THEN DREW NEAR TO HIM,.... To "Jesus", as the Persic and Ethiopic versions express it: this was on the sabbath day, and either when he was in the Pharisee's house, where he was invited to dinner, Luke 14:1 or rather when he came out of it, when the multitude, who could not come near him whilst there... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES MURMURED,.... When they saw the easy access these wicked men had to Christ; and that he stopped and stayed with them, and very freely imparted instructions to them: saying, THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS. The Persic version reads, "publicans and sinners", as in the precedi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SPAKE THIS PARABLE UNTO THEM,.... To the Pharisees, for their conviction and confutation; and to the publicans and sinners for their encouragement; and in vindication of himself; and not only this, but the other two, concerning the lost piece of money, and the prodigal son, which were said at... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT MAN OF YOU HAVING AN HUNDRED SHEEP,.... A flock of sheep, consisting of such a number; Matthew 18:12, IF HE LOSE ONE OF THEM, by straying from the flock, DOTH NOT LEAVE THE NINETY AND NINE IN THE WILDERNESS, upon the common where they were feeding, AND GO AFTER THAT WHICH IS LOST UNTIL HE FI... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE HATH FOUND IT,.... In a sad plight and condition: so Christ finds his sheep in a most desolate one, in a pit, in the mire and clay of nature; in the paw of the roaring lion, Satan; helpless, hopeless, wretched, miserable, and naked; and not only starving, famishing, and dying, but even d... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE COMETH HOME,.... The house, or home, to which Christ comes and brings thither his lost sheep on his shoulders when found, is either the church of God, which is Christ's house and home, and into which he himself comes; it is his by gift and purchase, and which he has built, and here comes... [ Continue Reading ]
I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT LIKEWISE JOY SHALL BE HEAVEN,.... In the church below, and among the members of it; which is sometimes called heaven, especially in the book of the Revelations; or in heaven above, and among the angels there; see Luke 15:10 OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH; for the joy in heaven,... [ Continue Reading ]
EITHER WHAT WOMAN, HAVING TEN PIECES OF SILVER,.... Or "drachmas": a "drachma" was the fourth part of a shekel, and of the same value with a Roman penny; and was worth of our money, seven pence half penny; so that the ten pieces amounted to six shilling's, and three pence: the Ethiopic version rende... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN SHE HATH FOUND IT, SHE CALLETH HER FRIENDS,.... Luke 15:6 a parable somewhat like to this, the Jews x have on those words in Proverbs 2:4 "If thou seekest her as silver", c. "it is like to a man that has lost a "shekel", (a piece of money,) or beryl rings, within his house he lights up ma... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKEWISE I SAY UNTO YOU,.... As before, in Luke 15:7 THERE IS JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ANGELS OF GOD; who are the friends and neighbours of Christ: Luke 15:6, OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH; which they have knowledge of, either by immediate revelation from God, or by observation in the church wh... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID,.... The Syriac and Persic versions read "and Jesus said again"; he added another parable to the two former, at the same time, of the same import, with the same view, and on the same occasion; setting forth the different characters of the Scribes and Pharisees, and of the publicans and s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE YOUNGER OF THEM SAID TO HIS FATHER,.... God's chosen ones among the publicans and sinners, are fitly signified by the younger son, since man, as a sinner, is younger than man as righteous; and since there are instances of God's choice of the younger, before the elder, as Jacob before Esau, c... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOT MANY DAYS AFTER THE YOUNGER SON GATHERED ALL TOGETHER,.... That his father had divided to him, all his goods and substance: as soon as a man has any internal substance, any considerable degree of natural knowledge, he immediately sets out from God, and employs it against him, in reasoning ag... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE HAD SPENT ALL,.... Sin strips a man of all that is good and valuable; of the image of God, of the knowledge of divine things, of natural holiness, of moral righteousness, and of strength to perform moral good; hence man is in a wretched and miserable condition, he is poor, and blind, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WENT AND JOINED HIMSELF TO A CITIZEN OF THAT COUNTRY,.... Not to any one of the saints, for they are not citizens of the far country, but of the church of God below, and of heaven above; besides, carnal men do not like the company of such citizens: nor is the devil intended, for though he dwe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WOULD FAIN HAVE FILLED HIS BELLY WITH THE HUSKS,.... חרובא, the fruit of the "Charub" tree, as the Syriac version interprets it; and which the Jews y say is מאכל בהמה, "the food of beasts": though, according to what is elsewhere said of it, it should be the food of men also. It is said z of R... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE CAME TO HIMSELF,.... An unregenerate man, whether while a voluptuous man, or a self-righteous man, is not himself; he is beside himself; and is no other than a madman. The man that pursues his worldly lusts and pleasures, promises himself liberty, while he is a slave; he ruins himself, h... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL ARISE,.... This is the resolution which at last, through divine grace, he came into: he determines to quit the country, and his companions; he had left his harlots, and his old course of living before, but was in the same country still; for this a man may do, and yet remain unregenerate: but... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AM NO MORE WORTHY TO BE CALLED THY SON,.... As all the Jews were; not only by creation, and providential care, as all men are; but by national adoption: and however worthy this man might think himself to be called a Son of God before, and value himself upon it; he now sees, and was ready to own... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE AROSE,.... This shows that his resolution to arise was not of nature, but of grace, by its being put into execution; for it was made and executed, not in his own strength, but in another's. He did not confer with flesh and blood; nor listen to discouragements which might present; as the dista... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SON SAID UNTO HIM, FATHER,.... Or "my father", as the Syriac version reads; and the Persic version adds, "pardon me": sin lay heavy on him, and he wanted a view and application of pardoning grace, though he seems to be prevented making this request by the kiss he received from his father: I... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE FATHER SAID TO HIS SERVANTS,.... The word "but", with which those words begin, is expressive of much grace, as it often is; see 1 Corinthians 6:11 and signifies, that though the son had behaved so badly, and was now so sensible of it himself, as that he desired to be a hired servant, being u... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BRING HITHER THE FATTED CALF, AND KILL it,.... By which Christ is designed, in allusion to the calves offered in sacrifice, which were offered for sin offerings, and for peace offerings, and for burnt offerings; and were one of the sacrifices on the day of atonement: so Christ has offered up him... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS MY SON WAS DEAD,.... These words contain the reasons of the above entertainment, and of all that spiritual joy and mirth; in which the father acknowledges the returning penitent as his son; though he had behaved so wickedly before, and though he judged himself unworthy of the relation; and... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW HIS ELDER SON WAS IN THE FIELD,.... By "the elder son" is meant, not angels, as has been observed on Luke 15:11 nor truly converted persons, of some standing in the church; for though these may be said to be elder than young converts, and are more solid and settled, yet they are not ignorant of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CALLED ONE OF THE SERVANTS,.... One of the ministers of the word, one of the disciples of Christ, as the Scribes and Pharisees sometimes did: choosing rather to speak to one of the disciples, than to Christ himself, when they were offended; see Mark 2:16 AND ASKED WHAT THESE THINGS MEANT: fo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO HIM,.... The Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, leave out the copulative "and", and the latter reads, "they said unto him"; the servants, one or other of them: THY BROTHER IS COME; for in the relation of a brother, the younger son stood to him; being of the same nature and specie... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WAS ANGRY,.... Particularly that the fatted calf was killed, Luke 15:27 the preaching of a crucified Christ, and of free and full salvation by him, is highly displeasing and provoking to self-righteous persons; they are angry at it, that it should be free, that election to salvation should be... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE ANSWERING, SAID TO HIS FATHER,.... Commending himself, and reflecting on his father: LO, THESE MANY YEARS DO I SERVE THEE; for though he was called a son, yet differed little from a servant; he was of a servile disposition, and under a spirit of bondage; he served his father, not in the Gosp... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AS SOON AS THIS THY SON WAS COME,.... He will not own him in the relation of a brother, though the father had owned him in that of a son; and the offence he took was, that the fatted calf should be killed, or that a crucified Christ should be preached; that he should be preached at all, and much... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID TO HIM, SON,.... For so he was, as before observed, by creation, national adoption, and profession: THOU ART EVER WITH ME; not in such a sense as Christ the Son of God was: nor can it design the gracious presence of God, or communion with him; for this man did not walk with God; and bes... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WAS MEET THAT WE SHOULD MAKE MERRY,.... Both father, son, and servants; Luke 15:23 Luke 15:24 and this elder brother also, because of the relation he stood in to him: and if he had had the same spiritual affection the apostle had for his brethren and kinsmen, according to the flesh, Romans 9:3 an... [ Continue Reading ]