Luke 9:51 to Luke 18:31_. Rejected by the Samaritans. A lesson of Tolerance._ This section forms a great episode in St Luke, which may be called the departure for the final conflict, and is identical with the journey (probably to the Feast of the Dedication, John 10:22) which is partially Luke 9:51... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 18:1-8. The Duty of Urgent Prayer. The Unjust Judge. 1. _that men ought always to pray_ Rather, THAT THEY OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, since the true reading adds _abrov_s. It is only here and in Luke 18:9 that the explanation or point of a parable is given before the parable itself. Both parables are... [ Continue Reading ]
_a judge_ Rather, A CERTAIN JUDGE. The little story is not improbably taken from life, and doubtless the inferior judges under such a sovereignty as that of the Herods might afford many instances of carelessness and venality. _which feared not God_, _neither regarded man_ The description of a chara... [ Continue Reading ]
_she came unto him_ Rather, SHE KEPT COMING TO HIM. The widow woman is a representative alike of the Christian Church and of the Christian soul. _Avenge me of mine adversary_ Rather, Do me justice. The word - _avenge_" is a little too strong. The technical term _ekdikeson_implies -settle my case (s... [ Continue Reading ]
_he said within himself_ The shamelessness with which he acknowledges his own sin renders it still more aggravated. _Though I fear not God_, _nor regard man_ -The creed of a powerful atheist." Bengel.... [ Continue Reading ]
_troubleth me_ Rather, GIVES ME TROUBLE. _lest by her continual coming_ Literally, "_coming to the end,"_" _coming for ever_" another colloquialism. _she weary me_ The original has the curious word _hupopiaze;_ literally, "_should blacken me under the eyes."_Some have supposed that he is afraid le... [ Continue Reading ]
_the unjust judge_ Literally, "_the judge of injustice."_Cp. Luke 16:8. __... [ Continue Reading ]
_And shall not God_ The argument is simply _a fortiori._Even an unjust and abandoned judge grants a just petition at last out of base motives when it is often urged, to a defenceless person for whom he cares nothing; how much more shall a just and merciful God hear the cry and avenge the Cause of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_he will avenge them_ Isaiah 63:4; Psalms 9:12, "When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them, He forgetteth not the cry of the humble." "Yet a little while," Hebrews 10:37; 2 Peter 3:8-9. The best comment on the Parable and our Lord's explanation of it may be found in His own Discourse... [ Continue Reading ]
- 14. The Duty of Humble Prayer. The Pharisee and the Tax-gatherer. 9. _which trusted in themselves that they were righteous_ See Luke 16:15; Php 3:4; 2 Corinthians 1:9. The Jewish words - _Jashar_," -the upright man," and - _Tsaddik,_ -just," expressed their highest moral ideal; but they made their... [ Continue Reading ]
_went up into the tetnple_ The Temple stood on Mount Moriah, and was always called the -Hill of the House" _(Har ha-Beit)._ to pray The Temple had long become naturally, and most fitly, a "House of Prayer" (Luke 19:46), though this was not its main original function.... [ Continue Reading ]
_stood and prayed thus with himself_ Standing was the ordinary Jewish attitude of prayer (1 Kings 8:22; Mark 11:25), but the word _statheis_ (which is not used of the Tax-gatherer) seems to imply that he stood by himself to avoid the contaminating contact of the -people of the earth," and posed hims... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ifast twice in the week_ This practice had no divine sanction. The Law appointed only a single fast-day in the year, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29). By the time of Zechariah there seem to have been _four_yearly fasts (Zechariah 8:19). The bi-weekly fast of the Pharisees was a mere burden im... [ Continue Reading ]
_standing afar off_ The word for standing is not _statheis_ as in the case of the Pharisee, but merely _hestos._It is not certain whether the "afar off" means -afar off from the Pharisee," or (as is more probable) afar off from the Holy Place to which the Pharisee would thrust himself, as of right,... [ Continue Reading ]
_went down to his house justified rather than the other_ Of the Pharisee it might be said, "His soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but of the Tax-gatherer, "the just shall live by his faith," Habakkuk 2:4. But the day had not yet come in which the words -be merciful" (_hilaskou_), and -ju... [ Continue Reading ]
15-17. Jesus and the Children. A Lesson of Humility. 15. _they brought unto him also infants_ Rather, THEIR BABES. It seems to have been a custom of Jewish mothers to carry their babes to eminent Rabbis for their blessing; naturally therefore these mothers would bring their children and babes to Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_called them_ St Mark adds that Jesus was much displeased with the officious interference of the disciples who so little understood His tenderness. _Suffer little children_ Rather, THE LITTLE CHILDREN. _for of such is the kingdom of God_ Because children are meek, humble, trustful, guileless, unso... [ Continue Reading ]
18-30. The Great Refusal. The Young Ruler who loved Riches more than Christ. 18. _a certain ruler_ St Matthew (Matthew 19:20) only calls him "a young man." He was probably the young and wealthy ruler of a synagogue. The touch added by St Mark (Luke 10:17), that he suddenly ran up and fell on his kn... [ Continue Reading ]
_Why callest thou me good?_ According to St Matthew the question also ran, -Why askest thou me about the good?" The emphasis is not on the _me_(for the form used in the original is the enclitic με not ἐμὲ on _good._Why do you give me this strange title which from _your_ point of view is unwarrantabl... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou knowest the commandments_ St Matthew says that our Lord first answered, -Keep the commandments," and when the young man asked, - _What kind_of commandments?" expecting probably some recondite points of casuistry minute rules _[Halachoth)_out of the oral Law our Lord to his surprise mentions th... [ Continue Reading ]
_All these have I kept_ There seems to have been an accent of extreme surprise in his reply. -You bid me not be a thief, adulterer, murderer! For whom do you take me? I am no criminal. _These_I kept since I was a child." And then he added, -what lack I yet?" (Matthew 19:20). Here, again, the Gospel... [ Continue Reading ]
_when Jesus heard these things_ St Mark says that -looking on him, he loved him," or rather, -was pleased with him." Some have rendered the words -He kissed him," since Rabbis in token of approval sometimes kissed a good scholar on the head; this, however, would require not _egapesen,_but _ephilesen... [ Continue Reading ]
_he was very sorrowful_ St Matthew says, -he went away grieving;" St Mark adds that -his brow grew gloomy and cloudy at the command" (στυγνάσας ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ _)._And thus at the time he made, through cowardice or meanness of mind, what Dante (_Inf._Luke 10:27) calls - _il gran rifiuto_," -the great re... [ Continue Reading ]
_saw that he was very sorrowful_ Several good uncials read merely -when Jesus saw him." _shall they that have riches_ Rather, DO THEY. The striking reading of some MSS. (א, B, &c.) in Mark 10:24, is that Christ, seeing the pained astonishment of the disciples, said, "Children! how hard it is to ente... [ Continue Reading ]
_for a camel to go through a needles eye_ To soften the apparent harshness of this expression, some have conjectured _Kamilon_, -a rope;" and some have explained -the needle's eye" of the small side gate for passengers (at the side of the large city gates), through which a camel might press its way,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who then can be savedI_ Here once more we catch the echo of the sighing despair caused in the minds of the still immature Apostles by some of our Lord's harder sayings.... [ Continue Reading ]
_are possible with God_ See on Luke 1:37. "There is nothing too hard for thee," Jeremiah 32:17; comp. Job 13:2; Zechariah 8:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Peter said_ The feeling which dictated his remark is uncertain; perhaps it was a passing touch of self-congratulation; perhaps a plea for pity in the hard task of salvation. _we have left all_ Rather, WE LEFT ALL, alluding to a particular crisis, Luke 5:11 .... [ Continue Reading ]
_There is no man that hath left house_ Compare the sacrifice and reward of the sons of Levi, Deuteronomy 33:8-11. _for the kingdom of God's sake_ Unless the motive be pure, the sacrifice is unavailing.... [ Continue Reading ]
_manifold more_ St Matthew and St Mark say -a hundredfold] and St Matthew adds that in the Palingenesia the New Birthday of the World, the Restoration of all things they shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. St Luke naturally omits the more purely Hebraic conceptions. St... [ Continue Reading ]
- 34. Jesus prophesies that He should be crucified. Between these verses and the last should probably be inserted the journey from the Peraean Bethany to the Judaean Bethany, and the Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-46). This signal miracle was omitted by the Synoptists for the same reasons as those w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then he took unto him the twelve_ apart, and on the road, as we learn from Matthew 20:17. St Mark, with one of his graphic touches of detail, describes Jesus walking before them, and (as we infer from the expression of the Evangelist) in such awful majesty of sorrow that those nearest Him were fill... [ Continue Reading ]
_unto the Gentiles_ This was the third, and by far the clearest and most circumstantial prophecy respecting His death. Hitherto, except for scattered hints which they could not understand (Luke 9:22; Luke 9:45), the Apostles might have supposed that Jesus would be put to death by the Jewish authorit... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEY UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS_] as had been the case before, Luke 9:43-45; and St Mark tells us (Mark 9:32) that -they were afraid to ask Him." It was only at a later period that the full significance of all these words dawned on them (John 12:16). We must learn, as Pascal says, to _LOVE_ d... [ Continue Reading ]
35-43. Bartimaeus healed at Jericho. 35. _AS HE WAS COME NIGH UNTO JERICHO_] This would be a week before our Lord's death on the evening of Thursday, Nisan 7, or the morning of Friday, Nisan 8. St Mark (Mark 10:46) and St Matthew (Matthew 20:29) say that this miracle took place as He was leaving Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus, thou Son of David_ The use of this Messianic title implies a strong faith in Bartimaeus. _have mercy on me_ "The Kyrie Eleison of the soul which precedes its Hosanna." Van Oosterzee.... [ Continue Reading ]
_rebuked him, that he should hold his peace_ Compare Luke 18:15; Matthew 19:13. __... [ Continue Reading ]
_and when he was come near_ The narrative of St Mark, which is evidently derived from an immediate eye-witness, describes Bartimaeus as -springing to his feet and flinging away his outer robe," when he was told that Jesus had called him.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lord_ In St Mark the title given is _Rabboni,_the highest form of the title Rabbi.... [ Continue Reading ]
_thy faith hath saved thee_ The brief sentences of the narrative have been beautifully woven by Mr Longfellow into his little poem of Blind Bartimaeus: [indent] "Those mighty voices three, Ἰησοῦ ἐλέησόν με! Θάρσει, ἔγειραι! Ὕπαγε · Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε!... [ Continue Reading ]
_followed him_, _glorifying God_ The time for any reticence respecting miracles was long past. St Luke is specially fond of recording doxologies. See Luke 5:26; Luke 7:16; Luke 13:17; Luke 17:15; Luke 23:47.... [ Continue Reading ]