers shew how 
 these were circulated concerning the Christians. Tacitus refers 
 to Christianity as a 'pestilent superstition,' and to Christians 
 as ' men of the worst character and deser\'ing the severest 
 punishment' {Annals, xv. 44). Pliny hints at the possibility 
 
 O 
 
194 ST. LUKE 6. 23-26 
 
 23 Rejoice in that day, and Xez^ for Joy, for behold, your 
 reward is great in heaven : for in the same manner did 
 
 24 their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that 
 
 25 are rich ! 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 1 for ye shall mourn and 
 
 26 weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of 
 you ! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false 
 prophets. 
 
 of 'secret crimes' among the Christians. Later they were 
 credited with the foulest wickedness — incest, murder, canni- 
 balism, and persecuted as ' enemies of the human race ' {Epistle 
 X. 96). 
 
 23. Rejoice, &c. This was realized in the enthusiasm of the 
 martyrs. 
 
 24. woe, &c. This is lamentation, not merely denunciation; 
 and it does not merely pronounce the doom of the prosperous 
 as such, any more than the Beatitudes promise rewards for mere 
 poverty and distress. But the people enjoying plenty and 
 prosperity, who congratulate themselves that all will be well 
 with them on this account, are warned against a false security. 
 The acquisition of ill-gotten gains, followed by sinful self-indul- 
 gence, calls for judgement ; and Jesus knew how much of the 
 prosperity of his day was stained with these evil practices. The 
 association is too common in all ages. Compare James's de- 
 nunciation of the rich of his day as fraudulent oppressors of their 
 employes (J as. v. r-6). 
 
 26. when all men shall speak well of yon. Jesus warns 
 against universal popularity, too often got by pandering to 
 prejudice, and too often smothering the conscience of its favourite 
 and blinding him to the vision of truth and God's will. 
 
 In comparing these sayings of our Lord with the Beatitudes 
 in Matthew (v. 3-12) we may notice first the following points of 
 agreement : — They both deal with the question of the summunt 
 bonunt, the question of the true road to happiness. In tracing this 
 out they agree in rejecting the common ways of worldly ambition 
 and greed — power, wealth, popularity, pleasure, &c., and point to 
 quiet, lowly paths. In particular they both deal with poverty, 
 sorrow, hunger, and persecution as characteristics of the road to 
 blessedness. 
 
 In the second place we may observe the serious points of 
 divergence between the two accounts: — (i) Matthew has eight 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 27, 2S 195 
 
 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, 37 
 do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse 28 
 
 beatitudes ; Luke has but four, to which he adds four corre- 
 sponding lamentations, not found in Matthew. (2) Matthew's 
 beatitudes treat of moral and spiritual conditions, describing ' the 
 poor in spirit,' those who * hunger and thirst a/ier righteousness,' 
 &c. ; Luke only refers to social and personal conditions — the 
 poor, those who hunger now, &c. (3) In Matthew the form 
 of address is in the third person— * Blessed are they,' &c. ; in 
 Luke it is in the second person — * Blessed are ye,' &c. Com- 
 mentators differ as to which is the more original form of the 
 utterances. Some give the preference to Matthew's as being 
 the more spiritual and Christlike, and assert that Luke or the 
 compiler he followed converted them to what we might call his 
 socialistic ends. But that is to allow of a daring liberty having 
 been taken in the primitive church with the most important of 
 our Lord's utterances, changing their drift and intention — surely 
 an improbable hypothesis. Others give the preference to Luke's 
 version, and take Matthew's as an expansion of the original utter- 
 ances with additions from sayings of Jesus on various occasions, 
 and explanations of what was seen to be the deeper spiritual 
 meaning of his brief words. The address in the second person 
 rather indicates the primitive form. But that both forms of the 
 Beatitudes were originated by our Lord himself on two different 
 occasions must be allowed as a possible explanation. If so, Luke's 
 as the simpler series, dealing more with external and social 
 conditions, would come first, Matthew's as the more spiritual 
 treatment following and revealing deeper meanings. But possibly 
 Matthew and Luke had obtained different versions of the Beati- 
 tudes from two different sources, neither intentionally altered, 
 but each representing the facet of our Lord's teaching that most 
 struck some disciple. 
 
 vi. 27-38. On loving our enemies, being tnerciful and generous. 
 Jesus bids his people love their enemies and return good for ill, 
 giving to all who ask, and following out the * golden rule ' of 
 doing to others as we wish them to do to us. It is nothing 
 merely to render good for good, or to lend where we expect 
 a return ; even sinners do as much. But to love our enemies 
 and lend without ever despairing will prove us sons of the Most 
 High, who acts thus generously to good and bad alike. Merciful- 
 ness is commended as godlike. We are warned not to judge 
 or condemn others that we may not suffer a like fate ; but to be 
 generous in our treatment of people, because as we deal with 
 them we shall be dealt with ourselves. 
 
 27. you which hear : a peculiar phrase, awakening attention 
 
 O 2 
 
196 ST. LUKE 6. 29-34 
 
 39 you, pray for them that despitefully use you. To him 
 that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other ; 
 and from him that taketh away thy cloke withhold not 
 
 30 thy coat also. Give to every one that asketh thee ; and 
 of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 
 
 .^i And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also 
 
 32 to them likewise. And if ye love them that love you, 
 what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that 
 
 33 love them. And if ye do good to them that do good to 
 you, what thank have ye ? for even sinners do the same. 
 
 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, 
 what thank have ye ? even sinners lend to sinners, to 
 
 to an apparent paradox, and requiring that attention if what 
 follows is to be understood. 
 
 29. smitetli : a strong word, meaning not merely an insolent 
 slap of the cheek, but a heavy blow. 
 
 offer also the other. To take this literally would be 
 grotesque, and the action mere buffoonery. Jesus expects iis to 
 understand him with some imagination and common sense. The 
 principle of non-resistance is illustrated by the example of an 
 extreme instance ; this is the very opposite to hitting back, 
 
 cloke : the outer garment. 
 
 coat : the inner garment, shirt or tunic. In Matthew (v. 40) 
 the order in which the garments are mentioned is reversed, the 
 coat being taken first, and the action is described as a process at 
 law, the garments being sued for successively. 
 
 31. Parallels to the 'golden rule' have been pointed out in 
 Tobit iv. 15 : 'What thou thyself hatest, do to no man,' and the 
 Stoic saying, ' What thou dost not wish done to thee, do not 
 to another.' There is a similar Buddhist precept. But these are 
 negative; our Lord's positive maxim goes much further. The 
 language is varied, but still positive, in Matthew (vii. 12): 'All 
 things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto 
 you, even so do ye also unto them,' with the characteristic 
 addition in this more Jewish Gospel, ' for this is the law and the 
 prophets,' not found in Luke, a Gospel for Gentiles. 
 
 32. what thank: lit. 'grace' or 'favour,' i.e. gracious re- 
 cognition. 
 
 sinners. The meaning is ' notorious ' sinners, people of ill 
 repute, Matthew has * publicans' here and ' Gentiles' in the next 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 35-39 ^97 
 
 receive again as much. But love your enemies, and do 35 
 them good, and lend, never despairing ; and your reward 
 shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High : 
 for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Be ye 36 
 merciful, even as your Father is merciful. And judge 37 
 not, and ye shall not be judged : and condemn not, and 
 ye shall not be condemned : release, and ye shall be 
 released : give, and it shall be given unto you ; good 38 
 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. 
 
 And he spake also a parable unto them. Can the blind 39 
 
 35. never despairing: an important change of rendering 
 in the R.V. The A.V. had 'hoping for nothing again,' i.e. 
 lending without expecting a return. But the Greek word is 
 never found in that sense, and always in some such sense as that 
 of the Revisers. Another reading gives us 'despairing of no 
 one' with essentially the same meaning, i.e. to be kind to and 
 help the people who seem to be most hopeless, never despairing 
 of them. 
 
 37. judge not: a condemnation of censoriousness. It has no 
 relation to the duties of magistrates. Jesus is not speaking to 
 magistrates, and evidently his language is concerned with conduct 
 in private life. There is a similar saying of Hillel — 'Judge not 
 thy neighbour until thou comest into his place.' Cf. James 
 iv. 12 — 'Who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? ' — probably an 
 echo of Christ's words here ; cf. also Romans ii. i. 
 
 38. good measure, &c. : the metaphor is taken from corn- 
 dealing. 
 
 into your bosom The large, loose pocket made in the cloak 
 by drawing it up to a deep fold above the girdle. 
 
 vi. 39-45. On blind guides, the mote and the beam, trees and 
 their fruit. Blind men cannot safely guide other blind men. The 
 pupil is not to be expected to outrun his teacher. How unseemly 
 it is to observe the mote in a brother's eye and ignore the beam 
 in your own eye ! The latter must first be removed if any attempt 
 is to be made to take away the former. Good and bad trees all 
 bear fruit according to their quality. You cannot get figs and 
 grapes from thorns and brambles. So every mr.n brings out in 
 life and speech only what he has been first treasuring in his own 
 heart. 
 
198 ST. LUKE 6. 40-42 
 
 guide the blind? shall they not both fall into a pit? 
 
 40 The disciple is not above his master : but every one when 
 
 41 he is perfected shall be as his master. And why be- 
 holdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but 
 
 42 considerest not the beam that is in 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 
 
 39. the blind. If to be connected with what goes before, the 
 idea confirms the rebuke of judging others. It also prepares for 
 what follows in the * parable ' of the mote and the beam. They 
 who are themselves blind will only injure others if they attempt 
 to set them in the right way. There is no immediate reference 
 to the scribes and Pharisees here, as there is in another place 
 where Jesus calls them 'blind guides' (Matt, xxiii. 16), 'fools 
 and blind' (verse 17), &c. In the present case the admonition is 
 for his own followers. 
 
 a pit : one of the unfenced wells, tanks, and quarries that 
 abound in Palestine. 
 
 40. master : lit. ' teacher,' the master of pupils, not the master 
 of a house, or of servants. 
 
 perfected : lit. ' quite adjusted,' ' equipped,' * finished,' as we 
 say. This word is emphatic. The sentence admits of various 
 readings ; but that is to be preferred which retains the emphasis, 
 thus — * When he is finished, every disciple will be like his teacher.' 
 The idea of the verse is that the pupil is not to be expected to go 
 beyond his teacher ; his best attainment is for him just to come 
 up to ttie instructor. If then the teacher is but a blind guide, 
 what but blindness can be expected in the pupil ? Possibly the 
 saying was proverbial, for our Lord gives it another turn in 
 Matthew x. 25, where he says : ' It is enough for the disciple 
 that he be as his master,' indicating that his followers must 
 expect persecution if he receives it. Cf. also John xiii. i6 
 and XV. 20. 
 
 41. mote: lit. any 'dry fragment.' 
 
 thy brother. The thought that he is a brother should check 
 censoriousness. This is an indication that the precepts are 
 framed for domestic and social life, not directly at all events for 
 civil government. 
 
 beam. The Greek word means ' main beam,' used for 
 supporting the floor or the centre of the roof, and therefore it 
 indicates an especially large beam. 
 
ST. LUKE 6. 43-45 199 
 
 hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, 
 and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that 
 is in thy brother's eye. For there is no good tree that 43 
 bringeth forth corrupt fruit ; nor again a corrupt tree 
 that bringeth forth good fruit. For each tree is known 44 
 by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, 
 nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. The good 45 
 man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth 
 that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil 
 treasure bringeth forth that which is evil : for out of the 
 abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 
 
 42. hypocrite. In classic Greek the original word means an 
 'actor' and never what we understand by an 'hypocrite'; on the 
 other hand, in Biblical Greek, which knows nothing of the drama, 
 it is invariably used in the secondary sense of one who acts 
 a false part in life, or even one who is utterly bad apart from the 
 notion of pretence. The latter meaning is found in the LXX 
 of Job (xxxiv. 30, and xxxvi. 13) for the 'impious.' But in the 
 N. T. it generally carries the idea of pretence, as suggested by 
 our word 'hypocrite.' The censorious person who comes as 
 a 'candid friend,' indicating his brother's minute defect while he 
 is negligent of his own immeasurably greater fault, thereby proves 
 his zeal for perfection to be insincere. 
 
 see clearly : a further thought ; if it is well to help a brother 
 to be free from his minor defects, we cannot do this until we have 
 cleared ourselves of our more serious evils. 
 
 43. for, &c. : connecting this verse with what precedes. 
 Conduct is the fruit of character. Therefore it is useless to think 
 of rendering useful service, such as removing the mote from 
 a brother's eye, while our own life is corrupt. But the saying 
 is of universal application, conveying one of the fundamental 
 ideas of our Lord's teaching. 
 
 45. treasure. The idea is of storing up, valuing, and guarding, 
 like jewels in a cabinet. It is what is most prized and held most 
 firmly that determines the outcome of the life. 
 
 heart: always used in Scripture for the whole inner life, 
 thought and will, as well as emotion. 
 
 abundance : i. e. that which abounds in the heart ; if there 
 is much good with a little evil still remaining, the outcome will 
 be good ; if there is a preponderance of evil within, the outcome 
 will be evil. Thus main tendencies are indicated. In this world 
 
200 ST. LUKE 6. 46-49 
 
 46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the 
 
 47 things which I say ? Every one that cometh unto me, 
 and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will shew you 
 
 48 to whom he is like : he is like a man building a house, 
 who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon 
 the rock : and when a flood arose, the stream brake 
 against that house, and could not shake it : because it 
 
 49 had been well builded. But he that heareth, and doeth 
 not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth 
 
 all characters are more or less mixed. Nobody is wholly good, 
 nobody wholly bad. But each is accounted good or bad, and 
 each produces good or bad results from his life taken as a whole, 
 according to what abounds in him. 
 
 vi. 46-49. The hvo houses. Jesus asks why people who do 
 not obey him hail him as Lord. Everybody who both hears his 
 words and does them is compared to a man who digs deep for 
 a foundation, and thus builds his house on the rock, so that when 
 a flood rises, the torrent of which breaks against it, it is not 
 shaken ; while every one who only hears without doing is like 
 a man building on the earth without a foundation, whose house 
 falls in a great ruin when the stream breaks on it. 
 
 46. wliy call ye me, &c. : addressed to nominal disciples, 
 some of whom, in the gathering about him, Jesus knew were not 
 carrying out his precepts. 
 
 47. heareth . . , and doeth. The parable turns entirely on 
 these two words. The first is necessary; this warning only 
 applies to those who hear the teachings of Christ, not to the 
 heathen. The second determines the fate of all such. Those 
 who do what Christ says are building safely ; those who do not 
 are building with fatal insecurity. 
 
 48. digged . . . deep. The form of the parable is different from 
 the version of it in Matthew, where it turns on a selection of sites, 
 one choosing rock, another sand. Here, with the same sort of 
 soil, the two men are supposed to build differently, one digging 
 down to the rock, the other satisfying himself with the easier 
 work of building on the superficial earth. 
 
 a flood arose, &c. In the mountainous country of Palestine, 
 where rain only comes at certain seasons and then in great 
 quantity, it soon produces a roaring torrent where all was dry 
 before. 
 
ST. LUKE 7. I, 2 20I 
 
 without a foundation ; against which the stream brake, 
 and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house 
 was great. 
 
 After he had ended all his sayings in the ears of the 7 
 people, he entered into Capernaum. 
 
 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto 2 
 
 49. eartli without a foundation : level and soft, and therefore 
 easy to build upon, possibly the deposit of a former flood, at the 
 sight of which a wise man would take warning. The new flood 
 sweeps it all away down to the rock. 
 
 straightway: a very common word in Mark, much less 
 frequent in Luke. It indicates that the destruction is quickly 
 brought about by a torrent suddenly sweeping down from the 
 mountain, the effect of one rain-storm. There is no time to 
 remove the house or underpin it with a deeper foundation. 
 
 great. The word is in an emphatic place. The greater the 
 house the greater its ruin ; the louder the pretence of discipleship 
 in the call ' Lord, Lord,* the deeper the shame of failure. But 
 in any case the ruin is great because it is complete ; not merely 
 cracked walls or the loss of adjuncts, but the overthrow of the 
 whole house. 
 
 vii. i-io. A centurion's servant cured. On the return of Jesus 
 to Capernaum a centurion sends elders of the synagogue to beg 
 him to come and save a slave boy. They plead the centurion's 
 case, describing his practical friendliness in building a synagogue. 
 Jesus sets out ; but as he approaches the house he is met by some 
 friends of the centurion, who are sent to express his unworthiness 
 to receive our Lord, and his assurance that a word will suffice. 
 This assurance is based on his own experience of the power of 
 authority that is practised in the army. Jesus is astonished, 
 and tells the people he has not found such faith even among Jews. 
 Returning to the house the messengers find the lad well. 
 
 1. After he had ended, &c. : i.e. on the conclusion of the 
 great discourse among the hills. 
 
 2. centurion: a miUtary officer in command of a century, 
 consisting of from fifty to a hundred men, according to the size of 
 the legion of which it was a subdivision. His position was like 
 that of a non-commissioned officer in our army, not admitting 
 of promotion except under very unusual circumstances. When 
 his time was up he would leave the service, to settle in some 
 small town and live on the fortune he had acquired in the wars. 
 It has been noticed that the N.T. centurions are always presented 
 to us in a favourable light. This centurion, though a Gentile, could 
 
202 ST. LUKE 7. 3-8 
 
 3 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 and save his 
 
 4 servant. And they, when they came to Jesus, besought 
 him earnestly, saying, He is worthy that thou shouldest 
 
 5 do this for him : for he loveth our nation, and himself 
 
 6 built us our synagogue. 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 
 
 7 shouldest come under my roof: wherefore neither 
 thought I myself worthy to come unto thee : but say 
 
 8 the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also 
 
 scarcely be a Roman soldier; as Galilee was ruled by Herod 
 Antipas at the time, he would be serving under that king, but 
 after the Roman model, for the Herods imitated Rome, 
 servant : slave. 
 
 3. elders : leading citizens, probably though not certainly 
 rulers of the synagogue to which they refer. 
 
 tliat he would come, &c. The request that Jesus would come 
 to the house is not given in the parallel account in Matthew (viii. 
 5-13), which however is much briefer than that which Luke here 
 gives, (The incident is not narrated in Mark.) It might be omitted 
 owing to the fact that the centurion subsequently deprecated the 
 coming of Jesus. But if we take the narrative as it stands in Luke, 
 it suggests that he sent for Jesus, but when he saw the wonderful 
 Rabbi actually approaching, was abashed at his own temerity. 
 
 4. do: lit. 'reach forth,' and so 'offer a kindness.' 
 
 5. lovetli our nation: not a proselyte, but a man friendly to 
 the Jews. 
 
 our synag'ogne : the one synagogue of Capernaum, or more 
 probably that synagogue of which these men were elders. The 
 marble ruins of a splendid synagogue lying in a thicket of 
 gigantic thistles at Tel Hum have been pointed out as belonging 
 to this very building. But probably Tel Hunt is not the site of 
 Capernaum, and the ruins seem to belong to the more sumptuous 
 style of the second century a. d. 
 
 6. not worthy: lit. * not fit,' 'not sufficient' : a different word 
 from that used by the rulers (verse 4). 
 
 7. my servant: lit. 'my boy,' 'my lad,' not the same word as 
 in verse 2, but one of kinder tone. 
 
ST. LUKE 7. y-ii 203 
 
 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 servant, 
 Do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard these 9 
 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 Israel. And they 10 
 that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant 
 whole. 
 
 And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went n 
 
 8. under antliority: as but a petty officer obeying his 
 superiors. 
 
 under myself: yet as an officer with authority over his own 
 handful of men. From his experience of the irresistible authority 
 of military discipline, the centurion concludes that the authority 
 which Jesus possesses must be equally efficacious, even at a 
 distance. As the law is the schoolmaster to bring the Jew to 
 Christ, so here military discipline is the soldier's schoolmaster 
 with the same result. 
 
 9. he marvelled. We have no justification for emptying these 
 words of their plain meaning. In his human hmitations Jesus 
 is seen sharing human emotions, one of which is the emotion of 
 surprise and wonder. 
 
 not in Israel. This pagan had outrun the Jews in his faith, 
 especially with regard to our Lord's authority. That was the 
 marvel. He saw that Jesus was more than a teacher and more 
 than one possessed with immediate healing power, so that his 
 authority must extend beyond his immediate presence. Jews 
 came to Jesus to be touched for their healing ; this Gentile was 
 sure he could heal at a distance. That implied a faith in his 
 authority beyond what the Jews possessed. It was wonderful, 
 wonderful even to Jesus himself. 
 
 10. whole : the present participle, meaning in a state of 
 health, cured and continuing so. 
 
 vii. 11-17. The widow's son at Natn. Soon after this, as Jesus 
 is approaching Nain with his followers, he meets the funeral of 
 a widow's only son. Moved with pity for the mother he bids her 
 cease weeping, draws near to the bier, and touches it. The 
 bearers stand still and Jesus tells the young man to arise. The 
 dead man sits up at once and begins to speak. The people are 
 
204 ST. LUKE 7. 13-16 
 
 to a city called Nain ; and his disciples went with him, 
 
 12 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 was with her. 
 
 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on 
 
 14 her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came nigh 
 and touched the bier : and the bearers stood still. And 
 
 15 he said, Young man, I say unto thee. Arise. And he 
 that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave 
 
 1 6 him to his mother. And fear took hold on all: and 
 
 overawed at the marvel, praising God, and declaring that a great 
 prophet has risen among them. This incident is only in Luke. 
 
 11. Nain: a small town about eight miles south-west from 
 Nazareth, on a hill looking westwards over the plain of Esdraelon, 
 within half an hour of Shunem, the scene of Elisha's miracle. 
 
 disciples : not merely the Twelve, but other attached 
 disciples such as the women mentioned subsequently (viii. 2, 3). 
 
 12. carried out: burial in the East being always outside the 
 city walls, not as with us until recently, in insanitary town 
 churchyards. 
 
 13. saw her. The mother, as chief mourner, would walk 
 before the body. Thus Jesus would meet her first. 
 
 had compassion: a strong word, given in Matthew and 
 Mark several times to shew our Lord's motive in working 
 miracles, but only applied to Jesus Christ in Luke on this one 
 occasion. 
 
 14. bier : a board or receptacle of wicker-work, supported by 
 two or three staves which the bearers held. Coffins, though used 
 in Egypt, were not employed in Palestine. 
 
 I say unto thee. Note the tone of authority, very different 
 from the manner of Elisha's prayer and effort at Shunem ^cf. 
 a Kings iv. 33-35% and from the custom of the apostles appealing 
 to the name of their Lord when curing the sick. 
 
 15. he that was dead : lit. ' the dead man.' 
 
 sat up. The Greek word is rare except among medical 
 writers ; the use of it is another mark of Luke the physician. 
 
 began to speak : a phrase that carries us back to the eye- 
 witness' narrative. A dead man speaking startled the spectators. 
 Luke records it as a proof that the man was really alive again. 
 
 gave him to his mother: suggesting the motive for this 
 
ST. LUKE 7. 17-21 205 
 
 they glorified God, saying, A great prophet is arisen 
 among us : and, God hath visited his people. And this 17 
 report went forth concerning him in the whole of Judaea, 
 and all the region round about. 
 
 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. 18 
 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them 19 
 to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look 
 we for another? And when the men were come unto 20 
 him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, 
 saying. Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another ? 
 In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and 21 
 
 very exceptional miracle, compassion for a widow mourning the 
 loss of an only son. 
 
 16. glorified God. Again the praise is rendered to God for 
 what Jesus does. A characteristic of this Gospel. 
 
 great proplxet. No more is yet suspected by the people 
 generally. 
 
 1*7. Judaea. Probably used for the Jews' country generally — 
 Palestine as a whole. Nain was in Galilee. Cf. note on iv. 44. 
 
 vii. 18-23. John the Baptist's jnessage. John, hearing from his 
 disciples of what Jesus is doing, sends two of them to ask him if 
 he is the expected one. Jesus, who is engaged in the very act 
 of curing the sick and afflicted when the messengers arrive, tells 
 them to report to John what they have seen and heard, and calls 
 attention to his works and his preaching to the poor. He adds 
 a blessing on such as do not stumble at him. 
 
 18. John: the Baptist (cf. verse 20), now in prison, as we 
 learn from Matthew xi. 2. 
 
 19. he that comsth : he whose approaching advent John 
 himself had announced (cf. iii. 16). Various views have been 
 held as to John's reason for sending with this inquiry: (i) That 
 it was for the sake of his disciples ; (2) that it was to force the 
 hand of Jesus and compel him to declare himself; (3) that doubts 
 were rising in John's own mind. The third is the most simple 
 explanation. The depression of his imprisonment had clouded 
 the Baptist's mind; and Jesus was not working openly the great 
 change that John had expected, nor bringing in the kingdom of 
 God as he had anticipated it. This is confirmed by the next 
 incident, when Jesus speaks of the greatness of John and his 
 limitations, thus explaining his conduct. 
 
 21. plagfues: especially distressing complaints. 
 
2o6 ST. LUKE 7. 23-24 
 
 evil spirits ; and on many that were blind he bestowed 
 
 22 sight. And he answered and said unto them, Go 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 
 
 23 up, the poor have good tidings preached to them. And 
 blessed is he, whosoever shall find none occasion of 
 stumbling in me. 
 
 34 And when the messengers of John were departed, he 
 began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What 
 
 22. the dead, &c. This follows immediately on the Nain 
 incident, and appears to be an allusion to it. The previous verse 
 shews that the words are to be taken literally, since Jesus was 
 working bodily miracles at the time. Nevertheless if the miracles 
 themselves were symbols of Christ's spiritual work, like parables 
 in action, a deeper secondary meaning might also be attached to 
 his words here. This is the more probable, since in his Nazareth 
 sermon Jesus applied to himself a prophetic word about * opening 
 the eyes of the blind,' &c., where spiritual blindness and other 
 spiritual evils are plainly indicated (cf. iv. 18). Probably he 
 is here alluding to the prophecy then quoted. 
 
 the poor, &c. : a favourite idea of Luke's, but found also in 
 Matthew's account of this incident (Matt. xi. 5). Jesus points to 
 the rare fact that he brings good news for the poor as the 
 crowning evidence of who he is. Yet he gives no direct answer 
 to John's direct question. This was according to his method, 
 which was not to declare himself openly, but to lead his disciples 
 to perceive his nature and mission for themselves. 
 
 23. stumbling. This word introduced by the Revisers, in 
 place of 'offence' and 'being offended' as in the A. V., more 
 nearly represents the original, a Greek word from which our 
 'scandalize' is derived. It comes from a word meaning the 
 trigger of a trap, so that literally it signifies being ensnared or 
 entrapped. Thus it comes to mean being tripped up, and so 
 checked and hindered. 
 
 vii. 24-30. The character of John the Baptist. On the departure 
 of the messengers Jesus asks the people concerning John as to 
 what the}' went out into the wilderness to see — a feeble reed, 
 a mere dandy ? It is in royal courts that people living in luxury 
 are to be found. A prophet, then ? Yes, and more ; for John is 
 the predicted messenger, and the greatest man ever born. And 
 
ST. LUKE 7. 25-28 207 
 
 went ye out into the wilderness to behold ? a reed shaken 
 with the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man 35 
 clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gor- 
 geously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' 
 courts. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? 26 
 Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 
 This is he of whom it is written, 37 
 
 Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
 
 Who shall prepare thy way before thee. 
 I say unto you, Among them that are born of women 28 
 
 yet but a small member of the kingdom is greater than he. At this 
 the people and the publicans, having accepted John's baptism, 
 acknowledge God's righteousness in sending him ; but the 
 Pharisees, not having done so, reject God's counsel. 
 
 24. a reed : such as would be found growing by the Jordan, 
 shaken witli the wind: suggestive of feebleness. If John 
 
 had been a feeble creature, would the people have flocked out to 
 the wilderness to hear him ? Then they must not suppose the 
 vacillation implied in his message to Jesus to be indicative of 
 essential weakness of character — an apology for John. 
 
 25. soft raiment: very different from John's camel's-hair 
 cloak and leather girdle, the harsh clothing of the ascetic. Jesus 
 describes the opposite habit of life, not to be looked for in wild 
 regions where John was found, but rather to be sought in kings' 
 palaces. His reason seems to be to point to the stern rigour 
 of the Baptist as a sign that he was no weakling, and to rouse 
 admiration for the self-denying earnestness of the man. 
 
 26. a prophet : one inspired with a message from heaven, 
 more than a prophet: more than one of the historic 
 
 prophets of Israel. John had an additional function beyond 
 that of Hebrew prophecy. As a prophet he preached repentance. 
 But his unique position was that of the herald of the coming 
 of God, as the following words shew. 
 
 2*7. Cited from Malachi iii. i, but verbally altered. 
 
 messenger: ///. 'angel,' but the word used for John's 
 messengers in verse 24. * Malachi ' means ' my angel ' or ' my 
 messenger,' so that this phrase seems to have given its title to 
 the book so named. We are not to think of a prophet named 
 'Malachi.* An unknown prophet writes the book that bears this 
 name, drawn from something in its contents. 
 
2o8 ST. LUKE 7. 29-31 
 
 there is none greater than John : yet he that is but little 
 
 29 in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And all the 
 people when they heard, and the publicans, justified God, 
 
 30 being baptized with the baptism of John. But the 
 Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the 
 
 31 counsel of God, being not baptized of him. Whereunto 
 then shall I liken the men of this generation, and to 
 
 28. none greater: because of John's unique function just 
 indicated. 
 
 but little: lit. 'the less,' i.e. he who is less than his fellow 
 members. Even an inferior member of the kingdom of God is 
 greater than John the Baptist. This implies that John is not 
 in the kingdom ; he belongs to the earlier faith, he is an Old 
 Testament prophet, a Jew, not a Christian. In knowledge and 
 privilege and the status to which he is raised by the grace of the 
 Gospel, the humblest Christian stands higher. 
 
 29. Dr. Plummer takes the sentences in this verse and in 
 verse 30 to be spoken by our Lord, because according to the best 
 MSS. there is no indication further on that he there resumes 
 (of. note on verse 31). But it is much more natural to take them 
 as a comment of the evangelist in the form of a parenthesis. 
 
 justifi.ed. This word, so frequent in Paul's writings, but 
 more rare in the Gospels, here means to 'pronounce right," 
 plainly not to ' make right.' These people recognized the justice 
 of John's position and mission as these had been determined 
 by God. 
 
 30. lawyers: the scribes, as having charge of the law and 
 interpreting it — a favourite word with Luke, because less technical 
 than ' scribes,' and not so liable to be misunderstood by Gentile 
 readers. 
 
 rejected for themselves : refused to take the Divine counsel 
 home to themselves. 
 
 the counsel of God : the whole scheme of the kingdom as 
 prepared by John and inaugurated by Jesus. 
 
 vii. 31-35. A perverse generation. Jesus asks with what can 
 such a generation as that of his contemporaries be compared? 
 They are like children in the marketplace, who complain that 
 their companions will not play with them, however much they 
 are invited. They call John a demoniac because of his ascetism, 
 and Jesus a glutton and a drinker because of his not being ascetic. 
 But wisdom is acknowledged to be right by all her children. 
 
 31. this g-eneration: the people then living, not mankind 
 in all ages. 
 
ST. LUKE 7. 3.-35 209 
 
 what are they like ? They are like unto children that 32 
 sit in the marketplace, and call one to another; which 
 say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance ; we 
 wailed, and ye did not weep. For John the Baptist 33 
 is come eating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye 
 say. He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating 34 
 and drinking; and ye say, Behold, a gluttonous man. 
 and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners ! 
 And wisdom is justified of all her children. 35 
 
 32. Our Lord here describes some children attempting to 
 start a game in the marketplace, but without success. They 
 complain that whether they pipe, as though playing at a wedding, 
 or make lamentations, as though playing at a funeral, the other 
 children will not join them. The popular interpretation of this 
 illustration has been to take John and Jesus as the children calling 
 in vain on their unappreciative companions. But this does not 
 fit in with the opening words, which compare the contemporary 
 generation to the children sitting in the marketplace, who make 
 their complaint of other children. In applying the parable, 
 Jesus speaks of the people as making the complaint, not of doing 
 so himself nor of John thus complaining, which would be the 
 appropriate comparison for that interpretation. Iherefore we 
 should take our Lord to mean that the .geople of his day are ^ 
 like these children in the marketplace, who complain that neither 
 John nor Jesus will respond to their call to do as they please. 
 John will not be merry to please them ; Jesus will not have a 
 mournful religion, such as the fasting in which his disciples did 
 not join. Neither the prophet of the wilderness nor the newer 
 Teacher can satisfy this perverse generation, because the most 
 opposite complaints are made against them. 
 
 33. A reference to John's ascetic habits and spare diet in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 a devil : better ' a demon.' 
 
 34. A plain indication of our Lord's habits. He did not live 
 as an ascetic. Two calumnious charges are brought against him : 
 (i) self-indulgence ; (2) keeping bad company — the latter, how- 
 ever, in reality no charge of evil at all. 
 
 35. wisdom : the Divine wisdom, contained in the counsel of 
 God just referred to (cf. verse 30). 
 
 is justified: lit. * was justified,' i.e. when her children 
 accepted John's teaching and Christ's. 
 
 of all her children: i, e. 'by all her children.' The phrase 
 
 P 
 
2IO ST. LUKE 7. 36-38 
 
 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would 
 eat with him. And he entered into the Pharisee's house, 
 
 37 and sat down to meat. And behold, a woman which 
 was in the city, a sinner ; and when she knew that he- 
 was sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought 
 
 38 an alabaster cruse of ointment, and standing behind at 
 
 is a common Hebraism. The children of wisdom are the wise. 
 Those who are wise — here John's and Christ's disciples — have 
 acknowledged the wisdom of the Divine counsel in the message 
 of both teachers. 
 
 vii. 36-50. The penitent. Jesus accepts an invitation to dine 
 with a Pharisee. While he is there, a woman of ill fame in the 
 city comes in and stands weeping over his feet and kissing them, 
 and then anointing them from an alabaster box she has brought for 
 the purpose. The Pharisee thinks Jesus cannot be a prophet, 
 or he would discern the woman's character. Jesus, addressing 
 the Pharisee by name as Simon, gives him a parable of two 
 debtors, one owing much more than the other, but both of whom 
 are freely forgiven their debts, and asks which will love the 
 generous lender most. Simon supposes the man who had been 
 forgiven most. Jesus, then turning to the woman, points out how 
 much more attention she has shewn him than his host had shewn, 
 and concludes by declaring because she loved much that her many 
 sins are forgiven — for love and forgiveness vary together. The 
 people at table are astonished at Jesus forgiving sin, but taking 
 no notice of them, he commends the woman's faith and dismisses 
 her in peace. 
 
 36. one of the Pharisees. We have no ground to assign a 
 malignant motive to this man. He may have felt genuine interest 
 in Jesus, or he may have been instigated by curiosity. 
 
 he entered, &c. It is to be observed that Luke places this 
 narrative immediately after the complaints that Jesus was the 
 opposite of an ascetic and that he was a friend of sinners — both 
 of which grounds of complaint are here illustrated. 
 
 sat down to meat : lit. ' reclined ' at table. 
 
 37. a sinner: a person notoriously of ill repute. 
 
 when she knew, &c. An Eastern house is often open and 
 accessible, especially when feasting is going on in it. The woman 
 could come in through the open doorway, cross the courtyard, 
 and enter the guest-chamber. 
 
 an alabaster cruse: an alabasttvn, a flask commonly of 
 alabaster. A woman would carry such a flask by a cord round 
 the neck, hung down below the bosom. 
 
ST. LUKE 7. 39-44 211 
 
 his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her 
 tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and 
 kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 
 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, 39 
 he spake within himself, saying. This man, if he were a 
 prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of 
 woman this is which toucheth him, that she is a sinner. 
 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have some- 4° 
 what to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 
 A certain lender had two debtors : the one owed five 41 
 hundred pence, and the other fifty. When they had not 42 
 ivhere7vith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them 
 therefore will love him most ? Simon answered and said, 43 
 He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he 
 said unto him. Thou hast rightly judged. And turning 44 
 
 ointment. Balsam ointment was worth its weight in silver; 
 spikenard was less costly, but still precious. Perfumed oils were 
 made from roses and the iris plant. In Palestine especially an 
 ointment called yb/irt^ww was commonly carried about with them 
 by women. Dr. Edersheim suggests that this may have been the 
 ointment used by the woman of this narrative. 
 
 38. at Ms feet : Jesus reclining on his left elbow, so that his 
 feet would project behind the couch. 
 
 the hair of her head : dishevelled hair considered disgraceful 
 in a woman. 
 
 kissed : a strong Greek word, meaning to kiss repeatedly and 
 warmly. 
 
 39. a prophet. The Vatican MS. has 'the prophet,' the ex- 
 pected prophet. 
 
 40. answering : replying to Simon's unuttered criticism ; 
 another instance of Christ's thought-reading. 
 
 Master: Teacher. 
 
 41. pence: denarii. The Roman denarius was a silver coin 
 between the sizes of our shilling and sixpence. Thus the two 
 debts would be equal to about ^15 and £1 105. od. respectively 
 in coins ; but in purchasing power — silver and gold then being 
 more valuable, compared with the necessaries of life, than now — 
 would represent about /C50 and jCs- 
 
 44i To have a guest's feet washed after travelling in dust and 
 
 P 2 
 
212 ST. LUKE 7. 45-47 
 
 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 with 
 
 45 her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest 
 me no kiss : but she, since the time I came in, hath not 
 
 46 ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not 
 anoint : but she 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 
 
 heat, barefooted or with only sandals, to give him a kiss of 
 welcome, to pour on his head at least olive oil — one of the 
 commonest products of the country — were the most usual 
 courtesies of hospitality. Simon had neglected all three acts, 
 perhaps rudely careless because Jesus was a man in humble 
 circumstances. In all three matters the woman Simon con- 
 temned had proved herself more attentive, though she was a 
 stranger under no social obligation to perform them, and he was 
 flouting the immemorial graces of oriental hospitality. Instead 
 of the slave's common washing, she wetted the feet of Jesus 
 with her tears ; instead of formal kissing on his cheek, she 
 warmly and repeatedly kissed his feet ; for common oil, she 
 gave ointment. 
 
 47. many. Jesus did not ignore or make light of sin in for- 
 giving it. This woman had lived in a state of depravity, 
 accumulating guilt and shame. 
 
 for she loved mucli, &c. The simplest interpretation of this 
 passage is to take it as meaning that the forgiveness is a con- 
 sequence of the love, that the penitent's many sins are forgiven 
 because she loves much. But this is out of harmony both vvrith 
 what precedes and with w^hat follows. In the preceding parable 
 the greater debtor is not forgiven because of his love, but he loves 
 much because he is forgiven much ; and in the comment that 
 follows, Jesus declares that he who has little forgiven has little 
 love, i. e. that smallness of love is the consequence, not the cause, 
 of smallness of forgiveness. Moreover, at the conclusion it is the 
 penitent's faith, not her love, that Jesus commends as the means 
 of her being saved. Therefore what looks like the obvious inter- 
 pretation of this intermediate phrase is quite alien to its context. 
 We can avoid this confusion by attaching the phrase 'for she 
 loved much' to the beginning of the verse — 'Wherefore I say 
 unto thee,' &c. Thus read, it means that Christ's reason for 
 making the declaration of forgiveness is the manifestation of the 
 
ST. LUKE 7. 48—8. I 213 
 
 forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, 48 
 Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with 49 
 him began to say within themselves, Who is this that 
 even forgiveth sins? And he said unto the woman, 60 
 Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace. 
 
 And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went 8 
 
 penitent's love. He is able to say that she is forgiven because 
 he sees the fruits of the forgiveness in the tokens of love. 
 
 49. Who is this? &c. The second time that our Lord's for- 
 giveness of sins was remarked on with astonishment. The first 
 is at v. 21. 
 
 50. in peace: Ut. <intc peace,' a deepening of the oriental 
 'Farewell.' 
 
 Note. In popular tradition, encouraged by conventional art, 
 tlie penitent is identified with Mary of Bethany, and also with 
 Mary Magdalene, who forms a link between the two others. 
 Luke only gives one anointing scene ; the other evangelists also 
 give only one anointing scene ; and in both cases the occurrence 
 is at the house of a Simon (cf. Matt. xxvi. 6). Then in John (xii. 3) 
 it is a Mary who anoints, and the Magdalene is named Mary. Here 
 the woman is a penitent, and Mary Magdalene had been liberated 
 from seven demons. But these superficial resemblances are more 
 than outweighed by the differences. Simon and Mary are among 
 the commonest N. T. names. Time, place, circumstances, con- 
 versation, all differ. This incident is in the midst of our Lord's 
 ministry in Galilee, at a Pharisee's house, with a penitent. The 
 other is in the last week at Bethany ; the Simon is a leper ; 
 nothing is said of Mary being ' a sinner* ; the only complaint is 
 of wastefulness. Moreover, we have no reason to doubt the 
 moral character of Mary Magdalene (cf. note on viii. 2). There 
 is no improbability in the idea of two such anointings. At all 
 events, Luke does not identify the penitent with Martha's sister 
 Mary, whom he mentions later on (x. 38-42). 
 
 viii. 1-3. Ministering women. Jesus goes among towns and 
 villages preaching the good news of the kingdom, accompanied 
 by the Twelve and by a number of women, three of whom are 
 named as especiall}' important, viz. Mary Magdalene, to whom he 
 had brought singularly great deliverance ; Joanna, the wife of 
 Herod's steward ; and a certain Susanna. These women support 
 the mission out of their property. 
 
 1. soon afterwards. There is a short interval after the scene 
 at the Pharisee's house. Then a fresh preaching tour commences. 
 
2 14 ST. LUKE 8. 2-4 
 
 about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing 
 the good tidings of the kingdom of God, and with him 
 
 2 the twelve, and certain women which had been healed 
 of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary that was called 
 
 3 Magdalene, from whom seven devils had gone out, and 
 Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, 
 and many others, which ministered unto them of their 
 substance. 
 
 4 And when a great multitude came together, and they 
 
 preaching', &c. Nothing is said of teaching here. The 
 work is the elementary proclamation of the coming kingdom to 
 the public. 
 
 the twelve : not all the disciples, nor the larger group of 
 followers whom Jesus drew about him for his teaching. This 
 was a special mission tour. 
 
 2. certain women, &c. All these women had been healed 
 from some affliction or disease. Their devotion was prompted b}' 
 gratitude and informed by knowledge resulting from experience. 
 
 Magdalene: after Migdol, a 'watch-tower.' The word 
 Migdol is common, but a place now marked by a squalid hamlet 
 known as Mejdel, at the south of the little plain of Gennesaret 
 where the hills approach the lake, is likely to have been Mary's 
 home, as it is near the centre of our Lord's ministry. 
 
 seven devils : better ' seven demons.' There is no reason 
 to suppose that the brain and nerve S3^mptoms associated with 
 the idea of possession were accompanied with a corrupt moral 
 character. The popular idea of the ' Magdalen ' is a baseless libel 
 on Mary of the watch-tower, 
 
 3. Joanna. She was one of the women who subsequently 
 went to the tomb to anoint the bod}' of Jesus cf. xxiv. 10). 
 
 Herod's steward. The Herod would be Antipas, king of 
 Galilee ; the steward, the manager of his estates. Later we meet 
 with a foster-brother of Herod among the prophets and teachers 
 at Antioch (Acts xiii. i) — perhaps won to the faith by Joanna, 
 
 Susanna. Nothing further known of her. 
 
 snbstance: property. This passage in Luke is the only 
 place from which we learn how Jesus and the Twelve were 
 supported, namely, by the contributions of certain women of 
 property whom our Lord had healed of various disorders. It 
 was common for Rabbis to be supported by wealthy ladies — 
 prototypes of the Countess of Huntingdon. 
 
 viii. 4-8. The parable of fhe Sower. A number of people from 
 
ST. LUKE 8. 5-8 215 
 
 of every city resorted unto him, he spake by a parable : 
 The sower went forth to sow his seed : and as he sowed, 5 
 some fell by the way side ; and it was trodden under 
 foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it. And 6 
 other fell on the rock ; and as soon as it grew^ it withered 
 away, because it had no moisture. And other fell amidst 7 
 the thorns ; and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. 
 And other fell into the good ground, and grew, and 8 
 brought forth fruit a hundredfold. As he said these 
 things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 all the cities having gathered about him, Jesus gives them a 
 parable : a sower casting his seed broadcast, some falls in un- 
 suitable soil or among unsuitable surroundings and fails sooner 
 or later ; while some falling on good ground produces crops 
 varying in abundance. All who have ears are invited to listen. 
 
 4. a great mtiltitude : the result of the recent preaching tour 
 just mentioned. 
 
 a parable. In Matthew this is noted as the occasion of a 
 turning-point in our Lord's ministry, when he began to wrap his 
 public teaching in more parabolic language (cf. Matt. xiii. 3). For 
 the nature of a parable cf. note on v. 36. According to Mark 
 (iv. i) and Matthew (xiii. 2) this discourse was given by the lake 
 side, from a boat. 
 
 5. The sower. According to the Greek idiom, a specimen or 
 representative would have the article ' the.' No particular sower 
 is indicated. The emphasis is not here. 
 
 by the way side : not on the recognized path, but where 
 people heedlessly diverging from it trample the soil by its side. 
 
 6. the rock: where the limestone rock crops up, as it does at 
 the edges of the plain of Gennesaret, by the foot of the hill. 
 
 no moisture : because the soil on the rock was so shallow as 
 soon to be dried up under the scorching Syrian sun. 
 
 7. the thorns grew: they had been cut down, but not 
 rooted out. A sower would not be so foolish as to sow in a 
 thicket ; but the roots would be hidden and the thorns not seen 
 till the spring growth appeared. 
 
 8. a hundredfold. Isaac was said to have reaped a hundredfold 
 (cf. Gen. xxvi. 12). This would not be rare with such fertile soil 
 and such a genial climate as may be found in Palestine. 
 
 Ke that hath ears, &c. : one of our Lord's proverbial 
 utterances ; in its first intention teaching the openness and freedom 
 
2i6 ST. LUKE 8. 9-13 
 
 9 And his disciples asked him what this parable might 
 
 10 be. And he said, Unto you it is given to know the 
 mysteries of the kingdom of God : but to the rest in 
 parables ; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they 
 
 11 may not understand. Now the parable is this : The seed 
 
 12 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 
 
 13 believe and be saved. And those on the rock are they 
 which, when they have heard, receive the word with joy ; 
 and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in 
 
 of his truth, which is for all who hear it, but with a deeper sug- 
 gestion that hearing ears are needed, that there must be attention 
 and receptiveness. 
 
 viii. 9-15. The parable explained. Christ's disciples ask him to 
 explain the parable. He tells them that it is for them to know 
 secrets which are wrapped up in parables for others. This then 
 is the explanation. The seed is the word; the way side re- 
 presents hearers who soon lose it ; rocky ground, enthusiastic 
 people who fail under trial ; thorny places, persons suffering from 
 worldly hindrances ; and good ground, the sound heart that holds 
 fast and bears fruit. 
 
 9. disciples : the inner circle described in verses i and 2. 
 
 10. mysteries: secrets revealed. The word 'mystery' is not 
 used in the N. T. for what cannot be understood. Borrowed 
 from Greek usage, where it indicates secrets of worship revealed 
 onl}' to the initiated, as in the ' Eleusinian mysteries,' at which 
 the secret rites of Demeter were celebrated, it stands for truths 
 previously hidden, but now made known, i. e. revelations. In 
 Paul's writings it is used for things once hidden, but now publicly 
 preached ; in the Gospel it is nearer the Greek idea of what is 
 only revealed to an inner circle. 
 
 that seeing tney may not see. The words distinctly affirm 
 purpose. They seem to mean that it is Christ's intention to hide 
 truth from those who would abuse it. 
 
 12. the devil: Satan, quite distinct from the demons that were 
 supposed to possess people. The idea is the tempter driving the 
 truth from the mind of people who have laid their hearts open to 
 the common traffic of idle thoughts or evil habits. 
 
 13. receive the word with joy: enthusiastic, but superficial ; 
 quick to take an impression, quick to lose it. 
 
ST. LUKE 8. i4-r6 217 
 
 time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among 14 
 the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they 
 go on their way they are choked with cares and riches 
 and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 
 And that in the good ground, these are such as in an 15 
 honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it 
 fast, and bring forth fruit with patience. 
 
 And no man, when he hath lighted a lamp, covereth it 16 
 with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed ; but putteth it 
 on a stand, that they which enter in may see the light. 
 
 temptation : rather ' trial/ a common meaning of the word in 
 N.T. times. Matthew and Mark have 'tribulation' or 'persecution.' 
 
 14. cares and riches aud pleasures : cares in the poor, 
 riches in the prosperous, pleasures in the self-indulgent. These 
 three worldly interests choke the growth of the truth Christ 
 teaches. 
 
 Observe : in the first case, the seed is lost immediately ; in 
 the second, there is a rapid, but only temporary, growth ; in the 
 third, longer life for the plants, but no fruit. 
 
 15. honest: lit. 'fair,' ' excellent,' 'sound'; the word rendered 
 'good' in ' the ^ooi/ shepherd ' (John x. 11, 14). 
 
 hold it fast : the essential requisite over and above merely 
 hearing. 
 
 patience: rather 'perseverance.' This last word strikes the 
 keynote of the parable. 
 
 viii. 16-18. The lamp. When a man lights a lamp, he does 
 not cover it up, but he sets it on a stand that its illumination maj' 
 be apparent to everybody. There is nothing hidden that shall 
 not be made manifest. The manner of hearing truth is to be a 
 matter of care; for according as we are in ourselves will our 
 fate be. 
 
 16. lamp : not ' candle,* as in the A. V. ; a vessel burning olive- 
 oil from a wick at its spout, 
 
 stand: ///.'lamp-stand.' The Jewish lamp-stand was capable 
 of holding several lamps. 
 
 they which enter in : i.e. visitors coming into the room. 
 Christ's disciples are having choice truth given them, not to be kept 
 to themselves, but to be set up for all comers to see. This qualifies 
 what we read in verse 10, and helps to explain it. The hiding is 
 but for a time, till people are read}' for the truth. Their ' entering 
 in' is their readiness. Christ's choice truth shines like an indoor 
 
2i8 ST. LUKE 8. 17-20 
 
 17 For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor 
 anything secret, that shall not be known and come to 
 
 18 light. Take heed therefore how ye hear : for whosoever 
 hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not, 
 from him shall be taken away even that which he thinketh 
 he hath. 
 
 19 And there came to him his mother and brethren, and 
 
 20 they could not come at him for the crowd. And it was 
 told him, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, 
 
 lamp ; but fresh guests are to come in and share its light. The 
 saying is repeated at xi. 33, where it is nearer the form of it in 
 Matthew, as the 'bushel' takes the place of the 'vessel' and 'bed.' 
 
 17. This sajung is not intended to warn people against the 
 attempt to live a double life — as in Stevenson's terrible story, 
 the Hyde will at last manifest himself, however much the Jekyll 
 try to conceal him. The context seems to suggest that hidden 
 truth of revelation shall all be made public at last. That idea is 
 made more clear in Matthew (x. 26, 27), where Jesus declares 
 that the truth now known to but a few is to be proclaimed on the 
 housetops. 
 
 18. whosoever hath: not the unjust way of the world, that 
 wealth shall gain more wealth. The reference is to internal 
 possessions. The more the gifts within are cultivated, the greater 
 will be the increase of fresh endowments. 
 
 thinketh: not 'seemeth,' as in the A. V. Of course a man 
 cannot really lose what he does not really possess; but he may 
 miss ever having what he fancies he has already got, and then 
 lose his present delusion instead of realizing the dream. 
 
 viii. 19-21. ChHsfs mother and brothers. Jesus, when told that 
 his mother and his brothers are seeking him, though they cannot 
 get at him for the crowd, declares that those who do God's will 
 are such relations. 
 
 19. brethren. Three theories of the relationship of these men 
 to Jesus have been held, viz. (i) that they were Joseph's sons 
 by an earlier marriage ; (2) that they were cousins of Jesus, 
 sons of Mary's sister ; (3) that they were children of Mary and 
 Joseph. The first and second views have only been advocated in 
 order to avoid the third, in the interest of the doctrine of the 
 perpetual virginity of Mary. There is no evidence for them. The 
 presence of the brothers with Mary certainly points to her being 
 their mother, and the obvious sense of the word ' brethren ' does 
 
ST. LUKE 8. 21-24 219 
 
 desiring to see thee. But he answered and said unto 21 
 them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear 
 the word of God, and do it. 
 
 Now it came to pass on one of those days, that he 22 
 entered into a boat, himself and his disciples ; and he 
 said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of 
 the lake : and they launched forth. But as they sailed 23 
 he fell asleep : and there came down a storm of wind 
 on the lake ; and they were filling zvith 7vater, and were 
 in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, 24 
 
 not suggest a more distant relationship. Apart from theological 
 prepossessions, the third view would certainly be accepted. Luke 
 has already suggested that Mary had other children after the birth 
 of Jesus, whom he calls her ' firstborn son ' (cf. on ii. 7). 
 
 21. It is to be observed that Jesus here does not claim brotherly 
 relationship with the whole human race. Large as is his sympathy, 
 his real human brotherhood as 'the Son of man,' he has a special 
 brotherly relation. This, however, is not limited by race or creed ; 
 it is wholly determined by conduct, and that not in relation to 
 himself, among his own disciples only, but for all who do God's 
 will. There is here an implied rebuke of the family claims of his 
 near blood- relations, probably because they were attempting to 
 interfere with his actions, with a view of protecting him. 
 
 viii. 22-25. Jesus in the storm. Jesus enters a boat, and at his 
 command his disciples launch it and sail for the other side of the 
 lake. He sleeps, a storm arises, and the crew in alarm rouse 
 him, when he rebukes the storm, and a calm ensues. He is dis- 
 appointed at their loss of faith, and they wonder who he can be, 
 thus to command wind and water. 
 
 22. he entered into a boat. According to Mark, Jesus was 
 already in the boat, having entered it to deliver the discourse 
 previously recorded. First we read * He entered into a boat . . . 
 and he taught them' (Mark iv. i, 2), and then in the parallel to 
 this narrative, * They take him with them, even as he was, in the 
 boat ' (Mark iv. 36). 
 
 the other side : the desolate eastern shore. 
 
 23. he fell asleep. The weariness here revealed in part 
 explains the attempt of his relations to reach him just before this. 
 They saw that he was exhausting himself with incessant work. 
 
 there came down, &c. : from the hills, shooting out of the 
 gorges, as often happens on mountain lakes. 
 
220 ST. LUKE 8. 25, 26 
 
 saying, Master, master, we perish. And he awoke, and 
 rebuked the wind and the raging of the water : and they 
 
 25 ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, 
 Where is your faith ? And being afraid they marvelled, 
 saying one to another, Who then is this, that he com- 
 mandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey 
 him ? 
 
 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, 
 
 24. Master: not 'Teacher' here, but another word meaning 
 the head of a house or master of slaves. 
 
 we perish. The irritated, impatient remark in Mark's pri- 
 mitive account, 'Carest thou not?' &c., is not repeated in this 
 gospel, nor in Matthew. 
 
 rebuked : the same word used of Christ's treatment of the 
 fever with which he found Peter's wife's mother suffering (iv. 39). 
 
 25. Where is your faith ? Christ's words are given somewhat 
 differently in Mark and Matthew : ' Why are ye fearful ? have 
 ye not yet faith ? ' (Mark iv. 40) ; and ' Why are ye fearful, O ye 
 of little faith ? ' (Matt. viii. 26). The sense is the same : surprise 
 and rebuke for lack of faith. They could not suppose he was 
 going to still the storm. Jesus seems to imply that faith in God 
 should always preclude fear. 
 
 afraid : now awed at the presence of Christ. 
 saying" one to another, &c. Matthew has 'the men mar- 
 velled,' &c. (viii. 27), perhaps meaning boatmen, not the disciples. 
 
 viii. 26-39. "^^^^ demons and the swine. On the further side of 
 the lake Jesus is met by a fierce demoniac living among the tombs, 
 who recognizes our Lord as the Son of God, and prays not to be 
 tormented. He is so furious that even if bound with chains 
 he breaks them when his paroxysms of mania seize him. In 
 answer to a question from Jesus he says his name is Legion, and 
 the demons beg not to be sent into the abyss, but to be allowed 
 to enter a herd of swine that is feeding on the hill. This they do, 
 on receiving permission from Christ, whereupon the swine rush 
 down to the sea and are choked. The herdsmen, fleeing to the 
 town, tell of the wonder, which brings the people out to find 
 the demoniac clothed and sane. They ask Jesus to leave them, 
 and as he is going, the demoniac, now cured, prays to be allowed 
 to accompany him ; but Jesus bids him go back to his home and 
 make known what has been done to him, and this he does, 
 publishing the news all over the town . 
 
 26. the Gerasenes: the name according to the best MSS., 
 
ST. LUKE 8. 27-31 221 
 
 which is over against Galilee. And when he was come 27 
 forth upon the land, there met him a certain man out of 
 the city, who had devils ; and for a long time he had worn 
 no clothes, and abode not in any house, but in the: - 
 tombs. And when he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell 28 
 down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have 
 I to do with thee^ Jesus, thou Son of the Most High 
 God ? I beseech thee, torment me not. For he com- 29 
 manded the unclean spirit to come out from the man. 
 For oftentimes it had seized him : and he was kept 
 under guard, and bound with chains and fetters; and 
 breaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the devil 
 into the deserts. And Jesus asked him, What is thy 30 
 name ? And he said, Legion ; for many devils were 
 entered into him. And they intreated him that he 31 
 would not command them to depart into the abyss. 
 
 probably derived from a place now called Khersa, on the east 
 of the lake. In the Alexandrian MS. we read of Gergesenes, 
 a correction by Origen, who thought the better-known Gerasa 
 to be the place referred to. 
 
 27. a certain man : Matthew has * two demoniacs ' (viii. 28). 
 the tombs: rock-hewn tombs that abound in these lime- 
 stone hills. 
 
 29. the devil : as though there were but one. 
 
 30. What is thy name ? A question to recall the miserable 
 man's consciousness of his own identity. He is too far gone to 
 be able to answer it correctly, and instead of his own name gives 
 one descriptive of his awful condition. 
 
 Legion. A Roman legion consisted of from 3,000 to 6,000 
 men ; but of course it would be absurd to speculate on a maniac's 
 arithmetic. 
 
 31. they: the plural indicating the demons reveals the confused 
 state of the possessed man's sense of personality, as he speaks 
 first in the singular for himself and then in the plural oh behalf 
 of his demons. 
 
 the abyss: a word used in the Classics for 'the yawning 
 gulfs of Tartarus,' and occurring frequently in the Revelation for 
 the prison-houi;e of evil spirits (cf Rev. xx, 1-3). 
 
222 ST. LUKE 8. 32-38 
 
 3:: Now there was there a herd of many swine feeding on 
 the mountain : and they intreated him that he would 
 give them leave to enter into them. And he gave them 
 
 33 leave. And the devils came out from the man, and 
 entered into the swine : and the herd rushed down the 
 
 34 steep into the lake, and were choked. And when they 
 that fed them saw what had come to pass, they fled, 
 
 35 and told it in 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 devils were 
 gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at the 
 
 36 feet of Jesus : and they were afraid. And they that 
 saw it told them how he that was possessed with devils 
 
 37 was made whole. And all the people of the country 
 of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from 
 them ; for they were holden with great fear : and he 
 
 38 entered into a boat, and returned. But the man from 
 whom the devils were gone out prayed him that he 
 might be with him : but he sent him away, saying, 
 
 32. a herd of many swine : Mark says 'about two thousand' 
 (Mark v. 13). The country east of the sea of GaHlee was largely 
 peopled by heathen people. No Jews would keep swine. 
 
 lie g-ave tlxem leave: a difficult statement, since it involved 
 the destruction of valuable property. It has been said, (i) that 
 as Lord of the universe. Jesus had a right to dispose of everything 
 in it — surely not a very satisfactory answer, as it would imply 
 more kindness to demons than to men for him to rob the latter 
 in order to please the former ; and (2) that it was to punish an 
 illegal action ; but the action would not be illegal for pagans, and 
 besides, if the owners were Jews, still it was contrary to our 
 Lord's custom thus to favour a merely ceremonial law. But see 
 final note. 
 
 3'7. asked him to depart: partly because they were afraid of 
 so awful a Presence ; probably also because they feared more loss 
 of property. 
 
 38. sent him away. Though cured, this was not the sort of 
 man to be in the travelling company of disciples ; he could do 
 more good among his own people. 
 
ST. LUKE 8. 39-41 223 
 
 Return to thy house, and declare how great things God 39 
 hath done for thee. And he went his way, publishing 
 throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had 
 done for him. 
 
 And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him ; 40 
 for they were all waiting for him. And behold, there 41 
 came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the 
 synagogue : and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought 
 
 Note. This incident is the strangest in the Gospels, and not 
 easy to be accounted for, if taken as it stands. The possession of 
 a man by a host of demons, the request of the demons not to be 
 cast into the abyss, followed by that very fate when they had 
 entered the swine, the possession of swine by demons at all, our 
 Lord's permission of this — these are all points difficult to under- 
 stand. For the whole question of possession see note on iv. 33. 
 Of course, if the view that a misunderstanding of the phenomena 
 of insanity and epilepsy will account for the belief in possession 
 be accepted, we must conclude that the ' demoniac ' w^as suffering 
 from a madman's delusions. Weighty commentators have sug- 
 gested that this was the case here, and that the stampede of a 
 herd of swine at the sight and sound of the maniac's ravings gave 
 rise to the latter part of the story. This view would remove 
 the serious difficulties mentioned in the note on verse 32. In a 
 famous article on the subject, published in the Nineteenth Century, 
 Prof. Huxley based his rejection of historical Christianity on the 
 presence of this narrative in the Gospels — which was attempting 
 to rest a pyramid on its apex. 
 
 viii. 40-42. Jairus. On his return across the lake Jesus is 
 met by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, who falls at his feet, 
 beseeching him to come and heal an only daughter, twelve years 
 of age, as she lies dying. Jesus goes, thronged by multitudes. 
 
 40. returned : across the lake to the west side ; evidently to 
 Capernaum, the centre of our Lord's ministry and his temporary 
 home. 
 
 waiting for him. He had left the crowds to seek rest and 
 retirement on the further side of the lake ; but he had no sooner 
 arrived there than he was asked to leave. So he was soon back 
 in the crowd again. It may be noted that the churlishness of the 
 heathen on the east of the lake led to the saving of Jairus's 
 child. The anxious father was eagerly awaiting Jesus, fearing it 
 would be too late. 
 
 41. ruler of the synafifognie : a leading Jew of the town, an 
 
2 24 ST. LUKE 8. 42-45 
 
 42 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 went the multitudes thronged him. 
 
 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, 
 which had spent all her living upon physicians, and could 
 
 44 not be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the 
 border of his garment : and immediately the issue of her 
 
 45 blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who is it that touched 
 
 elder and magistrate in one, being an official in charge of the 
 synagogue affairs, both its worship on the sabbath and its law 
 business in the week. 
 
 42. only daughter. The widow's son at Nain was an only 
 son (vii. 12), so was the lunatic boy at Caesarea Philippi (ix. 38). 
 
 viii. 43-48. The ivoman ivho touched the border of Chrisfs 
 garment. On the way to the house of Jairus, a woman suffering 
 from a distressing chronic complaint comes behind Jesus in the 
 crowd, touches the border of his garment, and is cured. Our 
 Lord asking who touched him, they all deny, and Peter says the 
 crowd is crushing about him. But Jesus declares that he has 
 felt power going out of him. Thereupon the trembling woman 
 declares herself, and is dismissed by Jesus with a kindly word, 
 recognizing her faith. 
 
 43. twelve years : the age of the child just mentioned (verse 
 42). During the whole of the child's lifetime this aflaicted woman 
 had been suffering. 
 
 had. spent all her living", &c. : a quiet cut at his own 
 profession by the physician evangelist. Luke knew too well 
 the failures of medicine, and its inferiority to the healing power 
 of Christ that never failed. Lightfoot the Hebraist mentions 
 the absurd remedies prescribed for this woman's complaint, to 
 be tried in succession as each failed. 
 
 44. the "border : rather ' the tassel.' Jews had a tassel of three 
 white threads to one of hyacinth at each of the four corners of 
 an under-garment, called the tallith, which was cut square with 
 a hole for the head to pass through, and was so worn that one 
 of the tassels was seen beyond the outer garment. The woman's 
 touch of this tassel, in preference to a direct appeal for help, must 
 be set down to her modesty. 
 
 45. Who is it that touched me? The woman had come 
 behind Jesus, .so that while he had felt the touch he had not seen 
 from whom it came. 
 
ST. LUKE 8. 46-49 225 
 
 me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that 
 were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and 
 crush thee. But Jesus said, Some one did touch me : for 46 
 I perceived that power had gone forth from me. And 47 
 when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came 
 trembling, and falling down before him declared in the 
 presence of all the people for what cause she touched 
 him, and how she was healed immediately. And he 48 
 said unto her. Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole ; 
 go in peace. 
 
 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler 49 
 of the synagogue's hotdse, saying, Thy daughter is dead ; 
 
 Petor. Observe how frequently this apostle offers to answer 
 questions put openly to the disciples generally or to the crowd, 
 and sometimes with a freedom in expostulating with Jesus which 
 no one else dared to assume. 
 
 46. I perceived. This seems to mean a discovery that in- 
 voluntary and unconscious healing power had been abstracted. 
 Still we can scarcely suppose the process to have been wholly 
 physical and involuntary. It is more likely that Jesus had felt 
 a timid touch and responded to it. 
 
 48. Daug-liter : a considerate name for the abashed patient, 
 in peace : lit. ' into peace. ' 
 
 viii. 49-56. The raising of J aims' daughter. While Jesus is 
 talking to the woman just healed, a messenger from the ruler's 
 house announces the death of his daughter. But our Lord 
 encourages him to believe that she shall be restored. On arriving 
 at the house, Jesus allows no one to enter with him except three 
 of his most intimate disciples and the child's parents. The 
 people are carrying on the usual death lamentations, which 
 Jesus tries to check by saying the child is only sleeping ; but 
 they laugh at him contemptuously. Taking the child by the 
 hand, he bids her arise. Then she returns to life, and Jesus 
 orders her food. He tells the amazed parents not to make this 
 known. 
 
 49. While he yet spake : a trial to the father's patience, 
 followed by bitter disappointment until he saw the sequel. Jesus 
 was never really too late, and never failed in the end to respond 
 successfully to honest appeals for help. 
 
 Q 
 
226 ST. LUKE 8. 50—0. i 
 
 50 trouble not the Master. But Jesus hearing it, answered 
 him, Fear not : only believe, and she shall be made 
 
 51 whole. And when he came to the house, he suffered 
 not any man to enter in with him, save Peter, and John, 
 and James, and the father of the maiden and her mother. 
 
 52 And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, 
 
 53 Weep not ; for she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they 
 
 54 laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. But 
 he, taking her by the hand, called, saying, Maiden, arise. 
 
 55 And her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately : 
 and he commanded that so?fiethi?ig be given her to eat. 
 
 56 And her parents were amazed : but he charged them to 
 tell no man what had been done. 
 
 9 And he called the twelve together, and gave them 
 
 Master: Teacher. 
 
 50. hearing- it : Mark has ' not heeding the word spoken ' 
 (Mark v, 36). 
 
 51. Peter, and John, and James : the choicest friends of Jesus, 
 the three with him later at the Transfiguration, and again in the 
 garden. 
 
 52. all were weeping", &c. This verse cannot refer to the 
 three disciples and the parents. It must be concerned with the 
 company of mourners and their noisy lamentations. Therefore we 
 must take it as giving the reason for Christ's action in excluding 
 all but the five. 
 
 not dead. Of course this might mean that the friends were 
 mistaken ; but the next verse would rather lead us to conclude 
 that Jesus is here rebuking the hopeless conception of death. 
 The dead who can be raised are not really dead as men reckon 
 death, but only sleeping. 
 
 53. knowing: not thinking; this gives Luke's judgement that 
 the child had actually died. 
 
 54. Maiden, arise. Mark (v. 41) records the very Aramaic 
 words used — Talitha cumi. 
 
 66. to tell no man. According to our Lord's custom, to 
 check the admiration of mere thaumaturgy that hindered his 
 higher work. If the people had supposed that he might be raising 
 their dead generally, great confusion and distraction would have 
 ensued. 
 
 ix. 1-6. The commission of the Tivelve. Jesus grants healing 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 2-7 227 
 
 power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 
 And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, 2 
 and to heal the sick. And he said unto them. Take ^ 
 nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor 
 bread, nor money ; neither have two coats. And into 4 
 whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence 
 depart. And as many as receive you not, when ye 5 
 depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet 
 for a testimony against them. And they departed, and 6 
 went throughout the villages, preaching the gospel, and 
 healing everywhere. 
 
 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done : 7 
 
 power to the Twelve, and sends them out to preach and effect 
 cures. He tells them to take no baggage with them, and to stay 
 where hospitality is .given them. Where they are not welcome, 
 they are to abandon the place with a sign that it is rejected. 
 They go as thus commissioned by their Master. 
 
 1. he called the twelve. In Matthew this action is explained 
 as our Lord's compassion for the people, who were like sheep 
 without a shepherd, and a harvest-field lacking reapers (see Matt. 
 ix. 36— X. i). 
 
 2. to preach the kiugrdom : i. e. to announce its advent, not to 
 teach its principles. At this early stage only Jesus did that more 
 difficult work. 
 
 3. Take nothing' : to trust to hospitality, winning the confidence 
 of the people. 
 
 neither staff. Mark (vi. 8) has 'save a staff only' — an 
 unimportant variation. 
 
 nor wallet: the Jew's bag for food when travelling among 
 Gentiles or Samaritans. 
 
 4. there abide. Cf. ' go not from house to house ' in the 
 commission to the Seventy (x. 7), i. e. stay quietly where welcome. 
 Do not be feted about. 
 
 5. shake off the dnst : to signify utter repudiation. Paul and 
 Barnabas did this on leaving Antioch in Pisidia (Acts xiii. 51). 
 It is said to have been a customary action of Pharisees on 
 crossing from heathen territory to their own land. 
 
 a testimony ag-ainst them: a sign that they are repudiated. 
 
 6. villages : not the towns : a mission to the country folk. 
 
 ix. 7-9. Herod's perplexity. Herod is perplexed at the fame 
 Q 2 
 
228 ST. LUKE 9. S-io 
 
 and he was much perplexed, because that it was said 
 
 8 by some, that John was risen from the dead ; and by 
 some, that Elijah had appeared ; and by others, that 
 
 9 one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod 
 said, John I beheaded : but who is this, about whom 
 I hear such things? And he sought to see him. 
 
 o And the apostles, when they were returned, declared 
 
 of Jesus, because it is rumoured that he is John, whom the king 
 has beheaded, risen from the dead, or one of the old prophets. 
 He tries to see Jesus. 
 
 7. Herod ths tetrarch : Herod Antipas. See note on iii. i. 
 all that was done. Matthew ;xiv. i) calls this * the report 
 
 concerning Jesus.' 
 
 it was said by some: popular opinions. But Mark (vi. 14) 
 and Matthew (xiv. 2) state that Herod himself took Jesus to 
 be John risen from the dead. 
 
 John: the Baptist. Jesus had followed John in preaching 
 the approach of the kingdom of God. 
 
 risen from the dead: according to a popular Jewish notion 
 that in some cases souls returned and lived a second life on earth. 
 
 8. Elijah: after Malachi's prophecy : 'Behold, I will send you 
 Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful 
 day of the Lord' (Mai. iv. 5'. 
 
 had appeared : not ^ was risen from the dead,' as we read 
 concerning John and also concerning ' one of the old prophets,' 
 because of Elijah's translation without death. 
 
 9. sought : the verb is in the imperfect, pointing to a continuous 
 action. Herod persistentl}' sought the interview, which we know 
 Jesus as persistently avoided. They met at last, at the trial 
 of Jesus. 
 
 ix. 10-17. ^f*^ loaves and fishes. On the return of the apostles 
 with a report of their mission, Jesus takes them to Bethsaida 
 for retirement. But when the multitudes follow, he welcomes 
 them and works among them. As the day is wearing away, the 
 disciples suggest that he should dismiss them, that they maj' 
 get food and lodging in the surrounding villages. But he tells 
 the disciples themselves to provide the food. They say that they 
 have but a very small quantity, while there are some five thousand 
 people. Jesus orders the people to be arranged in fifties, takes 
 the food— loaves and fishes— blesses it, and distributes it by means 
 of the disciples. All have enough, and twelve baskets are filled 
 with the fragments that remain. This narrative is in John 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 11-13 229 
 
 unto him what things they had done. And he took 
 them, and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. 
 But the multitudes perceiving it followed him: and he n 
 welcomed them, and spake to them of the kingdom of 
 God, and them that had need of healing he healed. 
 And the day began to wear away ; and the twelve came, 1 2 
 and said unto him. Send the multitude away, that they 
 may go into the villages and country round about, and 
 lodge, and get victuals : for we are here in a desert place. 
 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they 13 
 said. We have no more than five loaves and two fishes ; 
 except we should go and buy food for all this people. 
 
 (vi. 1-14), where it is 1 elated with fuller details, as well as in 
 all the Synoptics. 
 
 10. returned: from the mission to the villages (verse 6). 
 a city called Betlisaida: situated on the east side of the 
 Jordan, just where it enters the lake. Josephus tells us that Philip 
 advanced it to the dignity of a city, and named it 'Julias,' after 
 Caesar's daughter {Ant. xviii. 2. i). According to Mark (vi. 32) 
 and Matthew (xiv. 13), Jesus went with his disciples to ' a desert 
 place'; and in John the incident is located on the east side of 
 the lake, some distance from Bethsaida. We may conclude that 
 Bethsaida was the nearest town. The na'-rative in Luke requires 
 ' a desert place ' as much as the two accounts that describe the 
 locality to be such. After the excitement and exhaustion of 
 the mission, and perhaps the elation it produced, the disciples 
 needed rest and quiet. 
 
 H. welcomed: although he had sought to avoid them. None 
 who sought him genuinely ever failed to receive a welcome, even 
 if their visit was most inopportune, as in this instance. 
 
 12. Send, &c. : a rare case in which the disciples venture to 
 advise their Master. 
 
 13. Give ye them to eat. He did not promise anything. The 
 disciples were to do what they could. 
 
 five loaves. According to the fuller account in John, 
 Andrew finds a lad with these provisions. He states that the 
 loaves were of barley, the common bread of the poorer classes 
 (John vi. 9). 
 
 buy food. The disciples, according to Mark — one of them. 
 Philip, as John narrates it more definitely, being the spokesman — 
 calculate that this would cost upwards of 200 denarii. 
 
230 ST. LUKE 0. 14-18 
 
 14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said 
 unto his disciples, Make them sit down in companies, 
 
 15 about fifty each. And they did so, and made them all 
 
 16 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 disciples to set before the 
 
 17 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. 
 
 18 And it came to pass, as he was praying alone, the 
 
 14. Make them sit down: lit. 'recline,' i. e. leaning on the 
 left elbow as at a banquet, though on the ground. 
 
 about fifty each : Mark says it was by hundreds and fifties — 
 orderly arrangement to facilitate the distribution. 
 
 16. blessed them : meaning he gave thanks for them, the 
 expression used in John's account (vi. 11). 
 
 17. and were all filled. All accounts agree in this. But 
 what happened and how it was done is left a mystery. It is to 
 be remembered that this is one of the best attested Gospel 
 incidents, as it is in all four narratives. 
 
 twelve baskets : i. e. one for each apostle who collected the 
 fragments. 
 
 ix. 18-27. The great confession and the doctrine of the cross. 
 When in retirement for prayer, Jesus asks his disciples who the 
 people say he is. They tell him of the various popular notions 
 about him. He then asks who they themselves say he is. Peter 
 replies, 'The Christ of God.' Jesus bids them tell this to no 
 one, and then makes the first announcement of his rejection, 
 death, and resurrection. He adds that any man who would 
 come after him must renounce self and be prepared to face death. 
 The cowardly course of seeking escape will really end in death, 
 while martyrdom will issue in life; what then is the use of 
 gaining anything, even the whole world, hy apostasy, if in the end 
 a man loses himself? Shame of Christ now will lead to his being 
 ashamed of the man who gives way to it when he comes in his 
 glory. There are some standing in that very group of disciples 
 who will live to see the kingdom of God. 
 
 Luke omits several intervening incidents — Christ's walking on 
 the sea, &c. — that are found in other Gospels. From Mark 
 (viii. 27) and Matthew (xvi. 13) we learn that our Lord was 
 now at Caesarea Philippi, in the extreme north-east of Palestine, 
 deserted by the populace and under the ban of the authorities. 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 19-23 231 
 
 disciples were with him : and he asked them, saying, 
 Who do the multitudes say that I am? And they 19 
 answering said, John the Baptist ; but others say^ Elijah ; 
 and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again. 
 And he said unto them, But who say ye that I am ? 20 
 And Peter answering said, The Christ of God. But 2 1 
 he charged them, and commanded them to tell this to 
 no man; saying, The Son of man must suffer many 22 
 things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests 
 and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised 
 up. And he said unto all, If any man would come 23 
 
 18. praying". It is a characteristic of Luke frequently to 
 direct attention to prayer, and especially to our Lord's prayers. 
 
 alone : or ' apart.' He was praying in the presence of the 
 Twelve, but this was in some solitary place. 
 
 he asked them. They would have gathered up the rumours 
 during their recent preaching tour. 
 
 19. John the Baptist, &c. : a repetition of the three theories 
 previously mentioned (see notes on verses 7, 8). 
 
 20. who say ye, &c. This shews that Jesus had not declared 
 his discipleship even to his intimate friends. It was in accordance 
 with his method for educating them that they should grow to 
 perceive it for themselves. 
 
 Peter : as usual first to speak and to represent his brethren. 
 
 The Christ of God : i. e. the Messiah whom God sends. 
 Mark has simply ' Thou art the Christ ' (viii. 29) ; Matthew a much 
 fuller statement, ^ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God ' 
 (xvi. 16). This is the first confession of Jesus as the Christ made 
 by any of his disciples. Hence its immense significance. It 
 marks a great crisis in the education of the Twelve. 
 
 21. The fact that Jesus is the expected Christ is still to be kept 
 quiet. The narrative in John (vi. 15) of the popular attempt 
 to raise an insurrection and compel him to be a king, shews how 
 mischievous a belief in his Messiahship without a true under- 
 standing of the real nature of his kingdom would be. 
 
 22. The first announcement of rejection and death. The 
 ministry of Jesus, which opened in sunshine, is now darkly over- 
 cast, and he sees what the certain issue must be. It seems 
 likely that his praying had reference to this dark future. 
 
 23. any man. The principle is of universal application, not 
 merely for an elect few, saints and ascetics. 
 
232 ST. LUKE 9. 24-27 
 
 after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross 
 24 daily, and follow me. For whosoever would save his 
 
 life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life for 
 35 my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man 
 
 profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit 
 26 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 the 
 2^ glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. But I tell 
 
 you of a truth. There be some of them that stand here, 
 
 which shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the 
 
 kingdom of God. 
 
 woTild: lit. 'wills,' 'would wish.* 
 
 deny himself: renounce self. 
 
 take up : voluntary action. 
 
 Ms cross. The idea is founded on the custom of the con- 
 demned criminal carrying his own cross to the place of execution. 
 It means therefore to be ready to die as a martyr, and if this, then 
 of course it includes all lesser sacrifices involved in following 
 Christ. 
 
 daily. This addition only found in Luke. 
 24. woTild: lit. 'will,' 'would wish,' as in the previous verse, 
 
 save his life. Verse 26 shews that our Lord is referring to 
 the attempt to escape the dangers of persecution by cowardly 
 unfaithfulness, though here also the principle that reaches to 
 the higher includes the lower. Self-seeking as the chief pursuit 
 ends in self-ruin. 
 
 lose his life for my sake : primarily referring to martyrdom. 
 
 save it : not merely that courage is safer than cowardice, but 
 that even martyrdom is the road to continuous life, i. e. the true 
 self-living beyond death. 
 
 26. The earliest reference to the ' Second Advent.' No sooner 
 does Jesus announce the tragic end of his first Advent than 
 he points to a very different coming in glory, as this is in 
 humiliation, and for judgement as this is for grace. The language 
 is Apocalyptic, like that of the current Jewish Apocalypses, which 
 however attached to the one coming of the Messiah ideas here 
 postponed to his second coming, 
 
 27. taste of death: a Hebraism simply meaning 'die.' The 
 verse means that some then present will even survive to see 
 the kingdom of God. This cannot refer to the Transfiguration — 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 28-31 2^3 
 
 And it came to pass about eight days after these 28 
 sayings, he took with him Peter and John and James, 
 and went up into the mountain to pray. And as he 29 
 was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, 
 and his raiment became white and dazzHng. And behold, 30 
 there talked with him two men, which were Moses and 
 Elijah ; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease 31 
 
 to happen in a few days ; nor even to Pentecost — to follow in 
 a few months. It has been referred to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. But the great missionary progress of the apostolic 
 age, which some but not only some then present lived to see, 
 is more reasonably regarded as the fulfilment of our Lord's 
 prediction. 
 
 ix. 28-36. The Transfiguration. While praying on the moun- 
 tain in the presence of his three chosen friends, Jesus is seen 
 by them to change to a brilliant appearance, and Moses and 
 Elijah are seen conversing with him about his approaching death. 
 When the disciples, who have been drowsy, are suflBciently 
 roused to see the vision, Peter proposes to retain it by erecting 
 three booths. While he is saying this a cloud overshadows it, 
 out of which a voice is heard commending Jesus as God's chosen 
 Son. After that they find that Jesus is alone. They keep 
 silent about their wonderful experience. 
 
 28. about eiglxt days after. Mark (ix. 2) and Matthew (xvii. i) 
 say ' after six days,' virtually the same note of time. Thus all 
 three evangelists call attention to the nearness of the Transfigura- 
 tion to the great confession and our Lord's first announcement 
 of his death. 
 
 tlie luountain : certainly not Tabor, in the plain of Jezreel, 
 as a tradition found in Cyril of Jerusalem asserts, for there 
 was a Roman fort on its summit at this time ; and, besides, Jesus 
 was nowhere near its locality. He was close to Hermon, the 
 mountain of Palestine, nearly 10,000 feet in height, its snow dome 
 being visible as far down the Jordan valley as Jericho ; this great 
 mountain seems to have been the scene of the Transfiguration. 
 
 to pray : characteristically mentioned by Luke only. 
 
 29. fasMon : external appearance. The Greek word is derived 
 from a root referring to seeing ; what is seen. 
 
 30. two men, which were Moses and Elijah. The expression 
 implies that the disciples only perceived that ' two men ' were 
 present, not recognizing them. Afterwards they learnt (perhaps 
 from Jesus) that these were Moses, the representative of the law. 
 and Elijah, the representative of the prophets. 
 
234 ST. LUKE 9. 32-37 
 
 3- which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now 
 Peter and they that were with him were heavy with 
 sleep : but when they were fully awake, they saw his 
 
 33 glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it 
 came to pass, as they were parting from him, Peter 
 said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: 
 and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and 
 one for Moses, and one for Elijah : not knowing what 
 
 34 he said. And while he said these things, there came 
 a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as 
 
 35 they entered into the cloud. And a voice came out of 
 the cloud, saying. This is my Son, my chosen : hear ye 
 
 36 him. And when the voice came, Jesus was found alone. 
 And they held their peace, and told no man in those 
 days any of the things which they had seen. 
 
 37 And it came to pass, on the next day, when they were 
 
 31. decease: lit. * departure.' This is only mentioned in Luke. 
 
 32. when they were fully awake. The usual classical sense 
 of the phrase is given in the margin of the R. V. * having remained 
 awake.' But the context seems to point to the meaning in the 
 text. 
 
 33. tabernacles; booths, no doubt from boughs of trees, as 
 these were used at the Feast of Tabernacles. 
 
 34. a cloud. Matthew (xvii. 5) says that this was luminous. 
 
 35. my chosen: the reading of the best MSS., and therefore 
 adopted by the Revisers, while the Authorized had ' beloved,' 
 the word in Mark and Matthew, and therefore probably inserted 
 in Luke as a gloss to bring this Gospel into line with its 
 companions— a common practice among the copyists. 
 
 36. told no man. Mark and Matthew say Jesus had enjoined 
 silence. 
 
 ix. 37-45. The disciples* failure. The day after the Trans- 
 figuration, when Jesus and his three friends are descending from 
 the mountain, they are met by a crowd of people, and one man in 
 the crowd begs our Lord's help for his afflicted child, saying that 
 he had sought help from the disciples, but they had failed. Jesus 
 laments the perverse lack of faith this reveals, and asks for the 
 child to be brought to him. This is done ; the boy falls into con- 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 38-43 235 
 
 come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him. 
 And behold, a man from the multitude cried, saying, 38 
 Master, I beseech thee to look upon my son ; for he 
 is mine only child : and behold, a spirit taketh him, 39 
 and he suddenly crieth out ; and it teareth him that 
 he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising 
 him sorely. And I besought thy disciples to cast it out ; 40 
 and they could not. And Jesus answered and said, 41 
 O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be 
 with you, and bear with you ? bring hither thy son. 
 And as he was yet a coming, the devil dashed him 42 
 down, and tare Mm grievously. But Jesus rebuked the 
 unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back 
 to his father. And they were all astonished at the 43 
 majesty of God. 
 
 vulsions ; but Jesus liberates him from his demoniacal possession, 
 and then gives him back to his father sane and sound. The people 
 are amazed at the great power of God thus revealed. Jesus 
 announces his betrayal to his disciples. 
 
 38. Master: Teacher. 
 
 mine only clilld : like the widow's son at Nain, and Jairus' 
 daughter. 
 
 39. a spirit taketh him. Mark (ix. 17) calls this 'a dumb 
 spirit,' i.e. a spirit that destroyed the faculty of speech; in 
 Matthew (A. V. xvii. 15) the boy is described as ' lunatic,' lit. ' moon- 
 struck.' For the phenomena of possession see note on iv. 33. 
 
 teareth : throws into convulsions. 
 hardly : with difficulty. 
 
 40. thy disciples: probably the nine whom Jesus had left 
 behind when he took three up the mountain. 
 
 41. faithless: unbelieving, distrustful, not disloyal. 
 g'eneration. The disciples are here included with the main 
 
 body of their generation, because they have failed to escape from 
 the unbelieving, perverse spirit of their age. 
 
 42. devil: demon. 
 
 dashed him down. Dr. Plummer remarks that this word 
 is used of boxers knocking an opponent down, or wrestlers 
 throwing. 
 
 43. the majesty of God: the great and wonderful power of 
 
236 ST. LUKE 9. 44-47 
 
 But while all were marvelling at all the things which 
 
 44 he did, he said unto his disciples, Let these words sink 
 into your ears : for the Son of man shall be delivered 
 
 45 up into the hands of men. But they understood not 
 this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they 
 should not perceive it : and they were afraid to ask him 
 about this saying. 
 
 46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of 
 
 47 them should be greatest. But when Jesus saw the 
 reasoning of their heart, he took a little child, and set 
 
 God. Again we see a characteristic of Luke's Gospel, in its 
 pointing out how the people praise God rather than Jesus for his 
 great wonders. Of course this implies their recognition that God 
 is with him, quite the opposite view to that of his enemies, who 
 ascribe his works to sorcery and alliance with the spirit of evil. 
 
 44. sink into your ears, &c. The first announcement of his 
 rejection and death had been made a week earlier, when Peter had 
 repudiated it (see verse 22, and cf. Mark viii. 31-33). He returns 
 to the subject with an emphatic demand for attention, as the 
 disciples were slow to receive the unwelcome idea. 
 
 delivered up : the same Greek word as that sometimes trans- 
 lated 'betrayed,' but here meaning 'given up by God' because 
 'into the hands of men' ; cf. Roman viii. 32. 
 
 45. afraid: dreading more disclosures; perhaps also mindful 
 of the rebuke Peter had received. 
 
 ix. 46-50. The little child and the unattached disciple. Jesus, 
 observing his disciples concerned about a question of pre- 
 eminence, sets a little child by his side as their model, and 
 declares that to receive such a child is to receive him, and to 
 receive him is to receive God, adding that lowliness is greatness. 
 John tells how they checked an exorcist using the name of Jesus 
 because he did not join the troop of disciples. Jesus disapproves, 
 since whoever does not oppose the movement is helping it. 
 
 46. ^eatsst : lit. ' greater,' i. e. than his brother disciples. 
 
 47. their heart : internal private thoughts perceived by Jesus. 
 This implies that the unlovely discussion just mentioned had taken 
 place in his absence. When the disciples met him the thoughts 
 it involved were still simmering in their minds, and were 
 intuitively perceived by him. 
 
 took a little child. Matthew (xviii. 2) says that Jesus called 
 the child to him. There is a late tradition that this child was 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 48-50 237 
 
 him by his side, and said unto them, Whosoever shall 48 
 receive this little 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 is great. 
 
 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one 49 
 casting out devils in thy name ; and we forbade him, 
 because he followeth not with us. But Jesus said unto him, 50 
 Forbid hifti not : for he that is not against you is for you. 
 
 Ignatius, afterwards the bishop of Antioch, who suffered martyr- 
 dom in the amphitheatre at Rome under Trajan. 
 
 set him by his side : in the very place of honour coveted by 
 each of the Twelve, the place of ' the greater ' disciple, that on 
 another occasion sought for James and John by their mother 
 (Matt. XX. 20, 21). 
 
 48. in my name : lit. ' oh my name,' i.e. on the ground o^ my 
 name. This reference to the name is a Hebraism, sometimes 
 signifying the character and sometimes the authority ; but since 
 here neither of these meanings is suitable we must take a more 
 general one, viz. that the receiving is for Christ's sake, because ' 
 the child is regarded as his child. 
 
 him that sent me. Jesus thus describes God with a humble 
 reference to his own obedience and comparatively subordinate 
 place. As receiving the child is receiving the child's God, so 
 receiving Jesus is receiving his Lord. 
 
 least : h't. ' less,' i. e. than his brother disciples. 
 
 49. answered: an idiomatic term, not implying a previous 
 question, marking a speech in response to the condition of affairs, 
 something called forth by what precedes. 
 
 in thy name. Christ's reference to his name in the previous 
 verse leads John to mention what he has not previously spoken 
 about. His conscience is touched ; he fears he may have made 
 a mistake in over -hasty zeal. ' In thy name ' here is to be taken 
 literally. The exorcist was using the very name of Jesus. But 
 by his success he proved himself to be better than a superstitious 
 sorcerer, and shewed that he had real faith in Christ. 
 
 50. followeth not with us. There is no emphasis on the ' us,' 
 nor does that mean the disciples apart from Jesus. Doubtless it 
 includes Jesus. The protest was based on zealous loyalty. Yet 
 it was narrow. 
 
 you. Mark (ix. 40) has ' us.' If we are to read 'j'ou,' as in 
 Luke, the rebuke certainly aims at checking narrowness in not 
 recognizing those not of our own set. 
 
238 ST. l.UKE 9. 51-54 
 
 51 And it came to pass, when the days 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 
 
 53 the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did 
 not receive him, because his face ^vas as though he were 
 
 54 going to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and 
 John saw this^ they said, Lord, wult thou that we bid fire 
 
 Luke's New Contribution to the Gospel History, 
 ix. 51 — xix. 27. 
 
 ix. 51-56. Our Lord rejected by a Samaritan village. Jesus 
 sends messengers to a Samaritan village to make preparations for 
 his entrance there. But the villagers decline to receive him 
 beL.ri'se he is on his way to Jerusalem. Thereupon James and 
 John ask permission to call down fire on them, but are rebuked 
 by Jesus, and the company goes on to another village. 
 
 This incident is not in the other Gospels. We here commence 
 the * travel narrative,' extending from ix. 51 to xviii. 14. A great 
 part of its contents is found only in Luke. See Introduction. 
 
 51. well -nAgfli come : lit. * being completed.' 
 received up : i.e. to heaven. 
 
 stedfastly set his face: probably meaning in spite of his 
 knowledge of the fate awaiting him, and perhaps against the 
 remonstrances of his friends. 
 
 52. messengers. The Greek word is lit. 'angels'; but of 
 course human messengers from among the disciples are here 
 indicated ; cf. vii. 24. 
 
 before his face : a Hebraism, meaning before his presence, 
 i. e. before he came himself. 
 
 53. g'oing' to Jerusalem. Thus the reason given for the 
 rejection of Jesus by this Samaritan village is no personal 
 opposition to him, but antagonism to Jewish customs, the journe}' 
 being understood to be for the sake of visiting the Jerusalem 
 temple. The irony of the situation is seen in the fact that the 
 temple authorities were to be our Lord's most deadly enemies. 
 
 54. A strange request, no doubt based on the example of Elijah 
 in calling down fire from heaven on the Israelite troops (^see 
 2 Kings i. 10^, although the reference to the prophet's action in 
 the A. V. disappears from the Revised Text, as not in the best 
 MSS. No doubt it was a copyist's comment that had crept into 
 the text. 
 
ST. LUKE 9. 55-60 239 
 
 to come down from heaven, and consume them ? But 5r 
 he turned, and rebuked them. And they went to another 56 
 village. 
 
 And as they went in the way, a certain man said unto 57 
 him, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And 58 
 Jesus said unto him. The foxes have holes, and the birds 
 of the heaven have nests ; but the Son of man hath not 
 where to lay his head. And he said unto another, 59 
 Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and 
 bury my father. But he said unto him, Leave the dead 60 
 
 55, 56. The shortening of these verses by the omission of 
 two sentences — * Ye know not,* &c., and ' For the Son of man,' &c. 
 — which were in the A. V., is necessitated by their absence from 
 the best MSS. 
 
 ix. 57-62, Three doubtful disciples. A man offers to follow 
 Jesus anywhere ; our Lord warns him that it is to follow a home- 
 less leader. Jesus calls another man, who immediately excuses 
 himself on the plea of filial duty, and is rebuked for doing so. A 
 third offers himself if he may first bid his people farewell. Jesus 
 warns him against hesitating discipleship. 
 
 57. a certain man. Matthew (viii. 19) says he was a scribe, 
 and places the incident much earlier in our Lord's life. Probably 
 the three incidents occurred at different times, and are here placed 
 together because of their similarity, 
 
 58. foxes : abounding in the mountains of Palestine, 
 
 nests : lit. ' encampings,' and meaning ' roosts ' rather than 
 ' nests.' The idea is of the places where birds rest at night. Even 
 these wild creatures have their homes. 
 
 hath not where to lay his head : the lot of a tramp, yet not 
 due to poverty, but owing partly to his wandering life, partly to 
 his being rejected, as at Nazareth, his old home. Thus a hasty 
 volunteer was warned to count the cost. 
 
 59. In this second case the man is not a volunteer, but one 
 called by Christ. 
 
 to . . . bury my father. This seems to be an allusion to a 
 proverb, which, however, cannot now be traced. We cannot sup- 
 pose our Lord would not allow a man to attend his own father's 
 funeral, which in the East would be but a few hours after death. 
 
 60. Leave the dead, &c. Another proverb, or an original 
 utterance to be taken metaphorically, meaning *Do not live in the 
 
240 ST. LUKE 9. 6i — 10. i 
 
 to bury their own dead ; but go thou and publish abroad 
 6i the kingdom of God. And another also said, I will 
 
 follow thee, Lord ; but first suffer me to bid farewell to 
 62 them that are at my house. But Jesus said unto him, 
 
 No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking 
 
 back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 
 10 Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy 
 
 past, do not be so absorbed in lamenting the dead as to forget the 
 needs of the living.' 
 
 61. The third case, like the first, introduces a volunteer. This 
 is not in Matthew, as the two other cases are. 
 
 to bid farewell, &c. Matthew did thus bid farewell in a 
 feast given with Christ's sanction. The man's words must mean 
 more, must imply a lingering disposition and a clinging to old 
 associations. 
 
 62. In this incident, as in the previous incident, our Lord's 
 action looks harsh on the surface. It must be accounted for (i) 
 by his knowledge of the hearts of the men he was speaking to, 
 their weaknesses and their dangers ; (2) by his known custom of 
 speaking strongly to deepen the impression of his requirements, 
 with a full assurance that imaginative Orientals would not mis- 
 understand him. 
 
 X. 1-16. The Seventy. Jesus distributes seventy disciples among 
 the villages he proposes to visit, because while the harvest is 
 abundant the reapers are but few. They will go as lambs among 
 wolves. Nevertheless they are not to carry any provisions, and 
 are to treat the people among whom they go courteously, accept- 
 ing hospitality as a reasonable return for their labours. Where 
 well received they are to take what is offered them, heal the sick, 
 and proclaim the kingdom. Where rejected they are to shew 
 that they renounce the place ; its fate will be worse than Sodom's. 
 Jesus laments the doom of cities where he has laboured as worse 
 than that of the ancient heathen. Capernaum is to be cast down 
 in her pride. To receive or reject the Seventy is to receive or 
 reject Jesus and God who sent him. 
 
 Only Luke records this mission of the Seventy. The charge 
 given to them closely resembles that given to the Twelve. 
 Accordingly some critics are of opinion that the evangelist, since 
 he records both missions, is following two varying reports of one 
 and the same mission, i. e. that of the Twelve also recorded in the 
 other Synoptics. But this view does not account for the mention 
 of seventy at all. The Twelve are well known. Here is a 
 definite record of seventy other disciples. An extreme critical 
 
ST. LUKE 10. 2-5 241 
 
 others, and sent them two and two before his face into 
 every city and place, whither he himself was about to 
 come. And he said unto them, The harvest is plenteous, 2 
 but the labourers are few : pray ye therefore the Lord of 
 the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest. 
 Go your ways : behold, I send you forth as lambs in the 3 
 midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes : 4 
 and salute no man on the way. And into whatsoever 5 
 house ye shall enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 
 
 opinion holds this narrative to be transferred from later apostolic 
 times, the Seventy, if sent by Christ at all, impelled by the spirit of 
 Christ. Of course this is to play havoc w^ith the Gospel narrative. 
 
 1. after tliese tMngs : an indefinite note of time; probably 
 Luke had no information as to when this was. 
 
 seventy : the number of the elders appointed to assist Moses 
 (Num.xi. 16). Eusebius mentions traditions ofsome of the Seventy, 
 naming Barnabas, Sosthenes, Cephas, Matthias, Joseph Barsabbas, 
 all N. T. men, as given by Clement of Alexandria {Hist. Eccl i. 12). 
 
 others : in addition to the Twelve. 
 
 two and two : for companionship, as in the mission of the 
 Twelve (Mark vi. 7). 
 
 2. The harvest, &c. : perhaps an illustration drawn from the 
 harvest-fields then ripe, and if so, giving the date as about April 
 or May. According to Matthew (ix. 37, 38), this saying of Jesus 
 was uttered previous to the selection of the Twelve, as the reason 
 for that selection. 
 
 3. lamhs, &c. In Matthew (x. 16) Jesus says the same to the 
 Twelve, except that there we read ^ sheep.' It shews our Lord's 
 solicitude for his servants. The Jewish antagonism was growing 
 acute. This saying, and others common to the two charges, might 
 well be repeated, fitting the Seventy equally with the Twelve. 
 Still we must admit the possibility that some things Jesus said on 
 the one occasion may have been transferred in tradition totfee other. 
 
 4. See note on ix. 4. There is a difference in the details. In the 
 directions to the apostles five articles are mentioned, here only 
 three. The wallet is the only article common to the two lists. 
 The ideas are the same ip. both cases. The missionaries are not 
 to be hampered with baggage, and they are to trust to the 
 hospitality of the people they visit. 
 
 5. whatsoever house, &c. : entering to seek hospitality. 
 Peace, &c. : an Eastern salutation. The missionaries are to 
 
 be courteous and conciliatory. 
 
242 ST. LUKE 10. 6-1.^ 
 
 6 And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest 
 
 7 upon him : but if not, it shall turn to you again. And 
 in that same house remain, eating and drinking such 
 things as they give : for the labourer is worthy of his 
 
 8 hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatso- 
 ever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things 
 
 9 as are set before you : and heal the sick that are therein, 
 and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh 
 
 10 unto you. But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, and 
 they receive you not, go out into the streets thereof and 
 
 11 say, Even the dust from your city, that cleaveth to our 
 feet, we do wipe off against you : howbeit know this, 
 
 12 that the kingdom of God is come nigh. I say unto you. 
 It shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than 
 
 13 for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, 
 
 6. a son of peace : a Hebraism, meaning a kindly disposed man. 
 The verse means that if you are well received, your visit will bring 
 a blessing to your host ; and if not, still you will yourselves be at 
 peace. 
 
 V. remain : do not fear to be trespassing on the hospitality of 
 the people you visit. You will be giving good service, for which 
 it is but the reasonable return. 
 
 Qo not from house to house : do not be feted about, as was 
 customary with famous Rabbis when they visited a town. 
 
 8. This verse may have a double application : (i) do not shrink 
 because of superfluous modesty from accepting what is offered ; 
 2) do not object to the humblest fare, 
 
 11. Even tlie dust, &c. See note on ix. 5. 
 
 12. Oodom : a typically wicked city, the well-known doom of 
 which is described in Genesis xix. 24, 25. Here the thought is of 
 punishment still awaiting its citizens in the final judgement. In 
 Judc 7 this city is described as punished with 'eternal fire.' 
 Jesus is led by the idea of the rejection of his messengers to 
 mourn over the rejection of himself and his own message in the 
 centres of his greatest activity. 
 
 13. Chorazin: possibly /f^ms^A, two miles north of the lake. 
 We have no account of our Lord's work there. So much of his 
 ministry has been left without record. 
 
ST. lukp: 10. 14-18 243 
 
 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 and ashes. 
 Howbeit it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in 14 
 the judgement, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, 15 
 shalt thou be exalted unto heaven ? thou shalt be brought 
 down unto Hades. He that heareth you heareth me ; 16 
 and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me ; and he that 
 rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me. 
 
 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even 17 
 the devils are subject unto us in thy name. And he said 1 8 
 
 Bethsaida. See note on ix. 10. 
 
 Tyre and Sidon : the ancient Phoenician cities, proverbially 
 doomed because denounced by Isaiah (xxiii), Jeremiah (xxv), and 
 Ezekiel (xxvi-xxviii). 
 
 14. The idea of the passage is that inasmuch as these cities of 
 Galilee, which had enjoyed the rare privilege of the presence 
 of Jesus, had not profited by it — in Matthew (xi. 20), we read 
 ' because they repented not ' — their just doom will be hea\ner 
 even than the doom of the most wicked heathen cities, since those 
 cities were not thus privileged. Judgement will be according to 
 light and opportunity. 
 
 15. Shalt thou "be exalted, &c. : according to the best MSS.. 
 a sentence to be read in question form, with reference to the pride 
 of Capernaum and its expectation of a great future. 
 
 thou Shalt be brought down. Capernaum has disappeared ; 
 its site is a matter of dispute. See note on iv. 31. 
 Hades : not Hell. See note on xvi. 23. 
 
 16. This verse indicates that the great guilt of such places as 
 Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum — the cities which had 
 rejected Jesus — will be equalled by that of those who reject the 
 Seventy." " 
 
 x. 17-20. The return of the Seventy. The seventy missionaries 
 return to Jesus with delight that by the name of Jesus they have 
 power even over demons. Jesus declares that he saw the fall of 
 Satan, and promises his friends immunity in the greatest danger. 
 Yet he points to a higher source of joy, in the knowledge that 
 they are owned by God, 
 
 17. even the devils : demons. Unlike the Twelve (see ix. i), 
 the Seventy had not been promised this power. Their simple 
 minds are elated at its sensational effects. 
 
 R 2 
 
244 ST. LUKE 10. 19^21 
 
 unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. 
 
 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon ser- 
 pents and scorpions, and over all the power of the 
 
 20 enemy : and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. How- 
 beit in this rejoice 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, and 
 
 18. I beheld. The verb is in the imperfect, meaning 'I was 
 beholding,' i.e. during the course of this successful mission. The 
 tense of the verb pointing thus to a continuous beholding, as well 
 as the context, forbids the idea that this is a reference to Christ's 
 sight of the original fall of Satan in his pre-existent state. The 
 triumph of the gospel of the kingdom is in itself the fall of Satan. 
 
 19. to tread upon serpents, &c. This must be metaphorical 
 language. Jesus did not give immunity from physical danger, nor 
 was it enjoyed by his people. The nearest parallel is the case of 
 Paul and the viper, which stands alone, and is not indubitably 
 miraculous (see Acts xxviii. 3-6). 
 
 20. names . . . written in heaven : as on the roll of citizens. 
 We meet with the idea in Isaiah (iv. 3) : * Every one that is 
 written among the living in Jerusalem.' In Daniel (xii. i), Jews 
 to be delivered are described as ' found written in the book.' On 
 the other hand, Moses speaks about being blotted out of God's 
 book (Exod. xxxii. 32) for rejection by God. Our Lord here 
 teaches that to be reckoned among God's people is a better 
 source of rejoicing than the possession of astounding miraculous 
 powers. 
 
 X. 21-24. "^^^ revelation to babes. Jesus then expresses his 
 joy that the revelation hidden from superior persons is open 
 to the simple. This is in accordance with God's will. He 
 himself, as the Son of God to whom everything has been delivered, 
 is only known by his Father, and only he and those to whom he 
 brings the revelation know the Father. He privately con- 
 gratulates his disciples on their seeing and hearing what prophets 
 and kings vainly sought to see and hear. 
 
 21. In tliat same hour: when the Seventy returned with their 
 cheerful report. In Matthew, where the mission of the Seventy 
 is not mentioned, the words that follow come immediately after 
 the lament over the three cities. Their chief people, especially the 
 leading citizens of proud Capernaum, are ' the wise.' 
 
 in the Holy Spirit: according to the best MSS.. instead of 
 merel}' 'in spirit,' i.e. in his own spirit, as we read in the A.V. 
 
ST. LUKE 10. 2 2 ■ 245 
 
 said, I 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 ; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. All 
 things have been delivered unto me of my Father : and 
 no one knoweth who the Son is, save the Father ; and 
 who the Father is, save the Son, and he to whomsoever 
 
 This is one of Luke's many characteristic references to the Holy 
 Spirit. Christ's joy was inspired. 
 
 thank : lit. ' confess from the heart ' — acknowledge and 
 praise. 
 
 that thou didst hide. This is a Hebraistic idiom. The 
 Hebrew language, being very simple in construction and possess- 
 ing few conjunctions, links sentences with ' and * where we should 
 use other connecting words. The meaning is ' although thou didst 
 hide.' 
 
 hahes: the simple disciples. This revelation to babes is 
 a vital principle of Christ's gospel. John the Baptist was to note 
 that good tidings were preached to the poor (vii. 22). All who 
 would enter the kingdom must become as little children. In his 
 Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Childhood, 
 Wordsworth addresses the little child as 
 
 ' Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie 
 
 Thy soul's immensity ; 
 Thou best Philosopher, who yet doth keep 
 Thy heritage, thou Eye among the blind, 
 That, deaf and silent, read'st the eternal deep, 
 Haunted for ever by the eternal mind — 
 
 Mighty Prophet ! Seer blest ! 
 
 On whom those truths do rest 
 Which we are toiling all our lives to find.' 
 
 22. This verse is entirely in the style of John's Gospel, and 
 quite unlike the general form of our Lord's utterances in the 
 Synoptics. It is found with insignificant variations in Matthew 
 xi. 27, where it is followed by the invitation to the weary. The 
 Johannine peculiarity of its ideas and language has led some 
 critics to assign it to the author of the fourth Gospel, or perhaps 
 to the school of teaching at Ephesus in which that Gospel had its 
 origin. But all the best MSS. have it both in Matthew and in 
 Luke. Connecting this verse with the preceding, we should say 
 that it was the childlike simplicity of the heart of Jesus that 
 opened to him the vision of his Father. 
 
246 ST. LUKE 10. 23-26 
 
 2.^ the Son willeth to reveal hwi. And turning to the 
 disciples, he said privately, Blessed are the eyes which 
 
 24 see the things that ye see : for I say unto you, that many 
 prophets and kings desired to see the things which ye 
 see, and saw them not ; and to hear the things which ye 
 hear, and heard them not. 
 
 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted 
 him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal 
 
 26 life ? And he said unto him, What is written in the law? 
 
 willetli : a Greek word signifying counsel, deliberation, and 
 choice. 
 
 24. many prophets. Messianic prophecy looked forward 
 indefinitely to what Christ's disciples now saw. Cf, i Peter i. 
 10, II. 
 
 king's : perhaps with reference to Messianic psalms ascribed 
 to David, Solomon, or other kings. Matthew (xiii. 17) has 
 'righteous men' instead of 'kings'; so that we cannot be sure 
 which of these two expressions Jesus really used. It is curious 
 to observe that elsewhere kings are mentioned in Matthew twice 
 as often as in Luke. 
 
 X. 25-28. On inheriting eto-nal life. A lawyer asks Jesus 
 what he is to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus refers 
 him to his own law, and he recites the commandments of love 
 to God and our neighbour. Jesus says it is enough if he keep 
 those commandments. 
 
 25. a certain lawyer : a scribe whose profession involved the 
 interpretation of the law. It seems reasonable to identify this 
 lawyer with the 'scribe' (Mark xii. 28-32) or 'lawyer' (Matt, 
 xxii. 35-40) of the other S3'noptics who asked Jesus which was 
 the great commandment. 
 
 tempted. In Mark it is not said the scribe came with any 
 evil intent, so that he there appears as an ingenuous inquirer. 
 But in Matthew, as here, he is said to be tempting Jesus, i.e. 
 trying to lead him into an erroneous statement. 
 
 Master: Teacher. 
 
 eternal life. The word rendered 'eternal ' is lit. ' of the ages,' 
 ' age long * ; but in popular usage it is equivalent to everlasting. It 
 is never used in Luke or John for any other than a state of 
 blessedness. The phrase ' eternal life ' was in use among the 
 Jews before Christian times, occurring for in-^tance in the Book of 
 Enoch (xv. 4-6), where the fallen angels are said to have been 
 
ST. LUKE 10. 27, 28 247 
 
 how readest thou ? And he answering said, Thou shalt 27 
 love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
 thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; 
 and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, 28 
 Thou hast answered right : this do, and thou shalt live. 
 
 partakers of eternal and immortal life before their ruin. Thus 
 it would be familiar to a scribe or lawyer. But the N. T. raises 
 and enriches the contents of the idea. In the Synoptics it is 
 regarded as a future possession to be had after death ; thus here 
 the lawyer speaks of inheriting it. In John it is already a present 
 experience of the people of God ; and both in the fourth Gospel 
 and in John's Epistles it is presented to us as a spiritual condition, 
 the divine life in the soul. 
 
 26. how readest thou? — a question especially suitable for 
 a Jewish lawyer. 
 
 2*7. In Mark and Matthew this statement of the two command- 
 ments is given by Jesus himself; here it is supphed by the lawyer 
 in answer to our Lord's question. 
 
 Thou Shalt love the Iiord thy God, &c. : a precept written 
 on vellum slips worn by Jews on their foreheads or arms and 
 called * phylacteries ' ; therefore well known and readily quoted. 
 It is taken from Deuteronomy vi. 5 and xi. 13. 
 
 and thy neighbour as thyself. This was not on the 
 phylactery, and it does not follow the previous precept in 
 Deuteronomy ; it occurs in Leviticus xix. 18 among a number of 
 legal details. Brought forward by Jesus, as it is recorded in 
 Mark and Matthew, it appears in accordance with his own 
 characteristic attention to the duties of man to his fellow. But 
 here it is the lawyer who adds it. If this is the correct version, 
 we may imagine that the two laws were familiarly associated 
 in popular teaching by the Rabbis. 
 
 28. Jesus distinctly affirms that eternal life will follow t/ this 
 is done, (/"these difficult religious and moral precepts are kept. 
 
 x. 29-37. ^^^ good Samaritan. The lawj'er asks who is the 
 neighbour he is to love as himself. Jesus replies in a parable : — 
 A traveller from Jerusalem to Jericho, falling among thieves, is 
 robbed and maltreated. First a priest and then a Levite passing 
 by in turn look at him and leave him in his pitiable plight ; but 
 a Samaritan who follows shews the greatest kindness to him. 
 Jesus asks which of the three behaved like a neighbour. The 
 lawyer replies that it was the man who gave practical assistance. 
 Jesus bids the lawyer follow this Samaritan's example. 
 
248 ST. LUKE 10. 29-34 
 
 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And 
 
 30 who is my neighbour ? Jesus made answer and said, 
 A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho ; 
 and he fell among robbers, which both stripped him and 
 
 31 beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by 
 chance a certain priest was going down that way : and 
 
 32 when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And 
 in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, 
 
 33 and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain 
 Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was : and 
 
 34 when he saw him, he was moved with compassion, and 
 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them 
 
 29. to justify himself: in seeking some limit to the range 
 of neighbourliness. 
 
 30. going down. The descent is nearly 4,000 feet through 
 a mountain pass, for a distance of about twenty miles to the bottom 
 of the Jordan valley, with gorges and caves in the vicinity, the 
 natural haunt of robbers. 
 
 31. a certain priest. The lawyer would not have much 
 sympathy with priests and Levites, as they were mostly Saddu- 
 cees, while probably he was a Pharisee. 
 
 saw Mm. This is said both of the priest and of the Levite ; 
 there was no excuse for either. 
 
 32. a Levite also : following the example of his superior. 
 
 33. a certain Samaritan. The Samaritans were despised 
 and disliked by the Jews because of racial and religious divisions. 
 In race they were a mixed people, the descendants of the inter- 
 marriage of immigrants from various heathen countries with the 
 poor Israelites who remained in the land after the overthrow 
 of the northern kingdom in the days of the Assyrians. In religion 
 they offended the Jews by using the Pentateuch only and no 
 other part of the O. T., and by worshipping on their own Mount 
 Gerizim instead of honouring the temple at Jerusalem. A 
 Pharisee lawyer, who would enjoy a thrust at the Sadduceaen 
 hierarchy, would be the last man to express admiration for any- 
 thing a Samaritan did. James and John had recently wished 
 to bring destruction on a Samaritan village (ix. 54). Jesus now 
 describes a model Samaritan. Here is a side-lesson for the two 
 zealous disciples. 
 
 34. bound up his wounds, &c. : medical details interesting to 
 Luke. 
 
ST. LUKE 10. 35 39 249 
 
 oil and wine ; and he set him on his own beast, and 
 brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on 35 
 the morrow he took out two pence, and gave them to the 
 host, and said, Take care of him ; and whatsoever thou 
 spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay 
 thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neigh- 36 
 hour unto him that fell among the robbers? And he 37 
 said, He that shewed mercy on him. And Jesus said 
 unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 Now as they went on their way, he entered into a 38 
 certain village : and a certain woman named Martha 
 received him into her house. And she had a sister called 39 
 
 an inn. Not the word rendered * inn * in the narrative of the 
 birth of Jesus. See note on ii. 7. In the Eastern inn guests 
 usually had to shift for themselves, receiving only lodging and 
 having to provide their own meals. 
 
 35. two pence: two denarii. See note on vii. 41. 
 
 37. shewed mercy : lit. * did mercy.' The whole parable 
 vividly illustrated the practical character of love to our neighbour, 
 while it clearly answers the question, Who is my neighbour? 
 This duty of practical love to the neighbour is limited by no 
 thought of race or creed. It extends to the foreigner and the 
 heretic. Whoever is near us, i. e. within the reach of our help, 
 is our neighbour. 
 
 X. 38-42. Mary and Martha. Jesus enters a village where 
 a woman named Martha receives him into her house. Her sister 
 Mary listens to the teaching of Jesus, and Martha, harassed with 
 household affairs, complains of this with some irritation. Jesus 
 gently rebukes her, and justifies the choice Mary has made. 
 
 38. a certain village. Luke does not give the name, probably 
 because he does not know, nor does he fix the locality, though the 
 order of his narrative would not suggest the neighbourhood of 
 Jerusalem. It is from the fourth Gospel that we learn the name 
 of the village where the two sisters lived to be Bethany, and 
 its situation close to the Mount of Olives (see John xi. i and 18). 
 
 Martha. The names of the two sisters and the similarity of 
 their characters leave no reasonable doubt that they are the 
 Martha and Mary of whom we read in John (xi. and xii. 1-8). 
 
 her house. According to Mark (xiv. 3) and Matthew (xxvi. 
 
25© ST. LUKE 10. 40-42 
 
 Mary, which also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard his 
 
 40 word. But Martha was cumbered about 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 
 
 41 therefore that she help me. But the Lord answered and 
 said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and 
 
 42 troubled about many things : but one thing is needful : 
 
 6), the anointing of Jesus was at the house of Simon the leper. 
 But in John (xii. 1-3) we read that this anointing was performed 
 by Mary while her sister Martha served. Therefore as we here 
 read of 'her house,' Martha must be in charge of Simon's house, 
 perhaps because he was her father and she the elder daughter, 
 or perhaps because she was Simon's wife. In either case the 
 leper would be absent, according to the Jewish law that required 
 a man thus afflicted to be separated from other people. 
 
 39. sat at the Iiord's feet : a phrase describing the position 
 of a disciple when being instructed by a Rabbi. Thus Paul says 
 he was 'brought up' 'at the feet of Gamaliel' (Acts xxii. 3). 
 Mary was seated listening to the teaching of Jesus. 
 
 40. cumbered: lit. ' distracted,' drawn hither and thither with 
 many concerns. 
 
 dost thou not care ? So far has Martha lost her temper that 
 she even blames Jesus for permitting Mary to leave her all the 
 work of preparing the meal. 
 
 did leave me. The verb is in the imperfect, meaning that 
 all the time from the beginning Mary has continued to leave these 
 duties to her sister. 
 
 41. Martha, Martha. No doubt spoken in a kind, gentle 
 tone, perhaps with a smile, to soothe the heated housewife. 
 Jesus loved Martha as well as Mary (see John xi. 5). 
 
 anxious: the same word used by Jesus in the saying, 'Be 
 not anxious for your life' (xii. 22). This word points to mental 
 fret and worry. 
 
 troubled : a word pointing to external fuss and flurry. 
 
 42. one thing is needful. The best MSS. have the reading that 
 the Revisers place in the margin of their text, viz. ' But few 
 things are needful, or one,' i. e. at table. Many dishes are not 
 required. One would suffice. This well-meant effort of Martha 
 to entertain Jesus is a mistake. He cares for no such luxuries, 
 preferring quiet and simplicity in the home —what Wordsworth 
 calls 'plain living and high thinking.' The Sinaitic Syriac MS. 
 omits the whole clause, probably because it was not understood. 
 
ST. LUKE 11. 1,2 251 
 
 for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be 
 taken away from her. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain 11 
 place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto 
 him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught 
 his disciples. And he said unto them. When ye pray, 2 
 say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom 
 
 the g'ood part: not the 'better.* Jesus does not actually 
 make a comparison. He defends Mary. 
 
 xi. 1-4. The Lord's Prayer. On one occasion, after Jesus 
 has been praying;, his disciples ask him to teach them to pray, 
 as John taught his disciples. Thereupon he gives them the 
 prayer we now know as ' The Lord's Prayer. * 
 
 1. as he was praying". This introductory explanation of the 
 situation is not given in any other Gospel. We have here one 
 of Luke's peculiarly characteristic references to Jesus praying. 
 He indicates that this was so impressive as to rouse in the disciples 
 a desire to be taught by Jesus how to pray as he understood 
 prayer. The evangelist does not say when or where this was, 
 probably because he has no information on the point. In Matthew 
 ,vi. 9-13) the Lord's Prayer comes as part of the Sermon on 
 the Mount. Of course Jesus may have given it twice. If not, 
 the preference must be for the setting in Luke, because (i) this 
 explains the occasion that led our Lord to give the prayer, and 
 '2) it is now generally held that the Sermon on the Mount in 
 Matthew contains a collection of sayings of Jesus spoken on 
 various occasions. 
 
 even as John. We know nothing of this. Dr. Plummer 
 mentions that Rabbis sometimes drew up forms of prayer for their 
 disciples. 
 
 2. say. In Matthew the prayer is only typical, Jesus saying, 
 'After this manner . . . pray ye.' Here the prayer itself is 
 commended for use. 
 
 Father. The word 'our' is not in the best MSS. of Luke, 
 though it is in all MSS. of Matthew, from which probably it was 
 transferred to Luke by some copyist. Matthew also adds ' which 
 art in heaven.* The address to God as Father is distinctly 
 Christ's idea. A Jew would rather say ' Lord God of Israel,' 
 or some such phrase. 
 
 Hallowed : venerated and treated with reverence. 
 
 thy nanxe : not merely the title. The petition is not only 
 
252 ST. LUKE 11. 3,4 
 
 3, 4 come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And for- 
 give us our sins ; for we ourselves also forgive every one 
 that is indebted to us. And bring us not into tempta- 
 tion. 
 
 directed against a blasphemous or irreverent mention of the 
 sacred name ; the Jewish custom of the time was to avoid 
 even uttering the word Jehovah, preferring ' Heaven ' or some 
 periphrasis, from a superstitious horror of giving offence by the 
 act of presumption. But the * name ' is a Hebraistic expression 
 for the nature and character. Thus we read of those that 'love 
 thy name* (Ps. v. ii). The petition is that God's nature and 
 character may be revered. An ancient rendering of the Lord's 
 Prayer, as early as Tertullian in the beginning of the second 
 century, instead of this petition and that immediately following, 
 has ' May thy Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.' 
 
 Thy king-dom come. Jesus thus represents the coming 
 of the kingdom as still future. 
 
 The clause ' Thy will be done,' &c., found in the A. V. is omitted 
 by the Revisers because it is absent from some of the best ancient 
 MSS. It is found in others equally good and ancient; but its 
 insertion by a scribe is more easily accounted for than its removal 
 would be, since it is in Matthew, from which Gospel it would easily 
 be transferred to Luke. It is to be observed that thus far — two 
 petitions in Luke, three in Matthew — the prayer is not for our 
 own advantage, but for God's honour, kingdom, and (in Matthew) 
 will. After that we come down to personal needs. 
 
 3. day by day. Matthew has ' this day.' 
 
 daily: a difficult word in the Greek, eptouston, found no- 
 where else, which some take to mean ' essential,' or * necessary ' ; 
 others as meaning ' bread for to-morrow ' ; others, again, * to-day's 
 bread.' We are nearest to the meaning of a similar Greek word 
 if we read 'bread of the coming day'; so that in the morning 
 it means * to-day's bread,' and when used in the evening 'to- 
 morrow's bread.' 
 
 4. sins. Matthew has 'debts.' The word 'trespasses' now 
 used in our English form of the prayer is not in either Gospel 
 version of it. But it is found in Matthew immediately after the 
 prayer, in the phrase, ' For if ye forgive men their trespasses,' &c. 
 Luke has ' indebted ' further on in the sentence, which agrees with 
 Matthew's word ' debts.' 
 
 into temptation: i. e. into circumstances where we shall be 
 tempted. For 'temptation' Dr. Hatch read 'trial,' in the sense 
 of trouble. But temptation to do wrong is the more usual sense 
 of the Greek word, and is more probable here, where the petition 
 
ST. LUKE 11. 5-7 253 
 
 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a 5 
 friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to 
 him. Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine 6 
 is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set 
 before him ; and he from within shall answer and say, 7 
 Trouble me not : the door is now shut, and my children 
 
 is absolute and unqualified. The addition * but deliver us from 
 evil ' is not in the most ancient MSS. of Luke ; evidently it was 
 transferred from Matthew to the text followed by the A. V. We 
 may compare the Lord's Prayer in Matthew and Luke with 
 capitals for words in both Gospels, italics for those only in 
 Matthew, and roman type for those only in Luke : — 
 
 Our FATHER which art in heaven, 
 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 
 
 GIVE US I daj by-'day | ^^^ ^^^^^ BREAD. 
 
 / debts, as ive also have forgiven our 
 
 And forgive us our J . DEBTo^5. 
 
 '^ J sins ; for we ourselves also forgive every 
 
 V one that is inDEBTed to us. 
 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, 
 but deliver us from the evil one. 
 
 xi. 5-13. Encouragements to prayer. Jesus encjyjr^gif^ the 
 belief that God will answer prayer by the analogy tha,t anybody 
 would even get up at night to lend his friend a loaf of bread if 
 appealed to, at all events when the appeal was persistent. There- 
 fore we are to apply to God for help and we shall obtain it. No 
 father would give a ston3, a serpent, or a scorpion to his son who 
 asked him for food. Our heavenly Father will do much more 
 than sinful men do for their children, and therefore assuredly 
 he will give his Holy Spirit to those who ask him for it. 
 
 5. Whiclx of you, &c. The parable is an argument from 
 analogy. It is reasonable to suppose that God will not do less 
 than the kind deeds that any of us would not fail to perform. 
 This parable is only in Luke. 
 
 lend : a different word from that denoting to lend on 
 interest. It means to ' allow the use of anything. 
 
 *T. Trouble me not. The request is purposely imagined to be 
 made at a most inconvenient time. To get up and respond 
 
254 ^'i'- LUKE 11. 8-1 1 
 
 8 are with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee ? I say 
 unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because 
 he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will 
 
 9 arise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say 
 unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye 
 
 10 shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For 
 every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 
 findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
 
 11 And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask 
 a loaf, and he give him a stone ? or a fish, and he for a 
 
 to it will be to disturb all the sleeping family in the peasant's 
 small crowded hut. 
 
 8. his Importunity. The same idea recurs in the parable of the 
 importunate widow (xviii. 5). It is not brought in to imply 
 a corresponding reluctance on God's part, but to heighten the 
 comparison. If even a reluctant man yields to importunity, 
 how much more will God, who is not reluctant, respond to 
 prayer. 
 
 as many as he needeth : though he had only asked for three 
 loaves. 
 
 9. I say, &c. The pronoun * I ' is emphatic. In addition to 
 the analogy just described, Jesus on his own authority promise.-i 
 answers to prayer. 
 
 Ask, &c. All three verbs are present imperatives, pointing 
 to coriSftUbus actions — 'Be in the habit of asking,' 'continue 
 askingi,^^&:t. This passage is also in Matthew (vii. 7-1 1). 
 
 11. a father. Jesus introduces a fresh and forcible analogy, 
 based on his own special revelation of the nature of God. In the 
 first we see any man induced to render his friend a service, if 
 he is but suflBciently persistent. Now the idea of fatherhood is 
 introduced. Much more is expected from the parental relation. 
 It is the special teaching of Jesus that even that close tie exists 
 between us and God. All the more then may we be assured that 
 he will respond to his children's cry. 
 
 a loaf, &c. This phrase is absent from some of the best 
 and oldest MSS. ; possibly it has been introduced from Matthew. 
 But our Revisers have retained it, as it is found in some equally 
 good and ancient authorities. Bread, dried fish, and hard-boiled 
 eggs are the peasants* common food in Palestine. 
 
 a stone: resembling the flat loaf— so as to suggest a loaf in 
 our Lord's wilderness temptation (iv. 3). 
 
 / I 
 
ST. LUKE 11. 12-15 255 
 
 fish give him a serpent ? Or // he shall ask an egg, will 1 1 
 he give him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know 13 
 how to give good gifts unto your children, how much 
 more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to 
 them that ask him ? 
 
 And he was casting out a devil which zvas dumb. 14 
 And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the 
 dumb man spake ; and the multitudes marvelled. But 15 
 some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the devils 
 
 a serpent. The stone is useless, the serpent dangerous. 
 
 12. This third illustration is only found in Luke. 
 
 a scorpion : which curled up might resemble an egg. The 
 argument is that it would be equally monstrous to suppose God, 
 as our Father, giving us what is useless or even hurtful when 
 we pray for what is good and necessary. 
 
 13. being- evil: an idea introduced to make the argument 
 a fortiori. Even imperfect, sinful men would not act thus 
 monstrously to their children ; much less then God, who is good 
 and perfect. 
 
 the Holy Spirit. Matthew has 'good things.' Which did 
 Jesus actually say? When we remember Luke's characteristic 
 of frequently mentioning the Holy Spirit in other places, we 
 are tempted to take the phrase in Matthew as the original, and 
 Luke's as the evangelist's own interpretation of what he thought 
 Jesus meant by these good things. Seeing that the best gift that 
 God can give us is his Holy Spirit, in experience the two phrases 
 will be found largely to coincide. 
 
 xi. 14-26. Jesus accused of alliance with Beelzebub. Jesus 
 having cured a dumb demoniac, some say he does such things 
 by the power of Beelzebub, while others tempt him to demonstrate 
 his claims by a sign from heaven. Jesus points out that if Satan 
 were like a kingdom or a family internally divided, his dominion 
 could not stand. If Jesus delivers from demons by divine power, 
 that is a sign of the advent of the kingdom of God. You can only 
 rob a strong man of his armour by being stronger. Not to be 
 with Christ is to be opposing him. For a person to be delivered 
 from an evil spirit and left empty will end in his becoming worse 
 than he had been. 
 
 14. dumb. Matthew (xii. 22) has ' blind and dumb.' 
 
 15. Beelzebub: rather ' Beelzebul,' according to the MSS. here 
 and in the other Gospels. The name of the prince of demons. 
 
256 ST. LUKE 11. 16-20 
 
 1 6 casteth he out devils. And others, tempting him^ sought 
 
 1 7 of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their 
 thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against 
 itself is brought to desolation ; and a house divided 
 
 18 against a house falleth. And if Satan also is divided 
 against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because 
 
 19 ye say that I cast out devils by Beelzebub. And if I by 
 Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast 
 
 30 them out ? therefore shall they be your judges. But if 
 
 Some have taken this to mean ' lord of flies ' ; but Dr. Cheyne 
 shews (in Encyclopaedia Biblica) that the more probable meaning 
 is ' lord of the mansion,' that is to say, lord of the pit which is the 
 home of the demons. This meaning fits in well with the parable 
 of the strong man guarding his house or court. The malignity of 
 the accusation of sorcery now brought against Jesus shews how 
 embittered the antagonism to him had become. At the same time 
 the desperate attempt to resort to such an expedient indicates the 
 impossibility of denying the miracles, and the fear of Christ's 
 enemies that these deeds were strengthening his hold on the 
 people. 
 
 16. a sign from heaven: a flaring portent, such as fire from 
 heaven in the strange story of Elijah's destruction of the followers 
 of Baal-zebubi^seeaKingsi. 3 and 10 ff.). This story seems to have 
 been much in mind at the time, as it appears to have prompted 
 James and John to crave a like judgement on a Samaritan village 
 (ix. 54). It seems clear that the name Beelzebul is associated 
 with that of the heathen god Baal-zebub. Christ is asked to prove 
 himself no friend of the demon prince by imitating Elijah's example. 
 The suggestion is called a temptation, a real inducement to save 
 himself by an action unworthy of his character and mission. 
 
 17. knowing- their thoughts: by his power of 'second sight.' 
 They had not said all they were thinking. 
 
 and a house, &c. A more correct translation is that placed 
 by the Revisers in the margin, viz. 'and house falleth upon house,' 
 the idea being an illustration of the desolation of the kingdom just 
 mentioned. But in Mark (iii. 25) and also in Matthew (xii. 25) 
 we have a * house divided against itself,' parallel to the kingdom 
 divided against itself, and that is probably the right version 
 of our Lord's words, as he was accustomed to emphasize a truth 
 by parallel illustrations with essentially the same meaning. 
 
 18. Satan : identified with Beelzebul. 
 
 19. your sons: Jewish exorcists. 
 
ST. LUKE 11. zi-26 257 
 
 I by the finger of God cast out devils, then is the king- 
 dom of God come upon you. When the strong mafi 21 
 fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in 
 peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon 22 
 him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole 
 armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He 33 
 that is not with me is against me ; and he that gathereth 
 not with me scattereth. The unclean spirit when he is -^4 
 gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, 
 seeking rest ; and finding none, he saith, I will turn back 
 unto my house whence I came out. And when he is 25 
 come, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth 26 
 
 20. toy the finger of God : a Hebraism, Matthew (xii. 28) has 
 * by the Spirit of God.* The argument is based on the nature 
 and tendency of Christ's work. It makes for the destruction of 
 the dominion of evil ; then it cannot be done by the power of the 
 evil one. There is not that discord in the Satanic realm, for 
 if there were it would not be so strong as we see it to be. But 
 the overthrow of it by Christ will usher in the kingdom of God. 
 
 21. court: or palace. The reference is to the palace of Beelze- 
 bub, the lord of the mansion. 
 
 Z2i. tu strongfer. Christ comes as stronger than this prince of 
 demons. 
 
 his whole armour: the demons, the evil powers and in- 
 fluences by which Satan works mischief in the world. Jesus not 
 only proves himself to be no liege of Beelzebub, he is seen to 
 be the superior of the prince of demons, overcoming him, and 
 thus able to carry off the spoils of his palace. 
 
 23. There is no neutral ground in this contest between Jesus 
 and Satan. The accusation against Jesus involved a blurred 
 conception of the distinction between the powers of good and 
 evil. 
 
 24. This parable illustrates the impossibility of remaining 
 neutral. If the evil possessing a soul is cast out, but no care 
 is taken to fill the void with good — good thoughts, affections, 
 aims, occupations, the cure will be but temporary. There will 
 be nothing to resist the returning tide of evil, which will come 
 back with increased force. 
 
 waterless places: demons being supposed to haunt the 
 desert. 
 
 25. swept and garnished: made clean, decorated, refurnished ; 
 
258 ST. LUKE 11. 27-29 
 
 he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than 
 himself ; and they enter in and dwell there : and the last 
 state of that man becometh worse than the first. 
 
 27 And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain 
 woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said 
 unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the 
 
 28 breasts which thou didst suck. But he said. Yea rather, 
 blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. 
 
 39 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto 
 
 therefore the more attractive, and containing the more for the foul 
 spirits to defile and destroy. 
 
 26. dwell: a word expressing the idea of permanent abode. 
 They come to stay. 
 
 xi. 27, 28. The mother of Jesus congratulated. While Jesus is 
 saying these things, a woman in the crowd exclaims how happy 
 the mother of such a son must be. He says they rather are 
 happy who keep the word of God they hear. 
 
 This life-like incident is only found in Luke. 
 
 27. a certain woman. It has been suggested that this woman 
 was unhappy in having a son who had lapsed in the awful 
 way Jesus had just described. 
 
 Blessed, &c. It is to be remembered that the angel of the 
 Annunciation had addressed Mary as ' highly favoured ' (i. 28), 
 and that Elisabeth had said to her, * Blessed art thou among 
 women ' (i. 42). 
 
 28. Yea rather. Jesus does not deny that .his mother was 
 favoured ; but he goes on to point out that it is needless to envy 
 her, since a greater blessedness will be that of all who keep the 
 word of God. We may compare this with his saying about those 
 who are truly his mother and his brethren, viz. those who ' hear 
 the word of God, and do it' (viii. 21). 
 
 keep: lit. 'guard,' but used of keeping the law (cf. Acts vii. 
 53) in the sense of observdng its precepts so as not to violate 
 them. Therefore to keep the word is more than to treasure it in. 
 mind ; it is so to act as not to contravene its requirements. 
 
 xi. 29-32. On seeking signs. Jesus calls his generation evil 
 because it seeks after a si^n. It shall only have such a sign as 
 Jonah's for the people of Nineveh. The queen of the south who 
 came from far to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and the people of 
 Nineveh who repented, shall condemn it. 
 
ST. LUKE> 11. 30-32 259 
 
 him, he began to say, This generation is an evil genera- 
 tion : it seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be 
 given to it but the sign of Jonah. For even as Jonah 30 
 became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son 
 of man be to this generation. The queen of the south 31 
 shall rise up in the judgement with the men of this 
 generation, and shall condemn them : for she came from 
 the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; 
 and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men 32 
 
 29. This generation: an expression always used for con- 
 temporaries, never for mankind in all ages. Jesus is here 
 characterizing his own contemporaries. 
 
 seeketh after a sign : i. e. a portent, something overwhelm- 
 ing and unmistakable, to convince through the senses. Jesus 
 takes the demand for this to be a result of moral depravity. The 
 people will not be convinced by the reasonableness of what he 
 teaches, or the spiritual character of his work, because they are 
 morally obtuse. Paul says that ' Jews ask for signs* (i Cor. i. 22). 
 
 the sign of Jonah. In Matt. xii. 40 this is explained as 
 Jonah being swallowed by the fish and cast up alive, suggesting 
 Christ's burial and resurrection as a similar sign. But nothing 
 of the kind is mentioned here, and Jesus is distinctly rebuking the 
 demand for an external portent. The mission of Jonah, his power- 
 ful preaching of repentance, and warning of doom — these are the 
 causes of the penitence of Nineveh in the story of the book that 
 bears his name. Similarly the very mission of Jesus, his teaching, 
 his work, spoke for themselves, and should have convinced those 
 who were capable of appreciating them. 
 
 31. The queen of the south: the queen of Sheba. The 
 narrative is in i Kings x. 1-13. 
 
 a greater than Solomon. Observe our Lord's calm assump- 
 tion of his own paramount greatness. 
 . The two illustrations are taken from instances among the Gen- 
 tiles. Thus the very Gentiles outdo the Jews of this generation. 
 Then the queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth ; but 
 Christ's Jewish contemporaries have him already in their midst 
 without taking any journey to find him. And he is greater than 
 both the queen and the prophet. So much the more then will 
 these people of heathen lands be able to condemn by their 
 example the moral sloth and density of the Jews of his day, and 
 in a measure, it may be inferred, people of Christendom, who know 
 
 S 2 
 
26o ST. LUKE HI U^^6 
 
 of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgement with this 
 generation, and shall condemn it : for they repented at 
 the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than 
 Jonah is here. 
 
 33 No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth it in 
 a cellar, neither under the bushel, but on the stand, 
 
 34 that they which enter in may see the light. 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, 
 
 35 thy body also is full of darkness. Look therefore whether 
 
 36 the light that is in thee be not darkness. If therefore 
 
 Christ's self-evidencing character and work, and yet demand 
 external signs before they will be convinced of his claims. 
 
 xi. 33-36. The lamp and iis light. No one would light a 
 lamp merely to cover it up. It is for illumination. The eye, 
 which is the body's lamp, must be sound if there is to be clear 
 vision. Look to it that there is no darkness within. When 
 that is the case, all is as bright as though a lamp were shining 
 there, 
 
 33. This saying occurred earlier in a slightly different form 
 (viii. 16). Here it is closely connected with what immediately 
 precedes. It was the darkness in their own nature, or at all 
 events their want of soundness of vision, that led the Jews to 
 demand a sign. Had they not thus hidden the light of their own 
 spirits, they would have been able to see Christ aright and appre- 
 ciate him. 
 
 34. single: here meaning ^normal' and 'healthy.' 
 
 evil: meaning 'diseased.' We use the word ' ill,' primarily 
 meaning evil, in the same sense. The sentence refers in the first 
 instance to the bodily eye. Ophthalmia is terribly common in 
 the East, owing to dust, dirt, and the glare of light. The idea is 
 that we only perceive light with the eye ; according as that is 
 sound or diseased, we have light or darkness. Similarly there 
 is the spiritual eye. If that is not sound we are in darkness. No 
 'sign 'can then take the place of what the healthy eye of the 
 soul would see. 
 
 35. The diseased eye gives false impressions of light ; darkness 
 for real light, or perhaps the sense of flashes of light where a man 
 is actually in the dark. Similarly the spiritual vision being dis- 
 
ST. LUKE 11. r.r-^^Q 361 
 
 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. 
 
 Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to dine with 37 
 him : and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when 38 
 the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first 
 washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, 39 
 Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and 
 
 eased, conscience corrupted, the ' inner light ' is darkness, and if it 
 seems to shine only misdirects. The warning may be illustrated 
 by Keble's line — 
 
 ' Keep conscience as the noon-tide clear,' 
 
 36. thy whole body. The phrase occurred in the previous 
 verse, and the expression 'wholly full of light ' comes a little later. 
 This then is the prominent idea of the passage : a sound eye 
 giving complete illumination, and the completeness of the illu- 
 mination leaving no room for darkness. The tautology is evidently 
 designed to impress the idea the more thoroughly. It teaches 
 that with sound spiritual vision there will be no darkness at all. 
 Where that is, there will be no hesitanc}' and confusion, no 
 demand for signs to dispel doubts. 
 
 xi. 37-41. External cleansing, Jesus accepts a Pharisee's imita- 
 tion to breakfast. The host is surprised to see that his guest does 
 not first wash. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of external cleansing 
 of cups, &c., while inwardly they themselves are full of extortion. 
 How foolish to forget that the maker of the outside also made the 
 inside ! Alms should be given from these vessels, then all of 
 them would be clean. 
 
 37. as he spake: rather 'after he spoke' ; the verb is in the 
 aorist. 
 
 to dine: rather 'to breakfast.' 
 
 he sat down to meat: an old English phrase. The Greek 
 is a single word meaning to lie down or recline, 
 
 38. washed : as was customary with the Jews not only before 
 the meal but also between the courses. It became a form, irre- 
 spective of the need of cleansing. 
 
 dinner : ' breakfast,' the early morning meal. 
 
 39. Now : perhaps meaning at the present time, a modern 
 innovation in the new fashionable rigour of Pharisaism ; but more 
 naturally an exclamation : * Now 1 this is what you do.' 
 
262 ST. LUKK 11. 4o-4.'>. 
 
 of the platter ; but your inward part is full of extortion 
 
 40 and wickedness. Ye foolish ones, did not he that made 
 
 41 the outside make the inside also? Howbeit give for 
 alms those things which are within ; and behold, all 
 things are clean unto you. 
 
 43 But woe unto you Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and 
 rue and every herb, and pass over judgement and the 
 love of God : but these ought ye to have done, and not 
 
 43 to leave the other undone. Woe unto you Pharisees ! 
 for ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the 
 
 the OTLtside of tlie cup, &c. : the less important side of the 
 cup and plate, that not containing food, is cleansed. 
 
 your inward pa,rt: the more important part of the man, his 
 inside, is not cleansed. 
 
 extortion. Note the specially defiling sin Jesus selects for 
 mention. 
 
 40. Is not the creator of these material things also the creator 
 of souls ? Then the\' too should be kept clean for him. 
 
 41. Give for alms, &c. A difficult saying, variously in- 
 terpreted. Perhaps Godet's explanation is best. He taker 'those 
 things which are within ' to mean the contents of the cups. 
 Instead of being so particular in cleansing the outside, give their 
 contents to the poor. That will be the opposite to the defilement 
 of extortion. 
 
 and behold, &c. The true way to keep your vessels clean 
 is not to wash them scrupulously, but to use them for charitj'. 
 When that is so, they are all clean morally, i. e. are all free from 
 sinful use, all consecrated to the service of brotherly kindness. 
 
 xi. 42-44, Condeinnaiion of iJie Pharisees. Woe to the Pharisees, 
 since they are scrupulous on pett^' details and neglect higher 
 duties. Woe to them for their pretensions. Their real nature is 
 as unseen as tombs that men walk over v^'ithout observing them. 
 
 42. ye tithe mint, &c. As though these small herbs produced 
 a harvest for which the law required tithing, so ostentatiousl3' 
 scrupulous in petty details were these Pharisees. 
 
 judgement. The use of t!iis word here is a Hebraism, meaning 
 the discrimination between right and wrong. 
 
 tl5.e love of God: required by the law, in what a lawyer had 
 .acknowledged to be the primary commandment x. 27, 
 
 43. the chief seats : in the form of a semicircular bench on 
 
ST. LUKE 11. 44-47 263 
 
 salutations in the marketplaces. Woe unto you ! for ye 44 
 are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that 
 walk over them know it not. 
 
 And one of the lawyers answering saith unto him, 45 
 Master, in saying this thou reproachest us also. And he 4^ 
 said, Woe unto you lawyers also ! for ye lade men with 
 burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch 
 not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto 47 
 you ! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your 
 
 a dai's facing the congregation, similar to the seats occupied by 
 the elders in the apse of an ancient Christian basilica. 
 
 44. tom'bs wMch. appear not. Here the idea is the corruption 
 of the Pharisees, which the people do not suspect. In Matthew 
 f^xxiii. 27) the illustration takes another form : the Pharisees are 
 whited sepulchres, outwardly fair but inwardly 'full of dead men's 
 bones, and of all uncleanness.' 
 
 xi. 45-54. Condemnation of the lawyers. One of the lawyers 
 confesses that what Jesus is saying of the Pharisees touches his 
 own class also. Jesus then denounces the lawyers for .'aying on 
 the people obligations they will not accept for themselves, and for 
 building tombs for the prophets their fathers killed. The wisdom 
 of God declares how they ill treat the Divine messengers sent to 
 them. Their accumulated guilt of murder will reap its doom in 
 the present generation. These lawyers keep the key of know- 
 ledge without using it themselves, while debarring others from 
 using it. The effect of these denunciations is seen in the angry 
 attitude of the scribes and Pharisees. 
 
 45. one of the lawyers. See note on x. 25. 
 reproacliest : rather 'insultest.' Elsewhere it is rendered 
 
 ' shamefully entreated ' (xviii. 32 ; Acts xiv. 5). 
 
 46. biirdens grievons to be borne. The reference is to the 
 practice of the Rabbis in 'fencing the law,' i. e. guarding against 
 any infringement of it by means of a fastidious casuistr}-- which 
 made quite innocent actions constructively illegal, and b}' forcing 
 the attention of scrupulous people to innumerable details — Phari- 
 saic by-laws added by tradition to the written Torah. 
 
 ye yourselves, &c. They had ways of evading the rules 
 they laid on their subser\'ient disciples. The ' Corban' is an illus- 
 tration of this conduct applied even to the law itself (see Mark 
 vii. 11). 
 
 47. and yonr fathers killed them. The implied point of this 
 
264 ST. LUKE 11. 48-51 
 
 48 fathers killed them. So ye are witnesses and consent 
 unto the works of your fathers : for they killed them, and 
 
 49 ye build their tombs. Therefore also said the wisdom of 
 God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles ; and 
 
 50 sojJie of them they shall kill and persecute ; that the 
 blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the 
 foundation of the world, may be required of this genera- 
 
 51 tion ; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, 
 
 is that these lawyers were true children of their wicked parents, 
 practising the same wickedness at all events in spirit and in- 
 tention. Their murderous hatred of Christ, the Prophet of their 
 own days, was a proof of this. The hypocrisy of the class of men 
 to which they belonged was seen in their apparently honouring 
 the dead while they persecuted the living. Really they were 
 completing the work of the ancient murderers^ and their tomb- 
 building is to be regarded in that light. 
 
 49. the ■wisdom of God. Three explanations of this phrase 
 have been offered, (i) That Jesus means himself, as the words that 
 follow are given in Matthew (xxiii. 34^ as his own words. But 
 neither Jesus nor apostolic tradition ever use the words as a title 
 for our Lord. (2) That we have here a reference to some Jewish 
 book bearing the title The Wisdom of God. If so, how could the 
 words be ascribed to Jesus himself in the other Gospel ? No trace 
 of any such book can be found. Moreover, if Jesus were quoting 
 from a book, it would be more in accordance with custom for him 
 to say ' it is written ' in this book, than that this book ' says,' &c. 
 Still this explanation must be allowed as possible. (3) That 
 Jesus means the Divine wisdom speaking through providence and 
 prophecy. The personification of wisdom would be familiar to 
 readers of the Book of Proverbs. Jesus has already personified 
 wisdom in saying 'Wisdom is justified of all her children ' (vii. 35). 
 On the whole, this seems to be the least difficult interpretation. 
 
 prophets and apostles. Matthew (xxiii. 34) has ' prophets, 
 and wise men, and scribes.* 
 
 50. A general but positive prediction of the approaching doom 
 of the Jews, which came about forty years later in the destruction 
 of Jerusalem by the Romans. 
 
 51. Zachariah. This is Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the 
 priest, whose murder in the temple is described in 2 Chronicles 
 xxiv. 20, 21, not Zachariah the prophet, the 'son of Barachiah,' as 
 stated in Matthew xxiii. 35, probably by a slip of memory on the 
 part of the evangelist. The books of Chronicles coming last in the 
 
ST. LUKE 11. 52—12. T 265 
 
 who perished between the altar and the sanctuary : yea, 
 I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. 
 Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of 52 
 knowledge : ye entered not in yourselves, and them that 
 were entering in ye hindered. 
 
 And when he was come out from thence, the scribes 53 
 and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, 
 and to provoke him to speak of many things ; laying wait 54 
 for him, to catch something out of his mouth. 
 
 In the mean time, when the many thousands of the 12 
 
 Hebrew canon as Genesis comes first, these two murders appear 
 at the beginning and the end of the Jewish Bible. 
 
 52. took away the key of knowledg'c : by refusing the right 
 of the people to interpret the Scriptures for themselves. 
 
 hindered: by artificial explanations of Scripture and 
 traditional additions to it. 
 
 53. to press upon: lit. 'to hold in.' The pronoun 'him' is not in 
 the Greek. Some object should be supplied. Possibly the phrase 
 means ' to bear a grudge ' ; but more probably ' to hold in mind,* 
 i.e. to brood and plot, making the subject one of grave concern. 
 
 to provoke him to speak : ///. ' to draw from his mouth ' ; 
 a phrase used for dictating what is to be recited, as in a school 
 lesson. These men would put words into the mouth of Jesus, 
 and compel him to speak to his own condemnation, if that were 
 possible. 
 
 xii. 1-12, Fear to be conquered by trust. At a time when the 
 crowd is most numerous and crushing, Jesus addresses his 
 disciples first of all, warning them against hypocrisy as the leaven 
 of the Pharisees, and telling them that whatever is hidden wiU 
 eventually come to light. They who kill the body are not to be 
 feared : only he who can afterwards cast into Gehenna is to be 
 feared. God does not even neglect sparrows, cheap as they are ; 
 and he counts the very hairs of our head. They who confess 
 Christ will be owned by him, and only they. Calumny against 
 the Son of man will be forgiven, but not blasphemy against the 
 Holy Spirit. When brought before the authorities, the disciples 
 are not to be anxious about their defence. The Holy Spirit will 
 teach them at the time what they should sa}'. 
 
 1. the many thousands : lit. ' the myriads/ tens of thousands : 
 a hyperbolical expression for vast crowds. 
 
266 ST. LUKE 12. 2-5 
 
 multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they 
 trode one upon another, he began to say unto his 
 disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the 
 
 2 Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing 
 covered up, that shall not be revealed : and hid, that 
 
 3 shall not be known. Wherefore whatsoever ye have 
 said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and 
 what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers 
 
 4 shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say 
 unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them which kill 
 the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 
 
 5 But I will warn you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, 
 
 his disciples : as distinguished from the general public. 
 
 first of all. These disciples are addressed in the first instance. 
 
 the leaven of tlie Pharisees : the unconsciously received 
 infection of hypocrisy. In Mark (viii, 15) this warning is given 
 on an occasion when the disciples liave forgotten to take bread, 
 and to it is joined a warning against the leaven of Herod. The 
 image of leaven is usually employed to illustrate some bad in- 
 fluence. A moral cleansing is a purging out of leaven like that 
 which takes place in a Jewish house just before the passover. 
 Thus Paul writes, 'Purge out the old leaven' (i Cor. v. 7). 
 Dr. Plummer observes that the Roman official, the Flamen Dialis^ 
 was not allowed to touch leaven. 
 
 2, 3. H^'pocrisy is useless as well as wrong. In the end its 
 secrets will be proclaimed abroad. The double life is a delusion. 
 
 inner chambers. Store- chambers were so named ; but here 
 manifestly the allusion is to private rooms, such as the chambers 
 with the shut door which Jesus recommends for praj'er. 
 
 4. Be not afraid. In the gathering opposition to himself just 
 described (xi. 53, 54), Jesus sees the certainty that his followers 
 also will be persecuted. This may be connected with what pre- 
 cedes by the idea that fear tempts to hypocris}'. 
 
 5. whom ye ehall fear. Strangely enough, opinions are 
 di\nded as to who this is. some saying ' God,' others ' Satan.* In 
 favour of the latter view is the fact that Jesus immediately after- 
 wards encourages trust in God with a calm assurance that He will 
 take care of us. Nowhere else does he directly recommend the 
 fear of God. That idea is more of the O.T. teaching. On the 
 other hand, there are good reasons for concluding that our Lord 
 
ST. LUKE 12. r,-To 267 
 
 which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell ; 
 yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows 6 
 sold for two farthings ? and not one of them is forgotten 
 in the sight of God. But the very hairs of your head 7 
 are all numbered. Fear not : ye are of more value than 
 many sparrows. And I say unto you, Every one who 8 
 shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man 
 also confess before the angels of God : but he that 9 
 denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in 
 the presence of the angels of God. And every one who 10 
 shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be 
 
 does mean God here, not Satan, (i ; The form of expression is 
 changed. The disciples were told not to be afraid 'of those who 
 kill the body, a preposition being used. But no such preposition 
 is used in the second case. It is not to be ' afraid of but simpl}' 
 to 'fear.' (2) Jesus nowhere else teaches us to fear Satan. He 
 is to be fought and conquered. Our Lord had quite recentlj' 
 rejoiced in his fall (x. 18). (3"* Jesus nowhere else teaches that 
 Satan has authority to cast into Gehenna, or any authority what- 
 ever that deserves to be recognized. After all, there is a fear of 
 God, not slavish, but serious, that Christianity requires as truly 
 as the Hebrew faith required it. 
 
 liell : ' Gehenna,' the Jewish name for that part of Hades in 
 which sinful souls were cast for punishment previous to the final 
 judgement. The name is derived from the valley of Hinnom, which 
 had been desecrated by the cruel rites of Molech (Jer. xxxii. 35), 
 and afterwards used as a place for burning the cit^' offal from 
 Jenisalem. 
 
 6. five sparrows, &c. Matthew (x. 29) has ' two sparrows sold 
 for a farthing.' 
 
 farthing's : better ' pence,' as nearer the value of the coin, 
 which is the assnrion. Jesus here teaches a truth important on 
 its own account, viz. that God cares for the animal creation, even 
 small birds of the commonest sort, not one of which can be wan- 
 tonly hurt vdthout His noting it. But much more does He care 
 for His children. 
 
 8. before the r.ng-els of God : when Jesus shall come again 
 attended by angels, as he says earlier ux. 26), where we have 
 a warning similar to that given here. 
 
 10. This difficult saying is stated even more strongly in Matthew 
 (xii. 31, 32) and Mark (iii. 28, 29}, where the unpardonable sin 
 
268 ST. LUKE 12. ri-14 
 
 forgiven him : but unto him that blasphemeth against 
 
 r T the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. And when they 
 
 bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the 
 
 authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, 
 
 12 or what ye shall say : for the Holy Spirit shall teach you 
 in that very hour what ye ought to say. 
 
 13 And one out of the multitude said unto him, Master, 
 
 14 bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. But 
 
 is directly connected with the calumny that Jesus cast out evil 
 spirits by the aid of Beelzebub. Here it is a detached utterance. 
 The distinction seems to be this : to speak against the Son of man 
 is to say evil of Jesus as a person seen in the world, but not really 
 understood and appreciated ; to blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to 
 rail against the light within and deny the divine and good in our 
 own conscience. The first is pardonable ; the second is un- 
 pardonable. 
 
 11. syuagfogues: Jewish local courts, presided over by the 
 local elders. 
 
 the nQers, and the authorities: higher powers than the 
 synagogues, such as the Jewish chief council, called the Sanhedrin, 
 and the law courts of Herod and the Roman government. 
 
 how or what : * how ' — the manner, * what' — the matter. 
 
 what ye shall say : i. e. in self-defence. 
 
 12. in that very hour : i. e. when the trial is proceeding. 
 These words do not refer to the question of preparation for public 
 teaching. They are to save simple, ignorant peasants from Ihe 
 tremors of nervousness when confronted with legal proceedings. 
 
 xii. 13-21. Oit covetotisncss, illustrated by the rich fool. A man 
 in the crowd appeals to Jesus to tell his brother to divide an in- 
 heritance with him. Our Lord disclaims the position of a judge 
 in such matters, and then warns the people against covetousness, 
 with the illustration of a rich man whose land brings him in such 
 an abundant harvest that he is perplexed to know what to do 
 with all his property, till it occurs lo him to build himself larger 
 barns. Now he thinks he can live at his ease. But that very 
 night he receives his death-summons. Such is the man who lays 
 up treasures for himself, and is not rich with reference to God. 
 
 13. one out of the multitude: not a disciple, but somebody 
 who wished to make use of the influence of Jesus to improve his 
 own worldly condition. 
 
 bid my brother. He does not even consult Jesus as to the 
 
ST. LUKE 12. 15-20 269 
 
 he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a 
 divider over you? And he said unto them. Take heed, 15 
 and keep yourselves from all covetousness : for a man's 
 life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which 
 he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, 16 
 saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth 
 plentifully : and he reasoned within himself, saying. What 17 
 shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my 
 fruits ? And he said. This will I do : I will pull down 18 
 my barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all 
 my corn and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 19 
 Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; 
 take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said 20 
 unto him. Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul 
 
 justice of his claim ; he boldly asks our Lord to interfere on his 
 own side of the family quarrel. 
 
 14. wlio made me a judg'e, &c. Jesus repudiates the position 
 of a secular judge. He had not come to settle affairs of property, 
 
 15. said unto them. What follows is addressed to the people 
 generally. 
 
 all covetousness. This seems to imply that Jesus denied 
 the man's claim to a share of the inheritance, perhaps on the 
 ground that a mere demand for equality is not to override a legal 
 settlement, for, strictly speaking, covetousness is the greed that 
 desires what is another's. Thus the tenth commandment forbids 
 coveting * any thing that is thy neighbour's' (Exod. xx. 17). But 
 the intention of Jesus goes deeper, as the parable of the Rich Fool 
 shews. He warns against all covetousness, including the greed 
 for what may be called our own by right, against all eager desire 
 for selfish ownership. 
 
 for a man's life, &c. : lit. *• for not in any one's abundance is 
 his life [drawn] from the things he possesses/ i. e. by having 
 abundance a man cannot sustain his life with his possessions. 
 Similarly Jesus says * the Hfe is more than the food' (verse 23). 
 
 16. a certain rich man. He is rich already; then comes 
 increase of wealth. 
 
 17. my fruits. Observe the frequent recurrence of 'my' in 
 the following sentences. The man is a supreme egoist. 
 
 20> thy soul. The Greek word for ' soul ' means also ' life.' 
 
270 ST. LUKE 12. 21,23 
 
 required of thee; and the things which thou hast pre- 
 pared, whose shall they be? So is he that layeth up 
 treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 
 
 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto 
 you. Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat \ 
 
 is . . . required: ///. ' they are demanding,' an impressive phrase, 
 designedly vague. Who are 'they'? We may think of the 
 angels of death ; but perhaps the indefinite idea of the powers 
 and influences about us is meant, as in verse 48, where we read 
 * to whom ihey commit much.' 
 
 21. for himself: not merely as earthly and material; self- 
 seeking of all kinds is condemned. 
 
 riclx toward God: with regard to God in the godward 
 relations of life. 
 
 xii. 22-34. Anxiety. Jesus now addresses his disciples, bidding 
 them not to be anxious for their life in matters of food and cloth- 
 ing, since the life is greater than such things. God feeds the 
 ravens, who make no provision for themselves. Anxiety will not 
 prolong a man's life. Lilies do not toil at spinning ; yet they are 
 more splendid than Solomon in all his fine array. God, who 
 thus clothes the perishing grass, will certainly not do less for 
 us. Anxiety about food must not be. It is heathenish. Our 
 Father knows our need. If His kingdom is primarily sought 
 after, the rest will follow. There is no need to fear. God will 
 give us His kingdom. Earthly riches should be given to the poor, 
 and imperishable riches sought ; for the heart is where the 
 treasure is. 
 
 22. Ms disciples: as distinguished from the general public 
 addressed in the previous section. 
 
 Therefore : as a deduction from the story of the Rich Fool. 
 Luke, as usual, thus gives the occasion of words of Christ. In 
 Matthew the following sayings appear as part of the Sermon on 
 the Mount. 
 
 Be not anxious : not 'Take no thought,' as in the A. V. Jesus 
 is not recommending heedlessness ; he is discouraging vexing cares. 
 That was a sense of the word ' thought ' when our Bible was 
 translated. Thus Lord Bacon tells of an alderman on the verge 
 of bankruptcy who 'died with thought and anguish.' Since we 
 have lost that meaning, the use of the word 'thought' is misleading 
 here. 
 
 life; or 'soul,' the same Greek word as that rendered soul in 
 verses 19, 20. This does not mean the higher nature, the spirit, 
 but either the self or the animal life. Tlie reference to the ravens 
 
ST. LUKE 12. 23-38 271 
 
 nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. For the 23 
 life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. 
 Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap ; 24 
 which have no store-chamber nor barn ; and God feedeth 
 them : of how much more value are ye than the birds ! 
 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit 25 
 unto his stature? If then ye are not able to do even 26 
 that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the 
 rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow : they toil not, 27 
 neither do they spin ; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon 
 in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But 28 
 if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day 
 is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven ; how much more 
 
 being fed, and so having their lives preserved, shews that such is 
 the meaning here. Jesus discourages anxiety about the means of 
 a livelihood. 
 
 33. life : or ' soul,' again, but with the limitations*just men- 
 tioned. It is not that as an immortal soul man is greater than his 
 food and clothing, but that even his earthly life and all it involves 
 are superior to these things. The parallelism, with the body in 
 the next clause shews that this present, lower life is meant. 
 
 24. ravens : a generic word for the crow tribe, including rooks, 
 jackdaws, &c. 
 
 25. a cubit : about half a yard. 
 
 his statixre : better, as in margin of R. V., ' his age.' A 
 cubit is too great an addition to a man's height to serve as an 
 illustration of a little thing that cannot be effected by anxiety. 
 The word rendered ' stature ' is plainly used for age in some 
 other places, e. g. ' He is of age ' (John ix. 21, 23). 
 
 27. lilies. Probably this name here stands for the scarlet 
 anemones {anemone coronaria), that light up the hills of Palestine 
 with flames of colour in spring-time, or perhaps generally for the 
 many flowers of that season. 
 
 Solomon in all his glory. According to Jewish tradition, 
 even Solomons servants were clad in purple, and their hair was 
 sprinkled with gold-dust. 
 
 28. clothe the grass. The idea is that the flowers growing in 
 the grass clothe it with beauty. 
 
 wast into the oven. Grass and flowers, that spring up 
 luxuriantly in Palestine after the rains, are rapidly withered in the 
 
2J2 ST. LUKE 12. 39-33 
 
 39 shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith ? And seek not ye 
 what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye 
 
 30 of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations 
 of the world seek after : but your Father knoweth that 
 
 31 ye have need of these things. Howbeit seek ye his 
 kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. 
 
 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure 
 
 33 to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give 
 alms ; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, 
 a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief 
 
 drought and heat of early summer ; and then in the scarcity of 
 other fuel they are available for the oven fires. 
 
 29. of doubtful mind: a word meaning primarily *to be 
 elated,' as one lifted into mid-air; then to *be unsteady and 
 waver,' which is evidently the sense here. The reference seems 
 to be to the weary, hesitating, vacillating condition of anxiety. 
 
 30. tlie nations of tlie world : the heathen, who are ignorant 
 of God's fatherly care, and are not alive to the higher aims of life. 
 This low, sordid anxiety is thus doubly heathenish — in its want of 
 trust, and in its supreme concern for earthly things. 
 
 your Pather: whom you know, who treats you as His 
 children, in distinction from the case of the nations that are 
 ignorant of these privileges. 
 
 knoweth that ye have need of these things. Jesus does 
 not teach an impossible Stoicism. He bases his rebuke of anxiety 
 on the fact that God recognizes our wants. 
 
 31. seek ye his kingrdom. Sordid anxiety hinders this pursuit, 
 and therefore it must be checked. Then this pursuit is the anti- 
 dote to sordid anxiety. He who gives the first place in his aims 
 to the kingdom of God will not have room for the lower cares. 
 
 these thing's shall he added: not treated as unnecessary, 
 but put in the second place. 
 
 32. Only found in Luke. 
 
 little flock. Jesus had described the Seventy as * lambs in 
 the midst of wolves ' (x. 3) . Now as their Shepherd he cheers 
 his flock. It is Mittle,' though crowds press about him, for he 
 knows the true disciples to be but few. 
 
 33. Sell, &c. : sell the property and distribute the proceeds 
 among the poor. 
 
 purses which wax not old : lasting treasure. 
 
 a treasure in the heavens : not for the future after death 
 
ST. LUKE 12. 34^38 273 
 
 draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. For where your 3-4 
 treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
 
 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps 35 
 burning ; and be ye yourselves like unto men looking 36 
 for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage 
 feast ; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may 
 straightway open unto him. Blessed are those servants, 37 
 whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching : 
 verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and 
 make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve 
 them. And if he shall come in the second watch, and 38 
 
 only, but now possessed, i.e. treasure that is in God's safe 
 keeping — this is the treasure of him who is 'rich towards God' 
 (verse 21). 
 
 xii. 35-40. On being always ready. Christ's people are to be 
 like servants ready and watching for their master's return. He 
 himself will serve such servants. If a householder knew when 
 the robber was coming, he would have been on the watch. 
 Christ's people are to be ready, as he will come unexpectedly. 
 
 35. girded. The loose flowing clothes formerly worn by the 
 Jews, such as are now used in Syria, needed to be drawn together 
 and held up to allow freedom of movement. 
 
 lamps buriiiug' : more fully illustrated in the parable of the 
 Virgins (Matt. xxv. 1-13). 
 
 36. tlie marriag-e feast. The master is not regarded as the 
 bridegroom, but as a guest returning home after the festivities 
 are over. In Mark's parallel narrative the wedding illustration 
 does not appear, and there the master is a man who goes on 
 a long journey (Mark xiii. 34). 
 
 37. Jesus here describes an unusual act of condescension and 
 kindness, which he illustrates later by washing his own disciples' 
 feet rjohn xiii. i-ii). Elsewhere he describes the normal course 
 which is the opposite to this, even tired servants having to wait 
 on their master (see xvii. 7-10). That is to shew that we have 
 no claim for more. Here Jesus teaches that his own generosity 
 will exceed claims and customs. 
 
 38. tlie second watch, and . . . the third. The Roman 
 reckoning divided the night into four watches, the Jewish into 
 three. As no fourth watch is mentioned here, it would seem 
 that the Jewish division is intended, i. e. 12 to 3 and 3 to 6. 
 
 T 
 
-^ ST. LUKE 12. 39-41 
 
 if in the third, and find f/iem so, blessed are those 
 
 39 servants. But know this, that if the master of the house 
 had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would 
 have watched, and not have left his house to be broken 
 
 40 through. Be ye also ready : for in an hour that ye think 
 not the Son of man cometh. 
 
 41 And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto 
 
 39. know this: rather 'you know this/ according to our 
 Lord's custom of appealing for analogies to what was familiar 
 and indisputable. 
 
 the master of the house : a change of illustration. First we 
 had a master surprising his servants ; now we have a householder 
 surprised by a thief. This increases the emphasis of the lesson. 
 The master was expected at some time, but the thief not at 
 all ; the result of negligence in the first case would be confusion 
 and inconvenience, in the second, serious loss. 
 
 to toe toroken througrh : iit. * dug through ' ; the idea being 
 of mud walls that the robber can dig through — a method of house- 
 breaking known in the East to-day. It may seem strange that our 
 Lord should describe himself under the image of a robber. But 
 in the Revelation we meet with the idea of his coming as a thief 
 (Rev. iii. 3, xvi. 15), and of the day of the Lord coming as 
 a thief in the night (i Thess. v. 2). This is a good instance 
 of the rule that parables are not to be pressed in their details, 
 as though all of these were allegorical. The only notion common 
 to the illustration and the fact illustrated is a sudden surprise. 
 
 40. the Son of man cometh: our Lord's return, which he 
 frequentl}' refers to. It may be that this points to a great final 
 judgement, as in ix. 26. But it really happens with each individual 
 when he has his ow^n summons. 
 
 xii. 41-48. Faithful stewardship and the reverse. Peter asks 
 if this lesson is only for the Twelve, or for all. Jesus answers 
 by a question as to who is the faithful steward that provides for 
 the household. Such a man will be promoted. But if that 
 servant misconduct himself, presuming on his master's long 
 absence, the master will appear suddenly and punish him severely. 
 Punishment will be according to knowledge. 
 
 41. Peter: so frequently forward to speak for his brethren, 
 us : the Twelve. In Mark (xiii. 37) Christ's words primarily 
 
 addressed to his disciples are made universal : ' What I say unto 
 you I say unto all, Watch.' 
 
ST. LUKE 12. 42-47 275 
 
 us, or even unto all? And the Lord said, Who then is 42 
 the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set 
 over his household, to give them their portion of food in 
 due season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord 43 
 when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say 44 
 unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 
 But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth 45 
 his coming ; and shall begin to beat the menservants and 
 the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be 
 drunken ; the lord of that servant shall come in a day 46 
 when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth 
 not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion 
 with the unfaithful. And that servant, which knew his 47 
 
 42. Who then? Jesus does not directly answer Peter's 
 question. But his own question throws the responsibility of 
 answering it for themselves back on his disciples. 
 
 faithful : morally true to his trust. 
 
 wise: intelligently thoughtful and apt in the discharge of 
 his duties. 
 
 steward : the house-steward, a superior slave left in charge 
 of the household. 
 
 to give them their portion, &c. It is the duty of this upper 
 servant to make due provision for all the lower servants, assigning 
 to each his rightful share. By analogy this was primarily the 
 duty of the apostles, who had illustrated their spiritual functions 
 in distributing the loaves and fishes among the multitude ; and 
 then it applies to the Christian ministry and to all Christians who 
 are called to minister to their fellow Christians, to young children, 
 the poor, the ignorant, &c. 
 
 43. that servant: or slave; the steward, though in an office 
 of trust, is a slave. 
 
 so doing ; i. e. distributing the food to the household. 
 
 44. Promotion, not release, is the reward of fidelity. This is 
 illustrated in the parable of the Pounds (xix. 17), 
 
 46. cut him asunder: the literal meaning of the Greek word, 
 which is not known to be used in any other sense elsewhere ; 
 and yet the 'portion with the unfaithful' the man is to have 
 seems to imply that he is still alive. Probably therefore here the 
 word means 'cut hira up' with violent scourging. 
 
 47. that servanti which . . . made not ready : not the wicked 
 
 T 2 
 
276 ST. LUKE 12. 48-50 
 
 lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his 
 
 48 will, shall be beaten with many stripes \ but he that knew 
 not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten 
 with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, 
 of him shall much be required : and to whom they 
 commit much, of him will they ask the more. 
 
 49 I came to cast fire upon the earth ; and what will I, if 
 so it is already kindled ? But I have a baptism to be 
 
 baptized with ; and how am I straitened till it be accom- 
 
 steward just described, but a servant who does not fulfil the 
 requirement of verse 36, This passage teaches a gradation of 
 punishment according to knowledge. Ignorant people and the 
 heathen will have lighter punishment than unfaithful enlightened 
 inhabitants of Christendom. 
 
 48. they : a vague impersonal form. See note on verse 20. 
 commit: and entrust, as to stewards; not 'given/ as in 
 
 the previous clause. 
 
 the more. An increase is expected in this case, as in the 
 parable of the Pounds. 
 
 xii. 49-53. Coming troubles. Jesus speaks ^f himself as 
 oppressed at the idea of the future until it is ac^ plished. The 
 trouble is that his coming into the world will be a cause of family 
 divisions. 
 
 49. to cast fire. In Matthew (x. 34, the parallel is *to cast a 
 sword.' The word ' fire * is very emphatic. The sentence might 
 run, ' Fire is what I came to cast.' The effect of Christ's advent 
 into the world is to be a conflagration— trouble, disaster, destruc- 
 tion. John the Baptist had predicted the baptism of fire and the 
 burning up of the chaff. But neither idea seems appropriate 
 here. The fire is equivalent to the sword, the fire of war, that 
 which causes divisions. 
 
 50. a baptism : some future baptism which is yet near at hand. 
 The idea of being plunged in rivers of distress, or overwhelmed 
 with waves of trouble, is not probable, as the word is always used 
 in the N. T. in a religious sense for som.e act of purification or con- 
 secration. Jesus means that he has a crisis of fresh consecration 
 to go through, no doubt thinking of his agony and crucifixion 
 in that light. 
 
 how am I straitened. The word rendered * straitened ' is 
 that used by Paul where he says, ' I am in a strait betwixt the 
 two' (Phil. i. 23). It indicates a sense of constraint, and is 
 also used by Paul in the sentence, ' the love of Christ constraineth 
 
ST. LUKE 12. 51-54 277 
 
 plished I Think ye that I am come to give peace in the 51 
 earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division : for there 52 
 shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three 
 against two, and two against three. They shall be divided, 53 
 father against son, and son against father ; mother against 
 daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law 
 against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against 
 her mother in law. 
 
 And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see 54 
 
 us' (2 Cor. V. 14). Jesus feels under a constraint till the great 
 crisis is passed. 
 
 51. Z tell you, Nay. This is in apparent contradiction to 
 the angels' song, which Luke recorded earlier in his Gospel, 
 'On earth peace,' &c. (ii. 14). Jesus is evidently discouraging 
 the popular idea that the coming of the Messiah would immediately 
 bring in a reign of universal peace, 
 
 rather division. The immediate effect of the coming of 
 Christ was discord. This he foresaw. The story of the Christians 
 during the next three centuries verified his words. During all 
 that period they were more or less liable to persecution. 
 
 52. Family divisions, such as are seen now when one member 
 of a Jewish family becomes Christian ; the same divisions occur 
 in Mussulman and Hindoo families as the immediate results of 
 successful missionary v/ork. With sadness Jesus foretold that 
 such would be the case. This was the fire he was casting on 
 the earth (verse 49). 
 
 53. The five mentioned in the previous verse as divided three 
 against two are here described. Father, son, mother, daughter, 
 son's wife. The six words represent five persons, because the 
 mother of the son and daughter is also the mother-in-law of the son's 
 wife. It is a family of husband and wife, son and his wife, and 
 daughter. The division described suggests the two men quarrel- 
 ling together, and the elder woman quarrelling with the two 
 younger women. Christianity as a new movement chiefly won 
 the young. We may suppose therefore that the father and mother 
 retain their prejudices, and are bitter against their converted 
 children. 
 
 xii. 54-59. 77?^ sign of the age and its significayice. People 
 recognize weather signs, yet they cannot see the significance of 
 what is happening in the human world. If they saw it, this should 
 lead them to seek reconciliation of enmities before it was too late. 
 
 54. to the mvatitwdes. Apparently after addressing what went 
 
278 ST. LUKE 12. 55-59 
 
 a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There 
 
 55 Cometh a shower ; and so it cometh to pass. And when 
 ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a 
 
 56 scorching heat ; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, 
 ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and 
 the heaven ; but how is it that ye know not how to 
 
 57 interpret this time ? And why even of yourselves judge 
 
 58 ye not what is right ? For as thou art going with thine 
 adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence 
 to be quit of him; lest haply he hale thee unto the 
 judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, 
 
 59 and the officer shall cast thee into prison. I say unto 
 thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou 
 have paid the very last mite. 
 
 before to his own disciples, Jesus speaks what follows to the crowd. 
 But as there is no mark of connexion, this maj' have occurred on 
 quite another occasion ; in either case it was a public utterance. 
 in the west : from the Mediterranean. 
 
 55. a south wind : from the hot deserts of Arabia. 
 
 56. hypocrites. Their discernment in mere matters of the 
 weather shews that they have the inteUigence they might use 
 for graver signs if they cared to do so. Their professed inabihty 
 to understand is unreal. They could understand if they would. 
 
 interpret : rather ' test.' The word is used for examining and 
 trying, e.g. 'I go to prove them ' (xiv. 19) ; also see i Corinthians 
 iii. 13, &c. 
 
 this time : lit. ' this season,' this present crisis. Cf. xix. 44, 
 ^ Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation,' where this 
 ignorance is treated as a cause of ruin, and therefore as culpable. 
 It ought not to have been found in them, 
 
 57. even of yourselves : i. e. even apart from signs, you ought 
 to be able to judge what is right. 
 
 58. as thou art going- : even when on the road to the court- 
 house, though at the very last moment. 
 
 the officer : the praefor, whose duty it was to record a debt 
 after the judge had decided on it. 
 
 prison : the word used by Peter where he refers to ' spirits 
 in prison' (i Pet. iii. 19). 
 
 59. mite : the leptoH, the smallest coin. Matthew (v. 26) has 
 * farthing ' ^guadratts) = two mites. 
 
ST. LUKE 13. 1-3 279 
 
 Now there were some present at that very season 13 
 which told him of the GaHlseans, whose blood Pilate had 
 mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered and _> 
 said unto them, Think ye that these Galilseans were 
 sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have 
 suffered these things ? I tell you, Nay : but, except 3 
 
 The first meaning of this saying lies on its surface. This was 
 no time for unreconciled quarrels. Before the approaching crisis 
 they should be made up, or it would be too late. Dr. Plummer 
 quotes from the Talmud : ' The offences between man and God 
 the Day of Atonement doth atone for. The offences between 
 man and his neighbour the Day of Atonement atoneth for only 
 when he hath agreed with his neighbour.* In Matthew (v. 25, 26) 
 the saying appears as part of the Sermon on the Mount, shewing 
 how Christ extends the sixth commandment. There it deals 
 with human relations, between a man and his neighbour. So 
 probably it does here. Still our Lord may also have wished us 
 to see in it a secondary reference when we use it as a parable 
 of our relations to God's law and its requirements. But this must 
 not be pressed, as he does not so apply it. 
 
 xiii. 1-5. Supposed significance of disasters. Jesus being 
 informed of Pilate's slaughter of Galilseans, replies that these 
 were not exceptionally wicked men, nor were those on whom 
 the tower in Siloam fell. His hearers will have as bad a fate 
 unless they repent. This is only in Luke. 
 
 1. there were . . . present: rather * there came.' 
 
 at that very season: just after Jesus had been speaking 
 of punishment (xii. 58, 59). 
 
 the Galilseans. There is no other record of this incident. 
 The insurrection of Judas of Galilee, described by Josephus {Ant. 
 xviii. I. i), which some have thought to be referred to here, 
 occurred nearly a quarter of a century earlier (a. d. 6). Evidently 
 something that has just happened is now reported to our Lord. 
 The turbulence of the Galilaeans was well known, and Josephus 
 mentions several horrible massacres. So this incident is quite 
 in accordance v/ith the events of the age. It has been suggested 
 that perhaps this was the occasion of the arrest of Barabbas. 
 
 2. Think ye, &c. It was the popular idea that exceptional 
 calamities were the punishment of exceptional wickedness. This 
 was the notion of Job's comforters. It appears in John's 
 narrative of a man born blind (John ix. 2). 
 
 3. A grave turn in the conversation, and quite unexpected by 
 
28o ST. LUKE 13. 4-7 
 
 4 ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. Or those 
 eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed 
 them, think ye that they were offenders above all the 
 
 5 men that dwell in Jerusalem ? I tell you, Nay : but, 
 except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 
 
 6 And he spake this parable ; A certain man had a fig 
 tree planted in his vineyard ; and he came seeking fruit 
 
 7 thereon, and found none. And he said unto the vine- 
 
 the gossips who had come with their tale of the destruction of 
 other people. Jesus does not say these Gahlaeans were innocent. 
 He warns his hearers of their own danger. 
 
 I tell you, Nay. Jesus repudiates the superstitious delusion. 
 4. Jesus instances a second case of disaster. This was an 
 accident ; therefore some might think especially under the direction 
 of Providence. The first was the fate of Galilaeans, perhaps 
 malignantly reported to the Galilaean prophet by Judaeans. He 
 adds a similar case among their own people. We have no other 
 mention of this accident. 
 
 Siloam: situated where the Tyropaean gorge meets the 
 valley of the Kidron, to the south of Jerusalem. 
 
 offenders: lit. 'debtors.' It has been suggested that they 
 were the workmen on the aqueducts Pilate was building, whom 
 he was paying out of the temple treasury, from what was 
 reckoned ' corban,' sacred to God. 
 
 xiii. 6-9. The barren fig tree. The owner of a vineyard, seeing 
 in it a fig tree that has yielded no fruit for three years, proposes 
 to cut it down, but his vine-dresser asks that it may be spared 
 for another year, when he will give it careful attention, after 
 which, if it is still barren, it may be cut down. 
 
 This is only in Luke, but Matthew (xxi. 18-21) and Mark 
 (xi. 12-14, 20-22 "i give the incident of the withering of a barren 
 fig tree which Luke does not record. This has led some to think 
 that the different narrative in the other two Gospels is really 
 but another version of the parable in Luke. But the account 
 of the incidents in those Gospels is very circumstantial, and is 
 fitted into the closely narrated incidents of the Last Week. 
 Possibly that was meant by our Lord to be an acted parable 
 in continuation of this in Luke, taking it up at the last stage 
 and indicating that the year of grace was of no avail, 
 
 6. flgr tree planted in his vineyard. This was not an un- 
 common arrangement. It is implied in Song of Solomon ii. 13 : 
 ' The fig tree ripeneth her green figs, and the vines are in blossom.' 
 
ST. LUKE 13. 8-IO . 281 
 
 dresser, 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? And he answering saith 8 
 unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall 
 dig about it, and dung it : and if it bear fruit thenceforth, 9 
 well\ but if not, thou shalt cut it down. 
 
 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the 10 
 
 *7. these three years. Why three ? Not, as some have said, 
 meaning the three years of our Lord's ministry, which probably 
 was not so long ; in that case there would be no interpretation 
 for the one year that was to follow. It is better to take this as 
 part of the colouring of the parable, suitable to the fig tree, perhaps 
 with a recognition of the fact that a young fig tree of but three 
 years old is in fruit-bearing. Here is one, how old we do not 
 know, that has borne no fruit for three years. The reference is 
 to the long period of Jewish history during which God has been 
 seeking fruit from His people, but in vain. 
 
 cuiutoer: lit. 'nullify.' It spoils the ground and makes that 
 useless. This is an additional defect beyond mere fruitlessness. 
 
 8. this year also : a period of grace — in the history of the 
 Jews forty years, till the destruction of Jerusalem b3' Titus, 
 A.D. 70. 
 
 dig" ahout it, &c. : gracious influences, as in the ministry of 
 Christ and his apostles. 
 
 9. well : not in the original. The sentence is broken. If the 
 tree bear fruit, no more need be said. 
 
 tliou : not '■ I.' Even then the vn'ne-dresser, who seems to 
 represent Christ, will not do this of his own accord. 
 
 cut it down. The Baptist had said that ' even now is the 
 axe also laid unto the root of the trees' (iii. 9). 
 
 xiii. 10-17. An infirm woman cured on the sabbath. While 
 Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on a sabbath, seeing a woman 
 bowed down with infirmity he calls out to her that she is 
 released, and then laying his hands upon her makes her straight. 
 The ruler of the synagogue is angry at this breach of the sabbath. 
 Jesus indignantly denounces the hj'pocrisy of people who could 
 object to such an act of kindness on the sabbath, when they 
 themselves work on the sabbath in taking their animals to water. 
 That shames his opponents, and the people are delighted. The 
 incident is only in Luke. 
 
 10. in one of the synag^ogties. This is the only instance of 
 Jesus teaching in a synagogue during the latter part of his 
 ministry. It was common earlier. 
 
282 ST. LUKE 13. 11-15 
 
 11 sabbath day. And behold, a woman which had a spirit 
 of infirmity eighteen years ; and she was bowed together, 
 
 12 and could in no wise lift herself up. And when Jesus 
 saw her, he called her, and said to her, Woman, thou 
 
 13 art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands 
 upon her : and immediately she was made straight, and 
 
 14 glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue, being 
 moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on 
 the sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There 
 are six days in which men ought to work : in them 
 therefore come and be healed, and not on the day 
 
 15 of the sabbath. But the Lord answered him, and said, 
 Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath 
 loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him 
 
 11. a spirit of infirmity: a spirit that caused the infirmity. 
 The weakness of spine is regarded by the people and by the 
 evangelist as a result of demoniacal possession. But Jesus does 
 not treat it as he usually treated such cases. In xl. 14 we read 
 of 'a dumb spirit,' where dumbness appears as the result of 
 possession. 
 
 12. he called her, &c. This is quite unusual. Generally the 
 sufferers sought Jesus. There is no evidence that this woman 
 came for a cure. The idea originated with our Lord. 
 
 13. he laid his hands upon her. The reassuring word spoken 
 from the dais across the congregation was not enough to rouse 
 the vi^oman's faith. Therefore Jesus stepped down and effected 
 the cure by laying his hands on her. 
 
 14. the ruler : see note on viii. 41. 
 
 moved with indignation. This is the third instance of an 
 objection to Christ's sabbath-breaking that Luke has recorded. 
 In common with the other Synoptic writers, he had described the 
 disciples plucking corn (vi. 1-5), and our Lord's cure of a withered 
 arm (vi. 6-n). 
 
 come and "be healed. The ruler does not venture to attack 
 Jesus directly in the presence of the admiring crowd. Therefore 
 he meanly turns on any sufferers who might be present, seeking 
 a cure. This is particularly unjust to the woman whom Jesus 
 healed, as there is no evidence that she came to seek a cure. 
 
 15. The Talmud allows water to be drawn for the animal, but 
 not to be carried to it in a vessel. 
 
ST. LUKE 13. 16-19 283 
 
 away to watering? And ought not this woman, being 16 
 a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, 
 these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this 
 bond on the day of the sabbath? And as he said 17 
 these things, all his adversaries were put to shame : and 
 all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that 
 were done by him. 
 
 He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God 18 
 like? and whereunto shall I liken it? It is like unto 19 
 a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast 
 
 16. a daughter of Abraham : in contrast to the dumb 
 animal. 
 
 Satan : according to the Jewish idea that ascribes sickness 
 to the agency of Satan. Thus Paul writes of delivering a person 
 over to Satan (i Cor. v. 5), and refers to his own illness or bodily 
 infirmity, which he calls a ' stake in the flesh ' as a ' messenger of 
 Satan ' (2 Cor. xii. 7). 
 
 \*t. "were done: h't 'were being done.' It is the present 
 participle. 
 
 xiii. 18-21. The mustard seed and the leaven. Jesus compares 
 the kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed that grew into 
 a tree, and to leaven that permeated and transformed a mass 
 of meal. 
 
 Both of these parables are in Matthew (xiii. 31-33) ; the first is 
 also in Mark (iv. 30-32), but not the second. 
 
 18. therefore. It is difficult to see the connexion of this word 
 with what precedes. Possibly Luke is following some older 
 document, and the fragmentary character of his extract is revealed 
 by his omitting a preceding paragraph of that writing ; but the 
 enthusiasm of the multitude described in the previous verse may 
 have led on to these parables of growth. There is no such 
 connexion in Matthew or Mark where they follow other parables 
 of growth. 
 
 Unto what ? &c. : not a mere rhetorical device. Jesus is 
 thinking aloud. It is not easy to find earthly parallels for the 
 wonders of the kingdom. 
 
 19. mustard seed. Tristram takes this to be the Sinapis nigra, 
 which even in Europe grows to twelve feet in height. Another 
 plant, the Salvadora persica, found growing round the lake of 
 Gennesaret, and sometimes used as mustard for its pungent taste, 
 grows to twenty-five feet. 
 
284 ST. LUKE 13. 20-22 
 
 into his own garden ; and it grew, and became a tree ; 
 
 and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches 
 .^o thereof. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken 
 ii the kingdom of God? It is Hke unto leaven, which 
 
 a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till 
 
 it was all leavened. 
 22 And he went on his way through cities and villages, 
 
 Ms own g-arden : peculiar to Luke, and pointing to Israel, 
 which Isaiah (v. i, 2) compares to God's vineyard. Matthew has 
 ' his field,' and Mark 'the earth.' 
 
 the "birds, &c. : as a sign of the greatness of the tree. 
 Concerning the tree in Nebuchadnezzar's dream we read : * The 
 beasts of the field 4iad shadow under it, and the fowls of the 
 heaven dwelt in the branches thereof, and all flesh was fed of it* 
 (Dan. iv. 12, 21). 
 
 21. three measures. The 'measure' is the Jewish seah. 
 Three such measures constituted the usual quantity for a baking. 
 Thus in Genesis xviii. 6we read how Abraham said to Sarah, 'Make 
 ready quickly three measures of fine meal.' Therefore it is 
 superfluous with some commentators to look for mj'stical meanings 
 in the phrase, such as 'body, soul, and spirit,* or 'earth, state, 
 and church.* Jesus takes a homely illustration that would be 
 famiUar to every peasant woman in his audience. 
 
 The two parables teach the great growth of the kingdom from 
 very small beginnings, but with a diflference. The mustard seed 
 describes its external and visible growth in the world, the ler.ven 
 its more subtle influence in permeating society and transforming 
 it. This is the only c?.se in which leaven does not represent an 
 evil influence. Still it is unreasonable to see that meaning here. 
 
 xiii. 22-30. False hopes disappointed. During the journey to 
 Jerusalem Jesus is asked whether but few are to be saved? He 
 discourages the questioner's curiosity by returning the practical 
 advice that he should make it his own business to enter the 
 narrow door. When the master is up, it will be vain to knock 
 with the plea of previous association with him if our conduct has 
 been bad. They who come thus will be dismissed to a region of 
 wild lamentation, while they will see saints of old and foreigners 
 from afar admitted to the privileges from which they themselves 
 are shut out. Thus the future will reverse the relative positions 
 of the present, 
 
 22. he went on his way : /tV. ' he was continuing his journey.' 
 
ST. LUKE 13. 23-25 285 
 
 teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem. And one 23 
 said unto him, Lord, are they few that be saved ? And 
 he said unto them, Strive to enter in by the narrow 34 
 door : for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, 
 and shall not be able. When once the master of the 25 
 house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye 
 begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, 
 
 We have met with previous references to the fact that our Lord 
 was now on his way up to Jerusalem (ix. 51, 53, 57, xii. 50). 
 
 23. that be saved: ///. ' that are being saved.' It is a present 
 participle. The parables of the Sower and the Barren Fig Tree, 
 and the lamentation over Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, 
 shewing that in the chief centres of Christ's work his message 
 was rejected, might point to the conclusion that but few wfere 
 in the way to salvation. 
 
 24. unto them. The teaching is for all, not merely for the one 
 questioner. 
 
 Strive : a strong word, lit, 'agonize.' It is the language of 
 athletic competitions. Jesus refuses to answer the question. 
 He rarely gives a categorical answer to a leading question. But 
 here he altogether discourages the curiosity of the inquirer, who 
 had better be attending to his own duty in the matter of his 
 question. Indirectly Jesus sets aside the question as based on 
 an error. There is no fixed number, few or many. The number 
 will depend on the choice and effort of men and women. If 
 those who now hear Jesus will strive to enter, there will be so 
 many the more inside. It all depends on that. 
 
 the narrow door. This saying is also in Matthew (vii. 13, 
 14), where the narrow door leads to a narrow way. Here the 
 image is different, and we have a house door. 
 
 shall seek: a weaker word than 'strive.' Moreover, the 
 future of the verbs in this clause points on to the later time 
 described in the following verses. These ' many ' do not strive, 
 nor do they even seek now. They will seek later under gross 
 misapprehensions of the conditions of entrance. 
 
 25. the master of the house is risen up, &c. The time for 
 the assembling of the guests being over, the head of the house 
 rises and closes the door previous to beginning the festivities 
 to which they are invited. The idea of a feast is suggested at the 
 end of verse 29. 
 
 to knock. Jesus had previously said, ' Knock, and it shall 
 be opened ' (xi. 9). Here that ig denied — an apparentContradiction, 
 
286 ST. LUKE 13. 26-29 
 
 Lord, open to us ; and he shall answer and say to you, 
 
 26 I know you 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 ; depart from me, all ye workers 
 
 28 of iniquity. There shall be the weeping and gnashing 
 of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and 
 Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, 
 
 29 and yourselves cast forth without. And they shall come 
 from the east and west, and from the north and south, 
 
 shewing that absolute statements are not to be applied witho. I 
 qualification under all circumstances. 
 
 I know you not: do not acknowledge you. It is not that 
 they come too late, like the foolish virgins (Matt. xxv. 1-13). 
 Belated guests might be admitted if they were true guests. But 
 the sequel shews that these are worthless intruders. 
 
 26. We did eat, &c. The rejected of the parallel parable in 
 Matthew (vii. 22) claim to have been prophesying and performing 
 wonders in Christ's name. But here they offer only the pre- 
 posterous plea that they have associated with him on earth, 
 knowm him after the flesh, as Paul would say. It was no use 
 having lived in Galilee with Jesus and seen him in the village 
 street, or even having sat with him at table. The modern 
 equivalent of these things is to be living in Christendom, under 
 Christian teaching, or as members of Christian churches. 
 
 2*?. workers of iniciuity. Thus the refusal is put on conduct, 
 not on time, the mere negligence of procrastination. 
 
 28. There : in the region without. 
 
 weepinsr and g-nashing- of teeth : misery and impotent 
 rage. 
 
 Abraham, . . . prophets : the Jewish worthies whom Jesus 
 thus expressly declares to be in the kingdom of God. Observe, 
 this is even in the Gentile Gospel of Luke. 
 
 cast forth : lit. ' being cast forth. ' The present participle 
 gives a vivid picture of the process. 
 
 29. from the east, &c. Are these people the scattered Jews 
 of the dispersion,' or Gentiles, the heathen? Plainly the latter. 
 The words are based on Isaiah xlv. 6 : 'That they may know from 
 the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none 
 beside me,' combined with Isaiah xlix. 12 : ' Lo, these from the 
 north,' &c., where the context shews that the reference is to 
 heathen nations. Cf. Malachi i. 11. 
 
ST. LUKE 13. 30-33 287 
 
 and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, 30 
 there are last which shall be first, and there are first 
 which shall be last. 
 
 In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying 31 
 to him, Get thee out, and go hence : for Herod would 
 fain kill thee. And he said unto them. Go and say to 32 
 that fox, Behold, I cast out devils and perform cures 
 to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected. 
 Howbeit I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow 33 
 
 sit down : recline as at a feast. 
 
 30. A saying our Lord uttered more than once, e. g. Matthew 
 xix. 30, XX. 16. This reversal of fortunes was one of the most 
 remarkable and at the time surprising of his announcements 
 concerning the kingdom. 
 
 xiii. 31-35. Herod* s enmity and Chrisfs lament over Jerusalem, 
 Some Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod is eager to kill him. 
 Jesus sends a message to Herod, shewing that he understands 
 the king's cunning, but declaring that he must finish his work, and 
 as a prophet not die out of Jerusalem. Then he utters a lament 
 over the doom of the city, from which he would gladly have saved 
 her had she not refused his grace. 
 
 31. certain Pharisees: possibly friendly, but probably mali- 
 cious, desiring to drive Jesus into Judaea, where he would come 
 within the reach of the Jewish authorities. 
 
 Herod: Antipas. See note on iii. i. Probably Jesus was 
 now in Persea, east of the Jordan to the south, part of Herod's 
 dominion. 
 
 would fain: lit. 'wishes ' or 'intends.' 
 
 kill thee : out of jealousy for Christ's popularity. 
 
 32. that fox. Jesus perceives the cunning of Herod behind 
 the warning of the Pharisees. 
 
 the third day. This cannot be taken literally, as more time 
 than three days was to be spent before the Crucifixion. Nor can 
 it mean three years ; Jesus could not be contemplating so long 
 a period of activity as still future. Like the three years in the 
 parable of the Barren Fig Tree (verse 7), the three days are typical 
 of some indefinite time. Jesus has work to do that will take time. 
 He will not be hurried. 
 
 perfected: rather 'matured.' Christ comes to maturity as 
 the Redeemer at the cross. 
 
 33. Howheit, &:c. Nevertheless he will go out of Herod's 
 
288 ST. LUKE 13. 43~14. i 
 
 and the day following : for it cannot be that a prophet 
 
 34 perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which 
 killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto 
 her ! how often would I have gathered thy children 
 together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under 
 
 35 her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your house is 
 left unto you desolate-, 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. 
 
 14 And it came to pass, when he went into the house 
 of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to 
 
 dominion shortly, when his work there is done, not fleeing for 
 fear of death, but going to meet his death. 
 
 it cannot toe, &c. Note the mournful irony of these words. 
 Jerusalem has become the recognized murderess of prophets. So 
 it is not seemly that one should die anywhere else. 
 
 34. Luke gives this lament as arising out of the mention of 
 Jerusalem for the fit scene of a prophet's death. That is Christ's 
 connexion with the place. Gladly would he have had happier 
 relations with it for its own deliverance. Matthew (xxiii. 37-39) 
 places this lament at Jerusalem, the more likely scene. 
 
 how often, &c. These words shew that Jesus had been 
 ministering in Jerusalem on several occasions, although none of 
 the three Synoptic Gospels give any account of this. In the fourth 
 Gospel the visits to Jerusalem are fully narrated. Thus we have 
 here an indirect confirmation of John's historicity, where on the 
 surface he seems to contradict the older Gospel picture of Jesus 
 as a Galilaean prophet. 
 
 35. until yc shall say, &c. : the time of the conversion of the 
 Jews. 
 
 xiv. 1-6. Jesiis curing a man with dropsy on the sabbaths 
 While Jesus is being entertained at a ruling Pharisee's house 
 on a sabbath day, he is watched narrowly to see how he will treat 
 a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asks whether it is lawful 
 to heal on the sabbath, and meeting with no reply, cures the man. 
 He points out that anybody would even save his dumb beast that 
 was in distress on the sabbath. 
 
 1. one of the rnlers of the Pharisees: a leading Pharisee. 
 This is the third occasion on which Luke has recorded our Lord's 
 
ST. LUKE 14. 2-6 289 
 
 eat bread, that they were watching him. And behold, 2 
 there was before him a certain man which had the 
 dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers 3 
 and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, 
 or not ? But they held their peace. And he took him, 4 
 and healed him, and let him go. And he said unto 5 
 them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen 
 into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on 
 a sabbath day ? And they could not answer again unto 6 
 these things. 
 
 acceptance of hospitality from a Pharisee. The others are vii. 36 
 and xi, 37. These are only found in Luke. 
 
 a sabbath. It was customary for the Jews to give feasts 
 on the sabbath, always ' cold collations,' however. This is the 
 fourth instance in Luke of healing on the sabbath. The others 
 are in iv. 35, vi. 6, xiii. 14. 
 
 to eat bread : a Hebraism, as was the opening phrase, ' And 
 it came to pass.' This passage is exceptionally Hebraistic, 
 suggesting a close following by the evangelist of some Hebrew 
 or Aramaic document among his authorities. 
 
 2. tlie dropsy. This disease is mentioned by no Scripture 
 writer except Luke, the physician, who here uses a Greek 
 technical medical term. 
 
 3. the lawyers : whose function it was to determine points 
 of Jewish law. 
 
 4. held their peace: silent, because not knowing what to say. 
 It was for carrying his bed on the sabbath that the Bethesda 
 paralytic was blamed (John v. 10), as though it were easier to 
 complain of this than of the cure. Still the deed of mercy has 
 been made a ground of direct attack before (e. g. vi. 7). It would 
 appear then that our Lord's protest? against Sabbatarian hypocrisy 
 have had some weight by this time. 
 
 let him go: dismissed him. 
 
 5. an ass. The Sinaitic and other ancient MSS. have * a son.' 
 This reading might have been changed for that in our text by 
 imitation of a similar saying of Jesus about * his ox or his ass' in 
 xiii. 15. 
 
 a well : an open cistern ; many such are found in Palestine, 
 not fenced round. 
 
 draw him up. The Rabbis said that this was not permissible, 
 though food might be let down. But Jesus appeals to the common 
 
 U 
 
290 ST. LUKE 14. 7-10 
 
 7 And he spake a parable unto those which were bidden, 
 when he marked how they chose out the chief seats ; 
 
 8 saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to 
 a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat ; lest 
 haply a more honourable man than thou be bidden of 
 
 9 him, and he that bade thee and him shall come and 
 say to thee, Give this man place ; and then thou shalt 
 
 10 begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when 
 thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place ; 
 that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may 
 
 practice, which might well be more humane than the pedantry 
 of the schools. 
 
 xiv. 7-1 1. Against choosing the chief places. Seeing the guests 
 choosing the chief places for themselves, Jesus advises a man 
 when called to a wedding to avoid such a course, lest the host 
 humiliate him by making him give way to a more honourable 
 guest, and to take the lowest place, which will result in his being 
 called up higher. Self-exaltation humbles, humility exalts. This 
 passage is only in Luke. 
 
 7. a parable. The word 'parable' is here used in a general 
 sense for a representative word-picture with a lesson, though it 
 is not in narrative form. 
 
 those which were bidden : i. e. to the ruler of the Pharisees' 
 house (verse i). 
 
 chose : ///. ' were choosing.' Jesus saw the ugly scramble 
 for seats going on. According to the Talmud, on a couch for 
 three the middle place is the best, that on the right second, that 
 on the left third. But our Lord's language points to the position 
 of the couches themselves, some being higher than others, as 
 nearer the chief personages, or actually on a dais. 
 
 8. a marriag-e feast : a specially ceremonial feast. Apparently 
 the present occasion was not that of a wedding feast. By refer- 
 ring to another kind of feast Jesus softens his utterance, advising for 
 the future rather than directly blaming present conduct. 
 
 9. the lowest place: not 'room," as in the A. V. The word 
 is the same as that rendered ' place ' earlier. It means not another 
 room, but another seat. So again in verse 10, where the same 
 expression recurs. 
 
 10. that when, &c. Not indeed that the lowest place is to 
 be taken with the very object of courting promotion. Jesus 
 means that this will be the consequence. It is a common Hebrew 
 
ST. LUKE 14. 11-13 291 
 
 say to thee, Friend, go up higher : then shalt thou have 
 glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. 
 For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; 11 
 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 And he said to him also that had bidden him. When 12 
 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, and a recompense 
 be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, bid 13 
 
 idiom to speak of a result in language that seems to indicate 
 a purpose. 
 
 11. The R. V. recovers the balance of phrases found in the 
 original by using the verb to humble in both clauses, where the 
 A. V. had 'abased' for the first clause and 'humbleth' for the 
 second, though the same Greek word is used in both cases. This 
 is one of our Lord's especially characteristic utterances. It is 
 repeated at xviii. 14, and at Matthew xxiii. 12, where it intro- 
 duces a long denunciation of scribes and Pharisees. 
 
 xiv. 12-14. On inviting the poor and the afflicted as our guests. 
 Turning to liis host, Jesus tells him not to invite those who would 
 ask him back, but when he makes a feast to invite the poor and 
 the afflicted. For so doing he will be recompensed at the resur- 
 rection. This is only in Luke. 
 
 3.2. to Ixiva. also tliat kad Mdden liim. The unseeml}' conduct 
 of the guests in choosing the first places for themselves would 
 prepare their host for i^eceiving advice as to the people whom 
 he should entertain in future. 
 
 a dinner or a supper. The first-mentioned meal was taken 
 at noon, the second about eight o'clock in the evening. 
 
 call not. The verb is in the present tense, meaning do not 
 be continually inviting. This should not monopolize hospitality, 
 nor should it be the more habitual hospitalit}''. 
 
 lest liaply: perhaps humorously uttered, as though it were 
 an alarming prospect that the consequence should be a repayment 
 in hospitality. The generous host is supposed not to want this 
 recompense. There is a gentle irony in the suggestion that he 
 is in danger of getting it. 
 
 13. This verse is entirely in accord with the example of Jesus, 
 who ministered to the needy ; it is also characteristic of Luke, 
 with his marked sympathy for the poor, to be the only evangelist 
 recording the teaching in which it occurs. 
 
 U 2 
 
292 ST. LUKE 14. 14, 15 
 
 14 the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind : and thou 
 shalt be blessed ; because they have not wherewith to 
 recompense thee : for thou shalt be recompensed in the 
 resurrection of the just. 
 
 15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him 
 
 14. because they have not, &c. : i. e. such generosity is 
 distinctly a blessed thing, for this reason, that the recipients can- 
 not make any return. 
 
 the resurrection of the just. The idea seems to be that 
 only the just, i. e. good people as distinguished from those who 
 are to receive future punishment, will have this resurrection. In 
 nearly all cases where the N. T. refers to the resurrection, it is for 
 those who are to enter into blessedness. The only clear excep- 
 tions are John v. 29 and Acts xxiv. 15, and the imagery of the 
 Apocal3^pse ;cf. Rev. xx. 13). 
 
 xiv. 15-24. The Great Supper. One of the guests exclaims how 
 good it must be to feast in the kingdom of God. Thereupon Jesus 
 gives a parable to shew how little this privilege is appreciated. 
 A man provides a supper to which he invites a number of guests. 
 When it is ready he sends his servant to tell them so. But they 
 all excuse themselves on various pretexts. On learning this the 
 host is angry, and hurries his servant out into the city to fetch in 
 the poor and afflicted. When that is done the servant reports 
 that still there is room. He is then sent out into the country 
 to persuade the people he finds there to come. The host will 
 not now let any of the first invited guests touch his supper. The 
 parallel in Matthew xxii. 1-14) differs in several respects. There 
 it is a king who sends out the invitation, and that is to his son's 
 wedding. The invited guests not only refuse to come, they 
 attack the king's messengers and murder them, an outrage the 
 king avenges by their destruction. After telling of the calling in 
 of guests from the streets, Matthew adds the incident of the man 
 without a wedding garment. Altogether it is a much more severe 
 parable. As usual here the gentle Luke gives us the more 
 pleasing teaching. 
 
 15. one of them, &c. Surely it is unfair ot Dr. Plummer 
 in his Commentary to write of 'the comfortable self-complacency' 
 of this fellow guest of Christ's. It is more reasonable to take 
 his remark as a wistful utterance, expressing the feeling of one 
 who would fain enjoy the privilege. The idea occurs again in 
 Revelation xix. 9 : ' Blessed are they which are bidden to the 
 marriage supper of the Lamb.' 
 
 sat at meat : an old English phrase ; the more literal render- 
 ing would be ' reclined at table.' 
 
ST. LUKE 14. i6-ai 293 
 
 heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he 
 that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. But he r6 
 said unto him, A certain man made a great supper ; 
 and he bade many : and he sent forth his servant at 17 
 supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come ; 
 for all things are now ready. And they all with one 18 
 consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, 
 I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and 
 see it : I pray thee have me excused. And another 19 
 said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove 
 them : I pray thee have me excused. And another said, ao 
 I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 
 And the servant came, and told his lord these things. 21 
 Then the master of the house being angry said to his 
 
 eat bread: a Hebraism for taking part in a feast or meal. 
 See note on verse i. 
 
 16. But: in contrast to the assumption that the favour must be 
 acceptable to all. 
 
 17. Ms servant. This servant was named 'the summoner' 
 {vocator). It v^^as quite customary for him to call thp guests when 
 all was ready. This did not imply that as yet they had shewn 
 any unwillingness to come. Canon Tristram observes that among 
 the Arabs to decline the second invitation is regarded as equiva- 
 lent to a declaration of war. 
 
 all tMngrs are now ready. John the Baptist had preached 
 that the kingdom of God was at hand (Matt. iii. 2), a message 
 with which Jesus also began his ministry (Matt. iv. 17). But 
 later he taught that it was already present, in the midst of his 
 hearers (Luke xvii. 21 . He himself, the Twelve, and the Seventy 
 would represent the vocator with the message that all is ready. 
 
 18. with one consent: the word 'consent' printed in italics 
 by the Revisers is not in the Greek text. It is not stated that 
 these men consulted together and combined to refuse the second 
 invitation. But they were all of one mind, since they all acted 
 alike. 
 
 20. married a wife. The law allowed a newly married man 
 a year's immunity from military or civil service (see Deut. 
 xxiv. 5). 
 
 21. being ansfry: naturally indignant at the shower of insults. 
 It is represented that this is his reason for sending for other 
 
294 ST. LUKE 14. 22-25 
 
 servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of 
 the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and 
 
 2 3 blind and lame. And the servant said. Lord, what thou 
 
 23 didst command is done, and yet there is room. And 
 the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways 
 and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my 
 
 34 house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none 
 of those men which were bidden shall taste of my 
 supper. 
 
 25 Now there went with him great multitudes : and he 
 
 guests, get them where he may. Verse 24 throv/s light on this 
 point. When we come to interpret the parable, our Lord's 
 common method of a fortiori reasoning will be apparent. If even 
 anger against his friends might lead a man to invite the outcasts, 
 much more will God, who has infinite compassion for them, do 
 this. 
 
 streets and lanes : where especially the poor and miserable 
 are lying about, perhaps quite homeless. These are near at hand, 
 in the town. 
 
 the poor, &c. : just such guests as Jesus recommended 
 earlier (verse 13). 
 
 22. yet there is room: an indication of large bounty which 
 may be used by us as a partial reply to the question, ' Lord, 
 are they few that be saved?' (xiii. 23"). It is not the Saviour's 
 fault if there are few. 
 
 23. hig'hways and hedg"es : out in the country. After sweep- 
 ing in the town poor, the vocatorxs to go further afield and fetch 
 the very tramps from the country. The first class may represent 
 despised Jews — the poor, publicans, sinners; the second, the 
 heathen from abroad. Cf. xiii. 29, 30. 
 
 constrain: not 'compel,' as in the A. V. Very urgent per- 
 suasion is indicated. 
 
 24. you. The plural pronoun shews that Jesus is here partly 
 interpreting the story and addressing his hearers. Yet the 
 sentence is really put in the mouth of the man in the parable. 
 
 xiv. 25-35. On making sacrifices for Christ's sake and counting 
 the cost. Seeing a great number of people following him, Jesus 
 declares to them that no one can become his disciple without 
 making great sacrifices and running even the risk of death. No 
 mun would begin to build a tower without first counting the cost; 
 
ST. LUKE 14. 26-28 295 
 
 turned, and said unto them, If any man cometh unto 26 
 me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and 
 wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and 
 his own Hfe also, he cannot be my disciple. Whosoever 27 
 doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot 
 be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build 28 
 
 to do otherwise would be to court ridicule. No king would 
 plunge into war without first considering the relative strength 
 of his own and his enemy's armies. So he who wishes to be 
 a disciple must consider the sacrifices involved. Good as salt 
 is in itself, when it has lost its pungency it is worse than useless. 
 Except for detached sayings, this section as well as the follow- 
 ing sections are only in Luke. 
 
 25. great multitudes. Jesus is again on his journey towards 
 Jerusalem, after visiting the ruler of the Pharisees as described 
 in the previous paragraphs. 
 
 26. A hard saying to be interpreted in harmony (i) with the 
 spirit and character of Jesus, (2) with his method of teaching. 
 It is impossible to believe that Jesus desired to destroy family 
 affection. He had rebuked the Jews for their hypocritical evasion 
 of filial duty (see Mark vii. 8-13). But it was his custom to give 
 strong utterance to important truths in order to be the more 
 impressive, trusting to the common sense of his hearers as well as 
 to their knowledge of his general position. We must remember 
 that his sayings are not external rules of conduct. Jesus was not 
 a second Moses. His teaching is not law, and it should not be 
 interpreted with the lawyers verbal pedantry. It is popular 
 utterance, to be felt, and so to move men, not a system of formal 
 regulations to be coldly applied in dull literalness. Jesus means 
 that his disciples may so have to act in the clash of claims that 
 their conduct will look like enmity to their nearest and dearest 
 friends, even as though they hated their own people, while at the 
 same time it will shew such disregard of the danger of death 
 in view of fidelity to Christ that it will look as though they also 
 hated their own lives. 
 
 27. A second utterance of this stern warning. The first was 
 given at ix. 23. See note on that verse. Here, as there, readiness 
 to suffer martyrdom must be meant. 
 
 28. which of you, &c. Observe here an instance of our Lord's 
 frequent appeals to what w^as customary and reasonable. Para- 
 bolic language of this sort alwaj's includes an argument. Jesus 
 is asking for just such sensible conduct in those who wish to 
 be his disciples as anybody would follow in worldly affairs. 
 
296 ST. LUKE 14. 29-34 
 
 a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, 
 
 29 whether he have zvherewith to complete it ? Lest haply, 
 when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, 
 
 30 all that behold begin to mock him, saying. This man 
 
 31 began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what 
 king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will 
 not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able 
 with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him 
 
 32 with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet 
 a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh 
 
 33 conditions of peace. So therefore whosoever he be of 
 you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be 
 
 34 my disciple. Salt therefore is good : but if even the 
 
 to 13111161 a tower. Pilate had begun an aqueduct, and had 
 been compelled to desist for want of means to complete it. 
 
 31. wliat king', &c. Herod the tetrarch had been attacked 
 by Aretas, an Arabian king or ' ethnarch,' for divorcing his first 
 wife, who v.as a daughter of this king, in favour of Herodias. 
 with the result that his army was destroyed (see Josephus, 
 Ant. xviii. 5. i). Complaint has been made of the Gospel 
 references to 'kings' while the Roman Empire was everywhere 
 dominant, as either unhistorical or indicative of ignorant rusticity. 
 This is unreasonable. Popularly the local princes were known 
 as kings. Josephus calls Aretas 'the king of Arabia Petrea.' 
 Probably our Lord does not intend the details of this picture 
 to be interpreted allegorically. There is no room in the Christian 
 scheme for anything analogous to a war of kings. Jesus does 
 not here follow his custom in introducing parables of close 
 similitude b}' saying, ' The kingdom of God is like,' &c. He asks 
 the two questions to establish one point — the folly of embarking 
 on a great enterprise without first counting the cost. 
 
 33. It has been said that this verse involves the actual giving 
 up of all propert3\ So, as it is only in the third Gospel, it has 
 been taken as a sign of Luke's ' Ebionite ' views, his ideas of the 
 religious duty of povert3'. But verse 26 forbids this inference. 
 Ever3'thing is to be renounced in the sense in which the fj^mily is 
 to be hated, i. e. everything is to be secondary to Christ, ready to 
 be given up when fidelity to him involves the actual surrender of 
 the property, and meanwhile held for him and disposed of as he 
 wills. 
 
 34. Salt therefore is erood, &c. This saying is in the Sermon 
 
ST. LUKE 14. 35—15. 2 297 
 
 salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned ? 
 It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill : 7ne7i 35 
 cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near 15 
 unto him for to hear him. And both the Pharisees and a 
 the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, 
 and eateth with them. 
 
 on the Mount at Matthew v. 13 ; and also in a briefer form in 
 Mark ix. 50. The salt commonly used in Palestine comes from 
 Jebel-Usdttm by the Dead Sea. Thompson, in The Land and the 
 Book (p. 38), referring to some salt brought to Lady Stanhope's 
 village from Cyprus, which was kept in cottages with earthen 
 floors till it was spoilt, adds : ' I saw large quantities of it literally 
 thrown into the street, to be trodden under foot of men and 
 beasts.' Of course this could not be pure salt (chloride of sodium), 
 which cannot lose its savour. The spoilt salt must have contained 
 other earthy ingredients from which the genuine salt might be 
 washed out. 
 
 35. neither fit for tlie land, &c. : to be used as manure. 
 Thus gardeners use it for asparagus beds, &c. 
 
 If Luke has given this saying in its right connexion, the savour 
 must mean the spirit of self-renunciation, which when it is 
 missing leaves the Christian character insipid and worthless. 
 A self-indulgent Christian is salt without savour. 
 
 XV. 1-7. The lost sheep. The publicans and sinners are all 
 attracted to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes complain of his 
 associating with them. In answer to this criticism Jesus gives the 
 three beautiful parables that illustrate God's joy at the recovery 
 of the lost. First comes the parable of the Lost Sheep. Anybody'- 
 who had lost one out of a hundred sheep would leave the others 
 to seek it, and when he had found it make a great rejoicing. Such 
 is God's joy at the recovery of a lost soul. This parable is also in 
 Matthew xviii. 12-14. 
 
 1. all: a favourite word with Luke. He loves the universal. 
 publicans. See note on iii. 12. 
 
 were drawing- near. This seems to mean that all the people 
 of the classes just mentioned were in the habit of flocking about 
 Jesus wherever he went. But the movement appears to have been 
 growing. These people were more and more attracted to him. 
 
 2. receiveth: welcomes, or entertains. Paul uses the word in 
 recommending a welcome for Phoebe (Rom. xvi. 2\ and Epaphro- 
 ditus fPhil. ii. 29''. 
 
298 ST. LUKE 15. 3-7 
 
 3, 4 And he spake unto them this parable, saying, What 
 man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost 
 one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the 
 wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find 
 
 5 it ? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his 
 
 6 shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he 
 calleth together his friends and his neighbours, saying 
 unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep 
 
 7 which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there 
 shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 
 
 4. Wliat man of you. Jesus is only appealing to what is 
 customary because universally recognized as reasonable. He 
 wishes to shew that his action is of the same kind, and therefore 
 at least equally reasonable. He is only doing for souls what any 
 man among them would do for his sheep. 
 
 one of them : only one out of a hundred ; yet the greatest 
 concern is felt for that one. 
 
 in the wilderness : the usual summer pasturage, not the 
 desert. They are not in any special danger there. But the point 
 of the parable is not in the neglect of the ninety-nine. The 
 leaving them is only mentioned to emphasize the importance of 
 the search for the one. 
 
 until lie find it. This is stronger than Matthew's version : ' if 
 so be he find it,' in accordance with Luke's warmer evangelic 
 enthusiasm. The search is to be continued until it is successful. 
 
 5. layeth it on his shoulders: indicative of the great trouble 
 to which the man will put himself. This may be illustrated by 
 the incident of ' Jan Ridd ' in Lorna Doone rescuing his sheep from 
 the snowdrift and carrying them home, but two at a time. 
 
 Dr. Edersheim gives a story from the Talmud of how Moses, 
 while tending Jethro's flock, went after a straying lamb, and 
 carried it back on his shoulders. ' Then God said, because he 
 had shewn pity to a man's sheep, he would give him his own 
 sheep Israel to feed.' 
 
 rejoicing'. This is especially significant in all three parables. 
 It is Christ's answer to the chill indifference of Pharisaism and 
 its sour cynicism. 
 
 6. calleth tog-ether. The man's delight is so great that he must 
 give an entertainment to celebrate it. This is not in Matthew. It 
 affords us a charming picture of simple village life. But it also 
 further emphasizes God's gladness at the recovery of one lost soul. 
 
 7. repenteth. This is significant. The Pharisees had not 
 
ST. LUKE 15. 8-10 299 
 
 more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, which 
 need no repentance. 
 
 Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose 8 
 one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, 
 and seek diligently until she find it? And when she 9 
 hath found it, she calleth together her friends and 
 neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found 
 the piece which I had lost. Even so, I say unto you, 10 
 there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 
 one sinner that repenteth. 
 
 perceived that in receiving sinners Jesus was receiving peni- 
 tents. 
 
 XV. 8-10. The lost piece of silver. Jesus gives a second parable 
 to illustrate the same lesson. The first was pastoral, this is 
 domestic, like the domestic parable of the Leaven following the 
 agricultural parable of the Mustard Seed. Any woman who lost 
 one often small silver coins would have a great hunt for it if need 
 be, and when she found it would make a great rejoicing. Such 
 is the joy among the angels when one sinner repents. This 
 parable is only in Luke. 
 
 8. wliat woman : the same form of expression that was used 
 for introducing the previous parable, except that Jesus does not 
 add ' of you ' here, because there were no women among the 
 scribes and Pharisees who were immediately addressed, though, 
 we may be sure, not to the exclusion of other hearers for such 
 teaching as this. Jesus is again appealing to what is customary 
 
 d reasonable for his justification of his treatment of people of 
 bad repute. 
 
 ten pieces of silver. The coin named here is the Greek 
 silver drachma, worth about eight pence. It is mentioned 
 nowhere else in the N. T, ; in all other cases we have the 
 equivalent Roman coin, the denarius. Girls and women in the 
 East wear strings of silver coins hanging from the head as 
 ornaments. Probably the antique Greek coins, which Jesus here 
 supposes a woman to be possessing, were used in this way. 
 
 light a lamp. The house is dark ; if a peasant's hut, without 
 any window. 
 
 until she find it. Observe again, the search is continued, as 
 in the case of the lost sheep, until it is successful. 
 
 10. joy in the presence of the angels of God: a fuller 
 
300 ST. LUKE 15. 11-13 
 
 12 And he said, A certain man had two sons : and the 
 younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the 
 portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he 
 
 13 divided unto them his Hving. And not many days after 
 
 description of the joy in heaven (verse 7). It is not merely the 
 angels rejoicing. There is some joy which is found in their 
 midst, first witnessed by them, and then shared too we may 
 suppose. This must be the joy of God Himself overflowing and 
 filling heaven. 
 
 one sinner that repenteth. This essential point is repeated. 
 The comparison with the righteous persons with which the 
 previous parable closed is not repeated. It is not so essential 
 to the main lesson of both parables. 
 
 XV. 11-32. The prodigal son. A father has two sons, one of 
 whom, demanding and receiving his share of the family property, 
 leaves his home for a distant country', where he squanders it all 
 away in dissipation. In desperation he hires himself out as 
 a swineherd, and even then envies the very swine their food, 
 so hungry is he. Then he comes to himself and resolves to return 
 home, confess his wickedness, and cast himself on his father's 
 mercy. This he does, and receives a warm-hearted welcome from 
 his father, who orders a feast to celebrate the joy of his return. 
 While that is going on, his elder brother, returning from his work 
 and learning the meaning of the unexpected festivities, falls into 
 a rage of jealousy, for which his father expostulates with him 
 affectionately. 
 
 This most beautiful and precious of all the parables is only 
 found in Luke. It enlarges on the lessons of the two previous 
 parables with the addition of many new features. Thus it is 
 more like a complete allegory than any other of our Lord's 
 parables. Jtjs important not to lose sight of its main lesson — 
 the joy of restoring the lost, as that lesson is paramount in all 
 three parables. But other very important lessons are also 
 evidently intended to be gathered from this richly significant 
 story. The parable is naturally divided into two parts: (i) 
 the younger son, representing the 'sinners' in their guilt, 
 penitence, and restoration (11-24) ! (2) the elder son, representing 
 the Pharisees in their selfish cynicism (25-32). 
 
 H. A certain man. Jesus now drops the form 'What man 
 of you ? * ' What woman ? ' that we had in the two previous 
 parables. It is not to be assumed that every father would act 
 like the father in this parable. God is not simply a father. He 
 is the kindest of fathers. Still the indefinite phrase * A certain 
 
ST. LUKE 15. u-i6 301 
 
 the younger son gathered all together, and took his 
 journey into a far country ; and there he wasted his sub- 
 stance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, 14 
 there arose a mighty famine in that country ; and he began 
 to be in want. And he went and joined himself to one 15 
 of the citizens of that country ; and he sent him into his 
 fields to feed swine. And he would fain have been 16 
 filled with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man 
 
 man ' does not suggest any very exceptional character. It is to 
 the instincts of fatherhood that Jesus appeals. 
 
 12. the younger: therefore second in position to his brother. 
 Such a place might be assigned to publicans and all Jews other 
 than the Pharisees who claimed the first place in Israel for them- 
 selves. This makes the prodigal's demand the more unseemly, 
 and his royal welcome back the more gracious on his father's 
 part. 
 
 give me : not an unheard-of demand in the East. It is said 
 that ' in some provinces of India, as soon as the younger son 
 reaches manhood, any of the sons can demand a division of the 
 property' (A. Wright, St. Luke, p. 139). 
 
 the portion : half the elder son's portion, therefore one-third 
 of his father's estate. 
 
 divided unto them. In justice to his elder son the father 
 gives him his portion also, but living still at home he does not take 
 it away. He and his father would now live as partners. 
 
 13. not many days after : a deliberate design quickly 
 executed. 
 
 g^athered all together : selling land or jewels and calling 
 in loans. He will sweep all in. The greed of his conduct is 
 apparent. 
 
 a far country. For very shame he cannot run his riotous 
 course near his old home. Paul traces back the development of 
 human wickedness to neglect of God as its first step (Rom. i. 21). 
 Having begun by abandoning God, men next plunge into vice and 
 all kinds of sin. 
 
 15. joined himself to one of the citizens. This has been 
 regarded as representing the action of Jews in becoming publicans 
 under the Roman government. But we must be cautious in 
 discovering hidden meanings in the subsidiary details. 
 
 to feed swine : regarded by the Jew as an odious task' 
 since swine were peculiarly unclean in his estimation. 
 
 16. the husks: the pods of the carob-tree {Ceratonta Siliqua), 
 
302 ST. LUKE 15. 17-20 
 
 17 gave unto him. But when he came to himself he said, 
 How many hired servants of my father's have bread 
 
 18 enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger ! I 
 will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, 
 Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight : 
 
 19 I am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as 
 
 20 one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to 
 his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw 
 him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell 
 
 which is common in Palestine. They are very sugary in nature, 
 and are used round the Mediterranean for swine. 
 
 no man gave unto him : not even any of the companions 
 of his vices, who had preyed on his property as long as it lasted 
 
 I and then tossed him aside Mike a sucked orange.' It is in this 
 destitution that his father has pity on him. God's mercy is found 
 
 \ where man's mercy fails. 
 
 ^ 17. when he came to hiznself : a generous phrase, suggesting 
 
 that in his riotous outbreak he was ' beside himself.' His true 
 self was not in such living. The sinner in his fall not only 
 forsakes God, he leaves his real self. Repentance is a return 
 to the true self. 
 
 hired servants : casual labourers, inferior to the slaves, as 
 tramps hired by a farmer for harvesting are reckoned inferior 
 to the men on the farm engaged from year to year. 
 
 18. I will arise, &c. : decision of will leading to action— the 
 proof of real repentance ; the language of regret which preceded 
 would have issued in hopeless remorse without this. 
 
 my father : still remembered as a father, the fatherly relation 
 not to be questioned even after the most scandalous conduct on 
 the part of the son. 
 
 I have sinned: confession following penitence. 
 
 agfainst heaven. The word * Heaven ' was commonly used 
 by the Jews for 'God.' The reality of the story is seen in 
 keeping the idea of the father in human regions. Thus the 
 penitent owns his sin against God first. 
 
 in thy sight : a change of phrase. The sin was directly an 
 ofience against God, at the same time it was grievous in his 
 father's eyes. 
 
 19. This verse illustrates the self-humiliation of the penitent. 
 It is not enough to regret the past and own its guilt. The 
 penitent must humble himself. 
 
 20. while he was yet afar off, &c. The idea is that his father 
 
ST. LUKE 15. 21-25 303 
 
 on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto 21 
 him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy 
 sight : I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But 22 
 the father said to his servants. Bring forth quickly the 
 best robe, and put it on him ; and put a ring on his 
 hand, and shoes on his feet : and bring the fatted calf, 23 
 and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry : for this my 24 
 son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and is 
 found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder 25 
 son was in the field : and as he came and drew nigh to 
 
 was looking for him and able to recognize him at a distance, 1 
 even in rags. It illustrates God's attitude as 'waiting to be '* 
 gracious.' 
 
 kissed: a strong Greek word really meaning 'kissed much,' 
 with warmth and depth of feeling. 
 
 21. The addition, * Make me as one of thy hired servants,' is in 
 the best MSS., but not in the most numerous MSS. and versions. 
 It might easily have come in from verse 19. Without it the son 
 does not finish his intended speech, either because he sees it is 
 needless after such a welcome as he has received, or because his 
 father interrupts him. 
 
 22. tlie best robe. The word indicates a stately robe, such as 
 was worn on ceremonial occasions. 
 
 a ring": probably with a signet, giving some authority. 
 shoes : sandals, not worn by slaves, therefore shewing he 
 was free. 
 
 23. tlie fatted calf: prepared for some approaching feast. 
 Was this to be the elder son's wedding ? 
 
 24. my son : owned as such by his father. 
 
 was dead, &c : not merely a strong figure for his being lost 
 sight of. What he was doing was known in the home, as verse 
 30 shews. His coming back as his return to his true self is his 
 becoming alive again. 
 
 25. Ms elder son. Pfleiderer considers that what follows is 
 an addition of the evangelist's, the parable closing with the feast 
 of welcome given to the returned prodigal. But the introduction 
 to all three parables shews good reason for this second part of the 
 third parable. Cf. verses i, 2. The Pharisees were acting like 
 the elder brother. 
 
 in tlie field. He had been working and was irritable, 
 perhaps because tired. Moreover, he was taken by surprise, and 
 he had not been consulted. 
 
304 ST. LUKE 15. 26-32 
 
 36 the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called 
 to him one of the servants, and inquired what these 
 
 27 things might be. And he said unto him, Thy brother is 
 come ; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because 
 
 ^8 he hath received him safe and sound. But he was 
 angry, and would not go in : and his father came out, 
 
 29 and intreated him. But he answered and said to his 
 father, 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 might make merry with my 
 
 30 friends : but when this thy son came, which hath devoured 
 thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted 
 
 31 calf. And he said unto him. Son, thou art ever with me, 
 
 32 and all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make 
 
 28. intreated hiiu. The verb is in the imperfect, denoting 
 continuous action. His father was some time intreating him. 
 There is a gospel even for the Pharisee. The prodigal returns of 
 his own accord. His brother is intreated continuously and in vain, 
 at all events at first. 
 
 29. never transgressed. He is self-satisfied. Nor is any 
 previous fault of his mentioned. Compared with his brother he 
 is virtuous. 
 
 a kid : of less value than the fatted calf. 
 
 with my friends: not with his father. He has his own 
 friends. Really then he too has drifted away from his father, 
 though living in the home. 
 
 30. this thy son : contemptuously uttered. He will not own 
 the brotherly relation. 
 
 with harlots : not mentioned in the narrative, a coarse 
 remark of the man who would make the worst of his brother. 
 
 31. Son: rather * Chil,d,,'_affectionately uttered. The father 
 loves the elder son. It is unjust therefore to accuse him of 
 favouritism. 
 
 all that is mine is thine. The father had given him his share, 
 the two-thirds left after his brother had taken his portion. Cf. 
 note on verse 12. 
 
 32. meet to make merry. This joy is becoming. The music 
 and dancing are not out of place. The penitent is not to be 
 received with gloom, but with rejoicing. 
 
ST. LUKE 16. T-4 305 
 
 merry and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, and 
 is alive again ; and was lost, and is found. 
 
 And he said also unto the disciples, There was a cer- iq 
 tain rich man, which had a steward ; and the same was 
 accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And 2 
 he called him, and said unto him. What is this that I 
 hear of thee ? render the account of thy stewardship ; for 
 thou canst be no longer steward. And the steward said 3 
 within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord 
 taketh away the stewardship from me ? I have not 
 strength to dig ; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved 4 
 
 thy brother : a gentle reminder. If the fatherly relation 
 remains, so does the brotherly, ^ 
 
 The parable is silent as to the effect of this second appeal. It 
 is for the Pharisees themselves to determine what that shall be. 
 
 xvi. 1-13. The wise steward. Addressing his disciples, Jesus 
 gives them a parable about a rich man who calls his steward to 
 account and then dismisses him. This man, not knowing where to 
 turn for a livelihood, reduces the amounts of his emploj'^er's tenants' 
 debts on their bills, and thus secures their friendship. His lord, 
 hearing of this, commends him for so doing. Earthly property 
 should be so used as to secure friendships that will outlast this 
 life and be of avail in the future life. The amount of fidelity 
 shewn in small things is the sign of what will be shewn in great. 
 It is impossible to serve both God and mammon. The parable 
 of the Steward and its lesson are only in Luke. The saying 
 about not serving two masters is also in Matthew (vi. 24) as 
 part of the Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 1. unto the disciples. This was not said of the previous 
 parables. The stewardship is especially the function of Christ's 
 followers, to whom therefore the lesson about that subject 
 especially applies. 
 
 a steward. This man is in a higher position than the house- 
 steward described in xii. 42 ; he is a bailiff or estate agent, like the 
 Scotch ' factor ' ; and he is not a slave, as he is liable to dismissal. 
 
 2. render the account: the proper account that should be 
 given periodically. It would seem that the owner had not asked 
 for this before. We may compare his position with Joseph's in 
 the house of Potiphar, who * left all that he had in Joseph's hand ; 
 and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which 
 he did eat ' (Gen. xxxix. 6). 
 
3o6 ST. LUKE 16. 5-8 
 
 what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, 
 
 5 they may receive me into their houses. And caUing to 
 him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, 
 
 6 How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, 
 A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, 
 Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty. 
 
 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou ? 
 And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. He saith 
 
 8 unto him, Take thy bond, and write fourscore. And his 
 lord commended the unrighteous steward because he 
 had done wisely : for the sons of this world are for their 
 
 4. they luay receive me. The people referred to have not yet 
 been mentioned. The following verses shew that they are the 
 debtors. He will so treat these people that they will open their 
 houses to him. Thus he will be provided for. 
 
 5. debtors: probably tenants in arrears with their rent, which 
 was paid in kind. 
 
 6. measures of oil. The measure here is the Hebrew bath^ 
 containing from eight to nine gallons. Olive oil was one of the 
 principal products of Palestine. 
 
 tliy bond : lit. ' thy writings,' documents containing the terms 
 of the tenancy, and perhaps also what rent was paid and what 
 was still due. 
 
 7. measures of wheat. The measure here is the Hebrew cor, 
 containing about ten bushels. 
 
 8. Ms lord: i.e. the rich man of verse i. 
 
 commended. It is important to bear this in mind when 
 attempting to interpret the parable. 
 
 the unrighteous steward : lit. ' the steward of unrighteous- 
 ness,' a common Hebrew idiom using the genitive of an abstract 
 noun in the sense of an adjective. The unrighteousness is a 
 general characteristic, and applies to the primary charge of 
 'wasting' the property (verse i ) quite as much as to the dealings 
 with the debtors, and possibly not to the latter at all. 
 
 because he had done wisely. This must refer to the 
 transactions with the debtors, and therefore it makes impossible 
 the suggestion that the landowner praised his steward in ignorance 
 of what had occurred. It is to be observed that the man's wisdom 
 is commended, not his honesty. 
 
 the sons of this world : lit. ' of this age.' A Hebraism 
 meaning the men of the world as the world now is. The phrase 
 
ST. LUKE 16. 9 307 
 
 own generation wiser than the sons of the h'ght. And 9 
 I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of 
 the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when it shall fail, 
 
 'this age' was commonly used for the present corrupt and evil 
 time in contrast with 'the age to come,' i.e. the age of the 
 Messiah, when the kingdom of God is to be set up and a better 
 state of society to prevail. 
 
 for their own g'eneration : i. e. as far as their present life 
 among their contemporaries is concerned. Their wisdom extends 
 no farther. 
 
 the sons of the light : another Hebraism with the genitive of 
 the noun for an adjective, meaning 'enhghtened people,' those 
 who have received the light of the new age. These people do 
 not shew the same amount of wisdom in the great matters of the 
 kingdom of God that men of the world manifest in secular affairs. 
 The rebuke implies that they ought to shew more, because these 
 matters are more important, and because the 'light' they have 
 received should have made them exceptionally wise. 
 
 This parable is most difficult of interpretation, and it has been 
 explained in a great variety of ways. The attempt to give 
 allegorical meanings to all the persons and actions contained in it 
 has led to hopeless confusion. If such meanings are there, we have 
 no certainty about them. Under these circumstances it is wiser 
 to be content with the main lesson — the commendation of practical 
 wisdom, especially in so dealing with present secular affairs that 
 we may win friends whose friendship shall last to eternity. The 
 character of the steward's action has been defended on the 
 supposition that he had been previously rack-renting the tenants, 
 and pocketing the difference between the just rent and his 
 exorbitant exactions. Now he reduces the rent to a reasonable 
 amount, and this involves no loss to his lord, while he ends his 
 own embezzlements. That is possible. But there is no indication 
 of it in the parable. Mr. Latham holds that the steward had 
 been over- scrupulous in studying the interests of his employer, 
 to the neglect of the rights of the tenants whom he ground 
 down cruelly, and that the parable is a warning to preachers 
 and teachers against that unwise zeal for God which shuts out 
 kindness to man and exacts too much in its requirements. Then 
 h altering of the documents is an adoption of greater mildness 
 in Christian teaching (see Pastor Pastorum, pp. 386-98). But 
 it is safer to keep to the one expressed lesson in the commendation 
 of wisdom, apart from any reference to character. 
 
 9. mammon : riches, a Hebrew name for earthly property. 
 
 of uurig-hteousness : so called because so often the instru- 
 ment of sin. Cf. I Timothy vi. 10. 
 
 X 2 
 
13 
 
 3o8 ST. LUKE 16. 10-13 
 
 10 they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. He 
 that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much : 
 and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous 
 
 11 also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in 
 the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust 
 
 12 the true riches ? And if ye have not been faithful in that 
 which is another's, who will give you that which 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 
 God and mammon. 
 
 tlie eternal tabernacles. The article 'the' must point to 
 heaven as the home of eternal life. The idea of the verse seems 
 to be this : So use earthly property as to win friendships which 
 shall outlast the property and endure to the future life, where the 
 money that is only spent selfishly is no longer of service. This 
 conduct is the opposite to that of 'the rich fool' (xii. 16-21) and 
 that of Dives, who makes no friend of Lazarus with his money on 
 earth to be for his comfort after death (xvi. 19-31'). The word 
 * eternal ' is emphatically introduced, as pointing to more than the 
 temporary shelter the debtors gave the steward. 
 
 10. faithful : a new idea, not directly arising out of the parable, 
 in which wisdom, not fidelity, was commended ; but it is associated 
 with the subject of property and its responsibilities. 
 
 11. tinrigliteous mariimon: the same as 'the mammon of un- 
 righteousness ' in verse 9. Money is so often an instrument of 
 sin that it is pictured as itself tainted with sin. The meaning 
 of the verse is that if people abuse the lower trust of earthly 
 property, they will not have committed to them the higher trust 
 of the things of the kingdom of God. 
 
 12. tliat wMcli is another's: a return to the idea of steward- 
 ship, connected with the moral character of the steward, not his 
 wisdom, which was the primary thought in the parable. People 
 who have money are God's stewards. If they are not faithful 
 to their trust they will not have what will be really their own — 
 the treasures of the kingdom. The treasure hid in the field and 
 the pearl of great price (Matt. xiii. 44-46) illustrate this thought 
 of the kingdom as a valuable possession. 
 
 13. servant: lit. 'house-servant.' 
 
 can . . . cannot. The case is impossible. It is not merely 
 the idea of what is unadvisable. We may turn it about and say 
 
ST. LUKE 16. 14-16 309 
 
 And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard 14 
 all these things ; and they scoffed at him. And he said 15 
 unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the 
 sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that 
 which is exalted among men is an abomination in the 
 sight of God. The law and the prophets were until 16 
 John : from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God 
 is preached, and every man entereth violently into it. 
 
 conversely, He who serves God is thereby liberated from the 
 sordid slavery of mammon. 
 
 xvi, 14-18. The self-justificaiion of the Pharisees exposed. The 
 Pharisees, being lovers of money, scoff at this teaching. Jesus 
 reminds them that God sees through the pretences that may serve 
 among men. People are now for taking the kingdom of God by 
 storm. The law cannot fail. Re-marriage after wilful divorce is 
 adultery. 
 
 14. who were lovers of money : rather ' being lovers of 
 money.' It is not that there are some avaricious Pharisees, but 
 that the Pharisees as a class are money lovers. 
 
 15. justify yourselves in the sight of men. This was the aim 
 of the Pharisees; and it succeeded, but its limited range is to be 
 observed. They scarcely seemed to care to consider whether 
 they were justified in the sight of God. 
 
 an abomination : a strong word, primarily meaning a thing " 
 of foul stench. It was used in Daniel (xi. 31) of the profanation 
 of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, and again with an allusion 
 to this O. T. passage by Christ for the defiling presence of the 
 heathen invader whose coming he predicted (Mark xiii. 14). 
 
 16. The law and the prophets : the two branches of the former 
 dispensation. The phrase is also used for the O. T, as describing 
 its two principal parts. The third, '■ the writing,' was held to be 
 less important. It seems that there was a time when the Hebrew 
 canon contained only the law and the prophets. 
 
 until John : plainly implying that the law and the prophets 
 are no longer the supreme authorities, and must give place to the 
 Gospel. 
 
 every man entereth violently. This saying is given more 
 fully in Matthew xi. 12, where Jesus says : 'From the days of John 
 the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, 
 and men of violence take it by force.' This is often taken as 
 indicating great eagerness on the part of the people to enter the 
 kingdom as it was preached by Jesus Christ. But the language 
 
3IO ST. LUKE 16. 17-20 
 
 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than 
 
 18 for one tittle of the law to fall. Every one that putteth 
 away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery : 
 and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband 
 committeth adultery. 
 
 19 Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed 
 in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day : 
 
 20 and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, 
 
 is too strong. It rather points to people being unwilling to enter 
 by the door, and trying to force themselves in some other v/ay, 
 as in the action of the Pharisees who demand the status of God's 
 elect for themselves on their own conditions. 
 
 17. This verse seems out of any connexion with what precedes, 
 except that there has just been a reference to the law. 
 
 18. putteth away : a one-sided action on the part of the 
 husband, who capriciously flings off the wife of whom he is tired 
 in order that he may marry another woman. Jesus is alluding to 
 the scandalous freedom of divorce allowed in his time. Hillel is 
 said to have declared that a man might divorce his wife for spoiling 
 the dinner. A fuller discussion of the subject is given in Matthew 
 '^xix. 3-12 , where our Lord gives immoral conduct as the sole 
 reason for divorce. The mere ' putteth away ' in this verse does 
 not contemplate that. 
 
 xvi. 19-31. The rich man and Lazarus. Returning to the 
 question of riches and the use of it, Jesus gives this terrible 
 parable of a rich man who has the best of things in this world 
 followed by torment in the next, and a beggar who is wretched 
 here but carried to blessedness after death. The scene passes to 
 the world of the dead, where the tortured soul implores some 
 relief to be given to himself and warning to be sent to his brothers, 
 but in vain. 
 
 19. a certain rich man. His name is not given, the popular 
 title ' Dives' being only the Latin for 'a rich man.' There is a 
 late tradition that his name was Nineus. 
 
 purple : the outer cloak, dyed with the murex. 
 fine linen : the undergarment, shirt or tunic, made of 
 Egyptian fax. 
 
 faring sumptuously: rather ' living merrily and in splendour.' 
 
 20. Lazarus : the Hebrew Eleazar, meaning * he whom God 
 helps.' This meaning of the name may be our Lord's reason for 
 giving it. There is no other instance of a name appearing in 
 a parable. It has been suggested that it was added later, because 
 
ST. LUKE 16, 21-24 311 
 
 full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that 21 
 fell from the rich man's table ; yea, even the dogs came 
 and Hcked his sores. And it came to pass, that the 22 
 beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels 
 into Abraham's bosom : and the rich man also died, and 
 was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being 23 
 in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in 
 his bosom. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, 24 
 
 Lazarus of Bethany came back from the dead and had no influence 
 in bringing people to repentance. 
 
 was laid at his gate : as a beggar ; a common custom in 
 the East. 
 
 21. desiring to be fed: implying that he was not fed. The 
 heartlessness of the rich man is his fatal sin, not the mere fact 
 that he was rich. 
 
 yea, even the dogs: a further sign of his abject misery. 
 The dogs in the Fast are not the friends of men, but are accounted 
 unclean beasts. Lazarus is too feeble to drive them off. 
 
 22. the angels: according to Jewish belief. The imagery is 
 Jewish throughout. 
 
 Abrahanx's bosom. The phrase is drawn from the customs 
 of a feast, where each man reclining on his elbow leans on the 
 bosom of the man to his left. Thus Lazarus is supposed to be 
 seated next to Abraham in the banquet of the blessed. The feast 
 is a Jewish conception of Paradise. 
 
 was buried. There is no reference to angels in the case 
 of the rich man. 
 
 23. Hades: the place of the dead, where they await the final 
 judgement. As this is not mentioned in the case of Lazarus, it appears 
 that thew^ord is not here used in its classic sense for the region 
 where all the dead reside, but is confined to Gehenna, the place of 
 torment to which lost souls are sent. Hades in Greek represents 
 the Hebrew Sheol, which in the O. T. is the dim land of death, 
 at first equally gloomy and hopeless for all souls, but with no idea 
 of torment attached to it. Later Jewish writers divided it into 
 two parts — Paradise, where the blessed await a resurrection ; 
 Gehenna, where the wicked are tortured in flames, apparently 
 with no hope of a resurrection. In the Talmud, as in this parable, 
 the word Hades is confined to Gehenna. 
 
 afar off: yet within sight. The Rabbis taught that Paradise 
 and Gehenna were near together. 
 
 24. S'athei* Abraham. Being a Jew, he appeals as a son, but 
 to Abraham only, not to God. 
 
312 ST. LUKE 16. 25-31 
 
 have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip 
 the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ; for 
 
 25 I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, 
 remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good 
 things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things : but now 
 
 26 here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. And 
 beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf 
 fixed, that they which would pass from hence to you may 
 not be able, and that none may cross over from thence 
 
 27 to 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, lest they 
 
 -29 also come into this place of torment. But Abraham 
 saith, They have Moses and the prophets ; let them hear 
 
 30 them. And he said. Nay, father Abraham : but if one 
 
 31 go to them from the dead, they will repent. And he 
 said unto him. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, 
 
 25. Son: lit. ' Child.' Abraham is not harsh in his reply, 
 receivedst: lit. 'receivedst to the full.' Thus he had had all 
 
 his portion ; there was no more to look forward to. All that this 
 verse shews is a great reversal of fortunes, without stating the 
 moral reasons for it. 
 
 26. bsside all tMs : more correctly, according to the best 
 text, 'in all these things' ; i.e. the gulf divides the two states in 
 all respects, there is no intercommunication. 
 
 a great gulf. There is no allusion to this in Rabbinical 
 teaching. 
 
 27. This request has been read as a sign of some improvement 
 of the selfish man's character. 
 
 28. tesfcify: a strong word meaning 'testify earnestly and 
 thoroughly.' 
 
 29. Moses aud the prophets : the Scriptures in their two main 
 divisions. It is to be observed that these O. T. writings do not 
 describe the torments of the lost, and scarcely refer to the future 
 life at all. But they contain (i) clear teaching on the right way 
 of living, (2) repeated warnings of punishment for wrong-doing. 
 
 30. K'ay. A strong Greek negative is used here. 'No, no!' 
 exclaims the tormented soul, 'that is not enough.' 
 
 31. A rebuke to the Jewish craving for signs. Mere marvels 
 
ST. LUKE 17. 1,2 313 
 
 neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the 
 dead. 
 
 And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but 17 
 that occasions of stumbling should come : but woe unto 
 him, through whom they come ! It were well for him if 2 
 a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were 
 
 do not produce spiritual conviction or moral repentance. Lazarus 
 would not be believed if Moses and the prophets are not believed. 
 This lesson is v^ell illustrated by Mrs. Oliphant's weird story of 
 The Beleaguered City. 
 
 The first lesson of this parable is evidently a warning against 
 confidence in riches, given in a revelation of a complete reversal 
 of fortunes after death. The reference to repentance towards the 
 close shews that this reversal is not mechanical, a mere turn of 
 the wheel of fortune, but based on character. The rich man 
 knows that if his brothers repent they will not come to the place 
 of torment. . Then it is not his riches in itself, but the character 
 of the rich man that dooms him. The description of Lazarus at 
 his gate plainly hints at what the sin of the rich man is, viz. selfish 
 indifference to his brother's need. It is not reasonable to take 
 the imagery of a parable literally as a description of the state of 
 the dead. It is parabolic throughout. Nor is it reasonable to 
 suppose that Jesus is here giving a revelation concerning the 
 state of the- dead. He uses conventional Jewish imagery, and 
 adds nothing material to it. 
 
 xvii. 1-4. On causing stumbling and on forgiveness. While it 
 is impossible to prevent causes of stumbling from arising, it would 
 be better for those who produce them to be killed than to do so. 
 A brother who wrongs us should be rebuked and forgiven seven 
 times a day, if need be, supposing he repents. 
 
 The first part of this passage is also in Matthew (xviii. 6, 7), 
 where the order of the two verses is reversed, and in Mark (ix. 42); 
 the second is in Matthew (xviii. 21, 22), but not in Mark. 
 
 1. occasions of stuiublin^. See note on vii. 23. It is im- 
 possible to prevent hindrances to the Christian life and various 
 snares and temptations from arising. This fact, however, does 
 not lessen the guilt of those who produce them, 
 
 2. a millstone. Matthew and Mark have 'an ass millstone,' 
 i. e. not the small stone which two women sat to turn, but a 
 heavier stone turned by an ass. 
 
 one of these little ones. The saj'ing is out of its context. 
 In Matthew (xviii. 2-6) and Mark (ix, 36, 37) it appears that 
 Jesus had just been fondling a child and commending children to 
 
314 ST. LUKE 17. 3-5 
 
 thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause 
 
 3 one of these little ones to stumble. Take heed to your- 
 selves : if thy brother sin, rebuke him ; and if he repent, 
 
 4 forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in 
 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 
 
 kind treatment. In these Gospels the warning follows immediately 
 after that incident. 
 
 3. Take heed to yourselves. These words seem to point back 
 and clench the warning just given. They end that subject, but 
 do not begin the next. 
 
 thy brother. This title gives the motive for what follows. 
 We should not be harsh because we are dealing with a brother. 
 There is nothing to indicate that Jesus limits this title to a fellow 
 disciple. In the later apostolic period ' brethren ' became the 
 recognized name of Christians among themselves, e. g. ' All the 
 brethren salute you' (i Cor. xvi. 20). But it is not so used in 
 the Gospels, except perhaps once at the very close, and then 
 indefinitely: ' Stablish thy brethren' (Luke xxii. 32). Peter 
 addressed the Jews as 'Brethren ' (Acts ii. 29). 
 
 sin : i. e. against thee. 
 
 rebuke him : the first step, not forbidden, but even 
 advised. 
 
 ^ if he repent : a necessary condition of all forgiveness. 
 Forgiveness without repentance is not required, though of course 
 the fact that malice and vengeance are not allowed under any 
 circumstances goes a long wa}' in this direction, 
 
 4. seven times : the Jewish number for completeness. In 
 Matthew's version of this teaching Peter asks whether the forgive- 
 ness is to be 'until seven times,' when Jesus answers that it is 
 to be 'until seventy times seven,' i.e. there is to be no limit. 
 Possibly this was a later incident, w^hen the question was raised 
 by the apostle after brooding over Christ's saying, as we have it 
 in Luke, and taking it with exact literalness. 
 
 xvii. 5-10. On faith and on unprofitable servants. When the 
 disciples ask for an increase of faith, Jesus answers that if they 
 had but the smallest faith, they might do the greatest things with 
 it. When a servant comes in from work his master does not wait 
 on him, but expects to be waited on, and that without thanking 
 the servant. When we have done all, we have not exceeded our 
 duty. 
 
ST. LUKE 17. 6-8 315 
 
 faith. And the Lord said, If ye have faith as a grain of 6 
 mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be 
 thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea ; and it 
 would have obeyed you. But who is there of you^ having 7 
 a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto 
 him, when he is come in from the field, Come straight- 
 way and sit down to meat ; and will not rather say unto 8 
 him. Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, 
 
 6. a grain of mustard seed: a second allusion to this as a 
 very small seed. See note on xiii. 19, 
 
 tMs : the tree under the shadow of which we may suppose 
 them to be sitting at the time. 
 
 sycamine. As this is the name of the mulberry in modern 
 Greek, some have supposed that tree to be intended here ; but 
 in the LXX 'sycamine' is commonly used for the fig tree. 
 Probably therefore it is the fig tree here. This saying is given 
 variously in the two other Synoptic Gospels. Instead of ' this 
 tree,' both of them have 'this mountain,' Matthew^ (xvii. 20) just 
 after the cure of the lunatic boy following theTransfiguration,where 
 the mountain must be Hermon, and Mark (xi. 23) after the 
 withering of the fruitless fig tree on the Mount of Olives, which hill 
 therefore must be the one alluded to in that Gospel. It is im- 
 possible to determine which was the original word used ; whether 
 * tree ' or ' mountain,' or if ' mountain,' which of the two mountains 
 was originally referred to. It has been suggested that ' tree ' may 
 have been substituted for ' mountain ' in a flat country. Of course 
 Jesus may have repeated the saying and varied the application of 
 it. Plainly it is metaphorical. There was a Jewish saying that 
 a certain rabbi was ' a rooter-up of mountains.' Jesus means 
 that even small faith can accomplish great things if we w^ill use it. 
 
 7. wlio is there of you. Our Lord's frequent style of argument, 
 as though he were to say, 'Do not expect in the kingdom what 
 would be unreasonable in your own daily affairs.' 
 
 a servant : a slave. 
 
 plowing' or keeping sheep : the one in the valley, the 
 other on the hills — the two forms of farm work that divided the 
 labours of country people in Palestine. 
 
 Come straightway and sit down, &c. Yet this very thing 
 that Jesus assumes does not happen among men, he himself 
 promises elsewhere to do for his disciples, saying, ' He shall gird 
 himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and 
 serve them ' (xii. 37). 
 
 8. In noting the apparent hardness of this behaviour we must 
 
3i6 ST. LUKE 17. 9-12 
 
 and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken ; and afterr 
 
 9 ward thou shalt eat and drink ? Doth he thank the 
 
 servant because he did the things that were commanded ? 
 
 10 Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things 
 that are commanded you, say. We are unprofitable ser- 
 vants ; 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 through the midst of 
 
 12 Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain 
 village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which 
 
 bear in mind the introductory words, 'Who is there of you?' &c. 
 Jesus is only appealing to the acknowledged customs of the people 
 before him, as though he were saying, ' You do not wait on 3'our 
 slaves; tired as they may be after their labour, you expect them 
 to wait on you. Then why should you, who are God's slaves, 
 expect honour and thanks for what you do in His service • ' 
 
 10. unproatable : not 'worthless,' but yielding no margin of 
 profit for which payment can be expected. This does not con- 
 tradict our Lord's gracious promise on the other occasion, 
 because that was wholly of grace. In point of fact he will not 
 act in the hard way of a master dealing with his slave, he will 
 even take the slave's place and serve him. But that will be 
 purely an act of generous condescension. We have no claim 
 whatever to demand it as a right. This seems to be the lesson 
 intended here. 
 
 xvii. 11-19, The ten lepers. On his way up to Jerusalem, 
 passing the boundaries of Galilee and Samaria, as he is about to 
 enter a village Jesus is met by ten lepers, who appeal for his 
 mere}'. He sends them to the priests, and on the way they are 
 healed. One of them returns to glorify God, and he a Samaritan. 
 Jesus is grieved that the others shew no gratitude, and he dis- 
 misses the one grateful man with a commendation on his faith. 
 
 11. on tlie way to Jerusalem: another incident on the last 
 journey. 
 
 through the midst of: an unfortunate rendering. The Greek 
 phrase does not indicate that Jesus went through the middle of each 
 of these provinces. The phrase means midway between the two, 
 i. e. in the border country. This is how a Samaritan leper came 
 to be found with Jew lepers. 
 
 12. as he eiitered : the present participle, meaning * as he was 
 going in or about to enter.' 
 
 lepers. See note on v. 12. 
 
ST. LUKE 17. 13-20 317 
 
 stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, saying, 13 
 Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw 14 
 them, he said unto them, Go and shew yourselves unto 
 the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they 
 were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he 15 
 was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying 
 God ; and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him 16 
 thanks : and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering 17 
 said. Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the 
 nine? Were there none found that returned to. give 18 
 glory to God, save this stranger? And he said unto him, 19 
 Arise, and go thy way : thy faith hath made thee whole. 
 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom 20 
 
 afar off: according to the requirement of the law. The leper 
 was to go with his clothes rent, his head bare {lit. 'dishevelled'), 
 and a covering upon his upper Hp ; and as he went he was to cry 
 ' Unclean, unclean ' Lev. xiii. 45). 
 
 13. Master: not the word commonly used, which means 
 ' Teacher,' but a word pointing to authority, as in the master of 
 a house. 
 
 14. Go and shew yourselves, &c. See note on v. 14. 
 tlie priests. Any priest found in any town would serve. 
 
 15. with a loud voice: heard at a distance, expressing heart- 
 felt gladness, with no fear or shame in making the confession. 
 
 16. he fell upon his face, &c. The praise to God was heard at 
 a distance ; when the man was close to Jesus he prostrated himself 
 to give thanks to his healer also. This double thanksgiving stands 
 almost alone of its kind in the Gospel history. 
 
 a Samaritan. See note on ix. 52, Observe, it is Luke alone 
 of the evangelists who gives us this incident, as he is the only one 
 to record our Lord's refusal to punish a churlish Samaritan village 
 (ix. 51-56), and also the parable of the Good Samaritan (x. 30-37). 
 
 1*7. where are the nine? It is not asserted that all nine were 
 Jews, but the next verse suggests this. 
 
 18. strang-er : better * foreigner,' springing from the mixed 
 stock of Israelites of the northern kingdom and heathen immigrants 
 imported by the Assyrians. 
 
 xvii. 20, 21. The unseen kingdom. A Pharisee asking Jesus when 
 the kingdom of God is to come, he replies that this is not a move- 
 
3i8 ST. LUKE 17. 21,22 
 
 of God Cometh, he answered them and said, The king- 
 2 1 dom of God cometh not with observation : neither shall 
 
 they say, Lo, here ! or. There ! for lo, the kingdom of 
 
 God is within you. 
 23 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, 
 
 ment to be observed externally ; the kingdom is already present. 
 This incident is only in Luke. 
 
 20. wlien tlie kingfdoni of God cometh. The Book of Enoch, 
 written near this time, shews that there were those who expected 
 the kingdom to come soon. John the Baptist and Jesus had both 
 proclaimed its approach. Jesus had now been preaching for two 
 years. Yet people saw no sign of the kingdom. 
 
 not with observation: not in such a way that it can be 
 watched with the eyes, i. e. invisibly. A common expectation 
 was that there would be a great demonstration in the sky and 
 a visible descent of the Messiah. At all events a great earthly 
 kingdom with the Messiah's throne and his conquering army was 
 looked for. Our Lord's words here should caution us against 
 taking too literally what he says a little later about his own 
 coming ; he comes really, but invisibly. 
 
 21. Iio, here ! or, There !— a sudden local appearance to which 
 attention is drawn. In opposition to this materialistic conception, 
 we are to think of the kingdom diffusing itself everywhere, and 
 therefore not to be detected merely ' here ' or ' there ' — in one 
 locality or another. 
 
 within you : or ' among 3'ou.' The Greek preposition will 
 admit of either meaning. It is used by Xenophon in the phrase 
 'among them.' In one sense it declares the internal, spiritual 
 character of the kingdom ; in the other sense its actual though 
 invisible presence. The context points to the latter meaning, 
 Jesus could not say to a Pharisee, ' The kingdom is within yott ' ; 
 he might say, ' It is among you '— already present, while Pharisees 
 cannot see it. 
 
 xvii, 22-37. The days of the Son of man. Jesus tells his 
 disciples that there is a time coming when they will desire in vain 
 the days of his presence. In his day he will be visible as a flash 
 of lightning across the sky. But first must come his suffering 
 and rejection. It will be like the times of Noah and of Lot, people 
 being occupied in their various worldly affairs up to the moment 
 when he is revealed. There will be no time to collect one's goods 
 and chattels. Lot's wife is a warning against hankering after 
 these things. Even to seek to save one's life will be to lose it. Of 
 two people most closely associated, one will be taken and the 
 
ST. LUKE 17. 23-26 319 
 
 when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of 
 man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, 23 
 Lo, there ! Lo, here ! go not away, nor follow after them: 
 for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one 24 
 part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under 
 heaven ; so shall the Son of man be in his day. But 25 
 first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this 
 generation. And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, 26 
 
 other left. The disciples ask where ? He answers that the vultures 
 will be where the corpse is. Most of this is only in Luke, but 
 some parts, as will be indicated in the notes, are also in Matthew 
 and Mark. 
 
 22. unto tlie disciples. This discourse is for Christ's own 
 followers. 
 
 The days will come : rather ' days will come ' ; there is no 
 article. The phrase means, there will be a time when what 
 follows in the text will happen. 
 
 ye shall desire. It is the disciples who will desire this. 
 
 one of the days of the Son of man : i. e. one of the days 
 when Christ is present, one such day as the disciples were having 
 then. The thought is the same as is expressed elsewhere in the 
 prophecy that they will fast in the days w^hen the bridegroom is 
 taken away (v. 35). It is,the longing for Christ's return after his 
 departure. 
 
 23. This verse may be explained by comparison with the 
 parallel in Mark xiii. 21, 22) : 'And then if any man shall say 
 unto you, Lo, here is the Christ ; or, Lo, there ; believe it not : 
 for there shall arise false Christs,' &c. The disciples are warned 
 against false rumours of the return of their Lord. 
 
 24. Two ideas of the advent may be suggested by the light- 
 ning: (i) its suddenness, (2) its clear visibility. The latter is the 
 more prominent, and it is doubtful whether the former is at all 
 intended. The shining of the lightning all over the sky, not the fact 
 that it comes with a momentary flash, is what the verse describes. 
 This does not contradict verse 20. The kingdom, does not come 
 with observation. It is already invisibly present. But in the 
 future the kitig will be seen in a way that his disciples cannot 
 mistake. 
 
 in his day: a doubtful phrase, as it is omitted by some of the 
 best MSS. 
 
 25. first must he suffer. Another prediction of the cross, with 
 the added thought that this is to precede the great revelation of 
 the Son of man. 
 
320 ST. LUKE 17. 27-?2 
 
 even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 
 
 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in 
 marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 
 
 28 and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise 
 even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, 
 they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they 
 
 29 builded ; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom 
 it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
 
 30 them all : after the same manner shall it be in the day 
 
 31 that the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which 
 shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, 
 let him not go down to take them away : and let him 
 
 32 that is in the field likewise not return back. Remember 
 
 26. the days of the Son of man : the time of his return. 
 
 27. They ate, &c. : carried on their ordinary occupations, 
 regardless of Noah's warnings. There is no hint that these were 
 wrong occupations. The fault lay in disregarding the warnings. 
 See Genesis vi. ff. 
 
 28. they bought, they sold, &c. This is not said of Noah's 
 generation. We are now in a more highly developed civilization; 
 therefore among more distractions, when the warning voice is even 
 more completely drowned in the clatter of worldly affairs. Again 
 no sin is mentioned. In neither case are the people punished for 
 being so occupied. The occupations shew that they are not at all 
 expecting what is just about to happen. 
 
 29. it rained fire and brimstone, &c. See Genesis xix, 24. 
 
 30. revealed : indicating that he is already present invisibly. 
 Then this unseen presence will be manifested. This rather goes 
 to shew that the idea of his coming in the clouds, taken from 
 Daniel (see Mark xiii. 26), is meant to be figurative. The second 
 advent is really a manifestation of the continually present 
 Christ. 
 
 31. on the housetop: for the midday siesta. His flight will 
 be more delayed if he enter the house. The staircase would be 
 outside the house, 
 
 32. Isot'swife. See Genesis xix, 26. A warning against delay, 
 but with the idea that this is caused by unwillingness to leave 
 what is in the home. Lot's wife is supposed to have been 
 reluctant to forsake her property, Christ's disciple is warned 
 against clinging to such things to the danger of the true life. 
 
ST. LUKE 17. 33-37 321 
 
 Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall 33 
 lose it : but whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve 
 it. I say unto you, In that night there shall be two 34 
 men on one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other 
 shall be left. There shall be two women grinding 35 
 together ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall 
 be left. And they answering say unto him, Where, 37 
 Lord? And he said unto them. Where the body ?V, 
 thither will the eagles also be gathered together. 
 
 33. See note on ix. 24. This is a repetition of the same saying 
 with sUght verbal alterations. The idea of * seeking ' comes in 
 here, instead of simply ^willing' as in the previous passage, 
 suggesting the picture of a fugitive hunting for some secret place 
 where he may hide in the crisis of danger. 
 
 gfain : lit. ' preserve for himself* 
 preserve it : lit. ' save it alive.' 
 
 34. two men on one "bed. Matthew (xxiv. 40) has ' two men 
 ... in the field.' In both cases the idea is simply close association 
 in earthly conditions. 
 
 the one sliall "be taken, &c. Two opposite views of the 
 meaning of these words have been suggested : (i) snatched away 
 by death ; (2) drawn out of danger, or received by Christ. Both 
 the usage of the Greek word and the context point to the latter 
 meaning. The Greek word is commonly used for accepting, taking 
 to oneself in a favourable way, and therefore sometimes translated 
 'receive' (e. g. xix. 12). The illustrations of Noah and Lot suggest 
 that those taken are saved, while those left are they who perish. 
 So does the illustration of the vultures which devour the body left 
 out on the battle-field, while that taken away is saved from them. 
 
 35. two women, &c. : turning a handmill, as they sit facing 
 one another, so that one passes round the handle to the other. 
 In both cases close association is followed by opposite fates. 
 
 36. This verse disappears from the R. V., as it is not in the best 
 MSS. It is taken from Matthew xxiv. 40. 
 
 37 . Where : not ' Whither will they be taken ? ' but * Where will 
 this happen ? ' as the answer shews. 
 
 the body. Matthew (xxiv. 28) has 'the carcase.' Evidently 
 a dead body is meant here, representing the corrupt — like the 
 people in the days of Noah and of Lot — whose destruction must 
 come wherever they are. 
 
 the eag'les: vultures that hover in flocks over the dead and 
 dying. It is not likely that Jesus is here referring to the Roman 
 
322 ST. LUKE 18. i, a 
 
 18 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that 
 a they ought always to pray, and not to faint ; saying, 
 
 eagles to be gathered at the siege of Jerusalem. His language is 
 too comprehensive and too symbolical. Those who are left — the 
 man in the bed, the woman at the mill — will be a prey to destruc- 
 tion, wherever they are ; those who are accepted by Christ will 
 be saved. Jesus thus seems to reply : ' It is no question of locality ; 
 it is purely a question of personal condition.' 
 
 Note.— It is not easy to interpret this series of warning 
 utterances with one consistent application throughout. The idea 
 running through them all is that of ' the revelation of the Son of 
 man.' When that occurs these things will happen. But possibly 
 it may occur in various ways. Verse 31 seems to refer to a local 
 earthly danger. We see from the parallel in Matthew (xxiv. 15-20) 
 that this is the siege of Jerusalem. Those in Judaea are to flee to 
 the mountain ; it will be bad if the flight is in winter, &c. Among 
 these very local sayings comes the word about 'him that is on the 
 housetop.' But then the sayings about one being taken and the 
 other left scarcely apply to a flight. It is just possible that they 
 mean that those who follow the advice now given will be taken 
 out of danger by their escape from Jerusalem, while those who do 
 not follow it will be left to perish. But the language seems to be 
 of a deeper and more mysterious character, referring to some 
 greater advent of Christ for the rescue of his people, when 
 destruction is to fall on those who have not heeded his warnings. 
 In this way it embodies the general principle of all future judge- 
 ment. Possibly Luke, or the compiler of a document he is follow- 
 ing here, has strung together sayings of Jesus on this subject 
 uttered on various occasions and with various immediate bearings, 
 some designed to give specific advice for the time of the siege of 
 Jerusalem, others of wider and more general application to the 
 discriminating judgement that awaits all souls. 
 
 xviii. 1-8. The unrighteous judge. Jesus gives a parable for 
 the encouragement of prayer. A widow seeks justice from a bad 
 judge, who at first refuses to attend to her, but afterwards does 
 so simply because she wearies him with her appeals. How much 
 more will God do justice to His people who cry to Him continually! 
 It is a question whether Christ will find the requisite faith still in 
 the world on his return. This is only in Luke. 
 
 1. ought: ///. 'must.* It is absolutely necessary to pray, and 
 that perseveringly. 
 
 always to pray : i. e. under all circumstances, never abandon- 
 ing prayer in despair. 
 
 to faint : because the answer to prayer appears to be delayed. 
 
ST. LUKE 18. 3-7 323 
 
 There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, and 
 regarded not man : and there was a widow in that city ; 3 
 and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine 
 adversary. And he would not for a while : but afterward 4 
 he said within himself. Though I fear not God, nor 
 regard man ; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will 5 
 avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual 
 coming. And the Lord said. Hear what the unrighteous 6 
 judge saith. And shall not God avenge his elect, which 1 
 cry to him day and night, and he is longsuffering over 
 
 2. a judge, which feared not God, &c. The man has no regard 
 for right in the sight of God, nor for the good opinion of his fellow 
 men. 
 
 3. a widow: a speciallj' helpless person, who could neither 
 move the judge with bribes nor with threats. 
 
 Aveng-e me : better ^ do me justice ' ; i. e. she asks for her 
 cause to be vindicated in opposition to the injustice of her enemy. 
 She is not asking for revenge on him. 
 
 5. lest she wear me: a strong word in the Greek, originally 
 meaning to strike under the eye, and so to greatly annoy. 
 
 her continual coming. This is the point — persistence. 
 
 6. ujirighteous : as in R. V., not ' unjust.' It is the generally 
 bad character of the man that is referred to, not the injustice of 
 his decisions. 
 
 7. And shall not God, &c. No difficulty would be felt with 
 this parable if we remembered the difference between a parable 
 and an allegory. This is not an allegory, every part of which is 
 to be interpreted metaphorically, but a parable with one main 
 lesson. Here, as in many other cases, it is of the a fortiori char- 
 acter. There is no comparison of God with the bad judge, but 
 a designed contrast. If even a bad judge will listen to persistent 
 pleading, how much more will the just and merciful God ? If the 
 judge will do this for an unknown widow, how much more will 
 God for His own people ? 
 
 avenge : ' vindicate ' ; perhaps with a reference to ' the revela- 
 tion of the Son of man ' referred to in the previous chapter. This 
 great event, with the judgement it will bring, seems to be delayed ; 
 and meanwhile God's people suffer persecution and oppression. 
 But He will come speedily to vindicate them. 
 
 Ms elect: His chosen people. The title is used of Israel 
 (e. g. Psalm xxxiii. 12), and then in the N, T. for Christians as the 
 spiritual Israel (e. g. i Peter ii. 9). 
 
 V 2 
 
324 ST. LUKE 18. 8-12 
 
 8 them ? I say unto you, that he will avenge them 
 speedily. Howbeit when the Son cf man cometh, shall 
 he find faith on the earth ? 
 
 9 And he spake also this parable unto certain which 
 trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set 
 
 10 all others at nought : Two men went up into the temple 
 to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
 
 n The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, 
 I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extor- 
 tioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
 
 12 I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get. 
 
 8. faitli : lit. ' the faith ' — the faith that is requisite for this 
 persistent prayer. 
 
 xviii. 9-14. The Pharisee and the publican. Jesus gives the 
 self-righteous a parable. A Pharisee and a publican go up to the 
 temple to pray. The one proudly thanks God for his virtues ; the 
 other humbly begs for mercy as a sinner. It is the latter v^ho is 
 justified, for self-exaltation leads to humiliation, but self-humbling 
 to exaltation. 
 
 9. trusted in tliemselves : the fatal fault, instead of trusting 
 in God. 
 
 that they were rigrliteous: the excuse for this self-trust. 
 Dr. Plummer cites the Talmud as inveighing against the Phari- 
 saism of those ' who implore you to mention some more duties 
 which they might perform.' 
 
 10. •went up. The temple was on a hill, * Mount Moriah,' 
 approached by a magnificent flight of steps. 
 
 into the temple: the courts and colonnades, not the sanctuary 
 reserved for priests. 
 
 to pray : probably at one of the hours of prayer, such as 
 12 o'clock (Acts X. 9) or 3 o'clock (Acts iii. i). 
 
 11. stood: the usual posture of the Jews in prayer. Thus 
 Hannah stood praying in the temple (i Sam. i. 26). Jesus says, 
 'Whensoever ye stand praying, forgive,' &c. (Mark xi. 25). 
 
 prayed. The word is a general term for worship. There is 
 no confession or petition in this prayer. It takes the form of 
 thanksgiving to God, while in reality it is self-congratulation. 
 
 as the rest : a phrase illustrating the habit of setting all others 
 at naught just referred to. 
 
 12. fast twice in the week. Monda}' and Thursday were 
 observed by some of the Jews as fast days, though not prescribed 
 
ST. LUKE 18. 13-15 325 
 
 But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so 13 
 much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, 
 saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. I say unto 14 
 you, This man went down to his house justified rather 
 than the other : for every one that exalteth himself shall 
 be humbled ; but he that humbieth himself shall be 
 exalted. 
 
 And they brought unto him also their babes, that he 15 
 should touch them : but when the disciples saw it, they 
 
 by the law, which only enjoins fasting for the Day of Atonement 
 {Lev. xvi. 29). 
 
 tithes of all. Tithes were enjoined by the law (Num. xviii. 
 21) ; but the rule was understood to apply only to farm crops, 
 not to small garden produce, which the Pharisees tithed as a work 
 of supererogation (see Matt, xxiii. 23). This man boasts that he 
 pays tithes on all chat he possesses. 
 
 13. afar oflE": i.e. far from the Pharisee, too humble to prky 
 near the holy man. 
 
 smote. The verb means * continued to smite.' He was strik- 
 ing his breast again and again in the agony of his self-reproaches. 
 a sinner ; lit. ' the sinner.* 
 
 14. justified: not ' made righteous,' but * treated as righteous '; 
 therefore for a sinner equivalent to forgiveness. The word is 
 familiar to us in the writings of Paul. It is interesting to find it 
 more often in the Gospel of Luke, the companion of Paul, than in 
 the other Gospels. It occurs five times in Luke, twice in Matthew, 
 not at all in Mark or John. 
 
 every one that exalteth, &c. This saying occurred in xiv. it. 
 
 xviii. 15-17. Babes brought to Jesus. Babes are brought to 
 Jesus to be touched by him. His disciples object, but Jesus tells 
 them to permit it. These children are typical citizens of the 
 kingdom of God. None can enter but they who come as little 
 children. 
 
 At this point the great portion of Luke, which is peculiar to 
 that Gospel, breaks off", and we have parallels in Matthew and 
 Mark for the rest of the chapter. Here then Luke returns to 
 the second Gospel as h's principal authority, though still inserting 
 what he gets from other sources. For this section cf. Matthew 
 xix. 13-15 and Mark x. 13-16, 
 
 15. their babes. Matthew and Mark have 'children.' 
 
 that he should touch them. Matthew has ' lay his hands 
 
326 ST. LUKE 18. j6-i?, 
 
 i6 rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, saying, 
 Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid 
 
 I ; them not : for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily 
 I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom 
 of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein, 
 
 1 8 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, 
 
 on them, and pray.* According to Buxtorf, it was not unusual 
 among the Jews for mothers to bring their infants when one year 
 old to a Rabbi for his blessing. 
 
 rebuked them. From Matthew it would appear that this 
 was owing to their annoyance at the interruption of an interesting 
 conversation. A discussion about questions of marriage and 
 divorce (Matt. xix. 1-12) was going on at the time. No doubt 
 our Lord was glad of the diversion. 
 
 16. forbid them not: lit. ' do not continue to forbid them, 
 of such : not onh^ children, but the childlike. 
 
 17. receive the kingdom, : as the rule of God in the heart. 
 enter therein : as the region of the Divine rule. 
 
 This verse occurs in Mark in the same connexion as in Luke, 
 but not in Matthew. In that Gospel it comes earlier, on the 
 occasion of the dispute for pre-eminence, when Jesus set a little 
 child in the midst of his disciples (Matt, xviii. 3). 
 
 xviii. 18-23. 27f^ great test Addressing Jesus as * Good 
 Master,' a ruler asks what he is to do to inherit eternal life. 
 Jesus tells him that only God is good, and reminds him of the 
 commandments. These he has always kept. Jesus tells him that 
 he lacks one thing, and bids him give all to the poor and become 
 a disciple. He is greatly distressed at hearing this, being ver}' 
 rich. In both Matthew and Mark this narrative follows the in- 
 cident of the children brought to Jesus. 
 
 18. a certain ruler. According to Matthew (xix. 22) he was 
 a young man. Yet he could not have been verj' young to have been 
 made a ruler — whether of the central Sanhedrin or of the local 
 synagogue. Besides, in verse 21 he spe?.ks of his youth as though 
 it were past. Though not very young in years, his manner in 
 eagerly running to Jesus, as Mark (x. 17) describes it, shews him 
 to be 3'oung in his ways ; and the whole scene indicates a youthful 
 spirit of enthusiasm and a naive immaturity of experience. 
 
 Oood Master. Instead of this, Matthew (xix. 16, 17) has the 
 word ' good ' in another place. There the inquirer says : ' Master, 
 what good thing shall I do ? ' &c., and Jesus answers accordingly : 
 'Why .-xskest thou me concerning that which is good?' If this 
 
ST. I.UKE 18. r9-aa 327 
 
 what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said 19 
 unto him, Why callest thou me good ? none is good, save 
 one, even God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do 20 
 not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not 
 bear false witness. Honour thy father and mother. And he a i 
 said. All these things have I observed from my youth up. 
 And when Jesus heard it, he said unto him, One thing 2 a 
 
 were the correct version of our Lord's wordj, it would be quite 
 intelligible. But the very difficulty of the narrative as it stands 
 in Luke, and also in Mark, the primitive Gospel, suggests that in 
 Matthew we have an attempt to smooth this difficulty, and that we 
 must adhere to the text as we have it here. The ruler addresses 
 Jesus in a shallow, unthinking style. 
 
 to inherit eternal life? See note on x, 25, where the same 
 question was put to Jesus by a lawyer. 
 
 19. Why callest thou me good? In the Greek the emphasis 
 is on the adjective 'good,' not on the pronoun 'me': 'Why 
 callest thou me good]^ The word is never found as a title of 
 a Rabbi. It is now used hastily and superficially. Jesus would 
 have the man think, and not employ it so lightly. 
 
 none is good, save one, even God. Here we come to the 
 difficult saying, the perplexity occasioned by which no doubt 
 gave rise to the simpler words in Matthew as a correction. Two 
 opposite explanations have been offered in supplying the inference 
 Jesus wished to be drawn from his language, (i) Therefore Jesus 
 is God. He should not be addressed as good until his Divinity 
 is recognized. But would he demand this of a stranger, while 
 as yet his most intimate disciples had scarcely come to discern 
 the truth about his nature ? (2) Therefore Jesus is not good. 
 That is an impossible position. He never confessed sin, always 
 claimed innocence. What then did he mean ? Probably that 
 as God is the centre and source of goodness and the only one 
 absolutely good in Himself — for Christ's goodness is dependent on 
 his union with his Father (see John v. 19) — the title of goodness 
 is not to be given lightly to any one. 
 
 21. All these tMngs, &c. There is no suspicion of falsehood 
 or hypocrisy. The man had scrupulously observed the ten 
 commandments. He was of respectable character. Of course 
 his words imply a superficial view of what the commandments 
 require. 
 
 22. One thing : not poverty, but self-renunciation. Jesus no- 
 where teaches that poverty is essential to salvation, though he 
 declares that there is a blessing for the poor (see note on vi. 20^. 
 
328 ST. LUKE 18. 23-25 
 
 thou lackest yet : sell all that thou hast, and distribute 
 unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : 
 
 33 and come, follow me. But when he heard these things, 
 
 34 he became exceeding sorrowful ; for he was very rich. And 
 Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have 
 
 35 riches enter into the kingdom of God ! For it is easier 
 for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for 
 
 But he makes self-renunciation an absolutely necessary condition 
 (see ix. 23). Reading the ruler's heart, Jesus sees that in his 
 case this must involve the renunciation of all his propertj'. In 
 Matthew the applicant says: 'What lack I yet?' and Christ's 
 requirement that he sell all is an answer to that question, 
 
 treasure in heaven. Heaven will be the bank, holding and 
 preserving safe his true treasure (cf. xii. 33, ' a treasure in the 
 heavens that faileth not'). He will be 'rich towards God' 
 (xii. 21). 
 
 come, follow rate. This action is to follow the renunciation. 
 The apostles had left all to follow Jesus. The ruler is invited to 
 imitate their sacrifices in order that he may share their privileges. 
 
 23. exceeding' sorrowful : a strong phrase in the Greek. He 
 was bitterly disappointed. Luke does not add what he then did, 
 nor does Mark ; but in Matthew it is said that ' he went away,' 
 unable to make the great sacrifice. 
 
 xviii. 24-30. 77?^ great difficulties of the rich. Jesus laments 
 the difficulty of rich men entering the kingdom of God. In 
 answer to his hearers, who feel discouraged by this teaching, he 
 says that God can make possible what is humanly impossible. 
 Peter reminds Jesus that he and his companions have left all to 
 follow him. Jesus declares that everybody who does this shall 
 be amply compensated both now and hereafter. 
 
 24. How nardly: a rare word in the Greek, found nowhere 
 else in the Bible except in the parallels to this passage in Matthew 
 and Mark. It signifies a painful difficulty, an agony of obstruction. 
 
 25. easier for a camel, &c. Shakespeare's Richard II 
 exclaims : — 
 
 'It is as hard to come, as for a camel 
 To thread the postern of a small needle's eye.' 
 
 This popular explanation of the metaphor, which takes the 
 needle's eye to be the name of the small gate for foot passengers 
 by the side of the larger gate for animal traffic, is without 
 foundation. The words must be taken in their obvious sense. 
 
ST. LUKE 18. 26-30 329 
 
 a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they 26 
 that heard it said, Then who can be saved? But he 37 
 said, The things which are impossible with men are 
 possible with God. And Peter said, Lo, we have left 28 
 our own, and followed thee. And he said unto them, 29 
 Verily I say unto you. There is no man that hath left 
 house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for 
 the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive 30 
 manifold more in this time, and in the world to come 
 eternal life. 
 
 The Talmud has the metaphor of an elephant going through a 
 needle's eye to express an impossibility. Compare the hyper- 
 bolical expression, ' Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat, 
 and sivallow the camel' (Matt, xxiii. 24) ; physically impossible, 
 yet rationally intelligible. 
 
 26. Then wlio can be saved? Not because all are rich ; but 
 because the saying reveals the inherent hardness of entrance to 
 the kingdom. According to the best MSS. of Mark (x. 24), Jesus 
 had himself spoken of this in general terms, saying, ' How hard is 
 it to enter into the kingdom of God ! ' 
 
 27. impossible : as verse 25 suggests, not simply difficult. 
 with men. This may mean either (i) in the opinion of men, 
 
 or (2) within human limits, as far as human power goes. No 
 doubt the latter is our Lord's meaning here. Human judgement 
 does not pronounce it impossible for a rich man to be saved ; on 
 the contrary, it overvalues the power of wealth. But Jesus has 
 just been surprising his hearers with his own startling teaching 
 on ihis point. He must mean then that if the rich man were 
 left to human influences only, it would be impossible for him to 
 be saved. 
 
 possible with God. Therefore rich men are not condemned 
 to be outside the pale of grace. 
 
 28. Peter : forward to speak, as usual. 
 
 30. manifold more. Mark (x. 30) adds: 'houses, and brethren, 
 and sisters, and mothers,' &c., apparently referring to the fellow- 
 ship of the church. He also adds the significant words 'with 
 persecution.* 
 
 in this time: lit. 'in this season.' In the present life and 
 in the world as it is now Christians have ample compensations 
 for all the sacrifices they make — compensations of the kind referred 
 to in verse 22 ; not material wealth, as Job had it at the end of 
 his trial, according to the old Jewish conception ol justice, children 
 
330 ST. LUKE 18. 31-34 
 
 3T And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, 
 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that 
 are written by the prophets shall be accomplished unto 
 
 32 the Son of man. For he shall be delivered up unto the 
 Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, 
 
 33 and spit upon : and they shall scourge and kill him : 
 
 34 and the third day he shall rise again. And they under- 
 
 and property again ; still real wealth, because real sources of 
 happiness. 
 
 the world to come : rather ' the age to come.' The expected 
 Messianic age was spoken of by the Jews as 'the age to come.' 
 This includes the resurrection and future life of those dying before 
 it has come, who will thus enter into its joy in the state of the 
 eternal life. 
 
 xviii. 31-34. The approachmg suffering, death, and resurrection 
 of Christ described. Jesus tells the Twelve that they are now going 
 up to Jerusalem, where the prophecies concerning him will be 
 fulfilled. He will be delivered up to the Gentiles, maltreated, 
 killed, and will rise again. The disciples do not understand. 
 
 This is the third announcement of these events in Luke. The 
 first was made at Caesarea, on the occasion of Peter's confession 
 (ix. 22) ; the second, after the descent from the transfiguration 
 mountain (ix, 44). 
 
 31. tlie twelve. In each of the two previous cases the 
 announcement was made only to these chosen disciples. The 
 expression *he took unto him,* &c., implies that our Lord called 
 them apart for the express purpose of making this declaration, 
 not only repeating what he had said before, but amplifying it. 
 
 by the prophets: ht. ' through,' by their instrumentality, the 
 prediction really coming from God. 
 
 unto the Son of man: better '/or the Son of man,' connecting 
 this phrase with the words ' all the things that are written.' They 
 are written for Christ, with reference to him. Thus we read, 
 'All the things that are written b^' the prophets for the Son of 
 man shall be accomplished.' 
 
 32. the Gentiles : a new point, not referred to before. Jesus, 
 a Jew, will be given up to the heathen by his own people. The 
 details of maltreatment that follow are more explicit than the 
 previous announcements, 
 
 33. the third day. This is more exact than Mark (ix. 31), 
 where we read, 'after three days.' 
 
 84. they tuxi-erstood none of these things. The same was 
 
ST. LUKE 18. 35-38 331 
 
 stood none of these things; and this saying was hid 
 from them, and they perceived not the things that were 
 said. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, 35 
 a certain Wind man sat by the way side begging : and 36 
 hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this 
 meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth 37 
 passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of 38 
 
 said of the disciples on the occasion of the second announcement 
 (ix. 45). 
 
 xviii. 35-43. A blind man at Jericho cured. As Jesus approaches 
 Jericho, a blind beggar inquires what the passing of a multitude 
 meant. Learning that Jesus is there, he appeals to him as the 
 son of David to have mercy on him, and that with persistence, 
 even though some rebuke him. Jesus asks what he wants. The 
 man prays for the gift of sight. This Jesus grants him, and he 
 follows our Lord, full of gratitude. 
 
 35. as he drew nigh. This must mean as he approached the 
 city. Matthew (xx. 29) and Mark (x. 46) both say that this was 
 when Jesus was going out of the city. The variation is un- 
 deniable, and the accounts cannot be harmonized at this point. 
 But of course it is quite immaterial. 
 
 Jericho : situated in the southern part of the Jordan valley, 
 formerly called the 'city of palm trees' (Deut. xxxiv. 3), The 
 story of its siege is well known (see Joshua vi.). It resulted in 
 the total destruction of the city, which was rebuilt in the daj's 
 of Ahab (i Kings xvi. 34). Jericho was an important place in 
 the time of our Lord. The site of the city is at Tell es-Sultan, 
 a mile and a half from modern Jericho. 
 
 p: certain blind man. Mark (x. 46) gives his name ' Barti- 
 maeus, the son of Timseus.' According to Matthew (xx. 30) there 
 were two blind men. Calvin therefore suggests that Bartimaeus 
 met Jesus on his entrance to the city, and then went for the other 
 blind man, and that both were healed as Jesus was leaving the 
 city. This is very artificial dealing with the plain narratives. 
 It is better to accept them as varying accounts of one simple 
 incident. 
 
 36. a multitude : the caravan of Galilsean pilgrims going up 
 to the passover, and taking the route by the Jordan valley to 
 avoid Samaria. 
 
 38. thou son of David: according to Luke the first public 
 recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. 
 
332 ST. LUKE 18. 39—19. 3 
 
 39 David, have mercy on me. And they that went before 
 rebuked him, that he should hold his peace : but he 
 cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of David, 
 
 40 have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded 
 him to be brought unto him : and when he was come 
 
 41 near, he asked him, What wilt thou that I should do 
 unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my 
 
 42 sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight : 
 
 43 thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he 
 received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God : 
 and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto 
 God. 
 
 19 And he entered and was passing through Jericho. 
 
 2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchgeus ; and he 
 
 3 was a chief publican, and he was rich. And he sought 
 
 39. rebuked him : as an obtrusive beggar. The people would 
 suppose that he was only asking for alms, in accordance with 
 a very common and anno3'ing custom in the East, where beggars, 
 many of them blind, and some only pretending to be blind, wayla}' 
 the traveller and sometimes follow him a long distance with 
 whining appeals. 
 
 42. thy faith : especially seen in calling Jesus the son of David, 
 when the multitude had onlj' described him as Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 xix. i-io. Zacchceus. A rich publican named Zacchaeus, being 
 small in stature, climbs into a sycomore tree to see Jesus as he 
 passes through Jericho. Jesus looks up and tells Zacchaeus that 
 lie is coming to be his guest, at which the people all make com- 
 plaint. When in his house Zacchaeus promises great generosity 
 to the poor, and ample amends for his extortions ; and Jesus 
 declares that salvation has come to his house, since the Son 
 of man came for the express purpose of saving the lost. This 
 narrative is only found in Luke. 
 
 1. entered. It was within the city of Jericho that Zacchaeus 
 waited to see Jesus. 
 
 was passing- : on the way to Jerusalem. 
 
 2. Zacchaeus. The Talmud mentions a Zacchaeus at Jericho 
 of a later date, possibly a descendant of Luke's Zacchaeus. 
 
 a chief publican : a superior oflBcer in the customs, super- 
 vising the collectors. Both as a frontier city through which 
 
ST. LUKE 19. 4-8 333 
 
 to see Jesus who he was ; and could not for the crowd, 
 because he was Httle of stature. And he ran on before, 4 
 and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him : for he 
 was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the 5 
 place, he looked up, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make 
 haste, and come down ; for to-day I must abide at thy 
 house. And he made haste, and came down, and 6 
 received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they 7 
 all murmured, saying, He is gone in to lodge with a man 
 that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto 8 
 the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to 
 
 merchandise passed, and on account of its own trade in balsam, 
 Jericho would be likely to have an important custom-house. 
 
 n,nd he was rich : perhaps owing to extortion, as verse 8 may 
 suggest. His wealth makes his carelessness about his dignity, in 
 his eagerness to see Jesus, the more remarkable. 
 
 3. the crowd: another reference to the multitude of people 
 now accompanying Jesus. We read of this at xviii. 36. The 
 same people made up the procession in the triumphal entry 
 to Jerusalem. They would be Galilsean pilgrims going up to 
 the passover. 
 
 4. a sycomore tree : the fig-mulberry, not our sycomore ; 
 a tree with fruit like figs, and leaves like those of the mulberry 
 tree. Canon Tristram remarks that, with its short trunk and 
 lateral branches forking in ever}^ direction, it would be easy to 
 climb. 
 
 5. Zacchseus : a rare instance in which a name appears. 
 Jesus may have heard of this man before, and some of the people 
 may now have pointed him out in his strange position. The 
 evangelist does not say that he was trying to hide himself in 
 the tree. He had climbed it simply that he might see Jesus, 
 regardless of what people would think of his action. 
 
 7. all murmured. Observe Luke*s favourite word ' all,' so 
 often met with in this Gospel. It was not only among scribes 
 and Pharisees that the complaint was made. All the people, 
 i. e. the pilgrims from Galilee, objected. 
 
 a sinner : simply assumed to be such because a publican. 
 
 8. Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I gfive, &c. This 
 may mean that Zacchaeus was in the habit of practising the extra- 
 ordinary generosity he here describes. But more probably his 
 words indicate his intention to do so. The present of the verb 
 
334 ST. LUKE 19. 9-11 
 
 the poor ; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any 
 
 9 man, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, 
 
 To-day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he 
 
 10 also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came 
 to seek and to save that which was lost. 
 
 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake 
 
 is used to indicate that he has formed the resolution. He speaks 
 of giving half his goods, not half his income, as though contem- 
 plating a distribution of his property. Besides, the reference to 
 restoring fourfold what is wrongly extorted could not apply to 
 a constant habit. Nobod}' would make extortions at all under 
 such circumstances. Lastly, it is less likely that Zacchaeus is 
 boasting of his settled habits than that he is proving himself a new 
 man at the coming of Jesus to his house. 
 
 fourfold : all the law required of a thief caught and punished 
 (Exod. xxii. 1). In a case of voluntary restitution it was enough 
 to restore the property with the addition of one-fifth of its value 
 (Lev. vi. 5 ; Num. v. 7). 
 
 9. To-day is salvation come : evidenced by Zacchaeus' public 
 announcement of his gifts to the poor and his ample restitution to 
 the wronged. 
 
 this house. The family are included in the blessing of the 
 head of the house. 
 
 a son of Abraham: though a publican, and therefore entitled 
 to his share in the benefits Jesus brings to ' the lost sheep of the 
 house of Israel.' This is remarkable in the Gentile Gospel of 
 Luke. We must understand that Jesus is replying to Jewish 
 complaints against his friendliness with a publican. Even a 
 publican is a Jew ; then he must not be excluded from the Jew's 
 privileges. 
 
 10. A great announcement of the chief purpose of our Lord's 
 mission, similar to that which he made when complaint was 
 raised against his dining with another publican, Levi, and when he 
 spoke of himself as the physician needed by the sick (v. 31, 32). 
 
 xix. 11-27. The parable of the Pounds. To correct the ex- 
 pectation of the immediate coming of the kingdom of God, Jesus 
 gives a parable shewing what must be attended to first. A noble- 
 man, on leaving his estate for a time, entrusts ten of his servants 
 with ten pounds to trade with during his absence. On his return 
 he finds that all but one of the servants have made use of the 
 money to profit in various degrees ; he commends them for so 
 doing, and rewards them by gi^'ing them posts of government 
 proportionate to their successful trading. But one servant hsui 
 
ST. LUKE 19. 12 335 
 
 a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because 
 they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately 
 to appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went 1 2 
 
 not traded with his pound, and this man simply gives it back, with 
 a complaint of his lord's stern and, as he considers, unreasonable 
 character. The lord blames him, telling him that on his own 
 estimate of his master's character he should have employed the 
 money profitabl}'. The pound is to be taken from him and given 
 to the servant who has won ten pounds. This is objected to, 
 but the lord declares that gifts will be in accordance with what is 
 already possessed. Quite another subject comes into the parable 
 and runs along with this main topic. The citizens revolt during the 
 lord's absence ; for this, on his return, he orders them to be 
 slaughtered. 
 
 This parable is very like the parable of the Talents in Matthew 
 (xxv. 14-30). For this reason, and since each Gospel contains 
 only one of these parables, it has been suggested that they are 
 different versions of the same parable. They agree in the main 
 idea of a trust for which people are afterwards called to account, 
 when one man is found not to have utilized the money committed 
 to him. But in the parable of the Talents the amount of money 
 is much larger than in that of the pounds. Moreover, different 
 sums are there given to the various custodians according to their 
 several abilities, and all but the negligent man just double their 
 portion. In the parable of the Pounds all receive the same — one 
 pound each ; but they vary in the profit they make with it. The 
 parable in Matthew teaches the use to be made of various gifts ; 
 that in Luke the various amounts of advantage that different 
 men will make with similar gifts. Further, the parable of the 
 Pounds introduces the incident of the rebellious citizens and their 
 punishment. So distinct is this feature from the rest of the 
 parable as to raise the question whether we have here two 
 parables fused together, so that the incident of the rebels really 
 belongs to a separate parable. If it was in the parable as our 
 Lord originally spoke it, we must understand this to be twofold 
 in its lessons, one part relating to Christians and their respon- 
 sibilities, the other primarily to the Jews in their rejection of 
 Christ, and so afterwards to all others who reject him. 
 
 11. This gives a reason for both parts of the parable— the 
 responsibility of Christ's people, and the guilt of the Jews in 
 rejecting him. The coming of the kingdom will bring a judgement 
 on the misconduct in both cases. But it will not be immediate ; 
 and meanwhile there are responsibilities to be attended to. 
 
 12. A certain nobleman. Archelaus had gone to Rome to 
 receive his kingdom from Tiberias the emperor some thirty years 
 
336 ST, LUKE 19. 13-17 
 
 into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and 
 
 13 to return. And he called ten servants of his, and gave 
 them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith 
 
 14 till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent an 
 ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man 
 
 15 reign over us. And it cam^ to pass, when he was come 
 back again, having received the kingdom that he com- 
 manded these servants, unto whom he had given the 
 money, to be called to him, that he might know what 
 
 16 they had gained by trading. And the first came before 
 him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made ten pounds 
 
 17 more. And he said unto hirn, Well done, thou good 
 servant : because thou wast found faithful in a very little, 
 
 before this (Josephus, Ant. xvii. 9. 3). It is likely that our Lord 
 is alluding to that event. In interpreting the parable we must 
 take the absence of the nobleman to represent the time after 
 our Lord's death, before his return to judge the world. It is 
 then that he is entering into his kingdom, for it is during this 
 time that the inile of Christ is being established in the world. 
 
 13. ten servants : slaves. 
 
 of his: lit, 'of himself — his own slaves, intimats household 
 servants. 
 
 pounds : the Greek w;/a, not a coin, but a sum of money, 
 consisting of 100 drachmae^ and valued at £•>> ^'^^' The talent 
 was worth sixt}' times this amount. 
 
 Trade ye. The word 'occupy' of the A.V. is there used 
 in an old English sense now obsolete. The Greek word means 
 * do business.' 
 
 14. his citizens : distinct from the servants. The nobleman is 
 a ruler under some supreme authority, like the Herods under 
 Rome. 
 
 sent an ambassage. When Archelaus was at Rome for the 
 purpose of obtaining a grant of the kingdom of Judsea, the Jews 
 sent an ambassage of fifty to oppose his suit. It would seem 
 that our Lord is alluding to that event. 
 
 15. having received the kingdom: therefore now invested 
 with full authority. 
 
 16. ten pounds more. This man has made 1,000 per cent, by 
 trading, and so turning over the money again and again to profit. 
 His is the most successful trading. 
 
ST. LUKE 19. 18-34 337 
 
 have thou authority over ten cities. And the second 18 
 came, saying, Thy pound, Lord, hath made five pounds. 
 And he said unto him also, Be thou also over five cities. 19 
 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy 20 
 pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin : for I feared 21 
 thee, because thou art an austere man : thou takest up 
 that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst 
 not sow. He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth 22 
 will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest 
 that I am an austere man, taking up that I laid not 
 down, and reaping that I did not sow ; then wherefore 23 
 gavest thou not my money into the bank, and I at my 
 coming should have required it with interest? And he 24 
 said unto them that stood by. Take away from him the 
 
 17. over ten cities: in the distribution cf the government, 
 now that the kingdom has been received. The reward of good 
 service in small things is a much larger trust and a much greater 
 responsibility, not ease and self-indulgence, not the Mohammedan 
 Paradise of luxuries, but promotion to higher service. 
 
 18, 19. five pounds . . . five cities. The comparatively 
 smaller profit, indicating less ability or energy, is rewarded with 
 a comparatively smaller responsibility. 
 
 20. another : lit. 'the other.' In the parable of the Talents there 
 were only three servants. 
 
 I kept laid up, &c. : carefully preserved, not risked or 
 squandered, a matter of self-satisfaction to the servant. 
 
 21. for I feared thee: dreaded to trade with the money lest 
 it might be lost — a cowardly shrinking from responsibility. 
 
 austere : harsh. The excuse in the parable of the Talents is 
 remarkably similar (see Matt. xxv. 24), strongly suggesting that 
 this is but another version of the same parable. 
 
 22. Out of thine own mouth. The servant's opinion of his 
 master may have been libellous. But if it were to be accepted, 
 it should have made him all the more careful, becau:;e the harsh 
 master will be especially exacting. 
 
 23. into the bank : lit. ' on the table,' i. e, the banker's. That 
 would have secured the money, and at the same time brought in 
 some interest. 
 
 24. Take away. We lose powers and faculties that we do not 
 use. 
 
 Z 
 
338 ST. LUKE 19. 35-30 
 
 pound, and give it unto him that hath the ten pounds. 
 
 25 And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds. 
 
 26 I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be 
 given ; but from him that hath not, even that v;hich 
 
 37 he hath shall be taken away from him. Howbeit these 
 mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over 
 them, bring hither, and slay them before me. 
 
 2S And when he had thus spoken, he went on before, 
 going up to Jerusalem. 
 
 29 And it came to pass, when he drew nigh unto Bethphage 
 and Bethany, at the mount that is called t/ie 7nount of 
 
 30 Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying. Go your way 
 
 25. they said, &c. Who said this ? Probably the eager 
 listeners to the parable, interrupting Jesus. 
 
 26. If the previous verse must be assigned to Christ's hearers, 
 this verse must be his reply, spoken in his own person. 
 
 2*7. Here the parable is resumed, announcing the doom of the 
 Jews, and of all who reject Christ as the Jews were doing. 
 
 xix. 28-40. The entry into Jerusalem. On approaching Jeru- 
 salem among the villages on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sends for 
 a colt. When objection is made to its being taken, the messengers 
 say that their Lord needs it, according to his previous instructions. 
 They cast their cloaks on the colt, and Jesus rides on it, some 
 spreading their cloaks in the way. Thus he descends the Mount 
 of Olives, while the people praise God and hail Jesus as the coming 
 king. When some of the Pharisees would have this stopped, 
 Jesus replies that if the people are silent the very stones will 
 cry out. This incident is in all four Gospels : one of the few 
 incidents in the S^'noptics that John also records. 
 
 28. g'oing' up to Jerusalem : from Jericho, by the mountain 
 pass, where the man fell among thieves, in the parable of the 
 good Samaritan. 
 
 29. Bethphag'e. The site is not identified. It must be near 
 Bethany. Possibly it is the name of the district in which the 
 village of Bethany was situated, or perhaps it is another name for 
 Bethany itself. Bethany — now identified as the village of el- 
 ' Azariyeh \ the place of Lazarus) — on the SE. slope of the Mount of 
 Olives. 
 
 the mount of Olives: a gently rising hill on the east of 
 Jerusalem, separated from the city by the valley of the Kidron, 
 
ST. LUKE 19. 31-36 339 
 
 into the village over against you ; in the which as ye 
 enter ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet 
 sat : loose him, and bring him. And if any one ask you, 31 
 Why do ye loose him ? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath 
 need of him. And they that were sent went away, and 32 
 found even as he had said unto them. And as they 33 
 were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, 
 Why loose ye the colt ? And they said, The Lord hath 34 
 need of him. And they brought him to Jesus : and 35 
 they threw their garments upon the colt, and set Jesus 
 thereon. And as he went, they spread their garments in 36 
 
 and forming part of the circuit of hills that stand like a rampart 
 round Jerusalem. 
 
 30. the villagfe: probably Bethphage, if that is a separate 
 village, since only this place, not Bethany, is named in Matthew's 
 account of the incident (see Matt. xxi. i). 
 
 ye shall find: probably because Jesus had previously 
 arranged for this with the owner of the animal. 
 
 a colt. Matthew (xxi. 2) mentions an ass as well as its colt, 
 probably because of Zechariah's prophecy, which names both. 
 Luke and Mark mention only the colt. John (xii. 14) says : 
 'Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon.' 
 
 whereon no man ever yet sat. So the ark was drawn by 
 cattle 'on which there had come no yoke' (i Sam. vi. 7). This 
 suggests a symbolical, ceremonial riding. No doubt it was with 
 the deliberate intention of claiming Zechariah's prophecy which 
 is quoted in Matthew (xxi. 5) : ' Rejoice greatly, O daughter 
 of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy king cometh 
 unto thee : he is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding 
 upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass' (see Zech. ix. 9). 
 
 31. The Iiord hath need of him : this would only be a 
 sufficient explanation if the owner were a friend of Jesus. He 
 must have been such, and possibly the message was a watchword 
 arranged between them. 
 
 35. they threw their g-arments : perhaps the two disciples ; 
 but the word is used indefinitely in the next verse for the people 
 generally. 
 
 36. they spread their garments: the people generally, the 
 disciples and the Galilaean pilgrims, do this in a great outburst of 
 enthusiasm, as they see that at length the long-expected public 
 announcement of the Messiahship of Jesus is to be made. Luke 
 
 Z 2 
 
340 ST. LUKE 19. 37-41 
 
 .^7 the way. And as he was now drawing nigh, even 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 which they had 
 
 38 seen ; saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the 
 nam.e of the Lord : peace in heaven, and glory in the 
 
 39 highest. And some of the Pharisees from the multitude 
 
 40 said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 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 
 
 does not refer to the branches from trees that Mark (xi. 8) tells 
 us the people tore down and strewed in the way. 
 
 37. the mig-lity works : the great miracles. 
 
 38. The people's song is given variously in all four Gospels. 
 The words we have here are echoes from the Psalms. In all the 
 accounts one essential idea is present : Jesus is hailed as king. 
 This is the first public recognition of him as the Christ, as the 
 Jewish Messiah. Evidently ne willingly accepted it. The daring 
 of this action, in view of the pronounced enmity of the Jerusalem 
 authorities, is very remarkable. Jesus must have known that it 
 would hasten his death. 
 
 40. the stones will cry out : the popular enthusiasm is 
 irrepressible. What Jesus forbade after feeding the multitudes 
 with the loaves and fishes (John vi. 15) he now permits, because 
 now there is no danger of a popular insurrection ; the forces 
 arrayed against him are too strong for that. Therefore at the 
 very last he permits himself to be hailed as king, and the joy of 
 the Galilaean pilgrims is exuberant. 
 
 xix. 41-44. Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. When the city comes 
 into view, Jesus weeps over it, lamenting its blindness to its im- 
 pending fate, which he now describes. 
 
 41. he saw the city. Three roads go over the Mount of 
 Olives from the east. The principal road and the easiest, and there- 
 fore that likely to be followed by the pilgrims, runs across a little 
 to the south of the summit. There is a point on this road where, 
 as the traveller turns the corner of a rock, part of the city suddenly 
 bursts into view. Dean Stanley has indicated this point as the 
 precise spot where Jesus stood when he wept over Jerusalem — 
 one of the few exact sites where we may know our Lord once 
 stood. 
 
ST. LUKE 19. 42-45 341 
 
 over it, saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even 42 
 thou, the things which belong unto peace ! but now 
 they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come 43 
 upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank 
 about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee 
 in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, 44 
 and thy children within thee ; and they shall not leave 
 in thee one stone upon another ; because thou knewest 
 not the time of thy visitation. 
 
 And he entered into the temple, and began to cast 45 
 
 wept : wept aloud, not merely shed tears as at the grave of 
 Lazarus, for which another word is used by John (xi. 35). 
 
 42. If thou hadst known: an unfinished sentence, all the 
 more impressive on that account : * Oh, if only thou hadst known!' 
 then indeed warning might have been taken, and the ruin averted. 
 
 43. the days shall come: better 'days shall come'; there is 
 no fixed time, but the thing will happen some day. 
 
 a bank. The Greek word means primarily a ' stake,' then a 
 • palisade,' and so a ' rampart.' Wc learn from Josephus that the 
 Romans under Titus erected siegeworks round Jerusalem, some 
 of them on the Mount of Olives. 
 
 44. shall not leave in thee one stone upon another : a pre- 
 diction practically fulfilled in the complete overthrow of the city 
 after the siege. It is true that excavators find parts of the temple 
 foundations, of the city walls, &c., still in situ. Jesus spoke 
 popularly ; and in the popular sense of his words what he said 
 was realized, i. e. the utter destruction of the city. 
 
 the time : more exactly, ' the season ' ; then was the oppor- 
 tunity to learn wisdom. 
 
 thy visitation : i. e. by God. When God came to bring 
 deliverance by turning the Jews from their sins, that is, in the 
 coming of Christ. 
 
 xix. 45-48. The Purification of the temple and its effect on the 
 Jews. Jesus enters the temple and expels the traders, vindicating 
 it as a house of prayer. He teaches there every day; while the 
 priests now unite with other leading men to seek his death, but 
 find this difficult owing to his immense popularity'. This is 
 narrated in Matthew and Mark ; also in John (ii. 13-17), where, 
 however, it is placed quite early in our Lord's hfe. Here it 
 appears as his first public action in Jerusalem after claiming to be 
 the Christ. He comes as Christ to purge his Father's house. 
 
342 ST. LUKE 19. 46-48 
 
 46 out them that sold, saying unto them, It is written, And 
 my house shall be a house of prayer : but ye have made 
 it a den of robbers. 
 
 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the 
 chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of 
 
 48 the people sought to destroy him : and they could not 
 find what they might do ; for the people all hung upon 
 him, listening. 
 
 45. the temple : i. e. the vast sacred enclosure of courts and 
 colonnades. 
 
 began to cast out. According to the more detailed account 
 in Mark (xi. 11, 15-18), he merely looked round on what was 
 going on the first day, and returned the next day to expel the 
 traders. Luke is more concise ; his Gentile readers would not be 
 so interested in the Jerusalem temple as Peter, Mark's authority 
 for his narrative. We learn from Mark that the traders were 
 selling doves, which were used as sacrifices by the poor. 
 
 46. It is written, &c. The quotation is from Isaiah Ivi. 7. 
 
 a house of prayer. The buyers and sellers onl3' regarded it 
 as a place for sacrifices. The quieter, more spiritual use of the 
 temple was neglected and hindered. Mark (xi. 17) completes 
 the quotation from Isaiah, giving the words ' for all the nations.' 
 As the buying and selling would take place in the outer parts of 
 the temple, where alone Gentiles were allowed, it would be their 
 prayers especially that would be hindered by the noisy traffic. 
 Thus Jesus was vindicating the rights of the Gentiles. It is a 
 curious fact that Luke, the Gentile evangelist, did not notice this. 
 
 a den of robbers : not only because robbing God of His due, 
 but doubtless because the poor, among whom the doves were sold, 
 were often imposed upon. 
 
 4'7. teaching' daily in the temple. We read more often of 
 this in John. Now at the very last the Synoptics record such 
 teaching also. The outer courts and colonnades were used by 
 Rabbis for teaching. As a boy Jesus had found Rabbis teaching 
 there (ii. 46). 
 
 the chief priests: indignant at the cleansing of the temple, 
 which they regarded both as a rebuke to themselves and as a usur- 
 pation of their rights. They were mostly Sadducees. Thus at 
 last even the indifferent, aristocratic Sadducees united with the 
 scribes, who were mostly Pharisees, in plotting against Jesus, 
 
 48. This verse shews us why it was found necessary to use 
 Judas to betray Jesus. 
 
ST. LUKE 20. 1-6 343 
 
 And it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was 20 
 teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the 
 gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the 
 scribes with the elders ; and they spake, saying unto him, a 
 Tell us : By what authority doest thou these things ? 
 or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he 3 
 answered and said unto them, I also will ask you a ques- 
 tion ; and tell me : The baptism of John, was it from 4 
 heaven, or from men? And they reasoned with them- 5 
 selves, saying, If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say, 
 Why did ye not believe him ? But if we shall say, From 6 
 
 XX. 1-8. Jesus questioned as to his authority. On one occasion, 
 while Jesus is teaching in the temple, the Jewish authorities 
 question him as to what right he has to act as he does. He 
 replies by asking them a question as to the source of John the 
 Baptist's mission, which they shrink from answering. Ttiereupon 
 he declines to reply to their inquiry. This is also in Matthew 
 (xxi. 23-27) and Mark (xi. 27-33). 
 
 1. chief priests. Since the temple purification these men now 
 take the lead in the opposition to Jesus. 
 
 with the eldevs: the members of the Sanhedrin, or great 
 council. 
 
 2. By what authority. The Jewish rulers were expected to 
 test the claims of a prophet (see Deut. xviii.). They were within 
 their right in putting this question to Jesus. What right had he, 
 a Galilsean peasant, to set up as a teacher of new doctrine in the 
 temple, much more to interfere with what was going on there ? 
 
 these things : especially the temple purification. 
 
 4. The "baptism of John. Jesus frequently met question with 
 question. This was not merely a device to avoid giving a direct 
 reply himself ; it cleared the ground and threw his questioners 
 back on considerations that ought to be first settled. This question 
 about John the Baptist was no mere diversion. It was quite 
 relevant to the occasion. John came as a prophet. Then why 
 had not the Jev, ish rulers examined his credentials and pronounced 
 on them as they now propose to do in our Lord's case ? That 
 was an earlier case, and should be settled first. Besides, the 
 settlement of it would go far to determine the question now 
 raised, for John had borne witness to Jesus. 
 
 5. Why did ye not believe him? John had been a popular 
 prophet; but the Jerusalem aristocrats had not accepted him — at 
 
344 ST. LUKE 20. 7-9 
 
 men ; all the people will stone us : for they be persuaded 
 
 7 that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they 
 
 8 knew not whence // 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 parable: 
 A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, 
 
 all events, not practically and really, for they had not responded 
 to his call to repentance. 
 
 6. all the people will stone us. This shews the strong hold the 
 memory of John had on the minds of the peopleeven after his death. 
 
 7. that they knew not : a cowardly reply that quite silenced 
 any further pursuit of the question as to the authority of Jesus. 
 
 XX. 9-18. The parable of the Vineyard. A man having planted 
 a vineyard lets it out to husbandmen and leaves them in charge. 
 At the time of grapes he sends a succession of servants for his 
 share of the produce, but in each case the husbandmen roughly 
 handle the messenger and send him back empty. Finally the 
 son of the owner is sent, and he is killed on the ground that thus 
 the husbandmen will secure the inheritance for themselves. The 
 lord of the vineyard will surely punish such conduct with death. The 
 hearers are dismayed ; but Jesus concludes with a verse from the 
 Psalms about a rejected stone becoming the head of the corner, 
 and a warning of dangerous consequences to those who are 
 opposed to it. This parable is also in Matthew (xxi. 33-46) and 
 Mark (xii. 1-12) with variations. Most of the narrative that now 
 follows is in all three Synoptic Gospels. 
 
 9. A man : representing God, wlien we interpret the parable. 
 
 planted : therefore had the greatest right of ownership. 
 Israel and her privileges had their origin in God. 
 
 a vineyard. This illustration would well suit the scenery 
 round Jerusalem with its vine-clad, terraced hills, just as the 
 agricultural imagery of the parables of the Sower, the Tares, the 
 Mustard Seed, would suit the plain of Gennesaret, where those 
 parables were given. In Isaiah v. 1-7 Israel is God's vineyard 
 that is blamed for bringing forth wild grapes. Here the vineyard 
 is not blamed, but the accusation falls on the cultivators. The 
 vine cannot represent Israel here, since it is not Israel that God 
 hands over to other cultivators for better returns. It must be the 
 kingdom of God with its privileges which was first entrusted to 
 Israel and her leaders, and then taken from them and handed 
 over to the Christian Church. 
 
 husbandmen: not the Jews, but the Jewish leaders, priests, 
 scribes, rulers, as verse 19 shews. 
 
ST. LUKE 20. 10-15 34S 
 
 and went into another country for a long time. And at 10 
 the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that 
 they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard ; but 
 the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 
 And he sent yet another servant : and him also they beat, 1 1 
 and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 
 And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, 12 
 and cast him forth. And the lord of the vineyard said, 13 
 What shall I do ? I will send my beloved son : it may 
 be they will reverence him. But when the husbandmen 14 
 saw him^ they reasoned one with another, saying. This 
 is the heir : let us kill him, that the inheritance may be 
 ours. And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and 15 
 
 went into another country. The idea is necessary for the com- 
 pletion of the parable. It is not to be pressed in the interpretation. 
 All that is meant is that God entrusted the privileges and re- 
 sponsibilities of His kingdom to certain men, allowing them scope 
 for free action with corresponding responsibility. Still the late 
 Jewish doctrine of the Divine transcendence, banishing the idea 
 of God to distant heavens, was to the popular mind equivalent to 
 His withdrawal. 
 
 10. at the season: the time of the vintage. 
 
 a servant : a slave. These servants, sent one after another, 
 evidently represent the succession of O. T. prophets. 
 
 the fruit. The rent was to be paid in kind. 
 
 "beat him. In botii Matthew and Mark these servants are 
 killed. Luke, which we have seen is throughout the more sunn^'^, 
 cheerful Gospel, presents us with a less severe version of the 
 parable. 
 
 13. my beloved son. In the earlier parables Jesus had not 
 spoken of himself. Now, after the triumphal entry to Jerusalem, 
 he does not hesitate to speak of his own nature and claims. This 
 later teaching in the Synoptics exactly agrees with the fuller 
 teaching of John's Gospel on the Divinity of Christ. Still even 
 in Luke (iii. 22) Jesus had been pointed out as God's 'beloved 
 Son ' as early as his baptism. It is in the later period that he 
 himself speaks of this openly. 
 
 14. let us kill him. Thus Jesus lets it be seen that he is 
 aware of the intention of the Jewish rulers to put him to death. 
 
 that the inheritance may he ours. Both priests and scribes 
 
346 ST. LUKE 20. 16-19 
 
 killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard 
 
 16 do unto them ? He will come and destroy these husband- 
 men, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when 
 
 17 they heard it, they said, God forbid. But he looked 
 upon them, and said, What then is this that is written. 
 
 The stone which »;he 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 
 
 desired to have full control of their people's religion. The coming 
 of Jesus threatened this. If he were out of the way their influence, 
 as they supposed, would be undisturbed. 
 
 16. destroy these husbandmen : another warning of the 
 overthrow of the Jewish state. In Matthew — but not in Mark — 
 the answer to Christ's question is given by the bystanders. 
 
 others. If the husbandmen represent Israel, these 'others' 
 must be the Gentiles ; but if they represent the Jewish leaders, 
 the * others ' must be the apostles and later Christian teachers and 
 leaders. 
 
 1*7. head of the corner : the corner of a building where two walls 
 meet. Quoted from Psalm cxviii. 22 ; one of the 'Hallel' psalms 
 sung at this passover season, possibly based on an actual fact in 
 the building of Zerubbabel's temple. In the Psalm it refers to 
 Israel; row it is to be seen applying to Christ. It is referred to 
 Christ by Peter twice (Acts iv. 11 ; i Pet. ii. 7), and also by Paul 
 (Eph. ii. 20). 
 
 18. Every one that falleth, &c. : as though the stone were 
 a stumbling-block. The reference is to unbelief in Christ This 
 by itself brings disaster. 
 
 on whomsoever it shall fall : referring to Christ's return in 
 power for judgement. This will mean awful ruin for his enemies. 
 It is bad to be opposed to Christ. It will be worse for him to be 
 opposed to us. 
 
 scatter him as dust : rather * scatter as chaff.' 
 
 XX. 19-26. Tribute to Ccesar. The Jewish leaders seek to 
 arrest Jesus, but fear the people. So tliey send out spies who 
 try to catch him in his speech. First they ask him whether it is 
 lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Seeing their trickiness he asks for 
 a denarius, and, pointing out what is stamped on it, bids the 
 
ST. LUKE 20. 20-24 347 
 
 hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the 
 people : for they perceived that he spake this parable 
 against them. And they watched him, and sent forth 20 
 spies, which feigned themselves to be righteous, that they 
 might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to 
 the rule and to the authority of the governor. And they 21 
 asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and 
 teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of any ^ but 
 of a truth teachest the way of God : Is it lawful for us 22 
 to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But he perceived 23 
 their craftiness, and said unto them, Shew me a penny. 24 
 Whose image and superscription hath it ? And they said, 
 
 people render to Caesar what is due to him, and also to God His 
 due. In Mark (xii. 13-17) this incident follows the parable of 
 the Vineyard, as in Luke ; Matthew (xxii. 1-14) has the parable 
 of the Wedding Feast between the two passages. 
 
 19. scribes and the chief priests: these two great parties 
 now united against our Lord, as in verse 47. 
 
 for they perceived, &c. This led to fear of the people, who, 
 seeing the application of the parable to the rulers, might turn on 
 them and lynch them, since Jesus had just declared that these 
 men aimed at his death. 
 
 20. feig-ned tLeiusclves to be rig-hteous : i. e. pretended to 
 come innocently. 
 
 the governor : the Roman procurator, Pilate. If it could be 
 contrived so that Pilate should interfere, the Jewish leaders would 
 escape the popular vengeance, because the blame of the murder 
 of Jesus would be attached to the Imperial Government. For tliis 
 reason a charge of treason must be created. Matthew sa3''s that 
 the Herodians, the part}'' in favour with the Romans, were 
 concerned in thii, plot. 
 
 21. acceptest not the person: a Hebraism, referring to 
 personal favouritism apart from justice. Though spoken hypocriti- 
 cally, this is a testimony to our Lord's fearless independence, 
 
 22. tribute: the capitation tax paid by all alien subjects of 
 Rome. Judaa the Gaulanite, a Zealot leader, had raised an in- 
 surrection on this very question in a. d. 6. The attempt is to 
 suggest to Pilate that Jesus is a similar insurgent leader. 
 
 24. a penny: a denarius. See note on vii. 41. 
 Whose image, &c. The Caesar would be Tiberius, if the coin 
 
348 ST. LUKE 20. 25-27 
 
 25 Caesar's. And he said unto them, Then render unto 
 Csesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the 
 
 36 things that are God'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. 
 
 37 And there came to him certain of the Sadducees, they 
 
 were a recent ore. Jewish coins had no images, and Jewish 
 scruples were so far respected that Roman coins without images 
 were allowed for Palestine. But in order to flatter Tiberius, 
 Herod Philip had coins struclc with the emperor's head on them. 
 Probably the denarius produced was one of these coins. 
 
 25. render unto Csesar, &c. By accepting the coinage of 
 Rome the Jews were acknowledging the rights of the Roman 
 government over them. Thus the implied answer is that it is 
 lawful to pay this tribute to Csesar, for those who thus accept 
 Caesar's rule. 
 
 and unto God. The claims of God and of Caesar are not 
 mutually destructive, as the fanatical Zealots contended. Thus the 
 attempt to make out Jesus to be a rebel leader fails by his refusing 
 to be confounded with the Zealot part}'. A deeper lesson lies 
 in his startling addition about what is due to God. This he 
 insists on just after the parable that shews the neglect of duty 
 to God by the Jewish leaders. 
 
 XX. 27-40. Sadducees and the resurrection. Certain Sadducees 
 ask Jesus whose husband a woman will be in the resurrection, if 
 in obedience to the Levirate law seven brothers have married her 
 in succession. He replies that the marriage relation will not 
 continue after the resurrection. Then he proceeds to prove the 
 truth of the resyrrection from the incident of Moses at the burning 
 bush, since there we read of the God of patriarchs who had died ; 
 for they whom God owns as His people must be alive. 
 
 27. certain of tlie Sadducees: the party of the priests, aristo- 
 cratic, conservative, worldly, and sceptical of spiritual mysteries. 
 Their chief ground of opposition to the Pharisees was their 
 rejection of tradition, the sheet-anchor of Pharisaism, in favour 
 of a hteral interpretation of the O. T. Thus they denied the 
 development of doctrine. Now the doctrine of the resurrection 
 belonged to the later Judaism. It is scarcely ever hinted at in the 
 O.T. apart from the late book of Daniel. Therefore the Sadducees 
 rejected it. But it was popular with the people, and therefore 
 for Jesus to be discredited with regard to this doctrine would 
 undermine his influence. The question raised by the Sadducees 
 
ST. LUKE 20. 28-37 349 
 
 which say that there is no resurrection ; and they asked 
 him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if a man's 28 
 brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his 
 brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto 
 his brother. There were therefore seven brethren : and 29 
 the first took a wife, and died childless; and the second; 30 
 and the third took her; and likewise^the seven also left 31 
 no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. 32 
 In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall 33 
 she be ? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus said 34 
 unto them. The sons of this world marry, and are given 
 in marriage : but they that are accounted worthy to 35 
 attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, 
 neither marry, nor are given in marriage : for neither can 36 
 they die any more : for they are equal unto the angels ; 
 and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But 37 
 that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed, in the place 
 concerning the Bush, when he calleth the Lord the God 
 
 was meant to throw ridicule on the doctrine by bringing forward 
 its supposed absurd consequences. 
 
 28. Moses wrote, &c. : a reference to the law in Deuteronomy 
 XXV. 5-10, at this time universally ascribed to Moses. 
 
 34. The sons of this world : lit. ' of this age,' the present age, 
 as distinguished from the new age after the resurrection. The 
 phrase is a Hebraism, meaning 'the people of fhis age.* 
 
 35. accounted worthy, &c. : implying that the resurrection and 
 the new age are only for such. 
 
 that world : lit. ' that age,' the new age of the resurrection 
 life. 
 
 36. equal unto the au£fels: i. e. as immortal, perhaps also as 
 being sinless, but the former is the dominant idea, as the previous 
 clause — ' for neither can they die any more ' — suggests. 
 
 sons of the resurrection : a Hebraism, meaning * resurrec- 
 tion people.' 
 
 37. even Moses: the Sadducees, rejecting late traditions, had 
 appealed to the law of Moses. Jesus replies that even the 
 writings attributed to Moses bear witness to a future life. The 
 reference is to Exodus iii. 6. 
 
350 ST. LUKE 20. 38-43 
 
 of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
 
 38 Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living : 
 
 39 for all live unto him. And certain of the scribes answer- 
 
 40 ing said, Master, thou hast well said. For they durst 
 not any more ask him any question. 
 
 41 And he said unto them, How say they that the Christ 
 4a is David's son? Eor David himself saith in the book of 
 
 Psalms, 
 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, 
 Sit thou on my right hand, 
 43 Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. 
 
 38. The argument is that since God here speaks of Himself as the 
 God of men who died long ago, these must now be living. He is 
 not a God of the past, He is concerned with present life. It has been 
 objected, however, that in the original Hebrew the phrase simply 
 means the God whom the patriarchs used to worship during their 
 life on earth. Even if that be so, Jesus would have the Sadducees 
 know that God will not let those perish who truly worship Him. 
 If He cares to own them, as in this passage, He will surely keep 
 them alive. 
 
 XX. 41-44. Davids son. Jesus asks, how can the Christ be 
 David's son, as people say, since David called him Lord ? 
 
 41. How say they, &c. Popular opinion, supported by the 
 teaching of the Rabbis, and resting on O. T. prophecy, e. g. 
 Jeremiah xxiii. 5 : ' Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that 
 I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,' &c. 
 
 42. David himself saith, &c. : Psalm ex. i. O, T. scholars 
 now maintain that this Psalm was not David's, but was probably 
 written by an anonymous poet about 143 b. c. to celebrate the 
 accession to priestly and kingly power of Simon Maccabaeus. 
 But some say this must be wrong, because Jesus here says the 
 Psalm is David's. Now nothing can be more mischievous in this 
 connexion or more irreverent than to drag in the name of our 
 Lord to support a particular view of Biblical criticism. The result 
 must be to undermine faith in Christ. It is only reasonable to 
 suppose, and only honest to confess, that Jesus in his human 
 limitations shared the opinions of his people about the historical 
 origin of the O. T. writings. His mission was not to bring 
 a revelation of Biblical criticism. We hav^e no more reason to 
 suppose that he anticipated this science than that he anticipated 
 the geology or the chemistry of our own age. 
 
ST. LUKE 20. 44-47 351 
 
 David therefore calleth him Lord, and how is he his 44 
 son ? 
 
 And in the hearing of all the people he said unto his 45 
 disciples, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in 4^ 
 long robes, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 
 and chief seats in the synagogues, and chief places at 
 feasts ; which devour widows' houses, and for a pre- 47 
 tence make long prayers : these shall receive greater 
 condemnation. 
 
 44. David therefore, &c. The argument is suited to the hearers, 
 quite apart from the critical question of the authorship of the 
 Psalm. The Jews took it for granted that David wrote the Psalm. 
 Yet they applied it to David's son. How could they do that ? 
 Jesus would have them go on to the natural inference. 
 
 how is he his son? This has been taken in two ways : (i) 
 That the Christ cannot be David's son. But Jesus never denied 
 it on any other occasion ; he seemed to accept it, e. g. from the 
 blind man at Jericho (xviii. 38). (2) That the Christ must have 
 a mysterious higher nature, so that even his earthly ancestor could 
 hail him as Lord. This is the more natural interpretation. Jesus 
 hints at an O. T. prophecy which only the doctrine of the super- 
 human nature of the Christ can satisfy. 
 
 XX. 45-47. Warning against the scribes. Jesus warns against 
 the scribes, who are very pompous and self-important, but who 
 act dishonestly and hypocritically. 
 
 46. the scribes. See note on v. ai. Matthew (xxiii. 3) adds the 
 Pharisees. In Mark (xii. 38), as in Luke, the description is only 
 assigned to the scribes. No doubt most of these scribes were 
 Pharisees. 
 
 long robes : garments used at festivals. The word for robes 
 is that used in the parable of the Prodigal Son (xv. 22) for the 
 best robe. 
 
 chief seats. See note on xi. 43. 
 
 47. which devour widows' houses: either (i) as honoured 
 citizens made trustees of widows, and then abusing their position 
 by appropriating funds committed to their charge ; or (^2) as 
 lawyers in practice consuming the property of widows in probate 
 cases ; or (3), more probably, as revered teachers imposing on the 
 hospitality of widows, and obtaining presents from them by 
 working on their religious feelings. 
 
 greater condemnation : i. e. greater than the condemnation of 
 other people, even publicans and sinners. 
 
352 ST. LUKE 21. 1-5 
 
 21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were 
 
 2 casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw a certain 
 
 3 poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, 
 Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more 
 
 4 than they all : for all these did of their superfluity cast 
 in unto the gifts : but she of her want did cast in all the 
 living that she had. 
 
 5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned 
 
 xxi. 1-4. The widow s mites. Jesus, while watching the rich 
 men casting their offerings into the temple treasury . sees a widow 
 cast in two mites. He declares that she is giving more than all 
 the others, because she only is making a real sacrifice to provide 
 her gift. This is also in Mark (xii. 41-44), but not in Matthew. 
 
 1. he looked up. Possibly, as Dr. Plummer suggests, he had 
 been sitting with downcast or closed eyes, wearied with the long 
 discussion. Mark tells us that he was seated. 
 
 the rich men : so frequently appearing in an unfavourable 
 light in Luke. According to Mark, Jesus was watching the crowd 
 of worshippers and observing what the rich among them did. 
 
 the treasury. There were thirteen trumpet-shaped chests in 
 the court of the women at the temple for the reception of free-will 
 offerings, each bearing the name of the special fund to which its 
 contents were devoted. Thus the widow could select the particular 
 destination of her mites, and if she chose divide them between 
 two objects. 
 
 2. two mites. For the value of these coins see note on xii. 59. 
 Two mites constituted the smallest sum it was considered lawful 
 for anybody to give. 
 
 3. more than they all : this does not imply that the widow 
 made the largest possible sacrifice. If the rich young ruler had 
 followed the advice of Jesus and given all his property to feed the 
 poor, he would have given incomparably more than this widow, 
 because he would have made a sacrifice of what might last a 
 lifetime ; while her gift, if she had retained it, could purchase but 
 one poor morsel of food. But the point of the comparison is 
 found in the fact that the rich men did not even make that small 
 sacrifice. They gave of their superiluity what the}' could well 
 spare, and did not feel it. She gave all she had, and felt it, for 
 she had not another farthing with which to buy a crust of bread. 
 The lesson is that the value of a gift depends on the sacrifice 
 it involves. 
 
 xxi. 5-9. 77?^ temple to be destroyed. While some are admiring 
 
ST. LUKE 21. 6-9 353 
 
 with goodly stones and offerings, he said, As for these 6 
 things which ye behold, the days will come, in which 
 there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that 
 shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, ^ 
 Master, when therefore shall these things be? and what 
 shall be the sign when these things are about to come to 
 pass ? And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray : 8 
 for many shall come in my name, saying, \2sci he\ and. 
 The time is at hand : go ye not after them. And when 9 
 
 the splendour of the temple, Jesus declares that it will be completely 
 destroyed. Asked when this is to be, he warns against being 
 deceived by delusive signs and expecting it too soon. 
 
 5. the temple : as rebuilt by Herod, of vast size and great 
 splendour. Wilson, of the Palestine Exploration Fund, describes 
 it as ' a building longer and higher than York Cathedral, standing 
 on a solid mass of masonry almost equal in height to the tallest 
 of our church spires ' {^Recovery of Jerusalem^ p. 9 ; see also 
 Josephus' elaborate description of the temple, Wars, v. 5). 
 
 gfoodly stones : the traveller to-day is amazed at the huge 
 stones that are found in its foundations. 
 
 offering's: lit. 'consecrated things.' Among these Josephus 
 mentions Herod's golden vine with bunches as tall as a man. 
 Tacitus, describing Jerusalem, says that ' a temple of immense 
 wealth was there' {Hist. v. 12). 
 
 6. there shall not be left here one stone, &c. Jesus had 
 said this of the city when lamenting over it from the Mount of 
 Olives (xix. 44). Nov/ his words apply to the temple. After 
 the siege of Jerusalem Titus wished to save the temple, but 
 he was too late. A soldier had flung a lighted brand into it, and 
 it was burnt to the ground. 
 
 7. they asked him. Mark, who is more full in his details here, 
 tells us that Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives over against 
 the temple with Peter, James, John, and Andrew ; and that then 
 this question was put to him by the four disciples (see Mark xiii. 3). 
 
 8. in my name : not professing to be disciples of Jesus Christ, 
 or messengers from him, as the next sentence shews, but actually 
 claiming to be the Christ, coming therefore in our Lord's name in 
 the sense that they claim it for themselves. 
 
 I am he : the Christ. Three men, Dositheus, Simon Magus, 
 and Menander, though not claiming to be the Jewish Messiah, 
 were anti-Christs, arrogating for themselves some of the rights and 
 position assigned to our Lord in Christian teaching. 
 
 A a 
 
354 ^T. LUKE 21. 10-14 
 
 ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified : for 
 these things must needs come to pass first ; but the end 
 is not immediately, 
 ro Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against 
 
 1 1 nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall 
 be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and 
 pestilences ; and there shall be terrors and great signs 
 
 12 from heaven. But before all these things, they shall lay 
 their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering 
 you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you 
 
 13 before kings and governors for my name's sake. It shall 
 
 14 turn unto you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in 
 
 9. wars and tumults. Both Josephus and Tacitus describe the 
 forty years between our Lord's time and the year 70 a. d., when 
 Jerusalem was destroyed, as full of war and disorder. 
 
 xxi. 10-19. Coming troubles. Jesus proceeds to specify more 
 in detail what troubles will be seen before the end, first mentioning 
 great public calamities, and then warning his disciples of persecu- 
 tion. This will turn out to be a witness to the truth. They are 
 not to be anxious as to how the}^ shall conduct themselves when 
 put on trial, for he will help them. They will be terribly treated, 
 and in some cases suflfer martyrdom. Yet they will come to no 
 real harm, and if they have patience they will win their lives in 
 the end. 
 
 10. Nation shall rise against nation, &c. It has been said 
 that this would be impossible under the Roman government. But 
 in point of fact it did happen repeatedly, as in the war between 
 Aretas the Arabian ethnarch and Herod the tetrarch. 
 
 12. before all tliese thing's. Jesus now proceeds to speak of 
 the troubles to befall his own disciples. These will come before 
 the great national calamities. 
 
 lay their hands on yoxi : a technical expression for a legal 
 arrest. 
 
 the synag-ogues : for local examination before the synagogue 
 elders. Persecution by the Jews is here described. 
 
 before king's and g-overnors: referring to persecution through 
 the secular courts and under pagan authority. 
 
 13. for a testimony : i. e. to the truth of Christ and his gospel. 
 The fidelity of the confessors will bring this truth to light and do 
 honour to it. 
 
ST. LUKE 21. 15-19 355 
 
 your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer : 
 for 1 will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your 15 
 adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay. 
 But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and 16 
 brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends ; and some of you 
 shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be 17 
 hated of all men for my name's sake. And not a hair of 18 
 your head shall perish. In your patience ye shall win 19 
 your souls. 
 
 14. not to meditate beforeliand : similar to the directions 
 previously given (xii. 11, 12), where it is promised that the Holy 
 Spirit shall prompt the right defence. Here Jesus promises that 
 he himself will give his disciples the needful assistance. This 
 only refers to the confessor's answer in the law courts. It has 
 nothing to do with the question of meditating on Christian truth 
 in preparation for teaching others. 
 
 15. moutli: a Hebraism, meaning power of utterance. This, 
 joined to wisdom, means ability to express oneself, added to the 
 gift of wisdom to determine what should be said. 
 
 16. even by parents : the most cruel form of persecution, but 
 not unknown among the Jews. 
 
 17. hated of all men : i. e. by all men. Verified in early 
 Christian history, where the Christians are treated by their pagan 
 neighbours as ' enemies of the human race.' Their refusal to join 
 in idolatrous and dissolute popular festivals, their shunning the 
 obscene theatre and the cruel amphitheatre, and their preaching of 
 coming judgement led to their being regarded by the Romans as 
 gloomy misanthropists. Tacitus tells us that it was in reliance on 
 this unpopularity of the Christians that Nero selected them as the 
 victims on whom to throw the blame of the fire of Rome (Ann. 
 XV. 44). 
 
 18. not a hair, &c. Jesus could not mean this to be taken 
 literally, because he had just told his disciples that some of them 
 would be put to death. Still.^they would not come to the very 
 slightest real harm. 
 
 19. In your patience : rather ' in your endurance.' By facing 
 and accepting the persecution the disciples will gain the victory in 
 the end. 
 
 win : not merely possess : it is something to be obtained by 
 means of the conflict as the prize of endurance. 
 
 souls: better 'lives,' i.e. in the resurrection, in the future 
 world. There the faithful disciples will have their lives, which 
 
 A a 2 
 
356 ST. LUKE 21. 20-23 
 
 20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, 
 
 31 then know that her desolation is at hand. Then let 
 
 them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and 
 
 let them that are in the midst of her depart out ; and let 
 
 22 not them that are in the country enter therein. For 
 
 would have been forfeited by apostasy. See note on ix. 24. 
 Instead of this saying, Matthew (xxiv. 13) and Mark ;xiii. 13) have : 
 * He that endureth [the verbal form of the Greek word rendered 
 " patience " in Luke] to the end, the same shall be saved.' 
 
 xxi. 20-24. The doom of Jerusalem. The spectacle of armies 
 gathering round Jerusalem will be the sign of her approaching 
 ruin. Then safety must be found in flight. Jesus commiserates 
 the lot of mothers with young babes in the horror of those times. 
 Great calamities will fall on the Jews, and their city will be trampled 
 down by Gentile powers, till the time of the Gentiles is completed. 
 
 20. Jerusalem compassed with armies : //V. 'being compassed,' 
 i. e. while the armies are in the very act of gathering round the 
 city, and when there is still an opportunity of escaping. In Luke 
 this very explicit phrase takes the place of the vague expression 
 repeated from Daniel, ' the abomination of desolation,' in Matthew 
 (xxiv. 15) and Mark (xiii. 14). Luke's definite language here and 
 again in verse 24, when contrasted with the more obscure and 
 general terms of the parallel passages in the two other Synoptic 
 Gospels, has given rise to the opinion that this Gospel was written 
 after the destruction of Jerusalem. If that be so, it would seem 
 that Luke has interpreted by the Hght of history, for the benefit of 
 Theophilus and other Gentile readers, the more general terms 
 clothed in more Jewish imagery which we find in Matthew and 
 Mark, and which therefore must be considered closer to the original 
 form of our Lord's language. This is more probable than that Luke's 
 distinct language has been rendered obscure by Matthew and Mark. 
 
 her desolation, &c. : a prediction that the siege will end in 
 the destruction of the city. Thus forewarned, the disciples can act 
 accordingly. 
 
 21. in Judaea: i. e. the whole district round about Jerusalem. 
 unto the mountains : limestone hills abounding in caves 
 
 where refugees could hide, as David when a fugitive from Saul hid 
 with his men in these same mountains. 
 
 in the midst of her. Eusebius says that the Christians of 
 Jerusalem made their escape before the siege to Pella in Pereea, in 
 accordance with the warning of an • oracle ' {Hist. Eccl. iii. 5). 
 
 them that are in the country : perhaps meaning people 
 whose residence is in Jerusalem working out on their farms or 
 
ST. LUKE 21. 23-25 357 
 
 these are days of vengeance, that all things which are 
 written may be fulfilled. Woe unto them that are with 23 
 child and to them that give suck in those days ! for there 
 shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto 
 this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, 21 
 and shall be led captive into all the nations : and Jeru- 
 salem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the 
 times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be 25 
 
 vineyards, for whom it will not be safe to return home to fetch 
 away property, &c. ; but more probably country people, flying 
 before the march of the Roman army, who might think they 
 would find safety within the walls of the city. They are warned 
 against attempting to do so. 
 
 22. all thing's whicli are written : referring to O. T. 
 
 prophecies, e.g. Micah iii. 12: 'Therefore shall Zion for your 
 
 sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, 
 
 and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.' 
 
 24. The various statements of this verse are only found in Luke. 
 
 they shall fall, &c. Josephus states that 1,100,000 perished 
 in the siege, and that 97,000 were carried away into captivity. 
 Josephus is accustomed to exaggerate when dealing with figures, 
 and it is manifest that he must be doing so here. Still there was 
 wholesale destruction and slavery of the survivors. 
 
 trodden down of the Gentiles: Gentile possession of 
 Jerusalem, insulting it. 
 
 the times of the Qentiles : lit. ' seasons of the Gentiles,' 
 their special occasions or opportunities, i. e. either occasions 
 of judgement, when they in turn shall be overthrown, or oppor- 
 tunities of grace, during which they are being brought into the 
 kingdom. The latter seems the more likely meaning, since the 
 phrase is found only in Luke, the Gospel that most enlarges on 
 the graciousness of the good news for the Gentiles. 
 
 fulfilled : ' completed ' : when these seasons have come to 
 an end. 
 
 xxi. 25-28. The coming of the Son of man. After the completion 
 of the seasoHS of the Gentiles there will be great signs in heaven 
 and on earth with alarming times. Then the Son of man will be 
 seen coming in power and splendour. For Christ's disciples that 
 will be the time of deliverance. 
 
 It is to be observed that Luke distinctly separates the great events 
 of the second advent from the destruction of Jerusalem, as they 
 are not divided in the other Synoptic Gospels, placing the seasons 
 
358 ST. LUKE 21. 36-28 
 
 signs in sun and moon and stars ; and upon the earth 
 distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea 
 
 26 and the billows ; men fainting for fear, and for expecta- 
 tion of the things which are coming on the world : for 
 
 27 the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then 
 shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with 
 
 38 power and great glory. But when these things begin to 
 come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads ; because 
 your redemption draweth nigh. 
 
 of the Gentiles between, and thus indicating a considerable interval. 
 Writing after the destruction of Jerusalem, as perhaps was not 
 the case with the other Synoptic writers, he was in a position 
 to see the distinction of two events that were run together in their 
 minds, and so the better to disentangle the reports of our Lord's 
 sayings on the two subjects and assign them severally to their 
 right places. 
 
 25. sig^ns in sun and moon and stars. It is quite in accordance 
 with the custom of prophecy to take these words metaphorically, 
 e.g. Isaiah xiii. 10: ' For the stars of heaven and the constellations 
 thereof shall not give their light : the sun shall be darkened in 
 his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine' — 
 where the context shews that the troubles connected with the 
 overthrow of Babylon are thus poetically described. Eclipses ot 
 sun and moon and falling meteors represent great changes in the 
 regular course of events. Similarly ' the roaring of the sea' points 
 to ocean tempests as S3'mbolical of great commotion, danger, and 
 terror among men. 
 
 26. powers of tiie heavens: not angels. Evidently the 
 language points to the physical heavens, the starry regions, 
 perhaps as metaphorical of governments, or more generall3' of 
 ruling influences of all sorts, which are unsettled in times of great 
 revolutions. 
 
 27. Plainly predicting a return in power and splendour. But 
 it is not reasonable to take the language literally, to teach that Jesus 
 will come visibly with material clouds, if the other prophetic 
 words of the passage are metaphorical. See note on ix. 26. 
 
 28. lift up your heads : as though they had been bowed while 
 the tempest swept over them. 
 
 your redemption. The word is used here in its most general 
 sense, meaning deliverance from all the troubles before enumerated. 
 But it will natural!}- introduce its deeper meaning. When Christ 
 comes he will bring full deliverance, perfect salvation to his people. 
 
ST. LUKE 21. 29-33 359 
 
 And he spake to them a parable : Behold the fig tree, 39 
 and all the trees : when they now shoot forth, ye see it 30 
 and know of your own selves that the summer is now 
 nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming 31 
 to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh. 
 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass 32 
 away, till all things be accomplished. Heaven and earth 33 
 shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away. 
 
 xxi. 39-33. ^^^ lesson of the trees. As the sprouting of the 
 trees is recognized for a sign that summer is near, so the appearance 
 of the signs of which Jesus has spoken should make his people 
 know that the kingdom of God is near. The accompHshment 
 of Christ's predictions is to take place before the generation then 
 living passes away. 
 
 29. the £«• tres, and all the trees. Matthew (xxiv. 32) and 
 Mark (xiii. 28} only have 'the fig tree.' It has been conjectured 
 that the addition ' and all the trees ' comes in Luke for the benefit 
 of people in countries where the fig tree is not known. 
 
 30. know of your own selves : from your own observation, 
 without being told. So it should be when the signs Jesus has just 
 described appear. 
 
 31. the king-dom of God is nig-h. This seems to be equivalent 
 to the statement in verse 28: 'Your redemption draweth nigh,' 
 in the full realization of the kingdom and the triumph of Christ 
 at his return. 
 
 32. This g-eneration. This must mean the people then living, 
 not 'mankind,' nor 'the Jews,' as some have suggested. Thus 
 we read : 'This generation is an evil generation. . . . Even as 
 Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites. so shall also the Son of 
 man be to this generation' (xi. 29. 3o_;. The same idea occurs 
 unmistakably in ix. 27 : ' There be some of them that stand here,' 
 &c., plainly meaning that some of the people then present are to 
 see what is predicted. 
 
 till all thing-s be accomplished. It is difficult to reconcile 
 these words with verse 24: 'And Jerusalem shall be trodden 
 down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,' 
 which points to some time after the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 We must suppose them to refer to the time of that event, which 
 in Luke is separated from the second advent by a considerable 
 interval. The only alternative is to identify the second advent 
 with the destruction of Jerusalem, as it seems to be identified in 
 Matthew and Mark. 
 
36o ST. LUKE 21. 34-37 
 
 34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be 
 overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares 
 of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare : 
 
 35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face 
 
 36 of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making 
 supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these 
 things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the 
 Son of man. 
 
 37 And every day he was teaching in the temple; and 
 
 xxi. 34-38, Warnings against unprepayedness. Jesus warns his 
 disciples against self-indulgence and worldly care, in view of the 
 sudden coming of the great day. They are to watch with prayer 
 that they may be prepared to meet the Son of man. Jesus teaches 
 in the temple every day, and lodges at night on the Mount of Olives. 
 
 34. surfeiting' : lit. ' nausea.' 
 
 cares of this life : first self-indulgence, then anxiety, are 
 named as the two great branches of worldly absorption, 
 
 35. dwell : lit. ' sit,' as at their ease, 
 
 all the earth. This might be translated ' all the land.' 
 
 36. to stand : i. e. not to quake and shrink, to be able to face 
 the Son of man. In the Wisdom of Solomon v. i we read : ' Then 
 shall the righteous man stand in great boldness.' 
 
 37. every day : from Sunday till Thursday in the last week. 
 lodged in the mount : at the garden of Gethsemane. 
 
 Note. — The contents of this chapter, and their parallels in 
 Matthew and Mark, have been called 'The Apocalypse of Jesus.' 
 Some critics consider this to be a Christian or even a Jewish 
 Apocalypse, not originated by our Lord, but erroneously assigned 
 to him by the church of later times. The language is very like 
 that of other Apocalyptic literature, especially that of the Book 
 of Enoch. But this theory is beset with difficulties. It is very 
 unlikely that all three evangelists would be deceived to so great 
 an extent. No trace of the supposed original Apocalypse can 
 be found. Moreover, sayings of kindred nature are met with among 
 the teachings of Jesus in other parts of the Gospels (e.g. Luke ix. 
 26, 27 ; xii. 40 ; xiii. 35 ; xvii. 22-37 ; and parallel passages). It 
 is most improbable that all these come from some foreign source. 
 The difficulty of interpretation rests chiefly on the apparent 
 confusion between the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming 
 of Christ for final victory and judgement. But, as we have seen, 
 it is possible that his separate teachings on these two subjects 
 
ST. LUKE 21. 38—22. 3 361 
 
 every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that 
 is called the moimt of Olives. And all the people came 38 
 early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him. 
 
 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which 22 
 is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the 2 
 scribes sought how they might put him to death; for they 
 feared the people. 
 
 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, 3 
 
 were run together in the traditions of the early Christians. We 
 have observed a distinction dravi^n by Luke that is not noted 
 by the other evangelists, in the separation at verse 24. Dr. Russell 
 in The Paroiisia maintained that the whole was fulfilled at the 
 destruction of Jerusalem. But he had to strain the words about 
 the coming of the Son of man to confine them to that event. 
 
 Passion and Death, xxii, xxiii. 
 xxii. 1-6. Judas's treason. As the passover approaches, the 
 Jewish authorities seek means for putting Jesus to death. Judas, 
 now possessed by Satan, offers to betray Jesus, and is promised 
 a money payment for doing so. 
 
 1. the feast of unleavened bread : when all leaven is excluded 
 from Jews' houses for a week, commencing at the X4th Nisan, 
 about our Easter. 
 
 called the Passover : an explanation for Luke's Gentile 
 readers. The festival was associated in the law with the 
 deliverance of Israel in Egypt at the time of the slaying of 
 the firstborn (see Exod. xii.) ; but these associations appear to 
 have been grafted on to an older harvest festival, the feast follow- 
 ing the early barley harvest (see Lev. xxiii. 10-14). 
 
 2. the chief priests and the scribes : the two rival parties in 
 the Sanhedrin united against Jesus. 
 
 feared the people. The popularity of our Lord's teaching 
 in the temple, especially among the Galilaean pilgrims, made the 
 most public places the safest for him. 
 
 3. Satan entered. This is not in Matthew or Mark, but in 
 John xiii. 2 it is stated that the purpose to betraj'' his Master was 
 put into the heart of Judas by the devil. Luke's stronger language 
 does not point to demoniacal possession. In the Gospels Satan 
 is always distinct from the demons of epilepsy and insanity. He is 
 the tempter. Nor does he come apart from man's will. Satan 
 entering is the result of man surrendering to the temptation and 
 permitting the dominance of evil over his actions. 
 
 Judas. See note on vi. 16. 
 
362 ST. LUKE 22. 4-7 
 
 4 being of the number of the twelve. And he went away, 
 and communed with the chief priests and captains, how 
 
 5 he might deliver him unto them. And they were glad, 
 
 6 and covenanted to give him money. And he consented, 
 and sought opportunity to deliver him unto them in the 
 absence of the multitude. 
 
 7 And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the 
 
 4. communed with : lit. * talked with.' It is a pity our Revisers 
 have retained a phrase which to the modern reader conveys 
 religious associations. 
 
 captains : the officers of the temple guard. The scribes 
 previously mentioned, at verse 2, are not brought into this bargain 
 with Judas. It viras an affair of the temple authorities only. 
 
 5. money. The word for money here is * silver,' as at i Timothy 
 vi. 10, not ' copper,' the word used by Mark in the incident 
 of the contributions to the temple treasury (xii. 41). The 'thirty 
 pieces of silver ' are only mentioned in Matthew (xxvi. 15). 
 
 6. in the absence of the multitude : or ' without a tumult.' 
 
 xxii. 7-13. Preparation for the feast. On the day for the 
 removal of leaven Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare for 
 the passover. In reply to their inquiry where this is to be, he 
 bids them follow a man with a pitcher of water, and enter the 
 house where he goes in. There they are to inquire for the 
 guest-chamber and make ready. This they do, finding all as 
 Jesus has described. 
 
 *7. the day of unleavened bread : the 14th Nisan, the day 
 when leaven was removed from the house. This was done 
 by 3 p. m., to be safe with a margin of three hours before 
 sunset, which would be about 6 p. m. at that time of the year. 
 This phrase makes it quite clear that, according to Luke, Jesus 
 did not anticipate the time of the feast, as some have supposed 
 in order to reconcile the S3'noptic accounts with John. Our 
 evangelist does not merely say that Jesus ate the passover; he 
 distinctly places that act (verses 15 ff.) after mentioning the day 
 in which the lamb ' must ' be slain, plainly meaning, as necessitated 
 by the requirement of the law. But in John it appears as 
 though the feast were still future when Jesus was crucified. Thus 
 we read that the Jews ' entered not into the palace, that they 
 might not be defiled, but might eat the passover' John xviii. 
 a8), &c. Possibly these references in the fourth Gospel apply 
 to the whole passover week that followed the eating of the 
 lamb. 
 
ST. LUKE 22. 8-14 363 
 
 passover must be sacrificed. And he sent Peter and 8 
 John, saying, Go and make ready for us the passover, 
 that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where v;ilt y 
 thou that we make ready? And he said unto them, 10 
 Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall 
 meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water ; follow him 
 into the house whereinto he goeth. And ye shall say n 
 unto the goodman of the house. The Master saith unto 
 thee. Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the 
 passover with my disciples? And he will shew you la 
 a large upper room furnished : there make ready. And 13 
 they went, and found as he had said unto them : and 
 they made ready the passover. 
 
 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 14 
 
 the passover must be sacrificed : the slaying of the lambs 
 at the temple by the priests. 
 
 8. lie sent Peter and Jolin, &c. : only in Luke, 
 
 10. a man bearing a pitcher of water : unusual in the East, 
 where water is drawn and carried by women. This seems to 
 have been a sign previously agreed upon between Jesus and the 
 householder. The extreme dangerousness of the situation calls 
 for great caution. Jesus does not wish to be arrested before 
 eating the passover with his disciples. 
 
 11. the groodman of the hoiise : the householder who is found 
 in the house, not the same person as the man with the pitcher, 
 who would be a slave. 
 
 The Master : shewing that the householder was a friend. 
 the g-uest-chamber : the Greek word that is rendered ' inn ' 
 in the account of the nativity (ii. 7). 
 
 12. a large nppsr roosu : built over the smaller rooms below, 
 reserved for guests or for social gatherings. 
 
 furnished: lit. 'strewn,' i.e. with the cushions spread out 
 on the benches, indicating that the room has been put readj' 
 for use. 
 
 xxii. 14-20. The Lord's Supper. At the proper time Jesus sits 
 down to the passover meal with his apostles, telling them that he has 
 eagerly looked forward to the occasion. It will be the last before 
 he meets them again in his kingdom. He hands them a cup after 
 giving thanks for it. Then he breaks bread and hands that to 
 
364 ST. LUKE 22. 15-17 
 
 15 apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire 
 I have desired to eat this passover with )'ou before 
 
 16 I suffer : for I say unto you, I will not eat it, until it 
 
 17 be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he received 
 a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take 
 
 them, calling it his body, and bidding them do this in remembrance 
 of him. Similarly he gives a cup, describing it as the new 
 covenant in his blood. Accounts of the Lord's Supper are given 
 in the three Synoptics (see Matt. xxvi. 20-29; Mark xiv. 22-25), 
 and by Paul in i Corinthians xi. 23-25. John (xiii. i. 2) mentions 
 the Paschal meal, but not the institution of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 14. the hour: for the passover, i.e. just after sunset (Exod. 
 xii. 8), 'between the two evenings' (marg. , between sunset and 
 dark, in the twilight. 
 
 he sat down: reclining on a bench. There would be three 
 tables placed as three sides of a square, with the benches on the 
 further side of them, the opening of the square being available for 
 a servant to bring in the dishes. 
 
 15. Only in Luke. 
 
 16. until it he fulfilled : full}' realized and perfected, as though 
 the passover were a prophecy and an imperfect anticipation of the 
 great feast of the kingdom. 
 
 1*7. And he received: implying that the cup had been handed 
 to him. 
 
 a cup. Only Luke mentions this cup before the bread in the 
 account of the supper, though Paul twice names the cup before 
 the bread when making general references to the Lord's Supper 
 (i Cor. X. 16, 21). Luke mentions a cup further on after the 
 bread (at verse 20) in the place where the other accounts have 
 the cup. Were there then two cups? There were four or even 
 five cups handed round at the Jewish passover. It has been 
 suggested that this cup is the second in the feast, that which is 
 followed by eating the unleavened bread. Then Luke's second 
 cup would be the third of the Jewish feast, that which follows 
 the bread. But this implies that the Lord's Supper was the same 
 meal as the passover. But the cup mentioned in verse 20 was 
 ' after supper. ' Besides, Luke mentions the thanksgiving previous 
 to the first reference to a cup, as he does in connexion with the 
 distribution of the bread, but not when he again speaks of the 
 cup. Therefore it would seem that the first reference to the cup 
 introduces the new special ordinance which our Lord here grafts 
 on to the passover. If so, we must say that Luke inverts the 
 order. Then when he again refers to the cup he supplements 
 what he has previously said about it, but perhaps means this to 
 
ST. LUKE 22. i8, 19 365 
 
 this, and divide it among yourselves : for I say unto you, 18 
 I will not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, 
 until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took 19 
 bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and 
 gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given 
 
 apply to the same cup, so that there was only one cup. We have 
 no reason to suppose that any importance was attached to the 
 order in which the two elements were given. The cup comes 
 before the bread in the directions about the Eucharist in the 
 Didache, a church manual to be dated perhaps about the end of 
 the first century. Possibly Luke had two accounts before him, 
 one placing the cup before the bread, the other after. 
 
 given thanks. The person presiding at the passover feast 
 gave thanks. 
 
 divide it among yourselves. All partook of the cup, as all 
 partook of the bread. 
 
 18. I will not drink from henceforth. Did Jesus himself drink 
 of the cup on this occasion ? If it is a part of the passover feast, 
 yes, for verse 15 implies that he partook of the feast. In that case 
 he must mean here that he will not take it again till the kingdom 
 comes. But if only one cup was referred to, the answer must be 
 no. He did not eat the bread that represented his body, or drink 
 the wine that represented his blood. In either case his meaning 
 is that he will have no more festivities till he rejoices in the 
 completed kingdom. 
 
 19. bread: a loaf, a flat cake of unleavened bread. 
 
 brake it. Being unleavened it would be hard, like a biscuit. 
 But bread was always broken among the Jews, not cut. 
 
 This is my body. The metaphorical language could not be 
 misunderstood by Jews. Jesus said ' I am the light,' • I am the 
 door,' * I am the way.' In the O.T. we read 'AH flesh is grass' 
 (Isa. xl. 6), where the simple verb 'to be' evidently introduces 
 a metaphor. Analogously we may understand our Lord's words 
 here to mean ' This represents my body.' 
 
 given for you. Since it is not 'given to you' we must 
 understand a vague reference to sacrifice, later more explicitly 
 mentioned with reference to the cup. It is not simply Christ 
 giving his body to feed his disciples. He gives it on their behalf. 
 All accounts contain the famous words, ' This is my body.' But 
 they vary in other respects thus : — 
 
 Luke : ' This is my body which is given for you : this do in 
 
 remembrance of me.' 
 Paul : ' This is my body which is for you : this do in remembrance 
 
 of me.' 
 
366 ST. LUKE 22. 20 
 
 20 for you : this do in remembrance of me. And the cup 
 in Hke manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new 
 covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for 
 
 Matthew : ' Take, eat ; this is my body.' 
 
 Mark : 'Take ye : this is my body.' 
 
 The close resemblance between Luke and Paul is apparent 
 throughout. 
 
 this do in remembrance of me. This is not in Matthew nor 
 in Mark ; but it is in i Corinthians xi. 25, Thus Paul and Luke 
 are our authorities for the idea that Jesus told his disciples to 
 repeat what he had done, and so constituted it an ordinance of the 
 church. It has been maintained recently that we owe the per- 
 petuation of the Lord's .Supper to Paul's initiative, not to our Lord's 
 directions, Luke taking his account from the apostle. But Paul's 
 account is the most ancient of all the N. T. records of the supper, 
 and he distinctly assigns the words to our Lord himself. They 
 indicate that the ordinance is to be a commemoration of Christ 
 among his people, and especially of Christ as himself the food of 
 his disciples' spiritual life. 
 
 20. after supper. The bread was taken during the meal, 
 'while they were eating,' the cup after it was over. So it might 
 be the concluding cup of the passover. 
 
 tlie new covenant. A covenant is an agreement between 
 two parties, but in Scripture the word 'covenant' is used for 
 God's arrangement which men receive and enter into. Therefore 
 the usual Greek word for covenant (suntheke) is not used, but 
 a Greek word commoni3' employed for a will or 'testament' 
 (diatheke). Thus our A. V. has ' testament,' and so we get the 
 titles ' Old Testament ' and ' New Testament.' But as there is no 
 thought of a will here, it is better to use the word ' covenant.' 
 Jesus introduces a new arrangement or agreement between God 
 and man. The idea is evidently based on Jeremiah xxxi. 31 : 
 ' Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new 
 covenant,' &c. 
 
 in: a Hebraism, meaning 'by means of.' 
 
 my "blood: a reference to the Jewish practice of confirming 
 a covenant by a sacrifice, in which a victim is slain. Thus we 
 read in Exodus xxiv. 8: 'And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled 
 it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,' &c. 
 An allusion to this custom is evidently in the mind of the author 
 of the Epistle to the Hebrews when he writes of coming to Jesus, 
 * the mediator of a new covenant,' and to ' the blood of sprinkling.' 
 Therefore our Lord must be referring to his death after the 
 analogy of a sacrifice that confirms a covenant. The dying of 
 Jesus gives vahdity to the new covenant. 
 
ST. LUKE 22. ai-34 367 
 
 you. But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me 21 
 is with me on the table. For the Son of man indeed 2 a 
 goeth, as it hath been determined : but woe unto that 
 man through whom he is betrayed ! And they began 33 
 to question among themselves, which of them it was 
 that should do this thing. 
 
 And there arose also a contention among them, which 24 
 
 that which is poured out: blood shed in death, as the wine 
 is poured out into the cup. 
 
 for you : on your behalf, as in verse 19. 
 The four accounts of the cup are as follows : — 
 Luke : ' This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that 
 
 which is poured out for you.' 
 Paul : * This cup is the new covenant in my blood : this do, as 
 
 oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.' 
 Matthew : ' Drink ye all of it ; for this is my blood of the 
 
 covenant, which is shed for many unto remission of sins.' 
 Mark: 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for 
 
 many.' 
 
 xxii. 21-23. 77?^ presence of the traitor. Jesus announces the 
 presence of a traitor among his disciples, and deplores the man's 
 miserable state. The disciples wonder which one of them is 
 indicated. 
 
 This incident is in John xiii. 21-27 as well as in all three 
 Synoptic writers. 
 
 21. with me on the table. The order of the narrative in 
 Luke suggests that the traitor had partaken of the Lord's Supper. 
 But Mark is more explicit at this point, and he places the incident 
 about the traitor before the institution of the ordinance (Mark xiv. 
 17-21), and so does Matthew (xxvi. 21-25). Then in Matthew 
 and Mark, Jesus indicates the traitor as he who is dipping with 
 him in the dish ; but in the fourth Gospel, with an apparent 
 reference to the same moment, it is said that as soon as Judas 
 had received the sop he went out (John xiii. 30). Therefore it 
 would seem that Judas had left before the bread and wine were 
 distributed. 
 
 23. beg'au to question. From Matthew (xxvi. 23) and Mark 
 (xiv. 20) we see that Jesus answered the questions of his disciples 
 by indicating the traitor as the man who was dipping with him 
 in the dish. John goes further, and tells of a secret sign given to 
 himself, the presentation of a sop to Judas (John xiii. 26). 
 
 xxii. 24-30. Dispute about precedence. The disciples are 
 
368 ST. LUKE 22. 25-30 
 
 25 of them is accounted to be greatest. And he said unto 
 them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over 
 them ; and they that have authority over them are called 
 
 26 Benefactors. But ye shall not be so : but he that is the 
 greater among you, let him become as the younger ; and 
 
 27 he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether 
 is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? 
 is not he that sitteth at meat ? but I am in the midst 
 
 28 of you as he that serveth. But ye are they which have 
 39 continued with me in my temptations ; and I appoint unto 
 
 you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, 
 
 30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom ; 
 
 and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
 
 disputing for precedence. Jesus says that this is heathenish. 
 Among his people the chief should take the humblest place, 
 and serve as Jesus does. All the apostles shall be enthroned as 
 judges. 
 
 24. there arose also a contention. Only Luke places this inci- 
 dent here. It is scarcely credible that such a dispute should have 
 arisen after the great lesson of the feet-washing, which John places 
 before the supper (John xiii. 5-17). The other evangelists give 
 most of the contents of this paragraph earlier (Matt. xx. 24-28; 
 Mark x. 41-45). If the dispute had arisen just before the feast, 
 as to who should then have the places of honour, this would 
 account for Jesus washing his disciples' feet, and so giving them 
 a practical lesson especially needed at the moment. 
 
 greatest: lit. 'greater,* i.e. than the others. 
 
 25. kings : a touch of irony. These peasants were not kings. 
 What occasion had they for pride of place ? 
 
 Gentiles : therefore heathen. 
 
 called Benefactors: as though their favours were acts of 
 condescending patronage. 
 
 27. sitteth at meat : lit. ' reclineth,' i. e. at table. 
 
 as he that serveth: perhaps then illustrated by the feet- 
 washing, only recorded in John. 
 
 28. temptations : or ' trials/ ' troubles ' ; a common meaning of 
 the original word in late Greek. 
 
 30. sit on thrones. All the apostles will have high places. 
 It is needless then for them to dispute as to which will be greatest. 
 Some day they will all be greater than those heathen monarchs 
 
ST. LUKE 22. 31-36 3^9 
 
 Israel. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan rsked to have you, $1 
 that he might sift you as wheat : but I made supplication 32 
 for thee, that thy faith fail not : and do thou, when once 
 thou hast turned again, stablish thy brethren. And he 33 
 said unto him. Lord, with thee I am ready to go both 
 to prison and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, 34 
 the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice 
 deny that thou knowest me. 
 
 And he said unto them. When I sent you forth without .35 
 
 whose pride they are imitating, but with no need for jealousy, 
 because without mutual rivalry. 
 
 xxii. 31-34. Warning to Peter. Simon is warned that Satan 
 will try him, but Jesus has prayed for him. When he declares 
 that he will not leave his Lord, he is told that he will deny 
 Christ. This warning is in all four Gospels. 
 
 31. asked to have you. The Greek is stronger than this. It 
 means * obtained by asking.' The idea is the same as that in the 
 Book of Job, where Satan obtains permission to put the patriarch 
 to the test (Job i. 11, 12). 
 
 3ift you: to discover what solid worth there is in you, 
 like the grain ; and what worthlessness of character, like the 
 chaff. 
 
 32. I made supplication. Jesus has already prayed for Peter, 
 faith : fidelity, faith being here used in the O. T. sense of 
 
 the word. 
 
 turned again : in anticipation of the fall and repentance. 
 
 34. Peter: the only occasion on which Jesus directly addresses 
 the apostle by his surname, now appealing to the stability it 
 suggests. 
 
 the cock shall not crow. The fourth Roman watch of the 
 night was called 'cock-crowing.* 
 
 'uA*:y day. According to Jewish reckoning the new day had 
 begun at sunset, before the passover meal. 
 
 xxii. 35-38. The coming peril. Jesus reminds his disciples 
 that they wanted nothing when he sent them out without 
 provisions for travel ; but now they are to make such provisions. 
 This is only in Luke. 
 
 35. When I sent you forth. Addressed to the Twelve, this 
 rdust refer to the commission they had received (see ix. 3), though 
 the words are those of the commission to the Seventy (x. 4) : 'Carry 
 no purse, no wallet, no shoes.' 
 
 B b 
 
370 ST. LUKE 22. 36-39 
 
 purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything ? And 
 
 36 they said, Nothing. And he said unto them, But now, 
 he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise 
 a wallet : and he that hath none, let him sell his cloke, 
 
 37 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 : for that which concerneth me hath 
 
 38 fulfilment. 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 
 
 36. lie that hath none. This must point forward, not backward 
 to the things just named, i. e. it must mean * he who has no 
 sword.' This is a good instance of the truth that rules applying 
 to certain circumstances may not fit altered circumstances. It 
 shews that sayings of Jesus should not be torn out of their 
 context and made laws for all time, apart from suitability and 
 regardless of altered conditions. We have to remember that our 
 obedience is to be to the principles of Christ's government, the 
 eternal truth he reveals, the spirit of his teaching. He does not 
 rule by cast-iron laws. His most definite utterances are not 
 absolute maxims, but practical directions, or specimen regulations, 
 to be interpreted and applied wisely. He calls his people friends, 
 not slaves. 
 
 37. this which is written : a technical phrase, meaning 
 ' Scripture.' 
 
 he was reckoned, &c. : Isaiah liii. 12, here applied by Jesus 
 to himself. 
 
 hath fnlfilment: lit. 'has an end,' a phrase used of the 
 accomplishment of oracles and prophecies. 
 
 38. It is enough : not ' They are enough.' Two swords would 
 not have sufficed for a resistance by force. The words are a curt 
 dismissal of the subject. Jesus had not intended his utteiance to 
 be taken literally. All along he discouraged the resort to force, 
 and this was equally manifest at the last. 
 
 xxii. 39-46. The agony. Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives 
 according to his custom. Warning his disciples to pray that 
 they may be kept from temptation, he leaves them, and prays 
 for deliverance, but subject to God's will. Though comforted 
 by an angel, he is in great agony. Rising from prayer he finds 
 his disciples sleeping, and rouses them for prayer. This is in 
 Matthew (xxvi. 36-46) and Mark (xiv. 32-42), but not in John. 
 
ST. LUKE 22. 40-43 37i 
 
 the mount of Olives ; and the disciples also followed 
 him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, 40 
 Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was 41 
 parted from them about a stone's cast ; and he kneeled 
 down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, 42 
 remove this cup from me : nevertheless not my will, but 
 thine, be done. And there appeared unto him an angel 43 
 
 39. as his custom was : see xxi. 37. Mark (xiv.a6) says they 
 sang a hymn first. 
 
 the disciples: the eleven, Judas being absent, as the sequel 
 shews. 
 
 40. at the place. Matthew and Mark call this Gethsemane, 
 * the oil-press.' John (xviii. i) says it was a garden. There is 
 a traditional garden of Gethsemane, encircled with a wall and 
 containing gnarled old olive-trees and sweet-scented flowers. 
 This can be traced back to the time of Constantine. But the 
 trees could not be those of our Lord's time, since Titus cut down 
 all the trees on the Mount of Olives and used the hill for besieging 
 purposes. 
 
 Pray: addressed to the eleven. Luke does not mention 
 the separation of the three, Peter, James, and John, described 
 in the other Synoptics. 
 
 4X. he was parted from them: rather 'was drawn away,' 
 apparently by the intensity of emotion. 
 
 42. if thou be willing-. The Greek word for ' willing' is one 
 implying deliberation, as though our Lord had said, * if this is in 
 agreement with thy counsels.' 
 
 this cup. Jesus had spoken before of the cup that he was to 
 drink (see Mark x. 38). The image of drinking a cup is a Hebrew 
 metaphor for any great experience in life a man has to undergo, 
 e. g. Psalm xi. 6, * the portion of their cup ' ; xvi. 5, ' The Lord is 
 the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.' 
 fr:^^ not my will. The word for 'will ' here is one implying desire 
 or intention, the settled will. 
 
 43, 44. These two verses are not in the best and oldest MSS. 
 Therefore critics regard them as not part of the Gospel. Neverthe- 
 less Westcott and Hort consider that they represent a genuine 
 tradition, and both words and ideas in them well suit Luke's style 
 and thought. We meet with a reference to their contents as 
 early as Justin Martyr in the middle of the second century, and 
 again in Irenaeus thirty years later. 
 
 there appeared. The angel was actually seen by Jesus. 
 
 B b 2 
 
372 ST. LUKE 22. 44-48 
 
 44 from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony 
 he prayed more earnestly : and his sweat became as it 
 were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. 
 
 45 And when he rose up from his prayer, he came unto 
 
 46 the disciples, and found them sleeping for sorrow, and 
 said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, that ye 
 enter not into temptation. 
 
 47 While he yet spake, behold, a multitude, and he that 
 was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them ; 
 
 48 and he drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said 
 unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with 
 
 It is characteristic of Luke to mention the angel, not referred 
 to in the other Gospels. 
 
 agony: the only instance of this word in the N. T., though 
 the verbal form of it is used for a wrestling intensity of prayer 
 (e. g. Col. iv. 12^. Matthew and Mark use words suggestive of 
 great distress of mind. 
 
 as it were great drops of blood. Luke does not expressly 
 state that there was blood. The sweat of agony dropped to the 
 ground like great drops of blood. And j^et the introduction of 
 the word ' blood ' suggests that there was the appearance of blood, 
 the red colour. The physician evangelist, if he wrote these 
 words, is cautious about making too positive a statement about 
 this strange phenomenon. 
 
 45. Matthew and Mark are more expHcit, telling how Jesus 
 came and went no less than three times. 
 
 xxii. 47-53. The betrayal. Judas comes with a number of men 
 and approaches Jesus to kiss him, but our Lord addresses him as 
 a traitor. The disciples begin to shew resistance, and one cuts off 
 a high priest's servant's ear, which Jesus at once restores. He 
 asks the officers why they have come for him with arms as though 
 he were a robber. This is in all four Gospels. 
 
 47. drew near ... to kiss him. Luke does not mention that 
 this was previously agreed upon as a sign, nor does he say that 
 Judas kissed Jesus ; his language rather suggests that our Lord, 
 perceiving his intention, unmasked the man's treachery before 
 Jhe had gone that length. But Matthew (xxvi. 49) and Mark 
 (xiv. 45) state that he did actually give the kiss of treason, John 
 does not refer to the kiss. Among the Jews the kiss on the cheek 
 was a common salutation among friends, as it is to-day in the East 
 and on the Continent. 
 
ST. LUKE 22. 40-54 373 
 
 a kiss ? And when they that were about him saw what 49 
 would follow, they said, Lord, shall we smite with the 
 sword ? And a certain one of them smote the servant 50 
 of the high priest, and struck off his right ear. But 51 
 Jesus answered and said. Suffer ye thus far. And he 
 touched his ear, and healed him. And Jesus said unto 52 
 the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and elders, 
 which were come against him. Are ye come out, as 
 against a robber, with swords and staves? When I was 53 
 daily with you in the temple, ye stretched not forth your 
 hands against me : but this is your hour, and the power 
 of darkness. And they seized him, and led him away, 54 
 
 49. shall we smite with the sword? A natural question, if 
 Christ's words in verse 36 should be taken literally. 
 
 50. the servant of the higrh priest. John gives the man's 
 name, Malchus, and says Peter was the disciple who did the deed. 
 
 61. Suffer ye thus far. This may be taken in either of two 
 senses: (i) If addressed to the men come to arrest Jesus, it means: 
 ' Excuse this one act of resistance ; there shall be no more.' (2) If 
 addressed to the disciples, it means : ' Let them go to the length 
 of arresting me ; do not resist.' The second is the more likely 
 meaning, as we have the word ' answered,' which seems to point 
 to the reply to the question in verse 49, ' Lord, shall we smite 
 with the sword ? ' 
 
 touched his ear : not merely the place from which it was 
 severed. Jesus did not create a new ear; he restored the severed 
 ear. This is only mentioned by Luke. 
 
 52. the chief priests, who according to this Gospel are thus 
 seen accompanying the military officers and men. They do not 
 appear in the three other accounts. 
 
 a robber : a brigand, such as Barabbas. 
 staves : or clubs. 
 
 53. power : /iV. ' authority.' Now is the time when darkness 
 rules and has its way. The phrase occurs in Colossians i. 13, 
 where this authority of darkness does not appear as ruling by 
 right, but as a cruel tyrann}', 
 
 xxii. 54-65. Peters repeated denial of Christ, and the first mockery 
 of hint, Jesus is arrested and led away to the high priest's house. 
 Peter follows and warms himself at a fire in the court-yard. There 
 
374 ST. LUKE 22. 55-59 
 
 and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter 
 
 55 followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in 
 the midst of the court, and had sat down together, Peter 
 
 56 sat in the midst of them. And a certain maid seeing 
 him as he sat in the light of the fire, and looking sted- 
 
 57 fastly upon him, said, This man also was with him. But 
 
 58 he denied, saying. Woman, I know him not. And after 
 a little while another saw him, and said. Thou also art 
 
 59 one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. And after 
 the space of about one hour another confidently affirmed, 
 
 a maid suspects him as one who was with Jesus, but he denies. 
 Charged a second time and yet a third, he denies again and again. 
 While he is speaking the cock crows, and Jesus turns and looks 
 on Peter. Then Peter recollects his warning and goes out, weeping 
 bitterly. Jesus is mocked by the high priest's people. 
 
 54. seized him : formally arrested. 
 
 the higfh priest's house. This was in the temple enclosure, 
 where, according to John (xviii. 12-24), Annas lived with his 
 son-in-law, Caiaphas. Luke gives no account of the examination 
 before Caiaphas, of which we read in Matthew (xxvi. 57-68), and 
 Annas, as we read in John (xviii. 13"!. These were informal 
 investigations, preliminary to the real trial before the Sanhedrin. 
 
 55. a fire: a charcoal fire on a brazier. It was the middle of 
 the night, and early in April, when the nights are very cold at 
 Jerusalem, 2,000 feet above the sea. 
 
 sat down: on the pavement of the court-yard. 
 
 56. a certain maid. Mark (xiv. 66) says that she was one of the 
 high priest's maid-servants ; John (xviii. 17) states that she was 
 the door-keeper. If so, it was her business to see that improper 
 persons did not enter her master's house. 
 
 58. another saw him. Mark (xiv. 68) says that Peter had gone 
 out to the porch. Peter's answer in our Gospel indicates a man as 
 the second accuser, ' Man, I am not.' But in Matthew (xxvi. 71) it 
 is 'another maid,' the feminine gender being used. According to 
 Mark (xiv. 69) it was the maid who had detected him the first 
 time : 'And the maid saw him, and began again to say to them 
 that stood by,' &c. These slight variations are unimportant. 
 All accounts agree with regard to the main fact, viz. that Peter 
 was accused three times, and that three times he denied his Master. 
 
 59. after the space of about one hour. The first two denials 
 had come near together. Since then the apostle had had time to 
 reflect and collect his mind. 
 
ST. LUKE 22. 60-66 375 
 
 saying, Of a truth this man also was with him : for he is 
 a Gahlaean. But Peter said, Man, I know not what thou 60 
 sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock 
 crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. 61 
 And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that 
 he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day, thou 
 shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept 62 
 bitterly. 
 
 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and beat 63 
 him. And they blindfolded him, and asked him, saying, 64 
 Prophesy : who is he that struck thee ? And many other 65 
 things spake they against him, reviling him. 
 
 And as soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders 66 
 
 another. John (xviii. 26) says that he was a kinsman of 
 Malchus. Thus Peter's hasty action in the garden is now getting 
 him into trouble. 
 
 a Oalilsean : known by his provincial pronunciation. See 
 Matthew xxvi. 73 : ' Thy speech bewrayeth thee.' 
 
 60. I know not, &c. Luke does not mention the cursing and 
 swearing described in Matthew and Mark. 
 
 immediately. All agree that the cock crew immediately 
 after the third denial. Mark (xiv. 72) tells us that this was for the 
 second time. He mentions the first crowing as coming after the 
 first denial (xiv. 68). 
 
 61. tlie Lord turned, &c. : at the sound of the cock-crow. 
 This most interesting fact is only mentioned in our Gospel. 
 
 62. wept : not merely shed tears, but wailed aloud. 
 
 63. the men that held Jesus : the high priest's servants and 
 temple soldiers. 
 
 64. Prophesy : not to predict, but to speak by inspiration ; a 
 mockery of our Lord's claim to be a prophet. If he were a prophet 
 he ought to know who had struck him, though he was blindfolded. 
 Simon, the Pharisee, had concluded that he could not be a prophet 
 because he did not seem to know what sort of woman was weeping 
 at his feet (vii. 39). 
 
 xxii. 66-71. Examination of Jesus before the council. Early in 
 the morning Jesus is examined by the Sanhedrin, who ask him if 
 he is the Christ. He tells them that henceforth he will be seated 
 by the throne of God. They take his own confession as sufficient. 
 
 66. as soon as it was day : about 6 a.m. on Friday. 
 
376 ST. LUKE 22. 67-71 
 
 of the people was gathered together, both chief piiests 
 and scribes ; and they led him away into their council, 
 
 67 saying, If thou art the Christ, tell us. But he said unto 
 
 68 them, If I tell you, ye will not believe : and if I 2Lskyou, 
 
 69 ye will not 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 ? And 
 
 71 he said unto them. Ye say that I am. And they said, 
 What further need have we of witness ? for we ourselves 
 have heard from his own mouth. 
 
 tlielr council : the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews. 
 
 67. If thou art the Christ, &c. The method of examination 
 was similar to that of modern French law courts — a direct 
 questioning of the accused. The endeavour was to induce our 
 Lord to incriminate himself. His acceptance of the homage of 
 the Galilaean pilgrims when he entered Jerusalem was virtually 
 a claim to be the Christ, and his subsequent acts and words 
 pointed in the same direction. Now the council desires to hear 
 the claim distinctly put forth in court. 
 
 68. ye will not toelisve. Jesus knows that his judges are 
 prejudiced. Therefore it little matters what he says to them. 
 Still Mark (xiv. 62) states that Jesus had given the direct answer 
 to the high priest, saying * I am.' 
 
 69. from henceforth. This cannot mean at some distant future 
 time : it can only mean ' from this ver}"- time.' Christ will go 
 straight from his death to his glory. This implies the answer to 
 the Jews' question, and more. He must be the Christ if he is to 
 sit at the right hand of God. Moreover, that Divine enthronement 
 will be no earthly dignity which the council can afford to despise. 
 
 70. the Son of God. Jesus had called himself ' the Son of 
 man' — an ambiguous title to the mind of the council. They ask 
 if he claims the higher title, not meaning it in its full Christian 
 sense, but as the loftiest name of the Messiah. In Mark (xiv. 61) 
 we read, ' Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed ? ' 
 
 Ye say that I am. This could be translated, as in the margin 
 of the R. v., * Ye say it, because I am ' ; but that would be a more 
 awkward rendering. Cf. John xviii. 37, 'Thou sayest that I am 
 a king.' 
 
 71. What farther need have we of witness? Luke does not 
 mention the two witnesses referred to by Matthew and Mark. 
 Their evidence, having broken down, was ineffectual. Neither 
 does our evangelist mention the charge of blasphemy and the 
 
ST. LUKE 23. 1-5 377 
 
 And the whole company of them rose up, and brought 23 
 him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, say- 2 
 ing, We found this man perverting our nation, and for- 
 bidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he 
 himself is Christ a king. And Pilate asked him, saying, 3 
 Art thou the King of the Jews ? And he answered him 
 and said, Thou sayest. And Pilate said unto the chief 4 
 priests and the multitudes, I find no fault in this man. 
 But they were the more urgent, saying, He stirreth up 5 
 
 consequent sentence that Jesus is worthy of death. He only 
 mentions the claim to be the Christ as a ground of accusation ; 
 and then the removal of the case to Pilate's court, as one to be 
 dealt with on political grounds. 
 
 xxiii. 1-7. Examination before Pilate. The council conduct 
 Jesus to Pilate, before whom they accuse him of treason. In 
 answer to Pilate's question, Jesus admits that he is the King of 
 the Jews. Pilate does not find him guilty of any crime, but the 
 Jews being urgent and referring to Galilee, Pilate sends Jesus to 
 Herod. 
 
 1. Pilate : see note on iii. i. The Jews had no right to inflict 
 capital punishment, as we learn from John xviii. 31, and also from 
 Josephus and the Talmud. They did so in the case of Stephen, 
 riotously usurping the power ; but that was in the absence of the 
 Roman governor. Now the governor, whose head quarters were 
 at Caesarea, had come up for the passover to preserve order at 
 that time among the crowds at Jerusalem. 
 
 2. forbidding- to g-ive tribute, &c. : exactly contrary to the 
 truth (see xx. 21-26). This libel had not been mentioned in the 
 trial before the Sanhedrin. It might be said that if Jesus claimed 
 to be king, he must be aiming at stopping the Roman tribute. 
 
 Christ a king. By omitting what is in the other Synoptic 
 Gospels — the accusations of threatening to destroy the temple and 
 of blasphemy — Luke gets a clear, consistent narrative. Before 
 the Sanhedrin, Jesus is questioned on his claim to be the Christ. 
 This claim is now made the ground of accusation before Pilate. 
 The malice and falsehood of the council are seen in pretending 
 that Jesus was a political insurgent, which they well knew was 
 not the case. 
 
 4. I find no fault, &cc. : i. e. no crime. This implies an ex- 
 amination by Pilate not here described. The gap is supplied by 
 John (xviii. 33 ff.). 
 
378 ST. LUKE 23. 6-11 
 
 the people, teaching throughout all Judasa, and begin- 
 
 6 ning from Galilee even unto this place. But when Pilate 
 heard it, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. 
 
 7 And when he knew that he was of Herod's jurisdiction, 
 he sent him unto Herod^ who himself also was at Jeru- 
 salem 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 hoped to see some 
 
 9 miracle done by him. And he questioned him in many 
 
 10 words ; but he answered him nothing. And the chief 
 priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. 
 
 11 And Herod with his soldiers set him at nought, and 
 mocked him, and arraying him in gorgeous apparel sent 
 
 B. all Judaea : i, e. all the land of the Jews. This must include 
 Judaea proper, the southern district of Palestine, and therefore 
 the phrase contains a hint that our Lord's ministry had extended 
 to this part, which we should scarcely gather from the Synoptics ; 
 but occurring thus incidentally, the hint confirms the fourth Gospel 
 narrative of Christ's work in and around Jerusalem. 
 
 7. Herod: see note on iii. i. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, 
 partly as a compliment to the tetrarch, but also to relieve himself 
 of the responsibility of concluding the trial solely on his own 
 authority. 
 
 xxiii. 8-12. Jesus before Herod. Herod is delighted to see 
 Jesus, and puts many questions to him, all of which he meets with 
 silence. The Jewish leaders vehemently accuse Jesus before 
 Herod, who. with his soldiers, mocks at him. Herod and Pilate 
 are now reconciled. This is only in Luke. 
 
 8. desirous to see hini. We read of this earlier ; see ix. 9. 
 It was the wish of idle curiosity. 
 
 9. answered him nothing'. Although Jesus had answered 
 the Sanhedrin and Pilate, he treated Herod, who was an idle 
 mocker, with silent disdain. Probably his questions were not 
 the serious inquiries of a magistrate, but merely indicated shallow 
 curiosity about miracles. Such heartless trifling, when our Lord 
 was on trial for his life, was beneath contempt. 
 
 11. g-orgeous apparel. This must not be confounded with the 
 purple cloak which the Roman soldiers afterwards flung on Jesus 
 
ST. LUKE 23. 12-19 379 
 
 him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became 12 
 friends with each other that very day : for before they 
 were at enmity between themselves. 
 
 And -Pilate called together the chief priests and the 13 
 rulers and the people, and said unto them, Ye brought 14 
 unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people : 
 and behold, I, having examined him before you, found 
 no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye 
 accuse him : no, nor yet Herod : for he sent him back 15 
 unto us ; and behold, nothing worthy of death hath been 
 done by him. I will therefore chastise him, and release 16 
 him. But they cried out all together, saying, Away with 18 
 this man, and release unto us Barabbas : one who for 19 
 a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder, 
 
 (Mark xv. 17). Probably it was some old festal garment from the 
 royal wardrobe — a mockery of the claim to be a king. 
 
 12. became friends. We have no account of the cause of the 
 estrangement previously existing between Herod and Pilate. 
 Possibly it had originated in the slaughter of Galilaeans mentioned 
 earher (xiii. i). 
 
 xxiii. 13-25. Pilate condemns Jesus. Pilate summons the Jewish 
 leaders, and informing them that neither he nor Herod find Jesus 
 to be worth}' of death, proposes to chastise and release him. They 
 ask instead for the release of Barabbas, an insurgent, and, in spite 
 of Pilate's protests, clamour for the crucifixion of Jesus till Pilate 
 yields. 
 
 14. perverteth the people : i. e. treasonably, against Rome. 
 
 16. chastise: meaning * to scourge,' as a warning to Jesus to 
 be more discreet in future — though unjustly, if he is innocent. 
 
 17. Not in the best MS. authorities. It comes in from Matthev^r 
 xxvii. 15. In some MSS. this is placed after verse 19. 
 
 18. Barabbas : the son of Abba, or Father. He had takea 
 part in a small insurrection. Therefore he was guilty of the very 
 crime of which the Jews accused Jesus, and worse, since he had 
 committed murder. The inconsistency of the Jews in asking the 
 release of this man, while clamouring for the death of Jesus, 
 must have been apparent to Pilate, and must have confirmed his 
 conviction that the sudden display of zeal for the Roman authoritj' 
 on the part of the Sanhedrin was not honest. 
 
38o ST. LUKE 23. 20-26 
 
 20 was cast into prison. And Pilate spake unto them again, 
 
 21 desiring to release Jesus; but they shouted, saying, 
 3 2 Crucify, crucify him. And he said unto them the third 
 
 time, Why, what evil hath this man done ? I have found 
 no cause of death in him : I will therefore chastise him 
 
 23 and release him. But they were instant with loud voices, 
 asking that he might be crucified. And their voices 
 
 24 prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that what they 
 
 25 asked for should be done. And he released him that 
 for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, 
 whom they asked for ; but Jesus he delivered up to their 
 will. 
 
 26 And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one 
 Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on 
 him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. 
 
 21. shouted: lit. 'were shouting,' i.e. continued some time 
 shouting. 
 
 22. the third time. The first was zi verse 4 ; the second at 
 verse 14. 
 
 no cause of death : even if deserving scourging for a minor 
 offence. 
 
 23. that he mig*ht be crucified : a Roman method of execu- 
 tion, derived from the Carthaginians, reserved for slaves and 
 subject races. The Roman method of execution for citizens was 
 by beheading; the Jewish method of execution was by stoning. 
 
 their voices prevailed : not their reasons, nor their evidence. 
 There is a touch of irony in this sentence. 
 
 25. delivered up to their will: a plain proof that this was 
 a gross betrayal of justice on the part of Pilate. It is not law, 
 but the will of the mob and its leaders, that governs Pilate's 
 action. 
 
 xxiii. 26-31. On the ivay to the Crucifixion. While Jesus is 
 being led out of the city to be crucified, Simon of Cj'rene is com- 
 pelled to carry his cross. Many people follow with lamentations, 
 and Jesus turns and bids them weep not for him, but for themselves 
 and their children, warning them of terrible days that are coming 
 on them. All after verse 26 is only in Luke. 
 
 26. Sirnou of Cyrene. Cyrene was the principal town of a 
 district in North Africa corresponding to the modern Tripoh, 
 
ST. LUKE 23. 37-39 381 
 
 And there followed him a great multitude of the 27 
 people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 
 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daught-^rs of Jerusalem, 38 
 weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your 
 children. For behold, the days are coming, in which 39 
 they shall say. Blessed are the barren, and the wombs 
 
 where a colony of Jev/s resided. They had a sj'nagogue at 
 Jerusalem (Acts vi. 9), to which possibly Simon belonged. As 
 Simon was a very common name, we cannot certainly identify 
 this man with * Symeon that was called Niger,' who is mentioned 
 with 'Lucius of Cyrene' in Acts xiii. i, and infer that he was 
 a negro. His name is Jewish. The fact that it is mentioned, when 
 so few names are given in the Gospels, suggests that he was well 
 known to the early church. In Mark xv. 21 he is described as 
 ' the father of Alexander and Rufus,' evidently two well-known 
 Christians. In Rom, xvi. 13 we meet with a Christian named 
 Rufus, to whose mother Paul refers with grateful affectionateness. 
 If he were the same Rufus mentioned in Mark, we should have 
 the wife and the two sons of the cross-bearer as Christians in the 
 later period. 
 
 coming from the country : therefore met by the procession 
 going out to the place of execution. It was easier to impress 
 a stranger for the odious task than to put it on a man from the 
 Jerusalem crowd. 
 
 laid on Mm the cross. According to the fourth Gospel, 
 Jesus went out from the Praetorium carrying his own cross 
 vjohn xix. I7\ Therefore it has been inferred that he sank 
 from exhaustion on the road, and was physically unable to carrj' 
 the heavy beams any further. It was customary for condemned 
 criminals to carry the timber for their own crosses. 
 
 27. women. It has been remarked that no women appear in 
 the Gospels as enemies of Christ. 
 
 28. Daughters of Jerusalem; a familiar phrase among the 
 prophets, though always in the singular, e. g. Isaiah xxxvii. 22, 
 where it means the inhabitants generally. Here, in the plural, it 
 means the women of Jerusalem. These were not Christ's well- 
 known women disciples, who were Galilaeans. 
 
 28. weep not for me. Jesus did not want useless compassion, 
 weep for yourselves, &c. In a way the miseries that were 
 
 to fall on Jerusalem were to be deplored as Christ's sufferings 
 were not, for they were the consequences of guilt, and they ended 
 in total ruin. 
 
 29. Blessed are the barren : the very opposite to the common 
 
382 ST. LUKE 23. 30-33 
 
 that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck. 
 
 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on 
 
 31 us ; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these 
 things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry ? 
 
 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 
 
 Jewish notion that while to have children is to be blessed, 
 barrenness is a heavy misfortune for a woman. 
 
 30. Pall on us : to end the misery and the sight of horror. 
 
 31. This has been interpreted variously: (i) That the green 
 tree represents Christ, the dry tree Jerusalem in its final state ; 
 the proverb meaning, ' If they so treat Christ in his innocence, 
 how will they be treated in their guilt ? ' (2) That the green tree 
 represents Jerusalem in its prosperity, and the dry, the city in 
 its future desolation ; the proverb in this view meaning, * If such 
 deeds are done in the time of prosperity, what horrors may be 
 expected in the dreadful time coming ! ' Probably this second 
 interpretation is correct. It has the merit of taking the tree 
 in its two states, as flourishing and as withered, to represent 
 the same idea — that of Jerusalem — throughout. 
 
 xxiii. 33-38. The Cruci/ixioH. Jesus, together with two male- 
 factors, is led to a place called The skull, and there crucified 
 between them. He prays for the forgiveness of his enemies. 
 His garments are divided by lot. While the people stand 
 watching, the rulers and the soldiers mock him. There is a 
 superscription on the cross describing him as King of the 
 Jews. 
 
 33. tlie place which is called The skull. The other evangelists 
 give this in the Aramaic, ' Golgotha.' Luke, a Gentile writing 
 for Gentiles, only gives the translation. Our English ' Calvary ' 
 is from the Latin word with the same meaning. The Calvary 
 now shewn at Jerusalem in connexion with the Church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre is not likely to be the original site, as it was 
 probably within the city walls. But to the north of the city, 
 on the right of the road that goes out by the Damascus Gate, 
 there is a low, rocky hill which the Palestine Exploration, General 
 Gordon, and others have identified as the genuine Golgotha. 
 Tombs have been found on this hill, and a Jewish tradition marks 
 it as an ancient place of executions. Viewed from the city it 
 has some resemblance to the skull of a goat — a cave, known as 
 Jeremiah's grotto, from a legend to the effect that tlie prophet 
 
ST. T.UKE 23. 34, 35 383 
 
 The skull, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, 
 one on the right hand and the other on the left. And 34 
 J esus said, Father, forgive them ; for they know not 
 what they do. And parting his garments among them, 
 they cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And 35 
 the rulers also scoffed at him, saying, He saved others; 
 let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his 
 
 there wrote Lamentations, representing the eye-socket. The 
 name of * the skull,' in the singular, points to the hill itself, 
 not to the fact that skulls of criminals lay about. This then 
 we may regard with some probability as ' the green hill far away ' 
 where our Lord was crucified. 
 
 they crucified him: see note on verse 21. The cross was 
 sometimes T-shaped, sometimes with the upright beam projecting 
 above the transverse beam, which was probably the case here, 
 as the superscription was above our Lord's head. It was not 
 high, the feet being only just above the level of the ground. 
 There w^as a projecting rude saddle for the body to rest on. 
 We learn from John (xx. 25, 27) that our Lord's hands were 
 nailed. It is not stated that his feet also were nailed, though 
 Luke (xxiv. 39) rather suggests it in giving the words * see my 
 hands and my feet.* 
 
 34. This verse is not in the best MSS., and therefore Westcott 
 and Hort consider that it is not part of the original Gospel of 
 Luke, Nevertheless it is not likely to have no foundation in 
 fact ; it speaks for its own historicity. Nobody would have 
 imagined or invented it. Moreover, we meet with it in Irenaeus 
 and Origen, men who lived more than a century before our oldest 
 MSS. were written, though only in later Latin translations of 
 those Fathers — a fact which weakens their testimony. 
 
 they know not. This may apply to the Roman soldiers. 
 But these men needed no forgiveness. They were only doing 
 their duty. It is likely, therefore, that our Lord was thinking 
 of all his enemies. Even the Jews did not realize their guilt. 
 They did not know who Jesus was. 
 
 they cast lots. John, who was present, here discriminates. 
 Some were torn up. One was given whole by lot (John xix. 
 23, 24). Roman executioners had a right to keep their prisoner's 
 clothes as perquisites. 
 
 35. The scoffing rulers assume that if Jesus does not save 
 himself, it is because he cannot. Thus they mock at his claim 
 to save others, taking it for granted that self-preservation is the 
 first law of life. 
 
384 ST. LUKE 23. .^6-43 
 
 36 chosen. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming 
 
 37 to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou art 
 
 38 the King of the Jews, save thyself. And there was also 
 a superscription over him, this is the king of the 
 
 JEWS. 
 
 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed 
 on him, saying, Art not thou the Christ? save thyself 
 
 40 and us. But the other answered, and rebuking him 
 said, Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the 
 
 41 same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we 
 receive the due reward of our deeds : but this man hath 
 
 4a done nothing amiss. And he said, Jesus, remember 
 43 me when thou comest in thy kingdom. And he said 
 
 36. the soldiers also mocked. Only Luke states this. 
 
 vinegar : sour wine, the drink of the private soldiers, given 
 in kindness. 
 
 38. a superscription. This was according to the Roman 
 custom. Sometimes the name of the prisoner and his crime were 
 written on a tablet hung from his neck as he went to the place 
 of execution. The words are given variously in the four Gospels, 
 thus :— 
 
 Luke : 'This is the King of the Jews.' 
 Mark : ' The King of the Jews.' 
 Matthew : ' This is Jesus the King of the Jews.' 
 John : ' Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.' 
 John (xix. 2o~) states that the inscription was in Hebrew, Latin, 
 and Greek. Possibly Matthew and John represent the Hebrew ; 
 Mark, the Latin ; and Luke, the Greek. 
 
 xxiii. 39-43. The two malefactors. While one of the malefactors 
 crucified with Jesus mocks him, the other rebukes his comrade 
 and prays Jesus to remember him when he comes in his kingdom. 
 Jesus replies with a promise that he shall share his blessedness 
 that very day. This is only in Luke. 
 
 39. one of the malefactors. They were robbers, as we learn 
 from Matthew (xxvii. 38^, possibly implicated in the insurrection 
 of Barabbas, which they had used as an opportunity for looting. 
 In the Latin Acts of Pilate they are named Dj'smas and Gestas. 
 
 42. Jesus : not ' Lord ' in the best MSS. 
 
 in thy king-dom. MSS. authority is divided as to whether 
 this is the correct reading, or whether we should read • into thy 
 
ST. LUKE 23. 44-47 385 
 
 unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be 
 with me in Paradise. 
 
 And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness 44 
 came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun's 45 
 light failing : and the veil of the temple was rent in the 
 midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, 4^ 
 he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : 
 and having said this, he gave up the ghost. And when 4; 
 the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, 
 
 kingdom.' On the whole, the former reading, as in our text, is 
 to be preferred. It points to the return of Jesus, and implies 
 belief in him as the Messiah. 
 
 ] 43. To-day: without an intermediate (i) state of unconscious- 
 
 • ness, or (2) Purgatory. 
 
 Paradise : the Persian name for a garden, used in the LXX 
 for the Garden of Eden, but taken by the later Jews to represent 
 the state of the blessed after death where they await the resurrec- 
 tion, the same as 'Abraham's bosom' {xvi. 22% 
 
 xxiii. 44-49. The death of Jesus. There is darkness from 
 noon till three o'clock in the afternoon, and the veil of the temple 
 is rent. Then Jesus dies, crying aloud and commending his spirit 
 to his Father. The centurion in charge is convinced of his good- 
 ness ; the people are dismayed ; his friends watch from a distance. 
 
 44. about the sixth hour: noon, according to Jewish 
 reckoning. 
 
 darkness. This could not be an ecHpse of the sun, because 
 the passover always came at full moon. 
 
 land : not ' earth.' It was a local darkness. 
 
 45. the sun's light failing-: a deep gloom which the sun's 
 light failed to penetrate. Darkness frequently accompanies 
 earthquakes. 
 
 the veil of the temple : probably between the inner 
 sanctuary, or Holy of Holies, and the holy place where the 
 priests officiated (Exod. xxvi. 31-33). There was another veil 
 between the holy place and the outer court. 
 
 48. a loud voica. It has been suggested that this great cry 
 v-hich rang out through the darkness was occasioned by rupture 
 
 the heart. If so, of course it must have come after the spoken 
 
 >rds. 
 Father : our Lord's own characteristic name for God. The 
 
 ords that follow— but not this word— are from Psalm xxxi. 5. 
 
 47. the centurion: in charge of the execution. 
 
 c c 
 
386 ST. LUKE 23. 48-52 
 
 48 saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the , 
 multitudes that came together to this sight, when they t 
 beheld the things that were done, returned smiting their ' 
 
 -!9 breasts. And all his acquaintance, and the women that . 
 followed with him from Galilee, stood afar off, seeing 
 these things. 
 
 50 And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a council- 
 
 51 lor, a good man and a righteous (he had not consented 
 to their counsel and deed), a ?nan of Arimatha^a, a city 
 of the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of God : 
 
 52 this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 
 
 a rig-hteons man. Matthew (xxvii. 54) and Mark (xv. 39), 
 correctly rendered, have 'a son of God.' 
 
 48. smiting- their breasts : a sign of grief and self-humiliation ; 
 it had been said of the praying publican (xviii. 13). 
 
 49. And: rather 'but,' pointing to a difference. 
 all Ms acquaintance. This is only in Luke. 
 
 the women. Matthew (xxvii. 56) and Mark (xv. 47, xvi. i) 
 mention three — two Marys and Zebedee's wife, Salome. 1 
 
 xxiii. 50-56. The burial. Joseph of Arimathsea, having ob- 
 tained permission from Pilate, buries the body of Jesus in a new 
 tomb. The women from Galilee watch this, and return to prepare 
 spices, &c. This is in all four Gospels. 
 
 50. Joseph. A late tradition brings Joseph of Arimathaea to 
 Glastonbury, with the ' Holy Grail,' and makes him out to be 
 the founder of the church in Britain. It is wholly wanting in 
 historical foundation. 
 
 a councillor: a member of the Sanhedrin. 
 
 a g-ood man. Luke only speaks of good character, such as 
 might be found in a worthy Jew, John (xix. 38) says that he was 
 a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews ; Matthew 
 (xxvii. 57) that he was a rich man. 
 
 51. deed: or * contrivance,' the scheme for bringing about the 
 death of Jesus. I 
 
 Arimathsea. The site is uncertain ; but Lieut.-Colonel J 
 Conder, of the Palestine Exploration Fund, says that ' the village j 
 Rantieh seems intended.' This is near Lydda, on the plain of I 
 Sharon. | 
 
 lookiu^r for the kingdom of God : one of the devout, | 
 expectant souls, among whom were Simeon (ii. 25) and Anna ' 
 (ii. 38). 1 
 
ST. LUKE 23. 53-24. i 387 
 
 And he took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, 53 
 and laid him in a tomb that was hewn in stone, where 
 never man had yet lain. And it was the day of the 54 
 Preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women, 55 
 which liad come with him out of Galilee, followed after, 
 and beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid. And 5^ 
 they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. 
 
 And on the sabbath they rested according to the 
 commandment. But on the first day of the week, at 24 
 early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices 
 
 63. a linen cloth. Mark (xv. 46) says that Joseph bought it for 
 the purpose. It would be a finely woven, costly fabric. 
 
 a tomb . . . hewn in stone : cut in the limestone rock of the 
 hillside ; the hills round Jerusalem abound in these tombs. The 
 Cambridge MS., Codex Bezce^ adds 'And when he was lain there, he 
 put against the tomb a stone which twenty men could scarcely roll,' 
 a curious gloss, the ' Homeric spirit ' of which has been observed. 
 
 54. the day of the Preparation: the Jewish name for Friday, 
 as the day when preparation is made for the sabbath. The same 
 name was given to the day of preparation for the passover. If 
 the passover meal were not due till the Friday evening — as some 
 suppose John's Gospel implies — this might be the meaning here, 
 but see note on xxii. 7. 
 
 56. spices and ointments : spices to fill the tomb with fragrant 
 scent, and ointment to anoint the body, not to embalm it in the 
 Egyptian style. 
 
 The Resurrection, xxiv. 
 
 xxiv. 1-12. The empty tomb. After resting during the sabbath, 
 the women come with spices to the tomb early on the first day of 
 the week, and find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. 
 Two men in brilliant apparel tell them that Jesus has risen, as he 
 foretold. The women go and tell the apostles, who disbelieve 
 them. Peter runs to the tomb and sees only the linen cloths 
 there. The essence of this is in all four Gospels, though with 
 considerable variety in the details. 
 
 1. at early dawn. Matthew (xxviii. i) has 'as it began to 
 dawn,' Mark (xvi. 2) * when the sun was risen,' while in John 
 (xx. i) Mary Magdalene visits the tomb 'while it was yet dark.' 
 Possibly Mary preceded the other women, running on faster and 
 so reaching the tomb before daylight ; and then the other women, 
 
 C C 2 
 
388 Sr. LUKE 24. 3-6 
 
 2 which they had prepared. And they found the stone 
 
 3 rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in, and 
 
 4 found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came 
 to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, 
 
 5 two men stood by them in dazzling apparel : and as they 
 were affrighted, and bowed down their faces to the earth, 
 they said unto them. Why seek ye the living among the 
 
 6 dead ? He is not here, but is risen : remember how he 
 
 following more slowly, arrive after sunrise. But there would 
 scarcely be time for this if they all started out together. There 
 are minor differences throughout the several accounts of the 
 Resurrection, which shew the independence of the v^^riters, and 
 therefore really help to confirm their united testimony to the 
 main facts on which they all agree. 
 
 2. tlie stone rolled away. At this day there are ancient tombs 
 outside Jerusalem, with their stones, which serve as doors I'w situ. 
 Such a stone is like a thick, solid wheel, with a protuberance 
 from the circumference at one side which serves to weigh it down 
 and keep it in place when the stone is rolled against the mouth 
 of the tomb. It runs in a deep groove cut in the rock. 
 
 3. entered in. Then there could be no mistake. 
 
 fonnd not the "body. All the Gospels in their separate and 
 independent accounts are distinct on this point — the tomb was 
 empty, the body of Jesus had disappeared. None of them give 
 any account of the Resurrection itself. 
 
 4. two men : evidently meant to be angels, though it is curious 
 that Luke, one characteristic of whose Gospel is the frequent 
 mention of angels, does not designate them as such here. Pro- 
 bably he is giving the narrative as it came from the women. They 
 would describe the appearances they saw, which were like two 
 men in brilliant attire. According to our Gospel these * two 
 men stood by' the women ; according to Mark (xvi. 5), when the 
 women entered the tomb ' they saw a young man sitting on the 
 right side, arrayed in a white robe.' In Matthew (xxviii. 2) an 
 angel is sitting on the stone, which he has previously rolled back. 
 In John there are two angels — the fourth Gospel here agreeing 
 with Luke, who has two men. These several accounts are not 
 mutually contradictory. It is possible to fit them all together. 
 But it is not easy to do so, and it is wiser to admit thnt v/e 
 have here various accounts, the exact details of which are not 
 important. 
 
 5. the livingf: lit. * him who is living.' 
 
ST. LUKE 24. 7-12 389 
 
 spake unto you when he was yet in Gahlee, saying that 7 
 the Son of man must be deHvered up into the hands of 
 sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 
 And they remembered his words, and returned from the 8,9 
 tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all 
 the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, 10 
 and Mary the mother of James : and the other women 
 with them told these things unto the apostles. And n 
 these words appeared in their sight as idle talk ; and 
 they disbelieved them. But Peter arose, and ran unto la 
 
 6. how he spake, &c. : e. g. at ix. 22. 
 
 0. told all these thing's : so Matthew (xxviii. 8). On the other 
 hand we read in Mark (xvi. 8), * They said nothing to any one.' 
 Possibly we have the reconciliation in John (xx. 18), where it is 
 Mary Magdalene who conveys the news to the disciples. Thus 
 the disciples were told, and yet perhaps some of the women were 
 silent. 
 
 10. Mary Mag'dalene. See note on viii. 2; the only woman at 
 the tomb mentioned in John. 
 
 Joanna: the wife of Herod's steward (see viii. 3); only men- 
 tioned in Luke. 
 
 Mary the mother of James : in all the Synoptics. Mark also 
 mentions Salome. Thus we have the women named as follows : — 
 
 Luke : Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna. 
 
 Matthew: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James ('the 
 other Mar^"^ '). 
 
 Mark : Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome. 
 
 John : Mary Magdalene. 
 
 One (the Magdalen) is in all four Gospels ; another (Mary the 
 mother of James) is in three Gospels ; two others (Joanna in Luke, 
 Salome in Mark) are each in one Gospel. But Luke says there 
 were 'other women.' The several accounts contain different 
 selections from the names of these women. Paul, in giving testi- 
 mony for the Resurrection (i Cor. xv. 5-9), does not make any 
 reference to the women. 
 
 11. idle talk : a term used in medical language for the wild 
 talk of delirium. The disciples were not prepared to believe in 
 the Resurrection. Therefore the Christian faith in it could not be 
 the result of imagination vivifying subjective hope on the part of 
 men who had no real evidence to go upon. 
 
 12. This verse is of somewhat doubtful authority, as it is omitted 
 by some important MSS. It may be based on the narrative in 
 
390 
 
 ST. LUKE 24. 13 
 
 the tomb ; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the 
 hnen cloths by themselves ; and he departed to his 
 home, wondering at that which was come to pass. 
 13 And behold, two of them were going that very day 
 to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore fur- 
 
 John (xx. i-io). Peter (Cephas) is the first witness cited by 
 Paul (i Cor. XV. 5). The appearance to Peter (Simon) is referred 
 to in our Gospel later on 'verse 34). 
 
 xxiv. 13-35. ^^^ journey to Entmaus. Two disciples, when 
 on the road to Emmaus, are joined by Jesus, whom they do not 
 recognize, and who asks what they are talking about. One of 
 them, named Cleopas, expresses astonishment that even a stranger 
 in Jerusalem should not know what has just happened there, 
 and tells the story of the death of Jesus, adding the women's report 
 of the Resurrection. Jesus exclaims at their density, and expounds 
 the Messianic scriptures to them. On reaching their destination 
 they persuade him to come in with them, and as he breaks bread 
 discover who he is. Immediately he vanishes. They return at 
 once to Jerusalem to tell of this, and find the eleven gathered 
 together and assured of the truth of the Resurrection on the ground 
 that Jesus has appeared to Simon. 
 
 This is only in Luke. There is a brief reference to it in the 
 appendix of Mark (xvi. 12), evidently founded on the narrative 
 in our Gospel. Luke mentions appearances of Jesus onl}' in and 
 around Jerusalem ; and Matthew describes an appearance in 
 Galilee, as well as an appearance to the women at the tomb. 
 
 13. two of tliem : one name, Cleopas, is given later in the 
 narrative (verse 18) ; the other name is not recorded. Neither 
 of them was an apostle, as they are distinguished from the eleven 
 (verse 33). The conjecture that Luke was himself the unnamed 
 disciple is not very probable. He has another way of introducing 
 himself in Acts— in the ' we narrative,' falling into the first person 
 plural. Moreover, as Dr. Plummer remarks, if he had seen Jesus 
 and eaten with him after the Resurrection, it would greatly have 
 added to ' the certainty ' he wished to give Theophilus to have 
 said so. His preface implies that he was not himself an eye- 
 witness. 
 
 Emmaus. The site of Emmaus has not been certainly 
 identified. Kttlonieh^ a village west of Jerusalem, about the distance 
 given in the Gospels, has been suggested. But to the south-west 
 of Jerusalem, near the main road to the coast, is a ruin called 
 Khamasah, to which Conder has called attention, remarking that 
 the name somewhat resembles Emmaus. 
 
ST. LUKE 24. 14-19 391 
 
 longs from Jerusalem. And they communed with each 14 
 other of all these things which had happened. And it 15 
 came to pass, while they communed and questioned 
 together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with 
 them. But their eyes were holden that they should not 16 
 know him. And he said unto them, What communica- 17 
 tions are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk ? 
 And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, rS 
 named Cleopas, answering said unto him, Dost thou 
 alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things 
 which are come to pass there in these days? And 19 
 he said unto them, What things? And they said unto 
 him, The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which 
 was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and 
 
 14. commnued : talked together. 
 
 16. their eyes were holden, &c. We are not told what changes 
 there were in the appearance of Jesus, But the weariness and 
 anguish of the last days had entirely passed. 
 
 17. What communications are these, &c. : a free paraphrase 
 rather than a translation. The literal rendering of the Greek 
 is, * What are these words which you are exchanging with one 
 another ? ' 
 
 13. Cleopas. Nothing is known of this man beyond what is 
 in the present narrative. It has been reasonably suggested that 
 Luke gives his name because he supplied the narrative to the 
 evangelist. The way in which his name is introduced as ' named 
 Cleopas* does not imply that he was well known in the early 
 church. 
 
 / ^, Dost thou alone sojourn ? This cannot mean, ' Art thou only 
 a stranger?' in the sense of 'merely a stranger.' The Greek 
 has an adjective meaning • alone ' or ' solitary,' not an adverb 
 qualifying the verb. The idea is, 'Art thou a solitary stranger?' 
 Even such a man would have been expected to pick up the 
 news of the great event that had just happened. He must have 
 been a most solitary liver to have missed hearing it. 
 
 19. was: lit. 'became.' 
 
 a prophet mighty in deed and word : still only a prophet. 
 The further thought that Jesus was the Christ has been quite 
 shattered and abandoned, as verse 21 shews. 
 
392 
 
 ST. LUKE 24. io-26 
 
 30 all the people : and how the chief priests and our rulers 
 
 delivered him up to be condemned to death, and cruci- 
 al fied him. But we hoped that it was he which should 
 
 redeem Israel. Yea and beside all this, it is now the 
 22 third day since these things came to pass. Moreover 
 
 certain women of our company amazed us, having been 
 2.^ early at the tomb ; and when they found not his body, 
 
 they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of 
 
 24 angels, which said that he was alive. And certain 
 of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found 
 it even so as the women had said : but him they saw not. 
 
 25 And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart 
 
 26 to believe in all that the prophets have spoken ! Be- 
 
 20. the chief priests. These come first ; they took the 
 initiative and the lead throughout the prosecution of Jesus. 
 our rulers : the Sanhedrin. 
 
 delivered him up : to the Romans. The verb is the same 
 that is used for Judas * betraying' ; it is employed in both senses, 
 the context determining the meaning iu each case. 
 
 81. we hoped, &c. : ' we were hoping.' They had been 
 among those who were looking for the redemption of Israel 
 ji. 38). and they had hoped that Jesus was to be the Redeemer. 
 His crucifixion had dispelled that hope. 
 
 22, 23. A reference to the incident in verses 1-12. 
 
 Moreover: ///, ' but also.' There is this on the other side, 
 certain women : with a suggestion that there may have been 
 feminine emotion discounting their testimony. 
 
 24. certain of them that were with its. Luke only mentions 
 one — Peter (verse 12). It is from John (xx. 2) that we learn 
 there was another disciple. 
 
 him they saw not. Therefore Peter's seeing Jesus (^ verse 34) 
 must have been on a subsequent occasion. 
 
 25. slow of heart. The heart is used in Scripture for the 
 whole life within, intellectual as well as emotional. The meaning 
 is not slowness to be moved with feeling, but slowness of thought 
 and perception. 
 
 in all that the prophets have spoken. It has been proposed 
 to put a full stop at the end of the previous words, and commence 
 the new sentence with these words, thus: 'slow of heart to 
 believe. On the ground of all tliat the prophets have spoken. 
 
ST. LUKE 24. 37-32 393 
 
 hoved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to 
 enter into his glory? And beginning from Moses and 37 
 from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the 
 scriptures the things concerning himself And they drew 38 
 nigh unto the village, whither they were going : and he 
 made as though he would go further. And they con- 39 
 strained him, saying. Abide with us : for it is toward 
 evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went 
 in to abide with them. And it came to pass, when he 30 
 had sat down with them to meat, he took the bread, and 
 blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes 31 
 were opened, and they knew him ; and he vanished out 
 of their sight. And they said one to another. Was not 32 
 our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the 
 
 behoved it not the Christ,' &c. This is a possible rendering. 
 There was no punctuation in the original text, and editors have 
 supplied stops as they thought best. Still the rendering in our 
 versions is more natural. The phrase to believe in, or on, some- 
 thing is quite common. 
 
 all. They believed in part, the promise of redemption, &c. ; 
 not in all, including the foreshadowing of suffering. 
 
 27. beg'inuing' from Moses: the law, the first volume of the 
 Hebrew Bible, the first five books of our O. T., containing such 
 predictions as Numbers xxiv. 17 and Deuteronomy xviii. 15. 
 
 all the prophets : the second volume of the Hebrew Bible. 
 Not necessarily citing each book. Remember Luke's fondness for 
 the word 'all.' The prophets generally were quoted. 
 
 28. the village: Eramaus (verse 13). 
 
 made as thoug-h: not a pretence. The phrase means that 
 he acted in the way of one who was going further, that he began 
 to move on, or bid farewell. He would not have stayed if he had 
 not been asked. 
 
 29. Ahide with us. Taking him for a stranger, they asked him 
 to stay at their house. 
 
 30. hlessed it: a usual term for grace before meat. Cf. ix. 16 
 and Mark vi. 41, where blessing bread is referred to, with Mark 
 viii. 6, where we have giving thanks under precisely similar 
 circumstances, evidently with the same meaning in each case. 
 There is no reason to regard this meal as a Eucharist. 
 
 31. vanished: lit. ' became invisible.' 
 
394 ST. LUKE 24. 33-39 
 
 33 way, while he opened to us the scriptures ? And they 
 rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and 
 found the eleven gathered together, and them that were 
 
 34 with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath 
 
 35 appeared to Simon. And they rehearsed the things that 
 happened in the way, and how he was known of them in 
 the breaking of the bread. 
 
 36 And as they spake these things, he himself stood in 
 the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto 
 
 37 you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed 
 3S that they beheld a spirit. And he said unto them, Why 
 
 are ye troubled? and wherefore do reasonings arise in 
 39 your heart ? See my hands and my feet, that it is 
 
 33. tliem that were with, them : no doubt including the women, 
 and perhaps the 120 (Acts i. 15). 
 
 34. hath appeared to Simon : not previously mentioned in 
 Luke, though this Gospel gives Peter's visit to the tomb (verse 12). 
 The appearance to Simon is the first in Paul's list, and therefore 
 the earliest recorded instance of Christ's appearances (i Cor. xv. 5), 
 since the Epistle in which it is referred to was written at least 
 ten years before the earliest Gospel. 
 
 xxiv. 36-43. Jesus appearing to his disciples. While the two are 
 reporting their strange experience Jesus appears, uttering a 
 salutation. Seeing his disciples' alarm, he reassures them, shewinp' 
 them his hands and feet to prove that he is more than a ghost. 
 As they are still incredulous he asks for food, and eats some 
 broiled fish. The details of this incident are only in Luke, though 
 John XX. 19-23 may refer to the same occasion. 
 
 36. This verse implies that Jesus appeared suddenly, and did 
 not enter by the door. John (xx. 19; says of this, or a similar 
 event, that ' the doors were shut ... for fear of the Jews.' 
 
 39. See my hands and my feet : apparently drawing attention 
 to the nail-prints (for otherwise why should Jesus especially name 
 these extremities ?), and therefore probably implying that the feet 
 as well as the hands had been nailed. Still the nail-prints are 
 not mentioned here, as they are m.entioned of the hands only in 
 John XX. 25, 27, and Jesus may be calling attention to his hands and 
 his feet as the only parts of his body, after the face, not appearing 
 covered with clothing, and therefore open to investigation. 
 
ST. LUKE 24. 40-44 395 
 
 I myself : handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh 
 and bones, as ye behold me having. And when he had 40 
 said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And 41 
 while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he 
 said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat ? And 42 
 they gave him a piece of a broiled fish. And he took it, 43 
 and did eat before them. 
 
 And he said unto them, These are my words which 44 
 I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, ho.v that 
 all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the 
 
 40. A verse of doubtful authority, as it is omitted by some 
 good MSS. 
 
 42. The addition 'and of a honeycomb' rightly disappears 
 from the R. V., as it is omitted by all the best MSS. 
 
 43. did eat 'before them. It must be admitted that this is 
 a difiScult passage, for it is not to be supposed that the resurrection 
 body needs our material body's food. Yet the reference to flesh 
 and bones in verse 39. just as this eating in v'^erse 43, suggests 
 the original physical body unchanged in its materials and functions. 
 It is interesting to observe that this is only found in the third 
 Gospel, that written by the companion of Paul, who in writing 
 to the Corinthians denied that the resurrection body was the 
 same as our present body of flesh and blood (see i Cor. xv. 37, 
 44, 50). But the sudden vanishing and sudden appearance in 
 Luke also indicate a great difference. The mystery is wholly 
 beyond our comprehension, because it is AvhoUy beyond our 
 experience. The fact that Jesus did really come back from the 
 dead is the one fact of importance, and in this all accounts agree. 
 
 xxiv. 44-49, The last cotnmtssion. Jesus reminds his disciples 
 how he had told them that all the Scripture prophecies about 
 him must be fulfilled. He now enlarges on tlie same subject, 
 with the conclusion that the message of forgiveness in his name 
 should be proclaimed over the world. The disciples are his 
 witnesses. They are to remain in Jerusalem till they receive 
 the promised Divine power. This is only in Luke. It has been 
 suggested that we have here a'condensed account of the instruction 
 Jesus gave his disciples in Galilee as well as in Jerusalem during 
 the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension. 
 
 44. while I was yet with you: previous to his death, e.g. 
 xviii. 31. 
 
396 ST. LUKE 24. 45-50 
 
 law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psahns, con- 
 
 45 cerning me. Then opened he their mind, that they 
 
 46 might understand the scriptures ; and he said unto them, 
 Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise 
 
 47 again from the dead the third day ; and that repentance 
 and remission of sins should be preached in his name 
 
 48 unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are 
 
 49 witnesses of these things. And behold, I send forth the 
 promi.se of my Father upon you : but tarry ye in the city, 
 until ye be clothed with power from on high. 
 
 50 And he led them out until they ivere over against 
 
 the psalius. We have here a third title added to the law 
 and the prophets previously mentioned, pointing to the third 
 volume of the Hebrew Scriptures, that commonly called ' The 
 Writings,' but here and elsewhere in the N, T. called * The 
 Psalms,' since the Book of Psalms was the most valuable part 
 of it, especially from the point of view of Messianic prophecy. 
 
 47. repentance and remission: rather 'repentance unto 
 remission,' in accordance with the best MSS. ; the preaching of 
 repentance which is to lead on to forgiveness.' 
 
 in iiis nanxe : lit. 'on his name,' i. e. on the ground of his 
 authority and grace. 
 
 begfinning from Jerusalem. This participial phrase does 
 not agree grammatically with any preceding subject. It would 
 be more grammatical therefore to place a full stop after 'nations,' 
 and connect the following words with the next sentence : 
 ' Beginning at Jerusalem y^ are witnesses,' &c. But the flow 
 of ideas favours the rendering in our versions ; the preaching 
 is to be to all the nations, but it is to begin at Jerusalem. 
 
 49. tlie promise of my Father : for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
 John the Baptist had predicted that Christ would bestow this 
 gift (see iii. x6). But perhaps the reference is especially to Joel 
 (ii. 28) : ' And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour 
 out my spirit upon all flesh,' &;c., especially as this was cited 
 by Peter (Acts ii. 17), with reference to the endowment with 
 ' power from on high.' 
 
 xxiv. 50-53. The Ascension. Jesus, having led his disciples 
 out towards Bethany, blesses them and is carried up to heaven. 
 The disciples adore him, and return joyfully to Jerusalem, and are 
 continually in the temple, blessing God. 
 
ST. LUKE 24. 5i-5.'> 397 
 
 Bethany : and he Hfted up his hands, and blessed them. 
 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted 51 
 from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they ^2 
 worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great 
 joy : and were continually in the temple, blessing God. 53 
 
 This chapter seems to allow of all that it records having 
 occurred on the day of the Resurrection and the following night. 
 And yet it is scarcely likely that the incident in the present 
 section can have happened during the night — that on the Sunday 
 night, after the two had returned from Emmaus and much teaching 
 by Jesus had taken place, Jesus thus led his disciples out to 
 Bethany. It is more probable that when Luke wrote the Gospel 
 he had no materials concerning the dates of these occurrences to 
 work on. Later — when he wrote Acts — he stated that Christ's 
 appearances between the Resurrection and the Ascension were 
 during ' the space of forty days' (Acts i. 3). 
 
 50. over ag'ainst Bethany. This agrees with Acts (i. 12), 
 which assigns the Ascension to the Mount of Olives. According 
 to Matthew (xxviii. 16), Christ's final commission is given his dis- 
 ciples in Galilee. But this Gospel does not record the Ascension, 
 and must be referring to an earlier occasion, unless we regard 
 its statements as giving a diflFerent version of what the two last 
 sections of Luke between them record. There is a difficulty 
 in fixing the time of the several Gospel accounts of our Lord's 
 last appearances, and we must resign ourselves to some obscurity. 
 
 51. and was carried up into heaven. This is not in some 
 of the best MSS., and accordingly it is rejected by Tischendorf 
 as not genuine, and bracketed as doubtful by Westcott and Hort. 
 Probably it must be omitted, as it is inconceivable that it should 
 have been taken out if it were originally in the text. It may have 
 come in from Acts (i. 9, 10), where unquestionably Luke records 
 the Ascension. Having omitted it here, some have said that the 
 section in the Gospel refers not to the occasion of the Ascension, 
 but to some earlier parting from the disciples. During the 
 resurrection period Jesus did not live with his friends. He came 
 and went several times. But here Luke evidently implies more. 
 His words, in concluding the Gospel, point to a final parting as fat- 
 as these resurrection scenes are concerned. 
 
INDEX 
 
 The Nuifterals refer to the Pages.] 
 
 Abijah, 131. 
 Abilene, 157. 
 Abomination. 309. 
 Abraham, 159, 286, 311. 
 
 — son of, 334. 
 Abraham's bosom, 311. 
 Abyss, 221. 
 
 Acts of the Apostles, 20. 
 Advent, second, 232, 357 ff. 
 Agony in Gethsemane, 370 ff. 
 Am Karim, 138. 
 Alabaster cruse, 210. 
 Alms, 262. 
 
 Angel, 132, 207, 238, 299. 
 Angels' song, 149 ff. 
 Anna, 151 ff. 
 Annas, 157. 
 Annunciation, 136 ff. 
 Anxiety, 270. 
 Apocal3'pse, 232. 
 
 — of Jesus, 360. 
 
 Apologies of Justin Martyr, 22. 
 Apostles, 190. 
 Arabia, 296. 
 Aramaic original, 5. 
 Archelaus, 335, 336. 
 Aretas, 296. 
 Arimathaea, 386. 
 Arrangement of Gospel, 29. 
 Ascension, the, 396, 397. 
 Asher, 153. 
 Asleep, Jesus, 219. 
 Ass, 289, 339. 
 
 Athanasius, 172, 
 Atonement, Day of, 279. 
 Attendant, 170. 
 Augustus, 145. 
 Authenticity, 19 ff. 
 Authority of Jesus, 343. 
 Author of Gospel, 16 ff. 
 Ave Maria, 136. 
 Aseriyeh, 338. 
 
 Babes, 245. 
 
 — brought to Jesus, 325. 
 Baptism, 158, 276. 
 
 — of Jesus, 162 ff. 
 Bartholomew, 191. 
 Basllides, 23. 
 Baskets, 230. 
 Baur, 30. 
 
 Beam, 197. 
 
 Beatitudes, the, 12, 28, 192 1^'. 
 
 Beauty of style, 5. 
 
 Bed, 217, 321. 
 
 Beeroth, 155. 
 
 Bethany, 338, 397. 
 
 Bethlehem, 1450. 
 
 Bethphage, 338. 
 
 Bethsaida, 229, 243. 
 
 Betrayal, 372 ff. 
 
 Betrothal, 146. 
 
 Birds, 215, 239, 284. 
 
 Birth of Jesus, 145. 
 
 — of John the Baptist, 141 ff. 
 Blasphemy, 182. 
 
INDEX 
 
 399 
 
 Blind man at Jericho, 331. 
 
 — guides, 197 ff. 
 
 Border of Christ's garment, 224. 
 
 Bosom, 197. 
 
 Brethren of Christ, 218. 
 
 Bridegroom, 186. 
 
 Buddhist, 196. 
 
 Burial of Jesus, 386. 
 
 Bury, 239. 
 
 Caesar, Augustus, 145. 
 
 — tribute to, 346 ft'., 377. 
 Caiaphas, 157. 
 
 Camel and needle's eye, 328. 
 Capernaum, 171, 201, 223, 243, 
 Carob, 301. 
 Centurion, 201. 
 
 — servant cured, 201 ff. 
 Characteristics of the Gospel, 6. 
 Child, 236. 
 
 Chorazin, 242. 
 Christ, the, 161, 231. 
 Chrysostom, 17. 
 Circumcision, 150. 
 Cleansing, 261. 
 Clement of Alexandria, 20. 
 Clementine Homilies, 20. 
 
 — Recognitions, 20. 
 Cleopas, 391. 
 Cloke, 196. 
 Cloud rising, 278. 
 Coat, 196. 
 Coleridge, 19. 
 Colt, 338 ff. 
 
 Commission, the last, 395. 
 Composition of Gospel, 24 ff. 
 Condemnation by Pilate, 380, 
 Corn, plucking of, 187. 
 Council's examination of Jesus, 
 
 375 ff. 
 Courses of priests, 132. 
 Covenant, 143. 
 
 — new, 366. 
 Covetousness, 268 ff. 
 Cross, 230 ff., 383. 
 Crucifixion, 382 ff. 
 Cubit, 271. 
 
 I Cup, 364. _ 
 
 I Cyrene, Simon of, 380. 
 
 ! Date of composition, 31. 
 ! Daughters of Jerusalem, 381. 
 David, 188, 350, 351. 
 
 — House of, 136. 
 
 — Throne of, 137. 
 
 — Son of, 331, 
 
 Days of Son of man, 318. 
 Dayspring, 144. 
 Demon, 209. 220, 243. 
 Demoniac in synagogue, 172. 
 
 — and swine, 220. 
 Denanus, 211, 249, 347. 
 Denial, self-, 232. 
 Deserts, 145, 175. 
 
 Devil, 166 ff., 173, 209, 216. 243. 
 Dialogue with Try p ho, 22. 
 Diatessaron, 21. 
 Didache, 365. 
 Disasters, 279. 
 Disciples doubtful, 239. 
 
 — unattached, 236 ff. 
 Division, 277. 
 Doctors, 155, 181. 
 Dogs, 311. 
 Domestic scenes, 14. 
 Door, narrow, 285. 
 Dositheus, 353. 
 Dropsy, 288. 
 
 Dust, shaking off, 227. 
 
 Eagles, 321. 
 Ears to hear, 215. 
 Ebionitism, 11, 193. 
 Edersheim, 148, 298, 
 Edessa, 21. 
 Elect, 323. 
 
 Elijah, 134, 228, 233, 238, 256. 
 Elisabeth, 131, 138. 
 Emmaus, journey to, 390 ff. 
 Enemies, loving, 195. 
 Enochs Book of, 318. 
 Enrolment, 145. 
 Eschatological discourse, 32, 
 
 354 ff. 
 Ethnarch, 296. 
 
400 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Eusebius, 21. 356, 
 Exalteth, he that, 291. 
 Examination before council. 
 375 ff 
 
 Pilate, 377 ff. 
 
 Extortion, 262. 
 
 Eye, single or evil, 260. 
 
 Eye-witnesses, 130. 
 
 Faith, 220, 314. 
 
 Fan, 161. 
 
 Farthings, 267. 
 
 Fasting, 185, 324. 
 
 Fear to be conquered, 265 ff. 
 
 Fever, 174. 
 
 Fig tree, 359. 
 
 Figs, 199, 280. 
 
 Finger of God, 257. 
 
 Fire, 276. 
 
 — unquenchable, 161. 
 Firstborn, 147. 
 
 — law of, 150. 
 Flood, 201. 
 
 Forgiveness, 211 ff., 313. 
 Foundation, 201. 
 Foxes, 239, 287, 
 Francis , St., 193. 
 Fruit, 197. 
 
 Gabriel, 134, 136. 
 Galen, 18. 
 Galilsean, 279, 375. 
 GaUlee, 136, 168 ff., 176. 
 Garden, 284. 
 Garment, new, 187. 
 Gehenna, 311. 
 Genealogy, 163 ff. 
 Generation, perverse, 208. 
 
 — this, 359. 
 Gentiles, 152, 330. 
 
 — times of, 357. 
 Gerasenes, 220. 
 Gluttonous man, 209. 
 'Golden rule,' 196. 
 Golgotha, 382. 
 Governor, 145, 347. 
 Gulf, 312. 
 
 Hades, 243, 311. 
 
 Harvest, 241. 
 
 Head of the corner, 346. 
 
 Heart, 199. 
 
 Hebraistic expressions, 5, 134. 
 
 257. 
 Hermon, 233. 
 Herod Antipas, 157, 162, 37B. 
 
 — enmity of, 287. 
 
 — perplexity of, 227. 
 
 — steward of, 214. 
 
 — with Jesus, 378. 
 Herod the Great, 131, 145. 
 Herodias, 162. 
 
 Hill country, 138. 
 Hillel, 197. 
 Hippocrates, 18. 
 Historical relations, 15. 
 Hobart, 18. 
 
 Holy Ghost, 134, 137, 138, 143. 
 151, 161, 163, 166, 244,. 
 
 255- 
 
 — One, 173. 
 
 — Place, 132. 
 Hopes, false, 284. 
 Houses, the two, 200. 
 Husbandmen, 344 ff. 
 Husks, 301. 
 Hypocrite, 199, 278. 
 
 Importunity, 254. 
 
 Incense, hour of, 132, 
 
 Infancy narratives, 131 ff.' 
 
 Infirm woman, 281. 
 
 Inn, 147. 
 
 Intimations of Immortality , &^c. 
 
 245- 
 Irenseus, 19. 
 Israel, 203. 
 Ituraea, 157. 
 
 Jairus, 223 ff. 
 James, 178, 191. 
 
 — son of Alphaeus, 191. 
 Jebel Usdum, 297. 
 Jericho, 331. 
 
 — blind man at, 331. 
 
INDEX 
 
 401 
 
 Jerusalem, doom of, 354. 
 
 — entry into, 338 ff. 
 
 — lamentation over, 287. 
 
 — siege of, 32. 
 Jesus, birth of, 145 ff, 
 
 — death of, 385 ff. 
 
 — name of, 137. 
 Joanna, 214, 389. 
 John, 178, 191. 
 John the Baptist, 132. 
 
 announcement of Jesus, 
 160. 
 
 baptism of, 343. 
 
 birth of, 141. 
 
 character of, 206. 
 
 disciples of, 185. 
 
 message of, 205. 
 
 mission of, 156 ff. 
 
 risen, 228, 231. 
 Jonah, 259. 
 Joseph, 136, 145. 
 
 — of Arimathaea, 386. 
 Joyousness of the Gospel, 6. 
 Judas Iscariot, 192. 
 
 treason of, 361. 
 
 — son of James, 192. 
 Judaea, 176, 192, 356. 
 Judge, the unrighteous, 322. 
 Judging, 197. 
 
 Justify. 208, 248, 309, 324. 
 Justin Martyr, 22. 
 
 Khan Mt'nyeh, 172. 
 
 Khersa, 221. 
 
 Kid, 304. 
 
 Kindliness of the Gospel, 8. 
 
 King, 296, 377, 384. 
 
 Kings and governors, 354. 
 
 Kingdom, Christ's, 384. 
 
 — of God, 175, 252, 272. 
 
 — unseen, 317. 
 Kiss, 211, 303, 372. 
 Kulonieh, 390. 
 
 Labourers, 241. 
 Lambs, 241. 
 Lamentations, 192. 
 
 Lamp, 217, 260, 273, 299. 
 
 Law of Moses, 150. 
 
 Lawyer, 246, 263. 
 
 Lazarus, 310 ff. 
 
 Leaven, 266, 284. 
 
 Legion, 221. 
 
 Leper, cure of, 179. 
 
 Lepers, the ten, 316 ff. 
 
 Leprosy, 179. 
 
 Levi, 182. 
 
 Levite, 248. 
 I Light, sons of, 307. 
 j Lilies, 271. 
 I Literature, 33. 
 I Literary style, 5. 
 
 Little ones, 313. 
 
 Life, eternal, 246, 327. 
 
 Loaves and fishes, 228 ff. 
 
 Logia, 27, 28. 
 
 Lord's Prayer, 30, 251 ff. 
 
 Lot's wife, 320. 
 
 Lots for Christ's garments, 383. 
 
 Luke, 16 ff. 
 
 Luke's liberality, 9. 
 
 — new contribution, 238 ff. 
 Lunatic boy, 234 ff. 
 Lysanias, 157. 
 
 Machserus, 162. 
 
 Menander, 353. 
 
 Magnificat, the, 11, i39ff. 
 
 Maid, 374. 
 
 Malefactors, the two, 384. 
 
 Mammon, 307. 
 
 Marcion, 22 ff. 
 
 Mark, 7, 25 ff., 129. 
 
 Marketplace, 209. 
 
 Marriage, 273, 290, 349. 
 
 Martha, 249. 
 
 Mary Magdalene, 213, 214, 389. 
 
 Mary, mother of James, 389. 
 
 of Jesus, 136 ff., 145 ff. 
 
 — of Bethany, 213, 249. 
 Matthew, 183, 191. 
 Measure, 284, 306. 
 
 — good, 197, 
 Medical language, 18. 
 
 D d 
 
402 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Messenger, 207, 238. 
 Michael, 134. 
 Millstone, 313. 
 Ministering women, 213. 
 Ministers, 130. 
 Mite, 278, 
 
 — widow's, 352. 
 Money, 309. 
 
 Moses, 233, 312,349,393. 
 Mother of Christ, 218, 258. 
 ' Muratorian Fragment,' 20. 
 Mustard seed, 283, 315. 
 
 Nain, 204. 
 
 — widow's son at, 203. 
 Nazareth, 136, 146, 154. 
 
 — Jesus at, 169 fir. 
 Nazarite, 133. 
 Needful, one thing, 250. 
 Neighbour, 247. 
 Nests, 239. 
 
 Noah, 320. 
 Nobleman, 334 ft'. 
 Nunc dinnttis, 152 ft*. 
 
 Oath, 144. 
 Oil, 306. 
 
 Ointment, 211, 387. 
 Oliphant, Mrs., 313. 
 Origen, 20. 
 
 Papias, 21, 24, 25. 
 Parable, 186. 
 
 barren fig tree, 280. 
 
 children in marketplace, 
 209. 
 
 good Samaritan, 248. 
 
 great supper, 293 ff. 
 
 importunate friend, 253. 
 
 lamp, 217. 
 
 leaven, 284. 
 
 lost piece of silver, 299. 
 
 — sheep, 297. 
 
 mote and beam, 197. 
 
 mustard seed, 283. 
 
 old garment, 187. 
 
 Pharisee and publican, 324. 
 
 Parable {cottUnued.) 
 pounds, 334 flf. 
 prodigal son, 300 flf. 
 rich fool, 269. 
 
 — man and Lazarus, 310 ft 
 sower, 215 ft". 
 
 two debtors, 211. 
 
 — houses, 200. 
 unrighteous judge, 322. 
 vineyard, 344. 
 
 wine skins, 187. 
 
 wise steward, 305. 
 Paradise, 385. 
 Paralytic, 180. 
 Paroitsia, 361. 
 Passover, 154, 361. 
 Patience, 355. 
 Penitent, 210^. 
 Penny. See Denarius. 
 Peter. See Simon Peter. 
 Pfleiderer, 30. 
 Pharisee and publican, 324. 
 Pharisees, 180, 210, 262, 266, 
 
 288, 309. 
 Philip, apostle, 191, 229. 
 
 — son of Herod, 162. 
 
 — tetrarch, 157. 
 Physician, Luke a, 18, 21. 
 Pilate, Pontius, 157, 347, 377, 
 
 379. 
 Pitcher, man bearing a, 363. 
 Places, chief, 290. 
 Pliny, 193. 
 Plowing, 315. 
 Poor, sympathy with, 11, 193, 
 
 206. 
 
 — on inviting, 291. 
 Possession, 173, 223. 
 Pounds, parable of, 334 ff. 
 Praetor, 278. 
 
 Prayer, 322. 
 
 — and praise, 13. 
 
 — encouragements to, 253. 
 
 — the Lord's, 251. 
 Preaching, 158. 
 
 Precedence,dispute about, 367ff. 
 Preface, Luke's, 129. 
 
INDEX 
 
 403 
 
 Preparation, 387. 
 Presentation in temple, 150. 
 Priest, 248, 317. 
 
 — chief, 346. 
 Prison, 278. 
 Prodigal son, 300 ff. 
 Prophet, 207, 286, 392. 
 Publicans, 160, 183, 297. 
 Publican in temple, 324. 
 Purification of Mary, 150. 
 
 temple, 341 ff. 
 
 Purpose of Gospel, 30. 
 
 Quirinius, 145. 
 
 Ramsay, Prof., 146. 
 
 ' Recollections of the Apostles,' 
 
 22. 
 Remission of sins, 144, 396. 
 Repentance, 158, 396. 
 Resurrection, 292, 387 ff. 
 
 — and the Sadducees, 348 ff. 
 Rich, difficulties of the, 328. 
 
 — fool, 269. 
 
 — man, 310, 352. 
 Righteousness, thirst for, 195. 
 Ruler, 268, 326. 
 
 — of synagogue, 223. 
 
 Sabbath, 187, 189, 281. 288. 
 
 Sacrifices for Christ's sake, 296. 
 
 Sadducees, 348. 
 
 Salome, 386. 
 
 Salt, 296. 
 
 Samaritan, the good, 247, ff. 
 
 Samaritans, 238, 317. 
 
 Satan, 256, 361, 369. 
 
 Scorpion, 255. 
 
 Scribes, 182, 351. 
 
 Sermon on the Mount, 192. 
 
 Serpents, 244, 255. 
 
 Seventy, the, 240 ff. 
 
 Sheba, Queen of, 259. 
 
 Shechinah, 148, 
 
 Sheep, 297, 315. 
 
 Sheol, 311. 
 
 Shepherds, 147 ff. 
 
 Shewbread, 188. 
 
 Sidon, 243. 
 
 Signs from heaven, 256. 
 
 — in sun, &c., 358. 
 
 — of the age, 277. 
 
 — seeking, 258. 
 
 Siloam, tower of, 279, 280. 
 Silver, lost piece of, 299. 
 Simeon, 150 ff 
 Simon Peter, call of, 176. 
 
 apostle, 191. 
 
 at the tomb, 389. 
 
 at Transfiguration, 233 fi'. 
 
 Christ appeared to', 394. 
 
 confession of Christ, 230 ff. 
 
 denial of Christ, 374 ft". 
 
 warned, 369. 
 Simon Magus, 353. 
 
 — of Cyrene, 380, 381. 
 
 — the leper, 213. 
 
 — the Zealot, 191. 
 Simon's wife's mother, 173 if. 
 Sinners, 196, 210. 
 
 Skull, 382. 
 Sodom, 242. 
 Soldiers, 160. 
 Solomon, 259, 271. 
 Solomon's Porch, 168. 
 Son of God, 163, 165, 167, 168, 
 175, 376. 
 
 — of man, 182, 330. 
 
 coming of, 274, 357 ff. 
 
 Sower, parable of, 214 ff. 
 Sparrows, 267. 
 
 Spirit of infirmity, 282. 
 
 Staff, 227. 
 
 Stanhope, Lady, 297. 
 
 Stature, 271. 
 
 Steward, 214, 274 ff., 305. 
 
 Stoic, 196. 
 
 Storm, Jesus in the, 219. 
 
 Stumbling, 206, 313. 
 
 Summum bonum, 194. 
 
 Superscription, 384. 
 
 Supper, the great, 292. 
 
 — the Lord's, 363 ff. 
 Susanna, 214. 
 
 Swine and demons, 220. 
 
404 
 
 ST. LUKE 
 
 Swine feeding, 301. 
 Sycamine, 315. 
 Sycomore, 333. 
 
 Synagogue, 169, 202, 223, 268, 
 281, 354. 
 
 Tabernacles, 234. 
 
 — eternal, 308. 
 Tabor, 233. 
 Tacitus, 193, 355. 
 Talmud, 135, 279, 329. 
 Targums, 134. 
 Tartarus, 221. 
 Tatian, 21. 
 
 Tel Hum, 172, 202. 
 Temple, 132, 151. 
 
 Jesus in, 154. 
 
 pinnacle of, 168. 
 
 purification of, 341 tf. 
 
 veil of, 385. 
 
 to be destroyed, 352 ff. 
 Temptation, 217, 252, 368. 
 
 — of Jesus, 165 ff. 
 Tertullian, 20. 
 Tetrarch, 157. 
 Thaddaeus, 192. 
 Theophilus, 30, 129, 130. 
 Thomas, 191. 
 
 Thorns, 199, 215. 
 
 Tiberius, 157, 335. 
 
 Tithe, 262. 
 
 Tobit, 196. 
 
 Toll, place of, 184. 
 
 Tower, building, 296. 
 
 Trachonitis, 157. 
 
 Traitor, presence of, 367. 
 
 Transfiguration, 233 ff. 
 
 Treasury, 352. 
 
 Trees, 197, 359. 
 
 Tribute to Csesar, 346 ff., 377. 
 
 Turtle doves, 150. 
 
 Twelve, the, 226. 
 
 choice of, 190. 
 
 Tyre, 243. 
 
 Unpreparedness, 360. 
 Unprofitable servants, 31 }, 316. 
 
 Valentinus, 23. 
 Vineyard, 280. 
 
 — parable of, 344 ff. 
 Violent entrance, 309. 
 Vipers, offspring of, 159. 
 Vision of Zacharias, 131 ff. 
 
 Wallet, 227. 
 
 Wars and tumults, 354. 
 
 Was Jesus born at Bethlehem ? 
 146. 
 
 Wayside, 215. 
 
 Well, 289. 
 { Wheat and chaff, 161. 
 I Widow and judge, 323. 
 j Widows' houses, 351. 
 i Wife, 293. 
 
 Wilderness, 158, 166. 
 
 Wine, new, 187. 
 
 Wine-bibber, 209. 
 
 Wisdom, 209. 
 
 — of God, 264. 
 Withered hand, 189. 
 Women, prominence of, 14. 
 World to come, 330. 
 Wrath to come, 159. 
 Wright, Rev. A., 25. 33. 
 
 Xenophon, 318. 
 
 Zacchaeus, 332 ff. 
 Zachariah, 264. 
 Zacharias, 131 ff. 
 
 — Song of, 142 ff. 
 Zahn, 32. 
 Zealot, 191. 
 Zebedee, 178. 
 Zechariah, 339. 
 
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