OF THE 
 
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 or ILLI NOI5 
 
 From the Library 
 of the 
 
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 Protestant Episcopal 
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 Presented 1917 
 
 
 
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 Ks 
 
 
 
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IfOTICE TO STJBSCEIBEES. 
 
 Messrs Clark deeply regret, that on account of the ill health of the 
 Tranflator, they have been unable to publish at this time the third 
 Volume of Lange on St Matthew (which Volume will alfo embrace 
 the Commentary on St Mark) ; but they truft that their Subfcribers 
 will be gratified with Oofterzee on St Luke, which forms part of 
 Lange’s Series. 
 
 Their arrangements provide for the publication of Lange on St 
 Matthew and St Mark in the Second Ifiiie for this year, along with 
 Dorner, Divifion IL, Volume IL, and they hope to have the Second 
 Ifiiie ready much earlier in the year than ufual. 
 
 Mefirs Clark would invite attention to the clafiified lifi: of their 
 publications at end of this volume. 
 
 Edinburgh, May 1862. 
 
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CLARK’S 
 
 rOEEIGN 
 
 THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY. 
 
 TRIED SEEIES. 
 VOL. XIII. 
 
 ©o^ter^te on ^oilpel of Eufee. 
 
 YOL. I. 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET. 
 
 LONDON : J. GLADDING; WAJID AND CO. ; AND JACKSON, T7ALF0RD, AND 
 HODDER. DUBLIN C JOHN ROBERTSON. 
 
 MDCCCLXII. 
 
THEOLOGICAL AND HOMILETICAL 
 COMMENTAEY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 dOSPEL OE ST LEKE. 
 
 SPECIALLY DESIGNED AND ADAPTED FOE THE USE OF MINISTERS 
 AND STUDENTS. 
 
 FKOM THE GEEMAN OP 
 
 J. J. VAN OOSTEEZEE, D.D. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 J. P. LANGE, D.D., 
 
 PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNI'VTiRSITY OF BONN. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 SOPHIA TAYLOR. 
 
 VOLUME 1. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET. 
 
 LONDON: HAAIILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. DUBLIN; JOHN ROBEKTSON. 
 
 MDCCCLXII. 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 It was at the commencement of last year that my revered friend Dr 
 Lange communicated to me the plan of his Theological and Homi- 
 letical Commentary, and, at the same time, expressed the wish, 
 which surprised as much as it honoured me, that I should take part 
 with him in this work, by fmnishing a Commentary on one of the 
 Gospels. It will not seem surprising that I did not give my con- 
 sent to this proposal till after much delay. When I considered, on 
 the one hand, my numerous professional engagements and other 
 occupations ; on the other, the measure of my ability ; I felt that 
 I would rather see so important a work in other hands. When I 
 remembered that I had been hitherto accustomed to learn from so 
 many excellent German theologians, I could not quickly familiarize 
 myself with the idea of becoming their fellow-labourer, and even 
 their predecessor. And, finally, when I surveyed the peculiar diffi- 
 culties under which every author must labour, in appearing before 
 a public for the most part unacquainted with him, I felt, notwith- 
 standing the favourable reception which some of my translated 
 'wi'itings have met with abroad, almost constrained to return a 
 negative answer. On the other hand, however, there was some^ 
 thing very attractive to me in the plan of this Commentary. The 
 
8 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 tliouglit of being associated in a work with a theologian whom I so 
 higlily esteemed as Dr Lange, and with others of a Idndred spirit, 
 and of thus discharging a portion of the debt which gratitude for 
 the rich instruction I had derived from their writings made me feel 
 I had incurred, possessed unusual interest. The opportunity offered 
 me of being useful in another and more extensive manner than I 
 could hope for in my immediate neighbourhood, seemed to me an 
 evident indication from the Lord of the flock, which I felt I must 
 by no means leave unheeded. I therefore took courage to put my 
 hand to the plough, without further hesitation ; and have now the 
 pleasure of presenting to the readers of Dr Lange’s Commentary 
 the fruit of the comparatively few, and frequently interrupted, 
 leisui’e hours which my professional occupations allow me. 
 
 I may, perhaps, be allowed to take this opportunity of saying a 
 few words on the manner in which I have performed my share of 
 this great and noble undertaking. It is obvious that, for the sake 
 of maintaining the uniformity which was on all accounts desirable, 
 the plan and arrangement of my work should be strictly prescribed 
 to me, both by the prospectus which first appeared, and by the sub- 
 sequently published Commentary on Matthew. Even if it had been 
 my opinion that a different arrangement of the materials was pre- 
 ferable, it was my duty to remember that I was not called upon to 
 execute a building of my own, but only to furnish a stone towards 
 the completion of an edifice already planned and partly reared by 
 others. It need scarcely be mentioned, also, that in writing on 
 Luke’s Gospel, I was obliged continually to have regard to what 
 had already been said in the Commentaries on Matthew and Mark. 
 It was desirable to avoid repetitions as much as possible, especially 
 with respect to exegetical and archseological matter ; while, on the 
 other hand, I wished to make my work on Luke something more 
 than a mere appendix to those on Matthew and Mark. It will then 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 9 
 
 be believed, witliout further explanations, that it was by no means 
 an easy task to avoid both Scylla and Charybdis ; and that a glance 
 at the copiousness of the ideas developed in the treatment of the 
 parallel passages in the two first Evangelists, could not fail to con- 
 vince me that the commentator on the third would have a difficult 
 position to occupy. The attempt had to be made, to say again that 
 which should be, in the main points, the same in a different manner; 
 and I shall rejoice if competent judges can testify, that a compari- 
 son of my work on Luke with Dr Lange’s on Matthew and Mark 
 presented them with neither a mere echo nor a jarring discord. 
 
 With regard to the several parts of the work, I would say, that 
 the character of the exegesis has been accommodated to its homi- 
 letical purpose. It would not, perhaps, have been difficult to 
 produce a more extensive apparatus of theological learning ; but, 
 mindful of the task imposed upon me, of witing chiefly for practi- 
 cal theologians and clergymen, I thought I should best satisfy this 
 condition by giving a more historical and psychological, than a 
 philological, character to my exposition, and by caring more about 
 clear explanations of things, than extensive explanations of words. 
 Among ancient expositors, I have chiefly consulted Calvin and 
 Bengel ; among moderns, De Wette, Stier, and Meyer; and even 
 where I have felt obliged to differ from them, I have found no dif- 
 ficulty in recognising the service done to the exposition of the 
 Gospel by these celebrated men. In the division entitled Doc- 
 trinal Reflections,” I have endeavomred to penetrate somewhat more 
 deeply into the nature of events than was possible in the “ Critical 
 Notes and, here and there, where it seemed necessary, to bring 
 forth the apologetic element, which, in a work like the present, in- 
 tended for so many different hands, ought never to be wholly 
 wanting. In this part, and also in the “ Homiletical Hints,” I 
 have had respect not only to the rich stores of German literature. 
 
10 
 
 TREFACE. 
 
 but also, occasionally, to the productions of otlier countries, and 
 especially to the theologians and preachers of my own. 
 
 If aught useful or profitable should be found in this division of 
 the Commentary, part at least of the thanks is due to the revered 
 Editor, who not only encouraged me to venture upon this work, but, 
 with true liberality, neither wished nor required me to withdraw or 
 to modify my views of certain passages, where they did not coincide 
 with his own. This state of affairs is indeed attended with this in- 
 convenience, that I am entirely responsible for my own work, with 
 all its faults and omissions. I could say much, on the great dis- 
 tance — greater perhaps on this occasion than ever — which I find 
 between my performance and my own ideal. But it is needless to 
 increase this sufficiently lengthy book by a longer preface. The 
 work must speak for itself ; and if I have anywhere contributed 
 merely combustible material to the great temple, I could not myself 
 wish that it should stand the fire. 
 
 The views concerning the person of the Lord, and the divine 
 authority of the written Word, on which this Commentary on 
 Luke is based, and which I hope are brought forward vdth mode- 
 ration, mildness, and dignity, will perhaps find more echo in the 
 German than in the Dutch Church. But what does it matter to 
 their defenders, whether the majority or the minority of the mo- 
 ment be on their side, so long as they are conscious of serving the 
 cause of truth, and of always finding a response in many hearts 
 and consciences ? May this be at least the case in the circle for 
 which this work is more immediately intended : the Author would 
 then, perhaps, feel encouraged, in accordance with the wish of the 
 Editor, to undertake another portion of this Commentary ; the suc- 
 cess of which will be best promoted by the concurrence of a select 
 number of like-minded fellow-labourers. Be this as it may, how- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 11 
 
 ever, he does not repent the many precious hours devoted to this 
 difficult, but very attractive task. Spiritual intercourse with the 
 Gospel of perfect humanity lias a peculiar worth in days when, on 
 the one hand, so many look upon humanity and Christianity as in 
 irreconcilable opposition, while others again believe that if humanity 
 is to attain its highest perfection, Christianity must be shorn of its 
 special characteristics, and Christ of His superhuman dignity. May 
 this work, then, be the means of bringing many to a higher appre- 
 ciation and more profitable distribution of the treasures hidden in 
 the third Gospel ; and may the KpLaL<i of Him of whom Luke testi- 
 fied be a Kpiai^ koX for my work. 
 
 J. J. VAN OOSTERZEE. 
 
 Rottekdam, Nov. 1858. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST LUKE. 
 
 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 § 1 . 
 
 LUKE THE EVANGELIST. 
 
 tj^ERY scanty is onr authentic information concerning the per- 
 sonal history of the third Evangelist, though he is known, 
 from the Epistles of Paul, to have held a conspicuous rank 
 among the friends and fellow-labourers of the great Apostle of 
 the Gentiles (Philemon 24; 2 Tim. iv. 11). He is specially dis- 
 tinguished (Col. iv. 14) from the brethren who were of the cii- 
 cumcision (vers. 10, 11), and was therefore a Christian of Gentile 
 extraction ; having, probably, been first a ^proselyte to the Jewish 
 religion, and afterwards a convert to the faith of Christ. Eusebius 
 and Jerome have handed down to us the tradition, that Antioch was 
 his birth-place, which, though the fact is by no means proved, seems 
 preferable, on account of its antiquity, to aU other conjectures con- 
 cerning his origin. Perhaps it was there that he became acquainted 
 with Paul, and associated himself with that Apostle ; at least it is 
 not proved that the view of Eusebius arose from an erroneous 
 
14 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 reading of Acts xiii. 1. Ilis Greek education and attainments are 
 apparent from the philological excellence of his writings; while, 
 according to Col. iv. 14, his original avocation was that of a physi- 
 cian. It has been often supposed that he was one of the seventy 
 disciples ; but this is as incapable of proof as that he was the un- 
 named one of the two travellers to Emmaus, whose history he has 
 so touchingly narrated. It is at Troas that we first find him, a 
 fellow-traveller with Paul (Acts xvi. 10). He accompanied him 
 thence to Philippi, where he seems to have remained during the 
 second sojourn of the Apostle at Corinth. lie afterwards again 
 travelled with Paul to Jerusalem, where he would certainly meet 
 with James and the elders of the Chm*ch, and not lose the oppor- 
 tunity of personal intercourse with the first witnesses of the life 
 and resurrection of Christ. And since, according to Acts xxiv. 23, 
 free access was allowed to his friends during Paul’s two years’ im- 
 prisonment in Csesarea, it is probable that Luke remained near him 
 duilng this interval. He afterwards accompanied the Apostle to 
 Pome (Acts xxvii. and xxviii.), undergoing the perils of his ship- 
 m'eck, and, according to 2 Tim. iv. 11, sharing his imprisonment, a 
 few months before his martyrdom, when most of his friends had 
 forsaken him. He has been supposed, and not without reason, to 
 have been the brother whose praise was in the Gospel throughout 
 all the chiu’ches,” and of whom it is said (2 Cor. viii. 18), that he 
 w^as sent to Corinth with Titus, to make the collection there for the 
 poor saints at Jerusalem. At all events, he w^as, dmdng Paul’s life, 
 not only his fellow-traveller, but also his fellow-labourer ; and there 
 is no doubt that he would continue, after the death of the gi’eat 
 Apostle, to be both zealous and active in the cause of the kingdom 
 of God. He is said by Epiphanius to have preached in Gaul ; and 
 by Nicephorus, to have suffered martyrdom in Greece, where, 
 after having been condemned by the unbelievers without even the 
 form of a trial, he was, for want of a cross, nailed to the nearest 
 olive-tree, in the eightieth or eighty-fourth year of his age. His 
 body is said to have been removed, together with the remains of 
 Andrew, from Achaia to Constantinople, and to have been there 
 deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles, by the Emperor Con- 
 stantine, or his son Constantins. All these accounts, however, are 
 as little deserving of belief as the very recent tradition, that he was 
 a painter, and painted the portraits of our Lord, the Virgin, and 
 the principal Apostles. This tradition, however, is a fact in a higher 
 sense ; for are not the writings of St Lul^e truly pictures, full of 
 
§ 2. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 15 
 
 liigli and holy art, delighting us by their interesting groups and 
 animated portraits ? 
 
 The Catholic Church dedicates the 18th of October to St Luke, 
 assuming, on insufficient ground, that this was the day of his 
 death. The Evangelical Church is willing to leave untouched the 
 curtain which has fallen upon the cradle and grave of Luke, in 
 order to contemplate, with more undivided attention, the precious 
 legacy of his writings, the earliest and most important of which, we 
 are now about to consider more closely. 
 
 § 2 . 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO LUKE. 
 
 On turning from the reading of the Gospels of Matthew and 
 Mark to that of Luke, we are conscious of receiving a very peculiar 
 impression. It is the same Gospel, but announced in a manner quite 
 different from that of the two first synoptical Gospels. Luke gives 
 much more than Matthew and Mark : witness his account of events 
 preceding our Lord’s birth, the parables in ch. xv. and xvi., and 
 many other singularia Lucce ; and even where his facts coincide 
 , with those of the other narratives, he relates them in a manner of 
 his own. He is far more careful than IMatthew to preserve the 
 strict order of events and to comply with the require- 
 
 ments of a history, properly so called. His preface, which is written 
 in pure Greek, implies previous diligent investigation of the various 
 som’ces open to him. He tells us that many had already attempted 
 {i7re')(elpr]aav ) — for so we understand his account — a written history 
 of the occurrences of the life of Jesus. They had endeavoured to 
 take for their guidance, the real instructions of the first witnesses 
 for J esus, the Apostles, from whom Luke distinguishes both himself 
 and them. It seems very improbable that Luke is here alluding to 
 the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. He seems rather to have in 
 view certain literary efforts of Christian antiquity, of which some 
 might be better than others ; but among which, not one was, in his 
 opinion, quite satisfactory. He, at least, considers them inadequate 
 for the certainty'^'’ (acrcpaXeia^ of the faith of Theophilus ; and 
 having weighed and examined the various documents to which he 
 had access, he felt himself powerfully impelled to undertake such 
 
16 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 a work also, and, as far as in him lay, to improve upon the accounts 
 of his predecessors. The third Gospel bears the plainest traces of 
 the individuality of its composer, as he is described in other places. 
 Was Luke a Christian of the Gentiles? llis work bears a speci- 
 ally universal character. It is he who traces the genealogy of our 
 Lord, not to Abraham only, but to Adam, and cares less to repre- 
 sent the Messiah of God in His relation to Israel than in Ilis relation 
 to manldnd. Is he represented to us as a scientifically educated man, 
 living in the polished city of Antioch, which Cicero commends^ as 
 a seat of science and learning ? His style plainly shows that he 
 was not brought up at the receipt of custom, or beside the nets of 
 tlie fisherman. Again, we recognise the physician (Col. iv. 14) by 
 the particularity with which he describes certain diseases, and find, 
 from other remarks, that the physician was at the same time an 
 excellent psychologist.^ Ch. iv. 38, xxii. 43, 44, and 51, may be 
 cited as proofs of the former; while in ch. ix. 54-Gl, xviii. 34, 
 xxiii. 12, and xxiv. 41, we find hints of his insight into the mys- 
 teries of human nature. And, lastly, does it appear from the 
 Epistles of Paul that Luke was his friend and fellow-traveller? 
 No other Gospel bears such visible traces of the genuine Pauline 
 spirit. It is not indeed probable, that when Paul speaks of his 
 Gospel (Pom. ii. 16; 2 Tim. ii. 8), he is alluding to the witten 
 narrative of Luke ; yet both coincide, in a remarkable manner, in 
 their descriptions of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, in their 
 mention of the appearance of Christ to Peter (comp. Luke xxiv. 34 
 and 1 Cor. xv. 5), and in other special circumstances. In the form, 
 too, of his expressions, as well as in the choice of his incidents, we 
 recognise in Luke a genuine follower of Paul. Consider, in this 
 \iew, his narrative of the preaching of Jesus at Nazareth, and the 
 mention of the favours bestowed upon Gentiles (ch. iv. 16-30); the 
 anointing of the Lord by the repentant sinner in Simon’s house, 
 and the pardon vouchsafed to her faith (ch. vii. 36-50); the parable 
 of the Pharisee and publican, who went down to his house justified 
 (fie^LKaLcofxevoi) ; the history of Zaccheus (ch. xix. 1-10), of the 
 penitent thief (ch. xxiii. 39-43), and others which might be men- 
 tioned. As Paul led the people of the Lord out of the bondage of 
 the law into the enjoyment of Gospel liberty, so does Luke raise 
 
 ^ In Verrem. ch. 2. 
 
 2 Proofs of the scientific acquirements of the physicians of those times, and 
 of St Luke in particular, are abundantly furnished by Tholuck in his Glauhen- 
 tvurdigkeit der evangelische Geschiclite^ p. 160. 
 
§ 2. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 17 
 
 sacred history from its former low station of merely Israelitisli 
 nationality^ to occupy the higher ground of still more sacred 
 humanity. 
 
 And hence, a few words will suffice to characterize the distinc- 
 tive peculiarities of the third Gospel. Matthew has presented Christ 
 to us as the Messiah of Israel ; Mark has occupied himself with the 
 Gospel of the Son of God ; while Luke depicts the Son of man, 
 appearing indeed in Israel, but bestowed as a blessing on the whole 
 race of man. Most justly, therefore, may the figure of a man be 
 appropriated to him from among the symbols by which the ancient 
 Church designated the four Evangelists. He does not, indeed, soar 
 to such heights as the Eagle (John), but chooses our earth as his 
 sphere of action, and shows us the incarnate Son, in all things” 
 made like unto His brethren,” sin only excepted. And as the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews teaches us to contemplate the humanity of 
 the Son of God as gradually developing, and attaining the highest 
 degree of perfection, so also does the Gospel we are now consider- 
 ing. The two former Gospels show us ivlio Jesus was : this informs 
 us how He became what He was ; pointing out to us successively 
 the KapTTo^ Trj<; /coiXia^ (ch. i. 42), the Ppe(^o<^ (ch. ii. 16), the 
 Trai^Lov (ch. ii. 27), the vra?? (ch. ii. 40), the dvrjp (ch. hi. 22). No 
 other Gospel is of so strongly anti-docetic a character ; it is a con- 
 tinuous commentary on those suggestive words of the Apostle, “ God 
 sending His Son in the likeness (eV oyoicopiaTi^ of sinful flesh.” 
 In studying it, we are more attracted by the loveliness than even 
 by the dignity of the Lord ; and the Holy One, born of Mary, ap- 
 pears before our eyes as the fairest of the children of men. Does 
 it not even seem as if Luke had felt the necessity of transferring 
 to his Master the very calling to which his own life had been hitherto 
 devoted, while depicting to us, far oftener than the other Evan- 
 gelists, the great Tarpo?, the Physician who came, not only to 
 minister” (Matt. xx. 28), but ^Gvho went about doing good,” and 
 healing (Acts x. 38), who felt compassion for all diseases both of 
 mind and body, and whose power was present to heal ? (Luke v. 
 17). Even in recording such words and deeds of our Lord as are 
 also noticed by his two predecessors, Luke generally adds some 
 important hints, which give greater prominence to the genuine 
 humanity of His person^ and the healing nature of His redeeming 
 work. All, for instance, narrate the temptation in the wilderness, 
 but Luke alone adds that “ the devil departed from Him for a sea- 
 son.^' All describe His agony in Gethsemane, but Luke alone has 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 2 
 
18 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 preserved the touching account of Ilis hloody sweaty and of the 
 cmyel wlio Btrencjtliened Him. All speak of the repentance of Peter, 
 but Luke alone of that look of the Lord which accompanied the 
 crowing of the cock. And this genuine human greatness of the 
 Pedeemer, appears the more striking in this Gospel, from its con- 
 tinuous contrast with the poverty of His outward condition, and 
 the opposition of His enemies. The angels and shepherds at the 
 nativity ; Simeon and Anna at the joresentation of the child in the 
 temple; Simon and the “woman which was a sinner;” the tears of 
 Jesus over Jerusalem, and the hosannas of the multitude ; the 
 silent seriousness of the sufferer, and the noisy jesting of Herod 
 and his men of war ; His prayer on the cross for His enemies, and 
 the apathy and hatred of the crowd ; — what striking contrasts, de- 
 picted by Luke alone, and greatly enhancing the beauty of his 
 Gospel ! Not only remarkable copiousness, but surprising variety, 
 characterize this history, and render it, both from its contents and 
 style, of the last importance towards a right acquaintance with the 
 life and character of the Lord J esus Christ. 
 
 § 3 . 
 
 AUTHENTICITY AND COMPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING 
 
 TO LUKE. 
 
 After what has been said, the genuineness of the third Gospel 
 can scarcely be doubted. We have found it bearing, throughout, 
 that peculiar stamp which would characterize the spirit of the 
 friend and fellow-traveller of Paul. But there is also no lack of 
 external evidence. The most ancient is that offered by Luke him- 
 self, in the beginning of the Acts, where he plainly declares that 
 both books were the composition of the same person. This passage, 
 however, by no means justifies the supposition, that the companion 
 of Paul (Acts xvi. 10, xx. 5) was another than Luke ; and the 
 hypotheses, that it was either Timothy (Mayerhof) or Silas (Hen- 
 nell and others), already rank among the cuidosities of historical 
 criticism. It will be shown hereafter, how absolutely certain it is 
 that the book called the Acts of the Apostles, is the production of 
 Luke ; our present concern is the authenticity of his Gospel. 
 
 F urther external testimony is abundantly fmmished by Irenseus, 
 
§ 3. AUTHENTICITY AND COMrOSITION OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 19 
 
 Origen, and Tertullian, while Eusebius also, without any hesitation, 
 places this Gospel in the rank of the ofioXo^yoviieva. For details, 
 see the various Introductions, especially in Kirchhofer’s History of 
 the New Testament Canon (Zur. 1844). 
 
 It might seem surprising that Papias, who speaks so decidedly 
 of the two former Gospels, should have left no notice of the third ; 
 but, on the other hand, we may he certain, that if a spurious Gospel 
 had, in his days, been in circulation under the name of Luke, so 
 conscientious a man would hardly have failed to warn his readers 
 against it. Besides, the preface of Luke seems to have been pre- 
 sent to his mind, if he did not exactly follow it in writing the com- 
 mencement of his now unfortunately lost (Tvyypdfjbara (Eusebius 
 H. E. iii. 39). See Credner’s Introduction to the N. T., p. 202. 
 If the ingenious conjecture of Lange (Leben Jesu 1, p. 252), that 
 Luke was one of those Greeks who came to J esus shortly before 
 His death (John xii. 20), and indeed the same whom Papias calls 
 Aristion (lucere= dpLcrrevetv), could be substantiated, this silence 
 would be sufficiently explained. But be this as it may, it is abun- 
 dantly compensated by the involuntary but powerful testimony of 
 the well-known Marcion, in the second centirry.* It is certain that 
 this Gnostic was well acquainted with this Gospel, which he has 
 both used and mutilated, incorporating much of it in his own, to 
 support his heretical opinions, and thus proving that it existed, not 
 only in his days, but in those of his teacher Cerdo (Tertullian, de 
 prcescript. hoeret., cap. 51). 
 
 Certain critics of our days have represented the so-called Gospel 
 of Marcion (chiefly known to us through the writings of Epiphanius 
 and Tertullian), not as a corruption of the original, but as one of 
 the sources whence the present (ungenuine) Gospel of Luke is 
 derived. Dr A. Bitschl especially, in his Evangelium Marci und 
 das hanonische Evangelium des Lukas (1846), has powerfully de- 
 fended the hypothesis, “ that the Gospel of Marcion is not a muti- 
 lation of the third Gospel, but the basis of it though he afterwards 
 abandoned this view. Schwegler, Nacliapost. Zeitalter 1, pp. 260- 
 284, Baur, kritische Untersuchungen uher die kanonisclien Evangelien^ 
 p. 397, and Zeller, Tlieol. Jahrhuch 11, 1843, 50-90, have sought 
 to explain the Gospel of St Luke as being written with a purpose, in 
 the sense of the Tubingen school ; according to which it is affirmed, 
 that it was written either for the purpose of reconciling the Petrine 
 and Pauline parties, or of giving a certain triumph to the Pauline 
 tendency. Such criticism, which sees in the most evident traces of 
 
20 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 mature Clirlstlan individuality only tlie fruit of cool calculation, 
 and the craftiness of party spirit, is morally condemned, even before 
 it is scientifically refuted. Such criticism carried away Strauss, 
 and Bruno Bauer, but the feet of them that shall carry it out dead 
 are already at the door (Acts v. 9) ; and, meanwhile, we may rest 
 contented with the refutation of the monstrous hypothesis, concern- 
 ing the heretic Marcion, furnished by Ilahn, Olshausenj and De 
 Wette, Compare also the learned Dissertatio de Marcione, Lucani 
 Evangelii adulteratore of Dr Ilarting. 
 
 The aim of St Luke in writing his Gospel is sufficiently clear 
 from his preface. Concerning Theophilus, see the remarks on ch. 
 i. 1-4. His chief source of information was undoubtedly oral tra- 
 dition. This had, however, been already, in various instances, re- 
 duced to writing. According also to the testimony of Irenseus 
 (adversus liceres. iii. 1, 14), of Origen (Eusebius H. E. vi. 25), and of 
 Tertulhan, the Apostle Paul exercised a direct influence in the com- 
 position of this Gospel; while the accounts of other Fathers of the 
 ancient Church are unanimous in declaring, that Paul was not only 
 the enlightener (illuminator) of St Luke during the progress of his 
 work, but that, when completed, it received the sanction of his appro- 
 bation. It is true, indeed, that om’ Evangelist does not name Paul 
 as an authority, but this was unnecessary to accredit his narrative 
 to Theophilus ; and its early and undisputed reception as canonical, 
 proves that the primitive Clirn'ch soon recognised in this Gospel, 
 the marks of its genuine apostolicity. Indeed, it was never dis- 
 credited, except by the Cerinthians and Ebionites. 
 
 As well as Matthew and Mark, Luke seems to have written his 
 Gospel before the destruction of Jerusalem. The abrupt conclusion 
 of the Acts (ch. xxviii. 30, 31) leaves us to suppose that St Paul was 
 still alive when this second record was completed. Nor is it by any 
 means proved, by ch. xxi. 24, that this Gospel was not written till 
 after the year 70. If we had here only a vaticinium post eventum^ 
 the Evangelist would undoubtedly have made a far more precise dis- 
 tinction, between the destruction of Jerusalem and the second com- 
 ing of our Lord. 
 
 The place where this Gospel was composed can only be con- 
 jectured. Alexandria, Boeotia, Achaia, Caesarea, Asia !Minor, and 
 Pome, have all been mentioned, with more or less reason. Perhaps 
 the latter seems the least arbitrary supposition; but the whole 
 question is one of minor importance, the saying of St Paul holding 
 good in this instance, o \0709 tov Geov ov heherat (2 Tim. 11 . 9.) 
 
§ 4. FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE GOSPEL. 21 
 
 The integrity of this Gospel is beyond all doubt. The objec- 
 tions formerly made to the two first chapters are not more weighty 
 than those made, on doctrinal grounds, to Matt. i. and ii. With 
 respect to its dignitas canonica et auctoritas divina, it certainly is not 
 the work of one of the first Apostles ; but who can prove that the 
 promises of our Lord (J ohn xiv. xvi.), concerning the Paraclete, were 
 limited to the Twelve ; and may we not rather apply to the calling of 
 Luke to be an Evangelist, the apostolic word, eKaarep Be BlBorai 97 
 (j)avepo)cn<; rod irvevjJutTO^ irpo^ to avp^efyepov (1 Cor. xii. 7) ? 
 
 Among commentators on St Luke’s Gospel, may be specially 
 mentioned, Piscator, Moms, Schleiermacher, Planck, Stein, Bome- 
 niann, Lisko, Stier, etc. 
 
 §4. 
 
 FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND AKEANGEMENT OF THE GOSPEL 
 ACCOKDING TO LUKE. 
 
 “The second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Cor. xv. 47). 
 These words of St Paul might well be chosen as the inscription of 
 the most Pauline of all the Gospels. On the one hand, we are 
 taught to see in Christ the Lord from heaven, whose miraculous 
 conception and visible ascension are far more minutely and precisely 
 related by Luke than by any of his fellow-witnesses. On the other 
 hand, he represents Him to us as the second, the perfect, the ideal 
 man, in whom the saying, “ homo sum, 7iil humani a me alienumputOy^ 
 becomes a sacred reality. And beyond any of his fellow-labom’ers, 
 does he portray the genuine human pmdty and beauty, the human 
 love and pity, and the human dignity and glory, of our divine 
 Immanuel. 
 
 Part First 
 
 The Miraculous Birth and Normal Development of the Son of Man. 
 
 (Ch. i. and ii.) 
 
 Section . — Events preceding the birth of Christ (ch. i. 
 
 4-80). 
 
 A. Annunciation of the birth of His forerunner (vers. 5-25). 
 
22 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 B. Annunciation of tlie birtli of the Messiah (vers. 26-28). 
 
 C. Hymns of praise, with which the expectation of the Messiah’s 
 
 hirth and the actual hudh of the Baptist are greeted (vers. 
 39-80). 
 
 2d Section. — The liistory of the Nativity (ch. ii. 1-20). 
 
 A. The highest gift of Heaven (ch. ii. 1-7). 
 
 B. The first Gospel upon earth (vers. 8-12). 
 
 C. Heaven and earth united in celebrating the Nativity (vers. 
 
 13-20). 
 
 Sd Section. — The history of the development of the Son of 
 man (ch. ii. 21-52). 
 
 A. The eighth day; or, submission to the law (ver. 21). 
 
 B. The fortieth day ; or, the redemption from the service of the 
 
 temple (22-29). 
 
 C. The twelfth year; or, the growth in msdom and favour 
 
 (40-52). 
 
 Part Second. 
 
 The Beneficent Activity and Holy Conduct of the Son of Man. 
 (Ch. hi. 1-xix. 27.) 
 
 Isif Section. — Testimony borne to Messiah (ch. iii. and iv. 
 1-13). 
 
 A. By the preaching and baptism of John (1-22). 
 
 B. By the genealogy (23-38). 
 
 C. In the wilderness (ch. iv. 1—13). 
 
 2d Section. — The journeyings of Jesus (ch. iv. 14 to ix. 50). 
 
 A. Nazareth (ch. iv. 16-30). The first rejection of the holy 
 
 Son of man by the sinful children of men. 
 
 B. Capernaum (ch. iv. 31— vii. 50). The Prophet mighty in 
 
 deed and word before God and all the people. 
 a. The first settlement, the first miracles, the first choice of 
 Apostles at Capernaum (ch. iv. 31-v. 11). 
 h. The first departure from Capernaum to jommey in its 
 neighbourhood. The Son of man the Physician of the 
 sick, the Lord of the Sabbath, the Lawgiver of the 
 kingdom of God (ch. v. 12— vi. 49). 
 
§ 4. FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE GOSPEL. 23 
 
 c. Tlie first return to Capernaum ; the first fruits of the be- 
 
 lieving Gentiles (ch. vii. 1-10). 
 
 d. A second departure from Capernaum. The Son of man 
 
 manifested as a compassionate High Priest at the gate 
 of Nain, and at the table of Simon ; and also as the 
 holy Messiah, to the scandal of John, of the people, 
 and of the Pharisees (11-50). 
 
 C. Galilee and its neighbourhood, including Capernaum (ch. 
 viii. 1-ix. 50). 
 
 a. The first Christian sisterhood (ch. viii. 1-3). 
 h. The parables of the kingdom of God (4-21). 
 
 c. The King of this kingdom, also the Lord of creation, of 
 
 the world of spirits, and of death (22-56). 
 
 d. The Son of man proclaimed by the twelve Apostles, feared 
 
 by Herod, honoured by the multitude whom He had fed 
 (ch. ix. 1-17). 
 
 e. The glory of the Son of man acknowledged on earth, and 
 
 accredited by Heaven. The scenes on the summit and 
 at the foot of Mount Tabor (18-50). 
 
 3d Section. — The way of death (ch. ix. 51-xix. 27). 
 
 A. The divine harmony exhibited in the Son of man, and 
 
 the four temperaments of the children of men (ch. ix. 
 51-62). 
 
 B. The seventy disciples (ch. x. 1-25). 
 
 C. Lessons of love, faith, and prayer. 
 
 D. The Son of man dealing with sanctimonious enemies and 
 
 weak believers (ch. xi. 14-xii. 59). 
 
 E. The Son of man dealing with the sin of some and the misery 
 
 of others (ch. xiii. 1—17). 
 
 F. The nature of the kingdom of God ; the way to the king- 
 
 dom of God ; the struggle for the kingdom of God (vers. 
 18-35). 
 
 G. The Son of man eating and drinking (ch. xiv. 1-24). 
 
 H. The Son of man opening His mouth in parables (ch. xiv. 
 
 25— xvii. 10). 
 
 I. Journey in the borders of Samaria and Galilee, with the 
 
 remarkable events occurring there (ch. xvii. 11-xviii. 
 
 K. Towards Jericho, in Jericho, from Jericho, and towards 
 Jerusalem (ch. xviii. 15-xix. 27). 
 
24 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Part Third. 
 
 The last Conflict, and Iliahest Glory of the Son of Man. 
 
 (Cli. xix. 28-xxiv. 53.) 
 
 Is^ Section . — The last conflict (cli. xix. 28-xxiii. 5G). 
 
 A. The preparation for the conflict (ch. xix. 28-xxii. 38). 
 a. Tlie entrance into Jerusalem (ch. xix. 28-44). 
 
 h. Disputes with Ilis adversaries (cli. xx.). 
 c. llevelations and parting communications to Ilis friends, 
 (ch. xxi.-xxii. 3G). 
 
 B. The increase of the conflict (ch. xxii. 39-xxiii. 45). 
 a. Gethsemane (ch. xxii. 39-53). 
 
 h. Caiaphas (54-71). 
 
 c. Pilate and Herod (ch. xxiii. 1-25). 
 
 d. Golgotha (2G-43). 
 
 C. The end of the conflict. 
 
 a. The rest of death (44-4 G). 
 
 h. The mourning of nature and humanity (47-49). 
 
 c. The Sabbath of the grave (50-5 G). 
 
 2d Section . — The complete triumph (ch. xxiv. 1-48). 
 
 A. Over the power of death, and of sin (vers. 1-10). 
 
 B. Over the doubts of unbelief (11-45). 
 
 C. Over the opposition of Israel, and of the Gentile world 
 
 (foretold), (46-48). 
 
 3J Section . — The dazzling crown (ch. xxiv. 49-53). 
 
 A. The promise of the Prophet (ver. 49). 
 
 B. The blessing of the Priest (ver. 50). 
 
 C. The glory of the King (51-53). 
 
[ 25 ] 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST LUKE. 
 
 THE HISTORICAL PREFACE. 
 
 Chapter t. 1-4. 
 
 1 ForasmucL as many Lave taken in Land to set fortL in order a declaration 
 of tLose tLings wLicL are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they de- 
 livered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and mini- 
 sters of the word ; 3 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. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Have taken in hand. — The expression is happily chosenj to 
 enhance the importance and difficulty of the work, which many 
 (ttoNXo/) had undertaken. It seems almost adventurous, in St 
 Luke’s eyes, to take up the pen for such a composition. Yet does 
 he by no means intend to commence his work by blaming his pre- 
 decessors, but rather, by the word /cd/roi, places himself in their 
 ranks. It is nevertheless obvious, that if he had considered their 
 labours perfectly satisfactory, he would not have felt impelled to 
 attempt his present composition. With reason, therefore, does Origen 
 write (see Hieronymus, Homilia I. in Lucam), ‘‘ hoc quod nil: conati 
 sunt, latentem hahet accusationem eorum, qui absque gratia Spiritus 
 sancti ad scribenda Evangelia prosilierunt. Matthceus quippe et 
 Marcus et Johannes et Lucas non sunt conati scribere, sed scrips 
 serunt. 
 
 2. Many. — It is perfectly arbitrary to refer this to the apocry- 
 phal gospels, which were the product of later times. Luke seems 
 
2G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ratlier to liave in view tlic very earliest literary attempts, made 
 Ly persons more or less authorized, at the commencement of the 
 apostolic age ; and it may be reasonaldy concluded from this 
 ])reface, that, during the composition of his Gospel, he had be- 
 fore him many written documents and records, which, when they 
 seemed worthy of acceptation, he incorporated in its pages. The 
 coincidence between this and the two former Gospels is certainly 
 most simply accounted for, by supposing them drawn from common 
 sources. The very comparison of this literary preface (ch. i. 1-4), 
 written in pure Greek, with the immediately succeeding history of 
 events preceding Christ’s birth, abounding in Hebraisms, would 
 lead to the supposition, that the latter was derived from some more 
 ancient record. Concluding expressions, which seem originally to 
 have stood at the end of shorter narratives, are also found in vari- 
 ous places; e. g.^ ch. i. 80, ii. 20, 52, iv. 13, etc. We owe it to 
 Schleiermacher, that our attention has been directed to these circum- 
 stances ; he, however, pushes his conclusion from them too far, 
 when he considers St Luke as almost exclusively a compiler and 
 arranger, and allows too little for the influence of his individuality 
 in the selection and treatment of his materials. 
 
 3. Even as they delivered them to us. — This delivering (jrapei- 
 Soert?) is certainly the oral tradition, which formed the basis of 
 the written Gospels, and contained the matter of the dvara^t^;, 
 which had already been attempted, with various degrees of success. 
 It began with the baptism of John, and the public ministry of 
 Jesus (Acts i. 21 and John xv. 27), and did not originally include 
 the narratives either of His birth or childhood ; though Matthew 
 and Luke could have found no difliculty in obtaining accounts of 
 these from authentic sources. The eye-vdtnesses and ministers 
 here mentioned, are the same persons, viz., the first-called Apostles ; 
 and the word here spoken of, by no means the personal Logos — for 
 no private interpreter can be justified in thus confusing the respec- 
 tive senses in which Luke and John employ the same term, — but 
 the word of the Gospel, delivered by them to Luke and his fellow- 
 labourers. 
 
 4. It seemed good to me also. — The addition of an old translator, 
 mihi et Spiritui sancto, the product of a theory of mechanical in- 
 spiration, is not needed, to make us conscious that we have, in the 
 Gospel of St Luke, a striking revelation of the true Spirit of 
 Christ. — Having had perfect understanding of all things from the 
 very first. This ‘‘very first^^ (avcoOev) reaches farther back, as 
 
CHAP. I. 1-4. 
 
 27 
 
 rricay be seen by tlie first two chapters, than the (air of ver. 2. 
 
 Paul uses the same word (Acts xxvi. 5) to designate the beginning 
 of his life among the Jews, before his conversion. Luke, who, 
 according to Acts xxi. 17, saw James at Jerusalem, might have 
 become acquainted, through him, with Mary or the brethren of the 
 Lord, and have learned much from them. The conjecture of a 
 Dutch theologian, that Luke, in writing the history of the Nativity, 
 made use of an original written narrative, by J ames the brother 
 of our Lord, which was afterwards lost, and replaced by the apo- 
 cryphal Gospel of James, deserves mention. 
 
 5. Most excellent Theophilus . — For the various conjectures that 
 have been made concerning the pedigree, dwelling-place, and rank 
 of this Christian, see Winer, art, Theophilus , — We feel most inclined 
 to favom' the supposition which fixes his residence in Italy, and per- 
 haps in Rome. For why is Luke so increasingly precise (Acts xxvii. 
 and xxviii.) in topographical details, as his narrative is hastening 
 to its close, unless this locality were better known to his friend and 
 first reader, than any other? From Acts xxiii. 8, we may conclude 
 that Theophilus was not of Jewish extraction. Whether he had 
 already cast off the profession of Christianity, in which he had at 
 first been instructed, must remain uncertain. Kparta-ro^; was pro- 
 bably an official title. 
 
 6. In order , — It does not appear from the word itself, wliether 
 by Kade^rjf; is to be understood the order of time, or of events. It 
 may denote both ; see Acts iii. 24, and xi. 4. Since, however, the 
 KaOe^Tj^ ypd(f)€tv is spoken of as a result of the dvcoOev irapatcoXov- 
 OeXv, and Luke often shows that he is aiming at chronological exact- 
 ness, we are inclined to prefer the former meaning. We do not, 
 however, say that he always had this exactness equally in view, 
 nor that he was always equally successful in attaining it. 
 
 7. Wherein thou hast been instructed , — One of the earliest histo- 
 rical traces of ancient Christian catechising, of which, according to 
 verses 1 and 2, the history of our Lord formed the basis. Thereon, 
 however, were built specific Christian Xojot, whose doctrinal depii- 
 \lov is pointed out, Heb. vi. 1, 2. These Xo^ot could not remain 
 unshaken, unless the most important facts of Gospel history were 
 definitely accepted, and their truth recognised as beyond all doubt. 
 The various, and, perhaps, often contradictory, accounts of these 
 facts, which came to the ears of Theophilus, furnished Luke with 
 a motive for strict historical research, that his friend might know 
 the d(T(j)dXeca of the Christian aXt^Oeca, 
 
28 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. We sec that, in the first decades of the apostolic age, many 
 felt themselves authorized, or rather compelled, to take up the pen, 
 to instruct their contemporaries and successors with respect to the 
 things that had happened concerning Jesus of Nazaretli; and this 
 in an age and country in which the modern passion for writing was 
 entirely unknown. How can this enthusiasm be accounted for, 
 unless the history of the crucified Jesus were the most remarkable 
 and most glorious of all histories ? It is perfectly inexplicable how 
 Christ could have set so many tongues, hearts, and pens in motion, 
 if He had not been something more than the modern criticism of a 
 Strauss, or of the Tubingen school, woidd make Him. 
 
 2. Even during the lifetime of the Apostles, the need of an 
 accurate, well-arranged life of Jesus, which should be the work of 
 some duly authorized agent, was felt. And if oral tradition were 
 thus early in danger of becoming corrupted, how little certainty 
 concerning the Christian revelation should we now possess without 
 the written testimony ! Oral tradition is undoubtedly more ancient 
 than the written word; nor was the Church exclusively founded 
 upon the latter. But who could instruct us with any certainty, 
 with respect to the 'irapaBoo-t^, without access to the ypacf)')] ? Luke, 
 indeed, wrote his Gospel only for Theophilus and his immediate 
 circle ; but the question is not concerning the intentions of Luke, 
 but concerning the design of his glorified Lord, under whose special 
 guidance this Gospel was at first composed, and has since been pre- 
 served, for the edification of all succeeding ages. 
 
 3. Luke speaks of his human sources of information ; he says 
 nothing of his divine inspiration. Are we then to conclude that he 
 was unconscious of the latter, or that it was rendered superfluous 
 by the former? By no means ; but rather, in this case, the maxim 
 suhordinata non pugnant holds good. The Holy Spirit, through 
 whose operation he first became a believer in Christ, and afterwards 
 a fellow-labourer with St Paul, was sm’ely bestowed in far more 
 abundant measure, when he took up the pen to bear testimony for 
 his Lord in this way also. Paul has not said in vain, “ God is not 
 the author of confusion;” and the possession of supernatural power, 
 by no means supersedes the use of natural assistance. 
 
 4. The grand distinction, between Christianity and all other 
 religions, falsely so called, consists in this, it is not a mere system 
 of notions, but a series of facts. Its first promulgators could all 
 
CHAP. I. 1-4. 
 
 29 
 
 adopt, as their own, the words of St John, That which we have 
 seen and heard declare we unto you.” It is this that makes it 
 everlasting ; for deeds once done can never be altered : it is this 
 that makes it universal; for duly accredited facts fall within the 
 reach of those who could not follow a chain of abstract reasoning : 
 it is this that makes it so mighty; for simple facts are stronger than 
 the most elaborate arguments. That a thorough investigation of 
 these facts is a duty, may be taught us by Luke ; but their reality 
 being once ascertained, it results, from his words to Theophilus, that 
 the acr(f)d\eia of the faith can no longer be called in question. 
 Would that they who, in reading the Gospel narratives, have con- 
 tinually in their mouths the words, myth, tradition, legend, might 
 enter into the spirit of Luke’s prologue, and, after due research, 
 might feel and experience that here, if anywhere, they are treading 
 on the firm ground of the most unquestionable reality ! 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Luke a physician, like the few ; Theopliilus a patient, like the 
 many. — Historical belief in the truth of Christianity: 1. Its ne- 
 cessity; 2. its certainty; 3. its insufficiency, when unaccompanied 
 by a living faith. — ^Luke, 1. the predecessor of believing researchers ; 
 2. the condemner of unbelieving researchers of Scripture. — The 
 history of the Son of man, the beginning and foundation of a new 
 world of literature. — The highest aim which a Christian author can 
 propose to himself. To correct what is faulty, to strengthen what is 
 weak, to arrange what is confused. — The spoken word, the first testi- 
 mony and announcement of the truths of salvation, and the founda- 
 tion of all future testimony to the Lord and His kingdom. — Assured 
 faith indispensably necessary to those who would bring others to the 
 knowledge of faith. — Assured faith the aim of Christian instruction. 
 — From faith to avowal, from avowal to still firmer faith. — Civil 
 dignities and honours not destroyed, but ennobled, by citizenship in 
 the kingdom of God. — Luke a pattern of profitable trading with 
 intellectual gifts and power in the Christian cause. — The criticism 
 of faith, and the faith of criticism. — “ Not for that we have dominion 
 over your faith, but are helpers of your joy” (2 Cor. i. 24). 
 
 Starche. — In a good cause, imitation is a good work. — Nothing 
 should be undertaken inconsiderately, especially in important mat- 
 ters (Prov. xix. 2). Full assmunce and conviction are necessary 
 for writing or speaking with comfort. — The fear of God makes 
 men tnily great and excellent. 
 
30 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 TTeuhner . — Tlie providence of God in raising up sincere, earnest, 
 and credi])le men, for tlie task of writing tlie liistoiy of Jesus 
 Clirist. — Tlie end of Christian authors sliould be the promotion of 
 Cliristianity. — Tlie real value of an author proportionate to his 
 attainment of this end. 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 
 THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH AND NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE 
 
 SON OF MAN. 
 
 FIRST SECTION. 
 
 EVENTS PRECEDING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. 
 
 Chapter i. 5-80. 
 
 A. Annunciation of the Birth of His Forerunner. (Chap. i. 5-25.) 
 
 5 There was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named 
 Zacharias, of the course of Abia : and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, 
 and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, 
 walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 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 
 priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom 
 of the priest’s ofi&ce, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple 
 of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without 
 at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord 
 standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw 
 him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 1 3 But the 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. 14 And thou shalt have joy and 
 gladness ; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the 
 sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink ; and he shall 
 be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many 
 of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall 
 go before Him in 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. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel. Whereby 
 
CHAP. I. 5—25. 
 
 31 
 
 shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 
 19 And the angel answering, said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the 
 presence of God ; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad 
 tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, 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. 21 And the people waited for Zacha- 
 rias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he 
 came out, he could not speak unto them : and they perceived that he had seen 
 a vision in the temple ; for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 
 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accom- 
 plished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife 
 Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the 
 Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my re- 
 proach among men. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. In the days of Herod. — See remarks on Matt. ii. 1. 
 
 2. A certain priest. — Zacharias has been supposed, on insuffi- 
 cient grounds, to have been the high priest. It is worthy of remark, 
 how the meaning of both the names (Zacharias, i.e., the Lord re- 
 members; and Elisabeth, z.g., God’s oath) is borne out by what 
 happened to those who bore them. 
 
 3. Of the course of Ahia. — The descendants of Eleazar and 
 Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, were exclusively called to the service 
 of the sanctuary, and divided into four and twenty classes (1 Chron. 
 xxiv.), each of which ministered in the temple during a week. The 
 descendants of Eleazar, the elder son, formed sixteen of these 
 classes or courses ; those of Ithamar, the younger, only eight, — that 
 of Abia being (1 Chron. xxiv. 10) the eighth. From the days of 
 Solomon, these four and twenty courses relieved each other weekly 
 in the temple-service; it is therefore, not to be wondered at, 
 that attempts have frequently been made to ascertain the exact 
 period of the year at which the Lord was born, by means of the 
 chronological date of the week of the course of Abia. The result 
 of these researches, made chiefly by Scaliger, Solomon von Til, 
 and Bengel, is communicated and criticised by Wieseler (Chronol. 
 Synopsis, p. 140). It is, however, self-evident, that all such calcu- 
 lations must be uncertain and rash, until it can first be proved 
 that the pregnancy of Elisabeth took place immediately on the 
 return of Zacharias, and that the several courses continued, each 
 suo loco et tempore^ to perform their services in unintermitted suc- 
 cession. 
 
 4. Righteous before God. — A declaration not only of their tho- 
 
32 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 roiiglily Israclitlsli and tlicocratic characters, hut also tliat theywere 
 persons to wliom tlie divine approval pronounced upon Noah, Gen. 
 vii. 1, might rightly be applied, and who knew, from their own ex- 
 perience, the blessedness ” of which David sung in Ps. xxxii. 
 AVlien the promise made to Abraham is on the point of fulhlrnent, 
 we suddenly find that the true Abrahamic character (Gen. xv. 6, 
 xvii. 1), however rare, has by no means utterly disappeared in Israel. 
 
 5. According to the custom of the, priest s office. — In the service 
 of the sanctuary, nothing was left to accident, or to human arrange- 
 ment. Tlie lot determined who was to perform each separate 
 portion of the sacred service, and, especially, who was each morning 
 and CA'Cning to burn incense before the Lord. This office was 
 considered exceedingly important and honourable. According to 
 Josephus, a heavenly vision was also vouchsafed to John Ilyrcanus 
 during its performance. It seems impossible to determine, whe- 
 ther the vision of Zacharias took place at the time of the morning 
 or evenino' offerino^. 
 
 6. Were praying . — The pious were accustomed to unite in silent 
 supplication during the offering of the incense, which was ever 
 regarded as the symbol of acceptable prayer. (Ps. cxli. 2 ; Eev. 
 V. 8, viii. 3, 4.) 
 
 7. There appeared unto him. — It may be granted, that the quiet 
 and solitary sojourn of Zacharias, in the Holy Place, had both 
 quickened and elevated his susceptibility for beholding the angelic 
 appearance ; yet the narrative certainly bears no traces of any 
 ecstatic state, projierly so called. Indeed, his touching and natural 
 account of his seeing the angel, “ standing at the right side of the 
 altar of incense ” (which he may have considered a good omen), 
 vouches for his clearness of perception, and sobriety of mind. 
 
 8. Thy prayer is heard. — It is generally thought, that the secret 
 prayer of Zacharias for a son, known to God, and long uttered in 
 vain, is here intended. But would the aged Zacharias have limited 
 himself to this request ? Did no higher aspiration, than a merely 
 personal one, arise from the heart of a priest in the Holy Place ? 
 Must not Zacharias have been among the 7rpoo-he')(pfievoL XvrpcoaLv 
 iv AepovcraXgpby spoken of ch. ii. 38 ? And is it not therefore pro- 
 bable, that the chief matter of his prayer might be expressed by 
 the words of the Psalmist, Oh that the salvation of Israel were 
 come out of Sion ” ? F or all these reasons, we conclude, with 
 !Meyer, that the prayer of the priest had special reference to the 
 coming of IMessiah. A twofold answer to this prayer is promised : 
 
CHAP. I. 5—25. 
 
 33 
 
 first, that ^Messiah shall indeed appear in his days; and secondly, 
 that he shall himself be the fathey of the forerunner, who was to 
 prepare His way (Mai. iv.), — an honour he could not have ventured 
 to anticipate. Zacharias sought first the kingdom of God and His 
 righteousness, and all other things — earthly happiness, etc. — are 
 added to him. 
 
 9 . John, — Heb. Jochanan (God is gracious; Gotthold). Ac- 
 cording to an old Greek glossary, ’laydvvr]^, iv w ia-riv 97 %api 9 . The 
 name of the forerunner, as well as that of Jesus, was prescribed 
 before his birth. This distinction was not vouchsafed to the mother 
 of our Lord, whose name has since been so idolized. 
 
 10. He shall he great in the sight of the Lord. — Truly great, 
 then; for just what a man is in God’s eyes, that is he indeed, 
 neither more nor less. A silent hint also, that no earthly greatness 
 is to be expected ; for that which is highly esteemed before men 
 is abomination in the sight of the Lord.” 
 
 11 . He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. — Plainly refer- 
 ring to the condition of the Nazarites, for the laws concerning 
 whom, see Num. vi. Acts xxi. 24 shows that such vows were 
 not unusual in Israel in New Testament times. This appointment 
 places the forerunner, in this respect, on a level with Samson and 
 Samuel, who, as well as himself, were born to their parents, contrary 
 to all natural hopes and expectations. 
 
 12. From his mother^ s ivomh ; — i. e., not merely inde a pnero^ 
 according to Kuinoel’s lax interpretation, but before he shall have 
 seen the light (comp. ver. 41), from his earliest origin. 
 
 13. In the spirit and power of Elias. — An evident reference to 
 the last of the prophets, Mai. hi. 1, iv. 5, 6 , whose words are thus 
 endorsed by the angel. The expression, “ the Lord their God,” 
 alludes not exclusively to the Messiah, but to the Jehovah of Israel, 
 of whom it is said, that He Himself should appear in glory when 
 the divinely commissioned Messiah should come into the world. 
 The true subjects of Messiah are also the “ people prepared for 
 the Lord,” the God of Israel. 
 
 14. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. — The feel- 
 ing of the paternal relationship had grown cold in many hearts, in 
 the midst of the moral corruption of Israel : when the forerunner 
 lifts up his voice, the ties of family affeetion shall be strengthened. 
 Others interpret this, to restore to the children the devout disposi- 
 tion of their fathers. 
 
 15. For I am an old man. — This objection seems, in itself, as 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 3 
 
34 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 natural as that of Mary, ver. 34 ; but the Lord, who sees the he'art, 
 knows how to distinguish between the objections of unbelief, and 
 the natural questionings of innocence. 
 
 16. / am Gabriel. — An answer full of dignity, and at the same 
 time perfectly intelligible to a priest well instructed in the Holy 
 Scriptures, who would recognise, by this name, the heavenly mes- 
 senger, revealed to Daniel as one admitted to very intimate rela- 
 tions with the Godhead. The belief in different degrees of angels, 
 though a development of later days, was the fruit of direct revela- 
 tion. They who look on the Book of Daniel as the production of 
 more modern times, cannot credit his angelology ; and the angelic 
 world, which was opened to Zacharias and to Mary, is closed to 
 them, as a punishment of their unbelief. 
 
 17. Thou sfialt he dumb, and not able to speak. — This is no mere 
 repetition, but the first member of the sentence is the consequence 
 of the second. The notion, that a natural dumbness, arising from 
 an apoplectic stroke, is here meant, is one of those emdosities of 
 Rationalism, with which we have now no more to do, than to pre- 
 sent to the defenders of such a notion a recepisse. 
 
 18. And the people icaited for Zacharias. — According to many 
 interpreters, they were waiting to receive the blessing. It does 
 not, how^ever, appear that this was decidedly the office of the priest 
 who offered incense. It seems more probable, that, not being 
 accustomed to find the priest remain longer in the sanctuaiy than 
 was strictly necessary, some might have feared, when Zacharias had 
 been some time expected in vain, that some misfortune, or sign of 
 the divine displeasure, had befallen him. 
 
 19. They perceived that he had seen a vision. — Dumbness having 
 fallen upon him in the temple^ it was a natural supposition, that 
 this might be the result of an angelic appearance. Zacharias makes 
 signs that the supposition is correct. Interpreters have given due 
 prominence to the symbolic signification of this moment in the 
 sacred history. Bengel says, Zacharias^ miitus, excludebatur 
 tantisper ab actionihus sacerdotalibus. Prceludium legis ceremonialis 
 finiendee Christo venienteC — Chemnitz : lYlien the voice of the 
 preacher (Isa. xl.) is announced, the priesthood of the old Testament 
 becomes silent. The Levitical blessing is silenced, when the Seed 
 comes, in whom ^ all the families of the earth are blessed.’ ” 
 
 20. And hid herself five months. — Neither, as it seems to us, 
 from shame on account of her advanced age, nor to secure rest, 
 nor from unbelief, nor for the sake of observing an ascetic retire- 
 
CHAP. I. 5-25. 
 
 35 
 
 ment, and then suddenly making her situation known ; but to leave 
 to God, through whose extraordinary intervention she found herself 
 in this condition, the care of making it manifest, and of taking 
 away her reproach among men. There is a remarkable coincidence 
 in the frame of mind of Elisabeth and Mary, under similar circum- 
 stances, which shows that Elisabeth was not avyyevT]^ to Mary, 
 merely Kara aapKa. 
 
 DOCTEINAL KEFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. IntroitCy et hie DU sunt seems to resound in the ear of the 
 believer, as St Luke leads him into the sanctuary of Gospel 
 history. We are indebted to the fact, that he begins his previous 
 narrative at an earlier period than Matthew, for the advantage of 
 recognising fresh proofs of the manifold wisdom of God,” in the 
 coiu'se of events which preceded the birth of the Lord. The new 
 revelation of salvation begins in the days of Herod, when sin and 
 misery had reached their climax, and when the yearning for 
 Messiah’s appearance was more intensely felt than ever. The 
 temple, so often the scene of the manifestation of the glory of the 
 Lord, becomes again the centre, whence the first rays of light 
 secretly break through the darkness. Every circumstance, preced- 
 ing the birth of John, testifies to a special dispensation of God. 
 He is born of pious parents, and of priestly blood, that the genuine 
 theocratic spirit may be awakened and produced in the forerunner 
 of the Lord. He is trained for his high destination, not in corrupt 
 J erusalem, but in the retirement of a remote city of the priests (ver. 
 39). It is not revealed to all, that the voice of “ him that crieth ” 
 shall soon resound over hill and valley. The first witness to this 
 is only the pious old man, who greets the prophet as his child. An 
 angel assures Zacharias of the distinction conferred upon him. 
 What human tongue could have foretold it to him ; or how could 
 he have ventured to hearken to the voice of his own heart, without 
 direct revelation ? The angel appears to him in the retirement of 
 the sanctuary, while he is employed in the faithful discharge of his 
 priestly office, and testifies, by his message, that the days are past 
 in which the appearance of beings from another world betokened 
 death and destruction to mankind. To enhance his enjoyment of 
 it, the blessing is announced as an answer to prayer ; and the very 
 name given to the child, speaks to him of the graciousness of his 
 God. As a son begotten in old age, John ranks with Isaac ; as 
 granted to the barren in answer to prayer, with Samson and Samuel. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 3G 
 
 Ilis office and mission are stated in words wliicli must have re- 
 called to Zacharlas the prophecy of Malachi ; while the description 
 of his hahits, as those of a Nazarite, and of his character, as in the 
 spirit of Elias, must liave pointed out to his father a life of sorrow 
 and strife. And when the astonislied priest desires a sign, his want 
 of faith is visited with a proof of the severity, but at the same 
 time of the goodness, of God. As faith is to be the chief condition 
 of the new covenant, it was needful that the first manifestation of 
 unbelief should be emphatically punished ; but the Tvound inflicted 
 becomes a healing medicine for the soul. Zacharias is constrained 
 to much silent reflection, and, according to the counsel of God, the 
 secret is still kept for a time. The sight of the priest struck dumb, 
 awakens among the people an expectation of some great and 
 heavenly event ; and soon will “ the things ” (ver. 65, marg.) done 
 in the priest’s house, be noised abroad throughout all the hill- 
 country of Judea.” 
 
 2. So many traces of divine wisdom are apparent in the narra- 
 tive, that scepticism itself has no exceptions to make, but to its 
 miraculous character ; the appearance of an angel being especially 
 opposed to the notions of modern criticism. This being the first 
 account of the Idnd, which we meet with in Luke’s Gospel, we may 
 be allowed the followino; remarks. The existence of a higher 
 world of spirits, can as little be proved, as denied, by any a priori 
 reasoning ; experience and history can alone decide the point. Now 
 it is certain, on purely historical and critical grounds, that angels 
 have been both seen and heard by well-known and credible in- 
 dividuals ; and if this be so, a higher world of spirits must exist. 
 It has, indeed, been said (Schleiermacher), that belief in the 
 existence of angels, once admitted, has no limit in the religious con- 
 sciousness of the believer; but the question here, is merely concern- 
 ing the historical truth of biblical angelologyq and not concerning 
 the subjective experience it produces. Angels are not merely 
 “ transient emanations and effulgences of the divine essence ” 
 (Olshausen) ; but personal, conscious, holy beings, related, like men, 
 to the Father of spirits. God, being the supreme and absolute 
 Spirit, is able to employ such Xetroopyta Trvev/nara in His ser\dce ; 
 and man, having received a spiritual element from God, cannot 
 lack the ability of perceiving, with an enlightened eye, the ap- 
 pearance of beings so nearly related to himself. It is not when 
 the bodily eye has been directed to the material world, but when a 
 higher and more spiritual organ has been developed, and the ear 
 
CHAP. I. 5-25. 
 
 37 
 
 opened to tlic voice of God, in the hours of prayer and solitude, 
 that angelic appearances have been perceived. This power of 
 perception, produced by God Himself, must be distinguished from 
 the trance or vision, properly so called, wherein angels have some- 
 times, but by no means always, been perceived. The angelic 
 apparition was, in no case, the fruit of an overstrained imagination, 
 but an objective revelation of God, by means of personal spirits ; 
 yet only capable of being received under certain subjective con- 
 ditions. With respect to the angel who appeared to Zacharias, if 
 unbelief, on hearing his name, should cavil, and doubt whether 
 such definite names are borne in heaven, this conclusion cannot be 
 escaped under the pretext, that Gabriel (the hero of God) is no 
 nomen ^roprium^ but merely an appellativum ; and we have only 
 to answer, neganti incumhit prohatio. 
 
 3. There is a remarkable coincidence between Zacharias and 
 Abraham on the one side, and Elisabeth and Sarah on the other ; 
 not only in the fact of their unfruitfulness dm’ing so many years, but 
 also in the frame of mind in which they at length received the glad 
 tidings. But in these parallel histories, it is, in the Old Testament, 
 the man who is strong, the woman weak, in faith (Gen. x\dii. 12) ; 
 while here, on the contrary, it is the man whose faith falters. Even 
 in the very first chapter of Luke, woman, who had so long been 
 thrown into obscurity in the shadow of man, begins, in the persons 
 of Mary and Elisabeth, to take her place in the foreground, by the 
 heroism of a living faith ; as if to show that she is no longer the 
 slave of man, but a fellow-hek with him of the grace of life (1 Pet. 
 iii. 7). 
 
 4. It is a remarkable proof of the divine wisdom, that John is 
 announced as the second Elias. This name gives the earliest indi- 
 cation of his mission, as reformer, in an extremely corrupt nation ; 
 of his struggle, in resisting single-handed the false gods of his age, 
 as Elijah did Aliab and Jezebel ; of his fate, in being first per- 
 secuted and rejected, but afterwards honoured. The likeness of 
 John the Baptist to Elijah, strikes us not only in his outward 
 appearance, his clothing, and way of living, but in his spirit and 
 character, as a preacher of repentance. The difference between 
 them — consisting chiefly in the fact, that the second Elias did 
 no miracles — is explained by the peculiarity of his relation to 
 the Messiah. If the latter were to appear, as a prophet mighty in 
 word and deed. His forerunner could do no miracles, without divid- 
 ing the attention, and provoking a comparison, which must have 
 
38 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 been to the prejudice of one or the other. lie who would cavil 
 because the head of the greatest of the Old Testament prophets is 
 encircled by no halo of miracles, will find his answer, John x. 41. 
 
 5. On the formerly often-questioned genuineness of the two 
 first chapters of Luke, comp. Credner, “ Einleitung N. 21,” p. 131 ; 
 on the whole of Luke’s narrative of events preceding the birth of 
 Christ, J. P. Lange On the historical character of the canonical 
 Gospels, and especially on the history of the childhood of Jesus, 
 Duisburg, 1836 ; and (though with critical discrimination) “ die 
 Jugendgeschichte des Ilerrii, by Dr E. J. Gelpke, Bern and Leipsic, 
 1842. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The announcement of the birth of J ohn the Baptist, appointed 
 by divine wisdom, received in human weakness, confirmed by strik- 
 ing signs, crowned with surprising results. — God’s way in the 
 sanctuary : 1. The dark sanctuary, or dwelling-place of the Infinite; 
 
 2. the divine, where His glory is manifested. — The answer to the 
 prayer of Zacharias was, 1. earnestly desired, 2. long delayed, 3. 
 promised in a surprising manner, 4. incredulously waited for, and 
 5. gloriously vouchsafed. — The happiness of pious couples, even 
 when the blessing of children is denied. — The life of faith a con- 
 tinual priesthood. — God’s revelation hidden from the eye of the 
 world. — The holy angels present, even now, in the Lord’s house. — 
 The fear with which the revelation of great joy fills the heart of a 
 sinner. — The birth of John still a matter of rejoicing to many. — 
 John, the second Elias : their similarity and dissimilarity. — John, 
 great in the sight of the Lord : his superiority to all the Old Testa- 
 ment prophets, his inferiority to our Lord. — The gift of abstinence 
 even under the new covenant. — No meetness for the kingdom of 
 heaven, without sincere repentance. — The desire to see signs and 
 wonders, 1. easily explicable ; 2. veiy reprehensible ; 3. entirely 
 superfiuous, where a greater sign has already been vouchsafed. — 
 The angel who stands in the presence of God : his mysterious name, 
 exalted work, and hidden origin. — Zacharias dumb, yet preaching 
 to believers and unbelievers. — The announcement of the birth of 
 J ohn the Baptist, a proof of the truth of the prophetic word (Isa. 
 xlv. 15) : 1. God, a God that hideth Himself, 2. the God of Israel, 
 
 3. the Saviour. — Elisabeth, a type of the faith which receives God’s 
 blessing, enjoys God’s peace, and waits God’s time. — When the 
 reproach of His people is taken away, the Lord has been looking 
 
aiAP. I. 2C-38. 
 
 39 
 
 down on them favom’ahly. — The Lord’s second coming is, like Ilis 
 first, openly announced, incredulously doubted, patiently expected. 
 — The Lord will give more to His people than He withholds from 
 them. — Does Zacharias tremble at the sight of an angel ? Where 
 will the ungodly and the sinner appear, when the Lord cometh with 
 ten thousand of His saints ? — The punishment of unbelief is in the 
 end a blessing. — The less, the preparation for the greater. — Who hath 
 despised the day of small things ? Zech. iv. 10. — “ Children are an 
 heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” — 
 Gabriel standing in the presence of God in heaven, and John great 
 in the sight of the Lord on earth. — The interest of the angels in 
 the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. — Even in times of the 
 greatest corruption, there are still houses which are temples of God. 
 — The vision is yet for an appointed time ; but at the end it shall 
 speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will surely 
 come, it will not tarry.” 
 
 Starcke. — In prayer, we should remember the presence of angels. 
 — ^Even one of the holiest of men cannot stand before an angel. — 
 Even the true servants of God are not without infirmities. — Nothing 
 is great, but what is great before God. — God is able to do exceed- 
 ing abundantly above all that we ask or think, Eph. hi. 20. — The 
 more intimate the communion of a Christian with his God, the 
 more certain his chastisement when he offends Him. — He who 
 sins with his mouth, is punished in his mouth. — God has an eye 
 upon His people, though no one else should see them. — There are 
 times when the children of God bear reproach ; there are also times 
 when God takes away their reproach before men : in both His grace 
 is shown. 
 
 B. Annunciation of the Birth of the Messiah. (Chap. i. 26-38.) 
 
 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city 
 of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man, whose name was 
 Joseph, of the house of David ; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the 
 angel came in unto her, and said. Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord 
 is with thee : blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she 
 was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this 
 should be. 80 And the angel said unto her. Fear not, Mary : for thou hast 
 found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, 
 and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. 32 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 David : 33 And He shall reign over the house of 
 Jacob for ever ; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary 
 
40 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 unto the angel, How shall this he, seeing I know not a man ? 35 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, 
 which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. 8G And, behold, 
 thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age : and this is 
 the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing 
 shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be 
 it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 
 
 CRITICAL REMARKS. 
 
 1. Nazareth — See remarks on Matt. ii. 23. 
 
 2. To a virgin — Joseph is the most prominent person in Mat- 
 thew’s narrative of events preceding the birth of Christ, Mary in 
 Luke’s ; an indication that she was, whether mediately or imme- 
 diately, the source whence he derived the account of these facts. 
 (Comp. Acts xxi. 17.) 
 
 3. Of the house of David. — These words, relating solely to Joseph, 
 show that he was also of the blood-royal. That they by no means 
 deny the descent of Mary from David, will appear hereafter. 
 
 4. And the angel came in unto her. — Here is no mere apparition 
 of an angel in a dream, as to Joseph ; but a visit in open day, in the 
 quiet hour of retirement, as more befitting and satisfactory under 
 the cu’cumstances. 
 
 5. Highly favoured. — It is apparent from ver. 30 that this is not 
 spoken of the external beauty of Mary, but of the favour she had 
 found in God’s sight. The same epithet is bestowed upon all be- 
 lievers, Eph. i. 6, orig. 
 
 6. She cast in her mind. — A proof of her serenity and presence 
 of mind at a critical period. How different were Zacharias, and 
 many before him ! 
 
 7. Shall he called; — not only shall he^ but shall one day be 
 publicly recognised as what He really is. 
 
 8. The Son of the Highest. — This name seems here used by the 
 angel, not in a metaphysical, but a theocratic sense. It points to 
 the anointed King, so long foretold by the prophets, and to whom 
 the words, 2 Sam. vii. 14, Ps. ii. 7, Ixxxix. 28, so fully applied. 
 Very deserving our consideration is the following observation of 
 O. von Gerlach : It is worthy of remark, that the proper divinity 
 of her son was not definitely revealed to Mary ; otherwise, neither 
 she nor Joseph could have been in a position to bring up the cliild ; 
 for the submission, which was a necessary condition of His human- 
 ity, would have been submission only in appearance. But this 
 
CHAP. L 2G-38. 
 
 41 
 
 promise, while it by no means abolished the parental relationship, 
 would yet direct the reverential attention of the parents towards 
 the child. From the very beginning of our Lord’s incarnation, 
 we see that the knowledge of His divinity was not to be communi- 
 cated in an external and awe-inspiring manner, but to be gradually 
 manifested by His humanity, and work of redemption.” For 
 hlary, who was so intimately acquainted with the Old Testament, 
 this prophecy would contain the essence of the most remarkable 
 hlessianic promises : 2 Sam. vii. ; Isa. ix. ; Micah v., etc. 
 
 9. Over the house of Jacob. — The announcement of His reign 
 over the whole world would have been, at this time, even more 
 incomprehensible to Mary. It lies hidden, however, in the pro- 
 mise, Of His kingdom there shall be no end.” We must not 
 regard these words of the angel as an accommodation to the exclu- 
 sively Jewish expectations then prevailing, concerning the kingdom 
 of Messiah. Salvation is of the Jews, and will one day return to 
 Israel. 
 
 10 . Hoiv shall this he ? etc. — A natural objection, and a question 
 as much allowed by the angel, as that of Zacharias had been blamed. 
 Comp. Num. xxxi. 17 ; Judg. xi. 39 ; Matt. i. 18. 
 
 11. The Holy Ghost — the power of the Highest. — The parallel 
 between these two expressions, exacts that the one should be inter- 
 preted by the other ; and their mutual light teaches, that the Holy 
 Ghost has verily a life-producing power, but by no means, that He 
 is only power, without personality. 
 
 12. Shall come upon thee — shall overshadow thee. — Again two 
 phrases reflecting light upon each other. Both point to the super- 
 natural operation of the Holy Ghost, in bringing to pass that 
 which ordinarily occurs only through conjugal intercourse. The 
 word hnaKidaeL can no more be understood to denote a special 
 divine protection (Kuinoel), than a cohabitation (Paulus). 
 
 13. Therefore also. — His miraculous buth is here spoken of as 
 the natural, but by no means the only reason, why He, who had 
 no human father, should receive the name of the Son of God. 
 
 14. Thy cousin (77 aov). — It does not quite appear what 
 
 was the relationship between ^lary and Elisabeth. This relation- 
 ship, however, whatever it might be, proves nothing against Mary’s 
 descent from David, as different tribes might be united by marriage. 
 (Num. xxxvi. 6 offers no difficulty, as it relates only to heiresses, 
 whose family was in danger of becoming extinct.) There is, there- 
 fore, no reason to conclude that Mary, by reason of her relationship 
 
42 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 to Elisabeth, was of the tribe of Levi (as in the Testam. XII Pa- 
 triarcharurrij p. 542, and Schleiermaclier’s Lukas, p. 26). 
 
 15. With God nothing shall he impossible. — A powerful support for 
 INIaiy’s faith ; and the last, and indeed the only sufficient, answer to 
 the horror of the miraculous, manifested by modern criticism. 
 
 16. Be it unto me. — Not only the utterance of obedient submis- 
 sion, but also of patient, longing expectation. The heart of Mary 
 is now filled with the Holy Ghost, who can also prepare her body 
 to be the temple of the Son of God. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. Concerning the person of Mary, her youth, and legends of 
 her after history, see Winer in voce Mary. The beauty of her cha- 
 racter, as the handmaid of the Lord,” and the chosen instrument 
 of the Holy Spirit, strikes us at the first glimpse afforded to us. 
 (A. H. Niemeyer gives a short but beautiful notice of her, in his 
 Chavakteristik der Bibel i., pp. 40-42.) 
 
 2. Two views, which have obtained in the Christian world, 
 concerning the person and character of Mary, are condemned 
 by these early pages of Luke’s Gospel. The first is that of the 
 Homan Catholic Church, which transforms the handmaid of the 
 Lord into the queen of heaven ; the mother of J esus into the 
 mother of God ; the redeemed sinner into the mediatrix and inter- 
 cessor. The other is that of Ratmialismus vulgaris^ which deprives 
 the lowly bride of the carpenter of the chastity and purity which 
 were her richest dowry, and necessarily rejects the miracle of the 
 supernatural birth ; there being no reason for concluding that Jesus 
 was the son of Joseph. The first idea was chiefly supported by 
 the apocryphal gospels, which represented the head of her, upon 
 whom the light of the divine favour had indeed richly fallen, as 
 smTounded by a visible halo. Its result was an almost heathen 
 apotheosis of the virgin-mother, producing all the follies of an 
 unlimited Mariolatry. The second notion was first conceived in the 
 brain of the heathen Celsus, who derides the mother of Jesus, as 
 the victim of seduction ; while the Jewish edition of this idea names 
 one Panthera or Pandira as her seducer. To the shame of Chris- 
 tendom, we have seen this blasphemy revived, in various forms, in 
 the nineteenth century (Bahrdt, and, in some degree, Paulus and 
 others). Its own intrinsic beauty, truth, and sublimity commend 
 the Gospel narrative, in opposition to both these products of a 
 diseased imagination. 
 
CHAP. I. 26-38. 
 
 43 
 
 3. With rcspoct to the descent of Llary from David, it is un- 
 deniable that the words, oXkov Luke i. 27, refer exclu- 
 
 sively to Joseph ; yet they by no means assert, that our Lord did 
 not descend from David on His mother’s side. We shall soon see 
 that Luke iii. presents us with the genealogy of Mary, as Matt. i. 
 does with that of Joseph. The angel, too, who announces to her 
 that she shall conceive a son, through the power of the Holy Ghost, 
 could not possibly have added, “ The Lord God shall give unto Him 
 the throne of His father David,” had not Mary herself been a 
 daughter of David. Her song of praise, also, clearly shows what 
 expectations she cherished for the house of David, and can only be 
 understood, with psychological correctness, when it is regarded as 
 uttered by the daughter of a royal house, who, though that house 
 was then in the depths of degradation, was yet looking forward to 
 the elevation of the rightful dynasty, and the abasement of the 
 foreign tyrant who then usurped the throne. The Magnificat is as 
 unambiguous a proof of Mary’s royal descent as the genealogy, 
 ch. iii. 
 
 4. The miraculous conception of our Lord, by the power of the 
 Holy Ghost, is related by Luke, as a fact which cannot be doubted, 
 and leaves no room for supposing that he is treating of aught 
 mythical or traditionary. It has often been said, but never proved, 
 that the Jews of those days were expecting that Messiah would be 
 born of a virgin, in some miraculous manner ; but even then, it 
 would not follow that the narrative was composed merely in obedi- 
 ence to the dictates of such an expectation. The analogy of certain 
 heathen theogonies, may perhaps prove the possibility of inventing 
 such a narrative, in a polytheistic or pantheistic sense; but its 
 reality, in a Christian sense, can by no means be thus accounted 
 for. Its similarity to the accounts in certain apocryphal gospels 
 speaks more for, than against, the historical fidelity of Luke. Our 
 Lord Himself, indeed, so far as we know, never spoke of this mi- 
 racle; but His silence may be satisfactorily accounted for. His 
 mother’s honour, the natoe of the circumstance, the enmity of the 
 J ews, all forbade Him to bring to light a mystery, for the truth of 
 which He had only His own or Mary’s word to offer. Nor need it 
 astonish us, that His contemporaries speak of Him as the son of 
 J oseph ( J ohn i. 45) ; nor that Mary, speaking of her husband to 
 Jesus, then twelve years of age, should say, ^^Thy father;” nor, 
 least of all, that His brethren should not believe in Him (John vii. 
 5) ; for, from all in the domestic circle, except Mary and Joseph, the 
 
44 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 affair was concealed witli profound secrecy. We have already seen 
 that Matthew also speaks of a miraculous birth ; while Mark, though 
 he passes over in silence the history of Christ previous to Ilis entry 
 upon Ilis public ministry, yet presents the person of our Lord in so 
 divine a light, as naturally to lead to the supposition of Ilis heavenly 
 origin. John is also silent on the subject, though, in his descrip- 
 tion of the children of God, as horn ovk al/xarcop, ovSe Ik 6e\q- 
 fxaro^ GapKo^, ov^e etc 6e\7]ixaTo<^ avBp6<;, immediately before the 
 words, 0 X0709 crapf eyevero, there seems contained a latent remi- 
 niscence of what he must have undoubtedly heard from Mary during 
 his long and intimate intercourse with her. For if he says, that 
 that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that the X0709 h dp^jj 
 7rpo9 Tov Oeov became flesh, we must, according to this Evangelist 
 also, believe that this took place in some other way than through 
 the OeXrjpia aapKo^, Nevertheless, though the conception by the 
 power of the Holy Ghost may be deduced from his doctrine con- 
 cerning the Logos, he certainly does not expressly declare it. Paul 
 also contents himself with the general statement, that the Lord was 
 born of a woman, and of the seed of David (Rom. i. 4 ; Gal. iv. 4 ) ; 
 and it seems clear that this miracle, though an indispensable ele- 
 ment of Gospel history, did not originally belong to the apostolic 
 Ki]pvypLa, which, according to Acts i. 21, began only with the baptism 
 of John. 
 
 5 . This does not, however, interfere with the fact, that the mi- 
 raculous conception stands on a firm historical foundation, and is of 
 the greatest doctrinal importance. F or the first assertion, they who 
 deny it, a 'priori^ as absolutely impossible, deserve no other answer 
 than : irXavdcrOe pLy elBore^; Td<; ypacpd*; pirjBe t^v hvvapiLv tov Oeov. 
 Yet, far rather than say, with a modern theologian (Hase), that 
 birth of a virgin cannot be proved to be impossible,” would we 
 comfort ourselves with the words of the angel, otl ovk dSvvarijcrei 
 irapd TOV Oeov irdv prjpba. The laws of nature are not chains, 
 wherewith the Supreme Lawgiver has bound Himself ; but cords, 
 which lie holds in His own hand, and which He can lengthen or 
 shorten as His good pleasm'e and wisdom dictate. And surely, in 
 the present case, an end worthy of divine interference justified the 
 deviation. When the Eternal Word was, in ‘Hhe fulness of the 
 time,” to take upon Him the form of a servant, the new member 
 could only be introduced into the human series in an extraordinary 
 manner. He, who was in the beginning with God, and who came 
 of His own will to sojomm in this our world, could hardly enter it 
 
CHAP. L 2G-38. 
 
 45 
 
 as one of ourselves would. lie, wlio was tlie light and life of men, 
 must surely see the light of day, through an immediate exercise of 
 omnipotent power. Besides, if He were to be free from every taint 
 of original sin, and to redeem us from the power of sin, how would 
 this have been possible, if He had been born by the fleshly inter- 
 course of sinful parents ? The strong and healthy graft which was 
 to bring new life into the diseased stock, must not originate from 
 this stock, but be grafted into it from without. To deduce hence 
 the need also of an immaculata conception in the case of Mary, would 
 be to lose sight of the fact, that we do not lay the chief stress upon 
 the article “ natus e virgine M.,” but upon the preceding “ conceptus 
 e Sp, Sr From the moment of our Lord’s conception, the Holy 
 Spirit certainly continued to influence and penetrate the mind and 
 spirit of Mary, to suppress the power of sin, and to make her body 
 His consecrated temple. If it be said that Christian consciousness 
 is perfectly satisfied by accepting the fact, that God removed all 
 the pernicious consequences resulting from an ordinary human 
 birth (Schleiermacher), the question here is not. What can the 
 Christian consciousness of an individual bear? but. What saith the 
 Scriptoe? Moreover, the true humanity of the Son of man is 
 by no means abolished, but rather explained by this miracle ; for 
 was Adam no real man, because he also, in a physical view, was a 
 vlo<i 060V f In short, the miraculous conception is a o-KavSaXov to 
 those alone who will see in our Lord nothing more than His pure 
 humanity, and who put the sinlessness of the perfect man Christ 
 J esus in the place of the real incarnation of God in Him. To us, 
 who believe in the latter. His miraculous conception is the natural 
 consequence of His superhuman dignity, the basis of His normal 
 development, and a symbol of the dvcoOev ryevvrjOpvat, which must 
 take place in every member of the kingdom of God. Compare J. 
 J. van Oosterzee, Disputatio Theologica, de Jesu e virgine Maria 
 natOy Trag. ad Bh. 1840. 
 
 6. The conception of the Son of God, by the Holy Ghost, is the 
 beginning of the intimate union between the X0709 evcrapKo^ and 
 the 'Trvevfia ovk i/c perpov, John iii. 34. Thirty years later, the 
 Spirit descended upon Him in a bodily shape ; and after He w^as 
 glorified. He sent the Spirit upon all that believed on Him. The 
 same Spirit who formed the body of Christ, forms also the corpus 
 Christi mysticunin the Church. 
 
46 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The calm, unostentatious entrance of the Divine Word into the 
 world. — God hath chosen the weak things of the world to con- 
 found the things which are mighty. — The present worship of Mary 
 condemned by the words of Gabriel: 1 Mary is called by him, 
 highly favoured, blessed among women; by her worshippers, the 
 dispenser of favours, raised above women : by him, the handmaid 
 of the Lord, a sinful daughter of Adam ; by them, the Queen of 
 angels, the immaculata concepta. — Mary a type of faith; in her just 
 astonishment, natoal fear, gentle boldness, and unlimited obedience. 
 — The blessed among women : 1. poor, yet rich ; 2. “ troubled,” yet 
 meditative; 3. first doubtful, then believing. — The angelic ap- 
 pearances to Zacharias and Mary compared. — Jesus a gracious gift, 
 1. to Mary, 2. to Israel, 3. to the world. — The greatness of Jesus, 
 and the greatness of John, compared (vers. 15 and 32) : 1. Jesus 
 greater than John in Himself; 2. a greater gift of God ; 3. therefore 
 worthy of our greater appreciation. — The throne of David, 1. raised 
 up after deep abasement, 2. raised up amongst Israel, 3. raised up 
 amongst us, 4. raised up to fall no more. — The question. How shall 
 this be? may be asked, 1. in a sense lawful for man, and reverential 
 towards God ; or 2. in a sense unlawful for man, and dishonouiing 
 God. — The operation of the Holy Ghost in creation (Gen. i. 2), 
 and in redemption or the new creation (Luke i. 35), compared: 
 1. In both, a long and silent preparation; 2. in both, a life-giving and 
 fructifying operation; 3. in both, a new world created. — The support 
 which those, who are highly favoured,” find from contemplating 
 others also highly favoured : This support perfectly lawful, often 
 indispensable, always limited, and the highest, and often the only, 
 support of faith, in a power to which nothing is impossible. — With 
 God nothing shall be impossible, an answer by which, 1. unbelief 
 is put to shame, 2. weak faith strengthened, 3. and faith excited to 
 thankful adoration and unlimited obedience. — Behold the handmaid 
 of the Lord ! 1. Her hidden conflict ; 2. her complete victory; 3. her 
 full reward ; 4. her happy peace. — The messenger of Heaven and 
 the child of earth united, to perform the counsel and good pleasui’e 
 of God. — The greatest miracle in the world’s history, encompassed 
 with the thickest veil of obscmity. 
 
 Starche. — God knows where to find His children, however 
 hidden they may be (2 Tim. ii. 19). — God is wont to bestow His 
 favours in times of quiet and retirement, Isa. xxx. 50. — All believers 
 
CHAP. I. 39—80. 
 
 47 
 
 aretlie blessed” of the Lord (Eph. i. 3). — The holier, the humbler. 
 — The “ troubles” of holy minds always end in comfort. — The mem- 
 bers of Christ’s kingdom have in Him an everlasting King, an ever- 
 lasting support, and an everlasting joy. — Let even thy nearest and 
 dearest forsake thee, so thou make sure the Lord Jesus be with 
 thee, and abide in thee. 
 
 Heubner . — Mary and Eve : their similarity and dissimilarity, 
 their relation to the human race. — Mary the happiest, but also the 
 most sorely tried, of women. — Christians bom of the house of Jacob, 
 according to the Spirit. — Humility the best frame of mind for the 
 reception of grace. — Om’ birth is also a work of God. — The mira- 
 culous birth of Jesus, a glorification of the whole human race. — 
 Wallin : The angel’s salutation of Mary may be applied to Chris- 
 tians in all the holy seasons of life : baptism, confirmation, the time 
 of chastening, the day of death. — Fr. Arndt : How does the time 
 of regeneration begin in the world, and in the heart? By an 
 announcement of the gi’ace of God, which is, 1. heard in humility, 
 2, received with patience and entire self-resignation. 
 
 Van Oosterzee. — Mary the handmaid of the Lord. This saying 
 the inscription of the history of Mary, as maid, wife, and widow. 
 Her character presents a rare combination of — 1. genuine humility, 
 Tvdth joyful faith ; 2. of quiet resignation, with active zeal ; 3. of 
 faithful love, with unwavering heroism. — Item : That the Word was 
 made flesh, is, 1. an undoubted fact ; this proved by, a. the life, h. 
 the words, c. the works of the Lord ; 2. an unfathomable miracle ; 
 a. the unprecedented, h. the intimate, c. the voluntary, nature of 
 the union of the Divine Word with flesh; 3. an ever-memorable 
 benefit ; for this incarnation is, a. the glory, h. the light, c. the life 
 of mankind. To conclude, the questions. Do you believe in the fact ? 
 reverence the miracle ? highly esteem the benefit ? 
 
 C. Hymns of Praise^ with ivhicJi the expectation of the Messiali s 
 
 Birth, and the actual Birth of the Baptist, were greeted. (Chap. 
 I. 39-80.) 
 
 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill-country with haste, 
 into a city of Juda ; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted 
 Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation 
 of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb ; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy 
 Ghost : 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said. Blessed art thou 
 among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this 
 to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as 
 
48 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb 
 for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed : for there shall be a performance 
 of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My 
 
 soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my 
 
 Saviour. 48 For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden : for, be- 
 hold, 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. 60 And His 
 
 mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. 51 He hath 
 
 shoAved strength with His arm : He 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 
 remembrance 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 
 be delivered ; and she brought forth a son. 68 And her neighbours and her 
 cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her ; and they re- 
 joiced with her. 59 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 his 
 father. 60 And his mother answered and said. Not so ; but he shall be called 
 John. 61 And they said unto her. There is none of thy kindred that is called 
 by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him 
 called. 63 And he asked for a writing-table, and -wrote, saying. His name is 
 John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, 
 and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on 
 all that dwelt round about them : and all these sayings were noised abroad 
 throughout all the hill- country of Judea. 66 And all they that heard them 
 laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be ! And 
 the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled 
 with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of 
 Israel ; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, 69 And hath raised up an 
 horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David ; 70 As He spake by 
 the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began ; 71 That 
 we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us ; 
 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy 
 covenant, 73 The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, 74 That He 
 would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, 
 might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him, all 
 the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the 
 Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways ; 77 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people, by the remission of their sins, 
 78 Through the tender mercy of our God ; whereby the day-spring from on 
 high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the 
 shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 And the child 
 grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his 
 showing unto Israel. 
 
CHAP. I. 39-80. 
 
 49 
 
 CllITICAL REMARKS. 
 
 1. Into a city of Jiida. — It does not seem probable that tliese 
 enigmatical words denote so miicli as a city of the tribe of Judah, 
 much less that they point out Jerusalem or Hebron. The supposi- 
 tion, that 'lovSa has been substituted for "lovra (mentioned Josh. xv. 
 55), is far more credible ; nor is it unlikely that this less strictly 
 correct orthography is derived from Luke himself. Juta is at pre- 
 sent a considerable district, inhabited by Mohammedans. See Rohr’s 
 Palestine, p. 187. 
 
 2. Mary arose and entered. — According to Jewish customs, it 
 was improper, or at least unusual, for single or betrothed females 
 to travel alone. Mary, however, may have undertaken this jour- 
 ney with. Joseph’s consent, and, perhaps, partly in the company of 
 others. The supposition, that Josej:)!! had taken his betrothed 
 bride to his home, after a public solemnization of their nuptials, 
 before this journey (Hug, Ebrard), seems improbable; but still 
 more so, that Mary had already apprised him of the fact of the 
 angelic visitation. Her part throughout was to announce nothing, 
 but simply to wait till He, who had destined her to the highest 
 honour ever bestowed, should, in His own good time, also make 
 clear her innocence to the eyes of her husband and the world. By 
 this state of affairs only, can Luke’s account be reconciled with 
 Matthew’s, who, after the words evpedr] iv y. describes the dis- 
 covery of Mary’s state as an unexpected, and hence a disquieting, 
 discovery to Joseph. Mary leaves it simply to God to enlighten 
 Joseph, as He had enlightened her. Nor does she undertake a 
 journey to Elisabeth to consult with her, or to avoid her husband, but 
 to seek that confirmation of her faith pointed out to her by the angel. 
 
 3. And it came to pass. — The salutation of Mary, the ecstasy 
 of Elisabeth, and the leaping of the babe in her womb, are three 
 circumstances occurring at the same moment. At Mary’s arrival, 
 Elisabeth is filled with joy, and her babe moves. Luke mentions 
 the latter circumstance first, as being the most extraordinary, al- 
 though, in itself, it was rather the consequence than the cause of 
 the emotion felt by Elisabeth at Mary’s salutation. The aged 
 woman, filled with the Holy Ghost, recognises, by the extraordinary 
 movement of the child, the presence of the future mother of her 
 Lord; and thus the yet unborn John already offers involuntary 
 homage to the Kapiro^; T 779 KOi\[a<^ of JMary. 
 
 4. And blessed. — The first beatitude of the New Testament, 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 4 
 
50 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 and, in a certain sense, the root of all the rest. Elisabeth, while 
 extolling the blessedness of ^laiy, was undoubtedly reflecting with 
 compassion on the condition of Zacharias, whose unbelief had been 
 reproved with loss of speech, while the believing ]\Iary was entering 
 her house with joyful salutations. 
 
 5. J^or there shall he a performance^ etc. — It is grammatically 
 possible, yet not logically necessary, to refer the on to the object of 
 Mary’s faith (which believed that there, marg.). The assurance, 
 that verily the things promised should be fulfilled without excep- 
 tion, though not indispensable in IMaiy’s case, must yet have been 
 a confirmation of her faith, which she would most gladly welcome. 
 It is self-evident how much the abruptness of the sentences in 
 wliich Elisabeth pours out the fulness of her heart, enhances the 
 beauty of this passage. A psahn-hke tone, better felt than ex- 
 pressed, seems to resound in her words, forming a prelude to 
 Mary’s Macjnifcatr 
 
 6. And Mary said. — The angel’s visit was vouchsafed to Maiy 
 later than to Zacharias, yet her song of thanksgiving is uttered 
 long before his : faith is already singing for joy, while unbelief is 
 compelled to be silent. The Magnificat is evidently no carefully 
 composed ode, but the unpremeditated outpouring of deep emotion, 
 the improvisation of a happy faith. It was easy for Mary, a 
 daughter of the royal race, well acquainted A\dth the lyrics of the 
 Old Testament, favoured by God and filled wdth the Holy Ghost, 
 to become in an instant both poetess and prophetess. The fulfil- 
 ment of the angel’s words with respect to Elisabeth, in which she 
 saw a pledge and token of the full perfonnance of his other pro- 
 mises, and of the realization of her most cherished hopes, seems to 
 have been the immediate cause of this song of praise. 
 
 7. My soul doth magnify the Lord. — Mary’s hymn recalls, besides 
 the song of Hannah (1 Sam. ii. 1), several passages in the Psalms, 
 especially in Ps. cxiii. and cxxH. The whole may be divided into 
 three or four strophes, forming an animated doxology. The grace 
 of God (ver. 48), His omnip)otence (vers. 49-51), His holiness 
 (vers. 49, 51, 54), His justice (vers. 52 and 53), and especially His 
 faithfulness (vers. 54 and 55), are here celebrated. It sounds like 
 an echo, not only of DaHd’s and Hannah’s, but also of IMhlam’s 
 and of Deborah’s harps; yet independently reproduced in the 
 mind of a woman, who had laid up and kept in her heart what she 
 had read in Holy Scriptiu’e. 
 
 8. God my Saviour. — Undoubtedly Maiy was looking for civil 
 
CHAP. I. 39-80. 
 
 51 
 
 and political blessings, through the birth of the Messiah ; but we 
 overlook the clearness of her views, and the depth of her mind, by 
 thinking that her expectations were only, or chiefly, fixed upon 
 these. The temporal salvation which she expected, was in her eye 
 only the t}"pe and symbol of that higher blessedness, which she 
 desired above all things. 
 
 9. The low estate. — Not lowliness of mind, but of condition, 
 humilis conditio. — From henceforth. The first beatitude, uttered by 
 Elisabeth, is a token of an unutterable nmnber, of which one at 
 least is recorded, Luke xi. 27. 
 
 10. And holy is His name. — No mere apposition to Svvarof; 
 (Kuinoel), but a new and independent sentence (comp. 1 Sam. ii. 2). 
 
 11. The mighty. — ’Mary would have been no true daughter of 
 David, if she could have spoken these words without primary refer- 
 ence to Herod ; but no believing Israelite, if she had thought of 
 Herod alone. The overthrow of all anti-Messianic power seems, 
 in her imagination, to begin with the fall of the Idumsean usurper. 
 
 12. He hath filled the hungry with good things. — The supposition, 
 that only the good things of this world are here alluded to (Meyer), 
 is as little to be entertained, as that the satisfying of a spiritual 
 hunger is exclusively intended. Such an alternative is certainly 
 unnecessary in the case of Mary, wdiose earthly hunger and nour- 
 ishment were both the type and resemblance of a higher need and 
 a higher satisfaction, and who had certainly felt what Gothe after- 
 wai’ds sung, Alles vergdngliche ist nur ein Gleichniss.^^ At this 
 time, the spiritual craving was most powerfully felt among the 
 outwardly needy. How exclusively material, or how exclusively 
 spiritual, would Mary have been, if she could have wholly confined 
 her meanino- to either of these ideas ! 
 
 O 
 
 13. Abraham and his seed. — A remarkable proof that !Maiy’s 
 expectations concerning the Messiah’s appearance were not of an ex- 
 clusive, but of a universal nature. (The seed promised to xlbraham 
 was to be a blessing to the whole world.) 
 
 14. And returned to her own house. — To keep silence before 
 Joseph, as she had broken silence before Elisabeth. Even the dis- 
 tasteful manner in which what passed between the betrothed pair 
 is embellished in apocryyhal literature (Protevang. Jac. ch. 11, 12 ; 
 Thiloj p. 215), is better than the opinion that Mary made a sort of 
 confessio auricularis to her husband. To suppose it psychologically 
 and morally impossible that Mary kept silence and waited, even 
 after her visit to Elisabeth, is to have entered but veiy superficially 
 
 (JLOFiLLUB. 
 
52 
 
 Tlin GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 into lier circumstances. Hers was no transient kindling of mere 
 entliusiasm, but a constant and steadily burning flame of divine 
 inspiration. 
 
 15. To circumcise the child. — On the origin, intention, and 
 sacredness of circumcision, see De Wette^ Archceologie^ § 150. Ac- 
 cording to Gen. xxi. 3, 4, the performance of circumcision, and the 
 bestowing of a name, had been simultaneous from the very origin 
 of the rite. It is remarkable how much the custom of giving the 
 name on the seventh or eighth day after a child’s birth has been 
 practised in the East, even where the rite of circumcision has been 
 unknown. According to Ewald, Israel Alterthilmer, p. 110, the 
 first of these practices is found to exist among the Khandi in India, 
 and the second among the Negroes ; he also connects their use with 
 the ancient sacred division of time into weeks. 
 
 16. And his mother ansxcered. — Ex revelatione, according to 
 Theophylact, Euthym. Zigabenus, Bengel, and Meyer. But it is 
 not said here, that she was filled with the Holy Ghost ; and it is 
 highly improbable that Zacharias should have kept the matter con- 
 cealed from her during so many months. Needless multiplication 
 of the miraculous is quite as censurable as arbitrary denial. 
 
 17. And they made signs. — Certainly not because he was also 
 deaf, as Ewald and many ancient writers have supposed ; for the 
 very fact that a sign was considered sufficient for Zacharias, shows 
 that he had already silently heard the friendly contention. 
 
 18. A writing-tahle. — Tertullian well says, Zacharias loquitur 
 in stylo y auditur in cera;'' and Bengel, Prima haec scriptura N. T. 
 incipit a gratia! 
 
 19. And his mouth was opened immediately. — Neither by the 
 force of joyful emotion (Kuinoel), nor by his breaking a voluntary 
 silence (Paulus), but by a miracle, whereby the word of the angel 
 was fulfilled at exactly the right time. Now that his soul is fully 
 released from the chains of unbelief, his tongue is released from 
 the chains of dumbness. His first use of his recovered faculty is 
 not to utter a complaint, but a doxology : a proof that the cure had 
 taken place in his soul also. 
 
 20. And fear came on all. — Not a remark in anticipation of the 
 history (De Wette), but the first immediate impression produced 
 by what occurred at the birth and naming of the child. The 
 Evangelist does not say that Zacharias uttered his song of praise 
 on this eighth day. In the whole of St Luke’s previous history, as 
 well as in other parts of Holy Scripture, fear has always been the 
 
CHAP. I, 39—80. 
 
 53 
 
 first effect produced upon man by tlie consciousness tliat heavenly 
 beings are entering into nearer and unusual intercourse with him 
 (ch. i. 12, 29, ii. 9). This fear, which now spread only througli 
 the hill-country of Judea, afterwards filled the heart of all Jeru- 
 salem. It was undoubtedly kept up, as well as the expectation of 
 some greater thing to follow, by the unusual manner in which the 
 child John was brought up. The whole history of his childhood is 
 summed up in the words, And the hand of the Lord was with 
 him an evident reference to the prophecy of the angel (ver. 15). 
 With Lachmann and Tischendorf, we prefer the reading koX yap ')(€ip 
 to KoX '^elp of the Eecepta. The question of surprise is thus modi- 
 fied, and the surprise indirectly expressed as constantly increasing. 
 
 21. And prophesied. — This word, both here and often in many 
 other places, must not be understood in the sense of vaticinium edere^ 
 but of uttering inspired words of praise. The last prophecy con- 
 cerning Christ before His birth, by the mouth of Zacharias, has 
 more the character of a psalm than an oracle. It can scarcely be 
 better described than in the wwds of Lange, Lehen Jesu ii., p. 90 ; 
 
 The song of praise now uttered by Zacharias, had so gradually 
 and completely ripened in his soul, that he could never forget it in 
 future. This song depicts the form and stature of his faith ; it is 
 the expression of the Gospel, as his heart had received it. It is 
 with priestly intuition that Zacharias sees the reconciliation and 
 enlightenment of the world in the advent of the Messiah. The 
 coming Christ appears to him the true horn of salvation for His 
 people, who henceforth, delivered from their enemies, shall perform 
 true, real worship, celebrating the service of God in perpetual free- 
 dom. It is tliis that is his heart’s delight as a priest. His heart’s 
 delight as a father is, that his son shall be the herald of this Lord, 
 to give the knowledge of His salvation, even to them who sit in 
 darkness and the shadow of death.” 
 
 22. For He hath visited and redeemed. — Here, as also in Mary’s 
 song, the Aorist is most properly used to express the prophetic con- 
 sciousness, to which the salvation, still partly hidden in the future, 
 appears already present. In the eyes of Zacharias, all the benefits 
 to be bestowed by the Messiah are summed up in the one word 
 XvTpcoaL^ ; and this Xvrpcocn^ is the fruit of the gracious look, which 
 God has just cast (eTrecr/ce^/raro) upon Israel. Zacharias passes over 
 from speaking of Israel only, in ver. 68, to describe these benefits 
 as bestowed generally (ver. 79) on all those who sit in darkness 
 and the shadow of death : a beautiful climax, and worthy of notice. 
 
54 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 23. An horn of salvation. — The well-known hihlical meaning 
 of n.i^ (1 Sam. ii. 10 ; Ps. cxxxii. 17, and elsewhere) must be here 
 understood, and not the horns of helmets, nor the horns of the 
 altar. A strong, powerful defender is pointed out ; nor does Zacha- 
 rias forget that this horn is to spring from David’s race, though it 
 is remarkable how much less the Davidic element prevails in his 
 song than in Mary’s. 
 
 24. As lie spake hy the mouth of His holy prophets. — Zacharias 
 is here taking up the golden thread which had dropped from Mary, 
 ver. 55. 
 
 25. That ive should he saved from our enemies. — Undoubtedly 
 the political clement was chiefly present to Zacharias. The priest 
 is at the same time the patriot, deeply moved by the sight of Poman 
 tyranny. But he chiefly prizes this political liberation as the 
 means to a higher end, the reformation of divine worship : vers. 7 4 
 and 75. 
 
 26. The mercy promised to our fathers. — The fulfilment of the 
 promises concerning Messiah, is not only a matter of rejoicing for 
 the present, and a source of hope for the future, but also a healing 
 balm for past sorrows. The fathers had, in their generation, wept 
 over the decay of their nation, and were now living with God to 
 look down from heaven upon the fulness of the time. Comp. Luke 
 XX. 37, 38, and John viii. 56. 
 
 27. That He woidd grant unto us. — We are not to understand 
 here the matter of the oath, but the pui’pose for which God once 
 swore it, and was now about to fulfil it. For the oath itself, see 
 Gen. xxii. 16-18. 
 
 28. Without fear. — Not the fear of God, which is rather the 
 Old Testament token of piety, but the fear of enemies, which had 
 often made Israel incapable of serving the Lord vdth joy. How 
 many times had the Macedonians, especially Antiochus Epiphanes, 
 and the Romans, hindered the Jews in the exercise of their wor- 
 ship ! ” {He Wette.) 
 
 29. In holiness and righteousness before Him. — and 
 SiKaLoavvy are so far different, that the former refers more to 
 piety considered in itself, the latter to piety with respect to God. 
 
 30. All the days of our life (all our days), for both the 
 number and weight of critical authorities justify us in expunging 
 the words ri}? from the Greek text. Zacharias, then, is here 
 speaking, not of the lives of individuals, but of the continuous 
 political existence of highly favoured Israel. Uninterrujhed 
 
CHAP. I. 39-80. 
 
 55 
 
 national prosperity, based upon true religion, is the ideal of his 
 aspirations. 
 
 31. And thou child. — Zacharias, as a prophet of God, now 
 begins to foretell the career of the last and greatest of the prophets. 
 A striking proof of the prevalence of the theocratic over the pa- 
 ternal feeling in his song, is seen in the fact, that the Messiah is 
 always' placed in a more prominent position than His forerunner. 
 Zacharias, however, at last, cannot forbear speaking of the latter, 
 and with evident reference to Isa. xl. 3 and Mai. iv. He is to go 
 before the face of the Lord (Jehovah), whose glory appears in the 
 advent of tlie Messiah. The foundation of the salvation which he 
 proclaims is forgiveness, and the conditio shie qua non of this for- 
 giveness is the knowledge of salvation : comp. Heb. viii. 11, 12. 
 
 32. The day-spring from on high. — An emblematic allusion to 
 Messiah and His salvation, again referring to Mai. iv. 2. There is 
 a remarkable coincidence between the last Messianic prophecy of 
 the Old Testament, and the very last before the incarnation of the 
 Dmne Word. 
 
 33. Who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. — The glance of 
 the prophet here takes a far wider range than Israel. He beholds 
 very many, deprived of the light of truth and life, sitting in dark- 
 ness and the shadow of death, but sees in spirit the Sun of Kighteous- 
 ness rising upon them all : Isa. ix. 2 and lx. 1. 
 
 34. To guide our feet. — The end for which the day-spring 
 should give light f as this again was the end for which it ‘^visited’’'’ 
 our dark world. The hymn concludes with a boundless prospect 
 into the still partly hidden future. 
 
 35. And the child grew. — A summary description of the twofold 
 development of the youthful Nazarite, both in mind and body. 
 Thirty years passed before the fear ” which arose at his birth (ver. 
 G5), was replaced by the universal agitation caused by his powerful 
 voice. It is certainly possible, but neither certain nor probable, 
 that during his sojourn in the wilderness,” he came in contact 
 vrith the Essenes dwelling in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The new covenant is greeted, at its first appearance, with 
 hymns of joyful praise. What a contrast to the fear and terror 
 accompanying the introduction of the Old ! These songs mani- 
 fest a happy interfusion of the letter of the Old, with the spirit of 
 the New Testament. That of Maiy is more indiHdual, that of 
 
56 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Zacliarias more national, in its cliaracter. The former is more 
 nearly akin to David’s thanksgiving after the promise made to him, 
 2 Sam. vii. 18 ; the latter, to his hymn of praise at Solomon’s 
 anointing, 1 Kings i. 48. It is worthy of remark, how entirely in 
 the spirit of the Old Testament are the Messianic expectations ex- 
 pressed in both songs, and how free they are from narrow and ex- 
 clusively Jewish notions. 
 
 2. The three songs of Elisabeth, Mary, and Zacliarias, contain 
 important contributions to the right understanding of their Cbristo- 
 logy. Each is thoroughly persuaded that the Messiah is to be the 
 head of the prophetic brotherhood, the source of temporal as well 
 as spiritual prosperity to Israel, the highest blessing to the world, 
 the highest gift of grace, the supreme manifestation of the glory 
 of God. We may easily disregard the absence of metaphysical 
 speculations in the compositions of those whose views are so purely 
 theocratic. Their hopes are just as material as might be expected 
 from pious Israelites of their times, but at the same time so inde- 
 finite, that they could only belong to the period of the beginning of 
 the sacred narrative. The very relative want of originality in the 
 song of Mary, which is full of reminiscences, offers a psychological 
 proof of its authenticity. Such songs as these would never have 
 been composed so many years after the appearance of Jesus. In- 
 deed, they may be considered as representative of the state of 
 Messianic expectation just before the rising of the Sun of Right- 
 eousness ; and are, in tone, form, and spirit, much older than the 
 apostolic preaching of Christ’s spiritual kingdom. At what other 
 time could such lays have gushed forth, than just at that happy 
 season, when the most exalted poetry became reality, and reality 
 surpassed the ideal of poetry? 
 
 3. It is striking, that while it is said of both Elisabeth and 
 Zacliarias, before they uttered their songs, that they were filled with 
 the Holy Ghost, the same is not said of Mary. The Spirit seems 
 no longer to have come upon her, after the Old Testament manner, 
 for a few moments, but to have dwelt in and acted upon her in the 
 Gospel manner. The royal spirit is more expressed in her song ; 
 the priestly character, in that of Zacliarias. In his, the Old Testa- 
 ment type, in hers the New, prevails. 
 
 4. The enthusiasm of faith attains its highest point just before 
 the time of vision begins. It makes the aged Elisabeth young ; 
 transforms the youthful bride of the carpenter into the inspired 
 prophetess of her future Son ; renders the priest the herald who 
 
CHAP. I. 39-80. 
 
 57 
 
 announces the coining of the forerunner ; and even communicates 
 its rapture to the child unborn. The dogniatizer has as little right 
 to build up upon this latter circumstance a doctrine of Jides infan- 
 tium, and thus make the exception the rule, as the Neologian has to 
 deride a phenomenon of a history, whose religious importance and 
 world-wide influence he is utterly unable to appreciate. 
 
 5. The song of Zacharias is a proof how much his spiritual life, 
 and his insight into the divine plan of salvation, had increased, 
 during the months of silence which succeeded his reception of the 
 angelic message. Theologians who deny the existence of Messianic 
 prophecies properly so called — Le., of special promises given by God 
 Himself, with respect to the coming of Christ — should take a lesson 
 from ^lary and Zacharias. In their Hew, God spake hy the mouth 
 of His holy prophets spake since the world began ; spake to 
 Abraham, and to his seed, of the coming Christ ; spake so, that all 
 future ages should believe, and expect, that all that was yet unful- 
 filled, would surely come to pass in due season. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The silence of faith and the silence of unbelief contrasted in 
 the cases of Mary and Zacharias. — Meeting of Elisabeth and Maiy, 
 emblematic of that of the Old and New Covenant at their respec- 
 tive limits. — Mary’s greeting a comfort to Elisabeth in her sorrow, 
 at her husband’s loss of speech. — The Holy Ghost in the yet unborn 
 John glorifying the Divine Word, before His birth in the flesh. — 
 Humility perplexed at the ineffable manifestations of grace. — The 
 blessing pronounced, 1. upon her who first believed ; 2. in her, upon 
 all believers of the New Covenant. — Faith leads to sight ; sight to 
 increase of faith. — Mary’s song of praise, 1. the climax of all the 
 lymns of the Old, 2. the beginning of all the hymns of the New, 
 Covenant. — Deep conviction of the reception of the highest favours 
 combined with personal humility. — The manifestation of righteous 
 retribution combined with unlimited grace. — All the perfections of 
 God glorified in the gift of the Saviour : 1. Grace, 2. power, 
 3. holiness, 4. mercy, 5. justice, 6. faithfulness. — The new day of 
 salvation, the fruit of ancient promises. — The fruit of faith in 
 Christ’s salvation is joy ; which is, 1. a thankful joy, 2. a humble 
 joy, 3. a hopeful joy, 4. a God-glorifying joy. — A heart devoted to 
 God, the best psalter. — Mary and Eve : Faith in God’s word the 
 source of supreme joy ; unbelief of God’s word the source of 
 deepest sorrow. — Maiy, the Hannah of the New Testament, and, 
 
58 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 like licr, (lcs})isc(l, exalted, rejoicing. — Tlie coming of Jesus is, 
 1. the exaltation of the lowly ; 2. the putting down of the mighty; 
 
 3. the satisfying of the liungry ; 4. the leaving empty of those who 
 regard themselves as spiritually rich. — God’s faithfulness and Israel’s 
 unfaithfulness. — The mercy of God shown, 1. to Mary, 2. through 
 ]\Iary to Israel, 3. through Israel to the world. 
 
 The three months of Mary’s sojourn with Elisabeth, an emblem, 
 1. of the communion of saints on earth, 2. of the intercourse of the 
 blessed in heaven. — The birth of John, a sign of God’s faithfulness 
 and truth. — The silence of Heaven at the birth of John, and the 
 rejoicing of the angels at the birth of Jesus. — The import of be- 
 stowing a name, 1. in the case of the forerunner, 2. generally. — 
 Every child a gift of God. — The obedience of faith, in the case of 
 Zacharias, 1. tried, 2. shown, 3. rewarded. — The Hallelujah of man 
 succeeds the Ephphatha of God. — The report” of God attentively 
 received, at first awakens a just fear, and afterwards drives away 
 all fear. — A question and answer at the birth of a child : 1. The 
 natural question. What manner of child shall this be? 2. the satis- 
 factory answer. The hand of the Lord will be with him. 
 
 The true father also a priest ; the true priest filled with the Holy 
 Ghost ; the true filling with the Holy Ghost manifested in words of 
 praise to God. — Eedemption, a visit made by God to His people, by 
 Heaven to earth. — Novum Testamentuyn in vetere lately veins in Novo 
 joatet . — No national prosperity without the fear of God. — No fear of 
 God unaccompanied with beneficial effects upon national prosperity. 
 — Eedemption, God remembering His God-forgetting people. — The 
 true service of God is a service without fear : 1. Without timid fear 
 of man; 2. without slavish fear of God. — No salvation without for- 
 giveness of sins ; no forgiveness of sins without knowledge of the 
 truth ; no knowledge of the truth without divine revelation ; no 
 divine revelation without divine mercy, grace, and faithfulness. — 
 The rising sun an emblem of Christ : 1. The darkness preceding 
 both ; 2. the light spread by both ; 3. the w^armth given by both ; 
 
 4. the fruitfulness caused by both ; 5. the joy with wdiich both are 
 hailed. — Darkness and the shadow of death, 1. cast dowm, 2. en- 
 lightened, 3. dissipated. — The Prince of Peace, the guide into the 
 way of peace. 
 
 The threefold hymns of praise. — ^Variety and oneness in the 
 minds of those who here glorify the grace of God in Christ. — Mary 
 begins with wdiat is individual, and ascends to what is general ; 
 Zacharias begins with wdiat is general, and descends to wdiat is in- 
 
CHAP. I. 39-80. 
 
 59 
 
 dividual ; Elisabeth must precede, before Mary can follow. — In the 
 case of Zacharias, the silence of unbelief is exchanged for the 
 song of praise ; in that of Mary, the song of praise is exchanged 
 for the silence and expectation of faith. — All three sing on earth 
 the first notes of a song which shall perfectly and eternally re- 
 sound in heaven, the one song of the innumerable multitude of 
 voices. 
 
 The hidden growth of one designed for a great work in the king- 
 dom of God. — Solitude the school of the second Elias. — The last 
 silence of God, before the first words of the desert preacher. 
 
 Starche. — Christians should not travel from sinful cuiiosity, 
 but for some good purpose. — The loGng salutation of the children 
 of God. — Wlien the heart is full, the mouth overflows. — We may 
 well be filled with grateful astonishment, that the Lord should 
 come unto us in His incarnation, in His Supper, through His 
 AYord, and through faith. — As we believe, so it happens to us. — 
 Mary says. My Saviour : she is then a sinner, needing a Saviour 
 like any other child of Adam. 
 
 Quesnel. — The more God exalts an individual, the more should 
 he humble himself. — Langii Op. Bihl. Pride of heart the greatest 
 sin before God. 
 
 Zeisiiis. — Christians should give their children names which 
 tend to edification. — Brentii Op. : God makes the speaker dumb, 
 and the dumb man to speak. — 0 slander : Hymns of praise, from 
 sanctified hearts, are most acceptable sacrifice to God. — Compare 
 Luther’s exposition of the Magnificat, vii. 1220-1317, wherein he 
 well says, “ It is the nature of God to make something out of no- 
 thing ; therefore, when any one has already become nothing, God 
 may make something of him.” 
 
 Heubner. — The faith of the less (Elisabeth) may strengthen 
 the stronger (Mary). — Mary the happiest of all mothers. — Keligion 
 the foundation of true friendship. — Pious mothers a blessing to the 
 whole race of man. — The Spirit must open a man’s lips, or he is 
 spiritually dumb. — John a guide into the way of peace, because a 
 guide to Christ. — God carries on His work in secret. — Matm^e 
 preparation for public work, especially for the work of the preacher. 
 
 Arndt . — Mary’s visit to Elisabeth : 1. How it strengthens her 
 faith ; 2. how it called forth her praise. 
 
 Palmer. — To the art of praising God (Luke i. 46-55) belong, 1. 
 a clear eye to estimate the works of God ; 2. a joyful heart to re- 
 joice in them ; 3. a loosened tongue to express this joy aright. The 
 
GO 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 first exemplified in Elisabetli, the second in Mary, the tliird in 
 Zacli arias. 
 
 Schrotery in a baptismal sermon on Luke i. G 6 . — In what sense 
 was tliis question asked ? How oiiglit it to he asked ? 
 
 SECOND SECTION. 
 
 THE HISTOKY OF THE NATIVITY. 
 
 Chapter ii. 1-20. 
 
 A. The highest Gift of Heaven. (YeRS. 1--7.) 
 
 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from 
 Cmsar Augustus, tha.t aU the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was 
 first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, 
 every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of 
 the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David,, which is called Beth- 
 lehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David), 5 To be taxed with 
 Mary his espoused wife,^ being great with child. C And so it was, that, while 
 they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 
 And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling- 
 clothes, and laid Him in a manger ; because there was no room for them in the 
 inn. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. In those days. — Shortly after the date of John’s birth. Comp, 
 ch. i. 36. 
 
 2. All the world. — Hdcra 97 olKovfievr] denotes not merely the 
 country of the Jews, hut the whole Roman Empire (orhis terrarmii ) ; 
 and the enrolling {airoygd(^e<j6ai) was undertaken to obtain a 
 registry of the inhabitants of the country, and of their respective 
 possessions, whether for the purpose of levying a 'poll-tax^ or of 
 recruiting the army. 
 
 3. This taxing was first made when Cyrenius ivas governor of 
 Syria.- — The difficulties which this remark has caused, and the 
 various efforts which have been made to solve this chronological 
 enigma, are well known. (See, among others, Winer, in voce Quiri- 
 
 ^ Textus Receptus, bis espoused wife. But according to Lachmann and 
 Tisebendorf, yvuuiKi must be omitted, both from internal and external evidence. 
 
CHAP. II. 1-7. 
 
 G1 
 
 W 2 M 5 .) We are not writing a treatise, but a critical note, and sliall 
 therefore very briefly state our views for, and against, the different 
 theories advanced. We reject, then, as inadmissible — 1. The at- 
 tempt to remove the difficulty on critical grounds, whether by 
 rejecting the whole verse as an erroneous gloss (as Venema, Valckc- 
 naer, Kuinoel, Olshausen, and others), or by altering the loell-sup- 
 ported reading (e.^., by the omission of the article, as Lachmann) : 
 2. the conjecture, that Cyrenius instituted this census, not as ordi- 
 nary Proconsul of Syria, but as extraordinary Legatus Ccesaris ; as, 
 in this case, Luke would certainly have employed another word 
 than 'gye/jiovevecv : 3 . the explanation, that enrolment took place 
 before Cyi’enius was governor of Syria (Tholuck and Wieseler) ; 
 for Luke writes better Greek than to use irpoorr] in the sense of 
 TTporepa : 4. the evasion, that diroypac^^ means registration as well 
 as census (Ebrard), and that the latter took place under Cyi’enius, 
 eleven years after the former: and, 5. as entirely arbitrary and 
 gratuitous, the supposition of Schleiermacher, that it was merely a 
 priestly taxing that took the parents of Jesus to Bethlehem, which 
 Luke erroneously confounds with the Roman census. On the 
 other hand, we believe we may thus render the passage, the taxing 
 itself was made^ for the first time^ when Cyrenius was governor of 
 Syria, by reading (with Paulus, Lange, and others), avTri for avTrj ; 
 an alteration which no one can deem inadmissible, who considers 
 that Luke himself wrote mthout accents. We believe that the 
 Evangelist inserts this remark, to distinguish between the decree for 
 the enrolment (taxing), which brought Mary and Joseph to Beth- 
 lehem, and the enrolment itself which was not carried into execu- 
 tion till some time later. But as it is evident, from the mention of 
 Cyrenius the governor of Syria and Judea, that in ver. 2 the enrol- 
 ment only of the country of Syria is spoken of, while ver. 1 speaks of 
 the enrolment of the whole Roman earth, we are at liberty to sup- 
 pose that the airo^pa^g was really ordered and begun at the birth 
 of Christ, interrupted in J udea for a time by the death of Herod, 
 and the political changes consequent on that event, and subse- 
 quently so efficiently continued and carried out under Cyrenius, 
 that it might rightly be said to have been made, or completed, when 
 he was governor. The remark of Luke, that this taxing was the 
 first that was made in Judea, cannot fail to remind us, that Jesus 
 was born just at the time when the deepest humiliation of the Jew- 
 ish nation was beginning ; while the fact that he deems it worthy 
 of record, that our Lord should, so soon after His birth, have been 
 
G2 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 enrolled as a Roman subject, is a sample of tlie xmwersality which 
 characterizes his Gospel. 
 
 Thus viewed, the account of St Luke contains nothing that can 
 impeach him with failure of memory^ in so public and important a 
 fact. Had he not investigated everything from the beginning (Luke 
 i. 1-3), and does he not show (Acts v. 37) an accurate acquaint- 
 ance with the taxing which took place eleven years later, and was 
 the cause of so many disorders? The decree of Augustus was not 
 improbable in itself ; and from the account of Tacitus (Ann. i. 11) 
 it may be inferred, that it was actually promulgated. For he tells 
 us, that after the death of Augustus, Tiberius caused a statistic 
 account, in the handwriting of Augustus, to be read in the Senate, 
 in which, among other particulars, were stated the revenue and 
 expenditure of the nation, and the military force of the citizens and 
 allies. Now, Augustus could not have obtained such information 
 concerning Judea without an aTraypaejiy; nor is it at all inconceiv- 
 able, that the territory even of an ally, such as Herod was, should 
 have been subjected to so arbitrary a measure. It appears from 
 Josephus (Ant. Jud. 16, 4, 1 ; 17, 5-8, 11), that Herod was not 
 thoroughly reconciled to Rome, and that he was regarded with a 
 considerable measure of disfavour, while perhaps the enrolment 
 might be carried out in a milder manner in the dominions of an 
 ally, than among the inhabitants of a conquered province. The 
 Monumentum Ancyranum at all events proves, that in the year 746 
 A.U.C. an enrolment of Roman citizens took place, and that 
 therefore such enrolments were by no means uncommon in the days 
 of Augustus. The notices of this enrolment by Cassiodorus and 
 Suidas prove less, since both these authors, being Christians, might 
 have derived their information from Luke. But the silence of 
 Josephus, concerning the transaction, may easily be accounted for, 
 especially if we allow that the enrolment was begun indeed under 
 Herod, but not then completed. Suetonius speaks but very briefly 
 of the whole period ; while in Dion Cassius we find no notice at all 
 of the history of the five years preceding the Christian era. They 
 cannot therefore be cited as evidence against Luke; and we should 
 certainly be mistaken in supposing, that the complete imperial 
 hoyfia was, in all places, immediately complied vdth, as if by magic. 
 Should any feel, however, that all these considerations fail to 
 remove the existing difficulties, we can only advise them to attribute 
 them to the oarpaKivoi^ crKevecri, in which so great a treasure is de- 
 posited. 
 
CHAP. II. 1—7. 
 
 63 
 
 4. Joseph also icent up, — The usual expression for going from 
 Galilee to the much more elevated region of Jerusalem. The 
 enrolment would naturally take place in Judea, in consideration of 
 the claims of nationality. The policy of Rome, as well as the reli- 
 gious scruples of the Jews, demanded it. For this reason, each went 
 to be taxed, every one into his (ancestral) city; though, in other 
 cases, the Romish census might be taken either according to the 
 dwelling-place or the forum originis. 
 
 5. Bethlehem. — Comp, the remarks of Lange on Matt. ii. 1. 
 
 6. With Mary . — The conjecture that Mary was an heiress 
 (Olshausen, etc.), who had possessions in Bethlehem, and was 
 obliged to appear there to represent an extinct family, cannot be 
 proved, and is also unnecessary. Undoubtedly, according to the 
 Roman custom, women could be enrolled without their personal 
 appearance; nor did the Jewish practice require their presence. 
 But if no edict obliged Mary to travel to Bethlehem, neither did 
 any forbid her accompanying her husband ; and her love for the 
 city of David seems to have overcome all difficulties. Would not a 
 contemplative spirit like hers, perceive that the haypa of Csesar 
 Augustus was but an instrument, in the hand of Providence, to 
 fulfil the prophecy of Micah (ch. v. 1), with respect to the birth- 
 place of Messiah ; and now that all was cleared up between her and 
 Joseph, could she have been willing to await the hour of her de- 
 livery alone in Galilee, while he was obliged to travel into Judea? 
 
 7. Li a manger. — Probably some cave or grotto used for shelter- 
 
 ing cattle, and perhaps belonging to the same shepherds to whom 
 the ^^glad tidings” were first brought. Justin Martyr, in his Dial, 
 c. Tryph.j speaks of a aTrrjXaLov avvey'yv^ ri}? /ca)p7]<^. Compare also 
 Origen, contra Cels. 1, 55. At all events, even if this tradition be 
 unfounded, it cannot be proved that it arose from a corrupt rendering 
 of Isa. xxxiii. 16. In any case, it deserves more credit than the ac- 
 count in the Protevangelion of James, ch. 18, and iAs^. A 
 
 Marioe^ ch. 13, that during her journey the time of Mary’s delivery 
 arrived, and that she was obliged to seek refuge in a cave. Luke, 
 on the contrary, gives us reason to conclude that she arrived at 
 Bethlehem, and sought, though in vain, a shelter in the KaTaXvya. 
 It is not probable that the cpdrvT] formed part of the caravanserai ; 
 nor can we agree with Calvin’s view, that descendants of the royal 
 race would be harshly and inhospitably treated. It is more likely 
 that Mary and Joseph would not, in their state of poverty, be 
 thought worth the distinction of any special mortification. 
 
64 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1 . Tlic (lays of Herod form the centre of the world’s history. 
 Every observation of tlie state of Jews and Gentiles, at this period, 
 confirms the truth of the remark of St Paul, ore Se ^\6ev to ttAtJ- 
 pwjia Tov '^povovj K.T.X., Gal. iv. 4. 
 
 2. As the time of Herod is the turning-point between the old 
 and new dispensations, so is it also the most brilliant period in the 
 revelation of God. God, man, and the God-man, are never pre- 
 sented to us under a brighter liffht. 
 
 O O 
 
 3. God manifests all His attributes in sending His Son : His 
 power, in making Mary become a mother through the operation of 
 the Holy Ghost ; His wisdom, in the choice of the time, place, and 
 circumstances ; His faithfulness, in the fulfilment of the word of 
 ju’ophecy (Micah v. 1) ; His holiness, in hiding the miracle from 
 the eyes of an unbelieving world; and especially His love and 
 grace (John iii. 16). But, at the same time, we see how different, 
 and how infinitely higher, are His ways and thoughts than ours. 
 His dealings with His chosen ones seem obscm’e to our finite appre- 
 hension, when we see that she who was most blessed of all women, 
 finds less rest than any other. God brings His counsel to pass in 
 silence, without leaving the threads of the web in mortal hands. 
 Apparently, an arbitrary decree decides where Christ is to be born ; 
 but God is perfecting His plan, employing the free agency of man 
 to subserve the designs of His omnipotence, and Augustus is, 
 though unwittingly, merely an official in the kingdom of God. 
 
 4. Man also is manifested at the birth of the Lord : his nothing- 
 ness in the midst of earthly greatness is shown in C^sar Augustus ; 
 his high rank and destiny in the midst of earthly meanness, in Mary 
 and Joseph. 
 
 5. The God-man, who here lies before us as a TrpcoToroKo^, is at 
 the same time the supreme mmacle and the most inestimable benefit. 
 God and man, the old and new covenants, heaven and earth, meet 
 in a poor manger. 
 
 “ Den aller Weltkreis nie beschloss 
 Der liegt hier in Mariens Schooss,” etc. 
 
 He who, either secretly or openly, denies this truth, can never 
 enter into the true joy of Christmas. The denial of the divinity of 
 Christ by the Patioiialist preacher is annually punished every 25th 
 of December. Wlien we are once convinced who it is that came. 
 
CHAP. II. 1-7. 
 
 65 
 
 the manner in icliich lie came becomes a manifestation not only of 
 the love of the Father, but also of the gi’ace of the Son. 
 
 6. The lowly birth of the Saviour of the world coincides with 
 the nature of His kingdom. The origin of this Idngdom was not 
 of earth ; its fundamental law was to deny self, and for love to 
 serve others ; its end, to become great through abasement, and to 
 triumph by conflict : all this is here exhibited before our eyes as 
 ill compendio. 
 
 7. The more our astonishment is excited by the miracle of the 
 incarnation, the more must we be struck by the infinite simplicity — 
 we could almost say barrenness, and chronicle-like style — of St 
 Luke’s account of it. Few internal evidences are more convincing 
 than those furnished by a careful comparison of the canonical and 
 apoci’}^hal narratives of the Nativity. The contrast is as inde- 
 scribable, as between a calm summer night enlightened by tender 
 moonbeams, and a stage-scene of tree and forest lit up with Bengal 
 lights. Such a delineation could only be the work of one resolved 
 to say neither less nor more than the truth. 
 
 8. The designation, “ her first-born son,” does not necessarily 
 imply that the union of Joseph and Mary was blessed with several 
 children. The first-born might also be the only child. The con- 
 sideration, therefore, whom we are to understand by the dSeXcpot 
 of a subsequent chapter, must be decided independently of this ex- 
 pression. 
 
 9. The first reception which J esus met with in this world, is in 
 many respects of a t}q)ical character. Comp. John i= 1. Bengel 
 well remarks, etiam liodie Christo rarus in diversonis locust 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The decree of the earthly emperor, and the overruling arrange- 
 ment of the heavenly King. — The lowly birth of the SaHour of the 
 world is, 1. surprising^ when we consider ivlio He is that comes ; 
 explicahUj when we ask why He comes ; 3. a cause of joy, when we 
 see for whom He comes. — The King of Israel, a Koman subject. — 
 “ The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He tiuTieth it whither- 
 soever He will.” — The stem of Jesse hewn dovm, yet shooting anew, 
 Isa. xi. 1. — Bethlehem, the house of bread for the soul, John vi. 33. 
 — The journey of Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem, a t;)qDe of the 
 believer’s pilgrimage : dark at its beginning, difiicult in its progress, 
 glorious in its end. — The city of David, the least of all the cities of 
 Judah, and the most remarkable of all the cities of earth. — ^^lary’s 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 5 
 
6G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 first-born son, tlic only-begotten Son of God, and tlie First-bom 
 among many brethren. — Koom in the inn for all, except Him. 
 
 The manger of Jesus, 1. the scene of God’s glory, 2. the 
 sanctuary of Christ’s honour, 3. the foundation-stone of a new 
 heaven and a new earth. — The Saviour of the world is (2 Cor. ix. 
 15), 1. a gift of God, 2. an unspeakable gift, 3. a gift for which 
 we must give thanks. — The birth of Jesus, the new birth of the 
 human race : 1. Without it, the new birth of manldnd is impossible; 
 2. with it, the new birth is begun ; 3. by it, the new birth is assured. 
 — The coming of the Son of God in the flesh, a manifestation of 
 the infinite wisdom of God : this wisdom evidenced in the time (vers. 
 1 and 2), the place (vers. 3 and 5), and the mean circumstances 
 (vers. 6 and 7) of His appearing. — The whole world summoned to 
 be enrolled as subjects of this King. — Behold, I make all things 
 new 1. A new revelation, 2. a new covenant, 3. a new man, 4. a 
 new world. — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, equally manifested and 
 glorified in the manger of Bethlehem. — Christmas, the celebration 
 of, 1. the highest honom’, and 2. the deepest disgrace, of man. — The 
 manger of the Nativity, a school of, 1. deep humility, 2. stedfast 
 faith, 3. ministering love, and 4. joyful hope. — The coincidences 
 between the birth of Christ in us, and the birth of Christ for us : 
 The birth in us is as carefully prepared for, as quietly brought to 
 pass, as much misunderstood by the world, yet as quickly mani- 
 fested upon earth, and rejoiced over in heaven, as the birth for us. 
 
 Starche. — The first lesson given us by the new-born Christ is. 
 Obey. — Jesus has consecrated all the hard places on which we are 
 obliged to lie in this world. — Heubner : The earthly kingdom is 
 obliged to serve the heavenly kingdom. — The enrolment of Jesus 
 among the children of men, the salvation of millions. — Our birth 
 on earth, an entrance into a strange country. — F. W. Krummaclier : 
 The Son of God, 1. begotten of the Father before all worlds, 2. 
 born of flesh in the world, 3. born of the Spirit in us. — C. Harms : 
 Christ in us, the operation of the Holy Spirit, born in poverty and 
 weakness, exposed to peril of death soon after birth, remains for 
 years unknown, experiences, on appearing, great opposition, is per- 
 secuted and oppressed, but soon rises again, reviving His work. — 
 Kucliler : It is necessary for a due celebration of Christmas, that we 
 should recognise the Son of God in the new-born child ; for, with- 
 out this recognition, we should lack, 1. the full reason for, and due 
 appreciation of, this celebration; 2. we should observe it without 
 the right spirit ; and 3. fail to obtain its true blessing. — Fuchs : The 
 
CHAP. II. 8—12. 
 
 G7 
 
 Son of God born in the little town of Bethlehem, a proof, 1. that 
 the Lord certainly performs what lie promises, 2. that with God 
 nothing is impossible, 3. that nothing is too mean or too lowly for 
 God. — Florey: The festival of Christmas, a children’s festival: 1. It 
 leads to a child; 2. it fills the world of children with joy; 3. its due 
 celebration demands a childlike spirit. — Ahlfeld : The birth of the 
 Lord the turning-point of history; 1. The world and the heart before 
 the birth of Christ ; 2. the w'orld and the heart after the birth of 
 Christ. — Tlioluck: The characteristics of Christmas joy : it is a 
 secret, silent, childlike, modest, elevating joy. 
 
 B. The first Gospel upon Earth. (Chap. ii. 8—12.) 
 
 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keep- 
 ing watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came 
 upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them ; and they were 
 sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not : for, behold, I bring 
 you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is 
 born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 
 And this shall be a sign unto you ; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling- 
 clothes, lying in a manger. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Keeping watch over their flock hy night, (^uXacraovre^ (f)v\a- 
 /cd?. — The expression seems to indicate, that they were stationed at 
 various posts, and "were perhaps relieving guard. On the authority 
 of Lightfoot, many commentators have remarked, that the Jews 
 were not accustomed to drive their cattle to pasture after the first 
 half of November, and that we have, in this verse, indirect evidence 
 of the worthlessness of the tradition wdiich has assismed the 25th 
 
 O 
 
 December as the day of our Lord’s birth, while it is well knovTi 
 that this date was chosen on account of the contemporary natalis 
 invicti solis, without finding any other support in the Gospel. On 
 the other hand, however, we might contend that, from Luke ii. 8 
 alone, it cannot be deemed impossible that the birth of our Lord 
 should have occurred in winter. This winter might have been less 
 severe than usual, while individual travellers (e.g., Rauwolf, Reisen 
 1, p. 118) inform us, that in the end of December, after the rainy 
 season, the flowers bloom, and the shepherds lead out their flocks 
 again. Besides, these shepherds might have formed an exception 
 to the general rule, whether from poverty, or as being slaves. It is 
 also worthy of note, that the ancient Church, to whom the peculiari- 
 
08 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ties of the climate of Palestine were certainly known, was never 
 hindered in its practice of celebrating the Nativity on the 25th De- 
 cember by the consideration of Luke ii. 8. May not the difficulty, 
 then, be more imaginary than real ? 
 
 2. Andy loy the angel. — The whole narrative is certainly calcu- 
 lated to impress us with the sudden and unexpected manner of the 
 angelic apparition ; while, at the same time, it is not denied that the 
 susceptibility of the shepherds for the reception of the heavenly 
 message might have been enhanced by their waiting for the 
 redemption of Israel, their mutual discourse, and their sojourn, in 
 the quiet solemn night, beneath the starry heavens. Meanwhile, the 
 first preacher of the Gospel stands suddenly before them. The 
 glory of the Lord, which shone round about them, is the nirp ‘1133^ 
 already known to them from the Old Testament. And it was the 
 sight of this that filled them with fear. 
 
 3. And they were sore afraid. — The fear which we always find 
 mentioned in the sacred narrative, wffien man comes into immediate 
 contact 'with the supernatural and the holy (comp., e.g.y Luke v. 8 
 and xxiv. 5), is not to be 'v\diolly attributed to the fact, that such 
 contact was unexpected, and still less to a con'nction of moral im- 
 purity before God, only. It seems rather, that the old popular 
 belief, that he who had seen God would die (Judg. xiii. 22), had by 
 no means disappeared. This belief might also have been strength- 
 ened by traditional remembrance of the cherubim with the flaming 
 sword at the gate of Eden. In any case, this superstitious fear is 
 simely a better oo-yy eucoSla^ before God, than the incredulous 
 scepticism of modern days in any angelic visitations. 
 
 4. To all people. — Certainly, then, as specially to Israel, as is 
 expressed Luke i. 33 ; Matt. i. 21. The announcement of this 
 truth to the shepherds, indirectly intimates, that other pious Israel- 
 ites Avere soon to hear of the birth of their King from them ; Avhile 
 ver. 17 tells of their fulfilment of this indirect command. 
 
 5. Christ the Lord. — Not the Christ of the Lord, as He is 
 called ch. ii. 26, but the Messiah, who, equally with the Jehovah 
 of the Old Testament, bears the name KvpLo^ (comp. ch. xxiii. 2, 
 and Acts ii. 36). The intimation that He was born in the city of 
 David w’ould recall Micah v., which, according to Matt. ii. 5, was 
 in those days universally understood to refer to Messiali. 
 
 6. And this shall be a sign unto you. — It happens here, as in 
 the annmiciation of the birth to Mary (ch. i. 36). A sign '^^as 
 vouchsafed, where none was asked, — God seeing that it was indis- 
 
CHAP. 11. 8-12. 
 
 69 
 
 pensably necessary, on account of tlie extraordinary nature of the 
 circumstance ; while Zacharias, who requested a sign, was visited 
 with loss of speech. The sign now gi’anted, is as wonderful as the 
 occmTence just announced, yet one suited to the capacity of the 
 shepherds, and at the same time infallible. The fear, as to whether 
 they may approach the new-born King, and offer Him their homage, 
 is dispelled by the intimation of His lowly condition, while their 
 carnal Hews of the nature of His kingdom are thereby counteracted. 
 Unless we suppose that the shepherds forthwith made inquiry in 
 all the possible (pdrvac of Galilee, whether a child had lately been 
 born therein, we must conclude that their own well-known, and 
 perhaps not far distant (jydrvr], was the one pointed out. If they 
 would naturally have hastened thither first, we are not left to sup- 
 pose, with Olshausen, that they were led by some secret influence 
 upon their minds. Conjectm’es, which give offence to the sceptical, 
 are best avoided, when not indispensably necessary. 
 
 DOCTEIXAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. This narrative maybe called. The history of the first preach- 
 ing of the Gospel upon earth. It became Him, of whom are all 
 things, and by whom are all things, to send such a message by the 
 mouth of an angel. The last preaching of the Gospel, the glad 
 tidings of the last day, Behold, He cometh again, vdll also be an- 
 nounced with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. 
 
 2. It will not seem without significance, to any who appreciate 
 the symbolic element of the Scriptures, that the first announcement 
 was made to shepherds. Jehovah had Himself borne the name of 
 the Shepherd of Israel, and the Messiah had been announced under 
 this designation by the prophets (Ps. xxiii. ; Isa. xxxiv.). David 
 had pastimed his flocks in this very neighboiudiood ; and since the 
 rich and mighty in Jerusalem were looking only for an earthly 
 deliverer, it was undoubtedly among these humble shepherds that 
 the poor in spirit and the mommers Vv^ould be found, to whom the 
 Lord Himself afterwards addressed His ovrn preaching. There is 
 something mdescribably divine and touching in the care of God to 
 satisfy the secret yearnings of individuals, at the same moment when 
 He is occupying Himself with the eternal salvation of millions. 
 Man overlooks the masses in the indiHdual, or neglects the indivi- 
 dual in the masses ; God equally comprehends the interests of both 
 in His arrangements. 
 
 3. The glory of the Lord, which shone round about the shep- 
 
70 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 licrds, consisted not only in the dazzling brightness of the angel, 
 but was manifested by the fact of his appearing, at such a moment, 
 in such a place, to such men. An angel announces the birth of 
 Jesus; no such announcement distinguishes the birth of John; and 
 thus it is made evident from the very first, how much the King sur- 
 passes the forerunner. But for this angelic manifestation, how 
 could the glad tidings have been communicated with infallible cer- 
 tainty, and who could have been more worthy of so august a procla- 
 mation than the Word made flesh? Yet the angel appears not in 
 the manger, but visits the shepherds in the silent night-watches, in 
 the open field ; a circumstance which powerfully testifies, that the 
 gi’eatness which is to distinguish the Lord’s coming is a silent and 
 hidden greatness. He appears to shepherds : God has chosen the 
 mean things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. 
 He speaks too in a manner suited to their comprehension and to 
 their need, and impresses on the first preaching of the Gospel that 
 character indelihilis of all its after-announcements, Great joy.” 
 Surely we can hardly fail to perceive here also, somewhat of the 
 '7ro\v7rolfa\o<; aocpla tov Qeov spoken of in Eph. iii. 10. 
 
 4. The Redeemer is here called Saviour, not J esus. This name 
 was first to be bestowed upon Him eight days later, in the rite of 
 circumcision. — Born unto you: the word must have directed the 
 attention of the shepherds to the fact, that a supply for the felt 
 necessity of each individual soul was now provided. The sign 
 granted to them is so peculiarly an exercise of their faith, that we 
 might almost imagine we heard the new-born Saviour exclaim to 
 those who were the first to come unto Him, Blessed is he whoso- 
 ever shall not be offended in Me.” 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 They that are “ quiet in the land,” not forgotten of God. — The 
 glory of the Lord shining in the fields of Bethlehem. — The glory 
 of God, — 1. majesty, 2. wisdom, 3. love, 4. holiness, — seen in the 
 angelic appearance at the birth of Jesus. — The angel a model for 
 all preachers, the shepherds a pattern for all hearers, of the Gos- 
 pel message. — The Gospel, though centuries old, an ever new Gos- 
 pel : 1. The hearers, ver. 8 ; 2. the preacher; 3. the key-note, ver. 
 10 ; 4. the summary, ver. 11 ; 5. the sign, ver. 12. — No fear which 
 may not be exchanged for great joy by the glad tidings of a Saviour ; 
 but also, no great joy can truly pervade the heart, unless preceded 
 by fear. — The message of Christmas night, a joyful message for 
 
CHAP. II. 13—20. 
 
 71 
 
 the poor in spirit. — The child in the manger, 1. the Son of David, 
 
 2. the Lord of David, 3. the Lord of David, because He was born 
 Ilis Son. — The shepherds of Bethlehem, themselves sheep of the 
 Good Shepherd. 
 
 StarcJce. — With God is no respect of persons. — Majus : The 
 glory of the Lord, of which the proud see nothing, shines round 
 about the lowly. — The servants and messengers of the Lord must 
 walk in the light. — Osiander : The birth of Christ a remedy against 
 slavish fear. — Divine revelation does not supersede our own dili- 
 gence, investigation, and research, but extends to them a helping 
 hand. — Heubner: Everything here turns upon, 1. Who the new- 
 born child is, 2. for whom He is born, 3. and where. — Christmas 
 joys a foretaste and pledge of the joys of heaven. — Harless : In 
 Christ is joy for all the world; viz., 1. the dmne message for the 
 lowly ; 2. the consolation for the fearful ; 3. the satisf;ydng of the 
 indiHdual yearnings ; and 4. the appearance of the Saviour of the 
 world. — Palmer: The three embassies of God: He sends, 1. His 
 Son to redeem us, 2. His angels to announce Him, 3. men to be- 
 hold Him. — Hof acker : The extensive prospect opened to our faith 
 at Christ’s birth : 1. How far backwards, 2. how high upwards, 
 
 3. how far forwards, it teaches us to look! — Couard: Unto you is 
 born this day a SaHour: 1. A SaHour is hoym; 2. a Saviour is 
 born ; 3. a Saviour is born unto you ; 4. a Saviour is born unto 
 you to-day . — Van Oosterzee : The light appearing in darkness. — The 
 birth of Jesus a light in the darkness, 1. of ignorance, 2. of sin, 
 3. of affliction, 4. of death. — Thomasius : The birth of the Lord in 
 its relation to the history of the world : 1. As the end of the old 
 world ; 2. as the beginning of the new. — Arndt : The first Christ- 
 mas sermon. Notliing less is incumbent upon us than, 1. to under- 
 stand it, 2. to believe it, 3. to obey it. 
 
 C. Heaven and Earth united, in celebrating the Nativity. 
 (Chap. ii. 13-20.j 
 
 1 3 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host 
 praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
 good-will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away 
 from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go even 
 unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath 
 made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and 
 Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they 
 made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 
 
72 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by 
 the shepherds. 19 But ^lary kept all these things, and pondered them in her 
 heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the 
 things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. A multitude of the heavenly host . — A usual appellation of the 
 angels, who are represented as the body-guard of the Lord. Comp. 
 1 Kings xxii. 19 ; Dan. vii. 10. To include among the multitude 
 spoken of the spirits of the Old Testament saints, as well as angels, 
 is a conjecture unsupported by the text. 
 
 2. Glory to God in the highest. — The song of the angels may be 
 divided into three parts, the last of which contains the fundamental 
 idea, which evokes the praise of the two preceding strophes. God’s 
 good-will towards man : this is the matter, the text, the motive of 
 their song. The reading, iv dv 6 p(jcnT 0 L<^ 6 vBoKla<;, followed by the Vul- 
 gate and received by Lachmann, is supported by considerable weight 
 of external testimony, but presents the internal difficulty of intro- 
 ducing a mere repetition in this short doxology : eVl 7^9 and iv dvOp. 
 being merely equivalents. This difficulty can only be obviated by 
 understanding elpgvT) in its literal sense, altering the punctuation, 
 and reading as the first member of the sentence, Bo^a iv v^frlaToi<; 
 0 €(p Kol € 7 rl and as the second, elprjvr] ev dvOpdiiroi^ evBoKia^. 
 Yet even then, this last expression, in the sense of men who are the 
 objects of the divine good-will, or of those who are themselves men 
 of good-will (Jiomines bonce voluntatis')^ is harsh and unexampled 
 in New Testament phraseology. It is far more suitable to consider 
 the divine evBoKia ev dv 6 p., so gloriously manifested in sending Ilis 
 Son, as the theme of the song. It is because of this good-will that 
 he receives Bo^a iv v^|rLo■TOL^ in heaven. Matt. xxi. 9 ; and iirl 7>}9 
 elprjVT], i. e., praise and honour. The parallelism of the members 
 requires this explanation, and a comparison with Luke xix. 38 
 favours it. The connection of ideas, then, stands thus ; the good- 
 will of God towards man is the subject of His glorification, both in 
 heaven and earth. The usual explanation of “ peace ” as the cessa- 
 tion of a state of enmity through the birth of Messiah, the Prince 
 of Peace, must in this case be given up. The elprjvr) appears in 
 this song, not as a benefit vouchsafed to man, but as a homage 
 offered to God. 
 
 3. Good-ivill . — The word expresses not only that God shows 
 unmerited favour to men, but that they are also objects of compH 
 cency to Him. The same fact is expressed by Christ, Matt. iii. 17, 
 
CHAP. II. 13-20. 
 
 73 
 
 xii. 18, xvii. 5. The solution of the mystery, how a holy God can 
 feel complacency towards sinful man, lies in the fact, that He does 
 not look at him as he is in himself, but as he is in Christ, who is 
 the Head of a renewed and glorified humanity. 
 
 4. Let us now go . — Not the language of doubt, which can 
 scarcely believe, but of obedience desiring to receive, as soon as 
 possible, assui’ance and strength, in the way of God’s appointing. 
 
 5. And found Mary and Joseph, and the hahe . — As usual in the 
 history of the Nativity, the name of Mary comes before that of her 
 husband. Natm’al as it was that they should not find the child 
 •\\dthout His parents, yet this meeting was specially adapted to give 
 most light to the shepherds concerning the mysterious occurrence. 
 The Evangelist leaves it to our imagination to conceive the joy with 
 which this sight would fill the hearts of the simple shepherds, and 
 what strength the faith of Mary and Joseph must have obtained 
 from their unexpected and wonderful visit. 
 
 6. They made known abroad the saying that loas told them, Steyvco- 
 pLcrav . — The htd obliges us to believe that they spoke to others 
 besides Joseph and ^lary concerning the appearing of the angels, 
 and probably by daybreak there might have been many persons in 
 the neighbouiiiood of the ^arvij. Though the influence of the 
 shepherds was too little for them words to find much echo beyond 
 their immediate circle, yet they were the first evangelists pro modulo 
 suo among men. 
 
 7. And all that heard it leondered . — It is a matter of rejoicing, 
 that the good news left no one who heard it entirely unmoved. The 
 contrast, however, between these first hearers (ver. 18) and ^lary 
 (ver. 19), forces upon us the conclusion, that their wonder was less 
 deep and less salutary than her silent pondering. 
 
 8. But Mary . — Mary appears here, as w^ell as in ch. i. 29, and 
 ii. 51, richly adorned with that incorruptible ornament which an 
 apostle describes (1 Pet. iii. 4) as the highest adorning of woman. 
 Heart, mind, and memory, are here all combined in the service of 
 faith. 
 
 9. And the shepherds returned . — A beautiful example of their 
 pious fidelity in them vocation. Them extraordinary experience 
 does not withdraw them from their daily and ordinary duties, but 
 enables them to perform them vdth increased gladness of heart. 
 They probably fell asleep,” before the beginning of our Lord’s pub- 
 lic ministry, with the recollection of this night in their hearts, and 
 a frame of mind like that of the aged Shneon. Their names, un- 
 
74 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 known on earth, are m’ittcn in heaven, and their experience is the 
 best example of the first beatitude, Matt. v. 3. Undoubtedly, their 
 early and simple testimony to the new-born Saviour was not en- 
 tirely without fruit ; though they might soon have been convinced 
 that such a message, brought to them from heaven, was not calcu- 
 lated for the ears of every one, nor intended to be proclaimed upon 
 the house-tops. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. Granting, as is reasonable to suppose, that the announcement 
 of the first angel produced a heavenly and extraordinaiy frame of 
 mind in the shepherds, yet the fact of the angels’ song loses none 
 of its historic reality from this admission. The reception of such 
 a message made them capable of entering into the rejoicings of the 
 heavenly world, on this unparalleled occasion ; and it is easier to 
 believe that the words were imprinted {jeaTa pTjrov) on their me- 
 mory, than that they could possibly forget them. Happily, however, 
 there is now no need of mentioning or refuting the rationalistic 
 explanations of this occurrence, as they have already died a natural 
 death. The arbitrary assumption, that the history of this song of 
 angels 7nust have immediately resounded through the whole land, 
 could alone have emboldened any one to find, with Meyer, in the 
 subsequently prevailing ignorance and non-recognition of J esus as 
 the Messiah,” a real difficulty against the objective truth of the 
 whole occurrence. 
 
 2. Although St Lulve’s declaration (ch. i. 3), that he had ^^per- 
 fect understanding of all things from the very first,” must be applied 
 to every part of the history of the Nativity ; yet the historic credi- 
 bility of the angels’ song is best demonstrated when it is considered 
 in connection with the personal dignity of the Eedeemer. A just 
 estimate of the whole, is the best preparation for appreciating 
 isolated facts, in the history of our Lord’s manifestation in the 
 flesh. The divine decorum manifested in the early history will be 
 e\ddent to those alone, who understand the great facts of Christ’s 
 public ministry. The supernatural occuiTences with which the his- 
 tory opens, can offend those alone who forget the exalted natui'e of 
 its progi’ess, and the miraculous splendour of its conclusion. For 
 remarks on the gloria in excelsis, see the Dissert, theol. de hymno 
 angelico by Z. B. Muntendam, Amsterdam, 1849. 
 
 3. He who acknowledges in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the 
 Lord, the Son of the living God, will find no difficulty in the miracles 
 
CHAP. 11. 13-20. 
 
 75 
 
 attending Ilis entrance into the world. Four things are here especi- 
 ally in unison 'vwth the rank of the King, and the spiritual nature 
 of His kingdom : — Angels celebrate the birth of Jesus ; angels 
 celebrate the birth of Jesus on earth; angels celebrate the birth of 
 Jesus in the quiet night; angels celebrate the birth of Jesus before 
 poor shepherds. The first denotes the exalted dignity of His person; 
 the second, the pm’pose of His coming (Col. i. 20); the third, the hid- 
 den nature of His glory to the eye of sense; the fourth, the subjects 
 to be admitted into His kingdom. There is something so unspeakably 
 great and glorious in this union of earthly obscmdty with heavenly 
 splendour, of angels 'svith shepherds, of the form of a servant with the 
 majesty of a king, that the well-known saying, “ ce riest pas ainsi 
 qiHon invente^^ can never he better applied than to the whole narrative. 
 
 4. It will conduce to our due estimation of the work of redemp- 
 tion, to consider the point of view from which the angels contem- 
 plate it. These holy spirits, who desire to look into the depths of 
 these mysteries (1 Pet. i. 12), who admire the manifold wisdom of 
 God in His deahngs with His Cluuch (Eph. iii. 10), and rejoice over 
 one sinner that repenteth (Luke xv. 10), held but one such festival 
 as that they celebrated on the night of the Nativity. It is no mar- 
 vel that the birth of Jesus should not only reconcile God and sin- 
 ners, but also gather together in one, things in heaven and on earth 
 (Eph. i. 10). To the question, why the Logos should receive fallen 
 men and not fallen angels, we know but one answer: eyhoKial 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The salvation of sinners, the joy of angels. — God’s good-will 
 towards men, the matter of His glorification in heaven and earth. — 
 AYliat does the angels’ song announce to men? 1. Bethlehem’s 
 muacle; 2. Jesus’ greatness; 3. the Father’s honour; 4. the Chris- 
 tian’s calling ; 5. heaven’s likeness. — The praise of the sons of God 
 in the first hour of creation, and in the first hour of redemption. — 
 The hymns of heaven, contrasted with the silence of earth. — The 
 angel, the best instructor in true Christmas rejoicing. — The song 
 of the seraphim of the Old, and of the angels of the New Testa- 
 ment. — Every Christmas carol a distant echo of the angels’ song. — 
 The song of the angels on earth, and the song of the redeemed in 
 heaven (Rev. v. 9). — Angels came into the fields, but not into the 
 manger ; angels return to heaven, their Lord remains on earth. — 
 The light which disappeared from the shepherds, contrasted with 
 the light which continued to shine before them. — The journey to 
 
76 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlic manger : What must he, 1. left behind, 2. taken, and 3. ex- 
 pected on tliis journey. — The first messengers of the Gospel (ver. 
 17). — The birth of Christ in us : 1. Its commencement, by wonder- 
 ing (ver. 18); 2. its progress, by pondering (ver. 19); 3. its end, 
 tliankful glorifying of God (ver. 20). — The testifying faith of the 
 sliepherds contrasted with the silent faith of Mary. — Mary’s faith 
 tried, strengthened, and crowned on the night of the Nativity. — 
 Contemplative faith at the manger of the Lord. — The first pilgrims 
 to the stable of Bethlehem : 1. Their pilgrim mind ; 2. their pil- 
 grim staff; 3. their pilgrim hope ; 4. their pilgrim joy; 5. their pil- 
 grim thanksgiving. — The good tidings of salvation, 1. demand, 
 2. deserve, and 3. reward, the strictest investigation. — Not one in- 
 different Avitness of the new-born Saviour. — The Sabbath hours 
 of the Christian life, a preparation for renewed God-glorif;)dng 
 activity.' — To glorify God in oar daily Avork, the best thankoffering 
 for the sight of His grace in Christ. 
 
 Starcke. — Nova Blhl. Tub. : Jesus honoured in lieaA^en, as much 
 as lie was despised on earth. — Majus : In Christ, heaven and earth, 
 God, men, and angels, are reconciled again. — As soon as Ave hear 
 of Christ, Ave should run to find Him. — We should excite one 
 another to exercises of piety. — We must seek Christ, not according 
 to our OAATi notions, Avit, or reason, but according to the Avord of 
 God. — Nova Bihl. Tub. : They who Avonder at the mysteries of 
 God, though they believe not yet, are not far from faith. — Be not 
 a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the Avord. — Luther : It is praise- 
 AAwthy to imitate the angelic virtues (vers. 13-20). — Arndt : True 
 celebration of Christmas, after the pattern of the shepherds : 1. 
 Their going; 2. their seeing; 3. their spreading abroad the sajdng; 
 4. their retmai to their avocations. — Heubner : A childlike disposi- 
 tion is not disturbed by the meanness of outward appearances. — 
 Ver. 19 : St Lulve here gives us a hint of one of his sources of in- 
 formation. What effects should the announcement of the birth of 
 Jesus produce in us? 1. Desires after Jesus, a longing to ImoAv 
 Him by our OAvn experience ; 2. zeal in testifying for Jesus, for the 
 encouragement of others ; 3. renewed activity in duty, and constant 
 glorifying of God by a holy Avalk and couA^ersation. — Kitten : The 
 festival of the NatNity, a festiAM for both heaven and earth : a. For 
 heaven; for it Avas, 1. prepared in heaven, 2. suited for heaA^en, 3. 
 celebrated in heaven : b. For earth ; for it is the festival which com- 
 memorates, 1. our illmnination, 2. oim elevation to the rank of God’s 
 children, 3. our transformation into heirs of glory. — Florey ; Our 
 
CHAP. 11. 21. 
 
 77 
 
 heart the birth-place of the Lord: 1. hidden from the world ; 2. 
 favoured by the Lord ; 3. blessed within. — Ilerherger : Christmas 
 day, 1. a day of miracle, 2. a day of honour, 3. a day of grace. — 
 Ilofer : In Christ we receive, 1. the love of heaven, 2. the light of 
 heaven, 3. the peace of heaven. — Harless : The faith of the shep- 
 herds, true faith. 1. Its foundation — a, God’s word, h. God’s deed; 
 
 2. its properties — a. emotion of heart, h. activity of life ; 3. its aim — 
 a. the spreading of the kingdom of God upon earth, h, the glory of 
 God. — Brandt : Joy in the Saviour is, 1. the greatest, 2. the noblest, 
 
 3. the most active joy. — KrausJiold: A true Christmas blessing 
 consists in our becoming, 1. more desirous of salvation, 2. firmer in 
 faith, 3. more abundant in testimony, 4. more joyful in praise. — 
 Fuchs : The Christian’s celebration of Christmas : 1. His visit to 
 his Saviour (vers. 15, 16) ; 2. his sojourn with his Saviour (vers. 18, 
 19) ; 3. his retmm from his Saviour (vers, 17, 20). 
 
 THIRD SECTION. 
 
 ClElPTER II. 21-52. 
 
 A. The Eighth Day ; or^ Submission to the Law, (Yee. 21.) 
 
 21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the 
 child, His name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He 
 was conceived in the womb. 
 
 CEITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. The circumcising. — See the notes on ch. i. 59. 
 
 2. Jesus, Ltjctov ^, — Hebr. or contracted, — Jehova 
 
 auxilium. It appears from Col. iv. 11, and Matt, xxvii. 16, 17, 
 where the correct reading is Jesus Barabbas, that the name was not 
 an unusual one at this time. 
 
 3. Which teas so named. — The naming of the Messiah was not 
 less an act of faith in obedience to the divine command, than the 
 naming of the Baptist. In this instance, the direction was not given 
 to Joseph alone, but also to Mary. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. It is remarkable that Luke relates the circumcision of the 
 
78 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Baptist in a far more detailed and circumstantial manner than that 
 of the Messiah. This is surely no proof that the two narratives 
 were derived from entirely different sources (Schleiermacher) ; 
 while this very brevity and simplicity offer a fresh token of the 
 truth of the history. A mere inventor would never have omitted 
 enhancing the occmTences of the eighth and fortieth days, by ap- 
 pearances of angels. The detailed account of the circumcision of 
 John, contrasted with the brevity with which that of Jesus is nar- 
 rated, is the more striking, when we consider that the first stands 
 entirely upon Old Testament ground ; while the Mosaic law, and 
 the rite of circumcision itself, were about to be done away with by 
 the second. (Lajige.) 
 
 2. In a certain point of view, circumcision had not the same 
 meaning for the child J esus, as it bore for every other son of Abra- 
 ham. The spotless purity of His body needed no symbol of the 
 putting off of the sinful Adam ; and even without TrepLTOfjurjj He 
 would doubtless, in the eye of Heaven, have been sanctified and 
 hallowed in a peculiar sense of the word. But the King of the 
 Jews could not, and would not, omit the token that He belonged, 
 according to the flesh, to that elect people ; and when the Son of 
 God appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh. He chose also to receive 
 the emblem of purification from sin, that He might be in all things 
 like unto His brethren, sin only excepted. The principle, after- 
 wards so prominently laid down by our Lord at His baptism, also 
 applies in this instance. Matt. iii. 15. It shows a deep insight into 
 the nature and reality of His incarnation, that the mother of our 
 Lord never thinks of withdrawing either Him or herself from the 
 duties of the eighth or of the fortieth day. 
 
 3. He who was eK yuvaiKos fyevofjuevo^, came also at the ap- 
 
 pointed time viro vojjlov by circumcision. His reception of this rite 
 is an incident in the history of His self-humiliation, who, being 
 originally in the form of God, took upon Him the form of 
 
 a servant. By it He became symbolically bound to perform that 
 will of the Father, for whose fulfilment He had come into the 
 world. Olshausen well remarks, that the harmony of the dmne 
 plan of salvation required His submission to even this form of 
 human development, according to which He was received as a 
 member of the theocracy of the Old Testament, by means of the 
 same sacred treatment which brought all His brethren within the 
 bonds of the covenant, in order that He might, after attaining to 
 the perfectly developed consciousness of Ilis higher existence, elevate 
 
CHAP. II. 21. 
 
 79 
 
 to tlie liiglicr degrees of His own life, that community to which lie 
 was united by so many various ties. 
 
 4. Now that Christ is ch’cumcised, the law is in this respect 
 both fulfilled and repealed. Baptism takes the place of circumcision 
 (Col. ii. 10-12), as the form of admission into the new covenant ; 
 and Paul rightly opposes the judaizing zeal for the re-introduction 
 of circumcision, as a virtual denial of Christian principle. 
 
 5. The most important fact of the eighth day, is, after all, the 
 naming of the Saviour. What name was ever given which pro- 
 mised more, and which less disappointed the expectations excited, 
 than this? Comp. Acts iv. 12. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Jesus made under the law, that He might redeem us from the 
 law. — Jesus both humbled and exalted, on the eighth day. — The 
 cucumcision of the flesh, and the ciremneision of the heart, Pom. 
 ii. 28, 29. — Circumcision and baptism. — The first fruits of the 
 blood of Christ, a sacrifice of obedience. — The name Jesus is, 1. a 
 name given by God ; 2. a name whereby we must be saved ; 3. the 
 only name under heaven given for this purpose. — The solemn 
 manner in which circumcision was instituted, contrasted with the 
 silent and almost imperceptible manner in which it disappeared, 
 Heb. viii. 13. — The harmony between the name and work of Jesus. 
 — The name Jesus : 1. The dignity with which the Lord is invested, 
 2. the work which He performs, 3. the homage He receives, as 
 bearing this name. — J oseph and Mary, patterns of the unquestion- 
 ing obedience of faith. — The name of Jesus and our name. — New 
 Year’s day, the Lord’s name-day : 1. The knowledge of the name of 
 Jesus, the best New Year’s blessing; 2. the faithful confession of 
 this name, the chief New Year’s duty. — The New Year considered 
 in the light of the name of Jesus, the name of Jesus in the light of 
 4he New Year. — Our earthly destination also, is appointed by God 
 before our birth. — Starche : Christ was esteemed unclean, according 
 to the law, that, by His satisfaction. He might take away our 
 uncleanness. — Palmer: The name of Jesus in the mouth of His 
 believing people who are in the world : 1. All that we believe and 
 confess in the world is summed up in one name ; 2. what we do for 
 the world, we do in the name of Jesus ; 3. what we shall take out of 
 the world is this name alone ; or, more shortly, the name of Jesus, 
 with respect to the faith, works, and hope of the Christian. — 
 Rautenherg : The name of J esus, our light in the darkness of the 
 
80 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 New Year’s morning: 1. The light of grace for the darkness of 
 our conscience ; 2. the light of power for the darkness of our life. — 
 This name on New Year’s day, 1. throws the right light on our 
 reminiscences, 2. gives the right weight to our resolutions, 3. and 
 provides the anchor of true confidence for our hopes. — Spritzler : 
 We must begin with Jesus Christ, the true “beginning.” — Through 
 Him we have, 1. new life, 2. new hopes, 3. new righteousness, 
 4. new peace. — Stier : The right way of beginning the New Year : 
 1. Not in our own name ; 2. not only in the name of God, but in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus. — Heubner: The Christian resolution to 
 lead a new life in the New Year : 1. '\Yhat this resolution requires 
 — circumcision of the heart and fulfilment of duties ; 2. what gives 
 it strength — the name of Jesus ; 3. what promises its accomplish- 
 ment — the protection of Providence (ver. 21). 
 
 The Fo7^tieth Day ; or. the Redemption from the Temple Service. 
 (CnAP. II. 22-40.) 
 
 22 And when the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, 
 were accomphshed, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord ; 
 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb 
 shall be called holy to the Lord ;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice, according to that 
 which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two young 
 pigeons. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon ; 
 and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel : 
 and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the 
 Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 
 27 And he came by the Spirit unto 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. 33 And 
 Joseph and His mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him. 
 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother. Behold, this 
 child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ; and for a sign which 
 shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul 
 also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was 
 one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser : she was 
 of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity ; 
 
 37 And she vras a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed 
 not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 
 
 38 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 aU things according to the law of the Lord, they re- 
 
CHAP. ir. 22-40. 
 
 81 
 
 turned into Galilee, to tlieir own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and 
 waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon 
 Him. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Her purljication. — The law of Moses declared, that the 
 mother was unclean seven days after the birth of a son (fourteen 
 days after the birth of a daifghter), and must remain separate for 
 three and thirty days from this period. These forty days are to- 
 gether denoted the days of the KctOapLa^o^. J oseph was not obliged 
 to be present, yet he might take part in the solemnity, as it was his 
 part to present the first-born to the Lord. It appears from Lev. 
 xii. 8, that Mary brought the offering of the poor. 
 
 2. In the law of the Lord. — According to Exod. xiii. 2, all the 
 first-born were dedicated to God. In remembrance of the deliver- 
 ance from Eg 3 rpt, when the destroying angel spared the first-born 
 of the Israelites, it was ordered, that the eldest son of every family 
 should be considered as God’s special property, and be redeemed 
 from the service of the sanctuary by the payment of five shekels. 
 The tribe of Levi afterwards took the place of the dedicated and 
 redeemed first-born. The fact, that Mary was unable to bring a 
 lamb or a turtle-dove, as she would undoubtedly desire to do, is a 
 fresh proof of the truth of the apostolic word, 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 3 . Simeon. — The principal traditions concerning this aged saint 
 are to be found in Winer in voce. The very manner in which 
 Luke mentions him, as dvOpcoiro^ ev Lepova., while he speaks with 
 so much more of detail concerning Anna, supports the conjecture, 
 that, though acknowledged by God, he was not famous among his 
 fellow-men. He might have been a man of noble birth, and was 
 probably aged, while he must certainly be numbered among the 
 TTpoBe'^o/ievoc XvrpwcTLv ev Lepovcr. of ver. 38. A modern tradition, 
 describing him as blind, but receiving his sight on the approach of 
 the child Jesus, suitable as its allegorical sense may be, is without 
 historical foundation. 
 
 4. Revealed imto him hy the Holy Ghost ; by an inward revela- 
 tion, which it would be as impossible to describe as presumptuous to 
 doubt. We prefer supposing an infallible consciousness, wrought 
 by God, that his prayer in this respect was certainly heard, to 
 imagining the intervention of some wonderful di’eam. If the Spirit 
 of prophecy had departed from Israel since the time of Malachi, 
 according to the opinion of the Jews, the return of this Sphit might 
 be looked upon as one of the tokens of Messiah’s advent. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 5. See death, or, as it is elsewhere expressed, taste death, Matt, 
 xvi. 28, Ileb. ii. 9, means, not merely falling asleep, but the ex- 
 j^erience of death as death, with its usual terrible accompaniments. 
 That he should depart immediately, or soon after seeing Christ, was 
 not indeed revealed to him in so many words, but might naturally 
 be expected by him. 
 
 G. And he came hj the Spirit. — Perhaps he was accustomed, 
 like Anna, to go daily into the temple ; at all events, he now felt an 
 irresistible impulse from God to enter it. It is possible that he 
 might have heard the narration of the shepherds of Bethlehem ; but 
 such a supposition is not necessary for the understanding of the 
 Gospel account. 
 
 7. Note lettest Thou, etc. — Simeon’s song of praise is genuinely 
 Israelitish, not exclusively Jewish. Compared with the hymns of 
 Zacharias and Mary, it is more peculiarly characterized by its 
 psychological truth, than even by its a3sthetic beauty. The internal 
 variety and harmony of these three compositions is a proof of the 
 credibility of the early chapters of St Luke, which must not be 
 overlooked. 
 
 8. According to Thy word. — A retrospect of the previous 
 revelation.' — Thy salvation. His mind fastens on the thing, not the 
 person ; and he sees the world’s salvation, while beholding the form 
 of a helpless child. — Before the face of all people. The true union 
 of the particular and universal points of view. Salvation goes out 
 from Israel to all people without distinction, in order to retmai to 
 Israel again. The Sun of Pighteousness makes the same circuit as 
 the natural sun, Eccles. i. 5. — To lighten, el<; aTTO/cdXvyjriv. The 
 KoXv/jifxa is now taken away from the eyes of all nations, that they 
 may see the Christ, the Light of the world. — And the glory. Not 
 a declaration that glory is the end proposed, but used in opposition 
 to aMTTjpiov. The highest glory of Israel consists in the salvation 
 of Messiah. 
 
 9. And Joseph and His mother marvelled. — Not because they 
 learned from the song of Simeon anything that they had not heard of 
 before, but they were struck and charmed by the new aspect under 
 which this salvation was presented. Simeon sees fit to moderate 
 their transports, by alluding to the approaching sufferings which 
 must precede the glory. His words, however, contained nothing 
 new or strange. The prophets had already announced, that the 
 Servant of the Lord would undergo sufferings and persecution ; and 
 the apparent poverty of the mother and of the holy child could 
 
CIIAr. II. 22—40. 
 
 83 
 
 not but convince the pious man, who well knew the carnal expecta- 
 tions of his fellow-countrymen, that a Messiah born in so lowly a 
 condition could not fail to encounter the opposition of the nation. 
 'With regard to the pofjuc^ala, it did not pierce Mary’s soul for the 
 first time, but only for the last time, and the most deeply, on 
 Golgotha. 
 
 10. Set for the fall. Comp. Isa. viii. 14. — This divine setting or 
 appointing is always to be considered as caused by them own fault, 
 in those who fall, by wilfully continuing in unbelief and impeni- 
 tence. Mary had already expressed the same truth, in a more 
 general form, ch. i. 52, 53 ; while the Lord Himself still fui’ther 
 developes it, John ix. 39, 41 ; Matt. xxi. 44. We have here the 
 first hint, given in New Testament times, of the opposition which 
 the kingdom of Messiah would experience from unbelief. The 
 angels had only announced great joy : it was given to the man of 
 God, who saw heaven opened before his death, to go a step farther. 
 
 11. That the thoughts of many heai^ts may he revealed. — The 
 thoughts of Mary, who now as before (ver. 19) ponders and is 
 silent, and the thoughts of all who, whether for their fall or rising 
 again, should come in contact with her Son. Lasting neutrality 
 with respect to the Lord is impossible ; he that is not for Him is 
 against Him. His appearing brings to light the latent good and 
 evil, as the same sun which dissipates the clouds that obscure the 
 sky, also draws up the mists and vapour of earth. 
 
 12. The daughter of Phanuel. — It is remarkable that the name 
 of Anna’s father should be mentioned, and not that of her husband. 
 Perhaps he also was known as one who waited for the consolation 
 of Israel. The pious words of Anna, ver. 38, cannot be the only 
 reason of her being called a prophetess ; such an appellation must 
 have been caused by some earlier and frequent utterances, dictated 
 by the Spirit of prophecy, by reason of which she ranks among the 
 list of holy women who, both in earlier and later times, were chosen 
 instruments of the Holy Ghost. Eighty-four years is mentioned as 
 the sum of her whole life, not of that portion of it which had elapsed 
 since the death of her husband. It is specially mentioned, to show 
 also, that though she had passed but few years in the married state, 
 she had reached this advanced age as a widow ; a fact redounding to 
 her honour in a moral sense, and ranking her among the compara- 
 tively small number of widows indeed,” whom St Paul especially 
 commends. That her piety was of an entirely Old Testament cha- 
 racter, gives no support to the opinion of certain Eoman Catholic 
 
84 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlieologians, e.g.^ Scpp, LcLcn J esu ii., p. 54, that Mary was brought 
 up under her guidance in tlie house of the Lord. 
 
 13. Gave thanks likewise^ avOoy/jLoXoyetrOy vicissim lauclahat . — 
 Taking up the tlieme of praise which had just fallen from the aged 
 Simeon. We believe, with Tischcndorf, that the correct reading here 
 is TM G6(p ; but even if we read rS /cvptw, vdth the Textus Receptus, 
 we still have to apply it to the Jehovah of Israel. It is no acknow- 
 ledgment of the new-born Christ, but a doxology to the Father 
 who sent Him, that is here spoken of ; while the words immediately 
 following, “ and spake of Him,” evidently allude to the child of 
 IMary, whose name needs not to be repeated liere, as He plays the 
 chief part in the whole history. 
 
 14. That looked for redemption in Jerusalem. — There were then a 
 certain number of pious persons dwelling in the capital, who lived in 
 and upon the hope of salvation through the Messiah, and among 
 whom the report of His birth was soon spread. Who knows how 
 soon this report might not have spread also throughout the whole 
 country through their means, had not the secret departure of the 
 holy family to Egypt and Nazareth caused every trace of them to 
 disappear from the eyes of this little band at Jerusalem ? Per- 
 haps, too, it was chiefly composed of the aged, the poor, and the 
 lowly, whose influence w^ould certainly not be very extensive. The 
 new-born Saviour, now recognised, through the testimony of Simeon 
 and Anna, by the really noblest in Israel, was soon to receive the 
 homage of the Gentile world also, through the arrival of the wise 
 men from the east. 
 
 15. And when they had performed all things — they 7'eturned into 
 Galilee, to their oivn city Nazareth. — The question naturally occurs 
 here, whether the visit of the wise men, and the subsequent flight 
 into Eg}qot, took place before or after the fortieth day. Although 
 the former is by no means impossible (see Lange, Leben Jesu ii., 
 p. 110), we think the latter conjecture preferable. The narrative 
 of Luke (ch. ii. 22-24), at least, gives us the impression, that the 
 presentation in the temple took place at the customary time ; and 
 we should therefore find some difficulty in inserting the matter con- 
 tained in Matt. ii. betw^een the eighth and fortieth days. As long 
 as Mary had not brought her offering of pmdfication, she was obliged 
 to remain at home, as unclean ; and if J oseph, on his return from 
 Egypt, as we find from Matt. ii. 22, 23, was obliged to settle at 
 Nazareth, instead of Bethlehem, from fear of Archelaus, it was not 
 likely that he would then have ventm’ed to go to Jerusalem, and 
 
CHAP. II. 22-40. 
 
 85 
 
 even into the temple. We need, not necessarily conclude, from 
 Matt. ii. 1, that the event there mentioned took place in the days im- 
 mediately following the birth of Jesus ; nor can Luke ii. 39 be con- 
 sidered a complete account of the whole occurrence. This would 
 have required the return to Bethlehem, and its sad results, to be men- 
 tioned before the settlement at Nazareth. The passage is rather a 
 concluding paragraph, wherewith the Evangelist closes his account 
 of the early infancy of our Lord, before passing on to a somewhat 
 later period. Completeness not being his aim in this preliminary 
 history, he has no need to speak of the visit of the Magi, and the 
 flight into Egypt, even if he were as well acquainted vdth these cir- 
 cumstances as Matthew was ; but hastens on to the definitive settle- 
 ment at Nazareth (ch. i. 26, ii. 4), where Mary and Joseph had 
 previously dwelt ; and even of this period he gives only a general 
 account, ver. 40, and a single occruTence, vers. 41-52. 
 
 16. And the child grew^ etc. Comp. ch. i. 80. — The same ex- 
 2:)re3sions are made use of, concerning John, while somewhat more 
 is added when J esus is spoken of. There is no need of msisting on 
 the anti-docetic character of the whole narrative. 
 
 DOCTRIIsAL REFLECTIOXS. 
 
 1. Even the second occurrence in the life of our Lord, His pre- 
 sentation in the temple, is elucidated by a reference to what is writ- 
 ten. From this time forth, the Xva TfXrjpoyOij g yp. will continually 
 recur, and the whole life of the God-man present a realization of 
 the ideal, depicted in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. 
 The offering of doves, brought by Mary on this occasion, while it 
 shows the poverty of her condition, testifies at the same time to the 
 depths of humiliation to which the Son of God descended. Mary 
 cannot bring a lamb for an offering : she brings something better, 
 even the true Lamb of God, into the temple. 
 
 2. In Simeon and Anna we see incarnate types of the expecta- 
 tion of salvation under the Old Testament, as in the child Jesus the 
 salvation itself is manifested. At the extreme limits of life, they 
 stand in striking contrast to the infant Saviom*, exemplifying the 
 Old Covenant decajdng and waxing old before the New, which is 
 to gTOw and remain. Old age grows youthful, both in Simeon and 
 Anna, at the sight of the Saviom* ; while the youthful IMary grows 
 older and riper, as Simeon lifts up before her eyes the veil hanging 
 upon the future. 
 
 3. The coming of Simeon into the temple, by the Spirit,” is 
 
86 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 entirely according to Old Testament experience. The Spirit does 
 not dwell in him, permanently, as his own vital principle ; hut 
 comes upo7i and over him, as a power acting from without. Such 
 exceptional manifestations among saints in Israel, by no means pre- 
 judices the statement of St John, ch. vii. 39. There is a remark- 
 able coincidence between the expectation of Simeon and that men- 
 tioned, Isa. xlix. 6. 
 
 4. A divine propriety, so to speak, seems to require that the new- 
 born Saviour should receive first the homage of the elect of Israel, 
 and afterwards that of the representatives of the Gentile world. If 
 so, the visit of the Magi must have been subsequent to the presen- 
 tation in the temple. Besides, if the gold they offered had come 
 into the hands of Mary and Joseph before this event, would they 
 have brought only the offering of poverty? 
 
 5. The shepherds, Simeon, and Anna agree in this, that they 
 all become, in their respective circles, witnesses to others of the sal- 
 vation of God. They do not wait, or seek for suitable opportunity, 
 but seize upon the first, as the best. Comp. Ps. xxxvi. 1 ; Acts iv. 20. 
 When the Saviour is seen by faith, the true spirit of testimony is 
 already aroused. 
 
 6. We shall have to speak more particularly, in the next divi- 
 sion, of the manner of the genuine human development of J esus. 
 But the hint here given, is sufficient to direct our attention to its 
 reality. Not only the body, but the soul and spirit of the Lord, 
 grew incessantly and regularly. When He was a child. He spake 
 as a child, before He could, Avith full consciousness, testify of God 
 as His Father. Undoubtedly the awakening of his divine-human 
 consciousness. His recognition of Himself, formed part of the filling 
 with wisdom. As Sartorius says in his doctrinal lectures, The 
 eye which comprehends heaven and earth vdthin its range of 
 vision, does not, by betaking itself to darkness or closing its lid, 
 deprive itself of its power of sight, but merely resigns its far-reach- 
 ing activity; so does the Son of God close His all-seeing eye, and 
 betake Himself to human darkness on earth, and then as a child of 
 man open His eye on earth, as the light of the world, gradually 
 increasing in brilliancy till it shines at the right hand of the F ather, 
 in perfect splendour.” 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The offering of pious poverty acceptable to God. — The incon- 
 siderable redemption-money paid for Christ ; the infinite price of 
 
CHAP. II. 22—10. 
 
 87 
 
 redemption paid by Christ. — Simeon, a specimen of an Israelite 
 indeed: 1. Just and devout; 2. waiting for the consolation of Israel; 
 
 3. filled vdth the Holy Ghost. — The Holy Ghost, 1. witnesses of 
 Christ, 2. leads to Christ, 3. and teaches to praise Christ. — The 
 song of Simeon, the last note of the psalmody of the Old Testa- 
 ment. — He who has seen the salvation of Christ can depart in 
 peace. — Christ, according to the prophecy of Simeon, 1. the glory 
 of Israel ; 2. the light of the Gentiles ; 3. the highest gift of God 
 to both. — The death that glorifies God, has, 1. a song on the lips, 
 2. Christ in the arms, 3. heaven in the eye. — Christ set for the 
 fall of some, and the rising of others : 1. It is not otherwise ; 2. it 
 cannot be othervdse ; 3. it ought not to be otherwise ; 4. it will not 
 be otherwise. — The sign that is spoken against, 1. in its continual 
 struggle, 2. in its certain triumph. — Christ the touchstone of the 
 heart. — The SaGour came into this world for judgment, John ix. 
 39. — The sword in Mary’s heart: the depth of the wound; the 
 balm for its healing. — Anna the happiest vddow of Holy Scripture. 
 — A pious old age, cheered with the light of salvation. — The first 
 female testimony to Christ, a testimony, 1. excited by longing ex- 
 pectation, 2. based on j^ersonal vision, 3. given with full candour, 
 
 4. sealed by a holy walk, 5. crowned by a happy old age. — The 
 Annas of the Old and New Testament, 1 Sam. ii. : Both tried, 
 heard, and favoured in peculiar manners. — In Christ there is 
 neither male nor female, old nor young, etc.; but faith which 
 worketh by love. — The significancy of the events of the fortieth 
 day, 1. to Simeon and Anna ; 2. to Mary and Joseph ; 3. to Israel, 
 4. to Christendom in after ages. — Starche : The duty of all parents 
 to present their children to God . — Majus : Yows and sacrifices 
 must be offered according to the law of God, not according to the 
 notions of men. — The most pious are not always the richest ; there- 
 fore despise none for their poverty. — God has a people of His own, 
 even in the darkest seasons of the Church. — Quesnel : The elect of 
 God never die, till they have beheld, here on earth, the Christ of 
 God with the eye of faith . — Hedinger : The duty of }delding imme- 
 diately to special impulses towards that which is good. — The death 
 of God’s children, a loosening of the bondage of this life of misery. 
 — The prosperity and adversity of the saints, determined beforehand 
 in the counsels of God, even from eternity (ver. 34). — MTiatever 
 happens to Christ the Head, happens also to His members (ver. 34). 
 — Zeisius : Mary (ver. 35), a tj^^e of the Church, upon whom, as 
 the spiritual mother, all the storms of affliction fall. — God, the God 
 
88 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOPDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of the widow, Ps. Ixviii. G. — Holy people cannot but speak of lioly 
 tilings : what is the chief subject then of our discourse ? — Langil 
 Opus Bill, : Children should imitate the mind of J esus, and grow 
 stronger in what is good. — J esus remained a child but a short time, 
 and Ilis believing people should not long remain children in faith. 
 
 Ileuhner , — Christian dedication of children: 1. Its nature; 2. its 
 blessing. — Simeon’s faith, and Simeon’s end. — Anna, the model of 
 the Christian widow, forsaken by the world, and living alone and 
 bereft; but not forsaken of God, and living in the happy future, 
 and in the faith of Christ. — Early announcement of the destination 
 of Jesus : 1. How and why it happened ; 2. its truth and confirma- 
 tion. — Rieger : Of the spiritual priesthood of Christians. — J. Saurin : 
 Simeon delivered from fear of death by the child Jesus : 1. He 
 cannot desire to see anything gi'eater on earth ; 2. he has the sacri- 
 fice for sin in his arms ; 3. he is assiued of eternal life, why then 
 should he desh’e to remain any longer on earth ? — Krummacher re- 
 marks, in the history of Simeon, 1. a divine “Forwards,” 2. a happy 
 halt, 3. a safe anchorage, 4. a peaceful farewell, 5. a joyful welcome. 
 — Gerlach : Jesus our all, when we, 1. have found in Him rest for 
 our souls, 2. are resolved to fight for Him, and 3. to bear His re- 
 proach. — Rautenherg : Simeon’s hope : 1. To what it was directed ; 
 2. on what it was founded ; 3. and how it was crovmed. — Bole : 
 Simeon in the temple : 1. The Holy Spirit his leader ; 2. faith his 
 consolation ; 3. piety his life ; 4. the Saviour his joy ; 5. departui’e 
 for his home his desire. — Krummacher : Anna a partaker of a three- 
 fold redemption: 1. From an oppressive uncertainty; 2. from a 
 heavy yoke ; 3. from a heavy care. — Florey : Directions on our pil- 
 grimage for a new year (from verses 33-40). We must go on our 
 journey, 1. stedfast in the faith (ver. 34) ; 2. submissive to the 
 divine will (ver. 35) ; 3. diligent in the temple of God (ver. 36) ; 
 4. waiting for the promises of God (ver. 35) ; 5. faithful in our 
 daily work (ver. 39) ; and 6. growing in the grace of God (ver. 
 40). 
 
 C. The Twelfth Year; or^ the Growth in Wisdom and Favour. 
 (Chap. ii. 41-52.) 
 
 41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Pass- 
 over. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, after 
 the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they re- 
 turned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and His 
 mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing Him to have been in the com- 
 
CHAr. II. 41-52. 
 
 89 
 
 pany, went a day’s journey ; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and 
 acquaintance. 45 And when they found Him not, they turned back again to 
 Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they 
 found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, 
 and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard Him were astonished at 
 His understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw Him, they were 
 amazed : and His mother said unto Him, Son, why liast Thou thus dealt with 
 us ? behold. Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. 49 And He said 
 unto them. How is it that ye sought Me ? wist ye not that I must be about My 
 Father’s business ? 50 And they understood not the saying which He spake unto 
 them. 51 And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was sub- 
 ject unto them ; but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And 
 Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 
 
 CRITICAL KOTES. 
 
 1. At the feast of the Passover , — See Lange’s remarks on tlie 
 Passover, Matt. xxvi. 2. Tbe celebration lasted seven days, from 
 the 15tli Nisan. Every Israelite was bound to be present, except 
 such as were unable to perform the necessary journey, viz., the sick, 
 the aged, and boys under the age of twelve, who, as well as the 
 blind, the deaf, and the lunatic, were permitted to remain at home. 
 At the beginning of the month Nisan, messengers were despatched 
 to all parts, to remind the people of the approaching festival, that 
 none might have ignorance to plead as an excuse for absence. A 
 detailed description of the rite is not necessary for the elucidation 
 of St Luke’s narrative; we need only here remark, that every 
 Jewish child of twelve years old was obliged, as a son of the laAv,” 
 to take part in it. According to J ewish custom at a later time, a 
 child was, in his fifth year, instructed in the law ; in his tenth, in 
 the Mishna ; and in his thirteenth, was fully subjected to the obe- 
 dience of the law. There existed, also, no longer any reason that 
 Jesus should absent Himself from Judea, as Archelaus was already 
 banished by Augustus, after a reign of ten years. Women were by 
 no means obliged to go up to the feast ; yet the fact of Mary’s ac- 
 companying her son on the occasion of His first celebration, needs 
 neither defence nor explanation. 
 
 2. The child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem , — St Luke neither 
 tells us that Jesus remained behind at Jerusalem intentionally, nor 
 that Joseph and Mary lost sight of Him through want of necessaiy 
 care. The circumstance is mentioned without the manner of its 
 occurrence being entered into ; and we may certainly conclude, that 
 Joseph and Mary joined them elder fellow-travellers in the persua- 
 sion that J esus, who knew of the time and place of departure, was 
 
90 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 among tlic younger ones. The more Mary was accustomed to trust 
 to Ilis obedience and wisdom, the less necessary would it be never 
 to leave Him alone. An involuntary mistake, of whatever kind it 
 might be, separated the child from the parents. Perhaps, too, they 
 might have become uneasy on His account earlier in the day ; but 
 the multitude of the caravans at a time when, as Josephus tells us, 
 Galilee contained more than four million inhabitants, would render 
 an instantaneous search impracticable ; and a day’s journey being 
 generally not very long, inquiry was delayed till the end of the day. 
 It must not, besides, be forgotten, that in the East even an ordi- 
 nary child of twelve would be equal to one of fourteen or fifteen 
 among us ; and that they could not, therefore, be extremely uneasy, 
 especially about such a child as He was. — See Tholuck’s treatment 
 of this subject in his Glctuhunlrdigheit der evangelischen Geschichte, 
 p. 210, etc. 
 
 3. After three days. — If we understand, with He Wette and 
 others, that these three days were spent in seeking for the child in 
 J erusalem, it is almost inexplicable that it should only so late have 
 come into their thoughts to go to the temple. It seems more pro- 
 bable that we must allow one day for their departure, ver. 44 ; one 
 for their return, ver. 45 ; and the third, ver. 46, for their search ; 
 and that they found Him in the sanctuary at the close of the latter. 
 (See Grotius and Paulus.) 
 
 4. In the temple. — Probably in one of the porches of the Court 
 of the Women, wdiere the schools of the Pabbis were held, and the 
 law regularly expounded. 
 
 5. Sitting in the midst of the doctors. — It has been often said, 
 that it was the custom of the times for scholars to receive the^ in- 
 structions of the Rabbis standing, as a mark of reverence. This has 
 been, however, well disproved by Yitringa (de Synagog. Vet. i., p. 
 167). We have also mention of a similar sitting of Paul at the 
 feet of Gamaliel (Acts xxii. 3). De Wette insists, notwithstanding, 
 that the child Jesus appears here in a consessus of discussing Rabbis, 
 entering into the argument as a member of it would do. Surely 
 he has not sufficiently considered the following words, clkovcov koX 
 eTrepcoTcoVy which plainly show, that the idea of receiving is here 
 made far more prominent than that of communicating. Olshausen 
 far more suitably remarks, that a lecturing, demonstrating child 
 v'ould have been an anomaly, which the God of order would never 
 have exhibited.” The astonishment of His hearers at the intelli- 
 gence manifested in His answers, need not surprise us, if these 
 
CnAP. II. 41 - 52 . 
 
 91 
 
 answers were even as excellent as that which He gave to Mary’s 
 somewhat hasty demand. 
 
 C). Thy father and I . — Not merely the only possible manner in 
 which ^lary could publicly speak to her son of Joseph, but also an 
 indisputable proof of the wisdom with which she brought up the 
 child ; a msdoin, which taught her to say nothing yet to Him of the 
 mystery of His birth, and wdiich had faith enough to wait, till His 
 o^\m consciousness should be fully and clearly awakened to the fact 
 of His being the Son of God. — The more surprising, therefore, must 
 His answer have seemed to His mother, as containing a hint, in- 
 telligible to her alone, that He ah'eady kneAv who His F ather was. 
 
 7. Hoio is it that ye sought Me f — The quiet repose of this 
 answer, contrasted with Mary’s natural agitation, produces an im- 
 pression quite peculiar. He is apparently astonished that He should 
 have been sought, or even thought of, anywhere else, than in the 
 only place which He felt to be property His home. — Perhaps this 
 was the moment in which His immediate intuition of His destination 
 was aroused. 
 
 8. About My Fathers business . — The rendering of some, ^Gn 
 My Father’s house,” unnecessarily narrows the fidness of the ex- 
 pression. He stays in the temple qua talis, inasmuch as it is 
 there that rd rov irarpo^ are for the present concentrated, accord- 
 ing to His view. A beautiful exposition of this inexhaustible text 
 may be found in Stiers Words of the Lord Jesus, vol. I. 
 
 9. And they understood not the saying . — If Meyer and others 
 are right, in concluding that the meaning of these words was totally 
 incomprehensible to His parents, this inexplicable ignorance might 
 perhaps be adduced, as evidence against the truth of the history of 
 the Nativity and its miracles. We do not, however, see any reason 
 why we should not attribute their astonishment to the fact, that he 
 should, sponte sua, so plainly express what He had learned neither 
 from them nor from the doctors. Besides, twelve years of quiet 
 oblivion had elapsed, between His birth and this moment ; and even 
 the faith of a Mary would not be always equally clear and strong. 
 
 10. And ivas subject unto them . — It seems almost as if St Luke 
 were trying to oppose the notion, that the child, whose faculties 
 Avere developing in so heavenly a manner, had even for an instant 
 spoken in an unchildlike manner to His mother and foster-father. 
 If His heart drew Him to the temple, the voice of duty called Him 
 back to Galilee ; and, perfect even in childhood. He yielded implicit 
 obedience to this A^oice. The blossom of His inner life, which had 
 
92 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 opened and spread abroad its first fragrance in tlie temple, was to 
 continue expanding in the obscurity of Nazareth ; and Mary was to 
 wait eigliteen years, keeping “ all these sayings in her heart,” before 
 anything else unprecedented should occur. 
 
 11. In ivisdom and stature. — Age (margin) would seem the 
 preferable rendering of ifkiKLa ; for, though increase in age is as 
 inevitable a consequence as increase of stature, yet the former 
 exj)ression is important to Luke, who, having spoken of Ilis twelfth 
 year, and being about to mention Ilis thirtieth (ch. iii. 23), charac- 
 terizes, by this concluding formula, the whole of these eighteen 
 years as a period of development 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. We might compare the appearance of Jesus on earth to the 
 course of the sun. The first light appeared above the horizon on 
 the night of the Nativity at Bethlehem ; when His public ministry 
 began, this light had gained its meridian height ; but as the sun’s 
 journey from east to south is often performed amidst darkening 
 clouds, so is the history of these thirty years for the most part veiled 
 in obscimty. Only once, in this long morning, is the veil of clouds 
 drawn aside, and we get a glimpse of the increasing glories of this 
 Sun of Righteousness ; and this moment of brightness is the epoch 
 of this Passover feast. 
 
 2. Perhaps there are few passages in St Bulge’s history of the 
 birth and childhood of Jesus, which bear such incontestable marks 
 of truth and reality as this. A comparison with the apocryphal 
 gospels is even unnecessary, as the whole narrative breathes through- 
 out a truth and simplicity, with which nothing else can be com- 
 pared. What writer of a fiction would ever have imagined an 
 occurrence, from which the miraculous is so entirely banished, in 
 which no angel is introduced to assist in the discovery of the lost 
 child, but His parents are represented as finding Him again in an 
 ordinary manner, and one in wdiich even an appearance of disobedi- 
 ence to Mary is cast upon Jesus ! To be unable to imagine so pre- 
 cocious a development, is to place the Lord behind many children, 
 of whom remarkable traits of early maturity are related. Nor 
 should we forget here the remark of a Christian apologist, that in 
 Christianity, and in its sacred records, the motto of cold intellectual 
 culture, ^ nil mirari^ is less applicable than the principle of the most 
 sublime of its predecessors : to Oaviid^eLv ttJ? <pCko(TO(^[a^ dpxv’^ 
 0 Slander. 
 
CUAP. 11. 41-o2. 
 
 03 
 
 3. The first words which drop from the lips of the Word made 
 fleshj are especially important in a doctrinal point of view. They 
 are the childlike and naive expression of direct and infallible 
 consciousness, now gradually developing into higher knowledge. 
 This is the moment in which the long closed and slowly growing 
 bud first breaks throimh its outer covering. The child Jesus ex- 
 cites astonishment, but shows none, except at the fact that they 
 knew not where to find Him. But the deep mysteries of His 
 nature are still covered with a garment of the purest innocence. 
 The temple is to Him, in the fullest sense, the dwelling-place of His 
 F ather, of whom He will soon declare, that God is a Spirit.” His 
 ear, desirous of instruction, is seeking answers to important and 
 vital questions from those Rabbis, against whose perversions of 
 Scripture He will soon denounce a heavy woe. His foot, which an 
 irresistible yet inexplicable attraction draws towards the temple, 
 soon submissively follows the track which the will of His parents 
 points out. We feel that the child Jesus must have acted thus, and 
 could not have acted othervdse. 
 
 4. But this passage of Christ’s early history is of extreme im- 
 portance for other reasons. It is important in its influence on the 
 present. Hitherto pious J ews and lowly shepherds, waiting for the 
 salvation of Israel, have borne testimony to the infant Messiah : He 
 now bears testimony to Himself ; and the whole occurrence, which 
 would surely be impressed on the mind of certain doctors of J eru- 
 salem, was a fresh hint to the whole Jewish nation, to give a be- 
 coming reception to Him who would shortly appear among them. 
 It is also important in its relation to the past. A seal is now set to 
 the word of the angel, “ He shall be called the Son of the Highest.” 
 The consciousness of J esus is aroused to this unique relationship, 
 and a ray now gilds the obscurity of Nazareth, which must recall 
 to IMary’s mind the miracles of Bethlehem, and direct her hopes to 
 a future full of blessings. Finally, it is important as a sign of the 
 future : if ever the saying of a child was prophetic, it was the saying 
 of J esus in the temple. It is the programme, the key-note, of the 
 whole futm’e life of the Lord. His consciousness of divinity. His 
 obedience. His self-denial. His speech, as never man spake, all are 
 here present in niicCy soon to be manifested in luce. Luke ii. 49 is 
 the germ of John iv. 34 ; viii. 29 ; ix. 4 ; and even His farewell to 
 life, J ohn xvii. 4, natm^ally refers to this beginning. 
 
 5. The outer life of Jesus, during the next eighteen years, is 
 covered with a veil of obscurity, which not even the waiters of the 
 
94 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 apocrj^^lial gospels have ventured to lift. His days seem to have 
 ])een qidetly passed in the privacy of the domestic circle. Even 
 Nathanael, who lived at Cana, only three leagues off from Nazareth, 
 John i. 4G, 47, had never yet heard anything of the son of Joseph. 
 The death of Ilis foster-father probably happened during this in- 
 terval. IVEracles would have been without purpose in the retire- 
 ment of home ; and John ii. 3 cannot he understood to denote that 
 any had yet been performed by Him. Mark vi. 3 shows decidedly 
 that He had w^orked at His father’s trade ; a fact supported also 
 by tradition. See Just. Dialog, cum Tiyph. cli. 88. Compare the 
 account of a remarkable statement of Julian the Apostate, in Theo- 
 dore t, H. E. 3, 23, and Sozomen 6, 2. The family of Nazareth 
 seems not to have lived in a state of extreme poverty, but still less 
 in the possession of any temporal superfluity. 
 
 6. The increase of Jesus in wisdom during this period w^as, — 1. 
 Deal. Jesus had to learn from the words of others what as yet He 
 knew not ; and that was entirely unknown to Him as a child, which 
 He had a glimpse of as a boy, conjectured as a youth, and first clearly 
 perceived as a man. — 2. U7ichecked. In attributing to the Lord 
 Jesus the relative imperfection of childhood, we must carefully 
 avoid imputing to Him the failings of childhood. His life showed 
 no trace of childish faults, to be hereafter conquered. The words 
 of John, Matt. iii. 14, show what impression was made by His moral 
 purity ; and the voice from heaven, ver. 17, sets the seal of the divine 
 approval on the now completed development of the Son of man, a 
 seal which the Holy One of Israel would only have affixed to abso- 
 lute perfection. — 3. It was effected hy means. We may exclude from 
 the means whereby this development was effected, a. a learned edu- 
 cation by Jewish doctors (John vii. 15) ; h. an Eastern, Egyptian, 
 Greek, or Alexandrian training, which was formerly thought of ; 
 c. an instruction in the principles of the various Jewish sects, viz., 
 the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. On the other hand, w^e may 
 ascribe more or less influence to — a. Ilis training by the pious Mary, 
 and the godly Joseph, in the ways of a quiet domestic life ; b. to 
 the natm’al beauties of the neighbourhood of Nazareth ; c. to the 
 Scriptures of the Old Testament, which He undoubtedly read, 
 understood, and delighted in, more tlian any other child ; d. to the 
 annual journeys to Jerusalem, wdiich must certainly have opened 
 His eyes to the corruption of His nation and its leaders ; and e. to 
 communion with His heavenly Father. But, allowing for all these, 
 we are forced to recm’ to that essential singularity in the personality 
 
CHAP. II. 41-52. 
 
 95 
 
 of the Lord, whereby, with such comparatively weak and dispro- 
 portioned means, he could hccomc actu^ what He had been from 
 His birth potentid. — Lastly, 4. it was normal, inasmuch as it holds 
 up to Ilis people an example of what they must more and more 
 approach unto, in fellowship with Himself, groAving by the faithful 
 use of every means of grace, from little children” to young men,” 
 and from young men” to “fathers” in Christ: 2 Cor. hi. 18; 
 2 Pet. hi. 18. — On the subject of the human development of the 
 Son of man, compare Athanasius, Or at. III. contra Arian. ch. 51 
 (vol. i., p. 475), and Gregory Nazianzen, Oratio 43 in laud. Basilii, 
 ch. 38. See also the excellent remarks of Ullmann, Sinlessness of 
 Jesus (Clark’s Translation), and those of Martensen in his Dogmat. 
 ii., p. 315. The latter well observes, that “we see in this narrath^e, 
 not only that the consciousness of His peculiar relation to His 
 Father is dawning Avithin Him ; but that in His sitting in the 
 midst of the doctors of His nation, not merely listening, but aston- 
 ishing them by His questions and answers, we may also perceLe 
 the earliest revelation of His productiA-e relation to those around 
 Him (discendo docuit).” 
 
 7. We may be thankful that St Luke, compared with the other 
 Evangelists, has communicated to us so much of the early history 
 of our Lord ; nor less so, that he has told us so little ; as this A’ery 
 reticence furnishes a proof of his fides Jiistorica, checks vain curio- 
 sity, and shows us hoAv infinitely more important is the history of 
 His ministry, passion, death, and glorification, than that of His 
 youth and childhood. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The first Passover of Jesus : 1. The history ; 2. the significance 
 of this journey for Jesus, for His parents, for Israel, for the AAwld. 
 — The first appearance of the Messiah in the sanctuary. — The glory 
 of the second house greater than that of the first. Hag. ii. 10. — The 
 first Passover of Jesus : 1. Visited Avith desire; 2. celebrated Avorthily ; 
 3. left obediently. — The Son of man once a lost son. — Seeking for 
 Jesus ; 1. The anxiety of depri Action ; 2. the joy of finding. — The 
 interchange of joy and sorrow dmlng our earthly pilgrimage. — 
 J esus lost in the hurry and bustle of the Avorld, but found again 
 in the temple. — The school of Pabbis at Jerusalem, a model for 
 jAarents and children. — Mary’s astonishment excited by Jesus, 
 comp. vers. 18 and 33. — The over-hasty zeal of Mary, and the 
 heavenly tranquillity of Jesus. — God, the Father of the Lord Jesus 
 
0(5 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Clirist, in a sense applicable to Him alone. — The Son of man 
 aroused to the consciousness of Ilis being the God-man. — To be 
 about Ilis Father’s business, the vocation, 1. of Christ, 2. of the 
 Cliristian. — Even the first recorded saying of the Lord too deep to 
 be entirely understood, the explanation of all His deeds, and the 
 key to Ilis whole life. — Christ’s first Passover journey : 1. A 
 glimpse into the history of His youth ; 2. a difficulty in the his- 
 tory of His development ; 3. a turning-point in the history of His 
 salvation. — The return from Jerusalem to Nazareth, a specimen of 
 the voluntary self-denial and obedience of Christ. — Jesus, even at 
 Nazareth, about Ilis Father’s business. — The contemplative faith of 
 IMary, 1. in its secret conflict, 2. in its final triumph. — The growth in 
 secret, both in wisdom and stature, from the imperfect child to the 
 perfect man, of Him who was the Most High and Most Glorious. — 
 The increase in favour. — He who finds favour mth God, finds 
 favour also with man. — The season of waiting. — Faithfulness in 
 little things. — -The fourth commandment not destroyed but fulfilled 
 by Jesus. — The fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom. — In- 
 crease in wisdom and age (margin), the work of grace ; favour, the 
 crown put upon wisdom and age. — That which is most precious, 
 though ripening in the world, 1. was then, 2. is now, 3. will be ever, 
 hidden from the eye of the world. 
 
 Stayxhe. — The care parents should have for their children. — 
 Public worship must be added to domestic worship. — Quesnel : 
 Jesus is more often lost in time of prosperity than in times of mis- 
 fortune and persecution. — Hedinger : We often, from erroneous 
 judgment, seek Christ among our kinsfolk and acquaintance, where 
 He is not to be met vuth. — We often have to seek long for Jesus ; 
 and this is our best employment, even if we have to spend more 
 than one spiritual day’s journey upon it. — Sorrow for the loss of 
 Jesus, a reasonable sorrow. — He who would be a teacher of others, 
 must first be a learner. — Cramer : Christ has hallowed instruction 
 by question and answer. — The more spiritual gifts any one has 
 received, the more careful will he be to avoid boasting. — Nova Bihl. 
 Tub. : Jesus more learned than His teachers (Isa. 1. 4): let us hear 
 Him. — Parents transginss when they reprove and punish their chil- 
 dren unseasonably or unreasonably, Prov. xx. 1-6, xxii. 6. — Magus: 
 Children may instruct their parents, if they do it respectfully and 
 modestly, 1 Sam. xix. 4. — We must not despise what we do not 
 understand. — 0 slander : Christ has, by His obedience, made satis- 
 faction for the disobedience of children ; while, by His example. 
 
CHAP. II. 41-52. 
 
 97 
 
 lie teaches children to obey their parents. — Faith keeps in her 
 lieart even what she does not understand. — There is little hope of 
 children who increase in age and stature only, and decrease in wis- 
 dom and favour. 
 
 Heubner. — The care of man is not sufficient for children, if God 
 does not add to it the care of Plis angels. — As Jesus grew and 
 ripened in retirement, so the ministers of the Gospel often have 
 long to wait before God calls them into full work. — Jesus com- 
 manding respect even as a boy. — The family of Jesus a model for 
 Christian families. — The charms of the history of Jesus for the 
 young. — Stier : The holy child Jesus and our children (a con- 
 tinuous contrast). — Arndt: 1. The tokens, 2. the excitements, 3. the 
 fruits of early piety, visible in the holy child Jesus. — The early 
 history of Jesus : 1. Jesus in Nazareth; 2. Jesus of Nazareth. — A 
 des Amorie v. d. Hoeven (preacher in Utrecht 1849) : 1. Behold the 
 child Jesus ! 2. Behold in the child, the man Jesus ! 3. Become 
 children in Christ, that you may become men! — Gerdessen : The 
 appearance of Christ in the sanctuary : Ought He not to be, 1. about 
 His Father’s business, 2. in the midst of the doctors, 3. according 
 to the usage of the feast, 4. sought for sorrowing, and 5. mani- 
 festing a childlike disposition? — M. G. Albrecht (1635) : The child 
 Jesus is often lost in our days, after a spiritual manner. — Gaiipp : 
 The Mediator between God and man discernible in Jesus, even in 
 His twelfth year : 1. In the holy privacy of His life in God ; 2. in 
 His consciousness of His relation to the Father; 3. in the uninter- 
 mitted occupation of His spirit with the work which the Father had 
 given Him to do. — Rautenberg : Our children our judges : 1. What 
 this means ; 2. how this happens ; 3. to what this leads. — Finally, 
 an excellent sermon by Adolphe Monod (1856) : Jesus enfant, 
 modele des enfants. Paris 1857. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 THE BENEFICENT ACTIVITY AND HOLY BEHAVIOUR OF THE SON 
 
 OF MAN. 
 
 FIRST SECTION. 
 
 TESTIMONY BORNE TO MESSIAH. 
 
 Chapter hi. 
 
 A. By the Preaching and Baptism of John. (Chap. hi. 1-22.) 
 
 1 Now, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, Pontius Pilate 
 being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother 
 Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the 
 tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of 
 God came unto John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came 
 into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the 
 remission of sins ; 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the 
 prophet, saying. The voice of one crjdng in the wilderness. Prepare ye 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 be made straight, 
 and the rough ways shall be made smooth ; 6 And all flesh shall see the salva- 
 tion of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized 
 of him, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to 
 come ? 8 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 wliich 
 bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And 
 the people asked him, saying. What shall we do then? 11 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 likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be 
 baptized, and said unto him. Master, what shall we do ? 13 And he said unto him. 
 Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise 
 demanded of him, saying. And wdiat shall we do ? And he said unto them. Do 
 violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 
 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of 
 John, whether he were the Christ, or not ; 16 John answered, saying unto them 
 all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet 
 of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : He shall baptize you wdth the Holy 
 
CHAP. III. 1—22. 
 
 99 
 
 Ghost, and with fire : 17 "Whose fan is in His hand, and lie will throughly 
 purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner ; but the chaff He will 
 burn with fire unquenchable. 18 And many other things, in his exhortation, 
 preached he unto the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by 
 him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod 
 had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 21 Now, 
 when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being bap- 
 tized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended 
 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. 
 
 CRITICAL l^OTES. 
 
 1. In the fifteenth year^ etc. — With this chronological notice, 
 Luke points out, as his predecessors had omitted doing, the exact 
 position which the sacred narrative occupies on the wide platform 
 of universal history. We will endeavour to point out, as briefly as 
 possible, what may be deduced from his indication concerning the 
 precise period of the public appearing of John and of J esus. — a. The 
 fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar is easily ascertained. 
 Augustus died A.U.C. 767, which, taking this event as the terminus 
 a quo, gives the year 782. It seems, however, probable, that our 
 computation must be made from the time when Tiberius was asso- 
 ciated with Augustus in the government of the Empire, two years 
 earlier, which would make the year 780. The reigning years of a 
 Eoman emperor were, indeed, commonly dated from the time when 
 he governed alone ; but as Luke is here speaking of rueyovia, and 
 not of yovap'^la or PaaiKela, he seems to include the two preceding 
 years, in which Tiberius, indeed, possessed a power no way inferior 
 to that of Augustus. — h. Pontius Pilate, the successor of Valerius 
 Gratus, and sixth governor of Judea, possessed this dignity for ten 
 years under the above-named Emperor, viz., from 779-789 U.C., 
 until he was deprived of his office on account of the accusations of 
 the Jews. — c. Herod (Antipas) became tetrarch of Galilee after the 
 death of his father, Herod the Great, 750, and continued in his 
 government till his deposition in 792. — cL His brother Philip re- 
 ceived, contemporaneously with himself, the tetrarchy of Iturea and 
 Trachonitis, and remained in this post till his death in 786. Accord- 
 ing to Josephus (Ant. Jud. 17, 8, 1), his jurisdiction extended also 
 over Batansea and Auranitis, while his brother also governed Perea. 
 — e. Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene, was not the ruler from Calchis 
 to Lebanon, who was put to death, four and twenty years before 
 Christ, by Antony, at the instigation of Cleopatra, but may have 
 been a second Lysanias, whom Josephus passes over in silence, as 
 
100 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 loss celebrated tlian tlie former. It will not seem improbable to 
 any, that two princes of the same name should have ruled over the 
 same district, during the course of so many years. — And lastly, /. 
 with regard to the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas. F or remarks 
 concerning the latter, see Lange on Matt. xxvi. 3 ; the former had 
 been made high priest by Cyrenius, but deposed seven years after 
 by Vitellius. lie was succeeded by three others, and lastly by Caia- 
 phas. That he should have continued, after his deposition, to bear 
 the name of high priest in the sacred history, seems owing to the 
 influence he still possessed, — an influence originating in his own 
 character, strengthened by his relationship to Caiaphas, and always 
 employed in opposition to Christianity. He is even always men- 
 tioned first, either on account of his age, or because he first bore 
 the office of high priest, or perhaps because he exercised the office 
 alternately with Caiaphas. See, with respect to this latter suppo- 
 sition, Hug, Einl. N. T. ii., p. 218, and Friedlieb, Archdologie 
 der Leidensgescliichte. We shall not be mistaken if, using this 
 notice of Luke as a foundation, we reckon the date of John’s 
 ministry to have been the year 780, and that of our Lord’s birth, 
 thirty years earlier, viz. 750, or about foin: years before the usual 
 Christian era. — Compare the exact, and, in our estimation, not yet 
 superseded, calculations of Wieseler, in his Chronological Synopsis. 
 
 2. The word of God came. — We can see no reason for supposing 
 (with Wieseler) that this refers, not to the first preaching, but to 
 some later appearance, of the Baptist, which was the immediate 
 cause of his imprisonment. The solemnity of this introduction 
 leads us rather to conclude, that the Evangehst intends to point out 
 the time when John began to exchange his solitary life in the 
 wilderness for one of public activity. And this circumstantial 
 chronology is the more suitable, since the eras of John and of 
 Jesus are inseparable ; the baptism of the King of the heavenly 
 kingdom following the public appearing of the forerunner, and 
 taking place in the same year. 
 
 3. Unto John the son of Zacharias. See Luke i. 5, etc. — In the 
 wilderness. The locality is thus indefinitely mentioned by Luke, 
 while the sphere of his activity is only generally stated as extend- 
 ing et? revirddav 'irepl'^copov rov TopB. For Theophilus, who lived 
 so far from the scene of the sacred history, a more exact indication 
 was unnecessary. Compare, however, John i. 28, iii. 23, and the 
 remarks on Matt. iii. 1. 
 
 4. The voice of one eyeing in the wilderness j etc. — There is no 
 
CUAP. III. 1-22. 
 
 101 
 
 reason for so closely uniting these words, as to make them designate 
 the voice of J ohn, as a vox clamantis in deserto. The word 
 (Isa. xl. 3) does not belong to the preceding i’ip, but to the 
 immediately following, prceparate viam Domini. The parallelism 
 exacts that we should translate. Prepare ye in the wilderness the 
 way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our 
 God. The voice of the caller is the same mentioned in ver. 8. 
 Luke gives this prophetic passage more correctly, and more closely 
 follows the Septuagint, than the other Evangelists, especially in 
 the closing phrase, o-^erai, irdcra 
 
 5. Every valley^ etc. — That the whole of this passage, from 
 Isaiah, is figurative language, derived from the march of a mon- 
 arch, preceded by his herald, scarcely needs mentioning. The 
 particular, however, which must not be overlooked is, that the pro- 
 phecy of Isaiah xl. (Luke knows nothing yet of a second Isaiah), 
 though it has a real, has no direct or exclusive reference to John 
 the Baptist. A manifestation of the glory of God is announced, 
 which, beginning with the retium from Babylon, is beheld in incom- 
 parable splendour at the appearing of Christ, but is not completed 
 till the last day. Every prophet of the Old Testament going before 
 the face of Jehovah, was a type of John the Baptist, who was to 
 announce the advent of the God-man ; and John again was the 
 type of every apostle, preacher, or missionary, who causes the 
 voice of one crying” to be heard, before the King Himself can 
 appear. This voice began to sound when Isaiah first perceived and 
 interpreted it; it was heard with unusual power through John’s 
 instrumentality ; it will not be silent till the last trumpet shall be 
 heard. 
 
 6. To the multitude — 0 generation of vipers! — This mode of 
 address might seem strange to us, without the more detailed 
 account of St Matthew, who informs us (ch. hi. 7), that the people, 
 addi’essed in this discouraging manner, were by no means anxious 
 inquh'ers after salvation, but rather Pharisees and Sadducees, or at 
 least such as were infected by them leaven. Among this multitude 
 must also be reckoned the crowds attracted to the banks of Jordan 
 by idle curiosity, if by no worse motive, whom the penetrating 
 glance of John appreciates at their proper value. John, on the 
 banks of Jordan, appears, as Jesus did afterwards, with the fan in 
 liis hand ; and before we accuse him of harshness, we should do 
 well to remember, first, that love itself can be severe, and that the 
 meek Savioirr Himself was inexorably so, towards hypocrites ; and 
 
102 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 secondly, that tlic judgment here announced was not inevitable, 
 but only impending over obstinate impenitence, while John ear- 
 nestly desires that they may yet escape it, and points out the way 
 of safety. By the terms, serpents,” generation of vipers,” the 
 diabolical nature of hypocrisy is pointed out. Comp. 2 Cor. xi. 14, 
 Rev. XX. — Who hath loarned you; in other words, who hath taught 
 you, and how came you to think that, while you remain as you are, 
 and without an inward change of mind, you can escape the wrath 
 to come, by compliance with an outward sign alone ? The last of 
 the Old Testament prophets had also spoken of the judgment to be 
 executed by the Messiah (Mai. iv. 5, G) ; but the Jews pacified 
 themselves with the idea, that this threat applied to the Gentiles, 
 and not to themselves. 
 
 7. Bring forth therefore fruits icorthy of repentance. — These are 
 the epya mentioned Acts xxvi. 20, and detailed in the same con- 
 nection, ver. 11. John requires these, because without them they 
 could not possibly escape the wrath to come (ovv), 
 
 8. And begin not, etc. — Descent from Abraham, the national 
 boast of the Jews, had now a higher importance in their eyes, be- 
 cause they believed that this, though standing alone, would give 
 them a right to share in the blessings of the ^lessiah. This idea 
 was, as it were, the shield under which they sought to shelter them- 
 selves from the sharp arrows of the preaching of repentance, and 
 which John thus snatches from them. — Of these stones, heiKTiKm 
 to the stones of the mlderness, with a reference too, perhaps, to the 
 creation, when God made man of the dust of the earth. The no- 
 tion, that the call of the heathen was now present to the mind of 
 the Baptist, is at least unproved ; nor is there in his preaching any 
 reference to this event. 
 
 9. The axe is laid. — There is, in these words, a passing on from 
 the notion of the possibility, to that of the certainty, of the wrath 
 to come. The axe laid, not near to the unfruitful branches, but to 
 the veiy roots, points to the judgment of extermination about to 
 break forth on the impenitent. — Every tree, etc. A fruitless fig- 
 tree was afterwards made, by our Lord, the representative of the 
 whole Jewish nation (Lul^e xiii. 6) ; but here each tree, about to be 
 hewn dovm, denotes an impenitent individual, recemng his sentence. 
 John at least does not teach an diroKaTaaraaL^^ irdvrcov. 
 
 10. And the people ashed him. — The question of perplexed peni- 
 tents; not unlike that put to Peter, Acts ii. 37. The answer is 
 given entirely in the Old Testament fashion, and from a legal 
 
CHAP. III. 1-22. 
 
 103 
 
 point of view, without any mention of the higher requisites of faith 
 and love ; and is remarkable, as showing how thoroughly practical, 
 temperate, and even comparatively rigorous, was the morality of the 
 preacher of repentance. A man who made the duties of mercy 
 and justice, of brotherly love and fidelity in daily intercourse, so 
 prominent, could scarcely be an enthusiast. Luke is the only 
 Evangelist who has communicated, from some unknown soiu'ce, these 
 special features of the Baptist’s teaching. His whole answer shows 
 with what penetration he had, even in his secluded life, observed 
 the chief defects of each different class. He who would influence 
 men, must not live so severed from them, that he ceases to know 
 and understand them. 
 
 11. He that hath two coats, etc. — They are not required to leave 
 their several callings, but to sacrifice their selfishness while remain- 
 ing in them. Comp. Isa. Iviii. 3-6; Dan. iv. 24. — Exact no more, etc. 
 The covetousness and selfishness of the publicans, the immodestia 
 puhlicanorum^' had become proverbial ; John pronounces an irre- 
 vocable veto against their exactions. 
 
 12. Soldiers. — It is uncertain whether these soldiers were used 
 for purposes of police (Ewald), or whether they belonged to some 
 foreign legion employed by Herod in his wars (Michaelis). At all 
 events, they were men actually employed in military service, and 
 were perhaps, by their question, kindi'ed spirits to the pious cen- 
 turion Cornelius (Acts x.). — AiaaeteLv, to extort by fear, to lay 
 under contribution. — ^vfco(l)avTeLV, to play the spy, thence to slan- 
 der, to do injustice (to cheat). How much opportunity the military 
 service afforded for such practices, and how much the hardships of 
 the times were thereby enhanced to many, needs no explanation. 
 
 13. Whether he were the Christ. — A sm'prising proof of the 
 deep impression made, by the moral strictness of the Baptist, upon 
 the susceptible mind of the multitude. There was some foundation 
 of truth in this delusion, since, by means of John, Christ Himself 
 was standing at the door and knocking. The moral gi’eatness of 
 John is shown in the fact, that he made no use of this delusion 
 of the people, but hastened to withdraw within those limits which 
 they would almost have compelled him to pass. Similar conduct 
 was shown by Paul and Barnabas, Acts xiv. 15. 
 
 14. John answered, saying unto them all. — And if we also read 
 that, on an entirely distinct occasion, he gave the same answer to a 
 small section of the Sanhedilm (John i. 25), we are by no means 
 forced to the conclusion, that one Evangelist contradicts the other, 
 
104 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 but ratlier tliat John repeated tliis saying at different times ; a 
 saying wliose purport was so important, and whose form was figur- 
 ative language so entirely in the spirit and after the heart of the 
 Baptist, that, having once uttered it, he could not have expressed 
 himself more powerfully and naturally with respect to this vital 
 question. 
 
 15. One mightier than I . — A general expression for what he 
 elsewhere declares in a more definite manner, e. John i. 20. 
 The greater might of the Messiah is here made, by the context, to 
 consist especially in the fact, that His baptism can effect what John’s 
 baptism is powerless to produce. Consequently, lie more deserves 
 the reverence and attention of the people, while His forerunner 
 deems himself unworthy to perform the most menial office for Him. 
 — Tie shall baptize you with the Holy Ghosty and with fire : He will, 
 so to speak, wholly immerse you in the Holy Ghost, and in the fire. 
 The baptism of the Spirit, which produces renewal, is contrasted 
 with the baptism of water, which can only represent it. The bap- 
 tism of fire is appointed for the unconverted, as that of the Holy 
 Ghost for believers. As Simeon had announced that Christ w^as 
 set for the fall of some and rising of others, so does John here de- 
 scribe Him as coming with a twofold baptism. Some are renovated 
 by His baptism, others buried in the fiery baptism of final judgment. 
 
 16. Whose fauy etc. See Matt. iii. 12. — The same figure oc- 
 curs also, Jer. xv. 7, and Luke xxii. 31 ; while the internal con- 
 nection between the K7]pv<ypia of John and that of Malachi iv. 1 is 
 self-evident. 
 
 17. lie preached unto the people. — The announcement of the most 
 fearful judgments belongs, then, no less than that of an abundant 
 baptism of the Spirit, to that work of evangelization which the 
 Baptist had undertaken. A significant hint to those who consider 
 a representation of the judgments of the Lord fundamentally incom- 
 patible with the full and free preaching of the Gospel. 
 
 18. But Herod. — The first appearance upon the scene, of the 
 tetrarch, who is hereafter to play so terrible a part in the Baptist’s 
 history. He was the son of Herod the Great, and of Malthace, a 
 Samaritan. He married first the daughter of King Ai’etas, but 
 afterwards entered into an adulterous connection with his brother 
 Philip’s wife. The account here given by Luke should be speci- 
 ally compared with that of Mark (ch. vi. 17-20). Mark tells us 
 that this punishment did not hinder Herod from esteeming J ohn in 
 a certain sense ; Lul^e, that he had not brought it upon himself by 
 
CHAP. III. 1-22. 
 
 105 
 
 reproving tliis crime alone, but also all the evils that Herod had 
 done.” There can be no ground for doubting (with ]Meyer) the his- 
 torical character of a narrative so psychologically probable. He who 
 is in any measure acquainted with the character of the tetrarch, will 
 not doubt that a preacher of repentance would find material enough 
 for reproofing him concerning irovr^pd. That these reached their 
 climax in the imprisonment and execution of J ohn, was a conviction 
 ovhich Luke undoubtedly shared with all Christian antiquity, and 
 ovhich needs no justification. — That he shut up John in prison. It 
 is not impossible that he allowed him less and less liberty in the 
 prison to ovhich he had been condemned, and at length cut off all 
 access to him. The whole of Luke’s account of John is summary, 
 and wifitten without regard to chronology : he here collects all that 
 he has to say concerning the forerunner, that he may confine him- 
 self for the future to the histoiy of J esus alone ; the narrative of 
 the baptism forming the point of transition. 
 
 19. It came to pass, etc. — The necessity of comparing together 
 the accounts of the different Evangelists, in order to obtain an exact 
 description of the chief events of the Gospel history, is here very 
 apparent. Not one Evangelist communicates a complete account 
 of what happened at our Lord’s baptism ; and it is only by collating 
 their several contributions, that we obtain a detailed narrative of 
 the occurrence. Matthew gives us the most copious account, and 
 also the dialogue which took place between the Baptist and the 
 Saviour : Mark, according to his usual custom, narrates very con- 
 cisely, but with the addition of some fresh and graphic incident, — 
 here the opening of the heavens (a')(^L^opevov^ tov<^ ovp.) : John 
 depicts the subjective side of this event, in its high significance to 
 our Lord’s forerunner: Luke presupposes an acquaintance with 
 the occurrence, through the apostolic K'ijpvypa, and touches upon 
 it for the sake of completeness, and especially to render conspicuous 
 the testimony borne by the Father to the Son on this occasion. In 
 this condition of things, it is unfairness itself to understand our 
 Evangelist’s expressions, which certainly were never penned with 
 diplomatic exactness, so ad literam as to cause an irreconcilable 
 discrepancy between himself and his fellow-witnesses. Plainly, 
 the words, that Jesus was baptized “when all the people were 
 baptized,” do not necessarily imply, that both the baptism of the 
 Lord and the opening of the heavens happened in the presence of 
 a numerous multitude, — such a publicity would have been a viola- 
 tion of both human and divine decorum, — but only, that, at the 
 
106 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 period wlien tlie greatest number of ljaj)tisms was taking place, the 
 baptism of Jesus of Nazareth took place (and naturally in private) 
 among others. The object of Luke is, not to narrate the baptism 
 for its own sake, but for the sake of the heavenly authentication 
 which the Lord then received. 
 
 20. Jesus also heimj haptized^ and praying. — It is one of the 
 
 singularia Lucce^ that he often mentions that Jesus prayed, even 
 when the other Evangelists make no mention of the circumstance ; 
 as, for example, on the night preceding the choosing of Ilis Apostles 
 (Luke vi. 12). By uniting the accounts of all the Evangelists, 
 with reference to our Lord’s practice of private prayer, we find 
 that lie, who always lived in uninterrupted communion with the 
 F ather, specially and emphatically hallowed every turning-point of 
 His earthly career — His baptism, choice of Apostles, renunciation 
 of a throne (John vi. 15), transfiguration, and His journey towards 
 His last sufferings — by solitary prayer. Those who accept the view 
 that the Evangelist describes a public baptism, must surely have 
 lost sight of his account of this act of prayer. Or did He then so 
 pray that the heavens were opened, a sort of show-prayer in 
 
 fact ? As well might we infer from Luke’s words, literally inter- 
 preted, the incongi'uity, that He was baptized with all the people, in 
 massa, and at the same time. 
 
 21. The heaven ivas opened. — The objective character of the 
 narrative is remarkable. According to Matthew and Mark, it is 
 Jesus who sees heaven opened, and for whose sake this occurrence 
 takes place. John expressly states, that the ray fell upon the mind 
 of the Baptist ; while Luke relates the event as though uncaused 
 by the subjectivity of any, and in this respect satisfies the higher 
 requirements of historic narrative. 
 
 22. In a hoddly shape, like a dove. — The mention of the dove by 
 all the four Evangelists, plainly shows, that the descent of the 
 Spirit was usually compared, by the Baptist who saw it, and after- 
 wards by those who related it, to the descent of a dove. It is, 
 however, by no means necessary to infer, from the o-copaTLKov eld>o(; 
 of Luke, the actual form of a dove. Luke does not say, acoya- 
 TiKp el'Sec 7 r 6 pL(JT€pd<;, but co? irepicrTepdv. By supposing a ray of 
 light to have descended from the opened heaven, gently, swiftly, 
 and evenly, like the downward flight of a dove, and to have shone 
 around the head of the praying Saviour for some space of time, we 
 escape many difficulties, and obtain a representation beautiful in 
 itself, and becoming the divine majesty. It is by no means proved, 
 
CHAP. III. 1—22. 
 
 107 
 
 that the dove was, in the days of Jesus, regarded by the Jews as 
 an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The very shy nature of the dove 
 renders it difficult to conceive its descending from heaven, and 
 abiding on a newly baptized person, even in a vision. And if 
 ancient Christian art, exchanging the figure for the fact, constantly 
 introduced a visible dove into every representation of the baptism, 
 it is only probable that this unsesthetic treatment was the result of 
 an exegetical error. Om’ view also will satisfactorily explain why 
 Justin IMartyr (Dial, cum Tryph. c. 88), as well as the Gospel of 
 the Hebrews (Epiphanius, Hseres. xxx. 13), mentions a vivid ray of 
 light as suddenly surrounding the banks of Jordan. By a very 
 natm’al symbolism, light was regarded by the Jews as an emblem 
 of the Divinity ; and wx can see no reason why the descent of a ray 
 of light should not also have been compared to the descent of a dove. 
 
 23. A voice from heaven . — There is no reason for understand- 
 ing this, either of a so-called n2, a pure invention of the later 
 Eabbis, or of thunder, which, indeed, is often called the voice of the 
 Lord in the poetical, but never in the historical, books of the Old 
 Testament. Everything compels us to accept this as an actual, ex- 
 traordinary, and plainly audible voice from heaven ; yet such a one 
 as w^ould be understood and interpreted only in a peculiar state of 
 mind and spirit, such as that in which Jesus and John then were. 
 Any interpretation which impugns either the reality or the agency of 
 the voices from heaven, heard during the life of Jesus, is objection- 
 able. Certainly Jesus understood, still better than John, the full 
 force and meaning of the Father’s voice. For the servant it was 
 the decisive intimation, This same is He for the Son, the defi- 
 nite declaration, Thou art My beloved Son.” The reference to 
 Ps. ii. 7, Isa. xlii. 1, is evident; but the opinion, that Jesus is here 
 called the Son, in whom the F ather is well pleased, only because 
 He is the Messiah of Israel, the theocratic King, is derived from 
 the exegetic commentum^ that, in Xew Testament diction, XptcrTo^i 
 and 0 u/o9 Oeov are only two terms to denote the same idea. On 
 the whole narrative, compare the Disputatio tlieol. Inaug. de locis 
 evang. in quibiis Jesum baqotismi ritum subiisse traditur^ by Dr J. J. 
 Prins, L.B., 1838 ; and on John the Baptist, a monograph by 
 G. E. W. de Wys, Schoonhoven, 1852. 
 
 DOCTKINAL KEFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. In the beginning of the third chapter of Luke, compared 
 with the close of the second, we feel how remarkable is the traiisi- 
 
108 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tion from quiet seclusion to unbounded publicity, in tlie incidents 
 recorded. On the preaching and ministry of John, see the remarks 
 on Matt. iii. 
 
 2. In the choice of the time at which the voice of the Baptist, 
 and so shortly after that of the Lord, should begin to be heard, we 
 see another manifest proof of the wisdom of God. What civil, 
 political, and moral misery is associated with the names which Luke 
 here (vers. 1 and 2) mentions ! All Israel had, indeed, become a 
 barren wilderness, when “ the voice of one crying” was loudly and 
 unexpectedly heard. 
 
 3. The preaching of J ohn, as Luke communicates it, is, even in 
 its form, of a prophetic and Old Testament character. The Lord 
 comes in the wind, in the earthquake, and in the fire, but not yet 
 in the still small voice. It is easy to remark the difference between 
 the voice of the law, which resounds here, and that of the Gospel, 
 which was afterwards heard; but not less necessary, perhaps, to 
 observe their still more striking; agreement. Even in the severest 
 tones of the preacher of repentance the evangelical element may 
 be recognised, while we meet with expressions in the discourses of 
 Jesus quite as strong as any which we hear from the lij)s of John 
 (e.g.^ Matt. xi. 20-24, xxiii. 13, etc.). If we shrink from the notion, 
 that the Lord Himself, on such occasions, w^as standing on lower 
 ground, from which He afterwards rose to greater heights, we shall 
 be obliged to conclude, that the New Testament also recognises a 
 revelation of wrath not less terrible than was threatened under the 
 Old. Matt. xix. 6 may aptly be cited in this case. 
 
 4. The morality preached by John differs from that of the Lord, 
 inasmuch as the former lays more stress upon the regulation of the 
 external conduct, while Jesus lays more upon that of the inner life. 
 It is, however, self-evident, that all which John requires from the 
 people, the publicans, and the soldiers, is only valuable in his eye 
 so far as it is the fruit and proof of an inward change of mind. It 
 was not that John could be contented with fruits externally united 
 to a dead tree, or that he did not recognise the truth of Matt. vii. 
 18. But the more he knew himself to be unable to communicate 
 the new life, the more strenuously would he insist on such conduct 
 as would give unambiguous proof of an inward desire of salvation ; 
 and the more emphasis he laid upon the inflexible demands of the 
 law, the more intense must be the desires awakened in the hearts of 
 many. 
 
 5 The character of John, as exhibited by his lowly testimony 
 
CHAP. Ill 1-22. 
 
 109 
 
 to himself, conti*asted with the lofty expectations of the people, is 
 one of the most exalted wliich the history of the kingdom of God 
 can show. To have been able to enlist thousands on his side by a 
 single word, and not to utter that word, but to direct the attention 
 of these thousands to another, whom they had not yet seen, and as 
 soon as He appears, humbly to retire to the background, yea, even 
 to rejoice in his own abasement, if only this other be exalted (John 
 iii. 29, 30), — when has a more elevated character been seen, and 
 how can such moral greatness be explained, unless the words of 
 Luke i. 15, 80 were the expression of nnmixed ti*uth? 
 
 6. The inquiry, concerning the aim and purpose of John’s bap- 
 tism. is quite independent of that concerning the antiquity and 
 meaning of the baptism of proselytes. He who submitted to it, 
 confessed himself, by this very act, to be impure, and worthy of 
 punishment : acknowledged his obligation, as one called into the 
 kingdom of the ^Messiah, to lead a holy life : and received the assur- 
 ance that God would forgive his sins. Even here, then, forgiveness 
 was not to be earned by the sinners own previous amendment ; but 
 with the announcement of the kingdom of God was revealed the 
 preventing grace of the Father, which promised forgiveness of sins ; 
 and only faith in this grace could afford strength for moral improve- 
 ment, which could alone enable him who was the subject of it fully 
 to taste the joy of pardon. This baptism diff'ered from all former 
 Old Testament washings, by its special reference to the now nearly 
 approaching kingdom of Messiah ; wliile the distinction between the 
 baptism of John and the subsequent Christian baptism was, that the 
 former prepared and separated for the kingdom of God, and the 
 latter admitted within it. On this account, baptism by the disciples 
 of J esus, and even by the Lord Himself, at the commencement of 
 His public ministry, may be regarded as only a continuation of this 
 prepai'atory baptism of John. Christian baptism, the baptism of 
 consecration, could not be instituted till the Xew Covenant had 
 been instituted in Christ's blood, the throne of the kingdom of 
 heaven ascended, and the promise of the Holy Ghost fulfilled. 
 
 7. Xot only did John and Cluist stand in external connection 
 with each other, but they are inseparablv united. As John pre- 
 ceded Christ, so must the preacher of repentance still cause his voice 
 to be heard in the heart, before Christ can live in us. Through 
 anxiety to peace, through repentance to gi'ace, was not only the 
 way into the kingdom of the Lord for the Jews in those days, but 
 also for Christians in these. Holy strictness is still the true initia- 
 
110 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tion into the exalted joy of the Christian life. He who remains the 
 disciple of John without coming to Christ, endures hunger without 
 obtaining food; he who will go to Christ without having been 
 spiritually a learner in the school of John, finds food, without 
 liaving any appetite for it. 
 
 8. Every answer to the inquiry, why Jesus suffered Himself to 
 be baptized, may be considered unsatisfactory, which either regards 
 baptism as necessary for the Lord, in the same sense as it was for 
 tlie sinful Israelites, or, on the other hand, sees in this fact only a 
 compliance with an existing usage of no special importance to 
 Himself. John immediately perceived that baptism, as an acknow- 
 ledgment of guilt and impurity, was unnecessary for Jesus (^latt. 
 iii. 14). Nor do we read that any requirement of fierdvota was 
 made. Perhaps we may even regard the mention, by Matthew, 
 that “ when He was baptized,TJe went up straightway (€v6u<;) out 
 of the water,” as a hint at the difference between Ilis baptism and 
 that of the other Jews, who probably remained some time under the 
 water. If we inquire into the Lord’s own view of the 7%ecessity of 
 baptism in His own case. He calls it a fulfilling of all righteousness. 
 He considers it as fitting that He should now submit to this rite, as, 
 thirty years before, it was considered fitting that He should be cir- 
 cumcised and presented in the temple. He was hereby brought 
 into personal relation with that kingdom of God, the future subjects 
 of which were to be set apart in like manner. And, though no 
 acknowledgment of obligation was necessary in His case, yet a holy 
 and solemn consecration to His high vocation was by no means 
 superfluous. Needing no purification for Himself, He yet receives 
 it, as head of His body the Church, for all His members ; and thus 
 proves that He will be in all things like unto His brethren, sin 
 only excepted. Besides, it is seen by the incidents which accom- 
 panied and followed it, what it was the will of the Father that this 
 baptism should be to Him, even the heavenly consecration of the 
 Son to the work which the F ather had given Him. 
 
 9. It is apparent, from Isa. xi. 2, that the anointing with the 
 Holy Ghost was among the characteristics of the Messiah. The 
 peculiarity, however, is, that while He came momentarily upon the 
 elect of the Old Testament, He remained upon Jesus. The same 
 thought is paraphrasticaUy expressed in the old Evangelium Naza- 
 roBOTum^ where the Holy Ghost is introduced at the baptism of the 
 Lord as saying, My Son, I was waiting in all the prophets till 
 Thou shouldest come, that I might rest upon Thee. Thou art My 
 
CHAP. III. 1—22. 
 
 Ill 
 
 resting-place (tu enim es requies mea), My only-begotten Son, who 
 rulest for ever.” 
 
 10. The revelation at Jordan was neither new nor unnecessary 
 to the God-man. Undoubtedly the consciousness of the Lord, with 
 respect to His work and person, had been continually increasing in 
 strength, clearness, and depth, since the occuiTence recorded of His 
 twelfth year. His veiy first word to John shows how He places 
 Himself upon a level with the greatest of the prophets ; and He who 
 will fulfil all righteousness must well know who He is, and where- 
 fore He is come. But now the revelation from above impresses its 
 unerring seal upon the perfect revelation within, and Luke repre- 
 sents this seahng (John vi. 27, ia^pd^yiaev) as a definite answer to 
 prayer. As the voice from heaven ( J ohn xii.) consecrated Him the 
 atoning High Priest, and that upon Tabor declared Him the greatest 
 of the prophets, who was to be heard before Moses and Elias, so was 
 His formal appointment as King of the heavenly kingdom bestowed 
 upon Him in the presence of the Baptist. 
 
 11. The descent of the Holy Ghost at the baptism, and the 
 miraculous birth of our Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost, are 
 by no means inconsistent facts. LTidoubtedly, the Son of man had 
 not lived thirty years upon earth without the Holy Spirit ; and it is 
 an arbitrary assumption to suppose that miraculous power was 
 specially bestowed at this instant. Oui’Lord, however, had hitherto 
 possessed the gifts of the Holy Spint only by means of His con- 
 tinual communion with the Father, and of the Father’s unceasincp 
 commmiications to Him. There is nothing unfounded in the 
 opinion, that the Father communicated still more to Ham, who 
 abeady possessed so much, and that the indwelhng element of His 
 life was developed, in all its fulness, by a new and mighty afilation 
 from above. We should not be able to detennine with certainty 
 what He now received, unless we could compare His inner life be- 
 fore and after His baptism ; but for this we are not furnished vdtli 
 sufficient data. It is enough for us to know that the Holy Spirit, 
 who had been for thh’ty yeai’s the bond of communion between the 
 F ather and His incarnate Son, now, at the beginning of His public 
 ministry, entered into new relations with Him. He anointed Him 
 as Kmg of the kingdom of heaven, and at the same time as a Pro- 
 phet, mighty in deed and word before God and the people. 
 
 12. The whole history of the baptism of Jesus is highly and 
 abidingly valuable in a doctrinal point of view. It is a pledge to 
 us that oui’ Lord voluntarily undertook His work upon earth, began 
 
112 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 and ended it with full consciousness, and was furnished with all the 
 ^ifts and powers which it required. It gives to our faith in the 
 Son of God the objective foundation of divine testimony, which 
 can neither be denied nor recalled. And it presents us with so 
 striking a revelation of the fulness of the divine nature, when the 
 Father gives testimony to the Son, and the Holy Ghost descends in 
 a visible form, that we can scarcely read it without recalling the 
 words of one of the F athers, “ I ad Jordanem et videbis Trinitatem.^’ 
 
 UOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 John and Jesus in them mutual relation. — The history of the 
 kingdom of God, in its connection with the history of the world. — 
 Tiberius and Herod in princely robes ; Annas and Caiaphas in 
 priestly garments; John in the rough clothing of a preacher of re- 
 pentance. — The forerunner : 1. His severity towards the unholy 
 multitude ; 2. his humility towards the holy Christ. — Preparing 
 the w^ay of the Lord, is, 1. a difficult work, 2. an indispensable ne- 
 cessity, 3. a blessed employment. — The voice of the caller: 1. How 
 much it requires ; 2. how gravely it threatens ; 3. how gently it 
 comforts and promises. — John must still precede Jesus. — The 
 abasement of all that is high, and the elevation of all that is low, 
 in the heart whereinto Christ enters. — Fruitless efforts to escape 
 the ^vrath to come. — The fruits of conversion : 1. No true religion 
 without conversion ; 2. no true conversion without religion. — Descent 
 from Abraham gives no precedence in the kingdom of God. — What 
 the power of God can make out of stones : 1. Of stones of the 
 desert, children of Abraham ; 2. of stony hearts, hearts of flesh. — 
 The axe laid to the root of the trees : wdiat justice has laid it to the 
 root ; wdiat mercy leaves it still lying at the root ! — The sentence of 
 unfruitful trees is, 1. surely to be expected, 2. perfectly to be jus- 
 tified, 3. still to be avoided. — The great inquiry. What shall we 
 do ? 1. a question becoming all, 2. a question answered to all. — The 
 answer to the great inquiry of life, 1. from the standing-point of 
 the law (Luke iii. 10-14), 2. from the standing-point of grace 
 (Acts ii. 38). — No true peace, without a vigorous struggle against 
 besetting sins. — The fundamental law of the kingdom of God, in 
 its application to daily life. — No condition too lowdy, or too un- 
 favourable, to allow a man to prove himself a subject of the king- 
 dom of God. — The beneficial influence of conversion upon the 
 mihtary profession. — How wnuld it have been, if John had been 
 the Christ ? — Baptism with water and the Suirit ; 1 . The distino 
 
CHAP. III. 1—22. 
 
 113 
 
 tion, 2. tlie connection between them. — Deep humility, the great- 
 ness of John the Baptist. — The exalted nature of Jesus, freely 
 owned by John, a confession, 1. honourable to John, 2. due to 
 Christ, 3. important to the 'world, to Israel, to us. — Jesus the true 
 Baptist. — Baptism -with the Holy Spirit : with the Spirit, 1. of 
 truth, to enlighten us ; 2. of power, to renew us; 3. of grace, to com- 
 fort us ; 4. of love, to unite us to each other, to Christ, to God. — 
 Baptism with fire considered, 1. on its terrible, 2. on its inevitable, 
 3. on its beneficial side. — The preaching of the Gospel by John is 
 especially the preaching of repentance : 1. As such, it was prophesied 
 of; 2. as such, it was carried on ; 3. as such, it worked ; 4. as such, it 
 is still needed. — The thresher and the fan, the wheat and the barn, 
 the chaff and the unquenchable fire. — John before Herod : 1. The 
 strict preacher of repentance ; 2. the innocent victim ; 3. the aveng- 
 ing accuser. — John, a faithful court-preacher. — John and our Lord 
 on the banks of Jordan. — The most exalted solemnity duilng the 
 Baptist’s life. — The voice from heaven at Jordan, a revelation for 
 John, for Jesus, for us. — The time of baptism, a time of prayer. — 
 The voice of the Father, the Amen to the prayer of the Son. — 
 Jesus baptized with the Holy Ghost. — The anointing of Christ, the 
 anointing of the Christian. — The first voice from heaven to the 
 Lord’s honour, the key-note of the subsequent voices from heaven. — 
 The heavenly authentication after thu’ty years of solitary separation. 
 
 Starche. — Ever}4hing happens at the right time. — The light arises 
 in darkness, when it looks deepest. — The chief work of the preacher 
 must ever be to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus. — Repentance 
 no easy matter : it costs time and labour to level mountains. — The 
 Church of God is not confined to any special people. — God seeks 
 fruit ; is not contented with mere leaves ; and, however high a tree 
 thou mayest be, is no respecter of persons. — The work of God, for 
 the most part, begins 'with people of low condition. — A preacher 
 must inculcate not merely general, but special duties. — The multi- 
 tude generally knows no medium, but would either raise a man to 
 heaven, or plunge him into hell. — Christ can, and will, in His o'^ui 
 good time, purify His Church ; a comfort for those who mourn over 
 its present corruption. — The Church is not without chaff ; heart- 
 Christians and lip-Christians are always mingled. — Christ receives 
 baptism in the same manner as sinful men ; what humility ! — The 
 mystery of the Trinity is here plainly enough depicted : away with 
 the vain babbling of Jews and Socinians. 
 
 Heubner. — The faithful preaching of repentance, an act of 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 8 
 
114 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 lieroism. — The solemn voice .of truth does not repel, but attracts. — • 
 The mere preaching of the law cannot lead to salvation; the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel can alone do this. — Christ knows the genuine and 
 tlie spurious among Ilis followers; what teacher is like Him? — 
 Jesus received a heavenly consecration to His calling : we too may 
 enter upon our calling, if we have the inward consciousness that God 
 has chosen us for our work, and the inward witness that we are the 
 children of God. — Arndt: How does the light arise upon mankind, 
 and upon individual men ? The appearance of John may teach ns. 
 Day dawns quietly yet powerfully, gravely yet full of promise. — 
 The baptism of Jesus in Jordan considered, 1. as strange in the 
 sight of man, 2. as pleasing in the sight of God. — Schleiermacher : 
 What must precede the Lord’s entrance into human hearts. — Har- 
 less (in a sermon on Luke hi. 15-17) : On the question, what kind 
 of prophets do we require ? Such as, a. think humbly of themselves, 
 b. know how to reprove the folly of the multitude, and c. direct 
 attention from themselves to Him who came with the baptism of 
 the Holy Ghost, and will come with the fiery baptism of judgment. 
 — Strauss : The greatest man and Christ : 1. What is the greatest 
 of men compared mth Christ ? 2. what is Christ compared with 
 the greatest of men ? — Pahner : Testimony for Christ must always 
 be, 1. a voluntary, 2. a just, 3. a constant testimony. — Krummacher : 
 The Idngdom of Christ, according to the preaching of John, is, 1. a 
 kingdom not of this world, though a world- wide kingdom ; 2. a 
 kingdom not of outward show, but a kingdom of truth ; 3. a king- 
 dom not of false peace, but of substantial help ; 4. not a kingdom 
 of the law, but of salvation ; 5. not a kingdom of demands, but a 
 kingdom of grace. 
 
 B. Testimony of the Genealogy, (Chap. hi. 23-38.) 
 
 23 And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was 
 supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was 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, 25 Which was the son of Mat- 
 tathias, wliich was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the 
 son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which 
 was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of 
 Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which 
 was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of 
 Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which 
 was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmo- 
 darn, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the 
 
CHAP. III. 23-38. 
 
 115 
 
 sou of Eliczer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, 
 which was the son of Levi, 30 Which Avas the son of Simeon, which was the 
 son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which 
 was the son of Eliakim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of 
 ;Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which 
 was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of 
 Obed, which was the son of Booz, which w^as the son of Salmon, which was the 
 son of Naasson, 33 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 Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, 
 which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son 
 of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, wLich was the son of Ragau, 
 which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son 
 of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, 
 which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of 
 Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, 
 which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son 
 of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which 
 w'as the son of Adam, which was the son of God. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Began to he (ap')(oiJbevoi ). — The construction of the sentence 
 is unusual ; hut if Luke had merely meant to say that Jesus was 
 now about thirty years of age, he would scarcely have expressed 
 himself so obscurely. The rendering, And Jesus was, when He be- 
 gan (Le., to preach), about thirty years of age, is not free from 
 difficulties, but is recommended by its connection with the context. 
 For, in the preceding verses, the Evangelist has been describing the 
 dedication of the Lord to His work as Messiah ; and what more 
 natural than that he should now speak of His entrance thereupon? 
 Besides, it is entirely according to his custom to specify dates : he 
 has already mentioned that of the ministry of John, and those of 
 the birth, circumcision, presentation in the temple, and first Pass- 
 over of Jesus ; and he now indicates to his readers the date of the 
 things a -gp^aro ’l7](Tov<; iroLelv re koX SihdaKetVy Acts i. 1. 
 
 2. About thirty years of age . — All attempts at fixing an exact 
 chronology of our Lord’s life, from this indication of St Luke, 
 have split upon this word “about” (mere/). We are only informed 
 by it, that when J esus began His public ministry. He was not much 
 under, or much above, thirty years of age. This was, according 
 to Num. iv. 3, 47, the age at which the Levitical services were 
 entered upon, though undoubtedly there was no need of applying 
 such a law to the Lord’s entrance upon His work as Messiah. On 
 the other hand, however, it was at the age of thirty that the Jewish 
 
116 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 scribes were accustomed to enter upon tlieir office as teachers ; and 
 Jolm tlic Baptist also commenced his ministry at this age. Perhaps 
 the contemporaries of Jesus might not have been disposed to re- 
 cognise the autliority of a teacher who had not attained the age 
 appointed to the Levites. 
 
 3. Being {cis was supposed^ the son of Joseph^ which was the son 
 of Heli., etc. — We prefer including uto? ’I&)cr^(/) also in the paren- 
 thesis. The passage then stands, wv tov 'HXly being the son 
 
 of Eli, i.e., though supposed to ho the son of Joseph. This manner 
 of introducing the parenthesis will show at once that we agree with 
 those who consider that, while Matthew gives the genealogy of 
 Joseph, Luke gives that of Mary. Compare the remarks of Lange 
 on Matt. i. The difficulties of this view are not unappreciated by us, 
 hut still greater difficulties attend every other hypothesis ; whether 
 that of the Levirate marriage, or that of the total irreconcilability 
 of the two genealogies. Considered in itself, it Avas far more likely 
 that Luke would give the genealogy of Mary than that of her hus- 
 band. She is the principal figure throughout his early chapters ; 
 while Joseph occupies a far more subordinate position than in St 
 Matthew. He is very explicit in narrating that Mary became the 
 mother of the Holy Child, through the miraculous operation of the 
 Holy Ghost ; why then should he, who w^as not writing for J ews, 
 give the descent of His foster-father, when he is intent upon assert- 
 ing, that the Lord was not related to Joseph according to the 
 flesh ? He is expressly contrasting His true descent from Heli, the 
 father of Mary, with His supposed descent from Joseph ; and Mary 
 is simply passed over, because it was not customary among the J ews 
 to insert the names of females in their genealogies. We find it then 
 here stated, that Jesus was the descendant of Heli, viz., through 
 Mary, his daughter. It is true that the V'ord rod is used through- 
 out to denote the relation of father and son, not of grandson and 
 grandfather ; hut Luke was obliged, this once, to use this word in 
 another sense, since through the miraculous hirth^ ivhich he had him- 
 self described, one member in this line of mede ancestors ivas missing. 
 The ^Ahafjb tov Oeou, too, at the end, shows that rod need not, in 
 this passage, be invariably supposed to apply to physical descent. 
 If IMary became the mother of our Lord through the power of the 
 Holy Ghost, He could have no male ancestors but hers, and the 
 name of Heli, His gi’andfather, must stand immediately before that of 
 Jesus, in His genealogy, since the introduction of the mother’s name 
 was not customary, and that of the father impossible in this instance. 
 
CHAP. III. 23-38. 
 
 117 
 
 The difficulties raised against this view are easily met. Is it 
 urged, 1. that the Jews did not keep genealogies of women ? — the 
 answer is, that this is the genealogy of Ileli, the father of ^lary, and 
 gi’andfather of Jesus ; 2. that Mary, being a cousin of Elisabeth, 
 must have been a daughter of Aaron, and not of the tribe of Judah? 
 — her mother might have been of the house of Aaron, and related 
 to Elisabeth, while her father was descended from the royal line ; 
 3. that, according to an ancient Je\^dsh tradition, one Joacliim was 
 the father of ^lary ? — this tradition is quite unworthy of belief, and 
 is also opposed to another, which asserts that ^lary, the daughter 
 of Heli, suffered martp’dom in Gehenna (see Lightfoot ad Luke 
 hi. 23) ; 4. that while the genealogies of Luke and Matthew have 
 nothing else in common, they both contain the names of Salathiel 
 and Zerubbabel? — we answer, that both Mary and Joseph seem to 
 liave descended from Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel. The fact, 
 that this latter is called by Luke the son of Neri, and by Matthew 
 the son of Jeconiah, may be explained by supposing a Levirate 
 marriage, the name of the natui'al father being given by Lul^e, and 
 that of the father according to the law, by Matthe^v. Besides, why 
 might not both lines meet at least once, diming a period of so many 
 centuries ? J econiah was carried captive to Babylon at the age of 
 eighteen, and remained there a prisoner thirty-seven years; Neri 
 would then, in his place, “raise up seed unto his brother,” and be- 
 come the natm’al father of Salathiel, whose son Zerubbabel had 
 several children, from one of whom (Abiud) descended Joseph, 
 and from another (Bhesa), Heli, the father of Mary. For the de- 
 fence of this hypothesis, compare also a treatise of Wieseler, in the 
 Theol. Stud, und Kritih. ii. 1845. 
 
 4. On comparing the genealogies in ^latthew and Luke, we 
 are immediately struck with the differences between them. The 
 former is i\Titten in the descending, the latter in the ascending 
 line : the former extends to Abraham, the common ancestor of the 
 J ewish nation ; the latter to Adam, the common parent of mankind : 
 the former is diHded into three parts, each of foimteen generations, 
 and thus exhibits a more artificial arrangement, while it wants the 
 completeness which we discover in the latter. Both tables give four- 
 teen names from Abraham to David; while from DaHd to the Baby- 
 lonian capthfity, Matthew gives foui’teen, and Luke twenty-one 
 names. S}Tnmetrical arrangement causes ^latthew to omit certain 
 names; while a desire for historical completeness is more strongly 
 manifested in Luke, who, dmlng his stay with St Paul at J erusalem. 
 
118 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 miglit easily have found opportunities of obtaining important par- 
 ticulars concerning Mary and her race. The universal character of 
 his genealogy is explained by the fact, that his Gospel was not 
 written, as that of Matthew, for the Christians of Palestine. It 
 presents no other difficulties, except the mention that Zerubbabel 
 was the son of Rhesa, while 1 Chron. hi. 19-21 gives very different 
 names. It has been, however, supposed, that the last-named state- 
 ment is less accurate, and that tlie original text has been corrupted 
 in this place. 
 
 5. The historical authority of this genealogy has been vainly 
 contested, on the ground of a statement of Eusebius (H. E. i. 7), 
 that the genealogies of the distinguished Jews were burnt in the 
 time of Herod. This statement bears on its very surface marks of 
 internal improbability ; while the authority of J. Afrikanus, which 
 is cited in its support, is highly problematical. Josephus, too, says 
 nothing of this measure, and publishes his own genealogy, as it 
 existed in the public registries. Besides, in this case, the “ taxing ” 
 (Luke ii. 2) would have been impracticable ; while the same 
 informant (J. Afrikanus) states, that some few, among whom he 
 expressly mentions the family of our Lord, prepared genealogical 
 tables from copies, or from memory. The apocryphal Gospel of 
 James also speaks of the existence of the genealogies, as a thing 
 publicly known. See Thilo, Cod. Afocryph. 1, p. 166. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The often contested descent of Mary from David is raised 
 above all possibility of refutation by the genealogy of St Luke. 
 The Lord Jesus was therefore natui’ally, as well as legally, de- 
 scended from David ; and this descent is with perfect justice made 
 prominent by both St Peter and St Paul (Acts ii. 30, xiii. 23 ; 
 Rom. i. 3 ; 2 Tim. ii. 8) ; while J esus designates Himself the Son 
 of David, Mark xii. 35-37. This descent from David was im- 
 portant to the Jews of those days, as one of the legitimate proofs 
 of His Messiahship, and is still of the highest significance. It is a 
 fresh proof of the faithfulness of Him who performed the promises 
 which He had sworn to David and His seed, and a specimen of His 
 divine arrangement, which may well fill us with adoring admira- 
 tion. As the Christ could only be born in Israel, the nation which 
 alone worshipped the true God, so was it also necessary that He, in 
 whom the ideal of the old theocracy was to be realized, should be 
 a descendant of the man after God’s own heart, under whose 
 
CHAP. III. 23—38. 
 
 119 
 
 sceptre tlie tlieocratic nation had reached the climax of its pros- 
 perity. This royal origin is the key to the psychological explana- 
 tion of the royal and exalted character, continually impressed upon 
 His words, deeds, and silence. It makes us imderstand also, T\dth 
 what perfect right He could, even in His glorified state, declare 
 that He was not only the bright and morning star, hut also the 
 root and offspring of DaHd. (Rev. xxii. 16, comp. ch. v. 5.) 
 
 2. The genealogy of Jesus stands here immediately after His 
 baptism. As soon as Luke has related how He was acknowledged 
 by His heavenly Father as His Son, he proceeds to narrate who 
 He really was related to, according to the flesh. — Star eke. 
 
 3. The genealogy of St Luke offers complete proof that the 
 Lord was very man,” the promised seed of David ; and also, by 
 human descent, the Son of God, as the first Adam is therein said 
 to have been. 
 
 4. The second Adam, like the first, sprang immediately from a 
 creative act of Omnipotence. The Messiah belongs not to Israel 
 alone, but to the whole world of sinners. The prophetic word 
 fMicah V. 2), that His goings forth have been from of old, from 
 everlasting,” applies, in a certain sense, even to His human origin. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The genealogical tree of Christ, 1. the root, 2. the branch, 3. 
 the crovTi, 4. the fruit of His race. — The genealogy in connection 
 with the work of redemption : It presents us, 1. with the image of 
 humanity, which needs redemption ; 2. with the greatness of Christ, 
 who undertakes redemption ; 3. vdth the gloiy of God, who ordains 
 redemption. — The first and the second Adam: 1. Their natural 
 relationship ; 2. the infinite difference in their relations, a. to God, 
 h. to man, c. to each other. — The wonderful difference between the 
 apparent and the actual in the person of the Redeemer. Luke 
 gives us a glimpse of it in His descent ; but it strikes us also when 
 we consider the lowly outward appearance and exalted dignity, a. 
 of His person, h. of His work, c. of His kingdom, d. of His futm'e. 
 — The great importance of the Bible genealogies. — Christ the end 
 of the Bible genealogies. — God’s faithfulness in the performance of 
 His ancient promises. — Jesus, the son of Adam: 1. The Son of 
 God became a son of Adam ; 2. the son of Adam truly the Son 
 of God, the promised Redeemer. — Concealment of the tme descent 
 of Jesus, even at the beginning of His public ministry. — The mira- 
 culously begotten son of Maiy suffers Himself to be supposed to 
 
120 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ])Q the son of Joseph. — For further ideas, see Lange on Matt. i. 17. 
 Consult Kdppen’s die Bihel ein Werh gOttllclier Weisheit, i. 2G— 40; 
 ii. 199, etc., on the value of these, and the other genealogies. 
 
 Arndt. — The significance of the genealogy of Jesus, 1. for His 
 ])erson, 2. for Ilis work. — This remarkable genealogical tree stands 
 forth, a unique memorial of the faith and expectation of the Old 
 Testament saints. To our imaginations, its houghs and branches 
 had been vocal for centuries with the words, ^ Oh that Thou 
 Avouldest rend the heavens,’ etc., while tears of thankfulness and 
 ecstasy water its root, and these names, which brighten, like stars of 
 heaven, the history of Israel, seem moistened with the dew-drops of 
 joy and ardent desire. Oh, not one single word of Holy Scriptm'e 
 was written in vain !” etc. 
 
 C. The Testimony in the Wilderness. (Chap. iv. 1—13.) 
 
 1 And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was 
 led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. 
 And in those days He did eat nothing : and when they were ended. He afterward 
 hungered. 3 And the devil said unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, com- 
 mand this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered Him, saying. It 
 is written. That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 
 5 And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all 
 the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto 
 Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them : for that is dehvered 
 unto me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If Thou therefore wilt worship 
 me, all shall be Thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him. Get thee be- 
 hind me, Satan : for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
 Him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he brought Him to Jerusalem, 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 : 10 For it is written. He shall give His angels charge 
 over Thee, to keep Thee ; 11 And in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest 
 at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering, said 
 unto him. It is said. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when 
 the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. The history of the temptation, in Lulve’s Gospel, has pecu- 
 liarities of its own. While Mark passes over the occurrence in very 
 few words, this Evangelist gives almost as much detail as Matthew, 
 but differs from him as to the order in which he relates the three 
 temptations. We prefer the order of Matthew, who throughout 
 more carefully observes the succession of events, while Luke speaks 
 quite indefinitely. The climax, too, is far more natm’al in the 
 
CHAP. IV. 1-13. 
 
 121 
 
 fomier; while it is evidently improbable that our Lord, after re- 
 pelling the demand of the tempter that He should worship him, 
 should have suffered another attack from the same quaiter. For 
 these reasons, Ambrose, and other F athers, even when commenting 
 on Luke's accoimt, have obseiwed the order of his predecessor. In 
 another respect, also, the praise of gi*eater accuracy belongs to 
 Matthew, who places the first temptation after the fortieth day, 
 while Luke represents this whole period as one of inward tempta- 
 tion. Xow, it is appai'ent that the temptation to change the stone 
 into bread — the fiii’st in order in both nan-atives — could only have 
 taken place at the end of this period, after long fasting. Perhaps 
 the two accounts may best be reconciled by regai*ding the forty days 
 as a time of inward temptation, in a more general sense (^lai’k and 
 Luke) ; immediately after which (Matthew), occurred the special 
 temptations related by the fii*st and thii-d Evangelist. 
 
 2. By the Sph'it, iv rw TrvevfjLa. : in Matthew, inro tov Trvevfia. — 
 Undoubtedly the Holy Spii’it, who had just been poured out, in all 
 His fulness, upon the SaHom* at Eds baptism. Full of the Holy 
 Ghost, who now more than ever peiwaded and animated Him, He 
 was led with iiTesistible power, not merely to (eh) the wilderness, 
 but into (iv) its veiy midst, Avhere He remained for a period, not 
 merely with the unexpected consequence, but for the special pwrpose 
 of being tempted (Treipac-OfjvaL) of the devil, by the permission and 
 according to the counsel of the Almighty. 
 
 3. Forty days tempted of the devil. — If we read, with Lachmann, 
 iv rf) ipqpp (ver. 1), which seems to us the preferable reading, we 
 may perhaps unite this indication of time to the preceding words, and 
 translate, He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness forty days, 
 and tempted of the de^•il." Thus even the appearance of a discre- 
 pancy between Matthew and Luke, concerning the period when the 
 temptation began, is avoided. 
 
 4. Into the wilderness. — Me must not, with some ancient vHters, 
 take these words in a figiuative, but in a Literal sense ; regarding 
 them as probably designating, according to tradition, the wilderness 
 of Quarantania, between Jericho and Jerusalem. Concerning the 
 locality, see Lange on ^latt., p. 144. A hill Mng opposite Abarim, 
 from which Moses obtained a view of the promised land, is pointed 
 out, as that up which the tempter is said to have led Jesus ; while 
 credible travellers inform us, that in the Hcinity of this hill are found 
 many stones so neaily resembling loaves, in shape and coloiu, that 
 superficial observers might easily be deceived by theii* appeai*ance. 
 
122 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 5. Of the devil . — The question here naturally occurs, Who was 
 the agent of the temptation, and what was the manner in which he 
 approached our Lord ? Concerning the first question, the various 
 o])inions that have been advanced may be divided into two classes. 
 Some will see here no immediate agency of the devil, but suppose 
 either one or more human tempters, or tempting thoughts and ima- 
 ginations arising in the mind of Jesus Himself, on the contempla- 
 tion of His Messianic work. Others accept the fact of an actual 
 temptation by the devil, whether appearing in visible form, as related 
 by the Evangelists, or invisibly acting upon the soul of the 
 
 Lord, — a soul pure, yet at the same time susceptible of temptation. 
 The defenders of these several views are enumerated by Hase, 
 Meyer, and De Wette. It does not seem to us difficult to choose 
 between them. 
 
 Very little need be said concerning the difficulty of a literal 
 interpretation. A corporeal appearance of the devil, a temporary 
 ivadpKcocn^ of the prince of darkness, is opposed to the analogy of 
 Holy Scripture. How should the evil one have had power over 
 the body of the Lord, so as to carry Him whither he would, through 
 the air ? If the Lord did not know him, what becomes of His all- 
 surpassing knowledge; and if He did, how could He engage in 
 discussion with such a tempter? Where is the mountain from 
 which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen in a moment of 
 time ; and how could the Lord, during the forty days of His sojourn 
 in the solitary wilderness, stand all at once on a pinnacle of the 
 temple? But this impossibility of interpreting the account Kara 
 prjTov, gives us no right to view it as a philosophical or historical 
 mgth. If even the early chapters of St Luke bore plainly the im- 
 press of their strictly historical character, we shall find ourselves 
 even less in the regions of the obscure and the mythical in his nar- 
 rative of the public life of Jesus. Analogies drawn from the temp- 
 tations of Job, Da\dd, and others, can, at the most, prove the pos- 
 sibility of inventing such a history as this of our Lord’s temptation; 
 but can by no means be adduced in support of the certainty, or even 
 probability, that this history is such an invention. Indeed, the 
 wdiole context plainly shows that the Evangelists themselves were 
 fully persuaded that they were narrating a historical fact, which we 
 cannot, therefore, be justified in doubting on merely philos ^phical 
 grounds. — Equally unsatisfactory is the dream, vision, or ] irable 
 interpretation. If Jesus had desired to instruct His discipLs by a 
 parable concerning the principles upon which He commenced His 
 
CHAP. IV. 1—13. 
 
 123 
 
 special work as Messiah, and the temptations to which those prin- 
 ciples were exposed, He would certainly have chosen some other 
 form. Under this aspect, too, it becomes quite inexplicable how so 
 many should have viewed this parable as an actual history, without 
 some grounds for doing so. But difficulties increase, instead of 
 diminish, when we consider that this parable does not originate with 
 J esus Himself, hut with His disciples, who must have composed it 
 to warn the first believers against erroneous and secular notions 
 concerning Messiah’s kingdom. On the supposition of a dream or 
 vision, the narrative loses all importance and meaning. Where 
 would be the worth of a conflict arising from a delusion ; or does 
 one who fights only against a phantom deserve the name of a con- 
 queror*? If this vision were produced in the soul of Jesus by the 
 agency of Satan (Olshausen), we cannot see what importance we are 
 to attribute to a temptation which was not resisted with reason and 
 self-consciousness. Or, if this dream were the product of His own 
 imagination (Paulus), we can no longer attribute absolute sinlessness 
 to one who could, sponte sud, defile His mind with such detestable 
 notions. — As for the opinion that we have here a human tempter, the 
 notion has been too often refuted, in its original form, to make it 
 necessary to waste words on it. The only form in which it deserves 
 mention, is that under which Lange treats of it (Leben Jesu ii., p. 
 218). While far from denying the satanic foundation of the temp- 
 tation, he yet insists that the immediate instruments of it were cer- 
 tain members of the Sanhedrim, who, having been directed to Jesus 
 by John, after their conversation with the latter (John i. 19-28), 
 approached Him, in all the pomp and vehemence of their own carnal 
 notions of the Messiah’s office, and proposed a plan of operation 
 very different from that which had previously attained maturity in 
 His own mind. It is impossible to read the brilliant and detailed 
 description of this view, without recognising the talent and ingenuity 
 of its author ; and if really obliged to adopt some such historical 
 foundation for the circumstances here recorded, we might seek in 
 vain for a better. But, on the other hand, we cannot overlook the 
 facts, that the Evangelists themselves give not the slightest hint of 
 so early an encounter between the Lord and the Sanhedrim ; that 
 neither any direction of the Sanhedrim to Jesus by John, nor such 
 a discussion with a still unknown Nazarene, can be proved ; and, 
 finally, that the offence taken by the Sanhedrim against our Lord, 
 after His entrance upon His public ministry, may be quite suffi- 
 ciently accounted for without so mysterious an occurrence in the 
 
124 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 background. All these reasons raise the question, whether we may 
 not better conclude, with Ullmann, that seducing thoughts like these, 
 originating from the consideration of the spurious Judaic notions of 
 IVIessiah’s office and kingdom, then prevailing, passed through the 
 mind of J esus, and were immediately repelled by the power of Ills 
 holy will ; and that, when lie afterwards communicated this, Ilis 
 inw^ard experience, to Ilis disciples, lie ascribed tliem, after the 
 Oriental fashion, to the devil, the prince of this w^orld. On closer 
 observation, however, this view also offers such difficulties, that 
 Strauss not unjustly remarks, that in this case the Lord presents 
 Ilis followers with an obscure mixture of truth and fabrication.” 
 It is almost impossible to conceive why He should have related the 
 history of Ilis inward struggles under such a form to His friends. 
 Besides, we at least cannot see in what manner the first and third 
 temptations could be attributed to the erroneous Messianic notions 
 of our Lord’s contemporaries. These, surely, would rather have 
 originated in His own consciousness of His power of working 
 miracles, and His assurance of the divine protection. Schleiermacher 
 remarks, that ^Lf Jesus could have entertained such thoughts, even 
 in the most passing manner. He would not have been the Christ ; 
 and this view seems to me the most offensive of modern outrages 
 against His person.” If these thoughts were merely theoretic ideas, 
 which had nothing in them attractive to the mind of the Lord, 
 where is the reality of temptation ? And if these evil thoughts 
 really originated in the heart of the Son of man, where is the sin- 
 lessness of His nature ? On all these grounds, we are induced to 
 believe, that the origin of the temptation can only be explained by 
 admitting the agency of the (invisible) evil spirit upon the mind and 
 spirit of the Redeemer. This view (1) recognises the credibility of the 
 narrative, and neither obliges us to consider the devil, at its com- 
 mencement, nor the angels, at its close, as s^mibolical or figurative 
 beings. (2) It preserves the truth of our Lord’s sinlessness : the 
 seducing ideas do not arise from within, but are introduced from 
 without. Finally (3), it justifies our departure from a strictly 
 literal interpretation ; for if the evil one acted directly, though invi- 
 sibly, upon the God-man, the temptation could have taken place only 
 iv irvevpaTi ; and we may thus imagine our Lord placed upon a pin- 
 nacle of the temple, without leaving the mlderness. No other view 
 so completely retains that which is essential, in the strictly historical 
 interpretation, without involving us in the absurdities necessarily 
 arising from the supposition of a corporeal appearing of the evil spirit. 
 
CHAP. IV. 1-13. 
 
 125 
 
 We feel that tliis opinion can find no favour with those wlio 
 despise the doctrine of the personality of the evil spirit, as a super- 
 stition of the Middle Ages. Our full persuasion is, that many of the 
 scruples entertained against the demonology of the Bible arise from 
 misunderstanding or exaggeration. There can be no doubt that 
 both Jesus and His Apostles frequently speak of a personal evil 
 spirit, and of his personal agency ; and it is impossible to prove that 
 they do so in accommodation to a superstitious popular delusion. If 
 philosophic reasoners will admit of nothing beyond a personification 
 of an abstract idea^ let them, if they can, defend their notion, but 
 not impute it to Jesus and the Apostles. Rationalism is never 
 weaker than when it seeks to justify itself on critical grounds. 
 Allowing that the old demonology was not fully developed among 
 the Jews till after the Babylonian captivity, yet, far from being of 
 Chaldee or Persian origin, it is opposed, both in essence and charac- 
 ter, to this, and every dualistic theory for accounting for the exist- 
 ence of evil. It can neither be absurd to allow, that the freedom 
 of will, which made sin possible, was abused among the higher orders 
 of spirits, nor that they united a high standard of intellectual de- 
 velopment to a deep moral degeneration. Both these circumstances 
 are daily seen among men ; and nothing can be more inconsistent, 
 than to believe in the existence of personal good angels, and deny 
 the existence of a personal Satan. The possibility of the direct 
 agency of the evil one, on the mind of our Lord, cannot be opposed, 
 either on psychological or scriptural grounds. The motive of this 
 agency could be none other than that of causing Him to fall into 
 sin, and thus to frustrate the work of redemption. And the fact 
 that such an attempt was permitted by the Father, will astonish 
 no one who enters into the meaning of the words, Though He 
 were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He 
 suffered.” 
 
 6. And in those days He did eat nothing. — A comparison with 
 Matt. xi. 18 shows, that it is not indispensably necessary to under- 
 stand by this expression, an entire abstinence from food. He 
 might have eaten locusts and wild honey, as John did, without 
 essentially interrupting His fast ” (Lange). On the other hand, 
 however, nothing forbids our interpreting this fasting of our Lord 
 in the strictest manner. If there have been instances of unusually 
 long fasting among men, whose physical and psychical development 
 had been hindered by sin, how much less incredible would it be in 
 Him, whose corporeal organization had never been weakened by sin. 
 
126 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 and wliose spirit could, more than that of any other, keep under the 
 body, and bring it into subjection ? After such a fast, hunger must 
 liave been felt in an unprecedented degree ; while the susceptibility 
 of Ilis spirit for the agency of the prince of darkness, and for the 
 conflict with him, must have been not a little increased by absti- 
 nence from bodily nourishment. 
 
 7. If Thou ... he made bread. — The words of the evil spirit 
 
 plainly refer to the voice from heaven, at Jordan. Here also the 
 devil is a simia Dei^ his voice sounding like an echo of the words of 
 truth. — TJiis stone j rw \i6w tovtw, more than Matthew, 
 
 who keeps his usual plural, ol XlOol ovtoi^ in an oratio indirecta. The 
 force of the temptation lay, partly in the exalted self-consciousness 
 of the Redeemer, partly in the painful feeling of His bodily wants ; 
 the aim of the tempter was to make Him employ His miraculous 
 power for the satisfaction of Plis personal necessities. 
 
 8. That man shall not live by bread alone. — The text. Dent, 
 viii. 3, is more correctly quoted from the LXX. in St IMatthew. We 
 need not deny that our Lord uses the words in a sense somewhat 
 different from that in which Moses uttered them ; neither is there 
 any reason for applying the word “ man ” exclusively or specially 
 to the Messiah. With divine freedom. He makes use of these words 
 of Scripture to declare, that the life of man may be prolonged and 
 preserved by any and every means it may please God to use for 
 the support of his bodily powers. In other words, it is not necessary 
 that He should use His miraculous power to appease His painful 
 hunger; God has innumerable means under His control, and tlie 
 Son will await whatever the Father may be pleased to do. 
 
 9. And the devil^ taking Him up. — As has been before remarked, 
 Luke places the third and most severe temptation in the second 
 place. “ Matthceus eo temporis ordine describit assidtus, quo facti 
 sunt. Lucas gradationem observat in locis et describit desertum, mon- 
 tem^ templum. Quee ordinis non modo innoxia, sed etiam salubris va- 
 rietas argumento est, non alterum Evangelistam ab altero scripsisse.” 
 (Bengel.) 
 
 10. And showed Him. — Naturally, iv TTveuparij not one after 
 another, but all at once, iv ptTrfj 6(p6a\pov, 1 Cor. xv. 52. — All the 
 kingdoms of the world. Not the land of Judea only, but the sur- 
 rounding Gentile world ; often represented in the N. T. as subject 
 to the prince of this world, while Jehovah is the Head of the theo- 
 cratic state. It is worthy of remark, that the speech of Satan is 
 somewhat more detailed than in Matthew : for that is delivered unto 
 
CILVr. IV. 1—13. 
 
 127 
 
 me^ etc. ; a paraphrase of the foregoing words, for the use and bene- 
 fit of Theophilus and other readers, who might be little, if at all, 
 acquainted with the J ewish demonology. 
 
 11. If Thou therefore wilt worship me. — We are not obliged to 
 interpret this of idolatrous worship, properly so called ; the homage, 
 often paid in the East to powerful monarchs (Matt. ii. 2), suffi- 
 ciently answers the requirements of the case. As the first tempta- 
 tion was addressed to a natural appetite, this is directed to the desire 
 of that kingly glory, which the Messiah must have been conscious 
 was destined to Him. The force of the temptation lay in the alter- 
 native ; on the one hand, dominion without conflict ; on the other, a 
 deadly struggle with the power of darkness, if its seductions should 
 be repelled. The lie, on which the bold promise of the tempter is 
 founded (“ for that is delivered unto me,” etc.), is truly Satanic ; 
 and it is by the very effrontery of the demand, that the Lord recog- 
 nizes with whom it is, that He is, at this moment, contending (Matt.), 
 and immediately utters the vira^e oiriao) povf hurling at him one 
 more sharp weapon from the Scripture armoury. 
 
 12. Thou shalt worship the Lord, etc. — Deut. vi. 13, according 
 to the LXX.,with the substitution of 'rrpoo-Kvvrjo-ei^ for (ho^TjOi^arj, on 
 account of the preceding word of Satan. The Lord not only utters 
 the monotheistic principle, but shows, at the same time, that He 
 will rather renounce all the kingdoms of the world, however justly 
 they may be His inheritance, than obtain them in an illegal manner. 
 His answer is a declaration of w^ar ; and Satan, thus repulsed, could 
 not have retmmed to the attack. Before his departure, however, 
 another temptation took place, which Matthew, with more strict 
 regard to order, makes the second, and which Luke now proceeds 
 to narrate. 
 
 13. And he brought Him to Jerusalem. — Although, considered in 
 itself, it might be very probable that the Lord should spend a single 
 day Kara crdpKa at Jerusalem, during this period, yet it seems to 
 us more probable that He did not corporeally quit the wilderness 
 till the conflict was over. To His inward consciousness. He un- 
 doubtedly seemed to stand upon the TrrepvyLov ; and 'with regard to 
 the power of the evil one to place Him, in spirit, in a place so dif- 
 ferent from that occupied by His body, we may here recall the 
 words of Gregory, nil minim est, si Christus a Diaholo se permisit 
 circumduci, qui a memhris illius se permisit crucifigiT 
 
 14. On a pinnacle of the temple ; not vaov, but lepov. — Access 
 to the fiopvcpg was, indeed, allowed to none but the priests and 
 
128 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Levitcs ; but tliis may have been one of the neigbbourlng build- 
 ings, whose pinnacles formed a sort of projection (aKpwTrjpiov), 
 which, as Josephus tells us, overhung the deep valley at a dizzy 
 height : A7it. Jud. 15, 15, 11. A descent thence would, of course, 
 terminate in the dark valley of Kidron. But the promise is, that if 
 lie would cast Himself down, lie should not come to the bottom, 
 but be ujdield by the angels, in the sight of the inhabitants of the 
 town, and frequenters of the temple, who would, a moment before, 
 have seen Him with fear and horror upon the height. 
 
 15. Fo7' it is written^ etc. — The devil, then, can turn theologian, 
 and oppose the Lord with His own weapons. The text Ps. xci. is 
 not Messianic ( Usteri), but speaks of the people of God in general ; 
 and the evil one leaves it to Jesus to infer, a minori ad majus, from 
 the safety of the saints, the safety of the Messiah, the supreme 
 favourite of God. By a literal interpretation of figurative lan- 
 guage, he tempts the Lord to work by a miracle, not upon the heart 
 and conscience, but upon the imagination of the people, and thus 
 to produce an extraordinary result in a few moments. The attack 
 is this time made, neither upon the desire of enjoyment or posses- 
 sion, but upon His honour and dignity. It 'will now be seen 
 whether the Lord indeed believes this Scripture, which has been 
 His chosen weapon of defence. He is tempted in that very confi- 
 dence in God, which had just restrained Him from turning the 
 stone into bread ; and the greatness of His triumph lies in His 
 discovery of the exact limits which separate confidence from pre- 
 sumption. 
 
 16. A^id Jesus answering. — The Lord answers the third time 
 vrith the word of God, and again from Deuteronomy. This is still 
 more strikingly exj)ressed in Matthew, TrdXiv ^eypairrai, rui^sus. 
 This text contains no contradiction of the words of the Psalm, but 
 a rectification of the misuse made of it by the e-vdl one. Apart 
 from the special meaning of this verse for the people of Israel (on 
 the occasion of the strife at Meribah, Exod. xvii. 2), the Lord 
 gives him to understand, that he who needlessly exposes himself to 
 danger, in the hope that God will preserve him, exhibits the rash- 
 ness of presumption, and not the heroism of faith. 
 
 17. And lulien the devil had ended. — The ministration of the 
 angels must be inserted here, according to both Matthew and Mark. 
 See Lange on St Matthew, p. 157. It is undoubtedly consistent 
 with the spirit of the narrative, to regard the angels who minister 
 to J esus after the departure of Satan, whether that departure were 
 
CHAP. IV. 1—13. 
 
 129 
 
 spiritual or corporeal, as invisible witnesses of the conflict and 
 triumph of the Kedeeiner. Comp. 1 Kings xix. 5. 
 
 18. For a season . — In these closing words St Luke contributes 
 a most important hint towards the right interpretation of the whole 
 narrative. He involuntarily shows us that these forty days were 
 not only the commencement, but a specimen of the various tempta- 
 tions with which the God-man was again and again assailed. 
 Though they certainly have special reference to the time when 
 Satan entered into Judas (Luke xxii. 3), and stirred up all the 
 powers of darkness against the suffering Saviour, yet they also 
 point to all the intermediate activity of the evil one, in raising 
 opposition to the work of the Redeemer: comp. ch. x. 18, xiii. 16, 
 xxii. 31. 
 
 DOCTRIXAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The history of the temptation in the wilderness forms both 
 the close of private, and the commencement of public, life of 
 Jesus. The silence of John concerning this event offers no evidence 
 against the veracity of the accounts of the synoptical Evangelists. 
 If neither of them had uttered a word concerning a tentatio a Diabolo, 
 the believer, who sees in Jesus of Nazareth the God-man, and ac- 
 cepts as a reality the existence of a kingdom of darkness, in oppo- 
 sition to the kingdom of heaven, would natm’ally have supposed, 
 that such a work as our Lord’s public ministry could not possibly 
 have begun without a previous internal conflict. The actual Idnd 
 of conflict which took place, is, how^ever, communicated to us upon 
 their united testimony, in such a manner as to leave us no alter- 
 native, but either to see in the narrative one of those aeaocptcr/jLevoi, 
 jj-vOoi, whose existence in the region of Christian history is denied 
 by an Apostle (2 Pet. i. 16), or to believe that Jesus Himself com- 
 municated to His disciples this remarkable event of His inner life. 
 The latter supposition seems to us to be wHl-grounded, and, at the 
 same time, to answer the inquiry concerning the source of the 
 historical narrative in a satisfactory manner. At the same time, 
 it is self-evident, that the Lord w’ould not tell His friends more con- 
 cerning the occurrence in the wilderness than they w^re able to 
 bear, John xvi. 12. For this reason. He clothed His narrative in 
 a form calculated to meet both their pow'ers of reception and their 
 needs ; and we are justified in distinguishing betw^een the event 
 itself, and the peculiar manner in wliich it w^as represented by Him, 
 and described by them. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 9 
 
130 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 2. The facts wliich may certainly be gathered from a compari- 
 son of the various narratives, are as follows: — 1. At the beginning 
 of Ilis course, our Lord was exposed to temptations to act in direct 
 opposition to those high principles, to which, through His whole life, 
 lie showed Himself faithful. 2. These temptations were directly 
 caused by the Prince of this world, who strove to overthrow the 
 second Adam, as he had overthrown the first, and thus to destroy 
 the work of redemption. 3. The Lord resisted these temptations, 
 consciously and continuously, with the sword of the Spirit, and left 
 the field without a single wound. 4. The victor received the hom- 
 age and services of the host of heaven, as a token of the Father’s 
 approbation. — Every explanation of the history of the temptation, 
 which recognises the essentials of this great event, deserves a can- 
 did and patient consideration. But with respect to the externals of 
 the occurrence (the condition of our Lord, the kind and manner of 
 the temptation, the locality, etc.), it will perhaps be impossible to 
 find any which will satisfactorily solve all difficulties. Yet this is 
 of minor importance, if the inward significance of the above-named 
 facts be recognised, and the facts themselves remain unattacked. 
 
 3. The history of the temptation sheds the clearest light over 
 the person of our Lord. On the one hand, we here learn from His 
 own mouth (ver. 4), to see Him as man, in all things made like 
 unto His brethren (Heb. ii. 17); on the other, even Satan an- 
 nounces Him to be the Son of God, and the father of lies himself 
 thus becomes a witness to the truth of God (ver. 3). The true hu- 
 manity of the Lord is no less manifested by the hunger which Pie 
 feels, than by the capability of being tempted, which is here exhi- 
 bited. His divine majesty is shown by the manner in which He 
 opposes the enemy, and by the victory He obtains. 
 
 4. In treating of the temptation of Christ, divinity has the diffi- 
 cult task of considering the Lord as truly tempted, so that tempta- 
 tion does not pass over Plim as something merely external (like 
 water running over a rock), without making any impression upon 
 Plis mind ; and, at the same time, of maintaining the declaration of 
 the Apostle, that He was %ct)pk a/juaprla^ (Heb. iv. 15). It is evi- 
 dent that both these essentials are alike impossible, if an absolute 
 
 non potuit peccare^^ be predicated of Jesus. The ava/jLapT7]crLa of 
 the Lord by no means excluded the possibility of sinning, but rather 
 consisted in the fact, that, being filled with an infinite abhorrence 
 of sin. He resisted and overcame it, in whatever form it might 
 appear. Only the Father is aireipaaro^ KaKcav (Jas. i. 13); but 
 
CHAP. IV. 1-13. 
 
 131 
 
 the Logos, having once entered within the limits of finite humanity, 
 came into personal contact with sin, through His ofMoicofjLa crapKo<i 
 ajxapTLa^ (Rom. viii. 3). Like every other genuine man, our Lord 
 had those human senses which could appreciate the pleasant and 
 the unpleasant ; and this appreciation would naturally cause Him 
 to prefer enjoyment to want, honour to shame, riches to poverty, 
 life to death. It is to this appreciation that the force of temptation 
 is directed ; and to find anything sinful in the feeling itself, is to 
 accuse the God who thus constituted our human natm’e, and to 
 regard the first man as created a sinner ; since the very trial to 
 which he was put, and the threat pronounced against him if he 
 should break the command, presuppose the existence of this very 
 feeling. Every notion which ascribes to the Lord even a minimum 
 of peccatum originate (Irving), will be decidedly condemned by 
 Christian consciousness. 
 
 5. On the other hand, the potuit non peccare must be as strongly 
 asserted as the realiter nonpeccavit. The idea of what was evil was 
 never excited by Himself, but introduced from without, by the 
 agency of another spirit upon His. The idea could only have be- 
 come sin, if the will of the Lord had, for a moment, inclined to the 
 practice of that which He recognised as morally wrong. That the 
 three ideas here presented, — viz., to work a miracle in His own 
 behalf, to influence the people by external eclat, and to possess 
 Himself of earthly power, considered in themselves, and without 
 reference to the will of God, — must have had some attraction for 
 His pure and refined moral appreciation, is a proposition so little to 
 be rejected, that the contrary can scarcely be supposed in any really 
 human being. It was in the very nature of things that such ideas 
 should have, at the present conjuncture, a twofold influence on the 
 mind of the Lord. Why else should He have immediately seized 
 a weapon to oppose His enemy ? But there could be no sin, unless 
 the desire for that which was wrong, the wish even to listen to the 
 evil suggestion, had arisen in His mind. Nothing of the kind, 
 however, is perceived. The temptation passes before His eyes in 
 its fairest colours ; He has a lively appreciation of all the attractions 
 it presents ; He reflects that He is free to yield ; but that instant 
 He repels it, as something strange and inadmissible. It has access 
 to His imagination, but finds no point of contact in His will ; it acts 
 upon the but before this can be stained, the tempter has been 
 
 already conquered by the TTveypia. 
 
 The two following illustrations may throw some further light 
 
132 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 on tins subject : — There was no sin in Eve’s perceiving tliat the 
 forbidden tree liad attractions ; there would have been none in her 
 finding delight in eating of this tree, apart from all consideration of 
 the probationary command she had received ; but when the desire 
 arose within her, in conscious and unconscious opposition to the pro- 
 hibition, and produced discontent with the commandment, sin had 
 entered her heart, even before she laid her hand upon the fruit. 
 Again, it was no sin that our Lord should show, in Gethsemane, a 
 natural disinclination for death, and a natural longing for life ; nor 
 that, in the immediate presence of death, with the consciousness 
 that lie could avoid it, life should seem doubly precious ; nor even 
 that lie should wish and pray that this cup should pass from Him. 
 But if He had still entertained the wish, after recognising plainly 
 that it was contrary to the will of God ; if the resolution to submit 
 to this recognised will had been preceded by delay and conflict ; if, 
 in short, not indeed His acts, but His will, had taken a direction 
 contrary to the will of God ; then would the man of sorrows have 
 been also a child of sin. 
 
 6. The temptations now conquered were continually recurring 
 during the public ministry of our Lord. The first, for example, 
 Matt, xxvii. 40; the second, John vii. 3, 4; the third, John vi. 14. 
 We need not, then, be astonished that our Lord should recognise 
 the Satanic background of Peter’s request. Matt. xvi. 22. To which- 
 ever of these temptations He might have yielded, either His perfect 
 obedience, or His perfect love to man, would have been marred, 
 and thereby His perfect ability to be the Redeemer of sinners an- 
 nihilated. 
 
 7. The history of the temptation casts a light upon the work of 
 the Lord. We learn to recognise it as a work which the Father 
 Himself has given Him to do, which He has entered upon with full 
 consciousness, which was preceded by severe conflict, and which 
 was destined to destroy the works of the devil, 1 John iii. 9. The 
 second Adam here appears as the restorer of the paradise which the 
 first had forfeited. Adam fell in paradise, and converted it into 
 a wilderness. Christ conquered in the wilderness, and converted it 
 into a paradise, where angels sojourned, and wild beasts lost their 
 savage nature” (Olshausen). 
 
 8. The threefold temptation of Jesus is a S 3 mibol and type of 
 the temptations against which every Christian has to contend : 1 
 John ii. 16 : viz., the first temptation, of the lust of the flesh; the 
 second, of the lust of the eyes ; the third, of the pride of life ; of all 
 
CHAP. IV. 1—13. 
 
 133 
 
 which St John says, ^^They are not of the Father, but of the 
 world.” 
 
 9. The temptation of Jesus, while it was repeated in His own 
 life, and in those of His people, was also foreshadowed, in a. certain 
 sense, in the trials and temptations of the Old Testament saints 
 (Joseph, Job, David, etc.). It is in the nature of things, that the 
 higher the attainments of any one in the kingdom of God, the 
 greater wdll be the temptations to which he is exposed. It is re- 
 markable, that at nearly the time of the Lord’s temptation, a similar 
 temptation befell His forerunner. See Langcy Lehen Jesu ii., 
 p. 451. 
 
 10. The origin of all temptation, and especially of the tempta- 
 tion of Christ, is the agency of the devil. The hist or}" of His temp- 
 tation may be regarded as a revelation of the existence, power, 
 constitution, and operations of the kingdom of darkness. The 
 existence of this kingdom of a personal evil spirit is not revealed to 
 us by a holy God, but reveals itself in deeds like this. It is here 
 shovTi that there is an evil spirit, an enemy of God and of His king- 
 dom. He knows Christ, and hates Him ; he uses Scripture, and 
 perverts it ; seduction is his delight, lies his strength, the word of 
 God the only effective weapon against him. It is worthy of notice, 
 that the epochs of the fullest developments of the kingdom of God, 
 have also been those of a more powerful reaction of the kingdom 
 of darkness. When the history of mankind begins, the father of 
 lies also appears ; when Israel is to become a theocratic nation, he 
 imitates the miracles of Moses by means of the Egyptian magicians ; 
 when the Son of God appears in the flesh, he increases the number 
 of the SaifiovL^ofievoCy and even endeavours to overthrow Him ; and 
 when the last development of the kingdom of God approaches, he 
 then has great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short 
 time (Eev. xii. 12). 
 
 11. The “It is written” of the Saviour, has akvays been 
 justly regarded as the highest proof of the divine authority of Holy 
 Scriptiu’e. The Christian, who looks upon the whole Bible in the 
 same light in which his Lord looked upon the Old Testament, can- 
 not narrow the rule, which He gave on another occasion, ore ou 
 Svvarai Xvdi'jvao 77 r^pac^rjy John x. 35. The high importance even 
 of those parts of Scripture which, superficially considered, might 
 seem to have less bearing upon Christian life and character, is here 
 rendered very evident. Our Lord’s three quotations are all taken 
 from Deuteronomy; and the word of God, as it is vultten in this 
 
134 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 single l)ook, is enougli to put to flight the prince of darkness, and 
 all his power. 1 Cor. xii. 22, 23, may be applied to Holy Scripture 
 in its entirety. 
 
 12. In our inquiry into the historical reality of the angelic visi- 
 tations in the time of our Lord, the rarity of their occurrence, offer- 
 ing, as it does, the strongest evidence against their being fabrica- 
 tions, must by no means be overlooked. Since the settlement of the 
 child in Nazareth, no angel has been seen to cross Ills path till now; 
 and we shall meet with no more Hsible appearances till the night of 
 Gethsemane. Would a writer of myths have been contented with 
 so few ? If no angels had appeared, after the decisive viraye oiriao) 
 fjLov to Satan, we might almost have doubted the reality of their ex- 
 istence. 
 
 Compare Lange on the Gospel of St Matt., pp. 158-161 ; and 
 Jesus tentS au desert, trois meditations par Ad. Monod, Paris 1854. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The history of the temj^tation presents peculiar difficulties, more 
 easily felt than avoided, in treating it homiletically. It is certainly 
 easier to describe how it should not, than how it should be treated, 
 for the edification of a congregation. A clear distinction between 
 the critical and the practical elements is advisable throughout; 
 while the recommendation of the Apostle, 2 Tim. ii. 23, should 
 never be lost sight of. Superficial criticism of opposite opinions is 
 as superfluous in the pulpit, as a long defence of the preacher’s own 
 views. Controversy is often a signal for the appearance of Satan 
 among the childi’en of God (Job i. 6). It is better to leave contro- 
 verted points in a holy obscurity, and to keep to what is clear and 
 plain. The treatment of this subject is, to say the least, very un- 
 ad visable to those who, with respect to the New Testament demon- 
 ology, hold sceptical or negative views. They have at least to 
 guard against laying down any principles which can, in the slight- 
 est degi’ee, wound the convictions of Christian consciousness, con- 
 cerning the sinlessness and purity of the Lord. In general, it is 
 perhaps best to treat the history as a whole, viewing it either as a 
 specimen of the lifelong conflict which the Lord had to maintain, 
 or as a type of the spiritual conflict to which every believer is called. 
 That rich material for homiletical reflections exists, both in the 
 whole narrative and its different divisions, may be seen from the 
 following hints : — From the Jordan of glorification to the wilder- 
 ness of temptation. This is God’s 'way of dealing with the Chris- 
 
CHAP. IV. 1—13. 
 
 135 
 
 tian, as well as with his Master; and this way is, 1. the old, yet always 
 new; 2. the hard, yet kind; 3. the dark, yet easy; 4. the solitary, 
 and yet the blessed way. — Temptation follows the Christian even 
 into solitude. — Christian fasting contrasted, 1. with Jewish fast- 
 ing, which sees something meritorious in itself, in abstinence from 
 food ; 2. with Gentile indulgence, which says, “ Let us eat and 
 drink, for to-morrow we die ; ” 3. with the Komish, “ Touch not, 
 taste not, handle not ; ” and 4. with the ultra-Protestant Trdvra 
 €^6<7TCV, unaccompanied by the modifying ov irdvra — To 
 
 doubt the truth of God’s word, is the first step in sin. It was so, 
 
 1. in paradise (Gen. hi. 2, 3) ; 2. is so here, 3. will be so alw^ays. 
 — The temptation to abuse power, constantly united with the pos- 
 session of special power. — The forbidden way of “ taking thought ” 
 for food. — It is written. The sword of the spirit : 1. how dazzling its 
 brightness ; 2. how deep its wounds ; 3. how decisive its triumphs ! 
 — !Man does not live by bread alone : he cannot, he may not, he 
 need not. — God can avert the necessities of His people by any 
 means. — The dangerous mountain-tops of spiritual life. — The evil 
 one, the prince of this world : 1. The extent, 2. the limits, of his 
 power. — Satan never lies more boldly, than when he promises. — 
 The worship of the devil, in its more refined forms : 1. How ancient 
 it is ; 2. how richly it seems rewarded ; 3. how unhappily it ends. 
 — To worship the Lord, and to serve Him alone, is, 1. a difficult, 
 
 2. a holy, 3. a blessed demand. — Even in the sanctuary, there is 
 no immunity from severe and renewed temptation. — The Lord of 
 the temple, upon the pinnacle of the temple and on the brink of the 
 precipice. — The highest elevations border on the deepest precipices. 
 — Even the devil is a theologian. — The abuse of Holy Scriptm*e is, 
 1. manifold : when the letter is used as a weapon against the spirit ; 
 a poetical sentence, as a weapon against the demands of the law ; an 
 Old Testament text, to combat a declaration of the New : 2. dan- 
 gerous : because the word of Scripture is holy in itself, finds an echo 
 in the mind, and is used with so much art : 3. only to be conquered 
 by a right, ^. e., an intelligent, persevering, and anxious searching of 
 the Scripture. — The protection of the angels not to be expected by 
 those who tempt God. — The ministry of angels : 1. How far it may 
 be expected, 2. and how far not. — What is tempting God? Why 
 is this sin so great ? How is this sin best avoided ? — Where Scrip- 
 ture is believingly, thoughtfully, and continually used, the devil 
 must depart. — When the devil departs, it is only “ for a season.” 
 — He retmms, 1. to tempt again ; but 2. to be again opposed, 
 
136 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 and 3. again conquered. — The angels come and minister to Him, 
 wlio denied tliat they would assist Him if He tempted God. — The 
 greatest triumph over the kingdom of darkness was celebrated in 
 secret. — Heaven, the sympathising witness of the conflicts of earth. 
 — God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that 
 you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, 
 that ye may be able to bear it : 1 Cor. x. 13. 
 
 Starcke. — He who follows the leading of God’s Spirit, comes, as 
 Christ did, into temptation, but also comes out of it. — Satan spe- 
 cially seeks to make the children of God doubt their adoption. — 
 The weapons of Christ and of His people are not carnal, yet mighty 
 through God. — The glory and joy of the world, short and momen- 
 tary. — Osiander : Whoever accepts a new religion, for the sake of 
 honour and happiness, worships the devil. — Nova Bill. Wuid. : The 
 devil is an experienced adversary; let us avoid heights, and dwell 
 in the lowly valley of humility. — The devil can severely tempt the 
 saints, but cannot force them to sin. Persiiadere potest proecipitare 
 non potest^ Hieronymus. — Scripture is the only rule of oui’ faith 
 and life, let us hold it fast. Ps. cxix. 105. — As Satan always returns 
 to tempt, so also does God to help. 
 
 Stier . — How the threefold temptations of the wilderness are 
 repeated, but with increased force, in the Passion. — Rautenherg : 
 Christ tempted like as we are, yet without sin. This text is, 1. a 
 a light to our blindness, 2. a spur to our sloth, 3. a staff for 
 our weakness. — Bachmann: The temptation of Jesus was a temp- 
 tation, 1. to unbelief in God’s word, 2. to presumption upon 
 God’s word, 3. to apostasy from God’s word. — Oettinger : In the 
 kingdom of God there is, 1. no spiritual consecration without spiri- 
 tual trial, 2. no spiritual trial without spiritual weapons, 3. no 
 spiritual weapons without spiritual victory. — Arndt : The tempta- 
 tion of the Lord: 1. Its nature; 2. its importance, inasmuch as it 
 was endured by Him, a. as a substitute, h. as an example for His 
 people. — Fuchs : The means of conquering the temptations of the 
 devil : 1. Watch always, and in all places ; 2. join prayer to watch- 
 fulness ; 3. make diligent use of God’s word. — Van Oosterzee: The 
 temptation in the wilderness a type of the Christian’s warfare: 1. 
 The conflict; 2. the enemy; 3. the attack; 4. the weapon; 5. the 
 victory; 6. the reward. To conclude, the questions. If you are 
 fighting against Christ, how can you have courage? if you are 
 fighting under Christ, how can you have anxiety? — The three 
 temptations of the Lord, those of the morning, noon, and evening 
 
CHAP. IV. 11-30. 
 
 137 
 
 of life : the lusts of the flesh, the special sin of youth ; ambition, 
 the special sin of maturity; covetousness, the special sin of age. 
 lie Avho has conquered the first of these temptations must expect 
 the second ; he ^yho has passed the second will soon be overtaken 
 by the ’third : but in them all we may be more than conquerors, 
 through Him who loved us. — The forty days’ temptation in the first 
 life of our Lord, are paralleled by the forty days of peace and joy 
 in His second life. 
 
 SECOND SECTION. 
 
 THE JOURKEYINGS OF JESUS. 
 
 Chapter iv. 14 to Chapter ix. 50. 
 
 A. Nazareth. — The first Rejection of the Holy Son of Man by the 
 sinful Children of Men. (Chap. iv. 14-30.) 
 
 14 And Jesus returned in tbe power of tlie Spirit into Galilee : and there 
 went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. 15 And He taught 
 in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And He came to Nazareth, where 
 He had been brought up : and, as His custom was. He went into the synagogue 
 on the Sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was dehvered unto 
 Him the book of the prophet Esaias : and when He had opened the book. He 
 found the place where it was written, 18 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 dehverance to the captives, and recovering 
 of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the 
 acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again 
 to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the syna- 
 gogue were fastened on Him. 21 And He began to say unto them. This day 
 is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare Him witness, and won- 
 dered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said. 
 Is not this Joseph’s son ? 23 And He said unto them. Ye will surely say unto 
 
 Me this proverb. Physician, heal thyself : whatsoever we have heard done in 
 Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 24 And He said. Verily I say unto 
 you. No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I teU 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 land ; 
 26 But unto none of them was Ehas sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, 
 unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the 
 time of Eliseus the prophet ; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the 
 Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were 
 fiUed with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him 
 
138 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 unto tlie brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him 
 down headlong. 30 But He, passing through the midst of them, went Ilis way. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee . — • 
 Tims docs Luke begin to depict the public ministry of our Lord. 
 (Concerning this ministry in general, see Lange on St Matthew, p. 
 166.) That Luke speaks of the return of the Lord to Galilee, 
 while Mark says only that lie came into Galilee, is easily explained 
 by the fact, that the former had already mentioned the longer 
 sojourn of Jesus in Galilee (ch. ii. 39-52). And by saying that 
 lie did so in the power of the Spirit, he gives us very plainly to 
 understand, that the temptation in the wilderness, far from having 
 banished or repressed the Spirit, that had been poured out upon 
 Him at His baptism, had but been the occasion of His still more 
 powerful manifestation, after the distinguished triumph there ob- 
 tained. As says Bengel, post victoriam corrohoratus. 
 
 2. There icent out a fame of Him . — Not “ a fame of the return 
 
 of the man who had received so remarkable a distinction at His 
 baptism, and who had since been lost sight of for forty days” 
 {Meyer') ; for it is as incapable of proof that the distinction con- 
 ferred upon our Lord at His baptism took place coram populo 
 congregato, as that John spoke to the people in general of the 
 miraculous occurrence. Yer. 14 is evidently anticipative of ver. 
 15, in Avhich the special cause of this fame” is declared. The 
 doctrine taught by Him made an astonishing impression, and was 
 at first received with approbation. And this account by St Luke 
 deserves the more attention, inasmuch as he has, as yet, mentioned 
 no miracle as the cause of this The mere preaching of 
 
 Jesus, unaccompanied by the signs and wonders by which He after- 
 wards accredited it, seems immediately to have struck many. 
 
 3. And He taught^ etc. — In these -words Luke gives a general 
 account of our Lord’s first ministrations in Galilee, passing over in 
 silence the events which had preceded this entrance into Nazareth. 
 This is not the place to enter into the labyrinth of Gospel harmony 
 and chronology ; we will only mention, that the following seems to 
 us the order in which the events, following the forty days in the 
 wilderness, occurred : — 
 
 (1.) The first friends (John i. 35-52). 
 
 (2.) The first miracle (John ii. 1-12). 
 
 (3.) The first Passover (John ii. 13-22), 
 
CHAP. IV. 14—30. 
 
 139 
 
 (4.) Jesus and Nicodemus (cli. ii. 23-iii. 21). 
 
 (5.) The Messiah in Samaria (ch. iv. 1, etc.). 
 
 (6.) The second miracle in Cana (ch. iv. 43, etc.). 
 
 (7.) The first preaching in Nazareth (Luke iv. 16-30). 
 
 Tims Luke iv. 14 follows John iv. 43 ; the second miracle at Cana 
 immediately preceding the first preaching in Nazareth, which was 
 directly followed by the settlement at Capernaum (Matt. iv. 13). 
 
 4. And He came to Nazareth . — The question is, whether this visit 
 is the same as that mentioned Matt. xiii. 55—58 ; and if so, which 
 of the synoptical Evangelists has preserved the strictest historical 
 connection in narrating it? The first question we answer, with 
 Lange, in the affirmative ; and with respect to the second, give the 
 preference to Luke. The view, that Christ preached twice in this 
 manner at Nazareth, seems to us surrounded with insurmountable 
 difficulties. That Jesus, after the treatment recorded by Luke 
 (ver. 30), should have returned thither again, that He should have 
 preached there again, again have heard the same reproof, again 
 have given the same answer, are suppositions which perhaps no 
 one would have defended, unless his harmony had been influenced 
 by doctrinal considerations and interests. Luke, indeed, says no- 
 thing of the mighty works” mentioned by Matthew ; but he says 
 nothing to forbid our supposing that these were performed in the 
 synagogue before His preaching ; since the attack upon His life im- 
 mediately followed this, though both Matthew and ^lark close their 
 account concerning Nazareth by relating His miracles. It seems 
 that the Lord, before His public preaching, endeavoured thus to 
 predispose their hearts in His favour. And let it not be said, that 
 this view is unnatural ; for is it not improbable that He should have 
 spent only a single day in Nazareth, and should have entered the 
 town only on the very Sabbath on which He went into the syna- 
 gogue and stood up to read? Even the Jewish law, which limited 
 travelling on the Sabbath, forbade this. But if we admit that the 
 Lord had already performed some miracles in Nazareth, His re- 
 proof gains double force, and the comparison with the miracles of 
 Elisha and Elijah is fully justified. If it should be answered, that, 
 in this case, the words which our Lord puts in their mouths (ver. 
 23) lose their application, we reply, that, on the contrary, the 
 men of Nazareth, discontented with the mighty works He had 
 been pleased to perform among them, were rather desiring to see 
 such miracles as He had wrought at Capernaum — miracles which 
 excited astonishment even at a distance. Why should not the fame 
 
140 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of tliat wrouglit for the pacnXLKo^ at Capernaum liavc reached 
 Nazareth ; and is there anything more hard to satisfy than the 
 craving after the miraculous ? If, however, it should seem that 
 tliis view does not remove all difficulties, it will at least be conceded, 
 that the difficulties attending the supposed repetition of these occur- 
 rences are far more numerous. 
 
 5. WJiere lie had heen hrought ujy. — An evident reference to the 
 early history. It was a solemn moment in our Lord’s life, when 
 lie stood up to speak, for the first time, in the synagogue of that 
 town, where He had passed so many years in silence. 
 
 6. As Ilis custom was . — Videmus, quid egerit adolescens Jesus 
 Nazarethcc^ ante haptismum. — Bengel. Perhaps this Sabbath was the 
 first after His return to Nazareth, where the Lord seems to have 
 performed some wonders among a smaller circle before this public 
 appearance; and to have remarked some traces of the unbelief 
 (Matt. xiii. 58, and Mark vi. 5), which He found it so necessary to 
 rebuke in His first discourse. 
 
 7. And stood ugo for to read. — Hitherto He had sat among the 
 hearers. The reading in the synagogue consisted of a portion of 
 the law, followed, in regular order, by a portion from the prophets. 
 Opportunity was given even to strangers to speak a word of exhor- 
 tation or consolation to the people (Acts xiii. 15) ; and our Lord, 
 by standing up, showed that He wished to avail Himself of this 
 custom. The reading of the law was over, and that of the prophets 
 was about to begin. He therefore received, from the hand of the 
 minister, the roll from which the appointed passage for the day was 
 to be read. It was that of the prophet Isaiah ; and after He had 
 unrolled it. He found, without seeking, but certainly not without 
 special guidance, the appointed place. 
 
 8. The place where it icas written. — This passage is properly the 
 Haphtorah, appointed for the Day of Atonement, the 10th Tishri. 
 Hence Bengel, in his Or do Temporum, p. 220, considers that we 
 have here an infallible chronological date. Yet, admitting that 
 this selection of passages was in use in our Lord’s days, it is eHdent 
 that Luke says nothing of finding out a prescribed passage of the 
 prophet, but rather implies the contrary. 
 
 9. The Sjnrit of the Lord, etc. ; Isa. Ixi., freely quoted from the 
 LXX. — Jesus probably read the passage in Hebrew, but Luke 
 seems to give it, from memory, from the Alexandrian translation ; 
 hence the difference between the original text and the quotation. The 
 words diTO(7TeTKai red paver fxkv. iv d(f>. are even taken from Isa. Iviii. 
 
CHAP. IV. 1-1-30. 
 
 141 
 
 G ; showing that he is less giving the exact words than the sense 
 of this text, which here seems to terminate with the words, tlie 
 acceptable year of the Lord” {i.e., the appointed time in which 
 God will be gracious). Though usually not fewer than 21 verses 
 from the prophets were read, yet leave was often taken, according 
 to later authors, to depart from this custom, and to read only five 
 or seven. See Sepp, Lehen Jesu, p. 123. With regard to the 
 passage itself, it is evident that the prophet is speaking primarily 
 of his own vocation to the prophetic office, and of his dignity ; but 
 as the servant of J ehovah, he was, both in his work and destination, 
 a type of the Messiah, the Father’s perfect servant. That which, 
 in the days of Isaiah, was only relatively true of the ^vriter, first 
 received its full accomplishment in Him who found an eternal 
 ransom for His people. Hence Jesus had the fullest right to begin 
 to say : on a-ijfiepov, k.t.X. Comp. Hoffmann, Weissag. unci Erf. ii. 
 p. 96. 
 
 10. And He closed the hooh^ etc. — Evidently the words, This 
 day is this scripture fulfilled,” etc., describe not the contents, but 
 the commencement, of this sermon. The chosen text would give 
 oui' Lord opportunity to speak of the work He had undertaken, in 
 its most attractive aspect; it was no wonder, therefore, that the 
 eyes of all were fastened upon Him. Thus graphically does Luke 
 describe the scene, and places His readers in the midst of the 
 citizens of Nazareth. He had probably heard the account of the 
 whole occurrence from Mary, or from some of the dBeXcpot, who 
 would certainly be present at this first sermon : hence his narrative 
 is more copious than those of Matthew and Mark ; and he is able 
 even to give us the text from the prophet, which formed the subject 
 of this discourse. 
 
 11. And all bare Him luitness. — This witness was given to the 
 Redeemer’s gracious words ; the circumstance which followed 
 evidently testifying, that the expression is used concerning the 
 manner, not the matter of His address. It was not ivliat the Lord 
 said, but how He said it, which filled the multitude with astonish- 
 ment, when they considered the meanness of His origin. This 
 passage, and John vii. 46, are remarkable ; as bearing unimpeach- 
 able testimony to the irresistible impression made by the gracious 
 manner of Christ’s words and preacliing, even upon those who were 
 ill-affected towards Him. 
 
 12. Surely, irdvTCD^. — The Lord, perceiving the prejudice al- 
 ready rising in their hearts, w^as perfectly aware of the objections 
 
142 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 they would bring against Him, and used tbe popular proverb, 
 IMiysician, lieal thyself,” not only to express His present meaning 
 more clearly, but also to give them a hint of the blessed nature of 
 His mission, as Israel’s great Physician. By comparing Matt, 
 xiii. 57 and Mark vi. 4 with Luke iv. 24, it appears that the synop- 
 tical Evangelists differ somewhat in their report of the words 
 with which our Lord expressed the idea, that a prophet is nowhere 
 less esteemed than in his own country. It is indeed very probable 
 that He frequently made use of this proverb, and perhaps with 
 trifling variations : its original and most simple form seems, however, 
 to be used here. For the reasons why a prophet often receives less 
 honour in his own immediate neighbourhood than elsewhere, see 
 Neanders Lehen Jesu. — Heal thyself: not, cure thyself of thy worldly 
 poverty, nor exercise thy prophetic office so as to obtain more 
 respect ; but, help thy own countrymen, who are naturally nearer to 
 thee. The words are best explained by those immediately following. 
 Whatsoever ive have heard, etc. Joined with the craving after the 
 miraculous, which is naturally unlimited, was the calculation of 
 how much celebrity their despised town would gain, if He should 
 make it the centre of a striking display of His miraculous power. 
 Hence they indirectly reproach Him with having bestowed upon 
 Capernaum an honour to which they had a better right. They 
 seem, as yet, to have heard nothing of the many miracles He had 
 before performed at Jerusalem. 
 
 13. Many ividows ivere in Israel. — With the greatest humility 
 does He, who was so much more than a prophet, place Himself so 
 far on a level with the Old Testament prophets, as to suffer Him- 
 self to be, like them, the subject of an unbelieving rejection, which 
 will surely be most severely punished by the Almighty. We per- 
 ceive this from the two examples here quoted, of Elijah and 
 Elisha ; which are the more remarkable, because here, in the very 
 beginning of His public life, the Lord hints, in a somewhat figura- 
 tive manner, at the punishment with which He afterwards plainly 
 threatened the Jews for their unbelief. Matt. xxi. 43. 
 
 Some little difficulty has arisen, with respect to the first of these 
 examples, from the fact, that the dm’ation of the di'ought is, both 
 here and in Jas. v. 7, declared to be three years and six months; 
 while it seems, from 1 Kings xviii., that Elijah returned to Ahab 
 during the third year, and that the rain fell very soon after his 
 return. We cannot agree with He Wette, that a comparison of 
 these passages with Han. xii. 7 shows that it was a Jewish custom 
 
CHAP. IV. 14-30. 
 
 143 
 
 to ascribe an average duration of three years and a half to any 
 period of ^dsitation ; nor, with others (c.y., Gehser’s Commentaiy 
 on St James), that a different chronolog}" is employed in the Old 
 and Xew Testaments. AVe prefer supposing, with Olshausen, that 
 the third year (1 Kings x'siii. 1) is reckoned from Elijah’s amval at 
 Sarepta (1 Kings x^*ii. 9), which had been preceded also by a year of 
 drought, during which the prophet sojouimed by the brook Cherith, 
 ver. 7 . — VTe could not certainly deduce, from the O. T. only, that 
 Elijah was specially sent to this widow, and to none of the widows 
 of Israel ; but must accept it, on the infalhble word of the Lord. 
 
 14. Many lepers. — Compare 2 Kings v. 1-19. — Li the time of 
 Eliseus, iiTL. Comp. ch. hi. 2 ; Mark h. 26 ; Acts xi. 28. — Xaanian. 
 See 2 Kings v. 1-19. ‘^Therefore,” the Lord seems to say, ^Ahe 
 Jews of those days might also have said to Elijah and Ehsha, Do 
 likewise for thy fellow-countiymen.” But it was not possible, 
 because the Jews sought not the help which was at their veiy 
 doors, and closed them hearts against the Lord. “ On reading this, 
 Theophilus must have rejoiced in God, who is indeed the God of 
 the Gentiles also.” — Besser. The mention of Xaaman’s histoiy is 
 the greater reproach to the Jews, because he was at first unbeliev- 
 ing, but aftei’wards believed, on the expostulation of his servants. 
 
 It would be unjust to attribute the tmai which oim Lord gives 
 to His discom’se to excessive harshness (Hase, De AAAtte) : we must 
 not forget how unfavoui’able a judgment of His work and person had 
 preceded it (vers. 22, 23), and how much depends, in such a case, 
 on the tone and manner of the speaker. Besides, as Luke gives only 
 the heads of His discom’se, we must beware of passing a hasty judg- 
 ment upon it. Me rather feel called upon to achnire the -wisdom 
 of the good Physician, who does not shun the emplo}unent of 
 powerful remedies, to pm’ify the fife-blood of His contemporaries 
 from the sensuality and carnal Messianic expectations which formed 
 their chief disease : and who prefers endangenng His o-wn safety 
 to lea-sung their errors unexposed. And must not He, who had, 
 dm-ing so many yeai’s of seclusion at Xazareth, obseiwed the moral 
 condition of its inhabitants, have better known how harshly, or how 
 strictly, to reprove them, than modern criticism, which here also is 
 not free from the charge of proceeding on mere assumption. 
 
 15. Were filled with wrath. — That veritas paint odiumj was 
 never more proved, than by the reception of Him, in whom the 
 aXrjOeLa personally appeared on earth. How little do the incensed 
 Xazai-ites consider the proof them conduct fm'nishes, of the justice 
 
144 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of the reproacli just uttered ! The treatment our Lord meets 
 witli, wonderfully coincides with that bestowed on Steplien (Acts 
 vii. 51) ; and the comparison of their present exasperation with 
 their former excitement (ver. 22), shows strikingly the transitoriness 
 of human honour, and the uncertainty of human emotions. It was 
 not at Home alone that the Capitol bordered on the Tarpeian rock. 
 
 IG. To the hrow of the hill. — Modern Nazareth is situated on 
 the brow of a hill, four or five hundred feet high, which rises in 
 the midst of a deep valley, of about half a league in circumfer- 
 ence. (See Kohr’s Palestine, pp. 126-129.) The rocky wall, of 
 forty or fifty feet in height, which is said to be the scene of this 
 occurrence, is still shown, near the Maronite Church, whence lie 
 might easily pass through the crooked and narrow streets of the 
 town. (Robinson, p. 423.) The mountain, two miles from Na- 
 zareth, pointed out by the monks as the place whence they sought 
 to cast Him down, and where are shown two stones, said to bear 
 the print of His hands and feet, since the time lie leant against them 
 to defend Himself, is but a specimen of the gross errors which tra- 
 dition has propagated in these j^arts. 
 
 17. But Ile^ passing through the midst of them. — It cannot be 
 necessary to defend the historical reality of this fact, against the 
 criticism of those, who seek throughout to speak more favom’ably 
 of the Jews, and more unfavourably of the Lord, than the Evan- 
 gelist does. Abundant proofs of the folly, cruelty, and revenge of 
 the Galileans may be met with in Josephus, even when he is nar- 
 rating the events of his own life. With regard to our Lord’s dis- 
 appearance, we are as little inclined, with Olshaiisen, Be ^YetteJ and 
 Strauss^ to see anything mysterious in it, as to subscribe to the pro- 
 saic explanation, that He owed His safety only to the courage and 
 resolution with which He defended Himself ! ! thereby exposing 
 Himself to be cast out of the synagogue, John xvi. 2” (v. Ammon). 
 4Ye rather, with Hase, Stier, and Lange, ascribe the escape of our 
 Lord to the dignity and tranquillity with which He made His way 
 throuo:h the crowd, strono; in the consciousness that His hour was 
 not yet come. He departs, not to escape suffering, but to await, in 
 the diligent exercise of His ministry, the sufferings which it was 
 ordained He should afterwards undergo.^ It is, then, quite un- 
 
 ' Examples of the paralyzing effects often produced on infuriated multitudes 
 by calmness and presence of mind, are too numerous to be quoted. We will 
 instance only the crushing words, “ Slave, wilt thou kill Marius?” and the still 
 more applicable instance recorded John xviii. 6. 
 
CHAP. IV. li-30. 
 
 145 
 
 necessaiy to suppose (with !Meyer) any special protection of God, 
 in tlie sense of a miracle, and it is best to connect all miirabilia 
 of this kind with the exalted and pecullai’ personal dignity of our 
 Lord, Himself the absolute miraculum^ to whom it was, in a cer- 
 tain sense, natural to make such an impression upon the rough 
 multitude by whom He was surrounded. They w’ere not indeed 
 stricken with external and miraculous blindness, for the Evangelist 
 denies this, by htekO^v hia fiecrov; but He beholds them with a 
 glance of that majesty, which till now He had reserved ; and, 
 at His departure, they fm'nish a proof of His power over them 
 sphits : incapable of seizing Him, they reverentially give way, on 
 the right hand and on the left, to make way for Him.” “ They 
 stood, paused, endeavoured to act, were confounded, blasphemed, 
 and departed,” as Pfenninger grapliically describes the conclusion 
 of this scene. 
 
 DOCTEIXAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The Lord enters upon His work in the power of the same 
 Spuit with whom He was baptized, and by whom He conquered 
 Satan. The histoiy of His first preaching at Xazareth is remark- 
 able, as showing wdiat an iiTesistible impression was made by His 
 words and person, even without accompanpng miracles, so long as 
 minds were not closed against Him by prejudice and hatred. We 
 perceive the same effect produced in Samaria, John iv. 41, 42, 
 proving how well Ps. xlv. 3 applies to Him. 
 
 2. The seiTuon of Jesus at Nazareth maybe regarded as the 
 initiatory sermon of His whole ministry in Galilee. A better text 
 could not have been chosen for the occasion than this, which is the 
 Gospel condensed, the best description of the Cliristus consolator. 
 The poor, the captives, and the blind, are the best representatives 
 of suffering humanity. The veiy words place before our eyes sin 
 and soiTow in their fullest extent. Light, health, Uberty, such are 
 the glorious images of the salvation which is in Christ J esus ! 
 “ Christ finds those to whom He came, blind, Tvdthout the knowledge 
 of God, bound by Satan, and kept in captmty to sin, the law, and 
 death. For vdthout the Gospel there is nothing but mere dai’kness 
 and imprisonment ; so that even when we get some knowledge, we 
 cannot follow it because we are bound.” — Luther. 
 
 3. This sermon is also important, as throwing light upon the 
 relation which Christ represents Himself as holding to the Old 
 Testament. He grounds His announcement of the Gospel on the 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 10 
 
146 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Scriptures, not confining Himself to tlieir letter, but penetrating to 
 their spirit, and setting Himself forth as the end of the law and the 
 prophets. The prophetic writings are the mirror in which He be- 
 holds His own image, and which He holds up before the eyes of 
 His contemporaries. The genuine spirit of the Gospel appears 
 under an Old Testament form. Even the characteristic parallelism 
 mus membroram of the Old Testament diction is not wanting, in 
 the manner in which He opposes ^Hhe widows of Israel” to ^Hhe 
 lepers,” Elias to Eliseus, and confidently repeats the words, “ none 
 of them,” etc. 
 
 4. The Lord reveals Himself at Nazareth in Ilis double charac- 
 ter of Prophet and Physician : a Physician despised, when He heals 
 others, and urged to heal Himself ; a Prophet who deserves the 
 highest honour, and receives not the slightest. Concerning the 
 miracles performed by our Lord in Nazareth, see Lange on St Matt. 
 
 5. The first sermon of our Lord at Nazareth is so far typical in 
 its character, as being, on the one hand, a model for every true 
 Gospel-sermon in matter, argument, and manner, and, on the other 
 hand, as showing those rocks against which the success of preaching 
 often suffers shipwreck, viz., earthly-mindedness, prejudice, and 
 pride. Of the four classes of hearers noted in the parable of the 
 sower, the second and third are here specially referred to. 
 
 6. The form and manner in which Jesus commences His sermon 
 at Nazareth, may serve, as well as its contents, as a model for 
 preachers. Compare the chapter, Jesus Christ modele du predica- 
 teur, in the beautiful little work of Napoleon Poussel, Comment il 
 ne faut pas precher^ Paris and London, 1857. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The triumphant retmm from the wilderness of temptation. — 
 MHierever Jesus comes. His fame has always preceded Him. — His 
 jornmeyings are begun under a favourable omen. — Jesus returns to 
 the place where He had been brought up, as a prophet mighty in 
 word and deed. — The heart-winning art of Jesus. — The Sabbath- 
 \dsit to the synagogue, a constant custom with Jesus. — The read- 
 ing of God’s word, an important part of public worship. — The high 
 value of the prophetic scriptures, 1. before, 2. during, 3. after, 
 the life of our Lord. — All the afflicted are comforted when Christ 
 appears. — The true preacher of the Gospel is one anointed by the 
 Holy Ghost. — The times of the New Testament, the acceptable 
 year of the Lord, 1. announced, 2 manifested, 3. confirmed, as the 
 
CHAP. IV. 14-30 
 
 147 
 
 day of salvation to all believers. — The acceptable year of the Lord 
 precedes the day of vengeance of our God ; which, however, follows 
 close upon it. — Christ, 1. consolation to the poor, 2. liberty to the 
 captives, 3. light to the blind. — How admiration of the preacher 
 may be joined to rejection of His message. — The power of preju- 
 dice over truth. — Unbelief the same in all ages, 1. exhibited, and 2. 
 punished in the same manner. — The greatest proofs of God’s grace 
 are lost upon those who listen only to the voice of flesh and blood. 
 — The histoiy of the Old Testament a testis temporuin, lux veritatis^ 
 magistra vitcB. — A believing Gentile more pleasing to God than an 
 unbelieHng Jew. — Xo respect of persons with God. — The appetite 
 for the miraculous soon excited, never satisfied, and severely rebuked. 
 — Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe.” — God 
 hath chosen the base things of this world, etc., 1 Cor. i. 26. — The 
 instability of human praises and emotions, vers. 22, 28, comp. Acts 
 xiv. 18, 19. — Jesus rejected at Xazareth, a proof of the truth of 
 God’s word, John i. 11. — The unbelieving rejection of Christ at 
 the present day, 1. bears the same character, 2. betrays the same 
 origin, 3. deserves the same judgment, as that of the inhabitants of 
 Nazareth. — Clmst the conqueror of His enemies, even when He 
 seems to Held to them. — The intrepid calmness of the Lord, con- 
 trasted with the blind fury of His enemies. — The seiwant of the 
 Lord invulnerable till His hour is come. — What a difference between 
 the mountain in the desert, whence our Lord saw all the kingdoms of 
 the world in a moment of time, and the hill of Nazareth, where 
 His life was threatened ! yet He is victorious on both ; and even 
 the hill whence they would cast Him down, becomes a step to the 
 throne over all things. — StarcJce : F aithful preachers will continue to 
 deliver their message, through evil report and good report, 2 Cor. 
 vi. 8. — New preachers are often admired, but the admiration 
 wears out ; people gi’ow weaiy of them, and their ears itch more 
 and more after new doctrines. — It is the duty of all Christians to 
 frequent public worship, Heb. x. 25. — Hedinger : Holy Scripture is 
 the foundation and proof of all diHne truth. — T\Tien men begin by 
 despising the person of a teacher, they generally despise also his 
 word and office. — Zeisius : As long as the Gospel is preached vdth 
 attractive words, it is tolerated even by the ungodly ; but as soon as 
 the application is made, even the hearers who seemed most pro- 
 mising are filled with anger. — Osiander : It is a universal folly to 
 value highly what is foreign, and lightly to esteem what has sprung 
 up in our midst. — Quesnel : Truth embitters those whom it does not 
 
148 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ciiliglitcn and convert. — Canstein : There is neither power nor 
 counsel against the Lord. — There is often wisdom and magnanimity 
 in avoiding the irritated. 
 
 Heubner on ver. 18 and 19. — The order observed in these verses 
 is the same as in 1 Cor. i. 30 : 1. Wisdom, to preach the Gospel to 
 the poor ; 2. righteousness, to heal the broken-hearted ; 3. sanctifi- 
 cation, to preach deliverance to the captives ; 4. and redemption, 
 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord : 1. refers to the prophetic, 
 2. to the high-priestly, 3 and 4. to the kingly, office of the Lord. — 
 A rndt : The first sermon at Nazareth : 1. IIow copious must have 
 been its contents, and 2. how powerful the impression it produced ! 
 — The astonishment of the people at the discourse of the Lord. — 
 Van Oosterzee : The first sermon of the Lord at Nazareth, a rule for 
 a minister at the commencement of his work. A sermon preached 
 on his entrance upon his ministry at Eotterdam: — The history 
 furnishes the Gospel minister with many hints : 1. With respect to 
 the point of view in which he should regard his work ; — a. the origin, 
 h. matter, and c. aim of j)reaching, vers. 18, 19 : 2. With respect to 
 the manner in which he must perform his work ; — his sermon must 
 be, as this was, a. founded on Scripture, h, suited to the necessities 
 of his hearers, c. and attractively set forth : 3. With respect to the 
 fruits he may calculate upon ; — Nazareth testifies, a, that blossoms 
 are no certain sign of fruit, h. that the fruit may be choked by the 
 saddest reasons, c. that the harvest may be better than the promise 
 (Mary, and the d^eXepoL who afterwards believed, were in the syna- 
 gogue ; and if the Lord did not many, yet He did some mighty 
 works there). Matt. xiii. 58 : 4. With respect to the frame of mind 
 in which his new work should be begun ; — a. with thankful remem- 
 brance of the past, ver. 16 ; 5. wdth the power of the Holy Spirit for 
 the present, ver. 18 ; c. with joyful hope for the future, ver. 21. 
 
 B. Capernaum . — The Prophet^ mighty in deed and word before God 
 and all the People. (Chap. iv. 31-vii. 50.) 
 
 1. The first Settlement^ the first Miracles^ the first Choice of Apostles 
 
 at Capernaum. 
 
 a. Arrival at Capernaum, Ministry there, and Excursions thence into 
 the neighbouring Districts. (VePlS. 31-44.) 
 
 31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on 
 the Sabbath-days. 32 And they were astonished at His doctrine : for His word 
 
CHAP. IV. 31—44. 
 
 149 
 
 ■was ■with power. S3 And in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit 
 of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, Let us alone ; 
 what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to de- 
 stroy us ? I know Thee who Thou art ; the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus 
 rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the 
 devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 
 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying. What a 
 word is this ! for with authority and power He commandeth the unclean spirits, 
 and they come out. 37 And the fame of Him went out into every place 
 of the country round about. 38 And He arose out of the synagogue, and 
 entered into Simon’s house : and Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great 
 fever ; and they besought Him for her. 39 And He stood over her, and rebuked 
 the fever ; and it left her : and immediately she arose and ministered unto 
 them. 40 Now, 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. 41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and 
 saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And He, rebuking them, suffered 
 them not to speak : for they knew that He was Christ. 42 And when it was 
 day. He departed, and went into a desert place : and the people sought Him, 
 and came unto Him, and stayed Him, that He should not depart from them. 
 43 And He said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities 
 also ; for therefore am I sent. 44 And He preached in the synagogues of Gahlee. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And came down to Capernaum . — Compare the remarks on 
 Matt. iv. 13. Luke plainly connects our Lord’s settlement at 
 Capernaum with His unfavourable reception at Nazareth. Matthew 
 indirectly confirms this statement, while Mark does not contradict 
 it. John, indeed, does not mention this settlement at Capernaum; 
 but then, all his accounts of transactions in Galilee are imperfect ; 
 while it is certain, as is evident from ch. ii. 12 and vi. 59, that he 
 was acquainted with the fact of a sojourn there. The fitness of 
 the selection is self-evident, the situation being a central one, be- 
 tween Tju^e, Sidon, Arabia, and Damascus, and on the high road 
 to the Mediterranean Sea, whither multitudes w’ere continually 
 resorting. He could hence easily visit Judea, Iturea, and Upper 
 Galilee, for the purpose of announcing the Gospel. The influ- 
 ence, too, of the priestly party was less here than in Galilee; 
 while the friendly dwelling of Simon Peter, even if He did not 
 exactly inhabit it, would offer Him an acceptable asylum ; and the 
 more so, as His brethren at Nazareth did not believe in Him. If 
 He desired retirement, it could nowhere be better found than on 
 the shores of the Sea of Galilee, of whose delightful neighbourhood 
 certain Kabbis have written, The Lord says, I have made seven 
 
150 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 lakes ill tliG land of Canaan ; but I have only chosen one of them, 
 the Lake of Gennesareth.” If danger threatened, He could betake 
 Himself to the dominions of Philip the tetrarch, on the opposite 
 shore ; while the moral depravity of this city would evidently be 
 but another recommendation to the good Physician. 
 
 2. And taught them. — What He taught there, is stated Mark i. 
 15. His teaching, especially at the commencement of His public 
 ministry, was closely connected with that of John the Baptist; yet 
 differed from it, in that He joined to the call to /jberdvoia, that to 
 faith in the Gospel, and plainly declared, not only that the time 
 was at hand, but that it was fulfilled. 
 
 3. And they were astonished. — The teaching of the Lord already 
 made a deeper imj^ression at Capernaum than at Nazareth (ver. 22). 
 A similar declaration of the power of Christ’s words, in contrast 
 with the formal and lifeless teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, 
 is made by Matthew, ch. vii. 28, 29. 
 
 4. Which had a spirit. — According to Mark i. 21, compared with 
 vers. 16-20, this cure did not take place till after the call of the 
 four first Apostles, recorded by Luke, ch. v. 1-11. Matthew passes 
 over the miracle entirely. With respect to the possessed, of whom 
 this is the first mention in this Gospel, it can scarcely be needful to 
 refute the rationalistic opinion, that when our Lord and His Evan- 
 gelists speak of demoniacal possession, they are only speaking in 
 accommodation to the superstitions of their days. Such passages 
 as Luke xi. 24-27, Matt. xvii. 21, and others, besides their allego- 
 rical signification, seem to lead to the presumption, that these unfor- 
 tunate persons were actually tormented by the devil. If modern 
 science can by no means prove that an actual possession is an 
 impossibility, even in our times, how much less, in “ the fulness of 
 the time,” when the kingdom of darkness concentrated its full power 
 against the kingdom of light ! 
 
 The ontological objection, that there are no such beings as 
 demons, has indeed been put forward ; and if this be the case, of 
 course possession by them is impossible. But a more modest 
 science vdll not so hastily let fall the word impossible,” nor decide 
 with self-sufficiency on matters belonging to a sphere of which it 
 knows nothing, apart from revelation. The whole connection of our 
 corporeal and spiritual nature, as well as the influence of spirit upon 
 spirit, must ever remain a terra incognita to us. This, however, we 
 do know, that the spirit acts upon the body by means of the nerv- 
 ous system, and receives by means of these nerves its impressions 
 
CHAP. IV. 31—44. 
 
 151 
 
 of the external world. Nor is it less certain, that the natural union 
 between the nervous life and the consciousness may be suspended, 
 for a longer or shorter time, as is proved by the magnetic sleep, and 
 by madness. If, then, there are such beings as devils, as our Lord 
 asserts, why should they not be able so to work upon the nervous 
 system, that the soul, subjected to this foreign influence, should 
 be chained and rendered inactive ? Why should not the operation 
 of the spirit-world be then most strongly experienced, when the 
 usual operations of the world of sense are checked ? Of course, if 
 we hold such views of demoniacal indwelling as oblige us to sup- 
 pose that two or three subjects are united in one material organism, 
 we shall find om’selves betrayed into psychological extravagances. 
 If, however, we accept the personal agency of evil spirits, acting 
 in a psychical manner upon their victims, and not dislodging but 
 subjugating the human soul, no insurmountable difficulties remain. 
 Without supposing the demoniacs to have been greater sinners than 
 others, there may still have been peculiarities in their physical or 
 psychical condition, which rendered them specially susceptible of the 
 operations of evil spirits. The accounts of the synoptical Evange- 
 lists, seem to jus.tify this idea; while, with respect to the silence of 
 St John, we must guard against considering too much proved 
 e silentio. Perhaps the Lord healed fewer possessed persons in 
 Judea than in Galilee ; perhaps John considered it needless to in- 
 crease the number of the few miracles he records, with narratives of 
 this peculiar kind ; perhaps, too, it was his aim to depict the struggle 
 between light and darkness, more on its moral than its supernatm'al 
 side. In short, there is as little reason to conclude that he w^as him- 
 self incredulous on this point, as that he purposely omitted mention 
 of this Jewish superstition to his Asiatic readers. To defend these 
 view^s, such passages as 1 John iii. 8, John xiii. 27 and x. 20, must 
 have been quite overlooked. In the last-mentioned text, the words, 
 Kal ixalverai, are not synonymous with the preceding haLfJLovLov ; 
 but the latter is, in the opinion of the J ews, the reason of the first. 
 In the same manner do they join the accusation, that Jesus was 
 possessed (John viii. 48), with the reproach, that He was a Samari- 
 tan. See also Lange on St Matt., p. 334 ; and the important article 
 of Ebrard in Herzog’s Royal Encyclopaedia hi., pp. 240-255. 
 
 5. What have we, etc. — The demoniac then knows the exalted 
 dignity of Jesus ; but if we recognise the reality of possession, we 
 shall find nothing extraordinary in this circumstance. That the 
 mystery of the origin of Jesus, and the purpose of His incarnation, 
 
152 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE 
 
 liiddcn as tlicy were from tlie world of men, should be already 
 known to the world of spirits, who would instinctively tremble on 
 recognising their future conqueror, was but to be expected. It is 
 remarkable, that the devil speaks in the ])lural, though Luke has 
 spoken in simjulari of a TTvevfJia haifji,, uKaO. It is possible that he 
 is speaking in the name of the whole world of evil spirits, which, 
 he feels, is threatened in his person; or even in the name of the 
 multitude assembled in the synagogue, for the express purpose of 
 exciting indignation against Jesus, and putting His life in danger. 
 This would certainly have been an attempt worthy of a vassal of the 
 prince of darkness, who, having lately suffered so signal a defeat in 
 the wilderness, would now be brooding over revenge and fresh 
 attacks. 
 
 6. And Jesus 7''ehuhed him . — It is evident here also, that rebukes 
 form a larger portion of the therapeutics of the heavenly Physician, 
 than compassionate lamentations. For a moment. He even over- 
 looks the sufferer, to direct His words of power against the evil 
 spirit who has the mastery of him. The words in which He com- 
 mands the devil, remarkably coincide with those wherewith He 
 afterwards restrained the sea and the winds. 
 
 7. A nd when the devil had thrown him . — The strongest paroxysm 
 here precedes the recovery of the patient. It is perhaps as unrea- 
 sonable to desire fully to explain this class of diseases, as to declare 
 them to be wholly unimaginable. It is not the part of wisdom to 
 invoke the aid of philosophical logic in order to pronounce an a 
 'priori judgment upon facts ; but rather to observe facts, in order to 
 build theories upon them, and to consider, especially in cases like 
 the present, that, to use the words of the English king of poetry. 
 
 There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in 
 our philosophy .” — Thrown him^ pl^lrav. Somewhat stronger in Mark, 
 (Tirapd^av, quum discerjnsset eum. Mitiore verho usus est Lucas, 'in 
 sensu tamen optime conveniunt, quia uterque docere voluit, violentum 
 fuisse Deemonis exitum. Sic ergo miserum hominem prostravit, quasi 
 disce^pere vellet : irritum tamen fuisse conatum dicit Lucas, non quod 
 impetus ille prorsus absque loesio7ie fuerit, vel saltern absque ullo doloris 
 sensu, sed quia integer postea fait homo a diaholo liberatus.” — Calvin. 
 The reason for our Lord’s imposing silence on the devil is self- 
 evident. He did not wish His Messiahship prematoely announced 
 to the people, and rejected all homage offered from unclean lips, or 
 mth equivocal intentions. We see Paul following the footsteps of his 
 great Master in this respect. Acts xvi. 18. Ps. 1. 16 also applies here. 
 
CHAP. IV. 31-44. 
 
 153 
 
 8 . What a icord is this ! — Wliat new doctrine is this/’ Katvr) 
 1 The novelty, in this case, was less in the matter of His 
 
 words than in their effect. — With authority and power. Authority 
 suffering no contradiction ; power, no opposition. 
 
 9. And lie arose out of the synagogue. — Compare Mark i. 29-31. 
 The order of Mark and Luke, who both place the healing of Peter’s 
 mother-in-law immediately after the casting out of the devil in the 
 synagogue of Capernaum, seems preferable to that of Matthew, who 
 does not speak of it till after the Sermon on the Mount. According 
 to IMark, Andrew also lived in this house, though he seems not to 
 have been, as Peter was, a married man. It appears that the illness 
 of the irevOepd was of a serious nature, not only from the technical 
 expression used by Luke, the physician, Trvperco piejdXcp (see Gale- 
 nus, de fehr. i., quoted by Wettstein), but also from the fact, that 
 she was wholly unable to show due hospitality to so welcome a guest. 
 The evOim of Mark, accompanying the request proffered to the 
 Lord for assistance, may be reckoned among the graphic singularia 
 of this Evangelist. 
 
 10. Rebuked the fever, as just now the devils. — According to 
 Matthew and Mark, who omit this circumstance. He took her by 
 the hand to lift her up. It is evident that the one does not exclude 
 the other. The Lord probably considered this touch needful to 
 arouse the faith of the sick woman, who was too sorely stricken 
 to entreat Plis assistance herself. The completeness of the cure was 
 testified by her immediate ability to rise up ; while her zeal in mini- 
 stering to them showed that the bodily healing was accompanied by 
 the spiritual cure. This miracle is related by all the synoptical 
 Evangelists, not so much because it was distinguished beyond others, 
 as because it belonged to that earlier part of our Lord’s ministrj^ in 
 Capernaum, during which admiration rose to enthusiasm; and as the 
 first of a series of miracles performed in this to^vn and its neigh- 
 bourhood, but of which this alone is recorded. It is chiefly impor- 
 tant as a proof of the special care bestowed by the Lord upon the 
 training and fitting of Peter to the apostolate. There was none 
 among the twelve whose home, person, vessel, in short, whose whole 
 belongings, were so often made the theatre of some striking miracle 
 as those of Peter, who would, on this day, feel united to his Master 
 by fresh ties. 
 
 11. And when the sun was setting. — When it was already late, 
 according to Matthew and Mark. It seems almost as if the Evan- 
 gelists tried, even by their choice of words^ to enable us to follow 
 
154 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 our Lord, step by step, tlirougli tills first day of untiring and 
 blessed activity at Capernaum. While the sun is setting, the light 
 of a fresh hope arises upon all the sick in Capernaum and its 
 neighbourhood, through the report of two astonishing miracles. 
 Among the many sick mentioned by Luke, were also several pos- 
 sessed with devils, according to Matthew and Mark. The former 
 lie seems to have healed by laying Ilis hands on them ; the latter, 
 by Ilis word (Matthew). The graphic feature added by Mark to 
 the narrative, that the whole city was gathered together before the 
 door, reveals the influence of Peter, an eye-witness, in the compila- 
 tion of this Gospel. 
 
 12. And when it was day . — According to Mark i. 35, so early 
 that it might still be called night. It appears also from his narra- 
 tive, that the Lord retired into solitude, to seek a quiet opportunity 
 for prayer during some part of the night. We see here, as else- 
 where, that same interchange of praying and working, which made 
 Ilis life, in truth, a continual prayer. This short repose was, how- 
 ever, disturbed by Ilis disciples, who pursued (^KaTehlw^aVj Mark) 
 Him even here, with Peter at their head, and could not rest till they 
 had found Him, and communicated the request of the inhabitants 
 for His return. 
 
 13. I must preach the hmgdom of God to other cities also. Ael. 
 — Naturally, this is not to be understood in the sense of an absolute 
 necessity, but of a divine decorum^ a moral obligation, arising from 
 His office as the Messiah of Israel (not of Capernaum alone). He 
 must preach the Gospel elsewhere : it is upon this, not upon His 
 miracles, that the Lord lays the chief emphasis. — Therefore am I 
 sent ; i.e., therefore have I publicly appeared, as a divine teacher, 
 among my contemporaries : in Mark, therefore came I forth,” ef- 
 e\p\v6a. A going forth from the Father (as in John xvi. 28), 
 (Euthymius, Stier), is no more intended here, than a mere departm^e 
 from Capernaum (De Wette). The latter gives too trivial a mean- 
 ing to the words ; the former would perhaps, as yet, have been 
 incomprehensible to the Apostles. The Lord is here simply speak- 
 ing of the purpose for which He had now publicly appeared among 
 them as a teacher. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The synagogue of Capernaum, as well as the wilderness of 
 Quarantania, testifies to the conflict of om’ Lord with the powers 
 of hell. Now that the prince of this world had been repulsed, his 
 
CHAP. IV. 31—44. 
 
 155 
 
 satellites take up the attack ; but Christ triumphs at every point, 
 through the power of His word, and the cries of the devils as loudly 
 resound Ilis praises, as do the applauses of the astonished mul- 
 titudes. — This history offers a striking confirmation of what is said 
 by St James of the faith of devils ; it also shows both their power 
 and powerlessness. When the devil cannot cause the Lord to de- 
 part, he seeks to do some fm’ther mischief to the poor man, but is 
 equally unsuccessful in both attempts. 
 
 2. Word and deed are here, as ever, united in Christ. Augus- 
 tine justly observes. Tract. 24 in Job. : inter vogamus ipsa mira- 
 culaj quid 7iobis loquayitur de Christo^ hahent enim^ si intelligamus, 
 linguam suam» Nam quia ipse Christus verhum est, etiam factum 
 verhi verhum nohis est'^ 
 
 3. This is the place in which St Luke first brings a miracle 
 under our notice ; and, although we by no means intend to enter 
 upon a special examination of these acts of our Lord and His 
 Apostles, we may make the following general remarks on this, and 
 all subsequent miraculous narratives : 1. That the impossibility of 
 miracles cannot be proved, either on empirical, logical, or meta- 
 physical grounds. 2. That the term, “ laws of nature,” which are 
 said to be suspended by miracles, is, from the nature of things, an 
 elastic one ; so that Goethe justly observes, As on one side experi- 
 ence is boundless, because something new may always be discovered, 
 so are maxims ; which, that they may not become torpid, must not 
 lose the power of expanding, and receiving accessions, and even 
 of becoming lost and absorbed in higher views.” 3. That the dif- 
 ference between miracula and mirabilia can only be discerned by 
 considering these occmTences not simply in and by themselves, but 
 in connection with the moral character of their agent, and the aim 
 of His operations. 4. That the miracles of our Lord can only be duly 
 estimated by considering them as, in a certain sense, the natural 
 manifestations of His individuality as the God-man, who may be 
 called the greatest, the absolute, and even the sole miracle. 5. That 
 miracles were by no means intended to constrain to faith, but rather 
 to leave unbelief without excuse, John xv. 24. The direct pm'pose 
 of miracles was to serve as proofs of the chvine mission of our Lord 
 (John V. 36), and thus to excite confidence in His work and per- 
 son. Modern defenders of miracles may quietly concede, that 
 miracles, considered in themselves, and without any reference to the 
 character of their performer, are no decisive proofs of the inward 
 truth of His preaching, without losing anything. They may well 
 
156 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 unite in the beautiful words of Jean Paul, “IMiracles on earth, are 
 nature in heaven,” 
 
 4. The miracle wrought in his dwelling, has a special signifi- 
 cance, as a contribution to the development of Peter’s history as an 
 Apostle. Through the first word he heard from our Lord, John 
 i. 43, he became Ilis friend ; through the miraculous draught of 
 fishes, Ilis Apostle ; and now, by the miracle wrought on his mother- 
 in-law, the Apostle is bound to his Master by the ties of love. — That 
 Peter was a married man, and that his apostleship did not necessi- 
 tate his giving up this tie, is proved by this passage, and 1. Cor. ix. 
 
 5. Much interesting matter, concerning the manner in which the 
 Pomish Church has striven to distort this passage, so as to nullify 
 its testimony against the imposed celibacy of the clergy, may be 
 found in Sepf s Leben Jesu ii., p. 154. This topic, however, must 
 not detain us here. 
 
 5. Even if Peter had preserved no further reminiscences of his 
 
 Lord’s life than the incidents of His first sojourn at Capernaum, 
 and His first visit to its neighbourhood, he would still have been 
 justified in introducing Him, in his first sermon to Gentiles, as 
 one, 09 evepyerwv. The door of his dwelling, beset by sick 
 
 of all kinds, wdio cannot leave the Lord even a few moments, 
 snatched from the night for prayer, is the fitting station of the 
 Christus consolator ; and the quotation in Matthew, from Isa. liii. 
 4, in this connection, is one of the most suitable in the whole of the 
 sacred history. Comp. Lange on St Matt. viii. 16, 17. 
 
 6. A comparison -with Matt. iv. 23-25 shows how much atten- 
 tion was excited by our Lord’s public ministry in Galilee and the 
 neighbouring districts. This was the more remarkable, since He 
 never made use of the enthusiasm He excited in His own behalf, 
 seeking rather to avoid than to increase it ; and therefore quickly 
 left Capernaum, where so many hearts were enlisted in His favour. 
 This latter circumstance is both a proof of the truth of John ii. 23— 
 25, and a specimen of the Lord’s wisdom in training His first dis- 
 ciples, whom He was desirous of inuring to self-denial, to a life of 
 constant journeying, and to the restraint of their continually recur- 
 ring expectations of earthly greatness. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The arrival of Jesus at Capernaum, a fulfilment of prophecy; 
 comp. Matt. iv. 13. — The King of the kingdom of God, a preacher 
 of the Gospel. — The deep impression made by the word of the 
 
CHAP. IV. 31-44. 
 
 157 
 
 Lord is, 1. astonisliing, 2. explicable, 3. important, a. as an evidence 
 for our faith, h. as influential on the life. — Jesus, who was anointed 
 with the Holy Spirit, and the man who was tormented by the evil 
 spirit, both present in the same synagogue. — The synagogue of 
 Capernaum honoured by the presence of the Lord of the temple. — 
 Capernaum exalted to heaven by the presence of Christ. — The 
 people, which sat in darkness, saw great light. — The early enthusiasm 
 of the people of Capernaum for the Lord, compared with their 
 subsequent lukewarmness. — Where J esus comes, the devil cannot 
 long stay. — The Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the 
 works of the devil. — The power and powerlessness of the kingdom 
 of darkness: l.It has power, a. to tyrannize over men, h. to deride 
 the Son of man. 2. It is powerless, a. to resist the command of 
 the Lord, h. to ruin any of His redeemed. 3. The last manifesta- 
 tions of the power of the evil one, precede the exposure of his 
 powerlessness. — How the evil one meets Christ, and how Christ 
 meets the evil one : 1. The evil one meets Christ with hypocritical 
 homage, irreconcilable hatred, and cowardly fear ; 2. Christ meets 
 the evil one with intrepid calmness, pitying love, and triumphant 
 power. — Heaven, earth, and hell, meet in the same place. — The 
 strong man ” disarmed by the stronger than he.” — The devils 
 want to have nothing to do with Jesus, but Jesus has only the more 
 to do with them. — The mighty word of the Lord, 1. singular in its 
 sublimity, 2. singular in its power. — Before the Lord comes any- 
 where, His report precedes Him. — The house of Simon, 1. chosen 
 by Messiah, 2. visited by sickness, 3. gladdened by almighty power, 
 4. changed by thankfulness into the house of the Lord. — The 
 dwelling of Peter the scene of great misery, great deliverance, and 
 great thankfulness. — Grace and thankfulness : 1. To serve the Lord 
 aright, we must first have been healed by Him ; 2. to show true 
 thankfulness for His healing grace, we must serve Him. No true 
 service without previous healing; no true healing without subse- 
 quent service. — The busy Sabbath-rest of the Lord. — Many kinds 
 of diseases, but only one Physician ; many kinds of cures, but one 
 healing power ; many voices, but one key-note : “ He hath done all 
 things well.” — The devils know Christ, even before men know Him ; 
 but this knowledge avails them nothing. — Solitary prayer was to the 
 Lord, 1. His refreshment after labour, 2. His balm for sorrows, 
 3. His shield in temptation, 4. His staff for the journey of life. — 
 Seeking Jesus, 1. in order to find Him, 2. without finding Him, 3. 
 till He is found. Obedience, the key-note of our Lord’s manifesta- 
 
158 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tions of love. — John remains long in one place; Jesus must go 
 forth, as far as possible, to preach the Gospel. 
 
 Starche. — He who has a soul possessed by impurity, is far more 
 miserable than he whose body is possessed by the devil. — Bihl. 
 Wiirt. : Tlie very devils shame the unbelief of men, ver. 34. — The 
 strongest temptations of Satan are often his last attacks. — Cramer: 
 The works of Christ should beget admiration ; admiration, inquiry; 
 inquiry, a good report ; the good report, knowledge of Christ ; 
 knowledge of Christ, eternal life, John xvii. 3. — Christ does not 
 omit going to the sick and visiting them, as a hint and example to 
 us. Matt. XXV. 43. — Quesnel: One person in a family, in friendship 
 with God, may bring a blessing upon all the rest. — Iledinger : The 
 best thanksgiving for restored health, is to serve God with fresh 
 obedience. — Osiander : We should not be angry if our assistance is 
 requested at inconvenient seasons, but ascribe it to the necessities 
 of those who ask it, or forgive their mistake. — Quesnel : It is pro- 
 fitable to ministers of the Gospel, sometimes to betake themselves 
 to solitude (comp, the beautiful meditation of Vinet, La solitude 
 recommander au pasteur). — Magus: When Jesus hides Himself, 
 and seems lost. He must be sought with all diligence. Christ must 
 be announced as well in schools as in churches. When will Chris- 
 tendom give eaimest heed to this necessity ? 
 
 Lisho, vers. 31—36. — The power of our Lord : 1. It is recognised 
 even by the kingdom of darkness ; 2. it is proved by His merciful 
 redemption ; 3. it reveals to us the divine origin of His doctrine 
 (vers. 38, 39). — Jesus a Saviour indeed : 1. He cures all manner of 
 diseases, and 2. gives new power for activity. — Van Oosterzee : 
 Christ, the heavenly Physician, 1. discovers the same misery, 2. 
 feels the same compassion, 3. requires the same disposition, 4. uses 
 the same remedies, 5. excites the same opposition, 6. deserves the 
 same homage, in the cure of spiritual, as here in the cure of bodily 
 diseases. 
 
 b. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, (Chap. v. 1-11.) 
 
 1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the 
 word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships stand- 
 ing by the lake : but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing 
 their nets. 3 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 out of the ship. 4 Now, when He had left speaking, He said 
 unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 
 
CHAP. V. 1—11. 
 
 159 
 
 6 And Simon ans^rering, said unto Him, ^faster, we have toiled all the night, 
 and have taken nothing : nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net. 
 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes ; and 
 their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the 
 other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled 
 both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 lYlien Simon Peter saw it, he 
 fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying. Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, O 
 Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of 
 the fishes which they had taken : 10 And so was also James and John, the sons 
 of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, 
 Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had 
 brought their ships to land, they forsook aU, and followed Him. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. The first question which meets us in the consideration of the 
 miraculous draught of fishes, is, whether this occurrence is identical 
 with the calling of the four disciples mentioned by Matthew (ch. 
 iv. 18-22) and Mark (ch. i. 16-20) ; or whether it is distinct from 
 it, and of later date. The difference between Luke and his fellow- 
 Evangelists is so great, that many have inclined to the latter opinion 
 (Krabbe, Sepp, and Hug). Yet it is naturally improbable that a 
 call, consummated by such a result (ver. 11), should have been 
 repeated after so short an interval ; while it is apparent that the 
 narratives may be easily harmonized. With regard to the difference 
 of time, Matthew only says, that the call of the four disciples took 
 place as Jesus was walking by the sea; Mark, that our Lord, after 
 this call, returned to the town, and then healed the possessed of the 
 devil in the synagogue ; while Luke, on the contrary, places this 
 miracle before the miraculous di’aught of fishes. We believe that 
 the order observed by Mark, under the direction of Peter, is to be 
 preferred ; and that Luke, in ch. iv. 31-44, is narrating anticipa- 
 tively what really took place after the draught of fishes. Perhaps 
 he depicts what happened in the synagogue at Capernaum immedi- 
 ately after his account of the occuiTence in the sjmagogue at Naza- 
 reth, for the sake of placing in stronger contrast the belief and 
 unbelief of the two places. In ver. 31, he only speaks generally 
 of one of the Sabbaths which Jesus spent at Capernaum. The 
 difficulty concerning the difference of place may be obviated by 
 the remark, that one Evangelist by no means contradicts what is 
 said by the other two. ^latthew and Alark do not say that the 
 Lord, standing on the sea-shore, there called the four disciples, but 
 only, that He was walking by the sea. Nothing hinders us from 
 adding to this, what Luke alone relates, that the people followed 
 
ICO 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Him tliitlier also, and tliat He entered into a ship to preach to them. 
 Even if Luke had not told us so, we might have concluded that He 
 entered into the ship ; for if they were casting a net into the sea, is 
 it probable that He would have stood on the shore, and called to 
 them to forsake all and follow Him? The third difficulty, viz., that 
 Luke makes no mention at all of Andrew, may be solved by the 
 consideration, that, throughout his narrative, Peter so entirely forms 
 the chief figure, that even the sons of Zebedee are more or less cast 
 into the background by him. Besides, he speaks of other persons 
 as being in the ship with Peter (vers. 2, 5, 9), and being also asto- 
 nished at the miracle; while in ch. vi. IG, he mentions Andrew as 
 among the twelve. The question, how and when the latter was 
 called, left unanswered by Luke, is answered by Matthew and 
 Mark. And if a difficulty should still be felt to exist, in the fact 
 that Luke alone relates the miracle, and Matthew and Mark only 
 the words of the Lord, we know no better answer than this, that 
 to him who regards miracles from Strauss’s point of view, every 
 single miracle would cause so much surprise and headache, that he 
 could by no means pass one by. Let it be granted, on the con- 
 trary, that Jesus really wrought miracles, and indeed many miracles, 
 and there is no reason why each Evangelist should relate every 
 miracle” (Ebrard). Perhaps Mark omits this circumstance, as well 
 as Peter’s walking upon the water, because the humility of that 
 Apostle, under whose influence he wrote, would make him prefer 
 these omissions. This motive did not exist with Luke, who often 
 relates what redounds to the honour of this disciple, as well as to 
 that of his Master. In short, it is both easy and possible to answer 
 all candid inquiries, and to reconcile the accounts of the three Evan- 
 gelists, without doing violence to either. 
 
 2. In St John’s narrative this miracle is omitted, and an earlier 
 and similar call of five disciples, among whom are three of those 
 here named, related (ch. i. 35-52). The question then arises, how 
 his account may be reconciled with those already discussed. We 
 see here not the slightest reason for supposing a discrepancy be- 
 tween the Evangelists (Strauss, Weisse, Baur, De Wette, Theile). 
 St John describes a first introduction, on the occasion of an unex- 
 pected meeting ; the synoptical Evangelists narrate the origin of a 
 nearer connection between the Lord and His disciples. After the 
 first intercourse of John, Peter, and Andrew, with Jesus (John i.), 
 they had gone away His friends, and had accompanied Him upon 
 His Galilean journey in such wise, that they even administered 
 
CIIAI\ V. 1—11. 
 
 IGl 
 
 baptism, as llis disciples, Jolin iv. 2. But as yet, it was a free un- 
 restrained kind of intercourse wliicli subsisted, and one which did 
 not prevent an occasional return to their fishing-nets. For this 
 reason it is, that we do not find them with their Lord in the syna- 
 gogue of Nazareth (ch. iv. 16-30). The manner in which this 
 preliminary intercom’se was exchanged for an enduring connection, 
 in the case of these four disciples, by their call and separation to 
 the apostleship, is described to us in the narrative of the miraculous 
 draught of fishes. 
 
 3. The Lake of Gennesareth, — See remarks on Matt. iv. 18. 
 
 4. And icere ivashing their nets ; 'ut 'peracta opera, Bengel, v. 5. 
 — It need not surprise us to find these fishermen spoken of as 
 strangers, as this is Luke’s first mention of these friends of our 
 Lord. 
 
 5. Which was Simon’s. — It seems that Simon had not left his 
 ship ; a fact which fmmishes us with the reason why the Lord 
 entered his vessel, instead of that of the sons of Zebedee, who were 
 at this moment on shore. If Simon were, as is supposed, older 
 than Andrew, he would certainly be named first, as owner of the 
 ship. 
 
 6. Launch out into the deep. — The first command of our Lord 
 had put the obedience of Peter to a slight test ; his faith is now 
 exercised by a seemingly arbitrary demand. The words. Launch 
 out, in the singular, are addressed to Peter alone, as steersman, 
 while yakdaaTC, k.tX., in the plm'al, concern also the rest of the 
 crew ; though it appears from the answer of Peter, ver. 5, that he 
 considered this latter order as directed personally to himself. After 
 a night of fruitless toil, it must certainly have seemed strange to 
 him to be required to take to his work again ; but he already knows 
 enough of the Lord, to sacrifice all his own practical knowledge of 
 his business to his faith. — Master; not the usual hAxicFKaXe, but 
 iiriaTara : almost the same as the Hebrew ’’2"?, a title denoting re- 
 spect for the teachers on whom it was bestowed, but not implying 
 any personal connection. Comp. Luke xvii. 13. 
 
 7. And their net brake. — If this were an actual .bi'erddng, it 
 natm’ally denotes only the beginning of such a catastrophe ; other- 
 wise the whole draught would have been instantaneously lost. The 
 mention also of the sinking of the ships may be understood cum 
 grano salis, without seeing, with De Wette, an actual exaggeration. 
 
 8. And they beckoned. — According to Matthew and Mark, 
 the ships were lying close together, so that they could act in concert 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 11 
 
102 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 on a signal being given ; and tlie more so, since the crew of the 
 second ship Avould naturally be observing with curiosity the unusual 
 proceedings of the first. It is not Luke, but Euthymius Zigabenus 
 and Tlieophylact, who say that, being rendered speechless by aston- 
 ishment and fear, they were only able to beckon (as Zacharias, 
 cli. i.). 
 
 9. Depart from me. — The cause of the crushing impression 
 made upon Peter by this miracle is easily explained. His words by 
 no means justify us in comparing him to a credulous fool, trembling 
 Avhen he finds himself in the presence of an arch-sorcerer (von 
 Ammon, Leben Jesu, p. 378). The following considerations should 
 not be overlooked : — Peter had, as yet, seen no miracle, concern- 
 ing Avhich he Avas so Avell qualified to judge. It concerned his own 
 calling, Avas performed in his own vessel, Avith his own net, after his 
 own fruitless efforts, and in his own immediate presence. By some 
 of our Lord’s earlier deeds his understanding had been convinced ; 
 but noAv heart and understanding AA^ere both constrained to submit 
 to the Mighty One. Gratitude and sui'prise, after so long a dis- 
 appointment, united, Avith a deep sense of his unAvorthiness, to make 
 him feel it impossible for him to remain any longer in the presence 
 of the Holy One. Perhaps his conscience might reproach him for 
 having returned to his nets, after months of voluntary intercourse 
 Avith Jesus. Or, perhaps, the Avords, “We have toiled all the night 
 and taken nothing,” had been uttered in a tone of reluctance and 
 unbelief. Or, perhaps, an instinctive fear of danger Avas AAwking 
 Avithin him, as he felt the sinking of the ship, and Avas thus praying 
 for his safety. In such a mind as Peter’s, many motives might 
 concur to extract this cry of distress ; while there needs no proof 
 that he is confessing, in the presence of the Holy One, not his guilti- 
 ness of some special transgression, but the guilt of his general sin- 
 fulness. The Lord gi'ants his request, “ Depart from me,” accord- 
 ing to the spirit, wdiile He acts contrary to it, according to the 
 letter, and enters the house of the man avIio was tremblingly re- 
 pelling Him. 
 
 10. Also, James and John. — See remarks on Matt. x. 2-4. 
 With respect to the relationship betAA^een our Lord and these t\A’o 
 disciples, vee, Avould refer our readers to the remarks of Wieseler 
 (in the Theol. Stud, und Krit. 1840, p. 648), Avho coiiAdncingly 
 proA^es that Salome, the wife of Zebedee, was sister to Mary, the 
 mother of our Lord, so that her children AA^ere first cousins to J esus. 
 In John xix. 25, not three, but four Avomen are mentioned, and 
 
CHAP. V. 1—11. 
 
 103 
 
 ^^Mary the wife of Cleoplias” must be distinguished from ^^His 
 motlier’s sister” (Salome the wife of Zebedee). 
 
 11. They forsook all . — Not only their ships, hut the abundant 
 draught. Zebedee soon returned to Bethsaida without his sons, 
 while they entered Capernaum with the Lord, who then performed 
 in the synagogue, and in the house of Peter, the miracles recorded 
 by Luke (ch. iv. 30-42) in a7itecessum^ and afterwards undertook 
 with Him the journey throughout Galilee, so briefly mentioned ch. 
 iv. 43, 44, and described more in detail ch. v. 12, etc. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. We have here the first account in Lul^e of a preliminary 
 choice of Apostles, which must the less be passed over unnoticed, 
 since our Lord Himself attaches so much importance to it. Our 
 attention is immediately drawn to the fact, that the Lord seeks out 
 His disciples, and does not wait till they approach Him of their own 
 accord: He takes the first step towards them, so that He after- 
 wards could rightly say, Ye have not chosen Me, but I have 
 chosen you.” The saying of our Lord, on this occasion, bears the 
 impress of the highest wisdom. It is a saying exactly calculated 
 to impress such a heart as Peter’s ; a short saying, and therefore the 
 less likely to be effaced from the memory ; a figurative saying, de- 
 rived from his own calling, and the less likely to be misunderstood 
 by Peter, as being also identical with Old Testament phraseology 
 (Isa. xlii. 10; Jer. xvi. 16). Again, it was a saying that promised 
 much : it enjoined, indeed, what was difficult, but at the same time 
 gave assurance of the highest success, and was also strengthened by 
 the miracle just wrought. 
 
 2. It has been asked, whether the draught of fishes were a 
 miracle of omnipotence or omniscience ; in other words, whether the 
 Lord knew, by His superior knowledge, that, at that moment, this 
 great number of fish was in a certain part of the sea ; or whether, 
 by the operation of His will. He congregated this great number of 
 the inhabitants of the sea at a certain point. It is not to be de- 
 nied, that the former supposition is more within the reach of our 
 imagination than the latter ; while, on the other hand, it is both 
 according to the nature of things, and to the poetical words of Ps. 
 viii. 8, that dominion over the fish of the sea, and whatsoever 
 passeth through the paths of the sea,” should belong to the ideal of 
 the perfect Son of man. 
 
 3. The miracle here performed, deserves to be regarded as a 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 li'A 
 
 striking manifestation of the glory of the Lord. It took place 
 within a sphere, concerning which these four disciples were speci- 
 ally qualified to judge, and only after faith had been required from 
 Peter, and exercised by him. It is, at the same time, a type of 
 their whole subsequent apostolical activity: an abundant draught 
 upon the simple word of the Lord, sometimes also after a night of 
 fruitless and fatiguing labour, and yet the draught not lost. It is 
 remarkable, that the breaking of the net is here spoken of, while, in 
 the subsequent similar miracle, it is specially noted, that the net 
 was not broken, John xxi. 11. 
 
 4. Christ is revealed, in this miracle, as Himself the fisher of 
 
 men. It is well known how dear this symbol was to the ancient 
 Church, as is testified by their monuments, rings, cups, etc. ; by 
 their reverence for the Greek word containing the initials of, 
 
 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour; and especially, by the 
 beautiful words of the hymn of Clem. Alex.: 
 
 d\L€V fJbepOTTCOV 
 rd)V aw^o/Jbevcov 
 'TreXdyovg KaKia^ 
 l^6v<^ dyvov<; 
 
 KVjxaTO^ i^Opov 
 
 y\vK€pfj ^cofj SeXed^coVy K.r.X. 
 
 5. Where the blessing of God is really working, it acts like 
 coals of fire upon the head, and brings to the acknowledgment of 
 sin and of grace. To be caught by the Lord, is the greatest hap- 
 piness upon earth ; and after this, there is no greater than to be per- 
 mitted to catch men for the Lord.” — Lbhe. 
 
 nOMTLETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Jesus in the midst of a crowd desirous of hearing the word of 
 God. — The fisher of men, on the shore of the most famous sea in 
 the world. — All that we can call ours on earth, must be at the Lord’s 
 ser\dce. — The ways of the Lord, 1. other than, 2. higher than, the 
 w'ays of men. — Even the Lord’s disciples have their dark nights. — 
 After a dark night, a bright morning. — The faith of Peter, 1. tried, 
 2. enduring, 3. exchanged for sight. — The obedience of faith : 
 1. Its foundation; 2. its existence; 3. its blessing. — All things are 
 yours, if ye are Christ’s. — Pemarkable transitions in the life of faith: 
 1. From being disabused, to being filled with wonder; 2. from 
 want, to abundance ; 3. from joy, to terror ; 4. from fear, to hope. — 
 
CHAP. V. 1-11. 
 
 165 
 
 The humility of Peter, compared with that of Paul, 1 Tim. i. 15. — 
 Wherever a broken heart cries out. Depart from me, O Lord, lie 
 will certainly enter. — Beholding the mighty acts of the Lord should 
 lead to holy astonishment. — He who has once feared rightly, need 
 fear no more. — The preacher of the Gospel, a fisher of men. — 
 Only he who forsakes all, can gain all. — The miraculous draught 
 of fishes, an image of the preaching of the Gospel : 1. The far- 
 reaching command, ver. 4 ; 2. the heavy toil, ver. 5 ; 3. the special 
 power, ver. 5 ; 4. the rich reward, vers. 6, 7 ; 5. the right disposi- 
 tion, ver. 8 ; 6. the highest qualification for the ministerial office, 
 vers. 10, 11. — He who is caught by Jesus, must in his turn catch 
 others. — J. Hall: Labouring in our calling fits us for the blessing 
 of God. — Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2. Majus : The Lord wonderfully leads 
 His people, both in depths and in high places. — Nova Bihl. Tub. : 
 Jesus rewards him who receives Him, not only with spiritual, but 
 with temporal gifts. — Superfluity causes no less care and trouble 
 than want. — Rather than suffer the blessing of Gt)d to be lost, we 
 should beckon to others to share it with us. — Hedinger : Spiritual 
 poverty is the nearest way to spiritual riches. — Brentius : More is 
 entrusted to him who is faithful in that which is least. — Herder: 
 “ Launch out into the deep,” is God’s command to each, in his re- 
 spective condition ; let, “ Lord, at Thy word,” be the answer that 
 shall di’aw down the blessing of God on every net. — Heubner : The 
 miraculous draught of fishes, a foreshadowing of Acts ii. 41. — The 
 humility of a Christian in prosperity, makes the blessing a blessing 
 indeed. — The fisherman blessed, 1. by the gracious presence of 
 Jesus, 2. by His rich bounty, 3. by His gracious call. — The best 
 means of obtaining temporal blessings: 1. God’s word; 2. labour; 
 3. trust in God ; 4. acknowledgment of unworthiness ; 5. a right 
 use of the blessing. — Rieger: Nothing humbles a man so much 
 as grace. — Fuchs: Peter, an example to us: 1. Listen when the 
 Lord speaks ; 2. work when the Lord commands ; 3. believe what 
 the Lord promises ; 4. follow where the Lord calls. — Baclimann : 
 On a blessing in our calling: 1. We must obtain it according 
 to the following order, — a. Willingly and diligently hear God’s 
 words ; b. continue working ; c. trust our preservation to God. 
 2. We must apply it according to the following rule, — a. Acknow- 
 ledge our unworthiness in it ; b. prove our gratitude with it ; c. 
 follow Jesus with joy. — Nitzsch : 1. Diligence in lawful under- 
 takings may, for wise reasons, be suffered to have no visible bless- 
 ing. 2. A great blessing is very humbling to a sincere man. 3. 
 
IGG 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 When a Christian is truly Immhled, he is then specially qualified 
 for, and called to 2 )erforin, works of the greatest blessing to others. 
 — Luho : Blessing upon our temporal calling: 1. What it depends 
 u})on ; 2. how it is obtained ; 3. what it should encourage to. 
 
 b. The first Dejxirture firom Capernaum to journey in its neighbour- 
 hood. The Son o f Man^ the Thysician ofi the Sick^ the Friend ofi 
 Publicans, the Lord ofi the Sabbath, and the Lawgiver ofi the 
 Kingdom ofi God. (Chap. v. 12-vi. 49.) 
 
 1. dlie Son ofi Man, the Physician ofi the Sich (vers. 12-2 G). 
 (Parallel j:>assages : Matt. viii. 1-4 ; Mark i. 40-45. Of the 
 Paralytic, Matt. ix. 1-8 ; Mark ii. 1-12.) 
 
 12 And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, 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. 13 And He put forth His hand, and 
 touched him, saying, I will ; be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy de- 
 parted from him. 14 And He charged him to tell no man : but go, and show 
 thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, 
 for a testimony unto them. 15 But so 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. 16 And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, 
 and prayed. 17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that 
 there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of 
 every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem ; and the power of the Lord 
 was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which 
 was taken with a palsy : and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay 
 him before Him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might 
 bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house-top, 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, Man, thy sins are forgiven 
 thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying. Who is 
 this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? 
 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts. He, answering, said unto them. 
 What reason ye in your hearts ? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be for- 
 given thee ; or to say. Rise up and walk ? 24 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 unto thine house. 
 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, 
 and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, 
 and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying. We have seen strange 
 things to-day. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 IMark and Luke both relate the healing of the leper, immediately 
 after the Lord’s dej^artiire from Capernaum ; Matthew, on the con- 
 
CHAP. V. 12-26. 
 
 167 
 
 trary, places it after the Sermon on the Mount. The order of the 
 two former Evangelists seems to us preferable. A glance at 
 ch. viii. and ix., compared with Mark and Luke, will show that, in 
 these chapters of the first Evangelist, a number of miracles are 
 chrestomathically grouped, without regard to strict chronological 
 arrangement. If Luke says (ch. v. 12), that this miracle was 
 wrought when lie was in a certain city,” and Mark, that our 
 Lord forthwith sent away ” (i^e/SdXev) the man who had been 
 healed (probably out of the house in which He was dwelling), it is 
 plain that it could not have been performed, as Matthew seems to 
 indicate, upon the road from the IMount of Beatitudes to Capernaum, 
 but must have occurred after His entry into some unnamed city. 
 It appears further, from Mark i. 45, that Jesus could not have 
 entered Capernaum immediately after the healing of the leper, 
 which we might otherwise have supposed from Matt. viii. 1—13. 
 On all these grounds, we believe the order of St Luke to be the 
 correct one. An opposite view is stated in Lange on Matt, i., p. 
 301. Aiidiatur et altera "pars, 
 
 2. In a certain city ; the name of which is not mentioned. — It 
 appears, however, from the connection, that it was a city of Galilee, 
 which the Lord visited upon a journey to Jerusalem, at the feast of 
 Purim, and which was probably in the direction of Judea. 
 
 3. Full of leprosy. — See Lange on St Matthew i., p. 302, and 
 the writers there mentioned. 
 
 4. Lord., if Thou wilt, etc. — It may be supposed, that the faith 
 of the leper had been aroused and strengthened by the report which 
 had gone forth concerning Jesus, and which might have reached 
 his neighbourhood. 
 
 5. Aiid He. — Mark alone adds a7r\a'y)(yLa6el(;. The putting 
 forth of His hand, and touching him, was not only a sign of 
 miraculous power, but also a mark of condescending love, since 
 He might be esteemed ceremonially unclean by contact with the 
 leper. 
 
 6. Be thou clean. — An imperative, such as human language 
 had not hitherto contained. No prophet had hitherto healed in 
 this manner, nor could any thus speak, in the power of God, but 
 He Gvho spake and it was done’” (Stier). It is self-evident that 
 this was no mere declaration of the cleansing of a leper, in whom 
 He already saw the signs of convalescence (von Ammon, Leben 
 Jesu ii., p. 113); but the miraculous cleansing of a patient, con- 
 cerning whom Luke, himself a physician, says that he was ttX?;/??;? 
 
108 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 XeTTpat;. Why else was silence imposed upon the man, or what is 
 the meaning of the 6v6i(o<; of Mark ? 
 
 O 
 
 7. And lie charged him. — According to Mark, even in an eager 
 and decided tone, e/jLjSpLfjirjadijLevo^; whence, liowever, it by no means 
 follows that lie evidenced any anger towards the man whom lie 
 had healed. — 7o tell no man : For various explanations of this 
 command, by ancient and modern authors, see Lange on Matthew 
 i., p. 303. To judge rightly of our Lord’s conduct on this occasion, 
 we must consider the place where, the time when, and the person 
 upon whom, this miracle was wrought. Jesus was now in the heart 
 of Galilee, a district noted for impatience of control, fanaticism, and 
 sedition. The fame of His miracles at Capernaum must certainly 
 have raised expectation to its highest pitch. The man who was 
 healed was one who had already shown both courage and faith, 
 by his coming and crying unto Jesus ; he would now be bound to 
 his deliverer by ties of heartfelt gratitude, and might be deficient 
 in the caution which would teach him when to speak, and when to 
 l)e silent. A decisive injunction, then, would here be well-timed ; 
 and we are not obliged to suppose that it was given from the fear 
 of being considered ceremonially unclean, by contact with a leper. 
 
 8. J3iit go .. . and offer. — A transition from the oratio indirecta 
 to the directa, by no means uncommon in New Testament dic- 
 tion. See Winer, § 64, hi. 2. The sacrifice here mentioned is pre- 
 scribed, Lev. xiv. 10, 21. The Lord condescends to submit His 
 miracle to the judgment of the priest, that he may decide whether 
 the cure be genuine and complete. 
 
 9. Eh piaprvpLov avroh, i.e., to the priests. — And of what, but 
 of the Messianic dignity and redeeming power of Jesus ? 
 
 10. So much the more icent there a fame, etc. — Mark tells us the 
 reason. The healed man forgets the word, 1 Sam. xv. 22 ; grate- 
 ful joy makes silence impossible, and he begins to publish it much, 
 and to blaze abroad the matter. We can scarcely bestow much 
 blame upon him, for it would surely have been extremely difficult 
 to him to restrain himself from speaking of his deliverer ; nor do 
 we find the conduct of those who transgressed a similar injunction 
 greatly condemned. He certainly, however, did the cause of Christ 
 no service, since the enthusiasm of the people rose to such a degree 
 that the Lord deemed it advisable to withdraw to a desert place, 
 where He betook Himself to secret prayer ; a fact which Luke 
 mentions, according to his custom, with special emphasis. 
 
 11. And it came to pass. — There is nothing in the manner in 
 
CHAP. V. 12-2G. 
 
 1G9 
 
 whicli tliis narrative is connected witli the former, to force us to 
 conclude, that this miracle took place during the same journey, and 
 very soon after the former. The variance, too, arising between our 
 Lord and the Pharisees, bespeaks a later period. See Lange on 
 Matthew i., p. 337. 
 
 12. Kal hvvajjui^ Kvplov. — Not to be understood of the Lord 
 Jesus, who is usually called o Kvpio^ by Luke, but of the Father, 
 who was working through the Son. Here also the power of God 
 is not manifested till faith has been shown. But while, in the for- 
 mer miracle, the faith of the patient himself plays a prominent 
 part, in this the sufferer is passive, and is borne, not only in a 
 bodily but also in a spiritual sense, by the faith of his friends, who 
 are determined at any cost to bring him to the feet of Jesus. 
 There is, however, no reason for supposing that he did not share 
 their faith. 
 
 13. IlapaXeXvpbevo^. — “ The cessation of the nervous activity is 
 a disease producing very various effects. Sometimes it attacks the 
 whole body, sometimes only parts. Old writers call it, in the first 
 case, airoifXe^la, and in the latter, 7rapd\v(Tt<;; but I perceive that, 
 at present, both are called TrapdXvac^. They who are attacked 
 vdth violent palsy of all the limbs are usually carried off quickly ; 
 or, if not, though their lives are prolonged, they seldom recover their 
 health, but linger out a miserable existence, and also lose their 
 memory. The illness of those who are locally attacked is never 
 indeed violent, but often tedious, and almost always incurable.” — 
 Cornelius Celsus (the physician), L. iii. medicince^ cap. 27, quoted by 
 Ilug, in his ‘‘ Thoughts on the ^Leben Jesu’ of Strauss,” ii. p. 20. 
 
 14. They went upon the house-top . — Hug (p. 22) shows that this 
 miglit be done without danger. Even if there were no outside 
 staircase to the house where Jesus was, access might be obtained to 
 it over the roof of another. An opening in the roof, exactly over 
 the spot where Jesus was, is the less improbable, since it was by 
 this way that the dead were often carried out of the houses. 
 
 15. Man, thy sins are forgiven thee . — Only the most superficial 
 unbelief could deduce from these words, spoken to meet this parti- 
 cular case, that our Lord always considers special sufferings the 
 punishment of special sins. Tlie pangs of conscience seem, in this 
 case, to have stood in the way of bodily recoveiy ; and our Lord, 
 who could discern, at a glance, both the external and internal condi- 
 tion of the patient, begins the cure by healing him of his sins. 
 
 16. Who is this, etc.? — This astonishment of the Pharisees plainly 
 
170 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO LUKE. 
 
 shows that forgiveness was not merely promised, but actually be- 
 stowed; this bestowal being an action exclusively divine. — Who can 
 forgive sins hut, etc. ? and, therefore, lie who forgives sins must be 
 infinitely more than man ; a far more correct judgment than that 
 of more modern theologians. 
 
 17. Whether is easier, etc. % — There can be no difficulty in de- 
 termining which is the easier. Other prophets have performed 
 miracles, but the bestowal of actual pardon could only be effected 
 by the Searcher of hearts, or by Ilis Representative upon earth. 
 They might think, however, that to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee, 
 is certainly the easier, especially so long as the credentials of the 
 speaker’s authority are not inquired after. That these may, how- 
 ever, no longer be doubted, our Lord performs this miracle of heal- 
 ing, whereby the act of forgiveness is both sealed and manifested. 
 
 18. Took up that whereon he lay. — ^^Suavis locutio ; lectulus horn- 
 inem tulerat, nunc homo lectulum ferehatT — Bengel. 
 
 19. And they glorified God. — A beautiful contrast between the 
 enthusiasm of the people, and the murmurings of the Pharisees. 
 The discords are silenced in harmony, the shadows obliterated by 
 the light. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. If we were to attempt to distinguish critically between 
 easier and more difficult miracles, the healing of the leper would 
 undoubtedly belong to the latter category. So completely to 
 cleanse a man full of leprosy, by the utterance of a word, that he 
 may freely expose himself to the practised eye of the priest, is a 
 deed which certainly belongs, not merely to the province of the 
 mirahilia, but to that also of the miracula, in the strictest sense of 
 the word. Comp. 2 Kings v. 7. No wonder that our Lord should 
 emphatically cite this Idnd of miracle to the disciples of John the 
 Baptist, as a proof of His divine commission, Luke Hi. 22. Besides, 
 this cure had, like all our Lord’s miracles, a symbolical character. 
 As leprosy, was a ty|3e of sin under the Old Testament (see Ps. li. 
 9 ; Isa. i. 6, and other places), so was the cleansing of leprosy a 
 type of the forgiveness of sin. This, and the following miracle, 
 exhibit our Lord as the living image of Him who said to Israel, 
 “I am the Lord that healeth thee,” Exod. xv. 26. 
 
 2. While the miracle itself is a spnbol of the highest blessing 
 of the New Testament, its ratification takes place entirely accord- 
 ing to Old Testament forms. The Lord did not come to destroy. 
 
CHAP. V. 12-26. 
 
 171 
 
 but to fulfil the law and the prophets, Matt. v. 17. The priests, 
 too, were prevented, by the testimony now demanded from them,, 
 from afterwards denying that the man had been truly a leper. 
 
 3. The pardon bestowed by our Lord on the paralytic, is an 
 unequivocal proof of His divinity. Bengel well says : ccelestem 
 ortum Me sermo sapit. It is perfectly incomprehensible how any 
 one can find in this bestowal of pardon by Jesus, before Ilis death, 
 an argument against the indispensable necessity and \drtue of His 
 atoning sacrifice. Was not then the sacrifice of perfect obedience an 
 eternal fact, considered from the divine point of view; and could not 
 He who was to offer it bestow the highest gift of grace upon a sinner, 
 even before this fact was accomplished, in the fulness of the time ? 
 
 4. The connection between physical and moral eHl is for once 
 prominently brought forward by the Lord. But whoever should 
 hence venture to remark, that He was, in this respect, as much in 
 error as the narrow-minded Jews, would do well first to give full 
 consideration to such passages as Luke xiii. 5, John ix. 3, and 
 others. Is it possible that the Lord should have taken a lower 
 position, in this respect, than the author of the book of Job, and 
 Moses, who at least (Deut. xxHii.) ascribes national punishments to 
 national sins, though by no means inferring that personal punish- 
 ments are the results of personal transgressions ? It were far 
 easier to suppose, that, in this particular case, there existed a special 
 connection between the offence and the sickness, indiscernible, in- 
 deed, to the superficial observer, but thoroughly known to the 
 Searcher of hearts. — It may well be asked, in conclusion. Who stands 
 lower, — the Jews, who consider misfortune and punishment as syn- 
 onymous words; or so many professing Christians, who never see the 
 direct retribution of a sinful deed in anything that befalls them? 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The cleansing of the leper, a type of the redemption of a sinner. 
 — The sinner and the Saviour contrasted : 1. The sinner mth, a. an 
 incurable disease, h, an awakened faith, c. an earnest prayer for 
 deliverance ; 2. the Saviour with, a, a mighty arm, h. a com- 
 passionate heart, c. a serious injunction. — Wherever Jesus comes, 
 He finds misery ; wherever He finds misery. He is ready to save. — 
 Deep misery, great grace, deficient gratitude. — The prayer of faith ; 
 how well it sounds, how much it demands, how richly it is rewarded ! 
 — The healing of the leper, a revelation of the compassionate love, 
 of the unlimited power, of the adorable wisdom of the Lord. — The 
 
172 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 redeemed of the Lord commanded, 1. to show himself, 2. to 
 sacrifice, 3. to be silent when the Lord wishes him not to speak. — 
 The command of silence, which the Lord here and elsewhere en- 
 joins upon the healed, is, 1 . seemingly strange, 2. perfectly explicable, 
 3. extremely important — a. to our faith, h. to our confession, c. to 
 our following of the Lord. — Offer unto God thanksgiving; and 
 pay thy vows unto the IVIost High : Ps. 1. 14. — To obey is better 
 than sacrifice : 1 Sam. xv. 22. — Uncalled-for testimony to Christ : 
 1. Whence it comes ; 2. what it leads to. — Solitary prayer, the best 
 refreshment, consolation, and strength, both to the Lord and Ilis 
 people. — The healing of the paralytic, a proof of the truth of 
 Simeon’s prophecy, Luke ii. 34. — Christ a rock of hope to some, a 
 stumbling-stone to others. — The great desire to hear the word of 
 God ; whence comes it that it was, 1. then so gi’eat, 2. now often so 
 small? — The miraculous cures of our Lord, a revelation of divine 
 power. — No act more friendly than that of bringing the sick to 
 Christ. — Access to Jesus never denied. — Jesus the searcher of 
 hearts, 1. with respect to the prayer of faith, 2. with respect to the 
 murmurs of unbelief. — The most joyful announcement to the 
 sinner. — The connection between sin and sickness. — The first ac- 
 cusation of blasphemy against our Lord, during His public mini- 
 stry : 1. Its cause; 2. its injustice; 3. its consequence. — The two 
 things equally impossible to man, and equally possible to the Son 
 of man. — The power of the Son of man upon earth is, 1. an exten- 
 sive, 2. a beneficent, 3. a violently opposed, 4. a triumphantly 
 maintained power. — The sad approach to Jesus ; the believing 
 waiting for Jesus; the God-glorifying departure from Jesus. — The 
 result of these miracles, a confirmation of the text, Ps. ii. 11, 12 : 
 1. Serve the Lord with fear ; 2. rejoice with trembling ; 3. kiss the 
 Son ; — but blessed are all they that put their trust in Him. — The 
 forgiveness of sin : 1. Its want is painfully felt, 2. it is eagerly 
 sought, 3. graciously granted, 4. unbelievingly mistaken, 5. won- 
 derfully sealed, 6. thankfully enjoyed. — Jesus, 1. the searcher of 
 hearts, 2. the healer of the sick, 3. the bestower of eternal life. — 
 Starcke (on the first miracle) : Temporal good should be requested 
 conditionally; spiritual, for the most part, unconditionally. — It often 
 happens, that we do not doubt the power of God, when we some- 
 Avhat doubt His will : 2 Chron. xx. 6, 12. — It is easy to the Almighty 
 Saviour to heal with a word. — Majiis : A faithful servant of Christ 
 must seek neither honour nor fame by his works. — Quesnel: Some- 
 times we must follow the example of Jesus, in preferring solitude 
 
CHAP. V. 12-26. 
 
 173 
 
 and prayer to the exercise of Christian benevolence. (On the 
 second) : — Qiiesnel : The faith, prayers, and love of the pious, are 
 often instrumental in the conversion of a sinner. — We must break 
 through all opposition, both from within and without, to come to 
 Jesus. — Majus : The faith of others may be of service to us in some 
 cases, but it is of no avail for the forgiveness of sin. — Brentius : 
 God always gives what is best, and most useful, first. — A healthy 
 soul in a healthy body, a great benefit. — Hedinger : Party spirit 
 judges of the ways and works of God as the blind do of colours. — 
 The curious must be encountered in love, and with words seasoned 
 with salt. Col. iv. 6. — Canstein : The enemies of Christ are often 
 obliged to further His cause, in spite of themselves. 
 
 Heubner. — Jesus, pure Himself, cannot be defiled by contact 
 with impurity. — What would a powerless, though willing. Saviour 
 avail us? — The cure of the paralytic: 1. Christ begins it with the 
 sold, 2. defends it against suspicious thoughts, 3. gloriously and 
 victoriously perfects it, on the body of the patient. — The power of 
 Christ to forgive sins : 1. The existence of this power, ver. 2; 2. its 
 certainty, vers. 3-7 ; 3. its importance, ver. 8. — Rieger : Jesus a 
 Saviour, after the heart of the man who has begun to feel affection 
 towards God. — Steinliofer : Three conditions of mind wdth respect 
 to the forgiveness of sins: 1. When it is sought; 2. when it is 
 believed ; 3. when it is obtained. — Ranke : Happy he wdio seeks 
 salvation through Christ; for, 1. no man is too mean for His love, 
 2. no misery too great for His power, 3. the condition of His salva- 
 tion is too hard for no one. — Rautenherg : Pray for one another : 
 1. How this should be done; 2. what fruit it produces. — Otto: 
 The leper. 1. The cry of the patient; he prays, a. believingly, 
 h. patiently. 2. The gracious acquiescence of the Physician ; a. He 
 speaks wmrds of comfort and promise, b. words of power and com- 
 mand. — Fuchs : The paralytic. Subject, the blessings of sickness: 
 It leads, 1. to self-knowledge, 2. to the Physician of souls, 3. to the 
 exercise of the Christian virtues, 4. to the glory of God. — Brast- 
 berger : The forgiveness of sins, the source of all comfort. — Ahlfeld: 
 1. The sick man, 2. his friends, 3. his Physician. — Baclimann : The 
 power of Christ to forgive sins is, 1. a very consoling power, 2. a 
 much misunderstood power, 3. an indisputable power, 4. a power to 
 be openly acknowledged. — Stier : On the blessing of the forgive- 
 ness of sins. Let us consider, 1. how greatly we all need it, 2. how 
 ready Christ is to bestow it on all, 3. how each may receive this 
 blessing for himself. 
 
174 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 2. The Son of Man the Friend of Publicans . (Vers. 27—39.) 
 
 27 And after these things lie went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, 
 sitting at the receipt of custom ; and He said unto him. Follow Me. 28 And he 
 left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his 
 own house : and there was a great company of publicans, and of others, that sat 
 down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against Ilis dis- 
 ciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And 
 Jesus answering, said unto them. They that are whole need not a physician ; but 
 they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
 ance. 33 And they said unto Him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, 
 and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees ; but Thine eat and 
 drink ? 34 And lie said unto them. Can ye make the children of the bride- 
 
 chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, 
 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast 
 in those days. 36 And He spake also a parable unto them ; No man putteth 
 a piece of a new garment upon an old : if otherwise, then both the new maketh 
 a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 
 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ; else the new wine will burst 
 the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must 
 be put into new bottles ; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk 
 old wine, straightway desireth new ; for he saith. The old is better. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Named Levi. — It would be superfluous here to offer detailed 
 proofs of the identity of Levi and Matthew. (See Lange’s Intro- 
 duction to St Matthew’s Gospel, sec. 2.) We assume also, that the 
 first Evangelist was originally called Levi, and afterwards received 
 the name of Matthew from the Lord, as Simon did that of Peter. 
 If this fact were well known, by tradition, to those Christians who 
 were the first readers of the second and third Gospels, there was 
 no need for Mark and Luke to remind them that the same person 
 ^yas intended by both names. The new name, the gift of God, was 
 certainly a very fitting one from our Lord’s mouth, who saw in all 
 His disciples those whom the F ather had given Him, and who now 
 beheld, with inward joy, the readiness of Matthew to follow at His 
 command. 
 
 2. Folloio Me. — Nothing in the narrative forbids us to suppose 
 that Matthew might already have been numbered, for a shorter or 
 longer time, among the most attentive of our Lord’s hearers. Now, 
 however, he is called to leave all for His sake, and to accompany 
 Him constantly as His Apostle. Comp. ch. v. 11. The repast, 
 which he had already prepared, thus obtains the character of a 
 farewell feast, and also serves as a proof of the cheerful and thank- 
 
CHAP. V. 27—39. 
 
 175 
 
 ful disposition with which the late publican entered upon his new 
 office. 
 
 3. A great feast in his oivn house. — Matthew himself says only, 
 in general terms, avaKecfievov avrov ev rg oiKia, without alluding to 
 the iireatness of the feast, or the honour done to his dwellino;. Tlie 
 humility of the new Apostle is shown by his silence on these points. 
 
 4. The scribes and Pharisees. — Luke does not say that these 
 men were among the guests, as to have been so would, according to 
 their own expressed opinion, be regarded by them as pollution. 
 It seems rather, that access was denied to no one, and thus this 
 repast was, so far, one of a public character. The desire of our 
 Lord’s enemies to watch His proceedings, w^as certainly stronger 
 than their repugnance to entering the dw^elling of a publican, with 
 whom they would, from time to time, necessarily come in contact 
 in daily life ; while Matthew, on the other hand, would be very 
 unwilling to put any hindrance in then’ w^ay, and would rather 
 rejoice that they, who were accustomed to despise his condition, 
 should witness the unexpected honour bestowed upon him. 
 
 5. Murmured against His disciples. — It is worthy of remark, 
 that they do not venture to address their objections directly to our 
 Lord. The overthrow they had lately experienced at the healing 
 of the paralytic, had probably discouraged them from repeating an 
 attack upon Himself. Perhaps, also, they addressed themselves to 
 the disciples, hoping to prevent others from joining, as Matthew 
 had done, a Master who did not hesitate to bring them into such 
 company. 
 
 G. Why do ye eat and drink’? — According to Matthew and 
 Mark, the question was rather put concerning their Master, together 
 with whom they also were eating and drinking with publicans and 
 sinners. See Bengel : iaOlere, plurale, sed Jesu prcecipiie petehant, 
 V. 31. The Lord answers, not only to shame them, and to justify 
 His own conduct, but also to come to the assistance of His perplexed 
 disciples, who were not yet capable of fitly defending themselves 
 and Him. 
 
 7. They that are whole. — The sententious form of this answer 
 gives us reason to suppose that it must have been a proverb in daily 
 use; it certainly became such afterwards. The sentence is of a 
 character somewhat ironical, and the whole,” mentioned here, are 
 no other than the ninety and nine just persons, who need no re- 
 pentance,” of ch. XV. 7. It is deserving of remark, that the Lord 
 does not say a physician, but the physician ; and thus indirectly an- 
 
17G 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 iiounccs Himself as tlie special Physician of souls. According to 
 Matt. ix. 1 3, lie also quoted, on this occasion, the prophetical saying, 
 llosea vi. G. 
 
 8. To call to repentance . — The words et 9 perdvoLav are, 
 
 according to the best readings, to be found only in Luke. The ab- 
 solute KaXeaai of Matthew and Mark, has, however, no other sense. 
 Kepentance is the recovery of the soul’s health, to the sick here 
 spoken of. 
 
 9. And they said unto Him, Why do the disciples of John^ etc. 
 — According to the more strictly correct accounts of Matthew and 
 Mark, the disciples of John joined with the Pharisees in this ob- 
 jection. Perhaps the Pharisees had solicited the disciples of John 
 to make common cause with them in this matter. The contrast 
 between John in prison, and Jesus at the feast, could not fail to 
 annoy them. They made no secret of their surprise ; and the answer 
 they received, perhaps exasperated them, and induced them to bring 
 such a report to their master as hastened the strange message and 
 question he afterwards sent, Luke vii. 19. We must not forget, 
 too, that the Pharisees had not yet shown themselves to be the 
 deadly enemies of the Lord; but were, as yet, only artful spies, 
 concealing their object, perhaps, under the appearance of an interest 
 in His cause. Their rigorous asceticism also offered various points 
 of contact between them and John’s disciples. Besides, a tempo- 
 rary union indicates no real alliance between two hostile parties, as 
 may be seen in the union of the Pharisees and Sadducees, towards 
 the end of our Lord’s public ministry. The Pharisees would be 
 the more desirous to unite with John’s disciples, since it would be 
 a great triumph for them, if they could show any discrepancy of 
 principles between Jesus and the Prophet so highly esteemed by 
 the people ; and thus indirectly attack om’ Lord by their means. 
 Perhaps, too, this feast in Levi’s house took place on one of their 
 weekly fasts, Luke xviii. 12. 
 
 10. Ka\ hei]<jeL<; 'irotodvraL . — Luke alone introduces this particu- 
 lar into their question, a circumstance which can surely furnish no 
 reason for regarding it as unhistorical (De Wette). Fasting and 
 prayers are often mentioned together, as the outward signs of a re- 
 ligious life, see Matt. xvii. 21 ; while it is certain that John had 
 already instructed his disciples in the performance of the latter 
 duty, Luke xi. 1. Jesus, in His answer, does not allude to this 
 point, ^ — the reason,, perhaps, why Matthew and Mark omit it in 
 their report of the question. 
 
CHAP. V. 27—39. 
 
 177 
 
 11. Can ye make, etc. — A plain reference to the last testimony 
 cf John the Baptist (John iii. 29). The Bridegroom is the prin- 
 cipal person at the Messianic festival; the time of Ilis stay on 
 earth is, while it lasts, a time of rejoicing for Ilis true disciples ; 
 this time, however, is fast hastening to a close. 
 
 12. The days will come. — The Lord hints at a time, in which a 
 far deeper grief awaits Ilis disciples, than that which had now be- 
 fallen the sorrowing disciples of the Baptist. He would not merely 
 he separated from them, would not merely depart, but be taken away. 
 He says not direXOrj, but dirapOy, from diralpeaOah, a word used 
 nowhere else in the New Testament, and which might be not un- 
 aptly translated, to tear away. The Lord would certainly not have 
 chosen this expression unless lie had foreseen that His death would 
 be a violent one ; while it is not to be wondered at, that He should, 
 as yet, allude to His approaching departure only in a passing and 
 figurative manner. 
 
 13. And He spake also a parable. — The propriety of borrowing 
 a parable from the wine and garments, while He was sitting at a 
 repast, is self-evident. Concerning the signification of these pa- 
 rables, see Lange on St Matthew i., p. 345. Both are intended to 
 express the incongruity of attempting to live according to the spirit 
 both of the Old and New Testaments. The idea, that our Lord 
 intended to convey by them the great tnith, that the old sinful 
 iiatm’e cannot be really improved by external worship, but only by 
 the new birth (Neander), though very ingenious, is contrary to the 
 context, to the aim of the whole speech, and especially to the words 
 with wdiich Luke concludes this address. Both parables, as we 
 have before said, tlmow light on the incompatibility of the old and 
 the new, of living under the law and under grace ; with this diffe- 
 rence, however, that, in the first, the new (piece) is represented as 
 something introduced to improve the old ; while, in the second, the 
 new (wine) plays the principal part, and is represented as acting by 
 its own power and strength. 
 
 14. No man also, etc. — This last verse is one of those sayings 
 recorded by Luke alone, and there is no reason to suppose that our 
 Lord uttered it on some entirely different occasion (Kuinoel). Its 
 design plainly is, to point out that the offence taken by John’s dis- 
 ciples and the Pharisees was, in a certain sense, comprehensible, and 
 even excusable. Accustomed to their own ideas, as to old wine, 
 they were as. incapable of immediately entering into His, as any 
 one who had just partaken of old wine would be of desiring new. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 12 
 
178 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 It was not, tlien, to be wondered at, tliat tliey sliould thus misjudge 
 Ilis disciples. It also contains an indirect justification of the Bap- 
 tist, in not having dissuaded his discijdes from strict fasting and 
 prayers. Had he done this, while still standing in other respects 
 on legal ground, he would have been only putting new cloth upon 
 an old garment. lie liad acted as rightly in leaving all things in 
 their old condition, as Jesus would have acted wrongly if lie had 
 restrained the free spirit of Ilis doctrine, and of His disciples, 
 within the narrow forms of Judaism. 
 
 15. The old is better . — Many read instead of the com- 
 
 parative ')(p7]crr6Tepo<;. It is evident, whichever reading we follow, 
 that it is not an absolute goodness in the old wine that is spoken of, 
 but only its relative goodness, according to the taste of him who 
 drinks it. The old wine is good or better only so long as he is not 
 accustomed to the new, which is in itself far superior. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The call of Matthew not only increases the circle of disciples 
 t>y a new Apostle, but also presents the Saviour to us in a point of 
 view in which Luke has not hitherto represented Him, viz., as the 
 friend of publicans and sinners. Such a representation is entirely 
 in the spirit of the third Gospel, which so eminently sets forth the 
 Pauline doctrine of justification by free grace, in our Lord’s own 
 words and deeds. At the same time, this episode is a gospel m 
 2 ')arvo^ and the representation of Jesus, as sitting at table with pub- 
 licans and sinners, a touching image of the whole purpose of His 
 coming on earth. 
 
 2. Scarcely does the Gospel of the grace of God begin to appear, 
 in its own peculiar loveliness, than the opposition of those who take 
 their stand on legal ground is manifested in full force. The king- 
 dom of God cannot come to the poor in spirit without kindling the 
 anger of the rich, who are sent empty away. The Lord permits 
 this opposition to appear, because its manifestation is the sui'est way 
 to its annihilation. 
 
 3. He who here proves Himself to be the Physician of sick 
 souls, also announces Himself as the heavenly Bridegroom, — a 
 point in which the Christology of the fourth Gospel coincides with 
 the synoptical Gospels; comp. John iii. 29 with Matt. ix. 15, xxii. 2. 
 A cheerful light beams through this figure of speech, which is the 
 more strikingly contrasted with the sadness of the words immedi- 
 ately following. The thought of death accompanies our Lord even 
 
CHAP. V. 27—39. 
 
 179 
 
 to the social meal ; and in the now undisguised hatred of Ilis oppo- 
 nents, lie sees a token of what must hereafter come to pass. With 
 the exception of the mysterious hints in John ii. 19, and iv. 37, 38, 
 this is the first allusion to the violent death wdiich was so soon to 
 separate Him from Ilis disciples. It is worthy of notice, that, in 
 Ilis predictions of His own death, there is a regular gradation from 
 the undefined to the defined, from the figurative to the literal. We 
 shall, however, have occasion to notice this circumstance more in 
 detail hereafter. 
 
 4. Our Lord here gives very important instruction concerning 
 fasting. The Chm’ch of Rome, in deducing from these words, that 
 He ordained fasting as an abiding obligation after His death, over- 
 looks the force of the promise. Matt, xxviii. 20. For, was not the 
 Bridegroom taken away, as to the body, that He might return in 
 the Spirit, and abide for ever? Undoubtedly, there is a Christian 
 fasting (Acts xiii. 2; 1 Cor. vii. 5); and Protestant controversy 
 is chargeable with gross onesidedness, in almost assuming that our 
 Lord forbids fasting, or that this kind of self-denial is under no cir- 
 cumstances advisable. There is liberty to fast, as well as to abstain 
 from fasting ; and the rule laid down, Rom. xiv. 5, applies in this 
 case also. On the other hand, however, we would by no means ven- 
 ture to infer with certainty, from our Lord’s words, that a Christian 
 is called upon to fast in those times of spiritual darkness and con- 
 flict, when he can feel very little, if at all, the presence of his Saviom' 
 (Olshausen, Neander). Jesus does not say, that His disciples shall 
 fast in the days when they are not with the Bridegroom ; but in 
 the days when the Bridegroom is not with them : and such an event 
 has never happened since His exaltation. How literally this predic- 
 tion was fulfilled, in the case of oiu Lord’s first disciples, appears 
 from J ohn xvi. 20. 
 
 5. The whole parable of the wine and bottles throws clear light 
 upon the difference between the Old and New Testaments. It 
 shows how conscious the Lord was of infusing into mankind a new 
 life, with which none of the old forms of worship could continue in 
 union for any long duration. So powerful was the new spirit, that 
 it was to burst through, and abolish the now obsolete form ; so 
 peculiar, that any mingling with heterogeneous elements would 
 only damage both the old and the new. He could therefore safely 
 leave it to time, to work that which He knew it could not fail to 
 effect ; and quietly suffer those who, from habit or affection, were 
 still cleaving to the old, to enjoy their own opinion, that their wine 
 
180 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 was better than any other; knowing that, sooner or later, they 
 would attain juster views. 
 
 G. The concluding words of this chapter exjoress one of those 
 principles, which our Lord ever kept in view in the training of Ilis 
 first disciples. lie never took the old wine from them till they 
 were capable of relishing the new. lie began by feeding them 
 with milk, and not with strong meat ; comp. 1 Cor. iii. 2. He is 
 here presented to us, on the one hand, as infinitely greater than Moses, 
 and ready to break the yoke of the law; on the other hand, as meeker 
 than Moses, and careful not to quench the smoking flax. The whole 
 passage offers a useful lesson, on one side, to those who would 
 weaken the life-giving power of the Gospel, by the imposition of 
 legal fetters ; on the other, to those who would at once lead the weak 
 brother to the highest degrees of faith and liberty, without leaving 
 the leaven time to work gradually. It may perhaps be said, that 
 Rom. xiv. contains the best practical commentary on these words of 
 our Lord. Never were the suaviter in modo and fortiter in re so har- 
 moniously blended. Compare the developement of this teaching in 
 Lange’s Leben Jesu ii., p. 679. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The call of Matthew, a striking image of the call of the Chris- 
 tian: 1. Grace glorified in Matthew ; 2. the path opened to Mat- 
 thew; 3. the sacrifice required from Matthew; 4. the compensa- 
 tion promised to Matthew ; 5. the blessing of which Matthew was 
 the author ; 6. the throne ascended by Matthew (Matt. xix. 28). — 
 The difference between Levi and Matthew, a type of the difference 
 between the old and new man; — the old man enslaved, the new man 
 free. — Follow Me! 1. A command to the spiritually dead to arise; 
 2. a rule of life to the awakened. — Only they who forsake all, are 
 on the road to the highest attainments. — He who would follow 
 Jesus, must not do so with regret. — Jesus sitting in the midst of 
 publicans : 1. There is His place ; 2. there is His glory ; 3. there 
 His words of peace are heard. — The why ? ” of the natural man, 
 opposed to the words and deeds of the Lord ; 1. Its partial justice ; 
 2. its actual injustice. — The principal difference between the ascetic 
 disciples of .John, and the free disciples of Jesus.— Many who are 
 called disciples of Christ, are yet in reality only the disciples of 
 John. — He who remains a disciple of John, without progressing 
 into the school of Christ, finishes by subjection to the pharisaic 
 spirit. — Jesus, the defender of those disciples who are unjustly ac- 
 
CHAP. V. 27—39. 
 
 181 
 
 cused for Ills sake. — The whole need not a pliysician, but the sick. 
 This is, 1. A universal rule ; — a. the whole are nothing to the physi- 
 cian ; h. the physician can do nothing for the whole : 2. A word 
 of warning, — a. to the whole, to become sick in their own eyes ; h. 
 to the sick, to become whole. — a. For whom Christ came; b. for 
 whom He did not come. — The difference between fasting and 
 prayers, considered on legal and on evangelical grounds. — The fast 
 chosen by God, Isa. Iviii. — The alternation of mourning and re- 
 joicing in the life of the disciples of Jesus : 1. The time of mourn- 
 ing follows the time of rejoicing; 2. the time of mourning is tran- 
 sitory ; 3. the time of rejoicing becomes lasting. — The conflict 
 between old and new in the spiritual domain: 1. The reason, 2. 
 the condition, 3. the end of this conflict. — The kingdom of God 
 like new, strong wine. — The effort to unite the incongruous in 
 spiritual affairs : This effort is, 1. often made, 2. never succeeds, 
 3. is always ruinous. — The new spirit aroused by Christ, is, 1. strong 
 enough to break through all old forms, and 2. specially adapted to 
 this end. — The behaviour of the disciples of Christ with respect to 
 the old and new: 1. No scholastic retention of the old; 2. no un- 
 timely imposition of the new ; but, 3. a gradual transition, whereby 
 the friend of the old is rendered capable of receiving the new. — 
 The spirit of the Lord as far removed from absolute conservatism as 
 from radical liberalism. — ^New wine must be put into new bottles: 
 1. it was so in the time of our Lord ; 2. it was so again at the time 
 of the Reformation ; 3. it will be so always. 
 
 Starcke . — God takes His own time and order in the calling of 
 men. — Nova Bibl. Tub. : The order of conversion : 1. Jesus looks 
 upon the sinner in love ; 2. calls him by His word ; 3. faith follows 
 immediately; 4. and love manifests itself in activity. — The Chm'ch 
 of God on earth, an hospital and infirmary. — Bibl. Wurt. : The old 
 bottles and rags of popish institutions are incompatible with the 
 doctrines of the Gospel ; therefore no Christian heart can depend 
 upon them. — Quesnel : We should not teach unconverted souls all 
 the good that we know, but feed them with truth as their need and 
 spiritual digestion permit, Ezek. v. 12-14. — Even in Christianity, 
 each age has its appropriate food, 1 John iL 13, 14, 
 
 Luther to StaUpitz (on vers. 34, 35). — I rejoice that I have 
 in my Lord Jesus Christ, a dear Redeemer and faithful High 
 Priest, whom I will praise as long as I live. If any one will not 
 sing and thank Him with me, what is that to me ? If it pleases 
 him to howl, he shall howl by himself.” 
 
182 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ITeuhner. — Mattliew, wlicn liiiiiself enlisted as Christ’s soldier, 
 must himself beeome an enlister. So must we ! — Syncretismus (as 
 the mixture of heterogeneous and opposing theories and institutions 
 was formally called, from the law existing at Crete, of forgetting 
 all private quarrels, on the breaking out of war) cannot last long. 
 — Lisho : The folly of half-heartedness in Christianity. — Zimmer- 
 mann: How the old must be overcome by the new, in the heart of 
 the Christian ; 1. The old unbelief and delusion, by the new faith ; 
 2. the old death, by the new life ; 3. old habits, by the new hunger 
 and thirst. — Arndt: All that is old must become new, and then all 
 that is inward external. — How Jesus makes an apostle of a publi- 
 can : 1. The history (ver. 27), 2. the proof of this call (vers. 28-32). 
 — Ilamann : Christianity is no mere patchwork, composed of our 
 own understanding, will, and other powers, our wants, and even 
 some fragments of our treasures ; and its substance does not consist 
 in certain religious theories and hypotheses ; for then, the promise 
 to make all things new (2 Cor. v. 17 ; Kev. xxi. 5), would not be a 
 baptism of the Holy Ghost, and of fire, with'new tongues. Com- 
 pare the pamphlets of Dr A. Neander, on practical, and especially 
 on critical and historical subjects, third edit., Berlin 1829. 
 
 3. The Son of Man the Lord of the Sabbath. 
 
 (CnAP. VI. 1-11.) 
 
 1 And it came to pass, on tlie second Sabbath after the first, that He went 
 through the corn-fields ; and His disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, 
 rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, 
 TVhy do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath-days? 3 And Jesus 
 answering them, said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when 
 himself was an hungered, and they which were with him ; 4 How he went into 
 the house of God, and did take and eat the shew-bread, and gave also to them 
 that were with him ; which it is not lawful to eat, but for the priests alone ? 
 
 5 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, that He entered into the syna- 
 gogue and taught : and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7 And 
 the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath- 
 day ; that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 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, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10 And looking round about 
 upon them all. He said unto the man. Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so : 
 and his hand v/as restored whole as the other. 11 And they were filled with 
 madness ; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. 
 
CHAP. VI. 1-11. 
 
 183 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. ^evTep 07 rp(OT(p } — Without stating or criticising tlie various 
 explanations wliicli have been offered of this word, we shall but 
 briefly endeavour to justify that which we have adopted. It is 
 e\ddent, at the first glance, that this was no ordinary Sabbath, but 
 an extraordinary one ; and that it must have occurred in the month 
 Nisan, since the ears of corn would not be ripe before. The Pass- 
 over happened dmdng the second half of this month. Now, if the 
 miracle of the loaves and fishes took place before the second Pass- 
 over of our Lord’s public ministry (John vi. 4), and this plucking 
 of the ears of corn preceded this miracle (according to all the synop- 
 tical Gospels), this second first Sabbath must have been between the 
 feast of Purim (John v. 1) and the Passover. Since, then, the word 
 BevT€po7rpQ)T<p evidently indicates a teyininus a quo, it seems to us 
 that no answer to the question. What is this terminus ? can be more 
 natural than than that of Wieseler (Chronol. Syn., pp. 226-234), 
 that it is the first Sabbath after the beginning of the second year of 
 a cycle of seven years. We believe it, then, to have been the 
 Sabbath of the month Nisan, with which the Jewish ecclesiastical 
 year began ; and that it is called the second, in relation to the first 
 Sabbath of the preceding year, which was the first after the sab- 
 batical year. That such a division of years was known among the 
 Jews, sufficiently appears from Dan. ix. 24, which only fails to 
 afford strict proof that they were accustomed to name the years 
 according to their order in the series, and the first Sabbath of each 
 year, according to the cyclical number of the year ; but this is so 
 simple and natural, that little can be urged against it. Scaliger’s 
 view, in which he is followed by Kumoel and De Wette, that the 
 first Sabbath after the second Passover is here intended, can only 
 be supported by supposing the feast of the Jews” (John v. 1) to 
 have been the Passover. BeugeFs idea, that the first Sabbath be- 
 fore the new moon of Nisan, fourteen days before the Passover, is 
 intended, is apparently supported by his computation, that 1 Sam. 
 XX. 18-42 would be the appointed portion for that day, and that 
 
 1 If our critical conscience would allow us to expunge the enigmatical hvrepo- 
 Tcpara from the text, we should certainly have escaped, in the most conveni- 
 ent manner, one of the most desperate cruces interpretum. Nevertheless, though 
 a considerable number of authorities are in favour of the omission, and the pos- 
 sibility that this is only an old marginal reading, must also be conceded, we can- 
 not avoid the conclusion, that tliis has been only omitted by 
 
 some, from exegetical perplexity : ignoratione rei^ as Bengel expresses it. 
 
184 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 hence our Lord’s answer and reference to 1 Sam. xxi. 6 would be 
 in connection witli the lesson for the day. But, as Wieseler well 
 remarks, the [)resent division of Ihiraschioth and Ilaphtoreth is of 
 more recent origin. Other views are stated by Dc Wette and 
 Meyer. For criticism on this passage, see AYolff in curis^ Winer 
 on the article Sabbath, etc. ; on the grammatical meaning of the 
 word SevrepoirpcoTM, Ilitzig, Ostern und Pfingsten, p. 19. 
 
 2. lie ivent through the corn-fields. — Comp. Lange on St Matt, i., 
 p. 432. It is probable that the Lord liad found spiritual nourish- 
 ment in the reading of the Scripture, in the morning worship of the 
 synagogue. Ilis disciples had, liowever, as yet partaken of so little, 
 if any, temporal refreshment, that they felt the need of immediately 
 satisfying their hunger. A striking proof of the Lord’s irT(£>')(eveLv, 
 2 Cor. viii. 9. Tliey used the right given by the law to the neces- 
 sitous (Deut. xxiii. 25), and really were guilty of no breach of the 
 Sabbath, in a merely Mosaic point of view, since the action could 
 not be called daily work. They were also acting in accordance 
 with the prescription of the more modern Rabbis, not to fast on the 
 Sabbath, but to strengthen themselves by partaking of food and 
 drink. See Maimonides, Sabb., ch. xxv. The narrow-minded Pha- 
 risees, however, who were following our Lord, perhaps for the pur- 
 pose of ascertaining Vvdiether He would exceed the usual Sabbath- 
 day’s journey, consider this action as work, and consequently as a 
 breach of the Sabbath. 
 
 3. Tivh Se Tcov ^ap. — According to the two first Evangelists, 
 they address themselves to our Lord ; according to Luke, they ac- 
 cuse His disciples. Both might have been the case : it was entirely 
 in accordance with the pharisaic spirit, to make our Lord respon- 
 sible for the deeds of His disciples ; while, if several Pharisees were 
 present, some might also have spoken directly to the offenders them- 
 selves. In any case, the Lord takes up the cause of His disciples ; 
 and the manner in which He does this, testifies to the holy Sabbath- 
 rest of His soul. 
 
 4. What David did; 1 Sam. xxi. 6. — If we read, Mark ii. 26, 
 that this took place in the time of Abiathar the high priest, we can- 
 not but think that this is an erroneous transcription for Abimelech. 
 The example was an extremely apt one, as showing how, in some 
 cases, necessity knows no law ; and one the more striking, since the 
 Rabbis say, ^Hn the temple there is no Sabbath : sacrificing drives 
 away the Sabbath.” See Lightfoot. 
 
 5. The Son of man, etc. — As the Sabbath gives way to the temple- 
 
ciiAr. VI. 1—11. 
 
 185 
 
 service, so must botli Sabbath and temple-service give way to one 
 still greater (fiel^cov in Matt.), even the Son of man. If the day 
 appointed for rest, and for glorifying God, were made for the ra- 
 tional inliabitants of the earth, much more must the Son of man, 
 the Ideal of humanity, have rule over the Sabbath. The true 
 breakers of the Sabbath were they, who would sacrifice the interests 
 of man to preserve the Sabbath. For the rest, ver. 5 in Luke cer- 
 tainly seems somewhat unconnected (De Wette) ; but this cannot 
 justify our inserting this saying of our Lord after ver. 10, with 
 Cod. D., and still less our accepting, on this authority alone, the 
 addition: rf} avrfj rjiiepa Oeacrdfievo^ riva ipya^o/jievov tm 
 elirev avTM dvOpwire el pui] tL TTOtets', p^afcdpio<; el' el he pu^v olSa?, 
 
 eTTiKardparo^; koX Trapa/Sdrrj^; el rod vopbovT Considered in itself, this 
 saying is not unworthy of our Lord ; but it is not probable that, at 
 this time, any one could have worked on the Sabbath, in the land of 
 J udea, unblamed and with a good conscience ; and as little so, that 
 our Lord should have thus unnecessarily exasperated His enemies 
 by a speech so liable to misapprehension. If, however, we do not 
 admit that this narrative was composed a Marcionita quodam (Gro- 
 tius), or invented in accordance with St Paul’s words, Rom. xiv. 22, 
 23, it is at least likely that it has been preserved by some one who 
 perfectly coincided with the above-quoted view of the Apostle. 
 
 6. On another SahhatJi . — Probably upon the one next following. 
 Luke does not indeed expressly say so ; but all the synoptical Evan- 
 gelists join this miracle immediately with the preceding one, which 
 is the more natural, if we accept the view of Wieseler, that the day 
 after the hevrepoirpcarw was also a Sabbath ; thus interposing not 
 seven days, but one, between these two Sabbaths. This also explains 
 why Matthew and Mark do not even distinctly separate the days, 
 and how the Pharisees could repeat their attack so soon after the 
 repulse they had suffered. 
 
 7. A man. — According to Hieronymus (on Matt. xii. 10), who 
 derives his information from the Hebrew version of St Matthew, 
 quod a plerisque vocatur autlienticum Matthcei, he was a builder, who 
 entreated a cure that he might not be obliged to beg. The allego- 
 rical fashion in Avhich the above-named Father represents this indi- 
 vidual as a type of Judaism, which, in the time of Jesus, had become 
 totally incapable of building up the spiritual temple of God in Israel, 
 will not justify us in doubting the truth of his information, which 
 may rest upon an uncorrupt tradition. 
 
 8. naperrjpovvTo. — The snare was not laid without cunning. 
 
186 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Tlic cure of a sick man, by one wlio was accustomed to extend His 
 help to the suffering, miglit witli more seeming justice form the 
 matter of an accusation of Sabbath-breaking than the plucking of 
 a few ears of corn, which was really no work at all. There was a 
 controversy between the schools of Ilillel and Sammai, whether the 
 relief of the sick might, or might not, be undertaken on the Sab- 
 bath-day. See Scliottgenius, Horse llebr. i., p. 123. 
 
 9. I will ask you . — To feel the crushing nature of this question, 
 it is necessary to enter into the spirit of these exasperated enemies 
 of our Lord. We shall then understand the contrast it exposes. 
 It exposes the contrast, comprehensible to them alone, between 
 the benevolent purpose of our Lord, and the murderous designs of 
 His opponents. He says in other words, Who really breaks the 
 Sabbath ; — I, who am preparing for a work of healing ; or you, who 
 are secretly fostering plans to destroy Me, an innocent man f ’ His 
 aim is, not merely to inculcate that he who does not do good does 
 harm, but also to show them that they cannot conceal their real in- 
 tentions from Him. This whole speech of our Lord, united with 
 His penetrating look, Mark iii. 5, is a practical commentary on 
 Eph. iv. 26. The information given by Matthew alone (ch. xii. 
 14), seems more properly introduced by Luke, on another and sub- 
 sequent occasion. See ch. xiii. 10, and xiv. 5. 
 
 10. ’AvoLa <;. — Anger made them mad ; compare 2 Thess. ii. 9, 
 and the proofs from classic literature by IMeyer. The AEolic Op- 
 tative strikingly expresses the uncertainty and irresolution of their 
 plans. See Winer’s Grammar, 6th ed., p. 275, What they might 
 do to Jesus,” quid forte faciendum videretur (weighing various pro- 
 babilities in a doubtful frame of mind). 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The first miracles wrought by our Lord on the Sabbath, 
 naturally lead us to inquire into the relation in which He placed 
 Himself to the law of the Old Covenant. On one hand, it must 
 be granted, that He considered Himself bound by the Mosaic law, 
 and that He showed Himself, from His first visit to the temple to 
 His last celebration of the Passover, determined, in this respect 
 also, to fulfil all righteousness. The principle which lie enunciated 
 in the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. v. 17, He continued to act upon 
 throughout His life, and quietly left it to time to develop the new 
 spirit wliich he had awakened, till it should have destroyed the old 
 forms. But as He did not release either Himself, or His disciples. 
 
CHAP. VI. 1-11. 
 
 187 
 
 from obedience to tlie commandments of God, so neither would lie 
 suffer them to be weakened by the traditions of men. And this was 
 what was actually done by the Pharisees and others, who explained and 
 extended the Sabbath commandment in such a manner as to make it 
 appear that man was made for the Sabbath. The thirty-nine dif- 
 ferent kinds of actions which they forbade on the Sabbath-day were 
 the inventions of littleness of mind ; they were unforbiddeu by the 
 letter of the commandment, while then’ prohibition was often at 
 variance with its spirit. The Lord was upholding the spirit of the 
 law, at the very time when He was guilty, according to their views, 
 of a formal breach of the Sabbath. 
 
 2. As, Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus teaches, on one hand, the 
 obligation, on the other, the liberty of His disciples, with respect to 
 the solemn day of rest. By visibly distinguishing the Sabbath 
 from other days, and frequenting the synagogue on this day. He 
 plainly shows us the perpetual obligation of His disciples to dedi- 
 cate to God a weekly day of rest. But, on the other hand. He 
 walks through the corn, performs works of love, and powerfully 
 defends the proverb. Necessity knows no law. A merely mechani- 
 cal, Judaistic keeping of the Sabbath, is as little sanctioned by His 
 example, as a presumptuous contempt of it. The Christian, anointed 
 with the Holy Ghost, is, as well as his Master, a lord of the Sabbath; 
 and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty ; but there is 
 also order, obedience, the seeking of God’s glory, and the fear of 
 offending the weak brother. 
 
 3. Our Lord, in appealing to Scripture, and asking, Have ye 
 not read?” is not accommodating Himself to Jewish prejudices, but 
 acting upon His principle of remaining faithful in all things to this 
 rule of judgment. The Son of David was mirrored in the history 
 of His illustrious ancestor. But while He is, vdth loving care, de- 
 fending the interests of His disciples. He, at the same time, exhibits 
 the most sublime self-consciousness ; He feels that there dwells in 
 Himself more of the Father’s glory than in the temple. And if 
 He does not here give it to be understood, that He will exercise His 
 o^vn exalted dignity in showing His freedom from temple -service 
 and Sabbath law, yet He really acts upon the words recorded by 
 the foui'th Evangelist (John v. 17), My Father worketh hitherto, 
 and I work.” 
 
 4. The exalted character of our Lord is shown also in these 
 Sabbath miracles. When a prophet was despised by Jeroboam, the 
 hand of the presumptuous king was withered (1 Kings xiii. 4) ; 
 
188 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Jesus licals tlie witlicrcd liarul, and does not dry up the arms sacri- 
 legiously raised against Him. Ilis miracles were not punishments, 
 hut benefits ; and even when Ilis enemies were plotting to destroy 
 the kingdom of God, the desire of the King was to preserve life. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Both narratives considered generally: — The Son of man, the Lord 
 of the Sabbath, who in this character, 1. rules with unbounded 
 power, 2. serves in love. 
 
 Each severally : — Eeverential enjoyment of nature on the 
 Sabbath, 1. tasted, 2. embittered, 3. defended. — Sabbath har- 
 monies destroyed by the discord of sin. — The most innocent 
 actions of the Lord’s disciples watched with unfriendly eyes by 
 Ilis enemies. — Scrij)ture, the authority in every religious contro- 
 versy. — David a type of evangelical liberty, in the midst of legal 
 bondage. — The Lord, with relation to two views of the Sabbath, 
 that of liberty, and that of bondage. — Better is a dry morsel and 
 quietness therewith, etc., Prov. xvii. 1. — The Son of man, the true 
 Son of David, and the true Lord of David. — How the Sabbath 
 may be broken without working. — No corruption in the Israelitish 
 worship keeps Jesus from visiting the synagogue. — The enmity of 
 the Pharisees increased by every discomfiture. — An afflicted man 
 in the Lord’s house : 1. What he seeks ; 2. how much more he finds. 
 — The healing of the sick man promoted, 1. by the wickedness of 
 the enemies, 2. by the compassion of the Lord, 3. by his own faith. 
 — Jesus conquering His enemies, 1. by the demand of justice, 2. 
 by the power of love. — It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. — 
 Holy indignation and compassionate love united in a look of our 
 Lord. — The greater the love of Jesus, the deeper the hatred of His 
 enemies. — The madness of His enemies : 1. They think that they 
 can ruin Jesus ; 2. they do not see how they condemn themselves. — 
 No faith is required which is not rewarded. — The synagogue, the 
 scene of our Lord’s glory: 1. His unprejudiced judgment; 2. His 
 heavenly knowledge of hearts; 3. His merciful compassion; 4. His 
 delivering power; 5. His long-suffering. 
 
 Both together : — Two Sabbath works in our Lord’s life, the 
 diversity and agreement between the two : 1. Diversity of opera- 
 tion, but unity of purpose ; 2. diversity of enjoyment, but unity of 
 consecration ; 3. diversity of conflict, but unity of triumph. — The 
 Christian solemnization of the Sabbath: a. Negatively; — 1. no ab- 
 solute equality of all days ; 2. no idle inactivity, h. Positively ; — • 
 
CHAP. VI. 12-16. 
 
 189 
 
 the worship of God in the house of prayer, and in the temple of 
 nature ; 2. works of love for others. — The Sabbath rest of the Lord, 
 similar to that of the F ather : a. an active, h. a holy, c. a haj)py 
 Sabbath rest. — The Sabbath, a day on which the Lord, 1. refreshes 
 His friends, 2. conquers His enemies, 3. relieves the afflicted, and 
 by all these means, 4. promotes the coming of the kingdom of God. 
 
 Starcke. — Necessity and love know no law. — Majus : It is a 
 shame to those who would be teachers of the Scripture, not to know 
 what is written in the Scripture. — Quesnel : The use of sacred 
 things, if it be done from love, cannot desecrate them, because the 
 love of God consecrates all things. — Nova Bihl. Tub. : They must 
 be evil-minded, who find in acts of beneficence a motive for perse- 
 cution, and in well-doing a temptation to evil. — Canstein : The 
 care of the enemies of Christ to hinder His kingdom, shames the 
 negligence of the children of God. — Osiander : Popish miracles are 
 done in a corner, and are only deceitful : J esus did His miracles 
 publicly, and in the sight of the world. — We must not heed the 
 abuse of the ungodly, when we are doing the duties of oui’ calling. 
 — When truth shines most brightly, the obdurate are not improved 
 by it, but are only exasperated and irritated, 2 Tim. iii. 13. — 
 Even miracles cannot avail to convince the despisers of truth. — 
 Heubner: The anxious care of the Jews for the Sabbath, a re- 
 proach to Christians. — Zeal for religion, without love, is an abomi- 
 nation. — Calvin : “ Monemur etiam, cavendum esse, ne ccerimoniis 
 tidbuendo plus quampar est, quce longe pluris swit coram Deo, et quoi 
 prcecipua legis Christus alibi vocat (^latt. xxiii. 23) effluere sinamus. 
 
 4. The Son of Man the Lawgiver in the Kingdom of God. (Chap. 
 
 VI. 12-49.) 
 
 (a.) The Choice of Apostles (vees. 12-16). (Parallel passages : 
 Matt. X. 2-4 ; Mark iii. 13-19.) 
 
 12 And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to 
 pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day. He 
 called unto Him His disciples : and of them He chose twelve, whom also He 
 named apostles ; 14 Simon (whom He also named Peter), and Andrew his 
 
 brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, 
 James the son of Alphseus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother 
 of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 
 
 CEITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. In those days. — By referring to the Gospels of Matthew and 
 Mark, it appears that the choosing of the Apostles took place at a 
 
190 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 time when tlie fame of Jesus was at its lielght in Galilee. The 
 cure of the man with tlic withered liand liad followed a series of 
 miracles (Matt. xii. 15-21; Mark iii. 17, etc.). Even from Tyre 
 and Sidon multitudes came unto Him, and the entreaties of the 
 sick were mingled with the cries of unclean spirits. It was not 
 without difficulty that lie escaped the crowd, withdrew to the 
 lonely mountain, and enjoyed, in communion with Ilis Father, that 
 rest which earth could not give Him. 
 
 2. In ’prayer to God . — It is highly important to note, that the 
 choice of the Apostles was preceded by a night of prayer, and may 
 therefore be regarded as the fruit of the direct intercourse of the 
 Son with the Father. We perceive an echo of this prayer in the 
 manner in which Jesus speaks of those whom the Father had given 
 Him, John xvii. 6-19. 
 
 3. Ilis disciples, etc. — From the definite account of Luke, we 
 conclude, that Jesus summoned a great number of His disciples, 
 and then chose from among them His twelve Apostles. We must, 
 however, distinguish, on the one hand, between this choice, and the 
 subsequent sending forth of the Apostles, narrated by Matt. ch. x. 
 1-5, when He gives their names ; and on the other, between this 
 event, and the relations previously existing between the Lord and 
 some of the persons here mentioned. At first they were His friends ; 
 then His disciples in a wider sense ; afterwards they were called, 
 as Apostles, to leave all and follow Him, Luke v. 10, H, 27, 28 ; but 
 now they were joined together in one united band. As Apostles, 
 too, there were gradations in the intimacy of their intercourse with 
 Christ. At first He calls them servants (Matt. x. 24), afterwards 
 friends and children (John xiii. 33, xv. 15), and at last brothers 
 (John XX. 17). 
 
 4. Who'ni also He named Apostles . — The select company of 
 twelve was not, then, gradually formed from a more extensive circle 
 of His followers, after the ascension of Jesus (Schleiermacher on 
 Luke, pp. 83-89 ; Weisse, Leben Jesu i., p. 392), but was ordained 
 by the Lord Himself. It is only by accepting this fact that we 
 recognise the character of the Sermon on the IMount as a consecra- 
 tion discoimse, and the connection between this act of our Lord 
 and His preceding night of prayer. Though St John does not 
 formally relate the choosing of the Apostles, yet it is evident from 
 John vi. 70, xv. 16, that he by no means contradicts it. It is true, 
 that in other parts of the N. T. the term Apostle is not exclusively 
 restricted to tlie twelve (Gal. i. 19 ; Acts xiv. 14 ; Heb. iii. 1) ; but 
 
CIIAr. VI. 12-16. 
 
 191 
 
 the Lord Himself, as far as we know, never used it to designate 
 any but those whom lie had called to the apostolate. 
 
 5. The enumeration of the twelve Apostles by Luke nearly 
 coincides with that of ^latthew : see Lange on ^latt., p. 367, who 
 has also made all necessary remarks on their several names. We 
 shall therefore confine ourselves to noticing the wisdom of the 
 Lord, in the manner in which they are coupled. 
 
 a, Peter and Andrew. — In eveiy list of the Apostles the first 
 name is that of Peter, the man full of fire and energy ; the mouth- 
 piece of the apostolic band, as J ohn was its heart ; distinguished for 
 ardour of mind and readiness for conflict, as J ohn was for tender- 
 ness of spirit and patience in suffering. His brother Andrew is 
 named with him, of whose indiHduality less is known, but who 
 first brought him to Jesus, and who is once mentioned as the fourth 
 among those to whom the Lord spoke more confidentially, to- 
 gether with the three usually selected on these highly favoured 
 occasions. 
 
 h. John^ and James his brother, sons of Zebedee, and first 
 cousins of the Lord ; the first prophet and the first martyr among 
 the twelve. The question, why they received the names of Boa- 
 nerges, is best answered by Theophylact, who says that this name 
 distinguished them, co? ixe^aXoKr}pvKa<; /cal OeoXoyiKcordrov^. The 
 notion, that this name was bestowed as a reproof of their fiery zeal, 
 Luke ix. 51, etc. (Gurlitt), is met by Lange, in the Stud, und Kritik. 
 1839, i., comp. Lehen Jesu ii., p. 696. 
 
 c. Philip and Nathanael^ the son of Tolmai (Bartholomgeus). — 
 Two friends (John i. 45, etc.), one of Bethsaida, the other of Cana 
 of Galilee. Kathanael was noted for his sincerity, Philip for the 
 candour with which he ventui’ed to bring every difficulty to the 
 Lord: John vi. 7, xii. 22, xiv. 9. Two men possessed of the same 
 prejudices, but also animated with the same love of truth, are here 
 associated as Apostles. 
 
 d. Matthexo and Thomas . — The name of Matthew stands first 
 in this fourth pair both in Mark and Luke, while in his ovm Gos- 
 pel he gives himself the second place, perhaps in the same spirit 
 of humility with which he adds the word o reXcovrj^; to his name. 
 While Thomas seems to have been of a dull and melancholy tem- 
 perament, Matthew, on the contrary, seems, by the account of his 
 call, Luke v. 27-38, to have been capable of disregarding great 
 difficulties ; and while one was inclined to solitary meditation, the 
 other seems to have been accustomed, by his previous avocation^ 
 
1D2 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 to iiitcrcoui’ic with liis fellow-inen. Thus would one supply the 
 deficiencies of the other. 
 
 e. James the son of Alphaeus or Cleophas, and Lehhfjeus whose 
 SLirnaine was Thaddasus. — The former, certainly not one and the 
 same with the brother of the Lord, John vii. 5 ; the latter, accord- 
 ing to both his names, cor, mamma, a courageous man. It is 
 unnecessary to suppose that we have here two different persons ; 
 and still less can we agree with von Ammon, that some of the 
 Apostles, not answering to the Lord’s expectations, were replaced 
 by others during Ilis life. The question, however, remains. What 
 was the proper name of him who owned this double surname? 
 And Luke, by the words, koX Jovhav Jafca)/3ov, seems to give us 
 a clue to the answer, if we understand by them, not the brother, but 
 the son of some James, of whom nothing further is known to us. 
 W^e learn from John xiv. 22, that there was another Judas among 
 the twelve besides Judas Iscariot; and this identity of names may 
 have been the reason why he was generally designated by one of 
 his smTiames. In this case, Jerome rightly calls him the three- 
 named Apostle. 
 
 f. Judas Iscariot and Simon Zelotes or Kananites. — Both names 
 signify in Greek, the zealous one. The germ of the Zealotism, 
 which was first fully develoj^ed in the last Jewish war, already ex- 
 isted in our Saviour’s time ; and perhaps Simon might have made 
 use of the rites of the Zealots, and enrolled himself among the fol- 
 lowers of Judas Gaulonites, before he became an Apostle. It is 
 ju'obable that our Lord associated this courageous, energetic man 
 Avith Judas Iscariot, for the sake of the moral ascendancy which 
 such a one might exercise upon his character, or because Judas 
 could more easily miite with a companion who had formerly striven 
 for political and externally theocratic ends. It is, besides, worthy 
 of notice, that Luke does not couple Judas Iscariot with Simon 
 Zelotes, but Avith Jude the son of James. We need not on this 
 account conclude, that the tradition concerning the combination of 
 the Apostles had already become uncertain. It is highly probable 
 that the Lord, who, from the first, thoroughly understood the cha- 
 racter of Judas, did not always associate him Avith the same com- 
 panion. Such changes Avould ward off from others the danger of 
 being infected with his faults; Avhile the improvement of his 
 character might thus be promoted, not by one, but by various in- 
 fluences. 
 
 The Avhole subject of the choice of the Apostles is well treated 
 
CHAP. VI. 12-16. 
 
 193 
 
 Ly Lange in liis miscellaneous writings, Pt. 4, p. 158, and by the 
 authors cited by Ilase in his Lehen Jesu in loco. Isolated names 
 of apostles, in the Gemara, Nazar, Nabi, and Bohi, are of later and 
 fabulous origin, and no evidence against the truth of the Gospel 
 enumeration of them. Concerning the probable fate and deeds of the 
 twelve, which tradition very soon embellished, see Winer in voce. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The calling and training of Ilis Apostles was a most import- 
 ant part of the work which the Father committed to the Son. On 
 reflection, it does not seem surprising that the Lord should more 
 strictly deflne His declaration (John xvii. 4, 6), to ep’^/ov ireXelccaa, 
 /C.T.X., by the almost immediately following words: i(j:avepcoad aov to 
 ovopta Toh dvOpooTroi^ 07)9 SiScoKd<; p.0L, k.t.\. The epyov of Plis pub- 
 lic life was, as it were, concentrated in the training and instruction 
 of His chosen witnesses. He was only to lay the first stone of the 
 temple of God; it was therefore the more necessary, that He should 
 provide skilful builders to carry on the work. F or this pm’pose. Fie 
 assembled, even dmang His life, a small community, of which He was 
 at first visibly, and afterwards invisibly, the spiritual Head. For 
 this purpose, too. He began, immediately after His baptism, to pre- 
 pare for the calling of His Apostles. It was to their training that 
 He devoted the gi’eater part of His time and strength ; arid even 
 when He was working among the people. He was, at the same time, 
 mindful of their special necessities. His death also contributed to 
 their spiritual education, by giving a death-blow to their carnal ex- 
 pectations ; and even after His resurrection. He continued for forty 
 days His personal efforts for their improvement ; till they were at 
 length fully prepared, and capable of receiving the promised gift 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 2. The choice of His Apostles is one of the most distinguished 
 proofs of our Lord’s adorable wisdom. He chooses, 1. simple, but 
 previously prepared men. The instruction of the Baptist, the toil- 
 some life of the fisherman, or the busy office of the publican, had 
 been, to some among them, a more suitable preparation for this 
 office than a learned education by Hillel or Schammai could have 
 furnished. — 2. Few men, but those of very different kinds. He 
 works intensively, before He w’orks extensively, in the newly founded 
 kingdom. He chooses rather to train a few perfectly, than many 
 partially. He therefore educates them with, and by means of, each 
 other, and shows how exactly His Gospel is adapted to every degree 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 13 
 
Tllli: GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO LUKE. 
 
 194 
 
 of liunian development, and every individual need. — 3. A few re- 
 markable^ among a greater number of lese remarkahle men, whom 
 lie together forms into a small eommunity. As far as we can see, 
 the beautiful figurative language employed by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 
 xii. 14-27, is perfectly applicable to the organization of the apostolic 
 band. If all had been as remarkable as a Peter, a John, or after- 
 wards a Paul, unity would have been lost in variety, and the one 
 light broken into too many colours. 
 
 3. The pre-eminence which lie gives to three of the Apostles, 
 is not opposed to this wisdom. This pre-eminence was certainly 
 unmistakeable (Mark hi. 37, ix. 2 ; Matt. xxvi. 37) ; but it was 
 at the same time relative, natural, and advantageous. lielative, 
 for it by no means excluded sharp reproofs of personal failings, 
 and strict attention to the requirements of the rest. Matt. xvi. 
 23 ; Luke ix. 54, 55. It is not Peter and the sons of Zebedee, 
 but Andrew and Philip, who acquaint our Lord with the desire of 
 the Greeks, John xii. 22. We find the former of these sitting with 
 the three upon the Mount of Olives (Mark xiii. 3), while it is with 
 the latter that Jesus takes counsel how He shall feed the multitude 
 (John vi. 5). — Natural, on account of their individuality, and the 
 necessity that the Son of man should have personal preferences. 
 We could scarcely have understood or loved a Christ who, among 
 twelve intimates, had not one bosom friend. — Advantageous, in the 
 training not only of the chosen three for their special work, but 
 also of the other nine, who would learn thereby, that the call vouch- 
 safed by the Lord, as well as the pre-eminence He bestowed, was 
 of free grace alone. 
 
 4. Hor is there any greater difficulty in the priority of Peter, 
 which, if held in a manner consistent with sound doctrine, there is 
 no need to deny. Only a onesided ultra-Protestantism can main- 
 tain that the Lord never bestowed the least pre-eminence upon 
 Peter. It certainly cannot be by accident that we find his name 
 at the head of every list of the Apostles ; while it can scarcely be 
 denied that the saying of our Lord, Matt. xvi. 18, concerns his per- 
 son, as well as his confession of faith. On the other hand, how- 
 ever, it appears, 1. that the Lord rebukes and humbles this highly 
 favoured disciple in the most stringent manner; 2. that his pre- 
 rogatives are conceded to all the Apostles (Matt, xviii. 18 ; John 
 XX. 22) ; 3. that the other Apostles and the early Church never re- 
 cognised his primacy in a Romish sense (Acts xi. 2, ch. xv. ; Gal. 
 ii. 11) ; 4. that he himself lays claim to no such primacy (1 Pet. 
 
CHAP. VI. 12-1 G. 
 
 195 
 
 V. 1-4) ; 5. that the most ancient of tlie Fathers never attributed it 
 to him. See J. Ellendorf on the primacy of the Popes of Pome. 
 
 5. With regard to the choice of Judas, we must, on the one 
 hand, avoid the view of the Docetse, that, from the very first inter- 
 view, Christ thoroughly saw through the future traitor, and specially 
 chose him ad hoc ; and on the other, that of the Ebionites, that Ho 
 was mistaken, as an ordinary man might he, and found a devil where 
 He expected an angeh According to the first notion, we can but 
 pity Judas as the victim of an irresistible fate; while the latter 
 places the wisdom of the Lord, though not His love, in a very un 
 favourable light. The only just aspect in Avhich the choice of J udas 
 can be regarded, is as a very high venture of love, discerning in 
 him the germ of many excellencies, doing the utmost to win him, 
 but soon discovering that the evil is far stronger in him than the 
 good, John vi. 69 ; then emphatically warning him. Matt. vi. 19-21 ; 
 Mark vii. 21-23; Luke xii. 16-20; repeatedly leaving him at 
 liberty to depart, John vi. 67, and xiii. 27 ; bearing patiently with 
 him, John xiii. 11 ; and at length dismissing him with dignity, and 
 calmly looking back upon the son of perdition, as feeling not the 
 slightest reason for self-reproach on his account, John xvii. 12. 
 Thus both in life and death Judas keeps his rank as a witness of 
 the Lord ; and the ridicule of unbelief on this point, from Celsus 
 (see Origen contra Celsum ii., p. 11) to Strauss and more modern 
 sceptics, falls back upon the head of its own prophets. Compare 
 the important opinion of Lavater on Judas, quoted by Niemeyer, 
 ChavokteTuteh der Bihel i., pp. 83-86. Pemarks on the choice of the 
 Apostles may also be seen in Kruminacher s Geist und Form der 
 evang. Geschichte, p. 57, and elsewhere. 
 
 6. The results completely justified our Lord’s wisdom in the 
 choice of His Apostles. The kingdom of heaven, founded upon 
 earth by instruments so frail and weak, stands before us as a work 
 of God Himself, in the strictest sense of the word. A comparison 
 of what the twelve were at first, with what they afterwards became, 
 will afford us a convincing proof of the power of God’s grace, and, 
 at the same time, an evidence that the Holy Ghost works, not by 
 destroying, but by purifying and elevating, the individual character. 
 
 7 . They were first disciples, then Apostles ; they were not at 
 once sent forth as preachers, nor at once to all the world. Christ 
 was no fanatic, calling His Apostles to the office of preachers with- 
 out instruction, and, as it were, with unwashen hands. He employed 
 a long period in teaching them, and in carefully training them for 
 
19G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlieir future calling. And yet a special miracle of the Holy Ghost 
 'Nvas to be shown upon the Apostles ! IIow mucli more then does it 
 become us to insist that the ministers of the word should study 
 with j)ersevering industiy, and holy desire of knowledge, in order 
 to become capable of instructing others !” — Chemnitz. 
 
 IIOMIEETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The Lord needs witnesses of Ilis appearing ; lie chooses and 
 trains them. — The choice of the Apostles, a type of the election of 
 grace. — The choice of the Apostles preceded by solicitude, executed 
 with wisdom, justified by the results. — Important undertakings 
 must be prepared for with prayer. — Diversity and unity among 
 those first called to be witnesses to the Lord. — The grace of God, 
 how low it descends to seek its chosen ones, how highly it exalts 
 them ! — “ Diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit,” I Cor. xii. 4-6. 
 — Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you,” John xv. 16. 
 — AYe must first be disciples, to be able to give testimony as 
 apostles. — The ajiostolate and the modern office of preaching: 
 1. Pre-eminence, 2. equality. — The preacher of the Gospel no less 
 called than the Apostles to be its witness. — The word of the Lord, 
 Ye also shall bear witness” (John xv. 27), addressed to every 
 preacher of the Gospel. — It 1. defines the extent, 2. confirms the 
 dignity, 3. points out the conflict, 4. assures the power, and, 5. pre- 
 dicts the blessing, of his office. 
 
 Stavclze. — AYe should prefer the interests of the kingdom of God 
 to earthly peace and comfort. — Cramer: Teachers and preachers 
 should not take this office upon themselves, but wait till they are 
 sent by Christ, the Lord of the harvest. — Bihl. Wiirt. : AYe must 
 not form such an idea of the Church of Christ upon earth, as to 
 believe it entirely without hypocrites and ungodly men. — Arndt : 
 The names of the twelve Apostles: 1. Their choice; 2. we must not, 
 a. over-estimate their importance, h. still less fail to recognise their 
 unparalleled pre-eminence. Their pre-eminence in the Church 
 has been so recognised in all ages, that just as no one has, since our 
 Lord’s days, borne the name of Jesus, so no teacher, however im- 
 portant, no martyr or reformer, has ever ventured to appropriate 
 the name of apostle. Ambitious fanatics alone have, from time 
 to time (as the fanatics of AAfirtemberg in 1521), chosen twelve 
 apostles and seventy disciples from their followers ; but all such 
 sects have long fallen under the condemnation of history,” etc. (and 
 the Irvingites ?). — Borger : The apostolic catalogue. I. Considered 
 
CHAP. VI. 17-49. 
 
 197 
 
 historically : 1. What was the work of the Apostles'? 2. Who were 
 the men whom the Lord chose for this work'? 3. Why did He 
 choose exactly such men? II. Apologetically: 1. These Apostles 
 the best witnesses of the Lord ; 2. proofs of the divine origin of the 
 Gospel ; 3. even the traitor a witness to the truth. — Van Oosterzee: 
 The apostolic catalogue, I. A source of information : This cata- 
 logue fills, 1. a brilliant section in the history of humanity, 2. a 
 sublime section in thejiistory of Jesus, 3. a remarkable section in 
 the history of God’s government. II. A support for faith : It tes- 
 tifies, 1. to the truth, 2. to the sublimity, 3. to the divine origin, 
 4. to the imperishableness, of the Gospel. III. A rule of action : 
 It presents us with an image of, 1. the condition, 2. the destiny, 
 3. the privileges, of the Christian Church even in our own days. 
 
 (h.) The Sermon on the Mount (vers. 17-49). 
 
 (Parallel, Matt, v.-vii.) 
 
 17 And He came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company 
 of His disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, 
 and from the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear Him, and to be 
 healed of their diseases ; 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and 
 they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him : for there 
 went virtue out of Him, and healed them all. 20 And He lifted up His eyes on 
 His disciples, and said. Blessed be ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God. 
 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now ; for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that 
 weep now : for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and 
 when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and 
 cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23 Rejoice 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. 24 But woe unto you that are 
 rich ! for ye have received your consolation. 25 TVoe unto you that are full ! for 
 ye shall hunger. AVoe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and weep. 
 26 AVoe unto you when all men shall speak well of you ! for so did their fathers 
 to the false prophets. 27 But I say unto you which hear. Love your enemies, 
 do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for 
 them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the 
 one cheek, offer also the other ; and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not 
 to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him 
 that taketh away thy goods ask. them not again. 31 And as ye would that men 
 should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which 
 love you, what thank have ye ? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 
 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye ? for sin- 
 ners also do even the same. 34 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 much 
 again. 35 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 : 
 
198 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 for lie is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 3G Be ye therefore merci- 
 ful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged : 
 condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be forgiven : 
 
 38 (live, 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 shall be measured to you again. 
 
 39 And lie spake a parable unto them. Can the blind lead the blind? shall they 
 
 not both fall into the ditch ? 40 The disciple is not above his master : but 
 
 every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou 
 the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivftjt not the beam that is in 
 thine one eye ? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother. Brother, let me 
 
 pull out the mote that is in tlnne eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam 
 that is in thine own eye ? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine 
 own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy 
 brother’s eye. 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ; neither 
 doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his 
 own fruit : for of thorns men do not gather, figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather 
 they grapes. 45 A good man, out of the 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 the heart his mouth 
 speaketh. 4G And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I 
 say? 47 Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, and doeth them, 
 I will show you to whom he is like : 48 He is like a man which built an house, 
 and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock : and when the flood arose, 
 the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it ; for 
 it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a 
 man that, without a foundation, built an house upon the earth ; against which 
 the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell ; and the ruin of that 
 house was great. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 1. Tlie views of interpreters have always differed concerning 
 the question, whether the Sermon on the IMount were twice delivered 
 by our Lord, or whether, in ^fatt. v.-vii. and Luke vi., different 
 accounts are given of the same occurrence. We feel most inclined 
 to agree with those expositors who recognise the identity of the 
 sermons in Matthew and Luke. Their commencement, contents, 
 order, and conclusion, remarkably coincide. Both are followed by 
 the healing of the centurion’s servant at Capernaum ; and though 
 one is said to have been delivered on a mountain, the other on a 
 ToVo? TreStPo?, yet this discrepancy can be reconciled. If Jesus is 
 represented as sitting by Matthew (ch. v. 1), and as standing by 
 Luke (ch. vi. 17), the latter action may be regarded as taking 
 place some moments before the former, during which the sick were 
 still coming to Him for healing, and the people were seating them- 
 selves to hear Him. The Jewish teachers were accustomed to 
 
CHAP. VI. 17—49. 
 
 190 
 
 deliver tlieir instructions seated ; so tliat, even without Matthew’s 
 account, we should be obliged to complete that of St Luke by con- 
 cluding, that Jesus, at first standing, afterwards sat down to de- 
 liver this discourse. It is undeniable that the Lord may, on 
 various occasions, have repeated many of the proverb-like sentences 
 of this sermon ; but that He should, at two different periods of Ilis 
 life, have made use of the same commencement and conclusion of 
 a discourse, seems to us, for internal reasons, highly improbable. 
 Such a supposition is indeed conceivable, by accepting the view of 
 Lange, that the sermon in Matthew was immediately followed by that 
 in Luke, and that the first was esoteric in form, delivered on the top 
 of a mountain, and addressed to the disciples, the latter exoteric, 
 and delivered in a less elevated place, on the same day, and ad- 
 dressed to the people. (See his Leben Jesu ii., pp. 568-570.) 
 Nevertheless, even in this view, it is conceded that the two dis- 
 courses, as far as their fundamental ideas and real subject-matter 
 are concerned, are identical, differing only in form and adaptation.” 
 
 2. To the inquiries, wdien, where, before what audience, and 
 for what purpose, this discourse was delivered, w*e believe Luke 
 fmmishes the most accurate answers. The idea, that it was de- 
 livered before the call of Matthew, is utterly unfounded ; on the 
 contrary, it wms, as far as we know, the first continuous discourse 
 which IMatthew heard after his ovm call and the selection of the 
 twelve Apostles. A reason this for his introducing it so early in 
 liis Gospel ; though it is quite as evident, that he is here observing 
 no strict chronological order, as in his statement ch. iv. 23-25 
 which plainly belongs not to the commencement, but to the middle 
 of our Lord’s public ministry. Even the open opposition to 
 Pharisaism, and the frequent declaration of the ^lessianic dignity 
 of the Lord, seem to point to a latter period. Concerning the place, 
 see Lange on Matthewq p. 189; Josephus, de Bell. Jud. hi. 10, 8. 
 —Among the hearers, w^e have to distinguish between the smaller 
 circle of fia67]Ta[^ including the lately called Apostles, and the wider 
 one of the people who were listening with them, and wdio left the 
 mountain in holy astonishment (]\Iatt. vii. 28 ; Luke vii. 1). It is 
 easy to discern, from the contents of each sentence, to which part 
 of this numerous audience it was chiefly adeffessed. And with 
 respect to the purpose of the whole, Jesus, having now- gradually 
 gained so gTeat a concoimse of followers, and excited so much 
 attention, and having by parables wrought upon the expectations 
 of His hearers, would certainly feel constrained, at length, openly 
 
200 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 to declare Ills will. Hitherto, all Ilis agency had taken the form 
 of means, the end had not yet appeared. He had healed the sick, 
 raised the dead, spoken in enigmatical and figurative terms of a 
 ^acri\eia rov Oeou, which He had come to set up. The people had 
 listened ; and all had, with views more or less distinct, surrendered 
 themselves to the hope, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They 
 followed Him ; they were willing to take part in His kingdom : 
 could He then be any longer silent ? Must He not give to this con- 
 fused and vacillating mass the assurance, such and such is the con- 
 stitution of ]\Iy kingdom, this is its form, these are the right views 
 to entertain of it, these are My requirements ? ” (Ebrard.) 
 
 3. We must award the praise of the greater accuracy, in re- 
 porting the Sermon on the Mount, not (with Schneckenburger, 
 Olshausen, B. Bauer, and others), to Luke, but to Matthew. W e 
 believe that the more systematic arrangement of subjects does not 
 originate mth him, but with his Master. The idea, that both 
 Matthew and Luke here communicate only “ the substance of all 
 the teaching, and the subject-matter of all the sermons which He 
 delivered, during the whole course of His public ministry,” is too 
 arbitrary to be critically discussed. It is founded only on the 
 “ declarations which the pious Catharine Emmerich of Dulmen has 
 given out in her visions;” an authority which Protestants will 
 scarcely accept. 
 
 4. The question, why Luke has reported the Sermon on the 
 Mount so much less completely and formally than Matthew, may 
 be variously answered. — Perhaps the written documents, which 
 Luke consulted, contained only this short extract (Ebrard) ; or per- 
 haps oral tradition had preserved these instructions of our Lord 
 in more than one form (Meyer and others). But in no case must 
 we overlook the fact, that Luke’s aim is rather accuracy than com- 
 pleteness ; and that he may have passed over much, — e.g., the 
 reproofs of Pharisaism (Matt. v. 20-48), — which he considered 
 unnecessary, or even incomprehensible to Theophilus. Some con- 
 stituent parts of the Sernion on the Mount he communicates to us in 
 a different connection, which fact makes it very probable thcit Jesus 
 delivered them on various occasions ; wdiile, on the contrary, he inserts 
 in his shorter report certain isolated sentences of our Lord, which Mat- 
 thew perhaps gives in their more correct association (Stier even, in 
 remarking on Luke vi. 45, compared with Matt. xiii. 52, owns “ that 
 Luke is mistaken,” Words of the Lord Jesus, i. p. 340 (Clark’s Trans- 
 lation). The notion, that Luke’s report of the Sermon on the Mount, 
 
CHAP. VI. 17—49. 
 
 201 
 
 bears tlirougliout the characteristics of Ebionite doctrine, is entirely 
 without foundation. See Critical Notes. 
 
 5 . The peculiar characteristics of the Sermon on the Mount 
 are plainly discernible in Luke’s ^iccount also. 1. Independently 
 considered, its contents, as well as its form, are incomparably 
 beautiful. It is perhaps possible to find parallels to certain isolated 
 sentences in rabbinical, and even in heathen authors ; but, as a 
 whole, it is inimitable ; and the spirit, which runs through its 
 various parts and unites them, is utterly unattainable. 2. In its 
 historical connection, without being, strictly speaking, an inaugura- 
 tion sermon for the twelve Apostles, it was yet eminently calculated 
 for the exigencies of the moment. It was to draw the attention of 
 a larger number than hitherto to His person and work, and would 
 produce so much the greater impression, by its great divergence 
 from the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. 3. Finally, if we 
 consider it as well in its relation to the Old Testament as to the 
 chief contents of the Gospel, it is evident how the requirements 
 here insisted on are at the same time the expression of that 
 eternal spirit of the Mosaic law, from which even the Lord Him- 
 self could not release. Even in the beatitudes, the chief difference 
 between the law and the Gospel is unmistakeably discernible. The 
 doctrines of faith and grace, indeed, are not here announced in 
 so many words; and so far is the saying of Hase true, that ^Hhe 
 Sermon on the Mount is not so much Christianity in its complete- 
 ness, as Christianity on one side.” But, on the other hand, it must 
 be observed, that silence concerning doctrines, which the people 
 were as yet in no condition to hear, is by no means contradiction ; 
 that the doctrine of sin, and its misery, is here plainly laid down ; 
 that even in Luke’s version hints are not wan tin o; concernin^^ the 
 Lord’s person (vers. 22, 40, 4G) ; and that E. Stier might therefore 
 justly exclaim (Eeden Jesu i., p. 312) : O ye Eationalists, who like 
 so well the morality of the Sermon on the Mount, hearken also to 
 its doctrine !” — The Sermon on the Mount is the Magna Charta of 
 the kingdom of God, and places before the eyes of all the Lord’s 
 disciples those immutable principles on which the new life of faith 
 must be led. It is a practical commentary on the word of the 
 Baptist, ^latt. iii. 8. It is an unhealthy Christianity which stumbles 
 at the moral requirements of the Sermon on the Mount ; and a 
 superficial and onesided Christianity which will listen to none of 
 the truths of salvation, unless they are contained therein. 
 
 4. As the Sermon on the Mount in Luke is inferior in form to 
 
202 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tliat in Matthew, it is not possible to give so organic a division of 
 its contents. The following arrangement may, however, facilitate 
 their consideration. 
 
 1. The salutation of love (vgrs. 17-2G). 
 
 2. The requirements of love (vers. 27-38). 
 
 3. The constraint of love (vers. 39-49). 
 
 § 1. The Salutation of Love. (Yers. 17-26.) 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And lie came down with them^ etc. — Three circles of hearers 
 now surrounded our Lord, — the first, pointed out by the words /z-er’ 
 avTMv (the twelve lately chosen Apostles) ; the second, by the 6'^Xo^ 
 fiaOrjTcov ; and the third, mentioned as a TrXrjOo’; ttoXv tov Xaov, part 
 of whom came even from beyond the borders of the Holy Land. 
 Comp. Matt. iv. 23-25. 
 
 2. There went virtue out of Him. — Comp. Luke v. 17, viii. 46. 
 As the choice of the Apostles was immediately preceded by silent 
 prayer, so was the Sermon on the Mount by miraculous works of 
 mercy, which were, in their most extensive meaning, symbolical of 
 that kingdom of God, whose principles He was now about to unfold 
 to the world. By such means would the faith of the newly chosen 
 Apostles be strengthened, and the people prepared to be profitable 
 hearers. 
 
 3. Blessed he ye ^oor. — What a sweet, gentle, kind commence- 
 ment of His teaching and sermon ! He does not begin, like Moses 
 or any other lawgiver, with commands, threats, and terrors ; but in 
 the kindest way, with charms, attractions, and engaging promises.” 
 — (Luther.) The question, whether the original and most correct 
 form of the beatitudes is to be found in Matthew or Luke, seems 
 to us to be decided in favour of the former. Hence we shall be 
 justified in supplying the tw irvcviiaTi of Matthew, as a valid suhsi- 
 dium interpret ationis. It is as true that our Lord intended only 
 the spiritually poor, as that in His days these were for the most 
 part to be found among the poor of this world; comp. Jas. ii. 5. 
 Luke no more attributes any advantage to a state of external 
 poverty, considered in itself, in this place, than he does in ch. xii. 
 or xvi. Such an Ebionite tendency is totally irreconcilable with 
 the catholic and Pauline character of his Gospel. Comp. Lange on 
 Matthew, p. 194; and, on the internal connection of the various 
 beatitudes, see Kienlen, Stud, und Kritik. 1848, ii. 
 
CHAP. VI. 17—26. 
 
 203 
 
 5. Ye that hunger now — ye that rveep now. — Here, again, only tliose 
 experiencing spiritual hunger, and sorrow for sin, and the suffering 
 arising from such sorrow, are to be understood. As such alone would 
 come with hearty desires for relief to the kingdom of God, this king- 
 dom could in truth come to them alone. The satisfaction and com- 
 fort they would find, would not arise only from the word of the 
 kingdom of heaven, which would fully supply all their spiritual 
 needs ; but chiefly from the new and spiritual life, which was to be 
 bestowed upon them by communion with the King Himself. 
 
 6. Blessed — when men shall hate yon, etc. — Comp. Matt. v. 11, 
 12. There is a remarkable climax in the descriptioij of this hatred in 
 Luke. First, and as the cause of all that follows, orav fiio-^acocrtv ; 
 then, the separating of those so hated from general and particular 
 intimacy (prav d(f)opLaco(TLv); afterwards, besides this negative perse- 
 cution, the positive and more malicious oveihlawaLv) ; and at 
 length, the formal exclusion from the synagogue (yeaX iK^dXwatv) ; 
 comp. John ix. 34, xvi. 2 ; — and all this, not from mere personal 
 offence, but as a systematic opposition to those principles of faith 
 which they desired to exterminate. — And cast out your name as evil : 
 The name which they bore as disciples of Jesus. But that which 
 alone can make such sufferings the ground of a beatitude, is the 
 subjoined ^^for the Son of mans sahe.^^ Not all reproach, but the 
 reproach of Christ, is a reason for joy and boasting. Comp. Acts 
 V. 41 ; Heb. xi. 26. 
 
 7. Rejoice, etc., — comp. Acts xvi. 25 ; Kom. v. 3, viii. 35-39, — 
 your reward is great in heaven. — “ Deus est debitor noster, non ex 
 congruo, sed ex promisso.” — Augustine. An indirect limit is at the 
 same time given, that they must not expect much reward upon 
 earth for their faithfulness. It is specially remarkable, how our 
 Lord already ranks his newly called Apostles with the prophets of 
 the Old Testament, and evidences the most sublime consciousness 
 of His own personal dignity, by requiring them to be ready to suf- 
 fer shame for His name. Such indications should not be over- 
 looked by those who are considering the doctrine of the synoptical 
 Gospels. For the rest, we need hardly observe, how exactly the idea, 
 that they had to suffer in such society, and surrounded by such a 
 V6(j)o^ paprvpcov, was calculated to strengthen the faith and courage 
 of these witnesses of the Lord. 
 
 8. But woe unto you, etc. — The force of these woes, which are 
 met with in Luke alone, is to be understood according to the above 
 remarks. If the Lord had found the poor in spirit among those 
 
204 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 who were ncli in this world’s goods, lie would not the less have pro- 
 nounced them blessed. The wealtliy Chuza, with his wife, and the 
 family of Bethany, certainly never for a moment drev/ down this 
 woe upon themselves. But while even a Nicodemus came to Jesus 
 by night, while the young man who had great possessions went away 
 sorrowful, and while there were such numberless proofs of the 
 truth of the saying. Matt. xix. 23, 24 — it was no wonder that a 
 fearful woe should l)e pronounced upon the rich, who were for the 
 most part self-satisfied and proud ; gluttons, who would let a pious 
 Lazarus suffer hunger at their doors ; and unjust, who would keep 
 back by fraud tlie wages of their \vorkmen (Luke xvi. 20; Jas. 
 V. 4). These threats, then, are directed against a moral degene- 
 racy, which, however, was at that time chiefly to be found among 
 the rich and distinguished. A poor man who, on account of his 
 poverty alone, should lay claim to the kingdom of heaven, would, 
 through his pride, be no longer one of the hungiy,” but of the 
 spiritually full, who would be sent empty aw^ay. Comp. Luke i. 53; 
 Rev. hi. 17; and in the Old Testament, Isa. Ixv. 13, 14; Ilosea 
 xii. 9. — Ye have received your consolation^ i. e., something tem- 
 poral” (De Wette); comp. Matt vi. 2; Luke xvi. 25. The retribu- 
 tion, which, in the first of these woes, is described only as a depri- 
 vation of the expected consolation, is, in those following {jreivdaeT6y 
 'irevOqcreTe, teal KXavaere), represented as a positive experience of 
 hunger, mourning, and sadness. 
 
 9. Woe unto you ivhen all men shall speah well of you . — Is this 
 woe addressed to unbelievers, like the three preceding, or to the 
 disciples, in contrast to the beatitudes in vers. 22. 23 ? (De Wette, 
 Kuinoel). The symmetry of the passage undoubtedly demands the 
 former interpretation. They who receive the world’s praises are 
 compared by the Lord to the 'yjrevSoirpocpfjraL ; but discijdes who 
 could so far forget themselves as to strive after the praise of all 
 men, could really be no disciples at all. It is in ver. 27 that the 
 Lord first directly addresses the larger circle of His auditors. It is, 
 however, self-evident that the rules here laid down are easily ap- 
 plicable to Ilis first disciples, and to all His subsequent witnesses. 
 
 For the rest, we have no foundation for attributing the four 
 woes in Luke to the more modern creation of later tradition” 
 (Meyer), and denying that they were uttered by the Lord Himself. 
 If, however, any difficulty be felt in allowing that He pronounced 
 them immediately after the seven beatitudes in Matthew, there is 
 nothing against the supposition that they were first spoken on some 
 
CTTAP. VI. 17-26. 
 
 205 
 
 Ollier occasion ; and that it was Luke himself who (very aptly) in- 
 serted them, in his abridged edition of the Sermon on the Mount. 
 Herder’s beautiful sermon on all the beatitudes, in his collected 
 works on Eeligion and Theology, vol. ix., pp. 189-202, may be ad- 
 vantageously consulted. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. There are moments in our Lord’s public ministry in which 
 lie does, if possible, more than usual to lay the foundation, and 
 promote the coming, of His kingdom in Israel. The period which 
 we have now approached, belongs to one of those culminating 
 points of light. The call of the twelve Apostles was, in the fullest 
 sense, a decisive step towards the attainment of this end. At the 
 same time, a rich abundance of miracles increases the general en- 
 thusiasm. An incomparable sermon elevates and strengthens the 
 impression. Before the delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, the 
 fame of His words and deeds had extended to a wide circle, and 
 this circle would now be considerably enlarged. Thus a work of 
 love, which might have been spread over many days, is concentrated 
 into a few hours. It is the time of preparation for a great and im- 
 portant decision. It was Israel’s guilt and shame, that such a Kaipov 
 T /79 iiTiaKoiri]^ was not recognised. 
 
 2. An internal connection exists between the choice of the 
 Apostles and the Sermon on the Mount. Now that the King’s 
 heralds are posted, the Magna Charta of the kingdom is jDublished. 
 All that the newly called Apostles hear, is calculated to fan the flame 
 of holy fire upon the altar of their hearts, and at the same time to 
 extinguish the false kindlings of carnal expectations. 
 
 3. The beatitudes, even in the imperfect form in which they are 
 given by Luke, present us with a mirror of the kingdom of heaven. 
 The first and last beatitudes in the Gospel history (Luke i. 45 ; J ohn 
 XX. 29) coincide in declaring the blessedness of those who have not 
 seen and yet have believed ; those of the Sermon on the Mount lie 
 midway between these two. They manifest to us the glory of the 
 King of the heavenly kingdom, as the Christ, the consoler of suf- 
 fering and mourning humanity (comp. ch. iv. 18, 19). They 
 show us the true aim of this kingdom, in its supreme adaptation to 
 all the spiritual necessities of man. They draw the portrait of its 
 citizens, and foretell the lot that awaits them. They promise the 
 best blessings of the kingdom, full satisfaction, joy, and peace, to 
 all who are longing for salvation ; and even give us, as in a prophetic 
 
20G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 sketch, a glimpse into the future history of this kingdom of God. 
 Thus, even the beginning of tlie Sermon on the Mount may, like 
 tlie sayings in the synagogue of Nazareth, be looked upon as a short 
 epitome of all Gospel })reaching. 
 
 4. The four woes which, in Luke, follow the beatitudes, are no 
 more unworthy of the Lord than was the fact, that in the O. T. 
 IMount Ebal stood opposite Mount Gerizim, and that, in St Matthew’s 
 Gospel, ch. xxiii., eight woes are opposed to the eight blessings of 
 the Sermon on the Mount. lie might here have repeated what 
 Moses said in his last address, Nuin. xxx. 18, 19. There is, in 
 this respect, a remarkable coincidence between the beginning and 
 the close of the Sermon on the Mount, which ends also with a decla- 
 ration of a blessing and a curse, though under the form of a parable. 
 This blessing and this curse may also be regarded as symbolical of 
 that which will one day be repeated in a higher sense. Compare 
 Matt. XXV. 34-40. It is the audible echo of the and the 
 
 T 
 
 of the prophets (comp. Jer. xvii. 5-8), with this difference, 
 that here the yaampto? precedes the oval, in true evangelical fashion. 
 
 IIOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The Ruler of the kingdom of heaven, standing for the first time in 
 the midst of His future ambassadors. — Christ the Physician of soul 
 and body. — Power in word and deed. — The Lord’s gracious look upon 
 weak but sincere disciples. — The beatitudes of the New Testament, 
 1. in their loveliness, 2. in their holy earnestness. — Blessing and curs- 
 ing ; life and death. — The common character of the beatitudes, 1. as 
 enigmatical sayings, 2. as true sayings, 3. as consoling and life-giving 
 sayings. — The mount of beatitudes, and the mount of the delivery of 
 the law: 1. How they oppose, 2. how they qualify, each other. — The 
 first beatitude on earth, the last in heaven. Rev. xxii. 14. — God hath 
 chosen the foolish things of the world, 1 Cor. i. 26-31. — The beati- 
 tudes, a description, 1. of the character, 2. of the blessings, of the citi- 
 zens of heaven: (1.) They are, a. poor, b. hungry, c. weeping, d. hated 
 of men: (2.) Their blessings are, a. riches, h. full satisfaction, c. joy, 
 d, they are the children of the prophets. — The similar reception of 
 the prophets of the Old, and the Apostles of the New Testament, 
 by an unbelieving world : 1. The certainty, 2. the reason, 3. the sig- 
 nificance, of this similarity in all succeeding ages. — The Ruler of 
 the kingdom of heaven, 1. the friend of the poor, 2. the bread of 
 the hungry, 3. the joy of the mourner, 4. the judge of the oppressed. 
 — A woe even in the day of grace. — Self-righteousness and unright- 
 
CHAP. VI. 17—26. 
 
 207 
 
 eousness, tlie two liindrauces to entering the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 — Difference between what seems, and what is, in those who are 
 called into the kingdom of heaven : 1. The unfortunate are often 
 the least to be pitied ; 2. the envied are often farthest off from sal- 
 vation. — The kingdom of heaven, 1. the possession of the poor, 
 
 2. of all the poor, 3. of the poor alone. — It is blessed, 1. to 
 need consolation, 2. to receive consolation, 3. to enjoy consolation. 
 — The alternation of joy and sorrow in the life of the Lord's dis- 
 ciples : 1. Yv'orldly joy is exchanged for sorrow for sin ; 2. sorrow 
 for sin is exchanged for joy in Clmst. — 1. Xo disciple of Christ is 
 without the hatred of the world; 2. none have the hatred of the 
 world without rich compensation ; 3. no compensation vdthout sted- 
 fast fidelity. — The great reward in heaven : 1. Whom it was once 
 bestowed on, and why ; 2. whom it is still prepared for, and how. 
 — How the self-righteous are opposed to Christ, and Christ to the 
 self-righteous, comp. Luke i. 53. — The hunger of the full, 1. a pain- 
 ful, 2. a self-incmTed, 3. an endless hunger. — The universal appro- 
 bation of the world, a stain upon the Lord’s disciples, since it brings 
 upon them the suspicion of, 1. unfaithfulness, 2. want of principle, 
 
 3. and subserviency. — False prophets may always depend upon 
 public approbation. 
 
 Starcke . — Jesus has a different office from Moses. — The love of 
 riches and the love of God can never be united in one heart. — He 
 is rich enough who is possessed of heavenly riches. — Quesnel: Tears 
 belong to time, true joy to eternity. — He who bears the cross of 
 Christ unwillingly, does not know its value. — 0 dander : The un- 
 godly rich have their heaven on earth, and after this life hell is 
 their portion. — We ought to strive after a good Chnstian reputa- 
 tion, but not to seek to please all by flattering any against our con- 
 science, Gal. i. 10. — Many men might come to repentance if flattery 
 did not, as it were, bar the way against them, Jer. xxiii. 15—22. 
 
 Martin (Vhomme de desir, 1790): Voulez-vous qiie votre esprit 
 soit dans la joye ? Fakes que votre dme soit dans la tristesse — 
 Kern : The burdens and dignity, the sufferings and joys, of a true 
 Christian. 
 
 The Sermon on the Mount has been ver}’ originally treated by 
 Dr C. Harms, in twenty-one sermons (Kiel 1841). The following 
 are specimens of the subjects : — The first beatitude, 1. opens the 
 door of the kingdom of heaven to let us look in ; 2. bids us pause 
 and ask. Are we within ? 3. it is a call to us to enter ; and, 4. is a 
 word of encouragement to those who have entered to remain. — The 
 
208 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 second : 1. The zc/<o, 2. tlie wlien^ and the how. — The third : Let us 
 consider, 1. righteousness, 2. longing after it, 3. the promise made 
 to this longing. 
 
 §2. The Requirements of Love. (Veiis. 27-38.) 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. You which hear. — Antithesis to ver. 2G. ^.feyer well para- 
 phrases this, Yet though I thus pronounce woes against them, I 
 command you not to hate but to love your enemies.” As the Lord 
 had (ver. 26) declared what reception Christians would experi- 
 ence from their enemies, lie here (vers. 27—38) teaches them the 
 manner in which they are to return this reception. Comp. Matt. 
 V. 38-48, vii. 12. The same precepts are here positively incul- 
 cated which are specified in Matthew, in contrast to the eppeOrj rot? 
 ap'^aloi^. 
 
 2. ^AyairaTe, k.t .\. — The admonition to love our enemies is 
 liere laid down in its most complete form. The four parts of which 
 it consists, here succeed each other according to their natural order ; 
 while in Matt. v. 44, the second and third seem mutually displaced 
 (Tischendorf). On the subject itself, comp. Lange on Matt., p. 
 231. Although it cannot be denied that the love of one’s enemies 
 is, in a certain sense, required by Jewish, and even by heathen 
 moralists, yet the idea of requiting deeds of malice by pious in- 
 tercession could only have originated in Ilis heart, who Himself 
 ^Lnade intercession for the transgressors.” Well might the con- 
 sideration of these sentences extract from a pious man of old the 
 exclamation, Either these are not Thy precepts, or we are not 
 Christians.” 
 
 3. And unto him that smitetJi thee on the one cheek. — The sense 
 
 and application of these and similar precepts would present no dif- 
 ficultjq if we would only observe the simple rule, The moral pre- 
 cepts of Christ, and His explanations of the Old Testament, must 
 themselves be expounded in the spirit of Christ” (Tholuch, Sermon 
 on the [Mount, p. 163). It may here be remarked, that the 
 
 more civil life is regulated and hallowed by the precepts of Christ, 
 the less possible \vould it continually become that any one should 
 unlawfully strike his neighbour, take his cloak, or compel him to 
 go a mile with him. Secondly, that the Lord’s aim here is not to 
 lay down definite rules, but to inculcate certain principles. Augus- 
 tine, in speaking on this passage, well remarks, “ ista prcecepta magis 
 
CHAP. VI. 27—38. 
 
 209 
 
 ad prceparationem cordis, quoe intus est, pertinere, quam ad opus, quod 
 in aperto Jit, ut teneatur in secreto animi patientia et henevolentia, in 
 manifesto autem id fiat, quod Us videtur prodesse, quihus hene velle 
 dehemus^ On the views entertained by the early Christians con- 
 cerning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of engaging in military ser- 
 vice, important notices may be found in Neanders Denlcwurdigkeiten. 
 Finally, when we remember that this precept was given at a time 
 when persecution was near at hand, and consider the violence which 
 a literal observance of vers. 29 and 30 would do to the immutable 
 and fundamental principle laid down in ver. 31, we obtain a clue to 
 the right manner of interpretmg the injunction. AYe are not even 
 obliged to suppose (with Ewald) that the sentence, Of him that 
 taketh away thy goods, ask them not again,” could scarcely be 
 genuine, since it carries toleration to excess, for it requires nothing 
 more than what immediately precedes it. Bengel more justly ob- 
 serves, nimis hie cumulatce sunt ingenii humani exceptionesT 
 
 4. And as ye would, etc. — This precept, more generally expressed 
 in Matthew, is here more closely united with the duty of loving 
 one’s enemies. Theophylact calls it voyov eyepuTov ev rat? Kaphlai^ 
 ^ycov yeypayyivov. The Lord here furnishes His disciples with a 
 touchstone, to try whether their behaviour to their neighbours and 
 enemies is in accordance with their duties. This maxim has more 
 the nature of a test of morals than a principle, since it points only 
 to the external action. Neither is it new (comp. Ecclesiasticus xxx. 
 15, and the passages quoted by Tholuck, p. 488, etc.). It may be 
 abused by egotism, and perversely interpreted by scoffers, unless 
 considered and applied in connection with the whole spirit of 
 Christianity. Yet, where it is fairly interpreted, it will be a plain, 
 simple, universally applicable rule of life, specially adapted to the 
 purpose for which our Lord gave it. Special emphasis should be 
 laid on the word Ka6a)<;. Lange well remarks, “ Not what people 
 would have us do, but what we would have them do to us, is to be 
 our rule of action.” To which we would add, that this scale of 
 measurement is not entrusted to the hands of the natm’al man, but 
 to those of Christ’s disciples. 
 
 5. What thank. — Qualis vohis gratia, ut qui uherius quidam, 
 mercede dignum, preestiterisJ^ — Bengel. It is self-e\ddent that divine, 
 and not human recompense, is to be understood. Comp. Matt. v. 
 46, 47. 
 
 6. For sinners also. — Here, and in verses 33, 34, always dyap- 
 tcoXol; in Matthew, reXwpac kol iOvLKol (see Tischendorf on Matt. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 14 
 
210 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 V. 47). From Luke’s catliolic point of view, the ethic would be 
 more striking than the heathen contrast. The meaning, hov/ever, 
 remains tlie same ; the Lord desires to raise His disciples above the 
 commonplace morality of the natural man. Comp. A. Vinet’s 
 beautiful essay, U extraordinarie^ in his Nouveaux discours sur 
 quelques sujets relujieux^ pp. 146-184. 
 
 7. And if ye lend, etc. — To lend with the hope of receiving 
 again, is human ; without this hope, it is Christian. Yet how many 
 found their right to the name of Christians upon scarcely anything 
 else than upon good offices so limited and egotistical, that heathens 
 and Jews equal, and even surpass them. 
 
 8. IIoq)ing for nothing again, — It is evident that our Lord here 
 forbids only the hope of human recompense, having previously 
 (ver. 23) sanctioned the hope of a heavenly reward, which lie again 
 encourages in the words, And your reward shall he great A 
 
 9. And ye shall he the children of the Highest. — We find no 
 reason for limiting this privilege (with Meyer) to the future life. 
 On the contrary, the Pauline doctrine of the vloOecria of believers, 
 even during their present life, seems to us to have its roots in this, 
 and similar sayings of Jesus. If moral relationship to God he 
 manifested here, why should its reward be unenjoyed till hereafter? 
 
 10. Be ye therefore merciful. — In Matt. reXeiot, here olKTLp/JLove<;, 
 explicative ; for only in His moral attributes can God he the Ideal 
 of imitation, and of these His love is the centre. The connection 
 of ideas is evident, even without the ovv, whose authority is 
 questionable. 
 
 11. Judge not. — Comp. Matt. vii. 1. Kplveiv here is not the 
 same as KaraKplveiv (Olshausen) ; otherwise this would be a tauto- 
 logy with the immediately following KaraBiKa^ere, k.t.X. But 
 what is here to he understood by judging, is observing the faults of 
 others Avith an eye sharpened by mistrust, instead of softened by love 
 and self-knowledge. It is the not ^^judging righteous judgment,” 
 John vii. 24. Certainly the right of judging, considered in itself, 
 cannot be denied to the spiritual man, of Avhom the Scripture says, 
 that ^Gie judgeth all things” (avaKplvei), 1 Cor. ii. 15 ; yet it is not 
 conceded to him by the Lord, till he has first cast a searching glance 
 upon himself. Luke promises as a result, that escaping of judg- 
 ment which Matthew Avarns us to seek” (De Wette). — Forgive, 
 etc. For a practical commentary on these Avords, see Matt, xviii. 
 23-35. 
 
 12. Good measure, pressed doivn, and shaken together, and run- 
 
CHAP. VI. 27—38. 
 
 211 
 
 ning over . — The distinction of Bengel into aridisj mollihus, liquidis, 
 is more insenious than true. At least, it is undeniable that all the 
 terms here used are applicable to a measure for dry goods. The 
 climax graphically expresses the abundance of the heavenly recom- 
 pense. As the Lord by no means says whom He will make use of 
 to bestow such a reward upon His disciples, we cannot be obliged 
 to limit its reception exclusively to the world to come, nor to regard 
 the angels as its sole disbm’sers. The disciples of Christ may, at 
 least occasionally, expect overflowing compensation for their labours 
 of love, even in this world. — With the same measure. As Theophy- 
 lact well remarks, tw avrwj ov fiev toctovtw. 
 
 DOCTEINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The high value of the moral precepts here given, must fully 
 strike us, when we consider that the Lord Himself perfectly ob- 
 served them during the whole course of His life ; so that they con- 
 tain not merely the expression of His will, but the very image of 
 His own heart and life. An arbitrary application of these rules is 
 also best avoided, by comparing them with our Lord’s own conduct. 
 Compare, e.g.^ John xviii. 21, 22. 
 
 2. The fmidamental requirements of Gospel obedience, to love 
 God supremely, and oui’ neighbour as ourselves, must act as prin- 
 ciples and correctives in our fulfilment of the precepts given, vers. 
 29 and 30. It is self-evident that unspiritual obedience, ad liter am^ 
 would often cause us to offend God, and to confirm our neighbour 
 in acts of injustice. To give to every one that asketh, might be as 
 harmful as to put a sword or poison into the hands of a madman, 
 who should be importunate for them. The Lord, too, would have 
 offended against His own precept, when He at first suffered the 
 Canaanitish woman to entreat Him in vain, and forbade the man 
 out of whom He had cast devils to accompany Him, though he 
 besought Him that he might be with Him.” Our understanding, 
 enlightened by the Spirit of Christ, and our moral feeling, guarded 
 by a tender conscience, must and can decide, in certain cases, 
 whether love does not enjoin us to act in direct opposition to the 
 letter of these commands, in order to obey their spirit. 
 
 3. The fact, that the commandment to love our enemies, is espe- 
 cially a Christian commandment, must neither be exaggerated, nor 
 cast into the shade. The first takes place when we overlook the 
 excellent directions, which even heathen philosophers have given, in 
 this respect ; the second, when we forget that the reason, motive, 
 
212 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 form, measure, and ideal of tliis love, entirely differ from the 
 Christian and heathen points of view. 
 
 4. The whole of this section of the Sermon on the Mount is im- 
 portant, as furnishing an answer to the question. How far the Lord 
 required an entirely love (amour pur, in Fenelon’s sense), and 
 whether lie encouraged a regard to the recompense promised to 
 obedience. That He never laid down the desire of reward as a 
 principle of action, needs as little to he proved, as that genuine 
 Christian virtue seeks its reward within, and not without. On the 
 other hand, however, it appears that He used the hope of reward as 
 a stimulus, and as a counterpoise to much which was calculated to 
 repress the zeal and obedience of His disciples. The question. Matt, 
 xix. 27, though put from a legal point of view, was not in itself 
 opposed to the spirit of Christianity. 
 
 5. The surpassing excellence of Christian morality becomes 
 very conspicuous, on comparing its chief requirement — viz., that we 
 should resemble God in His love — with the chief requirements of 
 heathen moralists. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The love of our enemies is, 1. a human virtue, 2. a Christian 
 virtue, 3. a divine virtue. — The love of our enemies : 1. Its difficult 
 struggle; 2. its happy victory; 3. its glorious reward. — The revenge 
 of love: 1. Its ardour; 2. its loveliness. — The invincible power of 
 voluntary inoffensiveness. — Better to suffer injustice, than to do in- 
 justice. — The relation between lawful self-love, and the Christian 
 love of our neighbours. — What is usual in human life, and what is 
 extraordinary in Christian life. — They who only do what is usual, 
 need expect no unusual reward. — The mutual love of sinners and 
 nominal Christians compared : 1. The first is often greater than the 
 latter; 2. the two are often equal; 3. the latter ought always to be 
 superior to the former. — Christians, followers of God, as dear chil- 
 dren, Eph. V. 1. — Christ’s disciples must become what God is. — 
 The prospect of recompense in the sphere of Christian morals : 1. 
 IIow far its influence is lawful, 2. how far it is unlawful. — All are 
 unthankful and evil, in comparison with the kindness of God. — The 
 judgment of pride, and the judgment of love. — The righteous also 
 receive a reward on earth. — The Lord’s disciple, subject to a three- 
 fold judgment: 1. that of his neighbour, 2. that of his conscience, 
 3. that of the Lord. Comp. 1 Cor. iv. 4. — The justice of God ob- 
 serves a due measure, but His love is immeasurably great. — It 
 
CHAP. VI. 27-38. 
 
 213 
 
 gIveSj for a farthing, more than ten thousand pounds ; for a groat, 
 more than a hundred thousand bushels ; for one drop of consola- 
 tion to my neighbour, streams of refreshment ; for a forgotten tear 
 from love to Jesus, a whole sea of blessedness ; for the light afflic- 
 tions of a moment, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory.” Brastberger. — Starcke: Be silent, ye scorners, who say 
 that the Gospel teaches nothing of friendship ; He who commands 
 us to love om’ enemies, presupposes that our true friends are to be 
 loved much more. — Hedinger : Love suffereth long, rejoiceth not 
 in iniquity, beareth all things, endureth all things, 1 Cor. xiii. — 
 Wlien injustice is done, we must give place unto the wrath of God, 
 Bom. xii. 19. — A Christian heart is easily entreated, and willingly 
 ministers to the necessity of saints. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : Better to 
 lose life, property, and all things, than that our souls should 
 suffer loss, Matt. xvi. 26. — To love our enemies, and to do them 
 good, the art and test of a Christian. — Osiander : A man of honour 
 seeks only the things which are his own ; a Christian, the things 
 which are Jesus Christ’s. — A bought or bartered love is not a 
 love rewarded of God. — Cramer : The children of God act like 
 their Father, and do not let the ingratitude of men hinder them 
 from doing them good. (Nulla re sic colitur Deus, ut misericordia. 
 Gregor. Nazianz.) — Hedinger : Murmur not when you are repaid 
 in your own coin. — Why dost thou concern thyself with others % 
 Consider thyself. Gal. vi. 1. — It should not seem difflcult to Love, 
 to bestow what Divine Truth promises to repay, Prov. xix. 17. — A 
 Christian loses nothing, and gains much, by liberality, 2 Cor. viii. 10 ; 
 Acts XX. 35. — The way to grow rich, is to be beneficent and liberal, 
 not penurious and niggardly. — The right of retaliation is in accord- 
 ance with the justice of God, and never fails. Therefore be warned, 
 whoever thou art: Judges i. 5; 1 Kings xxi. 19-24; comp. 1 Kings 
 xxii. 38, 39. — Uhlier : The Christian view of human faults: 1. 
 Strict towards itself, 2. mild towards others. — AM f eld, on ver. 36 : 
 1. The source whence mercy originates; 2. the fields on which it brings 
 forth fruit; 3. the obstacles against which it strives. — UMe : How 
 we are wont to act with respect, 1. to our neighbour’s faults, 2. to 
 the injustice done him, 3. to his known necessities. — Rautenherg : 
 The divine mercy, 1. the pattern, 2. the reason, 3. the reward, of 
 our mercy. — Burk: The inclination to mercy: 1. Who gives it? 2. 
 how is it exercised? 3. who rewards it? — Van Oosterzee: What do 
 ye more than others ? The Christian called upon to distinguish him- 
 self : this is a demand, of which, 1. the contents are comprehen- 
 
214 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 sivc, 2. tlic prominence just, 3. the remembrance needful. Ad. 
 
 1. The Lord requires that Tlis disciples should be more sincere, 
 more unselfish, more persevering in good, than others. Ad. 2. The 
 Christian must be distinguished above others : he can be, and he 
 really is, as history shows. Ad. 3. By this remembrance, humility, 
 faith, and heavenly desire are awakened. 
 
 § 3. The Constraint of Love. (Vers. 39--49.) 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And lie spake, etc. — This, and similar transitions, show how 
 slight is the thread by which the various component parts of the 
 Sermon on the Mount are held together in Luke’s version. On 
 the explanation of the irapajdoXrj, see Lange on Matthew xiii., and 
 the remarks on ch. viii. The parabolic proverb, here introduced, 
 seems, according to Matthew’s more accurate report, to have been 
 spoken on another occasion, and not to have originally formed part 
 of the Sermon on the Mount, though it is very possible that the Lord 
 may have uttered such short proverbial dicta on several occasions. 
 
 2. Can the hlind, etc. — If we desire, nevertheless, to trace some 
 kind of connection between these four successive parables and what 
 precedes them, we may well suppose that the disciples, after lis- 
 tening to these sayings of their Lord, might be thinking in their 
 hearts. It is no easy matter to be a Christian. They were called to 
 show to others, by their preaching and living, the way which the 
 Lord had shown to them ; it was therefore necessary, above all 
 things, that they should suffer the true light to penetrate them, and 
 be themselves built upon the only true foundation. It is for this 
 purpose that the Lord thus exhorts them.” (Besser.) 
 
 3. Tv(j)\6 <;. — He who is himself blind to the light of truth, can- 
 not act as a leader of others ; he will but draw them after him, into 
 that ruin which reaches its fearful climax in hell. This was ren- 
 dered very apparent by the example of the Pharisees (comp. Matt. 
 XV. 14), which might well instruct the disciples what kind of leaders 
 they ought not to be. Though all men are, by nature, spiritually 
 blind, yet the judgment pronounced is perfectly just, since the 
 blindness of these leaders of the blind, who had the opportunity of 
 seeing the light of the Lord, was a self-chosen darkness. 
 
 4. OvK earcv paOrjrri^. — If Luke’s version of the Sermon on the 
 Mount consists partly of a collection of various sayings of our Lord, 
 apart from their original historical connection, it is superfluous to 
 
CHAP. VI. S9-49. 
 
 215 
 
 seek for any between this and the foregoing sentence. Ver. 40 
 may, however, serve to illustrate the truth and justice of the judg- 
 ment pronounced in ver. 39, and may be thus paraphrased : It is 
 only when the disciple surpasses his master that he can hope to be 
 preserved from falling into the ditch, into which his blind leader 
 falls. Since, however, the disciple does not usually surpass his 
 master, he has the same danger to fear. The rule is, that the 
 disciple is as his master. It must not pass unobserved, that this is 
 also an indirect hint to the twelve to imitate, in all things, the cha- 
 racter of their new Master. 
 
 5. And why beholdest thou ; comp. Matt. vii. 3. — Not merely a 
 climax to the preceding sentences (Gerlach), but a du'ection how to 
 avoid the way and escape the fate of the blind leaders. Self-know- 
 ledge and self-improvement are required of the disciples of the Lord 
 before they judge of the faults of others, and offer to become their 
 leaders. 
 
 6. Kdp(j)o ^» — That He may the more urgently warn us. He 
 sets a rough parable before us, and pronounces this judgment, that 
 every one who condemns his neighbour has a great beam in his eye, 
 while he who is condemned has only a small mote ; so that he is 
 tenfold more worthy of judgment and condemnation, because he 
 condemns others” (Luther). For the rest, moral evils seem to be 
 here spoken of, as well as errors of judgment, which the Lord com- 
 pares relatively to a small mote. The Sokols can then be nothing 
 else than the foolish imagination of one’s own superiority to the 
 erring brother ; hence the man with the BoK6<i is soon after desig- 
 nated viTOKpiTdy because he represents himself as free from error. 
 
 7. Aia^Xe^^rei ^;. — The compound is perhaps chosen QHntente acie 
 spectahis,” Meyer) to express the difficulty and delicacy of the 
 operation. How much it behoves each first to look to himself, 
 appears from the parable which follows. 
 
 8. Ov <ydp . — This parabolical saying is intimately connected 
 with the preceding : If thou canst not see the beam in thine own 
 eye, thou art like a corrupt tree, which cannot bring forth good 
 fruit.” So Bengel : Qui sua trabe laborans alienam festucam petitj 
 est similis arbori malce bonum frucUim affectanti^ This test, how- 
 ever, standing as it does near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, 
 may also refer to all the preceding commands, the fulfilment of which 
 depends on the state of the heart. 
 
 9. A good tree bringeth not forth, etc. Comp. Matt. vii. 15-20, 
 and Lange in loco, — The fruits here intended can be no other than 
 
216 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 good works. We cannot believe that our Lord was primarily 
 alluding to erroneous teachers in the Christian Church, though the 
 words may apply to them also : it is not the behaviour, but the 
 doctrine, of such that is proposed as a test, 1 John iv. 2. Those 
 seducers of the people who, so soon after Christ’s appearance, misled 
 the unhappy Jews, only too well confirmed the truth of this saying. 
 They attracted multitudes of followers by their brilliant promises ; 
 but their conduct was so entirely opposed to all principles of religion 
 and good government, that they soon forfeited all claim to confi- 
 dence. The credulous crowds who had given credence to their 
 words, learned, too late, what corrupt fruit was borne by these pro- 
 mising trees. 
 
 10. The good many etc. Comp. Matt. xii. 35. — Probably not 
 originally belonging to the Sermon on the Mount, but introduced 
 by Luke apart from its historical connection. The Lord does not, 
 in these words, recognise any man as good, in the Pelagian sense 
 of the word ; but speaks of the sinner made “ good” by grace. lie 
 mentions both the good and the evil man, as usually recognised by 
 their external conduct, without denying that the good man may 
 have his infirmities, and the bad his bright side. The heart of the 
 one and of the other, is the treasury (Oriaavpoi) whence is continu- 
 ally brought forth that of which an abundance” is hidden within. 
 — For of the abundance of the heart ; comp. Ps. xxxvi. 2. 
 
 11. A7id why call ye Me, etc. — The same dictum is more fully 
 given by Matthew, ch. vii. 21, with reference to the merely exter- 
 nal righteousness of the Pharisees. It is, however, also applicable 
 to the disciples of the Lord, in whose hearts are still found the 
 remains of the old leaven. Only the grossest misunderstanding of 
 the ov 7ra9 6 Xey. of Matthew could possibly find in it a reason for 
 supposing that a public confession of the Lord is a matter of indif- 
 ference (Kant) ; comp. Matt. x. 32, 33. In the connection in which 
 this saying stands in Luke, it forms a transition to the closing par- 
 able, which he gives in common with Matthew. Before interpreting 
 TToteLv in an anti-evangelical sense, we should remember wdiat 
 the Lord Himself declares to be specially the epyov rod Geovy John 
 vi. 29. 
 
 12. JTd? 0 ep'XpP'^vo^iy K.T.X. — This opening of the concluding 
 parable is peculiar to Luke, and has more vivacity of expression than 
 the parallel passage in Matthew. The whole conclusion of the Ser- 
 mon on the Mount, forms, almost from word to word, a striking 
 climax. Very graphic is the description of the man who not only 
 
CHAP. VI. 39-49. 
 
 217 
 
 begins to build, but goes on digging deeper (ejBdOvve), and does not 
 cease doing so till he reaches the firm rock (eVt t^v irerpav). 
 Robinson informs us that this is still practised in Palestine by those 
 who would build substantially : Palestine iii., p. 428. The rock 
 here can scarcely mean Christ Himself, as in 1 Cor. x. 4 ; but 
 rather His word, in which, however. He is Himself present. He 
 who builds the house of his hopes on this foundation, builds securely ; 
 he who seeks safety elsewhere, incurs certain ruin. The work of 
 both the builders is revealed by the test : compare 1 Cor. iii. 11-15. 
 
 13. The flood arose. — An inundation (De Wette) ; comp. Job 
 xl. 23, LXX. A symbol of all the possible trials which the building 
 of faith and hope can have to undergo in the hour of doubt, tempta- 
 tion, or the fear of death. Prov. xii. 7 may here be applied to the 
 disciple of the Lord. The contrast is the more remarkable, since 
 it is not made between the morally good and the morally bad, but 
 simply between the considerate and the inconsiderate. 
 
 14. For it was founded upon a rock. — The stability of the 
 building consisted not in how it was built, but in what it was built 
 upon. Comp. Ezek. xiii. 11. 
 
 15. Without a foundation^ — eVl tt^v dfifiov. Matt. — All that is 
 not Trerpa is dpLpio<^, though it may outwardly resemble a rock. — 
 The ruin ; in Matthew, the fall : the one, the consequence of the 
 other. In both versions, the Sermon on the Mount ends, as it 
 were, with the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, 1 Kings xix. 11, 
 12. The supposition that a limTicane or storm arising, brought the 
 Sermon on the Mount to a speedy conclusion, and furnished our 
 Lord with the imagery of the parable, is ingeniose magis, quam verc. 
 
 DOCTEINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The four parables, with which Luke’s version of the Sermon 
 on the Mount ends, offer an excellent specimen of our Lord’s 
 aptness to teach. They were all taken from daily life, and also 
 from actual occurrences : no one had far to go to find blind leaders 
 of the blind, and promising-looking trees, bearing bad fruit. And 
 inasmuch as the characters represented by these images are con- 
 tinually recurring in the Church, they are of perpetual application. 
 Moreover, our Lord’s example plainly shows how far removed 
 they are from the ideal of Christian eloquence, who condemn 
 an abundance of figurative language. We find here no develop- 
 ment of mere abstract notions ; all, on the contrary, is graphic 
 and perceptible. Statements are rendered evident, by being ex- 
 
218 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 cmplified in tlic differing actions of persons variously influenced. 
 The voice of the tenderest love is heard alternately with the 
 threatenings of just severity. The discourse is regularly developed, 
 and is as rich in unexpected turns as in gradual climax, concluding 
 with a parable which is calculated to leave a deep impression on 
 the conscience. “ Non opus est^ omnes homilias desinere in usum 
 paracleticunij^ says Bengel, on Matt. vii. 29. Surely, after reading 
 the Sermon on the Mount, we can but echo the saying, John vii. 46, 
 ‘‘ Never man spake like this man.” 
 
 2. Without mentioning the word perdvoLa, a general intimation 
 of the indispensable necessity of the new birth pervades the latter 
 part of the Sermon on the Mount. The blind who leads the blind 
 to destruction, — the hypocrite who overlooks his own fault, while re- 
 proving that of his brother, — the corrupt tree, which in its present 
 condition cannot possibly bring forth good fruit, — the fool who builds 
 his house on the sand, — all present to us, under various forms, the 
 image of the natural man in his pride and delusion, in his fall and 
 ruin. It is vain to resolve to do what is good till we have become 
 good ; and no man can make himself good without Christ : comp. 
 Jer. xiii. 23. In fact, the Lord does but repeat, in a practical and 
 popular form, the truths which He announced to Nicodemus, John 
 iii. ; while, on the other hand. He represents the joyful performance 
 of His will as the only test of the genuineness of that great change 
 which takes place in the hearts of His true disciples. 
 
 3. When we observe how specially our Lord insists upon an 
 active Christianity, in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, it is 
 almost incomprehensible how so much Antinomianism should have 
 manifested itself in the Church, during the course of centuries, and 
 also at the present time ; since, according to the Lord’s announce- 
 ment, His disciple can only be happy iv rfj Tron^aet, avrov : com- 
 pare Jas. i. 25. Never can the defender of a lax or superficial 
 morality appeal to the words of Christ while the Sermon on the 
 Mount remains in the Gospel. But, unfortunately, the profound 
 saying of Gregory of Nazianzen is applicable to many an Anti- 
 nomian theory : Trpd^t? iirL/SaaL^; decopia^;. 
 
 4. If we apply the saying, Out of the abundance of the heart 
 his mouth speaketh,” to the Lord Himself, how deep an insight 
 does the Sermon on the Mount offer us into the very heart of the 
 God-man ! The less He says therein who He is, the more un- 
 ambiguously does He prove it. 
 
 5. It has been not unjustly concluded, from this section of the 
 
CUAP. VI. 39-49. 
 
 219 
 
 Sermon on the Mount, how much more ecasy it is to watch over others 
 than ourselves; to point out the right way to our brother, than to walk 
 in it ourselves ; and how great is the danger of being ourselves cast- 
 aways, while working for the salvation of others ; comp. 1 Cor. ix. 
 27. Perhaps it was such considerations as these which, at the close 
 of the last century, gave rise to the strange question, whether it were 
 a miracle for a clergyman to be saved? (Bretschneider 1792.) 
 
 6. The concluding parable of the Sermon on the Mount is a 
 happy union of allegory and prophecy. Within the compass of 
 three verses is condensed the old, yet always new, history of all 
 who either have built, are building, or to the end of time shall 
 build, upon the word, and in the Spirit; of the Lord, or upon 
 any other foundation, and in any other strength. The fie^aXrj 
 7rTwo-fc9 of the house built upon the sand is applicable also to the 
 fall of unbelieving Judaism, of all sceptical philosophic systems, and 
 of every State and Church, not built on the only true foundation. 
 And all this will be repeated, on a continually increasing scale, till 
 the word, 1 John ii. 17, receives its complete fulfilment. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 He who attracts by love, also threatens with the terrors of judg- 
 ment. — The blind and his leader : 1. The way of both, 2. the fate of 
 both, are, a. sad, and h. inevitable. — The disciple must be as his 
 Master, 1 J ohn ii. 6. — He who would be a blessing and not an injury 
 to others, must begin by rightly knowing himself. — Uncharitable 
 judgment, a fruit of blindness of heart. — Humility towards God leads 
 to love to man. — An officious hand is often united with an unloving 
 heart. — Only he who is absolutely holy is capable of perfect judg- 
 ment, and authorized to pronounce it. — A hypocritical judger of his 
 brother, a corrupt tree in the garden of God. — The connection be- 
 tween the tree and its fruit, 1. in the kingdom of nature, 2. in the 
 kingdom of grace. — Christian diagnosis. — The heart, a treasury of 
 very various treasures. — A full heart and a closed mouth do not 
 suit each other. — The Christian cannot help speaking of Jesus, 
 Acts iv. 20. — The spiritual vintage, l.here on earth, 2. in eternity. — 
 A fourfold position with respect to J esus : 1. Some neither say. Lord, 
 Lord, nor do His will ; 2. others say. Lord, Lord, without doing His 
 will ; 3. some do His will, without saying. Lord, Lord (sincere but 
 anxious souls) ; 4. others say. Lord, Lord, and also do His will. The 
 last, whose deeds correspond with their words, in every respect the 
 best. — The nominal Christian : 1. His promising appearance ; 2. his 
 
220 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 miserable condition. — The two builders: 1. The same kind of edi- 
 fice, but different foundations; 2. the same test, but different results. 
 — How tlie genuineness of faith is tested : 1. In the storm of unbe- 
 lief, 2. in the storm of affliction, 3. in the storm of death. — The 
 grand design ; the rising flood ; the great fall ; the fatal shock. — 
 Starche: We must use wisdom and foresight in our choice of a 
 leader, whether in things temporal or spiritual : the danger of error 
 is great, and the harm caused by it often irreparable. — The smallest 
 mote may darken the whole eye ; sins that seem small arc often 
 ruinous, and incur condemnation. Cant. ii. 15 ; 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7. — 
 Quesnel: He who diligentl^^ examines himself, will not lightly con- 
 demn his neighbour. — True self-knowledge, the beginning of our 
 own amendment, and the way to edify our neighbour. — The wis- 
 dom which is from above makes men humble and merciful, earthly 
 wisdom makes them presumptuous and unmerciful. — Self-complai- 
 sance corrupts all that is good. — 0 slander : Slander is never heard 
 from the lips of a pious man, Ps. xv. 2, 3. — Quesnel: The works of 
 a fleshly oi* a spiritual heart are the works of the flesh or of the 
 Spirit, Gal. v. 16, etc. — Bihl. Wurtemh. : The evil heart of man be- 
 comes good when Christ, the fruitful olive, is planted therein by 
 faith. Acts XV. 9. — He is but a mocker, who calls God his Lord, 
 and yet obeys not His commandments, Mai. i. 6. — To know and do 
 His Lord’s vdll, the mark of a faithful servant, Luke xii. 47, 48. — 
 Osiander: Believers are preserved unto eternal life through all 
 storms of temptation, Isa. xxxii. 2, xxxiii. 16. — Teachers, hearers, 
 parents, children, be careful to build upon a safe foundation ; so 
 that, in the time of temptation and need, you may not find you have 
 been deceived. — Heubner: The inclination to judge others, the 
 fruit of a false desire to speak peace to oneself. — The Christian 
 should be severe to himself, and forbearing to others. — The over- 
 throw awaiting false teachers. — Couard, on ver. 46: Confessing 
 Christ: 1. In many, the confession of Christ is wholly wanting — 
 these deny Christ ; 2. in others, this confession is the thoughtless 
 lanmiase of custom — these are nominal Christians ; 3. with some, it 
 is only an assumed appearance of godliness — these are hypocrites ; 
 4. with others, the language of the heart and the expression of a 
 living faith — these are true Christians. — Jaspis : Hypocrisy in re- 
 ligion : 1. How easily it creeps upon us ! 2. how quickly it grows ! 3. 
 how seldom it is cured ! 4. how irreparably it ruins ! — Hopfner : 
 Four things upon which Christianity chiefly depends : 1. Faith makes 
 a Christian ; 2. works prove the Christian ; 3. sorrows preserve the 
 
CHAP. VII. 1—10. 
 
 221 
 
 Christian ; 4. death croivns the Christian. — Krummacher : Who 
 shall enter the kingdom of heaven ? (on ver. 46, compared with 
 Matt. vii. 21-23). From these words we discern the necessity, 1. 
 of calling Christ, Lord, Lord, 2. of being born again of the Holy 
 Spirit, 3. of incorporation into the true and invisible Church of 
 Christ (see Voices of the Church, Langenberg 1852, pp. 39-60). — 
 Clans, Harms (on the portion. Matt. vii. 15—23) : The deep Chris- 
 tian truths taught in these verses : They concern, 1. teachers, espe- 
 cially false teachers ; 2. they teach the condition of our salvation, 
 the rule, and the exception ; 3. they announce the coming judg- 
 ment, when, by whom, and on what principles, it vdll be pro- 
 nounced. — Let not him who is founded and built upon the Lock 
 imagine that he is out of reach of troubles and dangers. He rather 
 resembles a house built upon the sea-shore, against wdiich the waves 
 beat more fiercely than against the houses farther inland ; such a 
 house, indeed, is a mark and beacon for all the storms of the sea of 
 this world to dash against. But though it may be shaken, and its 
 timbers crack, yet it can never fall, because its foundation is firm 
 and immoveable.” Chemnitz. 
 
 3. llie first Return to Capernaum. The First Fruits of the believing 
 Gentiles (chap. vii. 1-10). (Parallel Passage, Matt. viii. 5-13.) 
 
 1 Now, when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He 
 entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear 
 unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent 
 unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching Him that He would come and heal 
 his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought Him instantly, 
 saying. That he was worthy for whom He should do this : 5 For he loveth our 
 nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with 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 
 shouldest enter under my roof : 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy 
 to come unto Thee : but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For 
 I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers ; and I say unto 
 one. Go, and he goeth ; and to another. Come, and he cometh ; and to my ser- 
 vant, Do this, and He doeth it. 9 When Jesus heard these things. He marvelled 
 at him, and turned Him about, and said unto the people that followed Him, I say 
 unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 10 And they that 
 •were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick. 
 
 CEITICAL REMARKS. 
 
 1. He entered into Capernaum. — Comp. Matt. viii. 1-13, and 
 Lange, p. 304. The healing of the leper, which Matthew places 
 
222 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 immediately before that of the centurion’s servant, took place, ac- 
 cording to the more correct version of Luke, before the Sermon on 
 the Mount. 
 
 2. Servant . — That we are to understand this of a servant, and 
 not of a son (Trat? here = SofAo?, Acts iii. 26), is evident, not 
 only from Luke’s mentioning that the sick man was “ dear unto 
 him,” which, in the other case, would have been superfluous ; but 
 also, from Matthew’s saying that he was lying ill in the centurion’s 
 house, which certainly would not have needed notice had he been 
 his son. For the reason why he so highly esteemed this servant, 
 who was probably his only one, see ver. 8. 
 
 3. TIp6a^vTepov <;. — Not necessarily dpp^tc7wd7a)7ot (Acts xiii. 15), 
 but elders of the people, in the usual sense of the word. It need 
 not surprise us to find such Trpea/Svrepot rod \aov coming to the 
 Lord, with a request for His assistance. All the priestly party 
 were not, perhaps, equally inimical to Him. Besides, even if they 
 did not participate in the faith and expectations of their friend and 
 patron, they would yet fear to offend him by refusing his request, 
 while, if his servant should be healed, he would be personally 
 indebted not to Jesus alone, but to themselves also. They therefore 
 bring his request to Jesus, adding to it their own recommendation 
 and earnest entreaties, and assuring Him that he was worthy for 
 whom He should do this. And the Lord, who refused a visit to the 
 nobleman at Capernaum, who was so weak in faith, does not deny 
 one to the anxious centurion, but holds him worthy of this honour, 
 not for the sake of the synagogue he had built, but for the heroism 
 of faith he had exhibited. 
 
 4. Built us a synagogue . — There were many examples among 
 the Jews of synagogues built by private individuals. (See Light- 
 foot m loco?) The fact of this having been done by a Gentile, 
 presents no difficulty, since the sacredness of the building depended, 
 not on its founder, but on the worship therein celebrated. Besides, 
 this centurion might have been a proselyte, like Cornelius (Acts x.), 
 and so many others. 
 
 5. Sent friends . — This second sending is related by Luke alone, 
 whose narrative completes that of Matthew, without being opposed 
 to it. Now that the centurion finds that Jesus is actually on the 
 way to his dwelling, he feels himself obliged not simply to wait for 
 Him, but to go to meet Him (wpo? ere iXSelv, ver. 7). His feeling of 
 unworthiness, however, makes him timid ; and he sends in his place, 
 not now intercessors, — he has no longer need of these, — but his own 
 
CHAP. VII. 1-10. 
 
 223 
 
 intimate personal friends, to receive liis liigldy valued guest. It is 
 much more probable that the Lord should have addressed the praise 
 lie awarded to the centurion’s faith to his friends, than that He 
 should have said it to himself. Even though he applied to Jesus 
 through the mediation of others, Matthew might very well say, that 
 he came to Jesus and besought Him, according to the well-known 
 rule, quod quis per alium facit, ipse fecisse putatur, in the same way 
 as Noah is said to have built the ark, and Solomon the temple. 
 
 6. But say in a word, etc. — The concern of this Gentile cen- 
 turion for his sick servant is highly honourable to him, since the 
 Romans were scarcely accustomed to regard their slaves as persons, 
 but treated them rather as chattels. Still more so, however, were 
 his humility and strong faith, even though the latter was not free 
 from heathen superstition. Undoubtedly, he had already heard 
 much of Jesus, and had pictured to himself the good genii of health 
 appearing, and the evil genii fleeing, like troops, at their general’s 
 command. How efficient must the assistance of such a ruler of 
 spirits have appeared to him ! He wants nothing more than the 
 word of command, which shall bid this paralysis depart, inferring 
 the power of the word of Jesus from the obedience yielded to his 
 own. The idea that this centurion was none other than Chuza, 
 the steward of Herod (Luke viii. 3), is a supposition (Sepp ii. 
 240) utterly without foundation. 
 
 7. The servant whole that had heen sich . — There is as little rea- 
 son for stretching the meaning of top daOevovvra (Lachmann, 
 Tischendorf), as for interpreting vyialvovra in the sense only of 
 recovering (Paulus and others). Bengel more rightly says, ^^non 
 modo sanum, sed sanitate utentumT According to both Matthew 
 and Luke, this cure was wrought at a distance, as well as that re- 
 corded John iv. 46-54; yet this gives us no reason for concluding 
 that the two accounts are but different versions of the same miracle. 
 “ The distinctive features of the narrative in Matthew and Luke, 
 the humble yet strong faith of the stranger in Israel, and the 
 deep impression it made upon Christ, all this, so anti-Judaistic 
 in character, and so anticipative of the future, if it had once 
 existed in the tradition of the Church, could not possibly have been 
 so deprived of its peculiarity, and almost perverted into its opposite, 
 by the fourth Evangelist.” (Hase.) The attractions this narrative 
 must have had for St Luke, not only as a physician, but also as a 
 follower of St Paul, are self-evident. The prophetic saying of 
 our Lord, which Matthew records as uttered on this occasion, 
 
224 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Matt. viii. 11, 12, is reported by Luke in a different connection, 
 ch. xiii. 28, 29. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. For tlie first time in the Gospel of St Luke do we meet with 
 a miracle wrought at a distance. An example, somewhat similar, is 
 met with in the life of Elijah (2 Kings v.) ; but this coincidence 
 can justify no one in either attributing to this narrative a mythical 
 or traditionary character (Strauss), or in regarding both accounts 
 in the light of a parable (Weisse). A point of contact was cer- 
 tainly offered to the miraculous agency of Jesus, by the faith of the 
 centurion, and the sympathy of his friends, — an invisible high road, 
 so to speak, for tlie conquering eagles of the great Imperator^^ 
 (Lange, Leben Jesu ii., p. 648). But the real cause must still be 
 sought in the perfect uniqueness of our Lord’s individuality. If 
 lie really were Whom He professed Himself to be, distance could 
 offer no impediment to His holy will, ever in perfect unison with 
 that of the Father, to work wherever He might deem it necessary. 
 That which was possible to the prophet in the case of the heathen 
 Naaman, could not be impossible to the Son in the case of the 
 heathen centurion. It is in such instances that He exhibits to us 
 a model (John v. 17, xiv. 9) of the working of the Father, to which 
 neither time nor space offer any obstruction. At the same time, 
 we have here presented to 'us, as in a mirror, a pattern of the man- 
 ner in which He, exalted as He is in heaven, above this material 
 world, works directly even to the very ends of the earth. 
 
 2. Twice only do we read, in the Gospel, that the Lord, who at 
 other times exercised the nil mirari belonging to His divine per- 
 fection, marvelled : once at the unbelief of His fellow-citizens at 
 Nazareth (Mark vi. 6), and once at the faith of this Gentile. And 
 we need not marvel at this His marvelling ; it is but one proof more 
 of His proper humanity. — The whole histoiy of the world may be 
 called a history of belief and unbelief ; and the infallible judgment 
 of the Lord concerning sinners is determined according to these 
 two principles. The praise bestowed by Jesus, upon this heathen, 
 is the more remarkable, as showing that He will approve and dis- 
 tinguish great faith even when it is mingled with erroneous notions. 
 
 3. What a powerful defence of Christianity is afforded, by the 
 impression made upon this heathen by the fame of Christ, and by 
 his expectation that one word of His, pronounced at a distance, 
 would be sufficient to fulfil all his wishes. The Christ of negative 
 
CHAP. VII. 1—10. 
 
 225 
 
 criticism could as little have caused such a report, as He could 
 have excited so hold a hope in the heart of a Gentile. 
 
 4. This whole history offers a striking proof of the indispensable 
 necessity of faith, as a conditio sine qua non of seeking anything 
 from the Lord, as well as of receiving much from Him. The nature, 
 too, of true, as opposed to seeming, humility is here shoAvn. False 
 humility is kept from coming to Jesus, by the feeling of its own 
 unworthiness; true humility acknowledges Neither thought I 
 myself worthy,” but comes, Augustine very well remarks, “ dicendo 
 se indignum prcestitit dignum, non in cujus par ietes, sed in cujus cor 
 Christm intrareiV 
 
 5. In bestowing this favour upon a Gentile, Christ does not 
 depart from His own principle. Matt. xv. 24. Not his building of 
 a synagogue, nor the recommendation of the J ewish elders, but his 
 faith, numbers him among the spiritual Israel, and makes him a 
 partaker of the Trepcrofig KapBLa<^, Rom. ii. 29, which obtains 
 admission into the kingdom of God. 
 
 6. This manifestation of faith in a Gentile, as contrasted with 
 the unbelief of the J ews, has a deep symbolical meaning : compare 
 Matt. viii. 11, 12, and John i. 11—13. — The intercession of the 
 friends and elders testifies to the duty and benefit of intercessory 
 prayer, and is a striking proof of the necessity and blessedness of 
 this service of love : comp. Jas. v. 16. These elders, though not 
 without faith, had still less faith than he who sent them (ver. 9). 
 Nevertheless, they do not pray in vain. Thus they who have less 
 grace may often profit those who are farther advanced than them 
 selves.” Gerlach. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The first heathen who experiences the miraculous power of the 
 Lord. — Great faith is, 1. candid in requesting, 2. humble in ap- 
 proaching, 3. joyful in receiving benefits from the Lord. — The in- 
 tercession of Jews, for a heathen, unusual, touching, and effectual. — 
 No greater love for Israel, than care for their highest interests. — Jesus 
 ready to go, wherever faith and want call Him. — Earnest interces- 
 sion, the best service of friendship. — Humility and faith intimately 
 united: 1. How true humility leads to faith; 2. how true faith 
 never forgets humility. — There is more faith on earth than we know 
 of. — Great faith is, 1. noticed, 2. praised, 3. rewarded, 4. held up 
 for imitation by Jesus. — The centurion of Capernaum before a 
 threefold tribunal : 1. The judgment of man, ver. 4 — he is worthy, 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 15 
 
22G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 etc.; 2. tlic judgment of conscience, ver. 6 — am not worthy,” 
 etc. ; 3. the judgment of the Lord, ver. 9 — “ such faith,” etc. — The 
 great faith of the head of the family, a blessing to all its members. — 
 How distress takes us to Jesus ; how Jesus comes to the distressed. 
 — Great faith, a rarity: 1. It is so; 2. it cannot but be so; 3. it 
 always will be so. — We should sympathize with, and praise, the 
 good we find in others. — Time and space, no limits to the Lord’s 
 gracious succour. — To be highly praised, we must have deeply 
 humbled ourselves before Him. — Lessons of love : 1. The love of a 
 heathen to Jews; 2. the love of Jews to a heathen; 3. the Lord’s 
 love to both, a. in deed, h. in Ilis words of love. 
 
 Stmxhe. — God, no respecter of persons. Acts x. 34, 35. — Nov, 
 Bill. Tub. : Christian masters should willingly acknowledge the 
 fidelity and obedience of their servants, should interest themselves 
 in them, and not forsake them in either spiritual or temporal 
 necessity. — Men willingly intercede, both with God and man, for 
 their benefactors. — External works are, from self-interest, most 
 commended by men ; but Jesus looks at the heart, and commends 
 faith. — Heeling 67^ : Become nothing, that thou mayest be something 
 in Christ, 1 Cor. xv. 9, 10 ; 1 Peter v. 5. — To him that hath, shall 
 be given, and he shall have more abundance. — True grace ever 
 grows and increases. — No better way of being worthy of Christ’s 
 favour than esteeming oneself unworthy of it. — Magus : The more 
 a man knows of God and of himself, the humbler he will be. — 
 Canstein : God does not despise weak faith, but strong faith is 
 more pleasing to Him. — Lisko : Strong faith considered, 1. with 
 regard to its nature, 2. with regard to its reward. — Coming to Jesus : 
 1. Whence it originates, — a. from believing confidence, h. from love 
 to the brethren; 2. how it is performed, — a. with unfeigned humility, 
 h. with unlimited confidence; 3. how richly it is blessed, — a. it obtains 
 the approbation of Jesus, h. it benefits others. — Pahiier : What is the 
 faith which pleases the Lord, but which He finds not in Israel ? 
 1. It is the faith which arises from humility, 2. which is united with 
 love, 3. which aspires to the highest favours, and strives to appro- 
 priate them. — An original application of ver. 8 by Cassianus : We 
 should exercise military discipline over om: thoughts, sa}4ng to the 
 good ones. Come, to the bad. Go. — Fuchs : Christian faith : 1. Its 
 som’ce; 2. its manifestation; 3. its blessing. — Ranke: Happy he who 
 seeks the help of Christ; for, 1. no man is too mean for His love, 2. no 
 misery too great for His mercy, 3. the conditions of His help too 
 difficult for none. — Thym : The sick servant at Capernaum : 1. The 
 
CHAP. VII. 11-17. 
 
 227 
 
 servant’s master ; 2. the sick man ; 3. the Physician. — Bengel : 
 Faith ; 1. Its nature and proof ; 2. its use and praise. 
 
 4. A second Departure from Capernaum. — The Son of Man mani- 
 fested as the compassionate High Priest, at the Gate of Nain, 
 and at the Table of Simon ; hut also as the Holy Messiah, to the 
 scandal of John, of the People, and of the Pharisees. (Chap. 
 VII. 11-50.) 
 
 a. The Young Man of Nain. (Yers. 11-17.) 
 
 11 And it came to pass the day after, that He went into a city called Nain ; 
 and many of His disciples went with Him, and much people. 12 Now, when 
 He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, 
 the only son of his mother, and she was a widow : and much people of the city 
 was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her. He had compassion on her, 
 and said unto her. Weep not. 14 And He came and touched the bier, and 
 they that bare him stood still. And He said. Young man, I say unto thee, 
 Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He de- 
 livered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all : and they glorified 
 God, saying. That a great prophet is risen up among us ; and. That God hath 
 visited His people. 17 And this rumour of Him went forth throughout aU 
 Judea, and throughout all the region round about. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. The day after. — The definition of time here used, leaves us 
 full liberty to make the raising of the widow’s son immediately fol- 
 low the cure of the centmdon’s servant. It took place Ty sc. 
 ypepa. If rm were the correct reading, as some suppose, KaOe^rj^ 
 
 would certainly have followed. 
 
 2. Nain. — Natv, perhaps ; now only a small hamlet, Nein, in- 
 habited by but few families; then a small town, belonging to Issachar, 
 near the source of the brook Kishon, not far from Endor, and two 
 and a half leagues from Nazareth. The name means “ the lovely,” 
 and was perhaps given on account of its pleasant situation, in the 
 plain of Esdiuelon. It is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture. 
 
 , The Fathers Eusebius and Jerome knew it, in their days, as a dis- 
 trict two Roman miles south of Tabor. See Winer in voce. 
 
 3. Many of His disciples. — We may understand paOyratm its 
 more extended sense, without excluding the twelve Apostles, who 
 had been called and set apart on the preceding day. Such a miracle 
 as the one now about to be performed, was eminently calculated to 
 strengthen their faith, and, wrought as it was just at the commence- 
 
228 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 merit of tlieir apostolic life, to have a beneficial influence in training 
 them for their work. The people” would partly consist of the 
 hearers of the Sermon on the Mount, who would now have an op- 
 portunity of again seeing how the Lord fulfilled Ilis own precept. 
 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” 
 
 4. Carried out; comp. Acts. v. G. — The graves were usually out- 
 side the town. Te6iJ7]K0i)<; was probably omitted by A. 54, as being 
 sufficiently understood, on which account there can be no reason for 
 inserting this word (Lachmann). On the various readings of avrrj 
 XVp^ (sc. which make but slight alterations in the meaning, see 
 Meyer in loco. 
 
 5. The Lord. — An expression peculiar to Luke (comp. ch. x. 1, 
 xi. 39, xii. 42, xiii. 15, xxii. Gl), and specially adapted to denote 
 the dignity manifested in Christ’s words and deeds. Bengel re- 
 marks, Sahlimis licec appellatio jam Luca et Johanne scrihente usi 
 tatior et notior erat^ quam Mattliceo scrihente, Marcus medium tenet. 
 Initio doceri et conjirmari debuit hoc fidei caput, deinde prcBsuppositio 
 potuitT 
 
 G. Weep not . — The Lord allays the grief of this widow, as He 
 did the fear of Jairus, before lie manifests His miraculous power. — 
 ’"EaifXa^XVLadri, comp. ISIatt. ix. 3G. It is a revelation of the compas- 
 sionate High Priest, so distinctly exhibited, also, by that kindred spirit 
 of St Paul and St Luke, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
 
 7. The hier, aop6<;, was open. Since the bearers and the fune- 
 ral procession stopped of their own accord, when J esus met and ac- 
 costed the widow, it is unnecessary to suppose anything miraculous 
 in their instantaneously standing still. Miracula preeter necessi- 
 tatem non sunt midtiplicandal If the bearers sympathized with the 
 mother, it is probable that some expectation of help w^as excited in 
 tliem also. 
 
 8. Young man, etc. — A word of command from the Prince of 
 Life. Comp. Luke viii. 5G ; John xi. 54. His immediate sitting 
 up and speaking, show that not only life, but health and strength, 
 were restored. Delivering him to his mother. He completes this 
 miracle of power by an act of love. The care of the Lord for the 
 newly-awakened dead is in every case conspicuous. Wlien He 
 raised Jairus’s daughter, He commanded to give her meat.” 
 When Lazarus came forth, He ordered the bystanders to loose 
 him from his grave-clothes. 
 
 9. A fear. — Not equally deep in all, and perhaps not free from 
 superstition ; yet so far of the right sort, that it led them thankfully 
 
CHAP. VII. 11—17. 
 
 229 
 
 to glorify God and the Lord Jesus. It is not astonishing that they 
 should esteem Him a prophet, since the prophets not only foretold 
 future events, hut also performed miracles, and even raised the 
 dead to life. 
 
 10. Visited. — Comp. Luke i. 68. With respect to the aesthetic 
 explanation of this miracle, see a sermon of Herder’s, Sammtliche 
 Werke zur Eel. und Theol. ix., p. 232, etc. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The raising of the dead belongs especially to that class of 
 arjfiela which symbolize the life-giving agency of the Lord: John 
 xi. 25, 26. They are only conceivable to those who adhere to the 
 doctrine of the union of divinity and humanity in the person of 
 Jesus, and firmly believe in His own resurrection. To suppose that 
 the three dead persons, whose revivification is narrated in the Gos- 
 pels, were only apparently dead, is a gratuitous assumption of Ea- 
 tionalism. But even when we admit, on good grounds, the reality 
 of their physical death, we by no means thereby say that all capa- 
 city for receiving the influence of His word of power had departed. 
 Their very hearing of that wonder-working voice (when once the 
 reality of their revival is proved on historical grounds) would lead us 
 to infer the opposite. This voice does not penetrate to the bodies, but 
 to the spirits, of the sleepers ; and who shall decide when the sepa- 
 ration of soul and body is irrevocable, and their reunion utterly im- 
 possible ? This can only be the case when the corporeal organism 
 is entirely destroyed, or has become untenantable, which was by no 
 means the case in these instances. They were no mutilated or cor- 
 rupted bodies which our Lord reanimated, but persons recently 
 deceased, whose bodily organism needed not to be either recreated 
 or restored, but only to be quickened. There was still a freshly- 
 trodden path between the corpse and the spirit that had left it ; and 
 thus much is clear, that the body of the recently dead is, in its first 
 condition, very different from a mummy or from a decaying skele- 
 ton” (Lange). These remarks will have little interest for those 
 who consider the connection between body and soul as something 
 quite as external as that between a bird and its cage. But the more 
 modern science strives to understand, not only the unmistakeable 
 distinction, but also the intimate connection, between spirit and 
 matter, the less rash seems the supposition, that the spirit, immedi- 
 ately after death, is in much closer union with its scarcely forsaken 
 dwelling than many think. This seems especially to have been the 
 
230 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 case with the clearl whom Jesus reauimated. Djung, as they did, at 
 a period wlien life and immortality had not yet been brought to light, 
 their utmost attainment could only have been to meet death with 
 tranquillity ; they could not have longed for it. They were also 
 still bound to earth by the tics of blood or sympathy. If ever 
 tears, prayers, and entreaties could still chain a spirit to earth, or 
 produce a desire to live again upon it, it was the case in these in- 
 stances ; and scarcely do they hear the voice of Omnipotence, than 
 they have both the power and the will to obey it. 
 
 2. If then, the possibility of these miracles of raising the dead, as 
 recorded in the Gospel, cannot be denied per se, their reality is suf- 
 ficiently proved. The Lord Himself appeals to the fact that veKpol 
 iyei'povrat, as one of the signs of His Messiahship ; and that which 
 had already been done by the prophets, was still more befitting 
 Himself, the greatest whom the Father had sent into the world. 
 The witnesses, too, of these facts were many, and beyond suspicion ; 
 even witnesses of a later period are not wanting. See especially the 
 fragment of Quadratus, an evangelist of the apostolic period, in 
 Eusebius, H. E. 4, 3, wFo also declares that this apologetic writing 
 existed in his days, and was known to himself and to many of the 
 brethren. It is also spoken of by Jerome, Catal. Script, ch. 19. 
 At the time when this was written, the youthful personages raised 
 by the Lord might have been still alive. But the strongest proof 
 of the truth of these occurrences still lies in the internal evidence of 
 the narratives. Any unprejudiced person reading the raising of the 
 widow’s son, or of Lazarus, would be constrained to exclaim, “ Ce 
 n’est pas ainsi qu’on invente !” With regard to the silence of 
 Matthew and Mark concerning this miracle, Tve can only account 
 for it by suppositions. Perhaps it was because the name of the 
 youth and his mother were unknown. The silence of Matthew 
 might also be explained by the view, that, on the occasion of this 
 departure from Capernaum, he probably remained behind some few 
 days, to conclude the arrangement of his affairs. That of Mark is 
 sufficiently justified by the fact, that his Gospel is wiitten on a far 
 less comprehensive plan. Indeed, with such abundance of mate- 
 rial, none of the Evangelists seems to have aimed at completeness ; 
 and the distinction of miracles into more ordinary and more diffi- 
 cult, which latter they must be specially careful not to omit, lest 
 they should be contested, was probably utterly unknown to their 
 simplicity. 
 
 3. In comparing the raising of the dead by the Lord with the 
 
CHAP. VII. 11—17. 
 
 231 
 
 similar acts performed, on one hand, by the prophets, and on the 
 other, by the Apostles, we perceive both a remarkable distinction 
 and a striking coincidence. The sublime repose with which He per- 
 forms even this miracle, the majesty with which lie pronounces the 
 command of Ilis own omnipotence, and the absence of all effort, 
 excitement, or concentration of the powers of mind and body, not 
 unfrequently exliibited by men of God on similar occasions, are 
 peculiar to the Lord. 
 
 4. The occurrence at the gate of Nain may be regarded as one 
 of the most striking proofs of the consolatory doctrine of ^ provi-- 
 dentia specialissima. The exact time of the young man’s death and 
 burial, the route of the funeral procession, the meeting with the 
 Lord just at the critical moment, — not one of these particulars hap- 
 pens according to chance. Time, place, and circumstance, all are 
 arranged for the attainment of noble ends — the comfort of the 
 afflicted, the glory of the Lord, and the manifestation of His divine 
 and life-restoring power. 
 
 5. These reanimations of the dead by our Lord are both spnbols 
 of the life which He awakens by His Spirit in a world spiritually 
 dead, and prophecies of that which shall take place on a far more 
 extensive scale in the eV^ar?; rjfjuipa. He Himself connects these 
 two views in the strictest manner, John v. 24-29. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The gate of Nain, the sanctuary of the Lord’s glory. We sec 
 Him here manifesting His glory, — 1. as the Great Prophet, con- 
 firming the truth of His doctrine by the most astonishing miracle ; 
 
 2. as the merciful High Priest, drying the tears of the mourner; 
 
 3. as the Prince of Life, depriving the grave of its prey. — The 
 actions of the Lord, in the midst of His disciples, a continual per- 
 formance of His promise, John i. 51. — The personal encounter of 
 the Prince of Life with the prey of death. — How death contends 
 with life, and life with death : 1. Death, a. lays the most vigorous 
 age low, b. severs the holiest ties, c. causes the bitterest tears ; 
 2. life is here, a. manifested, b. restored, c. dedicated to the glory of 
 God. — The meeting of the Lord with the funeral procession, a 
 proof of the special providence of God. — The gate of Nain, a school 
 of Christian affliction and consolation. — Weep not : 1. How easy a 
 word to use ; 2. how difflcult an injunction to obey ; 3. how blessed 
 an offlce to dry the tears of the mourner. — Christ the life of men, 
 1. in creation, 2. in renewal, 3. in resurrection. — The omnipotent re- 
 
232 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 surrcction-word : 1. The suLlIme utterance, 2. the mighty working, 
 3. the God-glorifying echoes of this word. — How the Lord, 1. com- 
 forts the mourner, 2. raises the dead, 3. unites the separated. — Eter- 
 nity dawning over the gate of Nain. — The glory of God, the best 
 result of the miracles of Jesus. — IIow the mighty word of the Lord 
 changes all things ! 1. A funeral procession into a body of witnesses 
 to Ilis miracle ; 2. a bier into a place of resurrection ; 3. a mourn- 
 ing widow into a thankful mother ; 4. a public way into a sanctuary 
 of God’s glory. — lie who marvelled at great faith, also sympathized 
 with great misery. — The love of the Lord, 1. a preventing, 2. a 
 consoling, 3. an all-prevailing love, Eph. iii. 20. — The young man 
 raised from his coffin, Jairus’s daughter from her death-bed, 
 Lazarus from the grave. — The journeyings of Christ, a lifting up 
 of God’s countenance upon His people. — The work of the Lord, 
 1. in the soul of the mother, 2. on the body of the son. — Spiritually 
 awakened children a gift of God to parents. — Fear and joy are 
 here closely united. — The fame of the Lord continually increasing 
 during this period of His history. 
 
 Starche. — True Christians follow Christ, whether to Cana or 
 jSTain, to Tabor or Golgotha. — Brentius : The Lord’s grace over- 
 looks no town ; the sunshine visits even the meanest villages and 
 hamlets, in due time. — Cramer: The world is a pleasant Nain, but 
 death spoils all its pleasure. — Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and 
 weep with them that w^eep. — Bihl. Wurt. : The young should not 
 put aside the thought of death, but pray with Moses, Ps. xc. 12. — 
 Nov. Bihl. Tub. : How often does the Lord call to the spiritually 
 dead to arise, in vain ! — Majus : They who are raised to spiritual 
 life speak with new tongues, and lead a new life. — Osiander : Fame 
 and a good name follow noble deeds. 
 
 Lisko. — Christ the conqueror of death, 1. in His condescending 
 philanthropy, 2. in His divine power and majesty. — The interment 
 of the dead. — Heubner : Life arriving, death departing — ha23py ex- 
 change ! life conquers death. — The look of J esus still directed to 
 the afflicted among His flock. — ^^He who is afraid of death is 
 afraid of Jesus.” Scriver . — The haj^^^iness of reunion. — Arndt: 
 This history a mirror of mourning and consolation : 1. A mirror of 
 mourning ; — a. the vanity of the world ; h. the return to the world ; 
 c. the uncertainty and shortness of life ; d. the departure of temporal 
 comforts ; e. the jDrogress of life, a following of the dead, processus 
 mortis : 2. A mirror of consolation ; — a. the gracious presence of 
 Christ; b. the comj^assionate heart of Jesus; c. His gracious word, 
 
CUAP. VII. 18-35. 
 
 233 
 
 Weep not; d. Ills outstretched hand; e. His life-giving word. — 
 Fuchs : A glance, 1. at the dead youth, 2. at the weeping widow, ,3. at 
 the Almighty Lord, 4. at the astonished multitude. — Rieger : Two 
 powerful dominions : the sad one of death, the joyful one of life. — 
 Petri : The wholesome recognition, 1. of our desperate need, 2. of 
 the all-powerful help of the Lord. — Westermeier : The funeral pro- 
 cession in the gates of Nain : 1. The dead man who is carried out ; 
 2. the mourners who follow ; 3. the Consoler who suddenly enters. 
 
 N.B . — It is generally necessary, in preaching on this history, to 
 guard against a too sentimental representation of the death of the 
 youth, the giief of the widow, the joy of the reunion, etc. Nothing 
 is easier than to draw tears in abundance from the eyes of hearers 
 in this manner. But the sublime simplicity of Luke is an unsur- 
 passable model ; and to develop the distinctively Christian element 
 of this narrative promises more fruit, than fantastic verbosity con- 
 cerning the human, the tragic, etc. 
 
 b. The Embassy of the Baptist, (Yeks. 18-35, comp. Matt. xi. 
 
 2-19.) 
 
 18 And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19 And John 
 calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying. Art Thou He 
 that should come ? or look we for another ? 20 When the men were come unto 
 
 Him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saying. Art Thou He that 
 should come ? or look we for another ? 21 And in the same hour He cured many 
 
 of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were 
 blind He gave sight. 22 Then 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. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended 
 in Me. 24 And when the messengers of John were departed. He began to speak 
 unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to 
 see ? A reed shaken with the wind ? 25 But what went ye out for to see ? A 
 
 man clothed in soft raiment ? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, 
 and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? 
 A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is 
 he of whom it is written. Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which 
 shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 28 For I say unto you. Among those that 
 are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist ; but he 
 that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 And all the people 
 that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the bap- 
 tism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God 
 against themselves, being not baptized of him, 31 And the Lord said, Where- 
 unto then shall I liken the men of this generation ? and to what are they like ? 
 32 They are like unto children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to 
 
234 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; we have 
 mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither 
 eating bread nor drinking wine ; and ye say. He hath a devil. 34 The Son of 
 man is come eating and drinking; and ye say. Behold a gluttonous man, and a 
 wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners ! 35 But AVisdom is justified of 
 
 all her children. 
 
 CPJTICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Of all these things. — Tlic miracles tlie Lord had lately per- 
 formed, especially the raising of the young man at Nain, the fame 
 of which had been so widely spread (ver. 17). Concerning the place 
 where John was imprisoned, see Lange on Matt. xi. 2. St Matthew 
 reports this mission in a different historical connection : it seems to 
 us, however, that the order of events as recorded by St Luke is pre- 
 ferable. It appears from both accounts, that though the Baptist 
 was deprived of liberty, intercourse with his disciples was still 
 allowed him. 
 
 2. Art Thou, etc. — We find it impossible to accept the view, that 
 John had any doubts concerning the Lord’s person. Such an in- 
 terpretation of the passage was opposed both by the ancient Chris- 
 tian Church and by the Reformers, as untenable (see Grote in 
 Rudeld, and Guer, Zeitschrift. fiir luth. Theol. and Crit. 1857, 
 iii.). — But neither is it more probable, that he put this question 
 for the sake of his disciples alone, or that he intended in this man- 
 ner to offer his last public homage to the Lord from his prison. 
 It is more the question of increasing impatience, than of secret un- 
 belief. Not the person, but the actions of Jesus, are an enigma 
 to John ; matters are going on too slowly for him, especially now 
 that he sees himself condemned to involantary inactivity. In vain 
 has he waited for a speedy and public declaration, on the part 
 of Jesus, of His Messianic dignity. It peiqfiexes him to find the 
 Lord speaking rather by deeds than Avords ; and the more so, since 
 these deeds are not miracles of judgment, like those performed 
 by the prophets, but acts of mercy, which perhaps but ill corre- 
 sponded with the expectations he had formed concerning the blaster 
 of the threshing-floor, with Ilis fan in Ilis hand (Matt. iii. 11). Per- 
 haps, too (Ebrard), he was displeased that the Lord had hitherto 
 made no distinct and separate party among the people, as he him- 
 self had begun to do ; but was leaving the edifice he had so far 
 reared to fall to decay, and wandering from place to place, in an ap- 
 parently desultory manner. We are, therefore, by no means obliged 
 to conclude ^Hhat he was uncertain how to understand the revela- 
 
CHAP. VIL IS-SC 
 
 235 
 
 tion 'vvliicli God had bestowed upon him” (Hofmann, Weissag. und 
 Erf. ii., p. 75). But especially must it have seemed strange to one 
 of John’s views, that the Lord should hitherto have appeared chiefly 
 in a prophetic, and not in a strictly royal character. So far, but 
 only so far, may we speak of a doubt, or a trial of faith, in the im- 
 prisoned Baptist, which will the less surprise us, when we consider 
 how entirely he was still standing within the limits of the ancient 
 covenant, whose heroes were more distinguished by contests than by 
 sufferings, and whose great reformer, Elijah the Tishbite, in whose 
 spirit and power John had come, had himself experienced seasons 
 of desertion and distress (1 Kings xix. 2-4). Must not such a mind, 
 as the Baptist’s, have had its Gethsemanes as well as its Tabors? 
 And all this is rendered the more probable, by the supposition that 
 he might foresee, in spirit, his own approaching end, and long the 
 more vehemently to see, before his death, the manifestation of that 
 kingdom of God to which his life had been devoted. They -who 
 would condemn him must surely know the life of faith more from 
 description than from their own experience. — In one respect he is, 
 even on this occasion, a model for our imitation : his difficulties do 
 not drive him from Christ, but he brings them directly to Him who 
 alone could solve them. Concerning the notion, that it was impos- 
 sible that such strange reports should have penetrated his prison, 
 see Winer on the Article Gefangniss, and Acts xxiv. 23. 
 
 3. In that same hour . — The disciples of John then found our 
 Lord in the midst of His wonder-working activity; and this account 
 of Luke, far from being “ a merely explanatoiy addition of his own” 
 (Ewald), shows us, on the contrary, why the Lord gave them just 
 this answer, derived from what was His occupation at the moment. 
 In this enumeration of sufferers who were healed, we must not over- 
 look that Luke, the physician, distinguishes between those with 
 natural diseases and demoniacs, and especially mentions the resto- 
 ration of sight to the blind, as a gift of the Lord, e'^aplaaro. 
 
 4. The blind see, etc. — By appealing to these signs of His Mes- 
 siahship (Isa. xxxv. 5, 6, Ixi. 1), our Lord shows, on the one hand, 
 that the publicity desired by John was sufficiently attained, and on 
 the other, that it was His intention to declare Himself, as yet, only 
 by His deeds. The question of the Baptist, too, was thus answered 
 in the affirmative, for, under this form, the information was given to 
 him, that Jesus was indeed the Christ ; and that, so far as he him- 
 self had become spiritually poor, the Gospel was preached to him 
 also. The question, whether by tttco'^oI we are here to understand 
 
23G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 the literally or s])iritually poor, may best be answered by the con- 
 sideration, that the latter were generally found among the former, 
 and that thus both meanings are here united. 
 
 5. And blessed is he. — A hint by no means superfluous to John, 
 still less so to his disciples, but specially applicable to subsequent 
 times. — miosoever shall not he offended; rara felicitas^^ Bengel. 
 Comp. 1 Pet. ii. 8. 
 
 6. And lohen — departed; in Matthew, tovtcov Se Tropevopevwv 
 ijp^aro . — As though the Lord could scarcely wait for the departure 
 of the messengers, to do away with the unfavourable impression 
 which the inquiry of the Baptist had perhaps made upon the people. 
 Not only to defend the honour of John, but to anticipate any mis- 
 apjorehension of his work and person. He addresses a detailed dis- 
 course to the people, wherein lie exalts the character of John, and 
 reproves their instability. Some among them might have been 
 thinking that John was not always equal; Jesus so far turns this 
 reproach upon the nation, as to say that neither Himself nor John 
 had ever been able fully to satisfy them. 
 
 7. Reed. — The Lord begins by pointing out what John was not : 
 not a reed, not a luxurious man, etc. This declaration, that the 
 Baptist was not an unstable or wavering man, is, as it were, an as- 
 surance that the Baptist had had no doubts concerning the Lord’s 
 person ; as Chrysostom well remarks, Homil. 37. No answer fol- 
 lows the first question, since every one could supply it for himself. 
 The gradation, in this series of denials, is worthy of notice : KoXapov, 
 avOpcoTTOp, 7rpo(p7]r7]v. 
 
 8. A man, etc. — This question contradicts the notion, that John 
 sent to Christ because he was weary of his imprisonment, and hoped 
 to be delivered from it. A contrast, on the one hand, to his own 
 garment of camel’s hair in the wilderness, and on the other, to the 
 magnificent attire of his enemies at the court. The palace, and 
 not the prison, would be the place to find one living luxuriously. 
 
 9. A prophet f etc. — Instead of announcing that J ohn had, in 
 any degree, forfeited his pretensions to this name, the Lord shows 
 how far he surpassed ordinary prophets. He is greater than all 
 his j)redecessors, in being allowed to be the herald of the Messiah. 
 
 10. 77ds is he, etc. — Comp. Mai. iii. 1. “If ye will receive it, 
 this is Elias, which was for to come, as Malachi prophesied ; and 
 for whom was Elias to prepare the way ? Malachi says, before the 
 Lord God Himself. What then does Jesus testify of Himself when 
 He says that John went before Him as Elias? Whoso hath ears to 
 
CHAP. VII. 18-35. 
 
 237 
 
 hear, let him hear!” C. J. Riggenbach, Tories, liber das Leben 
 Jesu, Basle 1858, p. 248. 
 
 11. Among those that are horn of ic omen. — Comp. Matt. xi. 11. 
 St Luke rightly supplies the word 7rpo(^r;T?79, which is presupposed 
 by the i^ri>y6prai of Matthew. It is as being the messenger of whom 
 Malachi had spoken, that J ohn deserves to be considered the great- 
 est of the prophets. The Lord is not here speaking directly of his 
 moral excellence, but He would not have bestowed this praise 
 upon His forerunner if he had possessed only prophetic dignity, 
 without exalted personal worth. The second part of this sentence 
 can, by no means, be understood as a testimony of the Lord with 
 regard to Himself (Fritzsche and others). How could the King 
 place Himself on a level with those who were in His kingdom ? 
 No ; He is speaking of the least of His disciples ; and this is said 
 of them, not in so far as they might be Apostles or Evangelists, 
 but merely as disciples. He is referring to the advantages they en- 
 joyed beyond the most distinguished men under the Old Covenant, 
 whose series closed with John. They possessed, by means of the 
 light vouchsafed to them, through their own experience of His re- 
 deeming power, a deeper insight into the natm’e, progress, and 
 blessings of the kingdom of heaven, than had been bestowed upon 
 John. And if this were true of those who then believed in Jesus, 
 how much more so of us, to whom His greatness has been so far 
 more gloriously manifested by the history of centuries ! 
 
 12. And all the people^ etc. — It is a question, whether this, and 
 the following verse (vers. 29, 30), form a remark introduced by St 
 Luke to inform his readers, who were not inhabitants of Palestine, 
 of the kind of reception which the preaching and baptism of John 
 had experienced from different classes (Bengel, Paulus, Lachmann, 
 Bornemann, Stier), or whether they are a continuation of our 
 Lord’s discourse. We are inclined to prefer the latter view, both 
 because the words elire Be 6 KvpLo<;, ver. 31, are, both on internal 
 and external grounds, of doubtful authority, while vers. 29, 30, 
 contain nothing which the Lord might not also have said ; and be- 
 cause no second example of so ample an interpolation, without 
 notice, appears. This statement of the treatment which the preach- 
 ing and baptism of John obtained, naturally introduces the reproof 
 of vers. 31-34. 
 
 13. ^EBiKalcoo-av rov Oeov: i.e.j not only, “ they declared, by their 
 deed, that His will, that they should receive John’s baptism, was 
 right” (Meyer) ; but they concurred in the judgment of God, which 
 
238 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Jeclarecl tlicm to be sinners, and in need of sucli a baptism of con- 
 version. 
 
 14. ’H6eT7]aav . — It was the counsel of God (/BovXt]), that the 
 Jews should be prepared for the appearance of tlie Messiah by the 
 ba])tism of John. The scribes and Pharisees, by refusing this bap- 
 tism, rendered this counsel vain with regard to themselves (et? 
 €avTov<;)j and thus showed themselves their own bitterest enemies, 
 as must always be the case with the rejecters of the Gospel. 
 The Lord is here, as in John v. 33-35, looking back upon the 
 period of John’s ministry as one already concluded; and being 
 convinced that the opposition against Himself arises from the same 
 source as that excited by John, lie is led to utter the parable which 
 follows. 
 
 15. Wliereunto then shall /, etc. — Here the inquiry of perplex- 
 ity, as in Mark iv. 30 that of confidential consultation with His dis- 
 ciples. The reply is an unanswerable proof of the attentive regard 
 lie bestows upon everyday life, even as it is manifested in the world 
 of children. He sees future men in children, and grown-up children 
 in men. 
 
 16. Like unto children. — We cannot agree with the usual method 
 of interpreting this parable, as if the children {i.e.^ the Jews) had 
 thus spoken to, and played with, each other ; for then who could 
 those have been who had not danced when the others piped, nor 
 wept when the others mourned? Neither can we accept the view 
 which includes Jesus and John among their contemporaries, repre- 
 senting tliem as the children speaking, and the Jews as the children 
 spoken to (Fritzsche). We should rather reverse this explanation, 
 and consider Jesus and John represented (according to Matt.) as 
 eralpoL, to whom the people are introduced as spealdng, and com- 
 plaining that these friends had always acted in a manner contrary 
 to their desires. They liad desired cheerfulness in John, and he 
 had come yuijre iaOlcov ixrjre ttIvcov’, from Jesus they had required 
 seriousness and sadness, and He had manifested a mild and joyful 
 spirit. By this manner of treating it, not one feature of the parable 
 is lost, while the application is easy and natural. Compare Lange, 
 Leben Jesu ii., p. 761, with whose objections against the interpre- 
 tation of B. Stier we fully agree. 
 
 17. Neither eating bread nor drinking icine. — Comp. Luke i. 15. 
 John’s strict mode of life was entirely in accordance with the spirit 
 of his doctrine, but displeasing not only to the courtiers of Herod, 
 but also to all those who, infected with the leaven of the Sadducees, 
 
CHAP. VIL 18—35. 
 
 239 
 
 took pleasure in unrighteousness. They accused him not merely of 
 madness, hut of possession (Scripture expressly distinguishes between 
 the two, John x. 20). No wonder he would not dance when they 
 had piped ! 
 
 18. The Son of ma7i . — This appellation is here peculiarly appro- 
 priate, standing as it does at the head of a statement pointing out 
 the perfect humanity of our Lord. He had come eating and drink- 
 ing, by no means despising the pleasures of social life, but enjoying 
 them in moderation, even in the company of publicans and sinners. 
 But the legal self-righteousness of the age had found herein a stone 
 of stumbling. That severe and unbending strictness, which was 
 not tolerated in John, seems to have been required from Christ. 
 And when He gave no audience to this demand, the names of a 
 gluttonous man, a wine-hibber, a friend of publicans and sinners,” 
 were bestowed upon Him by His contemporaries, who little deemed 
 that in the latter they were designating Him by His most honour- 
 able title (comp. Luke xv. 2). Not only were the disciples of John 
 offended at Him (comp. ch. v. 33), but also the Pharisees, and all 
 who saw with their eyes. The majority did not accept Him, be- 
 cause He would not weep when they raised the cry of mourning. 
 It would have been a hopeless effort to labour for the conversion of 
 such a nation, if no exceptions to this sad rule had been found. 
 That there were such exceptions, is shown by the Lord in the fol- 
 lowing verse. 
 
 19. But Wisdom, etc. — For various views of this passage, see 
 Lange on Matt., p. 420. This saying may perhaps have been a 
 proverb in common use among our Lord’s contemporaries, at least 
 it seems to be of a peculiarly sententious character. Wisdom, in 
 this place, can only mean the heavenly wisdom which was mani- 
 fested in Jesus and John, and which personally appeared in Jesus. 
 Her children are they who are not only born of her, but who also 
 prove their relationship by the possession of an understanding heart; 
 and the justification of Wisdom takes place when she is absolved 
 from such accusations, and recognised in her true character. Such 
 a justification could be expected from those alone who were her 
 children, but was required from all who were such. This saying 
 is not to be regarded as a lament, but rather as a contrast to what 
 precedes it, and as an encouragement for the followers of Jesus, 
 whenever they may meet with accusations somewhat similar to 
 those of which Himself and the Baptist were the subjects. 
 
240 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. A conclusive proof of the great difference between the Old 
 and New Covenants is offered by the fact, that the greatest of the 
 prophets cannot, without difficulty, agree in the Lord’s method of 
 operation. The quiet and gentle spirit of the Gospel could only 
 gradually make its way tlirough the midst of the splendid expecta- 
 tions which the words of the prophets had excited. Even John 
 was offended in Jesus before he became, in spirit, a disciple of this 
 best of Masters. Tlie whole of the Gospel history is a continuous 
 proof of the truth of Christ’s words, It must needs be that offences 
 come” (Matt, xviii. 7) ; and crKavhaXa serve on this, as on every 
 occasion, to promote the manifestation of the Lord’s glory, and the 
 coming of His kingdom. 
 
 2. The Lord here, as also on another occasion (John v. 36), 
 appeals to His ep7a, as the proofs of His divine mission. Another ex- 
 ample of the identity between the Christ of the synoptical Gospels, 
 and the Christ of St John’s Gospel ; and, at the same time, a sig- 
 nificant hint for every one who would still exclaim, with the apostle 
 of infidelity, Otez moi ces miracles de votre Evangile^ The Lord 
 did not perform miracles that they might become stumblingblocks, 
 but rather aids to faith ; and His answer to those who are secretly 
 offended, but who yet bring their doubts to Him for solution, and 
 are susceptible of reasonable conviction, still is, The blind receive 
 their sight,” etc. All abstract reflections w^ould, however, be lost 
 upon one whom the moral effects of Christianity upon individuals, 
 and upon mankind in general, should fail to convince that a super- 
 human power works in and by it. Hence it follows, that they alone 
 who personally belong to the rv^Xol^ and Kco(jioc<;, who have received 
 spiritual cures from the Lord Jesus, possess an assurance of faith 
 wdiich nothing can shake. This is the true evidence of the Spirit 
 and of power, and the climax of all apologies. Jesus knows and 
 foresees how much it will cost to flesh and blood to overcome all 
 offence at Him and His work, and therefore He declares him blessed 
 who has attained such an elevation. If another beatitude might be 
 added to this, it would be, Blessed is he who, when he is offended, 
 betakes himself to Jesus for relief.” 
 
 3. The Lord bestows high but perfectly just praise upon His 
 imprisoned forerunner. The whole life of John is a continuous 
 commentary upon what is here expressed in few w^ords, and sets a 
 seal upon the correctness of this description of his character. Nor 
 
CUAP. VII. 18—35. 
 
 241 
 
 is praise, bestowed on sucli an occasion, less honourable to Him who 
 utters it. We can but admire, first, the deep wisdom which thus 
 strives to coiTect a false impression, and then, the holy severity with 
 which He reproves, without respect of persons, the faults of Plis con- 
 temporaries. We remark also, that while the Lord refuses to give 
 direct proof of Ilis Messiahship, He indirectly brings it to light, by 
 alluchng to the difference between His views and spirit and those 
 of the Baptist, and at the same time manifesting the superiority of 
 His own. Perhaps, too, the people, after what had occmTed, were 
 inclined to look with contempt upon the desert prophet : the words 
 of the Lord, however, were calculated to constrain them rather to 
 take a searching and humbling view of their ovm hearts. 
 
 4. He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 
 Obviously one of the clearest evidences of the inestimable advan- 
 tages enjoyed by the sincere disciples of the Lord ; but, at the same 
 time, a testimony, borne by Christ to Himself, which must not be 
 overlooked. How exalted must have been the consciousness which 
 He bore within Him, who could set the least of His disciples above 
 the greatest of the prophets, and yet declare, “ I am meek and lowly 
 of heart !” Matt. xi. 29. 
 
 5. The different conduct of the publicans and Pharisees, with 
 respect to the baptism of John, offers a convincing proof that self- 
 righteousness is a far greater hindrance to the reception of the 
 kingdom of God in the heart, than the unrighteousness of the most 
 deeply fallen sinners. Comp. Matt. xxi. 31, 32. 
 
 6. The reception bestowed upon John and Jesus by their capri- 
 cious contemporaries, is repeated in various forms, both in the his- 
 tory of the theocracy of Israel, and in that of the Christian Church. 
 This phenomenon reappears when men judge after the fiesh ; when 
 the truth is judged according to a previously laid down system, in- 
 stead of the system being unreservedly submitted to the wisdom of 
 God ; when, in a word, the natmul man has the supremacy. The 
 Apostle’s word, 1 Cor. ii. 15, holds good only of the spiritual man. 
 The natui’al man always desires something different from what God 
 wills, or he desires what God vills at another time, in another man- 
 ner, or in another measm’e. And thus the only infallible test, 
 whether we belong to the reKva ri}? o-o(/)/<x 9 or not, consists in the 
 relation in which we stand towards the word and testimony of 
 God. The truth of God is recognised by the children of Wisdom, 
 because, even when it is opposed to their natural feelings, it finds 
 a deep response in the sanctuary of their hearts and consciences. 
 
 LUKE VOL. I. 16 
 
242 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Tlie cliildren of Wisdom here are, fundamentally identical with the 
 vr'iTTLOL (Luke X. 21), to whom the things of God are revealed. 
 
 7. The climax of all the arjfieXa of the Lord, and, at the same 
 time, the means by which these are still continued in a spiritual 
 manner, is the preaching of the Gospel to the poor — the highest 
 testimony to its own di\dne origin. Comp. 1 Cor. i. 26-31. 
 
 UOMILETICAX HINTS. 
 
 The fame of the Lord penetrating a solitary prison. 1. John 
 contrasted with Jesus : a. His secret offence ; b. his longing in- 
 quiry. 2. Jesus contrasted with John : a. His satisfactory answer ; 
 b. His serious warning; c. His powerful commendation. — Doubts 
 should only take us more quickly to Christ. — Doubt dies only 
 in the immediate presence of Him concerning whom it was ex- 
 cited. — Art Thou He that should come ? This question is answered, 
 a. with the no of unbelief, b. with the yes of faith, c. with the 
 hallelujah of gratitude. — The great Advent-question : a. its great 
 importance ; b. its satisfactory answer. — The miracles of the Lord, 
 whether in the physical or moral world. His best credentials. — 
 Christ is still performing the same miracles as He did when John 
 sent to Him. — The healing of the blind by Christ. — The raising of 
 the dead by Christ. — The preaching of the Gospel to the poor, 1. 
 a plain evidence for the Lord’s Messiahship, 2. an inestimable 
 benefit for the world, 3. an infinitely exalted yet holy exercise for 
 the Christian. — How poverty meets Christ, and how Christ meets 
 poverty. — The blessedness of those who are not offended in Christ : 
 a rare, a rich, an obtainable blessedness. — The holy love and holy 
 seriousness of the Lord towards candid doubters. — The instability 
 of the reed, and the stability of John. — One need not go to Jor- 
 dan’s banks to see reeds shaken with the wind. — The prophet in 
 his raiment of camel’s hair, the courtier in soft clothing. — The 
 man morally free, in fetters ; and the slave of this world, at 
 liberty. — John, a. equal to, b. yet above, the prophets of the Old 
 Testament. — The office of John the Baptist as a messenger: 1. 
 Its origin ; 2. its importance ; 3. its enduring value. — The great- 
 ness and the littleness of John the Baptist: 1. His elevation above 
 other prophets. No prophet was, a. gifted with clearer light, b. 
 provided with a more exalted mission, c. more highly honoured, 
 d. or ennobled by purer virtue, than John. 2. His littleness, com- 
 pared with the genuine disciples of the Lord. The true Christian 
 is, a. gifted with clearer light, b. promoted to a more exalted mission. 
 
CHAP. VII. 18—35. 
 
 243 
 
 c. more liiglily honoured (John xv. 15), and called to practise purer 
 virtue than John. — The saying of the Lord, concerning the great- 
 ness or littleness of John the Baptist, a. shames those who stand 
 beneath him, h. encourages those who stand near him, c. rejoices 
 those who really surpass him. — The reception of the Baptist, by 
 Pharisees and publicans, 1. very different, 2. perfectly explicable, 
 3. always significant. Jesus and John found, and always will find, 
 the same friends, and the same enemies. — Recognition of what is 
 right before God, is the beginning of conversion. — Enmity to 
 truth is enmity to one’s own soul. — The world of children, a like- 
 ness of the world of men. — The alternation of rejoicing and lament- 
 ing according to the custom of children, and children of larger 
 growth. — The servant of truth is not called upon to fashion himself 
 according to the changeful humours of his contemporaries. — How 
 far it is allowed to the preacher of the Gospel, to order himself ac- 
 cording to the requirements of others. — Strict seriousness always 
 condemned by the world as delusion. — The Son of man came eat- 
 ing and dnnking. — A moderate use of the enjoyments of life per- 
 mitted and hallowed by the word and Spirit of the Lord. — Christ, 
 the friend of publicans and sinners : 1. A base scandal, 2. a holy 
 truth, 3. a high honour, 4. a joyful announcement, 5. a model 
 worthy of imitation. — The Lord Himself, a proof of the truth of 
 His own saying (Luke vi. 26). — The justification of Wisdom by her 
 children is, 1. necessary, 2. safe, 3. and satisfactory. — As long as 
 there are children of Wisdom, the foolishness of God (1 Cor. i. 25) 
 has nothing to fear. 
 
 Starcke : — It is a beautiful and pleasant thing, when a good under- 
 standing exists between teachers and hearers ; and when they dili- 
 gently edify one another. — Majus : Learn to answer aright the all- 
 important question. Who is the true Saviour of . the world? thus 
 wilt thou be truly enlightened. — After Christ’s example, we should 
 show that we are Christians rather by our deeds than our words. 
 — It is a great thing when we can say, in deed and in truth, that 
 we are confident, 2 Cor. i. 12. — Majus : They who follow Christ, 
 meet with many hindrances and causes of offence, which must be 
 removed and conquered, Isa. Ivii. 14. — 0 slander : Constancy in 
 that which is good, an ornament to the child and servant of God. — 
 Brentius : Rough and honest people are, for the most part, more 
 easily persuaded by the word of truth, than presumptuous hypo- 
 crites and pretended wise ones. — He who despises that counsel of 
 God which is intended for his soul’s salvation, will experience the 
 
244 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 counsel of God against him, to his loss and sorrow. — ITedinger: God 
 will defend Himself to none ; let feeble man silence his censorious 
 detractors. — God’s servants were always slandered in former times ; 
 why should His servants expect better treatment now? — The world 
 goes on in its old way: it calls evil, good; and good, evil (Isa. v. 20) : 
 be not surprised at it. — Osiander : The teacher is yet to be born 
 who shall please all men. — Magus : Wisdom calls fools to come, and 
 would make them wise ; but few hear and follow her. 
 
 Ileuhner. — He who does not find salvation in Christ, may seek 
 it elsewhere in vain. — Only one future will surpass all our expecta- 
 tions, the future of Christ. — Christianity is founded upon history 
 and facts. — Christianity, a religion for the poor. — Guy on .(on ver. 
 38) : John is a type of the condition of repentance : He who pene- 
 trates farther into the kingdom of grace, and attains the full en- 
 joyment of grace, is greater and more blessed than he who still 
 remains at repentance. — Luther (vers. 32-34) : If we preach the 
 Gosj/el, it is of no use ; if we preach the law, it is of no use ; we 
 cannot make people truly joyful, nor truly sad. 
 
 On the passage, vers. 18-27 (comp, with Matt. xi. 2-10). The 
 double testimony brought before the people by Jesus : 1. Testimony 
 to Himself (vers. 18-23) ; 2. testimony concerning John the Bap- 
 tist (vers. 24-27). — Couard: John: 1. His faith, 2. his walk, 3. 
 his works. — Ph. D. Burh : When Jesus would show a soul its un- 
 happiness without Him, He speaks to it of the happiness of those 
 who abide in Him. Contraria contrariis curantur. — Tliym: The 
 days of the Baptist. We will consider, 1. The question for proof : 
 a. from whom it comes, h. what is its pm’port, c. what its design. 
 2. The answer from experience : a. who gives it, h. what it points 
 at, c. what prize it sets before us. 3. The testimony in truth : a, 
 by whom it is given, h. what it demonstrates, c, whither it tends. 
 — Hopfner : The glory of Jesus, who came into the world in the 
 form of a servant. — Flo^^ey : What the Lord requires of those, who 
 would prepare His way in the hearts of men. — Arndt: Jesus, the 
 friend of the poor. — Rautenherg : Jesus, the hope of anxious souls. 
 
 For other examples, see Lange on Matt. xi. 2-10. 
 
 c. The Repast in the House of Simon the Pharisee, (Vees. 36-50.) 
 
 36 And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat with him. 
 And He went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, be- 
 hold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat 
 
CHAP. VII. 36-50. 
 
 245 
 
 at moat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster-box of ointment, 38 And 
 stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash Ilis feet with tears, 
 and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed 
 them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden Him 
 saw it, he spake within himself, saying. This man, if He were a prophet, would 
 have known who and what manner of woman tliis is that toucheth Him ; for 
 she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have some- 
 what to say unto thee. And he saith. Master, say on. 41 There was a certain 
 creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the 
 other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them 
 both. Tell me therefore, Avhich of them will love him most? 43 Simon 
 answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said 
 unto him. Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And He turned to the woman, and said 
 unto 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. 45 Thou gavest Me no kiss : but this woman, 
 since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 My head with oil 
 thou didst not anoint : but this woman hath anointed My feet with ointment. 
 47 Wherefore I say unto thee. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for she 
 loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And He 
 said unto her. Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with Him 
 began to say within themselves. Who is this that forgiveth sins also ? 50 And 
 
 He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Time of this occurrence. — Though St Luke relates the repast 
 in Simon’s house directly after the message of J ohn, it by no means 
 follows that these occurrences immediately succeeded each other. 
 It is not improbable that the discom’se recorded Matt. xi. 20-30 in- 
 tervened ; but, in any case, both events belong to the history of our 
 Lord’s public ministry in Galilee, shortly before the second Pass- 
 over (John vi. 4). 
 
 2. Harmony. — It has been questioned, whether this anointing 
 were the same recorded by the other three Evangelists, as taking 
 place just at the commencement of the history of our Lord’s Passion. 
 Though several famous names stand among those who answer this 
 question in the affirmative, we have no hesitation in deciding in 
 favour of the view which considers them as two distinct occurrences. 
 The two narratives only coincide so far, that in both cases the name 
 of the host is Simon, and that a woman anointed the Lord, and 
 wiped His feet with her hair. But it is as difficult to say why two 
 Simons — one a Pharisee, dwelling in Galilee, and looking upon Jesus 
 with mistrust; the other a healed leper in Judea, bound to Him by 
 grateful love — should not have lived at the same time, as why they, 
 whose difficulty arises from the identity of the names, should leave 
 
246 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 US two Judases, two Simons, and two Jameses, in tlie apostolic 
 catalogue. And with regard to the second coincidence, we need 
 surely scarcely hint at the probability of two women, both filled 
 with love and gratitude to the Lord, conceiving, independently of 
 each other, the idea of offering Him a similar homage. The other 
 features of these narratives are all dissimilar. In the one, the host 
 is an enemy; in the other, a friend, of Jesus : one anointing pro- 
 ceeded merely from gi-ateful love ; the other was also an anointing 
 for burial : on the one occasion, Jesus is blamed by the Pharisee; 
 on the other, the woman by the disciples : pride was the cause of 
 the objection of one ; selfishness, of that of the other : on one occa- 
 sion, a sinner is pardoned; on the other, a disciple is honoured. 
 Lange says, that the criticism which sees in these supeidicially 
 similar narratives identical occurrences, merely because they acci- 
 dentally present us with two hosts named Simon, and with some 
 other similarities, is better calculated to arrange uniforms and titles, 
 than to distinguish between characters and scenes pertaining to the 
 higher region of Christian history, or spiritual life” (Leben Jesu, 
 p. 737). The supposition, that an erroneous tradition bestowed the 
 name of Simon, which properly belonged to the host of the earlier 
 narrative, upon that of the latter also, seems to us as needless as it is 
 arbitrary. We might, perhaps more justly, suppose that Mary of 
 Bethany might have heard of the act of the sinner of Galilee, and 
 might have been led to the determination of testifying her gratitude 
 in a similar manner. The effort to identify these two occurrences 
 presupposes a possibility of error in the Gospel narrative, which we 
 feel bound, on principle, to oppose. 
 
 3. Desired Him . — The time and place are not more definitively 
 pointed out. We have as little reason for ascribing the invitation 
 of the Pharisee to sinister motives, as for concluding that it pro- 
 ceeded from the right ones of reverence and love. Perhaps it was 
 pride that induced him to receive at his table a Kabbi whose name 
 was in every mouth, and concerning whom no one yet knew to 
 what lengths He would proceed. And the Son of man, who came 
 
 eating and drinking,” willingly acceded to his request, though the 
 impuiTty of the motive that caused it could not have been hidden 
 from Him (John ii. 25). 
 
 4. And sat down to meat, without any washing of feet or anoint- 
 ing, as appears from the sequel. ^Mesus lay upon a couch, leaning 
 upon His left arm, with His head towards the table, and His feet 
 tinned outwards, towards where the servants stood. His feet 
 
CHAP. VIL 36-50. 
 
 247 
 
 were also bare, since lie would have taken off Ilis sandals. ” De 
 Wette. 
 
 5. A woman in the city^ which was a sinner . — The name of the 
 city is not mentioned. The notion that it was J erusalem (Paulus), 
 is entirely without foundation. In any case, it must have been a 
 city of Galilee. Sinner seems here especially to denote a person 
 whose unchaste life had brought her into bad repute among her 
 fellow-citizens. On the various ways in which a woman, among 
 the Jews, might merit the name of a/xaprcoXo?, see Lightfoot in 
 loco. 
 
 This woman, “ which was a sinner,” has, from very early times, 
 often been considered as identical with Mary Magdalene. See 
 Winer in voce, and Sepp (Leben Jesu ii., pp. 281-299), who has 
 also collected the various legends concerning her. But while, on 
 the one hand, this identity cannot be demonstrated, so, on the other, 
 the difficulties which have been raised in opposition to this notion 
 are by no means insuperable ; and we doubt whether the Romish 
 Chm'ch deserves, in this respect, the opposition which modern ex- 
 positors generally raise against her. Tradition — to which a second 
 anointing, by Mary the sister of Lazarus, was not unknown — would 
 not, without special reason, have attributed also to the woman who 
 performed the first, the name of Mary. That Maiy Magdalene is 
 first spoken of by name, ch. viii. 2, certainly does not prove that 
 she could not have performed the anointing in the house of Simon. 
 Perhaps she had been among those unfortunate persons, out of 
 whom the Lord had lately cast devils, in the presence of John’s 
 disciples, ch. vii. 21. A sinner, such as the Magdalene, would 
 scarcely have been received into the circle of our Lord’s friends in 
 an ordinary way ; and certainly a more fitting occasion than the 
 occurrence in Simon’s house could hardly have been imagined. It 
 may be added, that the conduct exhibited by this woman coincides 
 exactly with what is known of the affectionate Mary Magdalene 
 (John XX. 11— 18) ; and is just what might be expected, if she had 
 then been recently healed of her terrible plague. But we have 
 said sufficient concerning a supposition which, though it cannot 
 be satisfactorily proved, certainly does not deserve to be rejected, as 
 entirely undeserving of consideration. 
 
 6. Wlmi she knew . — The repasts, of which Jesus partook, seem 
 to have been of a somewhat public character. Entrance was allowed 
 to all, not because they were invited, but because the thronging of 
 the peojjle could not be hindered. 
 
248 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 1. An alahaster-hox^ a\dj3aarpov jxvpov. — A very fine, and 
 generally white, kind of gypsum, but not so hard as marble, and 
 therefore not so susceptible of polish. Unguenta optime servant 
 tur in alahastris^^ writes Pliny xiii. 3 ; and it is probably attribut- 
 able to this opinion, that ointments and perfumes were generally 
 exported in closed alabaster-bottles, which were opened by breaking 
 their long necks. The alabaster of Damascus was celebrated for 
 its clearness, while the best nard ointment was prepared at Tarsus 
 in Cilicia: comp. Friedlieb, ArchdoL der Leidensgescldclde^ on Matt, 
 xxvi. 6. For the rest, it was a prevailing custom, to kiss the feet of 
 those to whom it was wished to show special honour, especially of 
 the Rabbis (Wetstein). The designation of the commencement of 
 the whole occurrence (pp^aro) contributes not a little to enliven 
 our conception of the transaction. 
 
 8. With tears — with the hairs of her head. — The inquiry naturally 
 presses upon us, Wliat was it that gave rise to all this affection in 
 the woman’s homage ? Undoubtedly, she had seen and known the 
 Lord before this ; and had, in some manner, received a great bene- 
 fit at His hands. We prefer considering this as a bodily cure, a 
 benefit certainly not worth less than the remission of the debt of 
 500 pence. For this favour it was that she was desirous of show- 
 ing her grateful love to the Lord. Perhaps in order to try her. He 
 had cured her of the sickness which had been the result of her sin- 
 ful life, but had not yet pronounced the word of pardon and favour, 
 which she still more earnestly longed for. And thus there would 
 be kindled in her heart, not only ardent gratitude for the favour 
 received, but also intense desire for a still higher, and spiritual heal- 
 ing. The unclean longs to be pronounced clean, the fallen to be 
 raised up, the mourner to be comforted ; and she, who was already 
 grateful for her recovery, to be blessed with still larger abundance 
 of favour. For some time, she might have been seeking for an op- 
 portunity of approaching the Saviour, \vithout being repulsed by 
 some unpitying hand ; and now that she hears that He is a guest 
 in Simon’s house, neither false shame nor the fear of man can re- 
 strain her from following the impulse of her heart. 
 
 9. Now when the Pharisee saw it. — Undoubtedly the first feel- 
 ing of the Pharisee would be indignation, that such a woman should 
 have dared to defile his pure threshold. Butwith this were now united 
 dissatisfaction and doubt with respect to his guest, whom he sees 
 allowing such hands to be laid upon Him. Without the capability 
 of placing himself in the condition of the woman, or of appreciat- 
 
CHAP. VII. 36-50. 
 
 249 
 
 ing tlie loveliness of her conduct, he judges according to the logic 
 of the natural man, and the prejudice of the Jew. The major of 
 the syllogism, which he is secretly composing, is twofold. In the 
 first place, a prophet would know what is hidden, and consequently 
 the history of this dfiaprcoX6<; ; and in the second, he would shud- 
 der at the touch of so unholy a being. That the first may be truth, 
 concerning Jesus, and not the second, does not seem to enter his 
 imagination. The minor and the conclusion are self-e^ddent, from 
 his point of view. It was the universal notion among the Jews, 
 that a prophet must know all secret things, and that the Messiah 
 especially would be able to answer all questions. Hence the cap- 
 tious inquiries they were continually putting to Him, to the end of 
 His life, and the conclusion at which His disciples arrived, John 
 xvi. 29, 30. For the rest, we can scarcely doubt, that Simon, be- 
 sides Xeycov ev eanrw, gave vent to his indignation by looks, gestures, 
 and whispers. The Lord, however, needed not to hear or see him ; 
 He could read his thoughts. He defends both Himself and the 
 
 O 
 
 woman, by a parable so strikingly and powerfully expressed, that we 
 liardly know whether to admire most, the wisdom with which He 
 makes the accuser appear as a witness against himself ; the mode- 
 ration with which He treats His host, by abstaining from more 
 expressly blaming him ; or the deep seriousness with which He gives 
 him to understand, that his sin is still unforgiven. 
 
 10. A certain creditor, etc. — Under the image of a creditor the 
 Lord depicts Himself ; while in the debtors who owed the greater 
 and less sums, we recognise the woman which was a sinner, and 
 Simon. Hence it follows, that the Lord regarded the conduct of 
 the woman as an act of grateful love, resulting from a benefit al- 
 ready received. We cannot, however, deduce from the parable that 
 Simon also had received some miraculous cure (Paulus, Kuinoel). 
 The benefit bestowed upon him, and represented by the fifty pence, 
 was the Lord’s visit, the value of which could not, however, have 
 been very great in his eyes. 
 
 11. I suppose . — The graUty of the Pharisee, to whom a problem 
 is submitted for solution, is not compromised. With greater mo- 
 desty, however, than he had evinced in his secret murmuring, he 
 gives his opinion, and is rewarded by the Lord with the 6p6w<; of 
 holy irony, which is so soon to be turned into a weapon against 
 him. 
 
 12. Seest thou this icoman "^ — Probably Simon had avoided look- 
 ing at her as much as possible. At all events, after the parable he 
 
250 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 liad just lieard, lie must have viewed her in a very different light, 
 and have found in this great sinner a great lover, and, so far, a 
 great saint, if he compared her with himself, the proud egotist. 
 But now the reproofs of the Lord are poured out upon him; nor 
 does lie omit, with dignified self-consciousness, to exalt the honour 
 bestowed upon Simon by Ilis visit. — / entered into thine house. The 
 GOV, at the beginning of this address, gives emphasis to the tone of 
 reproach wherewith Simon is addressed, in the threefold comparison 
 of his conduct with that of the sinful woman. No washing of 
 Ilis feet, no kiss of welcome, no anointing, had he bestowed upon 
 his guest, when lie entered his house. What Meyer advances in 
 extenuation of the first circumstance, viz., that the washing of the 
 feet was not an absolutely necessary attention, since the Lord had 
 not come from a journey, is, in our idea, unsatisfactory ; for if this 
 omission had been entirely unimportant or accidental, the Lord 
 would sm'ely not have reproached him with it. The tenderness 
 and self-sacrifice of the woman are the more striking, as contrasted 
 with his selfishness and want of love. Simon gives no water ; she, 
 her tears, aquarum pretiosissimce (Bengel), and instead of a cloth, 
 the unbound tresses of her hair : Simon gives no kiss ; she, with 
 lowly self-abasement, kisses His feet : Simon bestows upon Him no 
 eXaicov ; she brings the far more costly fjuvpov. And these proofs of 
 her reverence she had offered to the Lord since the time He came 
 in, d(j) ^9 elarfxOov. (See Critical Note on ver. 45.) The reading 
 elarfkOev perhaps arose from the supposition that the woman, hav- 
 ing entered after Jesus, could not have been showing her love from 
 the time of His arrival. This difficulty, however, disappears, when 
 we consider that, if the woman were seeking an opportunity for her 
 labour of love, she would probably enter immediately after the Lord ; 
 and thus the contrast between the behaviour of Simon and the 
 woman, on our Lord’s entrance, is most strictly preserved. 
 
 13. Wherefore I say unto thee. — We find it forced and unna- 
 tiu’al to consider Xeyw aot as parenthetical (De W ette), and in some 
 measm’e to separate it from ov yapiv. Meyer more rightly ex- 
 presses it. For this I say unto thee. For the sake of her proof of 
 love, I declare unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, etc. 
 
 14. ’Acpecovrat — ort 'yyaTrrjaev ttoXv. — According to Roman 
 Catholic expositors, with whom De Wette and others agree, the 
 words, for she loved much,” are the proper cause of the preceding 
 ‘‘ her sins, which are many, are forgiven.” The Romish Church 
 finds here, an argument in favour of her doctrine of the meritori- 
 
CHAP. VII. 36—50. 
 
 251 
 
 ousness of good works, and Protestant controversy lias striven to 
 refute it, by doing some degree of violence to the text. Among 
 the unsuccessful expedients for evading this difficulty, may be 
 reckoned the following expositions of the words : ‘‘ Her sins are for- 
 given her (she knows this), and therefore she loves much;” and, her 
 sins are forgiven her, that she may love much,” or that the Pharisee 
 may well conclude, from her gratitude, that her sins must have been 
 forgiven, etc. All these interpretations suffer shipwreck from the 
 simple meaning of the words, especially otl ; while the parable, vers. 
 41, 42, plainly shows that the Lord regards her conduct as a sign 
 of grateful love. If the woman had indeed already received the 
 assm’ance of her forgiveness, and if her abundant love were, as is 
 generally supposed, a proof of this, the declaration of ver. 48 would 
 at least be superfluous. We, on the contrary, believe the order of 
 the narrative to have been as follows : The woman had received 
 some benefit, probably the cure of some disease, but not yet the 
 full assurance of her forgiveness. On this account, she considered 
 herself as highly favoured as though a debt of five hundi’ed pence 
 had been forgiven her. Gratitude for this benefit brings her in 
 faith to Jesus, ver. 50, and makes her show, by her love, the 
 strength of her faith ; and in this frame of mind she receives, not 
 of debt, but of grace, the assurance of forgiveness. Simon, on the 
 contrary, considers himself as little obliged by the visit of Jesus, 
 as if a debt of only fifty pence had been remitted, and therefore 
 shows but little love to the Lord. “To whom little is forgiven, the 
 same loveth little;” and because he had so little, or no faith and 
 love, he also had little (or no) share in the forgiveness, which in- 
 deed he did not seriously desire. Meanwhile, the doctrine of the 
 meritoriousness of works may seek support from these words in 
 vain. J esus Himself says, ver. 50, “ Thy faith hath saved thee,” 
 and testifies hereby that faith was the source whence her love flowed. 
 Because she believes, and shows her faith by her love, she is a par- 
 taker of forgiveness. Jesus neither says that she deserves forgive- 
 ness for her love nor for her faith ; but not till she was possessed of 
 faith, which worketh by love (Gal. v. 6), was she susceptible of the 
 benefit of forgiveness, which the Lord then bestows from grace 
 alone. 
 
 15. 21iy sins are forgiven . — The words of the Lord exhibit a 
 continually increasing manifestation of His heavenly love. He first 
 shows that He accepts without hesitation the homage of this sinner. 
 He then declares to another how high a privilege is granted to her, 
 
252 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 far liiglicr tlian she has hitherto possessed, the full forgiveness of 
 her sins. And lastly, this assurance is addressed to her personally, 
 and sealed in her heart by tlie peace of God, which passeth all 
 understanding. The words at iroWai were spoken indeed in her 
 presence, though not addressed to herself. The Lord does not 
 wish to humble her further, before those among whom she is now 
 present, but rather to exalt her. 
 
 16. And they that sat at meat with Him began to say^ etc. — Just 
 like ch. V. 21. It would seem almost incomprehensible that the 
 same objection should be urged again, if we lose sight of the fact, 
 that the pharisaic heart is at all times the same; besides, these 
 guests need not necessarily have been acquainted with what had 
 taken place in the case of the paralytic. 
 
 17. And He smVZ, etc. — These words seem not so much to have 
 been spoken by way of climax to what preceded them, as because the 
 Lord perceived the storm which would be shortly raised against the 
 woman if she did not immediately depart. He gives her a hint to 
 leave the house before the peace, which He had bestowed, should 
 be contested or destroyed by any one. The faith of the woman 
 had contributed to her salvation, in so far as it had brought her 
 mind into a condition in which she could entreat for, and receive 
 from the Lord, the most desirable of benefits. Another woman was 
 privileged to receive a similar word of comfort, Mark v. 34. Com- 
 pare also the words of Eh to Hannah, 1 Sam. i. 17. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The readiness with which the Lord accepts an invitation 
 given in so unfriendly a spirit as Simon’s, is certainly a specimen of 
 the self-denial of His love. He especially wished not to repel the 
 Pharisees more than was absolutely necessary ; and He knew, be- 
 sides, that many an ear that would be closed against a regular dis- 
 course elsewhere, might perhaps receive the word of life if it were 
 uttered in the conversation of the table, and clothed with the forms 
 of daily life. He was also mindful of the training of His Apostles, 
 who, brought up in a more simple condition, had as yet beheld the 
 dark side of Pharisaism only from a distance. And, lastly. He 
 might, by His personal appearance, best silence the slanderous re- 
 ports, which undoubtedly were in circulation, concerning Himself 
 and His disciples, in His absence. It is also worthy of remark, that 
 when He had passed over this threshold, the door was also open to 
 a sinner against whom pharisaic strictness would certainly have 
 
CIIAF. VII. 36-50. 
 
 253 
 
 barred an entrance. Kal Ihov. When Christ appears, the law loses 
 its power, and grace bears the sceptre. 
 
 2. The history of this repentant sinner is a gospel within the 
 Gospel, testifying both of the disposition which the Lord requires 
 in sinners, and of the salvation which His grace offers them. In 
 this view, this whole narrative may be called a perpetual history ; 
 and it is perfectly indifferent whether the person who plays the 
 principal part in it is Mary Magdalene, or some other woman. The 
 main points, her frame of mind and her experience, are instructive 
 to every one. Gregory the Great well said concerning this pas- 
 sage, When I consider this occurrence, I am more inclined to 
 weep over it than to preach on it.” It is also eminently consistent 
 with the Pauline character of Luke’s Gospel, which announces to 
 us the justification of the humble sinner by free grace. 
 
 3. They who would explain our Lord’s words (ver. 47) to mean, 
 that the love of the woman was the procuring cause of her pardon, 
 entirely reverse the sense of the parable, as though it taught that 
 the two creditors began by loving the creditor in different measures, 
 and that he had, in consequence, remitted to them different sums ; 
 which, certainly, would be like gathering the fruit before the tree 
 is planted. For a debtor incapable of paying would not love, but 
 avoid, his creditor ; and love would not arise in his heart till he had 
 good reason to believe that his debt was, all at once, remitted. So 
 judged Luther when he wrote, “The Papists quote this parable 
 against our doctrine of faith, and say, that forgiveness of sins is 
 obtained through love, and not through faith. But that such is not 
 the fact is proved by the parable, which so clearly shows that love 
 results from faith. ‘ To whom much is forgiven,’ says Christ, ^ the 
 same loveth much.’ So, then, when any one has, and believes he 
 has, forgiveness of sins, love follows. When any one has it not, 
 there is no love.” 
 
 5. “ And He said unto her. Thy sins are forgiven.” — Unless we 
 believe that the woman now received nothing more than she pos- 
 sessed before, we shall be obliged to conclude that the assurance of 
 forgiveness was not bestowed upon her before this interview with 
 the Lord. The benefit, then, for which she came to testify her 
 gratitude, could not possibly have been this assm'ance. 
 
 6. Simon and the woman, in the presence of the Lord, are ex- 
 cellent tyi^es of the Roman Catholic and Evangelical Churches. 
 The first, like Simon, is not free from the leaven of self-righteous- 
 ness, and is, either secretly or openly, offended at every manifesta- 
 
254 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tion and every recognition of tlie free grace of tlie Saviour. Like 
 tlie proud Pharisee, she rejects the commandment of God, for the 
 sake of her own traditions, and is, for this very reason, not perfect 
 in love, because she views it, not as the consequence, but as the 
 condition of the forgiveness of sins (1 John iv. 17, 18 applies here). 
 The other, on the contrary, feels herself in many respects as defiled 
 as the woman in the Pharisee’s house ; but she casts herself at the 
 Lord’s feet, as one utterly unworthy, and does Him homage, not to 
 merit something, but out of gratitude that He has merited and ob- 
 tained everything for her. As long as she does not wholly forget 
 the meaning of the word Scopedv (Rom. hi. 24), this word of Jesus, 
 Thy faith hath saved thee,” applies to her, and she may go in 
 peace. And this faith will make her to abound the more in love 
 and gratitude, the more deeply she feels that not fifty, but five 
 hundred pence, have been forgiven her. Thus does the Gospel 
 bring forth and cherish that fruit of obedience, which the law could 
 indeed demand, but not produce. 
 
 7. To understand the true connection between forgiveness and 
 love, compare especially the parable. Matt, xviii. 23-35. 
 
 UOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The repast in Simon’s house, a proof of the truth of the Lord’s 
 word, Luke v. 31, 32. — Jesus always ready to come when a sinner 
 invites Him. — Great sin, great repentance ; great faith, great love. 
 — True and seeming honour shown to the Lord in the same house. 
 — The poverty of an unloving, the riches of a loving, heart. — No 
 sinner too bad to come to Jesus. — Love and reverence united in her 
 homage. — The steps by which the Lord lifts the sinner from the 
 depths of sin to the heights of love : 1. He suffers her to approach 
 Him; 2. He accepts her homage; 3. He assures her of the forgiveness 
 of sin ; 4. He bids her go in peace. — The steps by which the Lord 
 brings the Pharisee from the heights of self-complacence to the depths 
 of conviction : 1. He sits at his table ; 2. He casts a look into his 
 heart ; 3. He manifests his want of love ; 4. He puts him to shame 
 before the woman, placing him far below her. — How grateful love 
 is, 1. abundantly shown, 2. unjustly blamed, 3. powerfully defended, 
 4. and blessed a thousand-fold. — The inventive power of love. — 
 That which is most costly, is not too costly for the Lord. — Economy 
 is out of place when applied to what is used for the Lord’s honour. 
 — The happiness of a heart which has at last reached the feet of 
 Jesus. — Here, at Jesus’ feet; there, on Jesus’ bosom. — The Lord 
 
CHAP. VII. 36-60. 
 
 255 
 
 has somewhat special to say to every Simon. — The conversation of 
 Jesus at table, tried by the apostolic rule, Col. iv. 6. — Christ looks 
 upon all men as His debtors. — Every man receives the forgiveness 
 of as many sins as he feels and repents of. — It is impossible that 
 grateful love should precede the manifestation of grace, which it 
 must necessarily follow. — The self-righteous man his own judge. — 
 We may judge rightly, and yet condemn ourselves. — Seest thou 
 this woman ? 1. A sinner, and yet a saint ; 2. a mourner, and yet 
 happy ; 3. a despised one, yet crowned with everlasting life. — The 
 state of this sinner, in accordance with the apostolic confession, 2 
 Cor. vi. 9, 10. — God forgives us, that we may love Him. — Pride is 
 niggardly toward the Lord. — What pride omits, the penitent sup- 
 plies. — In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, 
 nor uncircumcision ; but faith which worketli by love,” Gal. v. 6. — 
 The true reason of want of love to Christ ; the natural source of 
 love to Him. — Belief in the forgiveness of sins no dead letter, but 
 a real principle of life. — The certain assurance of the forgiveness 
 of sins, 1. an indispensable, 2. an inestimable, 3. an attainable 
 favour. — “ Who is this that forgiveth sins also ?” — Even the secret 
 thoughts of the heart are known to the Lord. — Faith the only, but 
 the safe, way of salvation. — No going in peace without faith ; no 
 faith without going in peace. 
 
 Starcke. — He is a wise teacher, who makes himself all things 
 to all men, that he may by all means save some, 1 Cor. ix. 22. — 
 A Christian, and even a minister, may go to a feast ; but he must 
 make it a place, time, and opportunity to do some good. — A soul 
 truly sensible of sin, esteems nothing too good or too dear for 
 Christ. — Humility both a sign and effect of grace. — Majus : Those 
 who are converted to God yield their members, which they for- 
 merly devoted to sin, as instruments of righteousness, Rom. vi. 19. 
 — He who has not himself repented, knows not how repentant sin- 
 ners are encouraged. — Quesnel : The lovely meekness of Jesus : it 
 is well when he who would benefit his neighbour imitates it. — The 
 best way of teaching, is to convince and instruct by questions. — 
 Brentius : Sin is a great and heavy debt, which we cannot pay of, 
 or for, ourselves. — JVova Bihl. Tub. : The curtain of our preju- 
 dice being drawn aside, our own heart condemns us. — A penitent 
 is always kissing the feet of the Lord Jesus. — We often have bad 
 thoughts in the holiest places. — To forgive sin is the act of God 
 alone, and Jesus proved His divinity by it. — He whom God and 
 his own conscience absolve from sin, need not care for tlie judg- 
 
25G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 inent of the world, and may be of good courage. — Ileuhner: The 
 tears of cleansed sinners are precious in God’s sight. — Pride can- 
 not imagine the love God shows to repentant sinners. — God knows, 
 like an accurate creditor, exactly how much each man owes. — What 
 love to Jesus is, and whence it arises. — Jesus here teaches us how 
 we should treat the fallen. — Great sinners, great saints. — A sermon 
 by Burk, on this passage, Stuttgart 1757 : The favoured sinner, 
 and the believing love of Jesus; in the Bunzlauer Christl. Woclien- 
 scJuift, 1823, p. 28. — A sermon by Knapp, in the Wilhelmsdorfer 
 Sammlung, p. G83 : The dignity and happiness of a broken heart 
 pardoned by Jesus. — Palmer : How love to Christ arises in a heart : 
 It arises, 1. from the hope of obtaining forgiveness of sins, through 
 Him ; 2. from the assurance of having obtained forgiveness. — 
 Schleiermacher : On the connection between the forgiveness of sins 
 and love, Pred. i., p. 522. 
 
 C. Galilee and its Neighbourhood, including Capernaum. 
 
 a. The first Christian Sisterhood. (Chap. viii. 1-3.) 
 
 1 And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and 
 village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God ; and 
 the twelve were with Him, 2 And certain women, which had been healed of 
 evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven 
 devils, 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and 
 many others, which ministered^ unto Him of their substance. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Afterward, ev tm kuO. sc. y^povw. — St Luke’s object here, is not 
 to connect events in their strict chronological order, but, in a general 
 manner, to call attention to the fact, that the ministry of the Lord 
 was uninterruptedly continued during His journeyings in Galilee. 
 To this he adds a notice of the ministrations of pious women 
 during this period; a circumstance which no other Evangelist 
 mentions. It is more than probable that the preceding narrative 
 occasioned this notice. 
 
 2. Kara rroXiv koX KODfjbrjv. — From town to town, and from 
 
 * To Him, T.R. Avrolg is supported by better authority ; see Tischendorf 
 in loco. “ The singular seemed more natural to transcribers, partly because 
 ndipuTT. preceded, and partly through remembrance of Matt, xxvii. 55 and 
 Mark xv. 4.” Meyer. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 1-3. 
 
 257 
 
 village to village; comp. Acts xv. 21 ; very clearly pointing out tlie 
 Lord’s indefatigable activity. 
 
 3. And certain icomen. — At an earlier period, the disciples mar- 
 
 velled” 'when they saw their Master talking with a woman (John 
 iv. 27). Now a small band of female disciples has been already 
 formed, bound to Him by the ties of grateful love. — Mary called 
 Magdalene ; of whom we have already spoken. Concerning Mag- 
 dala, see Lange on Matt. xv. 39. — Joanna^ only mentioned here, 
 and ch. xxiv. 10, was the wife, or perhaps the widow, of Chuza, 
 Herod’s steward. If he were, as some suppose, the (SaaCkiKo^ of 
 John iv. 46-54, gratitude for her son’s recoveiy would, probably, 
 be the motive that brought the mother to Jesus. — Susanna, i.e., 
 lily, of whom nothing more is mentioned. — And many others ; 
 
 comp. Matt, xxvii. 55. 
 
 4. Which ministered unto Him of their substance. — These friends 
 of our Lord seem, for the most part, to have belonged to the more 
 opulent class ; the ministering chiefly consisting in maintenance, and 
 the su])ply of other temporal necessities, out of (e’/c) their substance. 
 This ministering was extended to the whole company of travellers. 
 The reading avTw, in some copies, is probably a correction, arising 
 from the evident effort to represent the ministration of these 
 women as a devotional service, confined exclusively to the Lord. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The short account given of these women is peculiarly 
 adapted to assist oui’ imagination in picturing the manner of our 
 Lord’s journejdngs in Galilee. lYe seem to see Him, going from 
 town to town, clad in His simple but decent garments — His coat 
 without seam, woven from the top throughout, perhaps a gift of 
 love — His feet bound with sandals ; His disciples about Him, with- 
 out money in their purses, without shoes, staff, or scrip — a bottle of 
 oil, perhaps, hanging from their shoulders, according to Eastern 
 custom, for the refreshment of their wearied limbs (Mark vi. 13 ; 
 Luke X. 34 ; Gen. xxviii. 18) ; and, at a fitting distance, the com- 
 pany of women, covered with veils, after the fashion of the country, 
 caring with tender love for the wants of the party — preparing, from 
 time to time, some unexpected refreshment for the beloved Master, 
 and conversing, sometimes with Him, sometimes with each other. 
 The contemplation of this band of brethren and sisters, wdiose head 
 and centre is Jesus, must produce an elevating impression. 
 
 2. The freedom with which our Lord permitted and received 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 17 
 
258 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 til esc services of love, is a proof, not merely of His condescending 
 kindness, wliicli suffered these ministrations, though He came not 
 to be ministered unto (Matt. xx. 28), but also of His confidence in 
 the purity of motive and fidelity of these Galilean women, a fidelity 
 which continued unaltered even after His death. 
 
 3. M^e here behold the emancipation of woman, in the noblest 
 sense of the word, and the beginning of the services of women in the 
 .Church of Christ (Wichern) ; while the circumstance is, at the 
 same time, a decided triumph of the spirit of the Gospel over the 
 narrowness of Kabbinism, and a prophecy of the new world of love 
 called into existence by Christ. 
 
 IIOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 In Christ Jesus, neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, etc., 
 but a new creature. — The services of grateful love acceptable to 
 the Lord. — Variety and agreement among these first female friends 
 of the Lord J esus. — What the Lord is to women, and what women 
 must be to the Lord. — Women, in Christ, no longer the slaves of 
 men, but fellow-heirs of the grace of life, 1 Pet. iii. 7. — The Head 
 of the Clim'ch served in, and by. His members. — The consecration 
 of temporal property to the furtherance of the kingdom of God. — 
 The first Christian sisterhood, united in a work of love, 1. whose 
 motive is pure, 2. whose operation is powerful, 3. whose fruit is 
 abundant, 4. whose endurance is stedfast. — Service to the poor, 
 service to God (Angelas Merula). — Among the women of Gospel 
 history, our Lord had not, as far as we know, one enemy. 
 
 Starche. — They who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, can- 
 not leave Him. — If Christ did not disdain to receive the ministra- 
 tions of others, why should we, under similar circumstances f — 
 Quesnel : Pious women have, at all times, contributed to set up the 
 kingdom of God, by services of love to Christ’s ministers, and to 
 His poorer members, Rom. xvi. 1, 2, 6. — Majiis: To bestow temporal 
 gifts, for spiritual benefits, is a fitting, yet inadequate, return. — God 
 knows how to provide for His children in poverty. Matt. vi. 33. 
 
 b. The Parables of the Kingdom of God (veks. 4-21). (Parallel 
 passages : Matt. xiii. 1-23, xii. 46-50 ; Mark iii. 31-iv. 23.) 
 
 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to Him 
 out of every city, He spake by a parable : 5 A sower went out to sow his seed : 
 and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side ; and it was trodden down, and the 
 
CHAP. VIII. 4-21. 
 
 259 
 
 fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock ; and as soon as it 
 was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell 
 among thorns ; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other 
 fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred-fold. And 
 when He had said these things. He cried. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 9 And His disciples asked Him, saying. What might this parable be? 10 And 
 lie 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 hearing they 
 might not understand. 1 1 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 aAvay the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 
 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with 
 joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of tempta- 
 tion fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when 
 they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures 
 of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground 
 are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, 
 and bring forth fruit with patience. 16 No man, when he hath lighted a 
 candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed ; but setteth it on 
 a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 17 For nothing is 
 secret, that shall not be made manifest ; neither anything hid, that shall not be 
 known and come abroad. 18 Take heed therefore how ye hear : for whosoever 
 hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken 
 even that which he seemeth to have. 19 Then came to Him His mother and 
 His brethren, and could not come at Him for the press. 20 And it was told 
 Him by certain, which said. Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, de- 
 siring to see Thee. 21 And He answered and said unto them, My mother and 
 My brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. 
 
 CRITICAL KOTES. 
 
 1. Time of the parable . — Luke rightly places the preaching of 
 the kingdom of God, by the Lord, in this period of His Galilean 
 ministry ; nevertheless, a comparison with Matthew and Mark shows 
 us that he omits several important particulars. Without involving 
 ourselves in a criticism of the various ancient and modern arrange- 
 ments of the Gospel narratives of this period, we shall merely give 
 that which appears to us the most deserving of acceptance : 
 
 (1.) The repast in Simon’s house (Luke vii. 36-50). 
 
 (2.) Beginning of a new journey through Galilee (Luke viii, 
 1-3). 
 
 (3.) Beturn eU oIkov (Nlark iii. 20). 
 
 (4.) Blasphemy concerning a union with Beelzebub, etc. (Mark 
 iii. 20-30, comp. Matt. xii. 22-37). 
 
 (5.) Visit of His mother and brethren (Mark iii. 31-35). Comp. 
 Luke viii. 19-21, Matt. xii. 46-50. 
 
2G0 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 (G.) Tlic parables (IViatt. xiii., Mark iv., Luke viii.); that of the 
 sower being first, according to all the synoptical Gospels. 
 
 2. Mach iieojyle, — Here, as also elsewhere, the accounts of the 
 different Evangelists arc not discrepant, but complete each other. 
 xVccording to Luke, the towns of Galilee furnished their quota to 
 swell the number of our Lord’s hearers, — ex quavis U7‘he erat cohors 
 aliqucL^ (Bcngel) ; according to Matthew and Mark, the concourse 
 was so great, that the Lord was obliged to get into a ship in order 
 to be more conveniently heard. Of the various parables reported 
 as spoken on this occasion, St Luke communicates only one, with 
 its explanation. 
 
 3. By the wayside — Eo^ uhi ager et via inter se attinguntT 
 The seed of the sower is here threatened with a twofold danger, 
 — the feet of the wayfarer, and the birds of heaven. 
 
 4. Upon a roch, — A rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer 
 of earth, so that, when the seed would strike root, it is hindered 
 by the hard stone. It grows up proportionally high (e^avereCke, 
 Matthew and Mark), but can only develop itself U 2 :)wards, and not 
 downwards. 
 
 5. Among thorns, — Not a tract of high thistles, but a place in 
 the field where thorns formerly grew, wliicli now spring up again 
 from their roots, together with the seed, which they at length en- 
 tirely choke, by growing much faster ; at first retarding, but soon 
 wholly checking, its growth. 
 
 G. On good ground^ which has become good by the preGous care 
 of the husbandman. Luke only summarily mentions the bringing 
 forth a hundred-fold, while Mark and Matthew tell also of the 
 thirty and sixty-fold. 
 
 7. When He had said these things, etc. — So also Matthew and 
 Mark. According to the latter, another aKovere had preceded. 
 This whole parable is adapted, not merely as one out of many, but 
 as the first of a well-connected series, to form, as it were, the open- 
 ing of our Lord’s instruction by parables. Comp. Mark iv. 13. 
 
 8. And His disciples ashed Him, — Here also the shorter ac- 
 count of Luke must be completed by the ampler ones of Mark and 
 Matthew ; from which it appears, that they not only asked Him 
 the meaning of this parable, but also inquired why He taught the 
 people by parables. Yer. 10 of Luke contains the answer to a 
 question which he does not himself report. 
 
 9. Unto you it is given, — From these words of our Lord, reported 
 by all three Evangelists, it appears that the kingdom of God is, 
 
CHAP. VIII. 4-21. 
 
 2G1 
 
 1. a fj,v(Try]pLOv, -wliicli, 2. Ilis disciples know, but, 3. not till after 
 the preparing grace of God is given, BeSorai ^vwvai. The true 
 medium between supernaturalism and rationalism, whether ancient 
 or modern, can only be attained by doing equal justice to each of 
 these three thoughts. 
 
 10. But to others — in parables. — The words to be supplied are 
 not, “to others” speak / “in parables,” but, “to others” it is given 
 to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God, when they are 
 presented in a parabolic form. 
 
 11. That seeing they might not see. — Comp. Isa. vi. 9, 10, re- 
 membering that (as Stier remarks) “ to cause hardness of heart 
 through prophecy, is to bring to light the hardness of heart already 
 existing, and developing itself through its own fault, when brought 
 into contact with the word.” Comp. Lange on Matt. xi. 12. 
 
 12. The seed. — In the explanation of the parable, it is the seed 
 which plays the most prominent part in Luke, the sower in hlark. 
 
 13. Which when they hear ; i. e.y they only hear, not mixing 
 faith with the word of the preacher. It is remarkable, that the Lord 
 attributes the failure of the first part only, and not of the second 
 and third part of the seed, to the direct influence of the de^dl. The 
 e\dl one is as near at hand, as the birds are to the newly sown seed. 
 
 14. The difference between the second and third kinds seems 
 to be principally this : that sown on the rock represents those super- 
 ficially movedj who are soon offended at persecution ; that sowm 
 among thorns, the half-hearted, who are soon led away by tempta- 
 tion. Calvin, speaking of the first, very justly says, “ Hie ordo a 
 superiore differt, quia temporalis fides, quasi seminis conceptio, fruc- 
 tum aliquem promittit, sed non ita bene et penitus svbacta sunt corda, 
 ut ad continuum alimentum eorum mollities sufficiat. Et sane, ut 
 cestu solis probatur terree sterilitas, ita persecutio et crux eorum 
 vanitatem detegit, qui leviter tincti, nescio quo desiderio, non probe 
 serio pietatis affectu imbuti sunt. Sciendum est, non vere esse incor- 
 ruptihili semine regenitos, quod nunquam marcescit, quemadmodum 
 Petrus docetf 1 Pet. i. 23. 
 
 15. Go forth, and are choked ivifh cares, arid riches, and pleasures 
 of this life. — Here, as in Mark iv. 19, a threefold reason is given 
 for the failure of the third class — earthly cares, possessions, and 
 enjoyments. Luke graphically describes these hearers as ^ going 
 
 ^ The German translation of this verse is, “ That which fell among thorns 
 are they who hear, and go forth among the cares, and riches, and pleasures of 
 life, and they are choked,” etc. — T r. 
 
2G2 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 forth (wTTo fjiepLfivMv k.t.X. iropevopuevoL) among these, after they 
 liave listened a wliile. ])icturesque addition” (De Wette). — And 
 are choked. See Meyer in loco. 
 
 16. In an honest and good, heart. — Not in an absolute and ethi- 
 cal sense (Meyer), for goodness of heart does not precede, but 
 follows faith ; but fit to receive seed, and bring forth fruit. A hint 
 at the riglit disposition for hearing, which is itself the effect of 
 gratia prceveniens. 
 
 17. No man. — The same saying occurs again, ch. xi. 33. There 
 is no reason why the Lord should not have repeatedly uttered such 
 sayings, on fitting occasions. In Mark iv. 21, 22, it is also placed 
 immediately after the parable of the sower ; and the connection of 
 ideas is not difficult to perceive. In our opinion, the Lord does 
 not mean that, as He has sufficiently explained the preceding par- 
 able to them, they ought also to spread it among others (Meyer, De 
 AYette) ; but lie says, with relation to what He has already taught 
 concerning the various reception which the word of God experiences 
 among men, that the fruit of preaching will be one day known, and 
 that it is therefore of the last importance to receive the word into 
 a truly honest and good heart, that it may one day be manifest that 
 it has brought forth fruit a hundred-fold. 
 
 18. Take heed therefore, etc. — In Luke it is the ttw?, in Matthew 
 the t/, which is more prominent ; while St Lulvc here very aptly in- 
 troduces, what St Matthew reports in another connection. The con- 
 nection in which it is here found, more closely defines the meaning of 
 this seemingly proverbial sentence. — For whosoever hath, i. e., of the 
 fruit of the word, which he has attained by rightly hearing. Pro- 
 ductiveness is in proportion to the capacity for receiving. He who 
 has within him but the germ of the higher life, shall continually 
 receive fresh accessions of spiritual strength, in the use of the ap- 
 pointed means. He who neglects that which God has placed within 
 him, loses what he never truly possessed. ' O Sokcl e'^eiv apd^aerat, 
 a stricter interpretation of the original form, o e%et, of Mark. The 
 so-called possession was merely the fruit of the imagination. 
 
 19. Then came to Him. — This occurrence really took place be- 
 fore the parable : see above. St Luke probably places it here, as 
 serving so well to commend the right hearing of the word, by show- 
 ing the exalted rank attributed by the Lord to the doer of the word 
 (Jas. i. 25). 
 
 20. And could not come at Him. — AYe obtain a clear representa- 
 tion of the wliole circumstance by comparing this account with that 
 
CIIAr. VIII 4-21. 
 
 2G3 
 
 of Mark, cli. iii. 20-30. The simplest explanation of Mark iii. 
 21, 22, is to suppose that, on this occasion, it was none other than 
 Ilis relations, who feared that Jesus was beside Himself : we cannot 
 at least think this incredible of His brethren, who, at a later period, 
 according to John vii. 5, did not believe on Him. There was, how- 
 ever, as little intentional ill-will as in Acts xxvi. 24. If we, how- 
 ever, remark, that His mother and brethren waited very quietly till 
 He had finished speaking, and that the latter entreated Him to show 
 Himself openly, we may also suppose that, from well-meaning but 
 ill-advised affection, they seized upon the blasphemy, spread by the 
 Pharisees, otl BeeX^e/SovX as a means to withdraw Him from 
 so stormy a scene of action. In any case, the narrative does not 
 say, that Mary either uttered or believed this injmlous report. She 
 is here seen rather in the midst, than at the head, of her relations ; 
 and it was not possible that she could have called that holy thing 
 whicli was born of her,” beside Himself.” She is, however, in com- 
 mon with her relations, guilty of another error. She is desirous of 
 withdrawing the Lord from that work which was His meat and 
 drink, that He may take food (Mark iii. 20). This Jesus refused, 
 with holy seriousness, though at the same time ^\dth tender forbear- 
 ance ; thus giving an example of that renunciation of earthly kin- 
 dred which He requires of His disciples. What is said of Levi, 
 Deut. xxxiii. 9, is true in a higher sense of Him. 
 
 21. And it teas told Him . — Perhaps by some one who wished 
 His immediately preceding reproof (Mark iii. 23, etc.) to go no fur- 
 ther, and who therefore zealously embraced the occasion of this 
 welcome interruption, to try to draw the Lord’s attention to some- 
 thing else. 
 
 22. Thy mother and Thy brethren . — The difficult inquiry, whom 
 we are to understand by these dSeX^ol of the Lord, has been of 
 late variously answered. The view of those who consider them 
 the children of Mary and Joseph, born after Jesus, presents, ac- 
 cording to the opinion we have hitherto entertained, the fewest 
 difficulties. This view has been powerfully defended by Dr A. 
 H. Blom, in his Disput. Theol. Inaug. de Christi^ dBe\(poL<; koX a3e\- 
 
 L. B. 1839. On the other hand, the later remarks of Lange 
 and others, who consider them to have been the cousins of the Lord, 
 must not be overlooked. The question seems still to await a more 
 extensive research, before receiving its satisfactory answer. Comp., 
 meanwhile, the important essay of Wieseler, Stud, und Krit. 1842, i., 
 and especially the appendix to the ninth lecture on the Life of 
 
204 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Jesus, by C. J. Eiggenbacli, Basel 1858, where the reasons for and 
 against eacli view are very fairly stated, pp. 286-304. 
 
 23. And lie answered. — Comp. Lange on Matt. xii. 50. Accord- 
 ing to the more grapliic descrij)tion of JMark, He first cast a benevo- 
 lent glance on those who were nearest to Him. It is with full 
 consciousness that He sacrifices, if it must be so, earthly relation- 
 ships to higher interests. He thus testifies to His disciples of the 
 higher rank with which they were invested in His eyes, while they 
 were forgotten by the world. His mother and His brethren, on 
 the other hand, are apprized of the only condition upon which He can 
 truly call them His, namely, if they honour the will of the Father, 
 who has assigned to Him another and wider sphere than their narrow 
 dwelling. Undoubtedly, on hearing these words, a voice in Mary’s 
 heart testified that she was related to Christ in a higher sense than 
 merely Kara erdpKa. From the fact, that the Lord speaks only of 
 His mother, brothers, and sisters, but not of His father, who also 
 appears no more during His earthly life, we may conclude, with 
 great probability, that Joseph was already dead. He calls His 
 people His brethren, comp. Heb. ii. 11 ; but it by no means fol- 
 lows, that this gives them a right to apply to Him the name of 
 brother, in too familiar a manner. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. This is the first time in this Gospel that we find our Lord 
 instructing the people by parables, a method of instruction to which, 
 in itself. His auditors were certainly by no means unaccustomed. 
 The fertile imagination of the ardent Oriental had ever led him 
 to clothe his thoughts in a poetic form, and to adopt this form of 
 teaching, which rendered refiection attractive, and at the same time 
 gratified the taste. Prophets such as Nathan, sages such as Solo- 
 mon, poets such as Isaiah, had clothed their oracular utterances in 
 the parabolic form (2 Sam. xii. 1-7 ; Eccles. ix. 14-16; Isa. v. 1, 
 xxviii. 23—29) ; and the Jewish teachers, in our Lord’s time, also 
 made use of this inviting manner of presenting their doctrines. 
 One of the later Babbis, K. Nahorai, who lived about a century 
 after Christ, and shortly before Barcochba, particularly excelled in 
 it ; and his parables, in many respects, remind us of those of the 
 Lord. It would be well worth the trouble to institute a special re- 
 search into how far the morality of the Talmudists is, in this respect, 
 indebted to the Gospel ; comp. Sepp, Leben Jesu ii., p. 243. If we 
 inquire, however, what, why, and how the Lord taught by parables. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 1—21. 
 
 2G5 
 
 we do but obtain fresb occasion for repeating tlie saying of tlie 
 officers, John vii. 46. 
 
 2. By a parable, we understand a fictitious narrative, taken from 
 nature or daily life, wherein important truths, duties, or promises, 
 are so represented as to be intuitively recognised. The philosophic 
 myth brings some abstract idea within the reach of our conception ; 
 the parable places before our eyes some present or preceding fact. 
 A comparison brings forward only a simple coincidence between 
 two different things, and wants the dramatic development and 
 striking issue which we find in the complete parable. It differs 
 also from the fable, by being confined within the limits of the 
 possible, and by propounding, not only moral, but also religious 
 truths. The leading idea, towards which all the parables of our 
 Lord more or less directly tend, is the hidden nature of the king- 
 dom of God. Hence the attempt has been made, in various ways, 
 to arrange them as a completed whole, containing the doctrine of 
 the kingdom of heaven in all its parts (Neander, Lisco, Lange, 
 Schweizer, and others). Notliing is easier than to deduce the theo- 
 logy, anthropology, soteriology, and eschatology of Jesus from His 
 parables ; taking care, however, not to use every minute feature, 
 as a stone for rearing this temple of doctrine, and to give due 
 relative prominence to the tertiiim comparationisj the leading idea, 
 of each. 
 
 3. The aim of a parable is twofold; comp. Matt. xiii. 13, and 
 Lange in loco. Lord Bacon has justly remarked, De Augm. Sci- 
 entige ii. 1 : Parabola est usiis amhigui, facit enim ad mvolucriim, 
 facit etiam ad illustrationem, in hoc docendij in illo occultandi artifi- 
 cium quceri mdetiir comp. John ix. 39. It must not, however, 
 be overlooked, that the concealment of truth by parables was 
 only relative and temporary. They were not like the bushel under 
 which the light was hidden, but rather like the veil of clouds, 
 which, though it conceals the sun, is often penetrated by its beams. 
 The Lord would certainly have given explanations of all, as He did 
 of some, had such explanation been sought by souls desirous of in- 
 struction. 
 
 4. The Gospel of St Luke is indisputably rich in parables. Some, 
 indeed, of those recorded klatt. xiii., Mark iv., and elsewhere, are 
 wanting ; but, on the other hand, several of the most beautiful are 
 found in Luke alone. Without mentioning many a shorter saying 
 communicated under the form of a parable, we may cite especially 
 the rich store he has reported as delivered dining the Lord’s last 
 
2G6 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 journey to Jerusalem. To these ])elongj 1. The good Samaritan, 
 eh. X. 30—37 ; 2. tlie importunate friend, eh. xi. 5-8 ; 3. the rieli 
 fool, eh. xii. lG-21 ; 4. tlie barren fig-tree, ch, xiii. G— 9 ; 5. the 
 great supper, ch, xiv. 1 6-24 ; 6. tlie tower-builder, and the going 
 to war, eh. xiv. 28-32 ; 7. the lost sheep, the lost piece of silver, 
 and the prodigal son, ch. xv. (the first of which was also reported by 
 IMatthew, but with a different purpose. Matt, xviii. 12, 13) ; 8. the 
 unjust steward, ch. xvi. 1-9 ; 9. the rich man and Lazarus, ch. xvi. 
 19-31; 10. the servant ploughing, ch. xvii. 7-10; 11. the unjust 
 judge and the importunate widow, ch. xviii. 1-8 ; 12. the publican 
 and Pharisee, ch. xviii. 9-14; 13. the pounds (distinctly different 
 from the talents. Matt. xxv. 14-20), ch. xix. 12-27. Even when 
 St Luke communicates parables also reported by the other Evange- 
 lists, some new and peculiar features are generally added ; com- 
 pare, for example, ch. xii. 35-48 with Matt. xxiv. 42-51. He 
 has, especially, never failed to preserve such as coincide with the 
 catholic and Pauline character of his Gospel; while we remark, 
 with scarcely any fear of contradiction, that the parables most 
 rich in detail, and in graphic power, are those met with in this 
 Gospel. Who would be willing to miss the dogs in the parable of 
 Dives and Lazarus; or the particular of the proud Pharisee, araOeU 
 iTpo^; kavTov ; or that recorded of the elder of the two sons, that he 
 came not out of the house, but from the field, where he was serving 
 his father by his labour? How much would the parable of the 
 good Samaritan have lost in beauty, if a simple citizen of Jerusalem 
 had been contrasted with this lover of his neighbour, instead of a 
 priest and a Levite 1 If some of the parables in Luke contain 
 special criices interpreturrij they well repay the pains of investiga- 
 tion ; while to all of them we may well apply the words of Lange, 
 The miracles of J esus are evidently unique parables of His gene- 
 ral agency — acted parables. His parables, on the contrary, unfold 
 themselves as spoken miracles. The miracle is a deed proceeding 
 from the word, and itself becoming the word. The parable is a 
 word proceeding from a fact, and impressed upon a fact. The com- 
 mon birth-place of these ideal twin-forms is thus the world-creating 
 and world-enlightening Word.” 
 
 5. Although, in judging of the prophetic character of the par- 
 ables, some interpreters have gone into the extreme of making 
 many of them denote special periods in the development of Chris- 
 tianity, to the exclusion of earlier or later times; yet it is cer- 
 tain, that just as many prophecies, so also many parables, are 
 
CHAP. VIII. 4-21. 
 
 2G7 
 
 realized in continually increasing measure, in tlie history of the 
 kingdom of God. This applies also to the first parable, the sower. 
 Generally considered, it teaches truth concerning the word of God 
 in the world, when, how, and where it has, at all times, been sown. 
 But very specially is it applicable to Christ, the great Sower of the 
 kingdom of God, and important, as communicating to us the result 
 of Ilis experience hitherto among His generally unbelieving con- 
 temporaries. As a prophetic sketch, too, it has been repeatedly ful- 
 filled, whenever the Gospel has been preached, whether by Apostles, 
 martyrs, reformers, or even by the most inconsiderable country pas- 
 tors. And as long as the world shall be what the world was and is, 
 it will never cease to be the truth, that the greater part of the seed 
 will come to nothing, through the fault of man. 
 
 6. The fact, that the Lord speaks so unambiguously of the 
 devil, not in the parable, but in His explanation of it to His dis- 
 ciples, is a convincing proof that the Satanology of the New Testa- 
 ment is something very different from a pedagogic accommodation 
 to an existing popular superstition. 
 
 7. The reason why the seed bears fruit so much more abundantly 
 in some than in others, is not that some hearts are, by nature, so* 
 much better than others. They who would adduce Luke viii. 15 
 as a proof against the doctrine of universal depravity, would do 
 well first to read over Mark vii. 21-23 once more. The koXov Kal 
 ayaOov, interpreted according to the spirit of our Lord’s teaching, 
 is a gratia prcevenienSj from which man has not departed, because 
 God has worked in him to will ; Phil. ii. 13. It is the duty of 
 modern orthodox theology to develop the doctrine of preventing 
 grace, both in its religious and moral sense, far more than it has 
 hitherto done. 
 
 8. It is evident that they, of whom our Lord says, that in time 
 of temptation they fall away, were never truly believers. He 
 Himself declared, that they believe wpo? Kaipov ; and the difference 
 between a fides temporalis and a jides salvifica, as might be deduced 
 even from this sentence, is deeply significant. The conversion, 
 which takes place merely in the province of the understanding, the 
 sentiments, the imagination, or even the conduct, without penetrat- 
 ing to the innermost sanctuary of the will, may indeed be a flower, 
 but one which, though it may even last a long while, will at last fall 
 without bearing fruit. 
 
 9. The various degrees of fruitfulness, in the good ground, 
 point out the various degrees of faith, love, sanctification, hope. 
 
2G8 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 etc., attained as the results of liearlng ; hence, also, the various 
 measures of opportunities, gifts, and capability, for propagating the 
 seed of the kingdom of God, in succeeding ages. The reason of 
 tliese great differences must not he souglit on the part either of 
 God or man exclusively. Both parties contribute to the result ; and 
 we should consider, on the one hand, that not every part of the 
 field had been equally ploughed and harrowed ; on the other, that 
 not every spiritual gift had been employed with equal carefulness, 
 ddie rule applies also here, that grace, though it always works 
 mysteriously, never works magically ; and again, lie who would 
 really retain the Lord’s gifts, must strive to increase them by labour 
 and diligence ; it is for this that they are, by their very nature, cal- 
 culated ; to preserve them, and to put them out to usury, are identi- 
 cal. Works are the nourishment of faith — faithful and diligent 
 employment of talents, the oil of the burning lamp. To do no- 
 thing in the power of grace, and to bring forth no fruit from the 
 seed bestowed, suffices for the sentence, which takes away what a 
 man seemed, and thought, to possess, but what he never truly had” 
 (Stier). 
 
 10. What the Lord here very decidedly says, concerning the 
 fruit of the word, applies in a mder sense to all the mysteries of 
 the kingdom of God. Publicity before the judgment-seat of God, 
 and at His appointed time, is the solution emphatically promised. 
 
 11. What Paul declares of himself, 2 Cor. v. 16, is true, in a 
 much higher sense, of the Lord. The saying concerning His mother 
 and brethren is, in substance, only a rej)etition of the sentiment 
 which Jesus had uttered so long ago as His twelfth year (Luke 
 ii. 49). That Mary, after the admonition she had received, John 
 ii. 4, should again have endeavoured, in any measure, to exert 
 an influence over her Son’s operations, is another proof how diffe- 
 rent the Mary of the Gospels is from the immaculata concepta of 
 Pome. If Mary were great in the kingdom of God, it was not 
 because she was the mother of the Lord after the flesh, but because 
 she, in her measure, did the will of His Father. Natural relation- 
 ship to the Lord is a very inferior privilege to spiritual relationship. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 When Jesus preaches, there is never a lack of hearers. — The 
 shore of the Lake of Gennesareth, a fleld for sowing. — The word of 
 God a seed, 1. of heavenly origin, 2. of inestimable worth. — We 
 may well afford to lose three parts of the seed, if only the fourth 
 
CHAP. VIII. 4-21. 
 
 209 
 
 part thrives. — The heart tliat does not feel, is like the trodden path- 
 way. — The devil, under the image of harmless birds. — Inward hard- 
 ness of heart often combined with superficial feeling. — A lively 
 impression of the word, seldom also a deep one. — Good growth takes 
 place upwards and downwards at the same time. — Thorns grow 
 more quickly than corn. — Falling away in the time of temptation, 
 
 1. a speedy, 2. an explicable, 3. an unhappy fall. — Believing for a 
 time, and believing for eternity. — Earthly cares, earthly possessions, 
 and earthly enjoyments, in their relation to the word. — Fruit may 
 be promised without being brought forth. — The effect of the word 
 depends on the state of the heart. — Continuance in good, a sign of 
 genuine renewal, comp. Matt. xxiv. 13. — The different degree of 
 fruitfulness in the good seed is, 1. a remarkable, 2. a humbling, 
 3. an encouraging circumstance. — The disciple desirous of learning 
 must take his questions to Jesus. — The kingdom of God, 1. a 
 mystery, 2. which is, however, destined to be understood ; but the, 
 3. right understanding of which, is given, 4. to the disciples of 
 Jesus alone. — Truth hidden in parables from minds not yet capable 
 of receiving it, a manifestation of, 1. divine wisdom, 2. divine holi- 
 ness, and 3. divine grace. — The disciples of the Lord not the light, 
 but the light-bearers. — Publicity, the watchword of the kingdom of 
 heaven : here everything, 1. can, 2. must, 3. will, one day, come to 
 light. — The wrong and the right way of hearing the word. — Take 
 heed how ye hear ! 1. You are bound to hear ; 2. you may hear in 
 different manners ; 3. it is by no means indifferent in what manner 
 you hear ; 4. therefore take heed. — Whosoever hath, to him shall 
 be given, etc. ; 1. A word of contradiction; 2. a word of truth; 3. a 
 word of wisdom. — The kindred of the Lord after the flesh, and Ilis 
 kindred according to the Spirit. — The desire to see Jesus, from 
 wrong and from right motives. — A wish which is praiseworthy, is 
 not always truly pious. — The high value the Lord sets upon hear- 
 ing and doing the word. — The saying concerning His mother and 
 brethren, an application of the fourth part of the parable of the 
 sower. — The spiritual family of the Lord : 1. The family likeness ; 
 
 2. the family ties ; 3. the family blessing. 
 
 Starcke^ Cramer . — Many hearers, few truly pious . — Nova Bihl. 
 Tub.: Formerly, the people hastened to Jesus out of every city; 
 now, when there is not so far to go, they hasten from Him. — Chris- 
 tian teachers must, in the midst of many fruitless labours, in 
 patience possess their souls, and not soon give up all for lost, Isa. 
 xlix. 4. — If grace does not soften and fertilize our heart, the seed 
 
270 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of tlie divine word can but wither tliere, for it is a rock. — Majus : 
 Take heed, and see what are the hindrances to thy conversion, and 
 clear away what stands in thy way. — Auris condita est ad audien- 
 diim^ quoi conditor loquitur: Gordius Martyr . — Quesnel : To under- 
 stand Holy Scripture and its mysteries, is not given to all, but must 
 be humbly sought from the source of all wisdom. — Satan also 
 knows that the word of God is the blessed instrument of conversion 
 and salvation. — Canstein: God gives to none the light of divine 
 knowledge, merely for his own benefit, but also for the benefit of 
 others, 1 Cor. xii. 7. — Whatever efforts we make to hide our sins, 
 they will, one day, come to light before ail the world, 1 Cor. iv. 5. 
 — Even in this life, all is sometimes taken away, as the punishment 
 of unbelief, and the light changed into darkness. — Quesnel: He 
 who truly loves Christ, cannot do long without Him. — The Virgin 
 ]\Iary has no greater right to Christ than others have, Luke xi. 27, 
 28. — A Christian must forget even his parents, in what concerns 
 the service of God, Matt. xix. 29. — Believers are spiritually related 
 to Christ, and dearer to Him than children to their parents, Heb. 
 ii. 11 ; Isa. xlix. 15. 
 
 Luther (xii. 23, 34) : This, this it is which is so terrible, that 
 hearts so pious, having a good root, full of holy intention, sted- 
 fast resolution, and ardent effort, who even are not wanting in 
 perseverance, have been deprived of fruit. These are they who 
 wish to serve, at the same time, two masters, God and the world : 
 they do many and great things for God’s sake ; but even this is a 
 snare to them, because they take pleasure in perceiving that they 
 are filled with gifts, that they profit. These are they who also 
 worship God most devoutly ; but they do it for the sake of enjoy- 
 ment and honour, or at least for the sake of profit, either in this 
 world or the other.” 
 
 Heubner. — Similarity of preaching the word to sowing seed. — 
 Two classes of human character: 1. The evil; — u. the hardened ; 
 h. the light-minded; c. the sordid and earthly-minded (all human 
 characters may be classed under one of these ; see Kant on this 
 parable. Religion innerhalh, etc., pp. 21, 22). 2. Hearts longing for 
 salvation. — In preaching, the hearer has the chief thing to do. — 
 The preaching of the Gospel never entirely fruitless ; a ground of 
 consolation, especially for young preachers. — Ahlfeld: The hus- 
 bandry of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1. The husbandman ; 2. the field. 
 — Stier : 1. The word of God is a seed; 2. the growth of even this 
 seed depends upon the soil ; 3. what is meant by the good soil, or 
 
CHAP, VIII. 22—25. 
 
 271 
 
 tlie good heart, for God’s word? 4. how does the soil become good? 
 — G. Schweder : Even the hearts of believers resemble different 
 fields. — Baumeister : The seeming Christian, and the true Christian. 
 There are, 1. Christians with a merely external Christianity, 
 
 2. Christians with an easy Christianity, 3. Christians with a half 
 Christianity, 4. Christians with a true Christianity. — Thym : Who 
 is to blame if few hearers of the word are saved, — 1. God, who 
 causes the word to be preached ; 2. the word which is preached ; or 
 
 3. man, to whom the word is preached ? — Burk : The power of the 
 word of God. Through how many hindrances does it penetrate ! 
 what rich and abundant fruit it bears ! — Ritter : As is the man, so 
 is his religion. — Florey : What is required, if God’s word is to 
 bring forth fruit in us? — Rautenherg : The complaint, that God’s 
 word brings forth so little fruit : 1. The reason of it ; 2. the comfort 
 against it ; 3. our duty under it. — Harless : The word of the king- 
 dom, a published mystery. 
 
 c. The King of the Kingdom of God, is also the Lord of Creation, of 
 the World of Spirits, and of Death. (Yers. 22-56.) 
 
 1. The Calming of the Tempest (vers. 22-25). (Parallel passages: 
 Matt. viii. 23-27 ; Mark iv. 35-41.) 
 
 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with His 
 disciples ; and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the 
 lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they 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. 24 And they came to 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. 25 And He said 
 unto them. Where is 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. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Harmony. — Undoubtedly tlie calming of the tempest took 
 place on the same day on which the Lord had delivered the parable 
 of the sower, and some others. The parables of the mustard-seed 
 and of the leaven are communicated to us by St Luke in another con- 
 nection (ch. xiii. 18-21) ; those of the tares and the wheat, the trea- 
 sure in the field, the pearl of great price, the net, and the slow 
 
272 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 growth of the seed (Mark iv. 2G-29), lie omits altogether. The 
 question, whether it is, in itself, probable that our Lord pronounced 
 all these parables, nearly uno tenore^ on the same day, and that a 
 day on which so much had already taken place (Mark iii. 20-35), 
 may, for the present, he left unanswered. It will be enough to 
 remark, that the calming of the tempest, which, according to Luke, 
 took place on a certain day,” is said by Mark to have happened 
 the same day, wdien it was even,” Mark iv. 35. According to 
 ^[atthew, wdio neither contradicts nor confirms this definition of 
 time, the Lord was desirous to withdraw Himself in this manner 
 from the people. If he seems to place this miracle in an earlier 
 period of our Lord’s ministry than the other Evangelists, w^e must 
 not forget that Matt. viii. and ix. contain a collection of various 
 miracles, independent of strict chronological arrangement. From 
 internal evidence, however, we consider it probable that the offers 
 of the tw^o men to follow Jesus (Matt. viii. 19-22), immediately 
 ])receded this stormy passage across the lake. St Luke mentions this 
 circumstance in an account of another journey, adding a third and 
 similar case (ch. ix. 57-62). Taking all these particulars into 
 account, we shall find no difficulty in forming a conception of the 
 wdiole story. The long day — one of the few during His public 
 ministry in which we are able to follow Him step by step — w^as now 
 visibly hastening to its close ; but Jesus still perceived around Him 
 multitudes, craving either healing or instruction. To enjoy the 
 repose which had now become absolutely necessary, it was needful 
 to withdraw from the crowxl, and to give His hearers the oppor- 
 tunity of reflecting on the parables they had heard. He therefore 
 gave His disciples immediate orders to depart, leaving behind, on 
 the shore, the scribe wdio offered to follow Him, and another wliom 
 He had called in vain. His disciples took Him with them, in the 
 ship, &)? as St Mark gi’aphically relates, i.e., as He stood, without 
 any preparation for the journey. For the rest, the synoptical Evan- 
 gelists coincide concerning the principal circumstances. Though 
 Mark communicates more particulars, thus confirming the supposi- 
 tion that the personal reminiscences of Peter influenced the form 
 of his narrative, yet he entirely agrees with Luke. Matthew dif- 
 fers from both in a tw^ofold manner : first, he makes the address of 
 our Lord to the disciples precede His word of command to the 
 storm ; and, secondly, he does not exclusively attribute the excla- 
 mation of astonishment, after the miracle had taken place, to the 
 disciples, but also to the men (avOpcoTroc) wdio w^ere in the ship. 
 
CHAP. VII 1. 22-25. 
 
 273 
 
 With respect, however, to the latter, we cannot see any improba- 
 bility in the supposition, that, besides the twelve disciples, there 
 might have been others in the ship (servants, etc.), who would join 
 in that cry of astonishment, which the former (Mark and Luke) 
 would certainly more loudly and powerfully utter. Regarding the 
 first point, the account of St Matthew seems, in itself, the more pro- 
 bable, since we know that the Lord was generally accustomed to 
 excite faith before He performed miracles; and that, on a later occa- 
 sion, the wind did not cease till He had asked of the sinking Peter, 
 O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ? The address to 
 the disciples, and the command to the storm, followed each other 
 so quickly, that Mark and Luke might easily reverse their order, 
 without any blameable inaccuracy. 
 
 2. That He went into a ship. — According to Mark iv. 36, other 
 ships also accompanied them, which was the less to be wondered at, 
 at the close of such a day. If, then, any should object that the av- 
 OpcoTTOL of Matthew could not have been in the little vessel that 
 conveyed the Apostles, the supposition that their fellow-travellers 
 in the aXXot? ifKoLapiot^; witnessed the miracle from a distance, and 
 also openly expressed their astonishment, will not certainly appear 
 too bold. 
 
 3. Unto the other side of the lake^ etc. — The eastern shore is here 
 intended. According to Mark, our Lord seated Himself in the 
 Trpv/jLva, the hindermost part of the vessel, comp. Acts xxvii. 29-41, 
 and immediately fell asleep on a TTpoa-KecpaXalp. The storm now 
 arose, — a creLcrpL6<;, according to Matthew and Mark (a word also 
 denoting an earthquake. Matt, xxviii. 2) ; according to the more 
 strictly correct expression of Luke, XalXa^jr dvipov, descending 
 from above upon the lake. 
 
 4. Master, Master. — If we consider that it is Luke who has re- 
 ported the most accurately the words of the distressed disciples, we 
 shall detect, in their very expressions, traces of their doubts. They 
 call upon the Lord with a double eVto-Tara; while Mark puts a Sc8do-~ 
 Koke, and Matthew even a Kvpie, into their mouths. The call itself, 
 however, testifies more than the expression to their despondency. 
 So okLyoTTLo-TOL slvq they (Matthew), that it might really be said of 
 them, that they had no faith (Mark and Luke). Yet their faith 
 was shown in the circumstance that, in their distress, they apply 
 to Jesus alone. Undoubtedly, the storm must have been both 
 violent and unexpected, to fill men so experienced in a seafaring 
 life with so much anxiety. But the disease of unbelief is epi- 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 18 
 
274 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO LUKE. 
 
 (lemic ; and the unusual sight of their Lord asleep increased it not 
 a little. 
 
 5. A calm^ ^oKrivr) — Ps. cvii. 29. — Anotlier indication of 
 
 the miraculous, since ordinarily, when a storm ceases, an unquiet 
 motion of the wind and waters still continues for a time. Accord- 
 ing to Mark, the Lord rebuked them with the words, crtwTra, 
 desiste a sonitu, and ire^l^wao, ohrnutescey desiste impetu : ” Bengel. 
 The Lord first rebukes the storm in their hearts, and afterwards 
 the storm of the elements. 
 
 6. What manner of man is this ? — Not certainly the question of 
 doubt, but of the deepest astonishment, increased by the unexpected 
 and unexampled nature of the miracle. Here, as also in Luke v. 8, 
 their astonishment is the greater, because the miracle takes place 
 within a sphere to which they were so w^ell accustomed. It seems 
 to them as if they had never yet done justice to His greatness : they 
 have indeed begun to know Him, and yet their feeling is like that 
 of the Baptist, when he exclaimed, I knew Him not,” John i. 31. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. We have not yet met with a miracle such as this, in Luke’s 
 Gospel. In considering miracles of this class, viz., those wrought 
 upon inanimate nature (to which belong, for example, the turning 
 of the water into wine, and some others), we have to meet the diffi- 
 culty, that no point of contact seems to be offered to the mighty 
 will of the miracle-worker. It scarcely need be said, however, that 
 this difficulty by no means justifies the violent measm’e of the 
 natural interpretation. Its advocates show, that they have as little 
 acquaintance with natural science, as with human natm^e. Nor can 
 we coincide with the view of those (Neander) who, making a rigid 
 distinction between the objective and subjective side of the narra- 
 tive, consider that what the Lord really did, was to calm the minds 
 of His disciples ; the fmy of the elements being consequently seen 
 in another aspect, and their ears no longer, as it were, perceiving 
 the roaring of the waves ; so that, when afterwards a calm succeeded, 
 what had been only the effect of Christ’s influence upon their 
 minds, was ascribed to His miraculous agency upon nature. Such 
 an error, however, could not, at all events, have exercised any in- 
 fluence upon their less susceptible companions, who did not belong 
 to the apostolic band ; while, as it could not have been unknown 
 to the Lord, it would least of all have been favoured by Him. 
 They who leave it undecided whether the Lord worked a miracle 
 
CHAP. VIII. 22—25. 
 
 275 
 
 or foretold an event (Ilase), actually contradict the sacred narra- 
 tive. There can be no doubt that the Evangelists intend to relate 
 a miracle ; and the question is simply this. Did it take place or not, 
 is it history or myth ? 
 
 2. The mythical interpretation has, in this instance, not only its 
 ordinary difficulties to encounter, but also the special one, that there 
 is not a single Old Testament narrative which so far coincides with 
 this, as to render it possible that the one could have arisen from the 
 other. Nothing, of com’se, is easier, than arbitrarily to assert that 
 this miracle is “ an anecdote of the kind that is always related con- 
 cerning saints and extraordinary persons, and whose origin may be 
 explained in a thousand different ways” (Weisse). Such an asser- 
 tion, however, will condemn itself, as long as the genuineness of 
 even one of the synoptical Gospels is admitted. Nothing then re- 
 mains, but to acknowledge the reality of the miracle ; and if we 
 seek to know the means by which it was performed, to say with 
 Lange, The Lord rebukes the storm in the minds of His disciples, 
 thus preparing for calming the tempest on the sea ; He takes away 
 the sin of the microcosm, in order, then, to remove the evils of the 
 macrocosm.” We have here a coincidence of the will of the Father 
 with that of the Son, a circumstance belonging to the deepest 
 mysteries of the union of the divine and human natm*es. Christ 
 here stands before us, as the image of Him who sitteth upon the 
 flood, and maketh the storm a calm (Ps. xxix., evii.). What Moses 
 performed by the power of Jehovah, when he opened a path through 
 the waters with his rod, the Son does by the power of His own will. 
 We also have here, one of those specimens, so frequently met with 
 in the Gospels, of the union of the divine and human natures and 
 agencies. He who, tired with Ilis day’s work, lies down for a while 
 to sleep because He needs rest, and takes repose in the midst of the 
 threatening danger, rises up the next moment in the might of His 
 divine omnipotence, commands the storm, and restrains the waves. As 
 sinful man can act mechanically upon creation, the God-man can act 
 dynamically; and thus this agency becomes a prophecy of the future, 
 in which the spirit of redeemed humanity shall rule over matter, and 
 the hope of the Apostle (Rom. viii. 19-23) receive its full realization. 
 
 3. The aim of this miracle is soon ascertained. It was calcu- 
 lated to direct the attention of the shipmates of the Apostles to the 
 Lord, and to strengthen and exercise the disciples themselves in the 
 faith ; but, above all, to be a symbol of what they would themselves 
 experience, when they should have entered upon their apostolic 
 
276 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 course. As tlieir little bark was now tossed about, so would the in- 
 fant Church, with themselves at its head, often seem to be exposed 
 to the fury of the wind and the waves ; but then also should they 
 experience the nearness of their Lord, who would, in Ilis own good 
 time, rise up to change the darkness into light. This is the symbo- 
 lical explanation of the miracle, which is only blameable when it is 
 employed in opposition to its purely historical reception, instead of 
 being founded on it. It is then no wonder that many have at- 
 tempted this, though few have succeeded so well as Erasmus, who 
 says, “ hinc nimirum ilia periculosa tempestas, quia Christus dormit 
 in nobis. — Dijffisi preesidiis nostris, inclamemus Jesum^ pulsemus 
 aures illius, vellicemus, donee expergiscatur. Dicamus illi jlehili voce: 
 Domine ; tua non refert^ si pereamus ? Ille ut est exorabilis audiet 
 suosj suoque spiritu repente sedabit tempestatem mundano spiritu agi- 
 tatam. Dicet vento : quiesce^^ etc. Proefat. in Evang. Matt, in fine. 
 Comp, the hymn of F abricius, “ Hilf, lieber Gott, was Schmach und 
 Spott,” etc., and the spiritual explanation of this history, in Luther’s 
 Kirchen-Postille in loco. The homage offered to Christ, after He 
 had performed this miracle, sounds like an echo of the Old Testa- 
 ment notes of praise, Ps. evii. 23-30. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Wherever Jesus goes. His disciples must follow Him. — The 
 duty of the Lord’s disciples : 1. To follow Him in every path ; 2. to 
 call upon Him in every danger; 3. to honour Him after every 
 deliverance. — A storm succeeds a calm ; a still greater calm succeeds 
 a storm. — Jesus asleep in the storm : By this one trait of His history, 
 1. the greatness of the Lord is manifested, 2. the perplexity of the 
 disciples explained, 3. the peace of the Christian foretold. — The 
 need of the disciples of Jesus: 1. Its cause, 2. its crisis, 3. its 
 limits. — He who in trouble can still call upon Jesus, need not be 
 afraid of perishing. — No storm too violent for the Lord to quell, 
 1. in the world, 2. in the church, 3. in the house, 4. in the heart. 
 The question. Where is your faith ? still, 1. a vital question, 2. a 
 question of conscience, 3. a timely question. — What manner of 
 man is this ! for He commandeth even the winds and water, and 
 they obey Him. — The greatness of Jesus manifested in the dark 
 and stormy night, upon this little vessel. He shows Himself to be, 
 1. the true and holy man, 2. the wise and gracious Master, 3. the 
 almighty and adorable Son of God. — The storm upon the lake, a 
 picture of the Christian life: 1. The threatening danger; 2. the in- 
 
CHAP. VIII. 26-39. 
 
 277 
 
 creasing anxiety ; 3. the saving power ; 4. the ascending praise. — 
 ^Adien the storms within us are calmed, those without are then also 
 calmed. — Trial and deliverance work together, l.to reveal the Lord, 
 2. to train Ilis people, 3. to further the coming of His kingdom. 
 
 Starcke, Quesnel. — The present life is, so to speak, only a pas- 
 sage from one side to the other, from time into eternity. — Canstein : 
 A time to sleep and to rest, even in the office of teacher: it is 
 enough that the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, Ps. 
 cxxi. 4. — Where Christ is, there is often danger, and sometimes 
 greater than where He is not ; yet not for destruction, but for trial, 
 etc. — Majus : Peril by water, a powerful awakener to prayer. — 
 Osiander : Christ is the Lord of the sea and the wind, and every- 
 thing is in subjection even to his human nature, Ps. viii. 2. — As 
 often as we receive a benefit from our merciful God, our faith should 
 grow stronger. — Heubner : Nil desperandum, Christo duce. — Chris- 
 tian intrepidity in danger: 1. Its necessity; 2. its nature; 3. the 
 means of obtaining it. — Dr J. J. Doedes : 1. The entrance into the 
 ship ; 2. the raging of the storm ; 3. the fear of the disciples ; 
 4. the tranquillity of the Lord ; 5. the reproof of their little faith ; 
 6. the omnipotence of the command. — Rautenherg : The more cross, 
 the more prayer. — Gerdessen: The appearance of Christ in the midst 
 of the storms of earthly violence: 1. He lets it rage, as though, 
 a. without measure, h. without care, c. without help ; 2. He stills, 
 a. the stormy world, h. the stormy life, c. the stormy heart. — 
 Lisho : Confidence in the Lord : 1. How it is manifested ; 2. how it 
 is created ; 3. how it is rewarded. — Florey : The words spoken in the 
 ship, during the storm on the lake : 1. The words of distress ; 2. the 
 words of reproof ; 3. the words of power ; 4. the words of astonish- 
 ment.' — Hopfner : The disciples of Christ, according to this Gospel, 
 are, 1. willing, 2. following, 3. afflicted, 4. praying, 5. reproved dis- 
 ciples. — Denninger : The wondrous ways of the Lord : He leads 
 His people wondrously, 1. into the deeps, 2. out of the deeps. — 
 Fuchs : Why does the Lord so often sleep amidst the storms of 
 life? Because lie would lead us, 1. to the knowledge of our 
 impotence, 2. to faith in His omnipotence, 3. to prayer for His 
 help, 4. to the praise of His name. 
 
 2. The Possessed at Gadara (vees. 26-39). (Parallel passages : 
 
 Matt. viii. 28-34 ; Mark v. 1-20.) 
 
 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against 
 Gahlee. 27 And when He went forth to land, there met Plim out of the city a 
 
278 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 certain man, wliich had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in 
 any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell 
 down before Him, and with a loud voice said. What have I to do with Thee, 
 Jesus, Thou Son of God most high ? I beseech Thee, torment me not. 29 (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 devil into the wilderness.) 30 And 
 Jesus asked him, saying. What is thy name ? And he said. Legion : because many 
 devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not 
 command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd of 
 many swine feeding on the mountain : and they besought Him that He would 
 suffer them to enter into them. And He suffered them. 33 Then went the 
 devils out of the man, and entered into the swine : and the herd ran violently 
 down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed 
 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 afraid. 36 They also which 
 saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 
 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about 
 besought Him to depart from them : for they were taken with great fear. And 
 He went up into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man, out of 
 whom the devils were departed, besought Him that he might be with Him : but 
 Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Eeturn to thine own house, and show 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. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Of the Gadarenes. — That TaSap7]va)v is the preferable read- 
 ing of Matt. viii. 28, can scarcely be doubted ; see Lange on Matt, 
 page 331. But here also we find no satisfactory reason for read- 
 ing Tepa(T 7 ]vd)v, with Lachmann and Tischendorf, especially on the 
 authority of B. and D. ; and still less for Tep^earjvMV, with L., A., 
 and some others. The difference between these two last readings 
 shows how much transcribers hesitated, and how soon the old and 
 correct reading, TaSaprjvcov, was departed from. It is impossible to 
 believe it to have been Gerasa (the modern Djerasch), one of the 
 ten cities of Decapolis, since this lay at more than ten miles distance 
 from the lake. With regard to Gergesa, we find, indeed, Gergesites 
 mentioned Dent. vii. 1, and Josh. xxiv. 11 ; but we cannot venture 
 to deduce from this circumstance, the existence of a town of that 
 name in the days of om’ Lord. The authority of Origen does not 
 adequately support the reading Fepyeai^vdyv, since he prefers this 
 solely on geographical and not on critical grounds ; besides which, he 
 informs us that, even in his days, some manuscripts had the read- 
 
CHAP. VIII. 26-39. 
 
 279 
 
 ing FaBaprjvMV, wliicli he only rejects because this town was too far 
 from the shore. With regard, however, to this last objection, there 
 is nothing in the narrative to preclude the supposition, that Jesus 
 had already gone some distance inland before lie met the man pos- 
 sessed with the devils ; while, according to Ebrard’s very accurate 
 research (a. a. O. p. 381), the town was, at most, but a league from 
 the lake. Our opinion is, that the tract of country on the shores 
 of the lake was still called the land of the Gergesenes, after the 
 Gergesites of Joshua’s days; and that a transcriber, to define more 
 accurately the original expression, “land of the Gadarenes,” in- 
 serted the word, “ of the Gergesenes,” in the margin, which even- 
 tually supplanted the text. This will best account for the extensive 
 propagation of the incorrect reading. 
 
 2. Out of the city a certain man . — So also Mark. According to 
 Matthew, there were two. This plural of ^Matthew, which often 
 recurs when the other synoptical Evangelists have a singular, be- 
 longs to the peculiarities of his Gospel, for the explanation of which 
 a general rule must be sought. Conjectures in favour of the plural 
 are not wanting (Strauss, De Wette, Lange) ; and it is certainly 
 possible that Mark and Luke may have mentioned only the worse 
 case. But, on the other hand, we cannot consider it probable that 
 the original two should have been thus reduced to one ; nor can we 
 find, in the whole narrative, a single proof that the Lord really had 
 to do with two demoniacs. Besides, it must not be overlooked, that 
 the accounts of this occurrence by Mark and Luke are more accu- 
 rate and complete than Matthew’s. We therefore give the prefer- 
 ence to their narrative ; and have only now to inquire, how a second 
 demoniac came to be introduced into that of Matthew. The notion 
 (Ebrard, Olshausen) that he, in spirit, connects the demoniac healed 
 in the synagogue at Capernaum with the one here mentioned, is 
 wholly incapable of proof. Far more ingenious is the view of Da 
 Costa, that the furious demoniac, at the moment of our Lord’s ar- 
 rival, was attacking one of the passers-by (comp. Matt. viii. 28), so 
 that Matthew reports the circumstance Kar oy\nv, and not with 
 critical accuracy. Or are we to conclude, with Neander, De 
 Wette, and Hase, that the plurality of spirits led to the inaccurate 
 mention of a plurality of demoniacs ? Perhaps, if we admit that 
 Matthew’s Gospel was originally written in Hebrew, this difference 
 might be laid to the charge of the Greek translator. If, however, 
 none of these hypotheses be accepted, we are reduced to the neces- 
 sity of acknowledging a slight discrepancy, for the satisfactory ex- 
 
280 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 plaiiation of wliicli we liave not sufficient data, and which can offend 
 those only who consider it from the point of view furnished by a 
 onesided and mechanical theory of inspiration. For former at- 
 tempts at explaining this circumstance, see Kuinoel in loco. By 
 no means would we account for the ambiguity of the report by the 
 supposition (v. Ammon, Leben Jesu i., p. 395), that none of the 
 Apostles were personally present, but that, when Jesus landed, they 
 probably remained in the ship to fish. Perhaps, too, for the sake 
 of selling fish at Gadara, while their Master was preaching and 
 working miracles ! ! 
 
 3. In the tombs. — Many caves and chalky cliffs, which have 
 
 served for burial-places, are still found in the neighbourhood of the 
 ancient Gadara (the modern Omkeis) ; while we know, from other 
 sources, that the inhabitants carried on a thriving trade in cattle, 
 and especially in swine. Nor was this surprising, since they con- 
 sisted of a mixtui’e of Jews, Greeks, and Syrians; the former of 
 whom were held in little esteem by their fellow-countiymen in 
 Judea and Galilee, because they mixed more than they did with 
 people of other nations. The Lord but seldom visited this neigh- 
 bourhood, in which He would find but few of the lost sheep of the 
 house of Israel. It was on the occasion of Ilis first visit that He 
 performed this miracle, which has been, perhaps more than any 
 other, a TrpocrKo/jLfjLaro^; to many expositors. What the ass of 
 
 Balaam is in the Old Testament, the swine of Gadara are in the 
 New, — foolishness, and a stumblingblock to the wise of this world. 
 
 4. Which had devils. — See remarks on ch. iv. 33. 
 
 5. JesuSy Thou Son of God. — Perhaps the demoniac was a Jew, 
 and therefore not unacquainted with the expectations of the Mes- 
 siah’s coming. It is, however, certainly in accordance with the spirit 
 of the Evangelists to believe, that the knowledge of the Lord ex- 
 hibited by the demons was obtained in a supernatural manner. 
 
 6. For He had commanded. — IlapijjyeiXev. Not in the sense 
 of the Pluperfect, but like e\eyev, Mark v. 8” (IMeyer). Accord- 
 ing to Luke, we find that the Lord had commanded the spirit to 
 depart before he begged for indulgence. We need not, however, 
 admit that He had given this command, by calling to him from a 
 distance, before His approach. Perhaps the words of the demoniac 
 were the broken utterances of violent emotion. First, the question, 
 ‘AVhat have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God?” then 
 the answer of the Lord, who never accepted public recognition from 
 demoniacs, e|eX^e, /c.r.X., Mark v. 8 ; afterwards, the interrupted 
 
CHAP. VIII. 20-39. 
 
 281 
 
 request, “I beseecli Thee, torment me not and then the question. 
 What is thy name?” 
 
 7. Long time. — A more particular explanation given by Luke, 
 enhancing the misery of his condition, and the miracle of his deli- 
 verance; comp. Mark v. 2-4. — Caught liim^ so that he carried him 
 away with him. — He was kept hound icith chains^ when his relations 
 or keepers succeeded in bringing him home again, for a time, from 
 the wilderness. 
 
 8. What is thy name‘s — The answer to the inquiry, whether 
 this question were put to the demoniac himself, or to the devils who 
 were tormenting him, depends entirely on the conception we form 
 of these unhappy beings. In the first case, it is an attempt to 
 bring the patient to his senses in a psychological manner, and 
 to help him to distinguish his own ideas from the representations 
 of the unclean spirit. In the other, it is a question put to the 
 author of all this misery by Him who is the King of the world of 
 spirits; and we must say, with Stier, ^AYe commentators must 
 modestly stand aside when the Son of God is speaking with an 
 individual from hell, fully persuaded that the two well understand 
 each other.” 
 
 9. Legion. — The possessed is identified, in his own feeling, with 
 the evil powers who torment and rule him. On the name Legion, 
 see Lange on Matt. xxvi. 53. — Because many devils, etc. This ex- 
 planation of the name is by Mark, less accurately, put into the 
 mouth of the devils themselves. 
 
 10. And they besought Him, i.e., the devils, who at this moment 
 were still unrestrictedly acting upon their victim. Why they desired 
 to enter into the swine, is a question which, as far as we are con- 
 cerned, we can only answer with an acknowledgment of the utter 
 incompetence of our reasoning powers within this mysterious sphere. 
 Only one folly could exceed that of a presumptuous decision, — the 
 folly of those who, though acquainted neither with the nature of 
 devils nor of the swine, yet, ex cathedra, immediately utter the 
 words. Absurd, impossible. Bengel justly remarks, ^Hotestas Christi 
 etiam super animalia, deemones, ahyssum porrigitur. Idque agnovere 
 deemonesi’ 
 
 11. Not — into the deep, i.e., into hell; comp. Eev. ix. 11, xx. 3. — 
 The evil spirits also have their wishes, and understand their own 
 
 interests, as well as men. As they then, in this continually increas- 
 ing contest between themselves and the Messiah, perceive that they 
 are, in any case, obliged to yield, they request to be treated as gently 
 
282 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 as possible, and to be suffered to enter into a herd of swine, wliicli 
 is near at liand (the man also uniting in tlie request, as fearing 
 death in case the permission is refused). Christ sees no reason for re- 
 fusing their request ; biit, through fear of the Messiah (?), the rush 
 of the evil spirits, at their departure, is so violent, that they, entering 
 into a correspondingly large number of swine, drive them in head- 
 long flight, and, more than this, hurl them over the precipice into 
 the water, and thus are obliged, against their wall, to depart from 
 the dying bodies into hell, while the man, rescued from their powder, 
 attains his long wdshed-for peace.” — Y. Ew'ald. We would, how- 
 ever, rather attribute (with Lange and v. Ammon) the terror, and 
 rushing of the herd into the lake, to the last fearful paroxysm 
 which, as usual, preceded healing. The number of the swine 
 (Mark v. 13) may have been given, in round numbers, either 
 according to the computation of the spectators, or the statement of 
 the enraged owners. 
 
 12. And entered into the swine . — It is evident that Ve must here 
 understand, not an individual indwelling, but a dynamic agency of 
 the evil spirits, upon the defenceless herd of swine. Should philo- 
 sophy declare such an agency impossible, we demand a proof in 
 justification of a decision, uttered in so high a tone, in matters 
 entirely beyond the limits of experience ; and feel ourselves, on the 
 contrary, quite justified, if, being once convinced of the credibility 
 of Luke, we infer the posse from the esse. If the psychologist 
 should consider it impossible that irrational creatimes should experi- 
 ence the agency of spiritual powers, we will wait till he can teach 
 us somewhat more concerning the nature of the souls of animals 
 than we at present know. And if the critic should wish to know 
 why the evil spirits should so quickly plunge the herd of swine into 
 the lake, we will acknowledge our ignorance, only requesting him 
 not to take incomprehensible and absurd for synonyms. It is very 
 possible that the smne rushed into the sea against the will of the 
 devils, because the organism of these animals was too weak to resist 
 their overpow^ering influence. And if so, then the result shows 
 that the request w^as a foolish one ; and is not folly part of the 
 nature of the evil one, in wliom it reaches its climax ? One thing 
 is certain, it w^as by no means an unexpected event, or contrary to 
 the intention of Jesus, that the swine should be overpow^ered by 
 demoniacal influence.^ The Lord must have foreknown the conse- 
 quences of His command, vird^jeTe ; nor do w^e find Him afterwards 
 1 Paulus, Hase, and v. Ammon are of a contrary opinion. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 2G— 30. 
 
 283 
 
 giving a single hint to the owners of the herd, that lie could not 
 have foreseen their loss. He simply goes His way, and grants their 
 request, without caring whether the herd can endure the shock or 
 not. It was with His special consent that the possession, of the 
 rational man was transferred to the irrational animals. We believe, 
 if we may compare this supernatural, with a natural, yet mysterious 
 agency, that what took place was somewhat similar to the effect 
 produced by magnetic power, when some bodily suffering is trans- 
 ferred from one subject to another, and even from men to animals. 
 Certainly Jesus found this diversion of the evil necessary for the 
 recovery of the patient ; and the possibility of the demoniac state 
 being transferred from one subject to another, and even to animals, 
 seems undeniable. Comp. Kieser, System des Tellurismus ii., 
 p. 72. 
 
 With respect to the question, how the permission of the Lord, 
 causing as it did so much damage and loss, is to be justified, see 
 Lange on Matt. viii. 13. Some of the answers given to this ques- 
 tion, have, to say the least, been singularly unfortunate ; e. y., that 
 of Hug, Gutachten ii., p. 18, that the flesh might still be fished up, 
 prepared, and used. Without entirely excluding the thought that 
 this took place as a just retribution on the corrupt Jewish inhabi- 
 tants of the town (Neander), we find it sufficient to remember, that 
 the word of Jesus, that He came not to destroy, but to save, applies 
 to men, but not to animals. He is resolved, at any cost, to rescue 
 this soul from the powers of darkness. He does not exert His mira- 
 culous power for the jmrpose of destroying the swine ; but, if their 
 destruction is the inevitable price of His benevolent agency, this loss 
 is reparable, while the opportunity of delivering the man may never 
 recur. He who afterwards offered Himself as a sacrifice, without 
 spot, does not here esteem the lives of unclean animals for more 
 than they are worth. The accusation, that He had thus violated the 
 rights of property (Woolston and others), was not even made by the 
 Gadarenes ; and the attempt to defend their rights more zealously 
 than they themselves thought necessary, may be dismissed vfith a 
 ne quid nimisJ’ Finally, we may remark, that this cure was not 
 only a benefit bestowed on an individual, but upon the whole neigh- 
 bourhood. Comp. Matt. viii. 28. 
 
 13. Clothed . — The Evangelist does not say wherewith, nor by 
 whom. Perhaps we may here imagine the intervention of the disci- 
 ples, who accompanied the Lord. The man, who was healed, now also 
 sits Trapa tou 9 TToSa? of Jesus, as a disciple at the feet of his Master. 
 
284 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 14. They also which saw it . — Mattliew speaks also, viii. 33, of 
 tliosc wlio kept tlie swine as witnesses of tlie miracle. 
 
 15. Besov ght Him to depart from them . — A longer stay of the 
 Lord could liave no attraction for men who were caring, first of 
 all, for their material loss, and who were seized with superstitious 
 and almost heathenish fear. The sojourn of the dangerous demo- 
 niac among them was less grievous than a longer stay of such a 
 worker of miracles. A sad contrast to the prayer of the Samari- 
 tans, John iv. 40; but the Lord granted both the requests. 
 
 16. Now the man., etc. — Comp. Mark v. 18-20. The request, 
 with which the healed man follows the departing Saviour, may 
 serve as an indubitable proof of the completeness of his cure, and 
 the warmth of his gratitude. The Lord refuses it, perhaps, among 
 other reasons, because more rest was desirable for the permanence 
 of his recovery. The fact that He commanded him to speak, con- 
 trary to Ilis usual custom of imposing silence, is another proof that 
 lie did not intend returning to the country of the Gadarenes, and 
 would therefore leave there a living and speaking memorial of His 
 wonder-working power. The propagation, too, of such reports 
 would be of less consequence in Pera3a, than in a province so sediti- 
 ous as Galilee. In directing the man to his home, we see the Lord’s 
 consideration for his friends, among whom his peaceful and do- 
 mestic life must now bear witness to his gratitude and obedience. 
 Meantime, he announced, not only among his relatives, but in all 
 Decapolis, the miracle that had been performed ; and the astonish- 
 ment, which he must surely have awakened, was a salutary prepara- 
 tion for the subsequent announcement of the Gospel in these dark 
 places. 
 
 17. How great things, oaa . — The great works of God, and of 
 Jesus, are remarkably conjoined at the close of this narrative, un- 
 doubtedly because, in the view of the Evangelists, it was God Him- 
 self who was working, in an extraordinary manner, in and through 
 the miraculous power of the Messiah. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. There is no revelation of Christ, as King of the world of 
 spirits, containing so much that is dark and mysterious as the oc- 
 currence at Gadara. To such miracles also, may we apply the 
 words of the Lord, ch. vii. 23 ; and this beatitude can only be ful- 
 filled in him who is mindful, with Paul, cppoveip 6t9 to accxppovelv. 
 
 2. The miracle here related, by no means militates against that 
 
CHAP. VIII. 26-39. 
 
 285 
 
 well-known summary of our Lord’s biography, StrjXOev evepyercov. 
 Acts X. 38. Neither this, nor the withering of the fruitless fig- 
 tree, can be regarded as miracles of judgment, because both the 
 swine and the fig-tree were irrational creatures, to whom the idea 
 of judgment would be very improperly applied. The Lord here 
 acts as the representative on earth of the Father, who is daily de- 
 stroying the less for the sustenance and preservation of the greater ; 
 and who never forbids His lightning to purify the atmosphere, lest 
 it should shatter the trunks of some trees. If the herd of swine 
 had been driven into the sea by a storm, who would have accused 
 God of unrighteousness, in not respecting the rights of the lawful 
 proprietors ? [Many a murrain has carried off more than two thou- 
 sand animals. 
 
 3. The cure of the demoniac of Gadara is a striking symbol, 
 on the one hand, of the contest continually going on between the 
 kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness ; and, on the other, of 
 the triumph which the former, at length, though sometimes after 
 heavy sacrifices, obtains. It is, at the same time, a proof how 
 strictly the Lord intended His words. Matt. xvi. 26. 
 
 5. The command, with which our Lord dismisses the healed 
 demoniac, shows His estimation of a pious domestic life, and de- 
 serves attentive consideration, both as a striking manifestation of the 
 spirit of Christianity, and as a law of the purest humanity. 
 
 6. Peter, too, once entreated the Lord to depart from him, Luke 
 V. 8 ; and the Lord kept closer to him than before. He however 
 takes the request of the Gadarenes more terribly in earnest, because 
 He sees through their unbelief and sin. For the rest, the sad result 
 of the miracle of Gadara proves how even the most astonishing 
 miracles cannot produce faith, if the necessary disposition of heart 
 and conscience be wanting, 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The contest with the world of spirits succeeds the storm on the 
 lake. — Where Israelites and Gentiles are fused together, the evil 
 spirits find a dwelling roomy and prepared. — The deep affliction of 
 the man who is ruled by the evil spirits. — Domestic comfort utterly 
 destroyed by the power of darkness. — The Lord of heaven recog- 
 nised by the inhabitants of hell. — The evil one feels that his con- 
 queror approaches. — Wickedness also is fruitful and multiplies. — 
 Even when the Lord gives free course to the powers of darkness, 
 their own overthrow is the end of this permission. — Animals, men, 
 
28G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 and spirits, equally subject to the Son of man. — The worth of the 
 soul : 1. No injury so great as injury done to the soul; 2. no price 
 too great, if only the soul is redeemed ; 3. no gratitude so hearty as 
 when the soul feels itself saved. — The miracle at Gadara a mani- 
 festation of the glory of the Lord, 1. as Son of the living God, 
 2. as King of the world of spirits, 3. as the deliverer of the 
 wretched, 4. as the Holy One, who will not suffer Ilis departure to 
 be entreated in vain. — lie who is delivered by the Lord must sit at 
 His feet as a disciple. — The great things which Jesus did by this 
 miracle, 1. in the heart, 2. in the home, 3. in the land of the 
 Gadarenes. — The enmity of the flesh is not to be overcome by any 
 benefit, however great. — The redeemed of the Lord long for nothing 
 more than to remain with Him. — Domestic life the fitting sphere of 
 active gratitude. — The Father must be glorified by the redeemed of 
 the Lord. — Even when J esus departs. He leaves behind Him wit- 
 nesses of His grace. — The powers of darkness always rush to their 
 own destruction. — Voluntary transgression of the law is always 
 visited, sooner or later. 
 
 Starche . — Christ and His grace leave no country in the world 
 unvisited. — They who will not acknovJedge Christ as their Lord 
 and Master, are worse than the very devils. — The angels rejoice over 
 the conversion of a sinner, but it is a great trouble to the devil when 
 a soul is freed from his tyranny. — J. Hall : They are no true 
 Christians who deny Christ’s divinity, which even the devil ac- 
 knowledges, 1 John iv. 15. — God limits even the devil, and says at 
 last, It is enough. Job xxxviii. 11. — 0 slander : An astonishing 
 number of ano:els must have fallen aivav from God. — Satan has no 
 power, even over the irrational creatures, but what is permitted him 
 by God. — Brentius : God often makes us forego temporal good, 
 that we may receive spiritual good. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : It is the way 
 of an ungodly world to care more for their swine than for Christ. — 
 Bi'entius : Christendom is full of Gergesenes. — Quesnel : It is a 
 dreadful judgment of God against sinners when He grants their 
 hurtful prayers, as He did that of the devil. — Teachers and preachers 
 must be patient and contented when they are rejected. — New con- 
 verts are wont to walk in all kinds of self-chosen paths ; they, 
 therefore, need faithful reproof and direction. — Obedience is better 
 than sacrifice. — Canstein : To extol the favour of conversion, greatly 
 contributes to the edification of our neighbours. 
 
 On the whole, the treatment of this narrative offers to the 
 preacher peculiar difficulties, and equal to those belonging to the 
 
CHAP. VIII. 40-56. 
 
 287 
 
 tcmptcation in the wilderness, and is therefore one not to be recom- 
 mended to those, at least, who regard the demonology of the Bible 
 from a sceptical or a negative point of view. But even they who, 
 in tliis respect also, take the Lord at Ilis word, need to guard 
 against being wise above what is written, and defending the Lord’s 
 conduct with a misapplied zeal, which does but remind those who 
 think differently of qui excusaty acciisat. Perhaps it is best to leave 
 the metaphysical question wholly or chiefly untouched, and to make 
 more especially prominent the practical importance of the soul’s de- 
 liverance from the powers of darkness, in its greatness, its value, etc. 
 Les Demoniaquesy in the sermons of Adolphe Monod, 2d series, 
 Montauban, Paris 1857, may be mentioned as a specimen of an 
 excellent discourse upon this Svavorjrov. Fr. Arndt also, in his 
 Sermons on the Life of Jesus, hi. pp. 39-52, in treating on this sub- 
 ject, discourses practically, 1. on the nature, 2. on the cause, 3. on 
 the cure, of demoniacal possession. 
 
 3. The Raising of Jairui Daughter (VEES. 40-56). (Parallel 
 passages: Matt. ix. 18-26; Mark v. 21-43.) 
 
 40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly 
 received Him : for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And, behold, there came 
 a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue ; and he fell down at 
 Jesus’ feet, and besought Him that He would come into liis house : 42 For 
 
 he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a-dying. 
 (But as He went the people thronged Him. 43 And a woman having an issue 
 of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither 
 could be healed of any, 44 Came behind Him, and touched the border of His 
 garment : and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, 
 Who touched Me ? When all denied, Peter, and they that were with him, said, 
 Master, the multitude throng Thee, and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who 
 touched Me ? 46 And Jesus said. Somebody hath touched Me : for I perceive 
 that virtue is gone out of Me. 47 And 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. 48 And He said unto her. Daughter, be of good com- 
 fort : thy faith hath made thee whole ; go in peace.) 49 While He yet spake, 
 there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to Him, Thy 
 daughter is dead ; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it. He an- 
 swered him, saying. Fear not : believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 
 And when He came into the house. He suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and 
 James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all 
 wept, and bewailed her : but He said. Weep not ; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 
 53 And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And He 
 put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying. Maid, arise. 
 
288 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway : and He commanded 
 to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished : but He charged them 
 that they should tell no man what was done. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Harmony, — According to Mark and Luke, the raising of 
 Jairus’ daughter followed immediately upon the return from Ga- 
 dara. According to Matthew, on the contrary, this event took 
 place just before the cure of the paralytic and the call of Matthew. 
 The first cited order seems to us to deserve the preference (so also 
 Wieseler and others). The words of Matthew (ch. ix. 18), raOra 
 avTov \aXovvTo<; avrohj seem sometimes rather a standing formula, 
 to connect one narrative with another, than a strictly correct in- 
 dication of an actual occurrence. Chaps, viii. and ix., too, of 
 Matthew’s Gospel have more a selective than a chronological cha- 
 racter ; while the succession of events in Mark and Luke is simpler 
 and more natural. The opposite view has been taken by Olshausen, 
 Lange, and Stier. We, however, can but feel that we are lost in 
 an ocean of unconquerable difficulties by making Matt. ix. 18-26 
 immediately succeed vers. 1-17. 
 
 2. The people gladly received Him . — According to the accounts 
 both of Mark and Luke, the people were awaiting the Lord on the 
 shore when He returned from the land of the Gadarenes. It seems 
 as if the people who had flocked thither were interested in the 
 affliction of Jairus. On his office, as ruler of the synagogue, see 
 Lange on Matt. ix. 18. 
 
 3. He fell doivn at Jesus' feet. — A manifestation of faith in 
 Jesus of no slight significance, as exhibited by the ruler of a syna- 
 gogue, wdiich certainly would be but little favourable to His preten- 
 sions. Necessity brought him to Jesus, though it does not appear 
 that either the cure in the synagogue of Capernaum (ch. iv. 31-44), 
 the healing of the paralytic (ch. v. 12-26), or that of the centurion’s 
 servant at Capernaum, had made any decided impression upon him 
 before. Now that he was in trouble, however, he doubtless remem- 
 bered these occurrences, and was encouraged by them to go openly 
 to the Lord with his grief. 
 
 4. One only daughter, about twelve years of age. — Luke alone 
 mentions her age, a circumstance of some- importance in his eyes, 
 as a physician. The circumstance, that the wmman diseased with 
 the bloody issue had been ill twelve years, is one of those coin- 
 cidences which are repeatedly met with in actual life. A writer of 
 
CHAP. VIII. 40—66. 
 
 289 
 
 fiction would undoubtedly have avoided making these two numbers 
 identical. 
 
 5. She lay a-dying^ dirWvga-Kev, — The Imperfect, not ohierat, 
 absente mortuamque ignorante patre’^ (Fritzsche). According to 
 Matthew, apn ireXevTrjcrev. It appears, however, from ver. 49 , that 
 Jairus did not, at that moment, consider her dead. The different 
 narratives are easily combined, by allowing for the excitement of 
 the speaker, who certainly would not, in his circumstances, weigh 
 every word he uttered. He left her dying, and might therefore 
 have been uncertain what to say” (Lange). The request of Jairus 
 shows a strange mixture of faith and unbelief ; he stands below the 
 Gentile centurion, and almost on a level with the ^aaiXLKo^, John 
 iv. 46 - 54 . He does not merely beg for a cure, but expressly defines 
 his desire that the Lord should, above all things, come Himself and 
 lay His hands upon his daughter. He can only ask for deliverance 
 in one, and that the most usual, way ; instead of being able to en- 
 treat, Speak the word only.” But he is thus himself the author 
 of the suspense and perplexity that ensued, when the Lord suffered 
 Himself to be delayed on the road. 
 
 6. As He went. — The Lord does not decline granting the prayer 
 of Jairus because of the imperfection of his faith, since He is con- 
 vinced of its reality. Comp. Matt. xii. 20. 
 
 Tarpot?, for physicians. — With psychological tact does Luke 
 make us feel how much the tedious sufferings of this woman were 
 enhanced by the many fruitless remedies employed (Trpoo-avaXco- 
 aaaa). The expression of Mark is less favourable to the faculty : 
 TToWa 'TraOovara viro rnroWcop larpcov Kal prjhev Cetera, dXka 
 
 pdXkov eU TO %etpop eXOovaa. 
 
 8. The hem of His garment. — The fringe, ; comp. Num. 
 XV. 38, and Winer, Kealworterbuch, on this word. 
 
 9. Peter^ and they that were with him. — Peculiar to Luke, since 
 Mark only speaks of the disciples in general. Quite in accordance 
 with the quick temperament of Peter, who is merely thinking of an 
 accidental touch, and not, in the least, of the touch of faith. 
 
 10. Somebody hath touched Me. — Hoe absurdum videtur, quod 
 gratiam suam effaderit Christus nesciens^ cui benefaceret. Certe 
 minime dubmm est, quin scieiis ac volens mulierem sanaverit, imo 
 dubiuin^ sed earn requirit, ut sponte in medium prodeat. Si testis 
 miraculi sui fuisset Christus, forte non fuisset ejus verbis creditum, 
 nunc vero, quum mulier, metu perculsa, quod sibi accidit, narrat, plus 
 ponderis liabet ejus confession Calvin. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 
 
 19 
 
290 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 11. I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me. — It is^ and always 
 must be, a difficult question, liow we are to understand this going 
 out. Certainly not in any such manner as though Ilis healing 
 ])Ower were like an electric battery, which must involuntarily dis- 
 charge itself at the slightest touch. Nothing goes out from Him 
 without the consent of Ilis will ; but Ilis will is always to save when- 
 ever, and as soon as. He meets with believing confidence. It is not, 
 then, involuntarily, but consciously, that He suffers healing power 
 to flow from Himself, when the hand of faith lays hold on Him. 
 The people press upon Him on all sides ; but though many a one 
 may have laboured under some unknown malady, not one expe- 
 riences the healing virtue, always ready to be bestowed, because 
 this faith, this confidence, is wanting. The fact, that virtue pro- 
 ceeded from the Lord, is surely no more a stumblingldock than 
 that the Holy Ghost should proceed from the Father, John xv. 26. 
 Besides, it is not a sensuous feeling, but an intellectual knowledge, 
 that the Lord has of this outgoing ; He discerns it of Himself 
 (eyvcov). He did not directly know to what particular individual 
 this healing power had gone forth. The miraculous knowledge of 
 the God-man was no polymathy ; and His question, Who is he (not 
 she, 6 d'yp'dfjievof;) that touched Me ? was by no means a question 
 only in appearance. He looks around for the hidden believer to 
 come forward ; for He knows that, without faith, the healing power 
 would not have been elicited. He had heard, in spirit, the cry of a 
 suffering and confiding soul. The Evangelists say nothing of His 
 garment being in any way the cause of the cure, the mechanical 
 conductor of the healing power ; but faith might quite as well be 
 certified by touching His garment as by seizing His powerful hand ; 
 and He evidently insists upon the woman’s appearance, that she 
 may be led from the idea of any magical agency, to that of a volun- 
 tary act of the Lord. It was not the garment of Jesus, but her 
 faith, that had saved her, although it might not at first have been 
 entirely unmixed with superstition. 
 
 12. And hoiv she ivas healed immediately. — Tradition relates (see 
 Eusebius, H. E. vii. 18 ; Sozomen v. 21) that this woman erected at 
 Paneas, her native town, a memorial of the benefit she received, 
 which the Emperor Julian is said to have destroyed, erecting 
 his own statue in its place. She appears, in the Gospel of Nico- 
 demus, ch. vii., in Thilo i. 561, under the name of Veronica, de- 
 claring the innocence of Jesus, with a loud voice, in the presence 
 of Pilate ; and wiping His face, on His way to Golgotha, with the 
 
CHAP. VIII. 40-66. 
 
 291 
 
 cloth, said to be still preserved. Witliout needing to decide upon 
 the genuineness or worth of these legends, they yet serve as proofs 
 of how highly her faith and hope were esteemed by Christian anti- 
 quity. — Compare the similar miracles. Matt. xiv. 36 ; Acts v. 15, 
 xix. 11. Sepp’s Leben Jesu contains important particulars with 
 respect to the treatment of puo-t? by Jewish physicians. 
 
 The completeness of the cure is well expressed by Luke, the physi- 
 cian, in the words, Trapa'^prjfia ecrTT] rj pvai<^ r. aipb. 
 
 13. While Tie yet spake. — The dramatic force and graphic power 
 of the narrative are enhanced by the use of the present ep^erat. It 
 appears from this mission to Jairus, that he had gone to fetch Jesus, 
 with the knowledge and approbation of the members of his family. 
 This resolution may perhaps have produced a reaction in some of them ; 
 at all events, these messengers, sent probably by the bereaved mother, 
 show plainly enough that they now expect no help from ^^the Master.” 
 
 14. Fear not. — The whole period of delay, concerning the woman, 
 had been a fiery trial for the faith of J airus ; but, now that it was 
 about to succumb, it is strengthened by the Saviour — koX acoOi^ae- 
 Tab. Mark seems more correctly to have omitted these words, 
 though the result naturally showed that this indirect promise had 
 been included in the Only believe.” Jesus, by forbidding all 
 fear, and only requiring faith, at such a moment, makes Jairus hope 
 for something great, but does not distinctly say what. 
 
 15. He suffered no man to go in . — From the fact that the Lord 
 did not suffer all His disciples to accompany Him, it seems to have 
 been His intention to keep the miracle as secret as possible. The 
 high importance attached by the Lord to this resurrection is shown 
 by His causing the three disciples, whom alone He suffered to enter 
 into the inner sanctuaries of Tabor and Gethsemane, to accompany 
 Him on this occasion. 
 
 16. Arid all wept. — Comp. Matt. ix. 23, and De Wette (Archii- 
 ologie, § 263), who mentions, among other matters, the decision of 
 the Talmud : etiam pauperrimus inter Israelitas, uxore mortua^ proe- 
 hebit ei non minus quam duas tihias et unam lamentatricem. It may 
 then be imagined, how great would be the noise of lamentation, in 
 the house of a Jew of good condition, on the occasion of the death 
 of his only daughter. 
 
 17. She is not dead. — Lange rightly speaks against the notion 
 of a trance (Lange on Matt., p. 353). Yon Ammon (Leben Jesu 
 i., p. 414) concludes, from the small number of witnesses whom 
 Jesus took with Him, that the awakening maiden needed, above all 
 
292 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO LUKE. 
 
 things, rest and quiet, and therefore was not really dead. As well 
 might he have inferred, from the command to those that were bear- 
 ing the young man at Nain, to stand still, that the movement of the 
 bier was injurious to him, who was only apparently dead. This ex- 
 planation of Olshausen and others is contrary to the moral character 
 of the Lord, who was never wont to surround His deeds with decep- 
 tive appearances, contrary to the convictions of the parents and 
 family (ver. 53), and contrary to the express declaration of Luke, 
 Her spirit came again,” ver. 56 ; comp. 1 Kings xvii. 22. Undoubt- 
 edly, too, the figurative language derived from sleep has helped to 
 obscure this miracle. A boaster would have said, of one seemingly 
 dead, She does not sleep, but is dead the Prince of Life says, of 
 one actually dead, She is not dead, but sleepeth.” In the Lord’s 
 view, she was at this moment already a living person, though she 
 was still corporeally fettered by death. 
 
 18. To give her meat . — This miracle also is marked by that kind- 
 ness and care, on the part of our Lord, which forgets nothing, and 
 to which nothing is little. Even so does Pie, elsewhere, think of 
 the fragments, and care that Lazarus should be freed from his 
 grave-clothes. It is a proof, at the same time, of the truth of the 
 narrator and of the completeness of the miracle. 
 
 19. That they should tell no man . — The notion that the command 
 of secrecy has been erroneously inserted in this place, and belongs 
 not to this, but to a former miracle (Ilase), is entirely without 
 foundation. The direction seems to have been occasioned by the 
 excitement of the people, which might easily have been augmented 
 till it had caused some insurrectionary outbreak. It was also a 
 discipline for Jairus and his family, who, having witnessed the 
 miraculous power of the Lord, must be led to higher degrees of 
 faith and obedience. With respect also to the newly-raised daugh- 
 ter of Jairus, who does not feel how hurtful an effect u 2 :)on the 
 higher life of the inner man would have been produced by continual 
 questions of curiosity and expressions of surprise ? 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 It is important to remark the different manners in which the 
 same principle of faith is manifested, in Jairus and in the woman. 
 The first approaches the Lord boldly, but is secretly in fear, and 
 seems stronger than he really is. The latter draws near timidly, 
 but is secretly strong in faith, and is really greater than she seems. 
 Both types are variously exemplified in the Christian world. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 40-56. 
 
 203 
 
 2. The present, doubly miraculous, narrative bears, in almost 
 every feature, the stamp of truth. The anxiety of the father, and 
 the reserve of the woman ; the excitement of the people, and the 
 tranquillity of the Lord ; the astonishment of the disciples, and the 
 reiterated affirmation, ^‘Some one hath touched Me;” the smile of 
 unbelief, in the midst of the outburst of grief ; Christ’s dignity in 
 manifesting, and care for concealing. His miraculous power; — all 
 form so inimitable a picture, that one might say, its truth is almost 
 palpable. Matthew, according to his custom, relates it concisely 
 and objectively ; in Mark’s account, we recognise the influence of 
 Peter; the peculiarities of Luke betray the physician, while his 
 detail concerning the age of the child is in some degree supported 
 by Mark, when he says that she walked. All the accounts coincide 
 in the most unartificial manner; and we might justly question, not 
 merely the religious feeling, but even the' natural appreciation of 
 the true and the beautiful, of him who could esteem them only the 
 skilfully interwoven threads of a pious fraud. 
 
 3. A striking similarity exists between the raising of Lazarus 
 and that of Jairus’ daughter. In both cases, the Lord delays His 
 intervention, and suffers the patient, to whom He had been sum- 
 moned, to die. In both cases. He gives an obscure promise of 
 deliverance ; in both. He calls the death a sleep. Another instance 
 of the harmony between the synoptical Gospels and that of St John. 
 
 4. “ The journey to the scene of this miracle is a remarkable image 
 of many an inward leading. It is when Jesus has almost brought 
 a man to the goal and consummation of his conversion, that he 
 meets with a shock which threatens utterly to crush what faith had 
 begun to effect. Yet it only contributes to the conquest of all that is 
 evil in the man, to the perfection of his faith, and to the glorifica- 
 tion of his divine benefactor.” Y. Gerlach. Comp, also the remarks 
 on the resurrection of the young man of Nain, ch. vii. 11-17. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Where Jesus has been missed for a time. He will be received 
 with increased joy. — How need leads to Jesus. — Jesus the best 
 refuge for afflicted parents. — Neither youth nor strength a security 
 against death. — Jesus does not at first insist on the perfection, but 
 on the reality, of the faith that invokes Him. — Jesus the Physician 
 of our hidden maladies. — Our hopeless efforts to heal ourselves. — 
 The world a physician in whose hands the patient gets continually 
 worse. — The bold laying hold of faith: 1. What it dares; 2. what 
 
294 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE 
 
 it gains. — ITow many outwardly surround Jesus, how few touch 
 Him in faith! — Hidden faith must at last come to light, 1. for 
 the glory of the Lord, 2. for its own confirmation, 3. for the 
 encouragement and consolation of others. — The tranquillity of the 
 Lord contrasted with, 1. the pressure of the crowd, 2. the contra- 
 diction of the disciples, 3. the perplexity of the woman, 4. the 
 anxiety of Jairus. — The faith of the afflicted woman, 1. secretly 
 cherished, 2. courageously shown, 3. immediately discovered, 4. 
 humbly confessed, 5. happily rewarded. — Even the Lord’s secret 
 benefits are, in His own time, brought to light. — Fear not, only 
 believe I 1. An astonishing, 2. a lawful, 3. a possible, 4. a saving 
 demand. — Jesus the best leader in the way of faith. — Jairus: We 
 see, 1. praying faith heard by Jesus, 2-. longing faith tried by 
 Jesus, 3. fainting faith strengthened by Jesus, 4. stedfast faith 
 rewarded by Jesus, 5. thankful faith perfected by Jesus. — Hope- 
 less sorrow for ever banished by Jesus when He called death a 
 sleep. — Sleep the image of death : 1. Both are preceded by weari- 
 ness ; 2. both are a present rest ; 3. both are followed by waking. 
 — The Lord generally raises those also who are spiritually dead, 
 during a period of holy quietness. — The unbelief which thinks it 
 knows better than Jesus, is always put to shame. — They also who 
 are spiritually awakened need immediate nourishment. — Self-denial 
 the best proof of the gratitude of faith. — Even with respect to the 
 deeds of the Lord, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. 
 
 Star eke, — If Jesus, with His Gospel, is rejected in one place. He 
 is heartily welcomed in another. — God often keeps men waiting for 
 a time, before He comes, that they may be more desirous, and 
 more apt, to receive Him. — Brentius : Great people have great 
 crosses. — We should not delay to go to the assistance of the suffer- 
 ing. — God heals even those hidden evils of which we are ashamed. 
 — Cramer: Christ is a searcher of hearts, and we can do nothing 
 in secret which He does not see. — Osiander : God sometimes suffers 
 His children to be, for a while, put to shame, that He may afterwards 
 put the greater honour upon them.— -The Lord knows how to speak 
 a word in season to him that is weary. — Christ the Lord of the 
 dead and of the living : Kom. xiv. 9. — We must learn to accommo- 
 date ourselves to the koras and moras of our God. — J. Hall: It is 
 better to go into the house of mourning than into the house of 
 feasting. — Christ and His people are always laughed to scorn by 
 an unbelieving world. — The world’s mockery must not hinder 
 Christians from good works. 
 
CHAP. IX. 1-6. 
 
 295 
 
 Ileulmer . — AVheii a spiritual father calls upon Jesus in behalf 
 of a soul entrusted to him, he may hope he does not call in vain. 
 — The folly of mankind was shown, formerly, as well as now, in 
 immoderate pomp at funerals. — The confidence in Himself, which 
 Jesus knew how to instil. — Lisco : How faith is assailed and 
 strengthened. — The powerful help of the Lord Jesus. — Palmer: 
 The eyes of the Lord see always, as then, in secret ; the hand of 
 the Lord helps always, as then, in secret. — God’s dealings with 
 believers here, amidst the tumult of the world — there, in the peace 
 of the eternal Sabbath. — Fuchs : The example of these two suf- 
 ferers teaches us the same lessons as Paul inculcates, Pom. v. 3 : 
 1. Tribulation worketh patience ; 2. patience worketh experience ; 
 3. experience worketh hope ; 4. hope maketh not ashamed. — Souchon: 
 The Lord’s leadings are for our happiness. — Couard: We have a 
 God to help us, and a Lord of Lords to deliver us from death. 
 
 d. The Son of Man announced by the Ticelve, feared by Herod, 
 honoured by the satisfied Multitide (chap. ix. 1-17). (Parallel 
 passages: Matt. x. 5-15, xiv. 13-21; Mark vi. 7-16, vers. 
 31-46 ; John vi. 1-14.) 
 
 1. The Commission of the Twelve Apostles. (Yers. 1-6.) 
 
 1 Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and 
 authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And He sent them to preach 
 the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And He said unto them, Take 
 nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither 
 money ; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, 
 there abide, and thence depart. 5 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 everywhere. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Harmony. — After the raising of Jairus’ daughter, must 
 have followed the two miracles which Matthew alone relates (ch. 
 ix. 27-34). The Lord then seems to have undertaken a new 
 journey through Galilee, and to have again witnessed the extreme 
 spiritual need of the people (ibid. vers. 35, 36). He thereupon 
 desired the disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth 
 labourers into His harvest (vers. 37, 38), and then gave them an 
 opportunity of uniting effort to their prayers, and of putting their 
 
296 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 own hands to the plough. — We are again obliged to complete the 
 shorter narrative of Luke from the more detailed ones of Mark 
 and Matthew. It then appears that the Lord sent out the Apostles 
 in pairs ; while all the synoptical Evangelists testify, that the cast- 
 ing out of devils, which is clearly distinguished from the cure of 
 diseases, formed a peculiar and principal feature of their ministra- 
 tions. The address delivered on this occasion is far more amply 
 and completely given by Matthew, than by either of the other two. 
 Luke only reports (vers. 3-6) somewhat of its first part (Matt. x. 
 5-15) ; while we find some fragments of the continuation in chs. 
 X. and xii. 
 
 2. The Twelve (av.. His twelve disciples). — Though there is im- 
 portant testimony in favour of the reading, tol;? ScoSeKa [xa67)Ta<^ 
 avTOVy it should not be forgotten that Luke generally makes use of 
 ol BcoBeKa as a standing formula, and that some manuscripts give 
 the word airoaroXov^^ which seems, as well as the former, to be the 
 addition of a later hand, and derived from the parallel passage. 
 Matt. X. 1. Matthew at the same time introduces the names of the 
 twelve Apostles, which Luke had given before in another connec- 
 tion, ch. vi. 12-16. On the other hand, Luke is more full in de- 
 tailing the extent of their commission, mentioning the Ki^p. r^v 
 (Baa. Tov 0. ; while the others only speak of the working of miracles. 
 On the manner in which the Sumyat? koX e^ovaia may have been 
 communicated to them, see Lange on Matt. x. 1. 
 
 3. Take nothing for your journey. — There is some difference 
 among the synoptical Evangelists regarding the preparations to be 
 made for their journey by the Twelve. All three are agreed that 
 they were to take no money in their purses, not to have two coats, 
 nor to carry any store of food with them. According to Mark and 
 Luke, they were also forbidden to take bread, which Matthew does 
 not specify. But while Mark says that they were to take a staff 
 only^ this also is among the things forbidden in Matthew and Luke. 
 (The reading staves, pd^hov^, is certainly not genuine.) We be- 
 lieve that Mark, who is here only relating the circumstance in an 
 oratio ohliqua, expresses himself more freely than the others. The 
 spirit of the command is, however, the same in all. The Lord is 
 speaking of what they must provide for their journey. If they 
 already had a staff, they were at liberty to take it (Mark) ; if they 
 had none, they were not now to buy one (Matthew and Luke). 
 They were to take nothing with them : they were to receive nothing 
 for the benefits they bestowed. History shows that they obeyed 
 
CHAP. IX. 1-6. 
 
 297 
 
 the latter prohibition literally, see Acts viii. 20, the former in the 
 spirit of wisdom, see, e.g.f 2 Cor. xi. 8 ; 2 Tim. iv. 13. 
 
 4. There abide. — Compare ch. x. 7, “ Go not from house to 
 house.” — Thence depart. Set out thence, on your further journey, 
 without capriciously choosing another lodging. 
 
 5. And luhosoever ivill not receive you. — Comp. Matt. x. 14. 
 We think, with Lachmann and Tischendorf, that he^covrat is, by 
 all means, the correct reading, and that Si'^covrat is derived from 
 the parallel passages. The shaking off the dust was a symbolical 
 action, as a witness against them, as it is said in Theophylact, et 9 
 6\e<yKov avTMv koX KaraKpiaiv. From Acts xiii. 51, we perceive 
 how the Apostles, casu quo, obeyed this command of the Lord, ad 
 litteram. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. In discussing the purpose of this missionary journey, too little 
 regard seems to have been paid to the words of our Lord, Matt, 
 ix. 38. It has often been most erroneously looked upon as a means 
 of affording the Twelve some practice in what was to be the future 
 employment of their lives. But the Lord does not give a single 
 hint that such was His intention ; nor was the delivery of proba- 
 tionary sermons, by future preachers of the Gospel, as yet a custom 
 in His days. As little was it the aim of this mission to prepare 
 certain towns and districts of Galilee for the personal presence of 
 Jesus. It cannot be proved, at least, that the Apostles went to 
 any towns where He was entirely unknown ; and it would have 
 little accorded with His wisdom to have sent the Gospel, during 
 His lifetime, by the hands of inexperienced men, into places where 
 He Himself was not thoroughly known. No, the Twelve were not 
 to precede Him, but to follow in Ilis track ; they were sent forth, 
 not to sow, but to reap ; not to begin what He would continue, but 
 to continue what He had already begun. On this supposition, 
 everything becomes clear. It is then evident why they were 
 always to inquire who was worthy to receive them ; in other words, 
 who was favourably disposed with respect to the Lord, and the in- 
 terests of His kingdom. Thus also their right to shake off the 
 dust, as a testimony against them, is evident ; a rebuke too severe 
 for the rejection of a single address, but fully merited by disdain of 
 a renew^ed effort. It also places in its true light the prohibition of 
 special provision for their journey : they were not going as strangers 
 among enemies, but as friends, into a neighbourhood where the 
 
298 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Lord Himself had already opened a way for them. It is also 
 evident why they were despatched at this particular juncture. He 
 had already announced the threatened judgment to the unrepentant 
 cities of Galilee (Matt. xi. 20-24) ; but He would yet make a last 
 attempt, through His Apostles, to win over these rebels. The more 
 nearly He contemplated in spirit the development of the great 
 drama of llis life, the more decided and emphatic was the attitude 
 He assumed. Parties had now begun to manifest a more threaten- 
 ing aspect ; now, therefore, did He send forth His Apostles, that 
 the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed. They must water 
 the seed which He had sown for the kingdom of heaven ; that 
 wliich promised fruit, they must carefully cherish ; that which 
 showed itself to be tares, they must announce to Him as such ; in a 
 word, they must be labourers for His harvest. 
 
 2. The length of time occupied by this journey, and the names 
 of the towns and districts visited, are equally unknown. It must, 
 however, have lasted longer than a day, since some time would be 
 required to go from town to town, to seek out who w^ere worthy, 
 and to sojourn with them. (This, however, is the view of Wieseler, 
 a. a. O. P. 291.) When we consider, however, that they were 
 divided into six pairs, and had only a part of Galilee to pass 
 through ; that, besides this, they ‘were not yet fitted to act inde- 
 pendently for any length of time ; it is not probable that the Lord 
 was separated from the Twelve for many days or weeks. It is 
 likely that He waited for them at Capernaum ; and, since the 
 miracle of the loaves and fishes took place immediately after their 
 return, that the second Passover was already at hand, John vi. 4. 
 Our view being that the preaching at Nazareth took place but 
 once, and that at the time notified by Luke, ch. iv. 16-30, it is not 
 necessary to insert the account. Matt. xiii. 54-58, and Mark vi. 
 1-6, immediately after the sending forth of the twelve Apostles. 
 
 3. Although the training of the Apostles was not the primary 
 intention of this mission, yet the wisdom of the Lord, in His 
 management of His ambassadors, is exemplified in this occurrence, 
 as well as His love to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The 
 healing power communicated to them was at the same time a strik- 
 ing symbol of what their mission of evangelization must effect, 
 wherever they should direct their steps ; and the spirit of uncon- 
 cern for temporal pleasure and convenience, the unassuming dis- 
 position, the persevering zeal, even when their efforts were con- 
 stantly despised, which the Lord, according even to Luke’s briefer 
 
CHAP. IX. 7-9. 
 
 299 
 
 account, sought to instil into Ilis witnesses, cannot, even in the 
 present day, be dispensed with, in any who would make known Ilis 
 name, whether among baptized or unbaptized heathens. 
 
 4. The love of an easy life is a great hindrance to the work 
 of God in an evangelist ; for he has chiefly to do wdth the poor, 
 who cannot secure it to him (ch. vii. 22), and the rich will sooner 
 draw him into such a life, than he will withdraw them from it. 
 The men of the world should see that he does not seek them for 
 the sake of their possessions, and that his intercourse with them is 
 for the sake of their salvation. If they wdll listen to nothing con- 
 cerning this, he must depart from them.” O. v. Gerlach. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Apostolical authority : 1. Its extent ; 2. its foundation ; 3. its 
 aim ; 4. its limits. — The messenger of the Gospel a physician of 
 souls. — The missionary Journey of the Lord’s witnesses : their pre- 
 parations, aim, and fruit. — He who seeks first the kingdom of God, 
 and His righteousness, may trust that he shall really want for 
 nothing. — Freely ye have received, freely give. — Testimony for 
 the believing and against the unbelieving world. — How the faith- 
 ful servant cares for the honour of his Lord ; how the Lord cares 
 for the wants of His faithful servant. — The Gospel of the king- 
 dom must be preached everywhere. — The preaching of the Gospel 
 an act of faith and obedience. 
 
 StarcTiCy Cramer . — The holy ordinance of preaching still de- 
 livers men from the power of Satan. — The need of a regular call, 
 both inward and outward, to the offlee of the preacher. — Hedinger: 
 1 Cor. ix. 14, The Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the 
 Gospel should live of the Gospel. — Canstein : If the disciples of 
 Christ were not to go from house to house for the sake of better 
 accommodation, much less should preachers strive after change of 
 livings for the sake of better accommodation. — The office of 
 preacher not an otiuniy but a gravissimum negotium. 
 
 2. The Fear of Herod. (YePvS. 7-9.) 
 
 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him : and he was 
 perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead ; 
 8 And of some, that Ehas had appeared ; and of others, that one of the old 
 prophets was risen again. 9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded : but who 
 is this of Avhom I hear such things ? And he desired to see Him. 
 
300 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 CiaXICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Herod the tetrorch heard . — Compare Matt. xiv. 1-12 ; Mark 
 vi. 16-28. Both Matthew and Mark unite the account of the 
 beheading of John tlie Baptist with that of Herod’s remorse. 
 Luke, who had related the imprisonment of John, cli. iii. 19, 20, 
 alludes to his end hy only a single word. Ilis Gospel is neverthe- 
 less rich in contributions to the psychological history of Herod, 
 which show us the continual deterioration of the tyrant in a moral 
 point of view. 
 
 2. All that was done, as well by the Lord Himself as by His 
 ambassadors, who just now were casting out devils in His name. 
 The terror of Herod is the more comprehensible, when we reflect 
 that the beheading of John took place during this very period, so 
 that his conscience had had no time for repose. Though John had 
 done no miracles during his lifetime, John x. 41, it was easy to 
 imagine, that if he should indeed return to life after his death, he 
 would be furnished with miraculous powers. Elias was naturally 
 thought of, as having never died ; and the rising again of one of 
 the old prophets, because the return of some of these was expected 
 in the times of the IMessiah. 
 
 3. John have I beheaded . — Not so much the words of an alarmed 
 conscience (Meyer), as of painful uncertainty. Scarcely has he 
 managed to free himself from John, than he hears of another 
 preacher, to whom extraordinary miraculous power is also ascribed. 
 What, then, is he to think of, and fear from. Him ? It is this very 
 uncertainty that makes him now desirous to see Him, as afterwards 
 to kill Him (ch. xiii. 31). In Luke’s Gospel, the expression of 
 terrified suspense, in Matthew’s and Mark’s, the fixed idea of an 
 alarmed conscience, is made prominent. The one of these might be 
 his prevailing frame of mind at one moment, the other at the next. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The fear of Herod at the fame of Jesus is an indirect proof 
 of the number and reality of His miracles, and is so far of consi- 
 derable weight, in an apologetic point of view. A Herod was not 
 a man to be misled by an unimportant or unfounded report. 
 
 2. There is this peculiarity about the person and ministry of 
 Jesus, that they whose moral and religious feelings are entirely 
 blunted do not know what to make of Him. They tremble, but 
 scarcely know why, at the very sound of His footsteps. 
 
CHAP. IX. 10-17. 
 
 301 
 
 3. Suppositions, whose reality the mind cannot seriously believe, 
 may yet terrify the conscience. Plerod would assuredly have been 
 capable of deriding the belief in immortality entertained by the 
 Pharisees, yet he trembles at shadows. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The fame of the Lord penetrates everywhere. — The Gospel a 
 savour of death unto death. — The power and impotence of con- 
 science. Its power: 1. It faithfully recalls past sin, 2. justly con- 
 demns it, 3. severely punishes it. Its impotence: 1. It is incapable 
 of cancelling the past, 2. making the present bearable, 3. or the 
 future hopeful. — The influence of an awakened conscience on the 
 conceptions of the intellect. — An unhallowed desire to see Jesus. 
 (For the opposite to this, see John xii. 20-22.) 
 
 Starche, — Truth comes sooner to the ears of the common people 
 than to the ears of the great. — Many erroneous opinions concerning 
 Christ have been propagated, but faithful teachers must be skilful 
 in contradicting them. — An evil conscience is fearful, and trembles 
 at a rustling leaf. Job xv. 20. — Compare two excellent sermons, by 
 Adolphe Monod, on the beheading of John the Baptist, in the 
 Second Series of his sermons. 
 
 3. The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. (Veks. 10-17.) 
 
 10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told Him all that they had 
 done. And He took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belong- 
 ing to the city, called Bethsaida. 11 And the people, when they knew it, fol- 
 lowed Him : and He received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of 
 God, and healed them that had need of healing. 12 And when the day began to 
 wear 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. 13 But He said unto them. Give ye 
 them to eat. And they said. We have no more but five loaves and two fishes ; 
 except we should go and buy meat for all this people. 14 (For they were about 
 five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples. Make them sit down by fifties 
 in a company. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then He 
 took the five loaves and the two fishes, and, looking up to heaven. He blessed 
 them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 And 
 they did eat, and were all filled : and there was taken up of fragments that re- 
 mained to them twelve baskets. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And the Apostles^ when they were returned. — To form a correct 
 idea of the whole connection of this occurrence, we must especially 
 
302 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 refer to Mark vi. 30, 31. The Lord receives, almost contempora- 
 neously, the account given by the Twelve of their mission, and that 
 of the death of John the Baptist. Thereupon follows the report 
 that Herod is desirous to see Him, and His consequent departure 
 from the dominions of Herod into those of Philip. He was desir- 
 ous, too, of obtaining for Himself and His disciples a short interval 
 of repose, wliicli tlie concourse of the multitude made impossible. 
 A comparison of all the accounts of this occurrence will be found 
 to justify the remark of Lie. S. Kauh (in an excellent essay on 
 John vi. in the Deutsche Zeitschrift fiir christl. Wissenschaft und 
 christl. Leben, 1850, p. 2G3), that John and the synoptical Evan- 
 gelists, both by the period to which they refer this history, and the 
 importance they attach to it, place this miracle in the clearest light, 
 and, at the same time, represent it as that climax in the life of 
 Christ whence His mysterious path to His sacrificial death leads to 
 higher and higher degrees of self-development, in order to introduce 
 us, from this time forth, to the mystery naturally resulting from 
 this self-development, though now hidden in obscurity.” 
 
 2. BrjOaaihd . — Not the western (Winer, De Wette), but another 
 town of this name, on the north-eastern shore of the lake, within 
 the jurisdiction of Philip, who beautified it considerably, and gave 
 it the name of Julia. Built not far from the shore, at the place 
 where the Jordan empties itself into the Sea of Tiberias, it was sur- 
 rounded by a tract of desert land, which, however, would in spring 
 be covered with grass, and large enough to contain a numerous 
 multitude. According to Matthew and Mark, the Lord went thither 
 by ship ; while Luke does not say that Pie went by land (Meyer), 
 but leaves the manner of Plis journeying quite undetermined. It 
 was probably at Capernaum that our Lord and the Twelve met 
 a£!:ain, after the return of the latter. 
 
 3. Followed Him^ on foot by land (as appears from Matthew and 
 Mark), having first seen Him set off by water. They also took 
 their sick with them, that Jesus might heal them. Y. Ammon 
 (Leben Jesu) concludes, from the fact that these sick persons went 
 on foot, that they could not have been greatly diseased, as though 
 there might not have been among them the blind and the deaf, who 
 were quite capable of the journey ; and as though those unable to 
 walk could not have been carried ! 
 
 4. The day began to ivear aimy, etc. — Here must be introduced 
 the circumstances and conference detailed by Mark and John, but 
 omitted in Luke’s more summary account, for the sake of brevity. 
 
CHAP IX. 10-17. 
 
 303 
 
 5. That they may go. — This request of the disciples does not say 
 much for the view, that the people must have had a tolerably con- 
 siderable store of provisions with them, to the common distribution 
 of which they might have been soon after indueed. 
 
 6. Give YE. — Emphatic, because they had just advised that the 
 people should be suffered to provide for themselves. 
 
 7. Buy meat. — It is obvious that the words of the Apostles are 
 merely the expression of the most hopeless perplexity, seeing no 
 other means within its power. They, who can seriously affirm 
 (with V. Ammon) that the disciples really bought food for two hun- 
 dred pence, and dispensed it to the people, seem to expect that their 
 rationalistic fancies are to be received, on their own assertions, with- 
 out any further proof. 
 
 8. By fifties. — We do not find sufficient reason for inserting 
 fo)(7et (Lachmann). ^^A convenient number on account of there 
 being five loaves.” — Bengel. 
 
 9. He blessed them^ ev\6^r]aev^ according to Jewish custom, 
 before commencing a meal. — This was, in fullest sense of the word, 
 a miraculous blessing, and the immediate instrument of the bounty 
 of Omnipotence. There is no real difference between the accounts 
 of Matthew and Mark, while the weight which the narratives of all 
 four Evangelists give to the prayer of Jesus is worthy of notice. 
 
 10. The miracle itself. — The miracle of the loaves and fishes 
 is one of those, of wdiich it is as difficult to bring the possibility 
 within the reach of the understanding, as the manner within the 
 reach of the imagination. (For notices and criticisms of various 
 views, see Lange on Matt. xiv. 20.) For this reason, it should be 
 the more attentively noticed, that the proofs of its reality are so 
 unanimous and decided, that a doubt is scarcely possible. The rela- 
 tive variations of the several accounts are less essential than usual 
 (Strauss), all the Evangelists being agreed on the principal points ; 
 and the difficulties of a mythical explanation are here truly insur- 
 mountable. Or, are we indeed to consider this wdiole historical 
 narrative as merely symbolical of the evangelical idea, that Christ 
 is the bread of life ? (v. Bauer). As if this idea could not be as 
 well expressed and exemplified by a fact ! Besides, how then 
 should we explain the enthusiasm of the people, and the conversa- 
 tion ( J ohn vi.), connected with this miracle ; as also the great de- 
 parture which took place among the yaOrjral in consequence (John 
 vi.) ? Indeed, it is the greatest proof of the reality of this miracle, 
 that it is indispensably necessary to the satisfactory explanation of 
 
304 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlie decrease in the number of Christ’s followers, which began from 
 this period. In fact, something similar now took place, to what 
 occurred on the occasion of the Lord’s resurrection ; and it is evi- 
 dent that something must have occurred, of sufficient importance 
 to account for the great change of sentiment in so many minds. 
 Till this day, we observe the followers of Jesus continually increas- 
 ing, and Ills influence augmenting, till lie stands, as it were, on the 
 very steps of the throne (♦Tohn vi. 15) : a few hours later, the en- 
 thusiasm cools, and the train of Ills adherents is visibly diminished. 
 Only such a miracle as this could excite so great enthusiasm, and, 
 when the anticipations thereby aroused were the next day disap- 
 pointed, so great exasperation, as the fourth Gospel especially nar- 
 rates. 
 
 But, in making this avowal, we are by no means blind to the 
 difficulties which this miracle presents, even when contemplated 
 from a believing point of view. It is as difficult to imagine that 
 the fragments were multiplied in the hands of the people, as in those 
 of the disciples ; while, even if we take the still simpler view, and 
 suppose the miracle to have been wrought by the hands of the Lord 
 Himself, we can as little conceive the constantly increasing loaves 
 and the constantly reappearing fishes. And even if we speak of 
 hastening a natural process (Olshausen, and before him, Luther ; 
 see Sammtl. Werke, Erlanger edition, ii. p. 117), this will not help 
 us much, since there is here, besides the process of nature, the pro- 
 cess of art ; baked bread and cooked fish, to be multiplied in a mira- 
 culous manner. We feel here, more than ever, how difficult it is 
 to deal in any measure with the incomprehensible ; and that, finally, 
 all must depend upon our idea of God, and our views of the doctrine 
 and credibility of the Gospel history. It must not, however, be 
 unnoticed, that the Lord does not here make something out of 
 nothing, but makes a larger quantity out of what already exists ; 
 thus, not overstepping the limits which the Word made flesh had 
 imposed upon Himself ; and that it could not be too miraculous for 
 Him to rise (if needful) above the artificial processes by which bread 
 and fish were prepared. At the same time, we remark, how much 
 moral susceptibility for this miracle must have existed among the 
 people, after all they had that day seen and heard from the Lord, 
 whereby faith had been awakened in some, and strengthened in 
 others. Finalljq while believing ourselves bound to follow the 
 example of the Evangelists, who do not more definitely describe the 
 manner in which this miracle was performed, we rejoice that its ex- 
 
CHAP. IX. 10-17. 
 
 305 
 
 altecl nature and purpose are placed entirely beyond doubt. Should 
 Christian science, however, feel obliged to go a step farther, and to 
 venture the attempt of seeking a modal or perhaps a mystic medium 
 for this occurrence, the ingenious attempt of Lange, Leben Jesu 
 ii., p. 309, deserves a more careful examination than seems as yet 
 to have been bestowed upon it. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The deep impression which the news of the Baptist’s death 
 produced upon the Saviour, is a striking proof, on the one hand, of 
 His true humanity, and on the other, of His clear perception of 
 the connection between the martyrdom of John and His own 
 approaching sufferings. He shows His tender care, in the training 
 of His disciples, by esteeming it indispensably necessary that they 
 should have some hours of repose and retirement, after days of un- 
 usual exertion, both of mind and body. Compare the beautiful 
 tract of A. Yinet ; la Solitude recommandee au pasteur. 
 
 2. The miracle of the loaves is one of the most striking proofs 
 of the truth of our Lord’s saying to Philip, John xiv. 9. We are 
 here led to admire in the Lord, who speaks and it is done, a truly 
 divine power, by virtue of which. He performs in a far higher 
 measure, and of His own omnipotence, what the Old Testament 
 prophets had done by the command of God (compare the fall of 
 the manna, and the multiplication of food by Elijah and Elisha). 
 Together with the deepest wisdom^ exemplified in the choice of the 
 most appropriate time and simplest means, we behold the image of 
 the God of peace (1 Cor. xiv. 34), in Jesus, caring for the orderly 
 arrangement of the multitude, and the preservation of the remain- 
 ing fragments. But more than all are we attracted by His pity^ 
 which sympathizes with the necessities of the unfortunate, and 
 which, with tenderest solicitude, selects the softest place for their 
 repose and meal ; and with unlimited abundance supplies not only 
 what is barely necessary, but more than will satisfy all. The whole 
 miracle shows how Christ, like the Father, can make much out of 
 little, and bestow His blessing on the least. But above all, is it an 
 emblem of the great truth, which He, on the following day, so 
 powerfully unfolded (John vl.), that He is the Bread of Life. 
 
 3. The miracle of the loaves Is a faithful picture of the manner 
 in which the Lord satisfies the spiritual wants of His people ; while, 
 in the midst of much that is extraordinary, the agreement between 
 this marvel, and the continual care of Providence for the bodily 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 20 
 
30G 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 wants of the children of men, is remarkable. The narrative is a 
 practical commentary on the words, Ps. cxlv. 15, 16. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The first account of work done for the Gospel. — Neither sad 
 nor joyful news disturbs the holy tranquillity of the Lord. — Tlie 
 Lord grants repose to Ills faithful labourers. — The disturbances of 
 earth often follow us, even to our places of repose. — The indefatig- 
 able Saviour never indisposed to deeds of kindness. — Jesus the 
 Physician both of body and soul. — Human perplexity contrasted 
 with divine wisdom ; human compassion, with divine mercy ; human 
 counsel, with divine action ; human poverty, Avith divine riches. — 
 tJesus referring the hungry multitude to His Apostles. — All things 
 must be done in order. — Daily bread hallowed by prayer and 
 thanksgiving. — ^^That nothing may be lost,” a fundamental law 
 of the kingdom of God, in the use of all that the Lord has be- 
 stowed. — The miracle of the loaves, a proof of the truth of Matt, 
 vi. 33. — The Lord taking a repast with the poor in the wilderness, 
 while His presence is desired in vain at the court of Herod. — The 
 Lord makes much out of little, — The Lord never gives so little 
 that nothing remains. — They that seek the Lord shall not want 
 any good thing.” — The satisfying of earthly cravings, an image of 
 the satisfying of heavenly longings. — The conditions upon which 
 a Christian may still expect the supply of His temporal necessities : 
 1. Believing confidence; 2. due diligence; 3. systematic order; 
 and 4. wise economy, united with 5. prayer and thanksgiving. — 
 Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it,” Ps. Ixxxi. 10. — The 
 Lord only suffers hunger to be felt, in order to bestow more abund- 
 ance in His own good time. — He hath filled the hungry Avith good 
 things. — The miraculous repast, a manifestation of His glory, ayIio 
 is the Son of God and the Son of man. — He leaves none empty, 
 but those Avho came full. 
 
 Starcke, Nova Bihl. Tub . — He aaGio loves Jesus folloAvs Him, 
 GA^en into the desert. — Quesnel : God makes us oAvn our human 
 impotence, before He shows His omnipotence. — Spiritual shepherds 
 must feed their sheep. — By money, we can obtain all temporal good ; 
 but our rich God can preserve us from all need, even Avhen Ave have 
 little or no money. — It is the same to our almighty Saviour, to 
 save by many or by feAv ; therefore, faith can venture anything, 1 
 Sam. xiv. 6. — Nova Bill. Tub. : Every creature of God is good, 
 and nothing to be refused, etc., 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. — No one should 
 
CHAP. IX. 18-27. 
 
 307 
 
 be above relieving the needy. — Brentius : Christ is the best resource 
 in a time of want. 
 
 Heubner. — It is a great honour and favour to be made tlie 
 medium of dispensing the divine bounty, as the disciples were here. 
 — Man is often required by the will of God to do that which seems 
 very strange and beyond possibility ; but God has provided for all 
 beforehand, and will be his helper, doing that which is really essen- 
 tial. — In Jesus the feeling of pity was stronger than that of the 
 want of repose. — Van Oosterzee : Jesus the Bread of Life. He still, 
 1. meets with the same need, 2. shows the same majesty, 3. provides 
 the same refreshment, 4. deserves the same homage, 5. occasions 
 the same division, as He did on the occasion of the miracle of the 
 loaves and fishes. 
 
 e. The Glory of the Son of MaUj acknowledged wpon Earthy and testi- 
 fied from Heaven. The scenes upon the summit^ and at the foot 
 of Tabor. (Chap. ix. 18-50.) 
 
 1. The Journey to the Mount of Transfiguration. (Yees. 18-27.) 
 
 18 And it came to pass, as He was alone praying, His disciples were with. 
 Him : and He asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am ? 19 They 
 
 answering, said, John the Baptist ; but some say, Elias ; and others say, that 
 one of the old prophets is risen again. 20 He said unto them. But whom say 
 ye that I am? Peter answering, said. The Chilst of God. 21 And He straitly 
 charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing ; 22 Saying, 
 The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief 
 priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 23 And He said 
 to them all. If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up 
 his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : 
 but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it. 25 For 
 what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose liimseK, or be 
 cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of ^le, and of My words, of 
 him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, 
 and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you of a truth, there 
 be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom 
 of God. 
 
 CKITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And it came to pass. — It is obvious, from a comparison of 
 tliis Gospel with those of Matthew and Mark, that Luke, after 
 relating the miracle of the loaves and fishes, passes over all the 
 words and deeds of Christ recorded in ^latt. xiv. 22-xvi. 12, and 
 Mark vi. 45-viii. 26. It is the duty of harmonizers to notice, and 
 
308 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of isagogists to account for, this circumstance. Perhaps the best 
 explanation is that offered by the supposition, that the written 
 records, wliich Tjuke made use of, were less ample with respect to 
 this, than to the subsequent periods of our Lord’s life. At all 
 events, no motive for intentional omission can be discovered. 
 
 2. As He was alone 'pvayimj . — According to Matthew and IMark, 
 the Lord was now in the district of Caisarea Philippi. See Lange 
 on Matt. xvi. 13. Here, as elsewhere, Luke gives prominence to 
 the praying of Jesus. Bengel well remarks, Jesus Patrem rogarat, 
 ut discipulis se revelaret. Nam argumentum precum Jesu colligi 
 potest ex sermonihus oxtionihusque insecutis, cf. vi. 12, 13. Probably 
 the disciples found Jesus praying alone, as in ch. xi. 1 ; while, 
 from ver. 23, it appears that other auditors, besides the Twelve, 
 soon approached, so that in a few moments a large circle had 
 assembled, to whom He addressed the words that follow. 
 
 3. And He asked them . — From the prayer which preceded it, we 
 cannot but infer that, in the Lord’s estimation, the conversation 
 that ensued was of the highest importance. Nor will this astonish 
 us, if we place ourselves in His circumstances at this crisis. The 
 more unambiguously the irreconcilable enmity of His adversaries 
 had been lately manifested, the more vividly would the now nearly 
 approaching end of His career be present to His mind. The time 
 had now arrived when He must speak to His disciples more openly 
 than He had hitherto done, of His sufferings and death. He would 
 not then surely omit to make the same prayer for them which He 
 afterwards made for Simon. But, before He bestow^s upon the 
 Twelve a deeper insight into the nature of His work. He desires to 
 hear from them their own notions of His person and character. 
 
 4. Whom say the peop)le that I am ? — He inquires whom the 
 people — the interpreters of public opinion — take Him, who has 
 hitherto designated Himself by the somewhat mysterious title of 
 the Son of man, to be. This inquiry respecting the sayings of the 
 people, which would be merely the exponents of the notions of flesh 
 and blood, might well astonish us, if we were to lose sight of the far 
 more important one to which it w^as intended to lead. 
 
 5. John the Baptist . — The answers are various, but perfectly 
 explicable. That John the Baptist was risen again, was perhaps an 
 echo of what was uttered in Herod’s court ; perhaps, also, a conse- 
 quence of the great respect in which he had been held, and which 
 made the people deem it impossible that such a man of God could 
 have been taken away from the world for ever. — Elias ; comp. Mai. 
 
CHAP. IX. 18-27. 
 
 309 
 
 iv. 5. — One of the old proijhets. It was concluded, from Micali iv. 
 5, and other passages, that in the times of the ]\Iessiali several pro- 
 phets would appear again; see Lightfoot on John i. 21. It is 
 evident that Jesus of Nazareth was, on all hands, esteemed to be 
 no ordinary or unimportant personage : perhaps lie was the fore- 
 runner, for public opinion did not yet regard Him as the Messiah. 
 It was divided, and had certainly not become of late more favour- 
 able to the Lord. If some inclination to believe in His Messiah- 
 ship had formerly been manifested among the people, this is no 
 longer heard of. After the great departure from Him, John vi. 6G, 
 the sun of popular favour seems to have declined ; and henceforth 
 the voice of the multitude is no lono-er a liomao:e to the Lord, but 
 only the expression of some misapprehension concerning Him. 
 
 6. But whom say ye that I am ? — The emphasis naturally falls 
 
 upon Uyaet 9 , in opposition to the The Lord desires, first, to 
 
 hear the report of the popular idea ; then, the conviction of His 
 chosen witnesses, the expression of their living, personal, and un- 
 biassed faith. It is evident that He highly values their confession 
 of faith, and esteems their doctrinal views as anything but unim- 
 portant. 
 
 7. The Christ 'of God. — This answer is more amply given, 
 Matt. xvi. 16. The notion, that Peter here only contemplates the 
 theocratic, and not the metaphysical, dignity of Jesus, is wholly 
 without proof. For, if rude mariners had formerly recognised 
 somewhat superhuman in Jesus, Matt. xiv. 33, the Saviour would 
 certainly not have pronounced His disciple blessed if this side of His 
 nature had been still wholly hidden from him, though, at the same 
 time, it is evident that this faith of Peter’s heart had not yet become 
 the well-defined dogma of his understanding. We must, moreover, 
 declare our entire dissent from the view, that this confession of 
 Peter is the same recorded, John vi. 68 (Wieseler, Rauh), which 
 is far less decided and forcible (at least, according to Tischendorf s 
 correct reading). The historical connection, also, of the two con- 
 fessions is so widely different, that it is impossible to identify them, 
 without arbitrarily accusing John of inaccuracy. 
 
 8. To tell no man. — For a more detailed account of the Lord’s 
 answer, and the praise He bestowed upon Peter, see Matt. xvi. 
 17-19, and compare Lange’s remarks on this passage. That the 
 Lord was almost shocked” (Fritzsche, Schneckenburger, Strauss) 
 at Peter’s confession, is shown neitlier by the letter nor by the spirit 
 of the account. The reason for His injunction of silence is self- 
 
310 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 evident. It had now been for tlie first time manifested that Ilis 
 self-consciousness, and the confession of faith of the Twelve, were, 
 in the main, in unison. lie had Himself set the seal of His approval 
 upon the words of faith ; and from this period there really existed 
 a little community, in which belief in Jesus, as the Christ, was the 
 centre of union. If this society and its ideas should as yet be out- 
 wardly manifested, it would meet with untimely sympathy from 
 some, and excite renewed opposition from others. The Lord will, 
 therefore, have silence maintained concerning His person until His 
 priestly work shall have been completed ; but, at the same time, lie 
 declares His Apostles to be now capable of receiving further in- 
 struction concerniiif?' the nature of this work. 
 
 o 
 
 9. The Son of man must suffer many things. — In striking con- 
 trast to the indefinite and figurative manner in which He had 
 hitherto alluded to His approaching death (comp. Matt. ix. 15 ; 
 John ii. 19, iv. 37, 38), the Lord now begins to speak distinctly on 
 this subject. He declares, (1.) who will be the agents of His suffer- 
 ing ; (2.) the form it will take ; (3.) the necessity of this suffering; 
 and, (4.) its issue, viz., the resurrection. The notion, that the latter 
 is only annexed ex eventu, is well refuted by Lange. Peter’s rebuke 
 of the Lord, when he heard these words, is mentioned only by Mark 
 and Luke. 
 
 10. If any man will come after Me. — Here, as also in John vi. 
 G7, the Lord again gives His Apostles the choice, whether they will 
 still follow Him, now that His path leads for a time into the depths 
 of adversity. If they do so, they shall know beforehand wdiat their 
 choice will cost them. He who follows Him must tahe up his cross 
 daily j — a symbol of self-denial which the Lord would certainly not 
 have specially employed, if He had not foreseen that this would be 
 the instrument of His own sufferings and shame. There is no 
 reason for supposing the remarkable KaO' ^yepav, which is peculiar 
 to Luke, to have been an addition a seriore manu. It proceeds from 
 Jesus Himself, and places the extent and difficulty of this self-denial 
 in the clearest light. It is worthy of notice, that it was Peter him- 
 self who afterwards so deeply comprehended, and so powerfully 
 reiterated, this demand. See 1 Pet. iv. 1-3 ; comp. Pom. vi. ; Col. 
 iii. 1-4, etc. 
 
 11. Whosoever ivill save his life shall lose it . — The Lord urges 
 two considerations to show the indispensable necessity of self-denial. 
 The first is derived from the present (vers. 24—26), the second from 
 the future (ver. 27). It is only through self-denial that the higher 
 
CHAP. IX. 18-27. 
 
 311 
 
 life of the spirit can be experienced liere; so that the choice lies 
 between temporal gain and eternal loss. (This passage offers another 
 proof of internal agreement between the Gospels of St John and 
 the synoptical Evangelists, comp. John xii. 25.) The life, which 
 man is usually willing to save at any cost, is the natural individual 
 life, whose central-point is the '^vxVy considered without any refer- 
 ence to the TTvevfia. He who would preserve this life, and also live 
 ill accordance with his natural inclinations, may depend upon losing 
 his true and proper life ; while they who, for the sake of Christ and 
 for the interests of His kingdom, are willing to risk both the posses- 
 sion and the enjoyments of life, in the ordinary sense of the word, 
 will by this very loss become partakers of the true and higher life 
 of the spirit : — a saying this of infinitely high importance for the 
 first Apostles of the Lord, who had left all for His sake ; and no 
 less so, as a means of developing the inner life of every Christian. 
 See the profound remarks of Lange, Leben Jesu ii., p. 899. Luke 
 well expresses, in ver. 25, the contrast between the gaining of the whole 
 world and the airdXeaa^ Be eavrov, the loss of that individual life for 
 whose preservation such sacrifices had been made. As if it were 
 said. If, from a general conflagration raging all around, thou couldest 
 save thy large and well-filled palace, but must perish thyself, what 
 wouldst thou have gained, in comparison with him who should have 
 escaped, with his life, from the general destruction of his property ? 
 So, on the contrary, what would it hurt a man to lose the whole 
 world, which will one day be consumed and perish, if his own soul 
 be only saved ? The eternal salvation of a soul is worth more than 
 the whole world. Profit and loss must therefore be weiMied arainst 
 each other ; and he who has not reckoned thus, will in the end ex- 
 perience, to his eternal loss, how enormous is the mistake he has 
 made. Then will the spiritual bankrupt cry out, tl Bdxret avOpoiTro^, 
 to which the Psalm has already answered, ^ He must let that alone 
 for ever !’ ” — Stier. 
 
 12. Whosoever shall he ashamed . — A saying of the Lord, re- 
 minding us of one of the most elevated passages in the fourth 
 Evangelist. The'IouBalot, in ch. xii. 42, 43, give us an example of 
 what is meant by being ashamed of the Lord ; as St Paul, in Rom. 
 i. 16, furnishes a specimen of its opposite. It is worthy of remark, 
 that the Lord does not say. Whosoever shall be ashamed of the Son 
 of man, but. Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me, and My words, — 
 an evident proof that such a being ashamed is here intended, as 
 might be united with an external and intellectual acknowledgment 
 
312 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO LUKE. 
 
 of tlie dignity of Ilis work and person as tlie Messiah . — Of Idm 
 shall the Son of man he ashamed. A milder form of the threat in 
 Matt. vii. 23, xxv. 41 ; and tlie more impressive, on account of 
 the threefold glory with which the Lord represents Himself as 
 surrounded: (1.) with Ilis own; (2.) with that of Ilis Father; 
 (3.) with that of the holy angels, who are witnesses of the well- 
 deserved disgrace awaiting the unfaithful disciple. There is little 
 doubt but that the Lord has in view Ilis last 'irapovala, at the gw- 
 reXela rod alwvo<;. But, lest the thought of the great remoteness 
 of this event might weaken the impression of this warning. He con- 
 cludes with a hint at an earlier manifestation of Ills kingly glory. 
 
 13. But I tell you of a truth . — This solemn introduction, recorded 
 also by Matthew and Mark, shows the high importance which the 
 Lord Himself attaches to the assurance He is about to give. He 
 could not well have pointed out, wdth greater plainness, that His 
 disciples would outlive Him ; that His cause would triumph ; that 
 He meant, by the title Son of man, to designate Himself as the 
 Messiah ; for He speaks of a kingdom in which the Son of man 
 rules. We can scarcely reject the idea, that this very saying, which 
 all the three Evangelists have with such unanimity reported in the 
 same connection, must have formed one of the strongest supports to 
 the hope, entertained in the apostolic age, of Christ’s speedy and 
 visible return. Their desire for its fulfilment contributed to the 
 preservation of the letter of the promise ; while the affection of 
 their hearts sharpened both their understandings and memories. It 
 is not, however, difficult to decide what coming the Saviour parti- 
 cularly intended, when He uttered these words. He had in view 
 here, as in Matt. xxvi. 64, the manifestation of His dignity as the 
 IMessiah in the desolation of the Jewish state, which event would 
 take place during the present generation. (For notices and criti- 
 cisms of other views, see Lange on Matt. xvi. 28.) And thus the 
 connection between the beginning and ending of this discourse is 
 well preserved. If the Lord had, at the beginning, pointed out the 
 degradation awaiting Himself from the Jewish rulers, ver. 22, He 
 concludes, ver. 27, by mentioning the triumph which He should gain 
 over the Jewish rulers, when the ruins of their city and temple 
 should proclaim His exaltation. This, Ilis coming in His kingdom, 
 wdiich John at least, and probably some other of his fellow-disciples, 
 beheld, is at the same time a type and symbol of His last irapovala, 
 mentioned ver. 26. The shorter form of expression in Luke, Ihelv 
 T^v (3acr. T. Qeovy must be explained by the longer ones, in the 
 
CIIAr. IX. 18-27. 
 
 313 
 
 })arallel passages in Mattliew and Mark. Compare also Matt. x. 
 23, as a further proof how the Christ of the synoptical Gospels, as 
 well as the Christ of St John’s Gospel, speaks of a continual spiri- 
 tual coining of the Messiah, under various phases. From the intimate 
 connection, existing in all the synoptical Gospels, between this dictum 
 of the Lord and the transfiguration, narrated immediately after, we 
 may at least conclude, that the disciples recognised in this event a 
 real, though only a preliminary, fulfilment of this announcement. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 Although no new period of our Lord’s life commences with the 
 discourse here introduced, we may truly say that His intercourse 
 with the Twelve assumed a new phase in the district of Caesarea 
 Philippi. Having first received from them the expression of their 
 individual and living faith. He proceeds to open to them the sanc- 
 tuary of His approaching passion, in order to preserve them from 
 falling when the critical period should arrive, John xiii. 19. With 
 deep wisdom, however, does He unite this first announcement of 
 His sufferings with the notice of the glory that should follow,” 
 and which He would enter upon by this very way. Comp. Luke 
 xxiv. 26. 
 
 2. Mark very happily points out the difference between the 
 Lord’s former and present announcements of His sufferings, by the 
 word TrapprjaLa. Figurative allusions are now exchanged for pre- 
 cise statements, and general for special declarations. Undoubtedly, 
 this higher truth was closely connected with the development of 
 Christ’s own convictions respecting His approaching fate, which 
 would be continually growing clearer the longer He contemplated 
 the prophetic representations of the Messiah, and observed the 
 course of events. But it is equally certain that no reason exists 
 for denying, a priori, the possibility of such a foreknowdedge (He 
 Wette, V. Ammon, Strauss), and that the criticism wdiich w^ould ex- 
 plain such prophecies merely ex eventu, is by no means historical, but 
 entirely arbitrary and dogmatical. We afteinvards hear from Jesus 
 Himself (Luke xxiv. 44-46), from the angels (ibid. vers. 7, 8), and 
 even from His enemies (Matt, xxvii. 62, 63), that He not only 
 foretold His death, but also ITis resurrection. With regard to the 
 obstinate doubts and subsequent unbelieving sadness of His dis- 
 ciples, which have been adduced as evidence against the genuine- 
 ness of His prophecy concerning His resurrection, this is certainly 
 not the first nor the only time that the Lord was better understood 
 
314 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 l)y crafty enemies tlian ])y prejudiced friends. The disciples often 
 understood a figurative expression literally (e. r/., Matt. xvi. 11, 12) ; 
 why may they not, therefore, on the contrary, have regarded a 
 literal one as figurative? In their view, it was impossible that the 
 Messiah should die ; if, therefore, they were thus unable to enter 
 into the idea of Ills resurrection, much less was this prophecy 
 likely to make any deep impression upon their minds. And if, 
 according to Matthew and Luke, the Lord distinctly said that lie 
 would return to life rfj rpiry rjfjiepa, this was only a repetition of 
 what lie had formerly announced in another form. Matt. xii. 40 ; 
 John ii. 19. Comp. Ilasert on the Prophecies of Jesus concern- 
 ing Ills death and resurrection, Berlin 1839. 
 
 3. To the inquiry, by what means the Lord, during the process 
 of Ills development as the God-man, arrived at a clear insight of 
 the certainty and necessity of Ills death. His own expressions 
 justify the reply. It was in the mirror of the prophetic Scriptures 
 that He beheld the image of His sufferings. Assertions that in 
 that case He must have misunderstood the Old Testament, which 
 says nothing of a suffering or dying Messiah (De Wette, Strauss), 
 can only be esteemed plausible by those who would place the her- 
 meneutics of modern criticism above those of the Lord Jesus, and 
 His divinely inspired Apostles. Comp. Steudel, Theol. des A. B. 
 p. 402; and Hoffman, a. a. O. ii., p. 121. Derived from this 
 source, the foreknowledge of the Lord was less the fruit of a 
 grammatical exegesis of special vaticinia^ than a comprehensive 
 and symbolical view of the entire Old Testament. In the fate of 
 the Lord’s servant in Isaiah, He saw His own delineated ; and in 
 the sufferings and experiences of men of God in earlier days. He 
 beheld the type of His own. Comp. Mark ix. 13; Luke xiii. 33. 
 Once familiar with the thought of death, a glance at the political 
 condition of His nation might naturally lead Him to the conclusion, 
 that Gentiles, and indeed Komans, would be the executors of the 
 sentence of death, which w^ould therefore be crucifixion, the pun- 
 ishment introduced by them among conquered nations. But who 
 could deem it impossible that the Son of God should come to this 
 conclusion in a manner entirely different from that of the deduc- 
 tions of reason? His intimate communion with the Father would 
 undoubtedly render the will of the Father so clear to Him, that He 
 could with the most perfect certainty speak of a divine hel. 
 
 4. This first announcement of the Lord’s sufferings is highly 
 important, as exhibiting to us those sufferings, not only in their 
 
CHAP. IX. 18-27. 
 
 315 
 
 liuman, but especially in tlieir divine aspect. In what is about to 
 befall Him, the Lord recognises not merely the abuse of human 
 liberty, but also the fulfilment of the eternal purpose of God, who 
 not only foresaw and permitted, but also expressly willed, that 
 Christ should suffer these things. By the voluntary obedience 
 with which the Son submitted to that which He clearly discerned 
 to be the counsel of the Father, He rendered the lot which awaited 
 Him, at the same time, the highest act of love. 
 
 5. The necessity of traversing the path of suffering to arrive at 
 heavenly glory is so great, that this path is prescribed not only 
 for the Master, but also for all His disciples. The saying of J. 
 Arndt is applicable here, — Christ has many servants, but few fol- 
 lowers.” He only will gradually attain the power of bearing KaO' 
 'qiiepav, what the Lord was pleased to take upon Himself, who can 
 as really deny and renounce his old man as Peter once did his 
 Lord. 
 
 HOMILETIC AL HINTS. 
 
 Every turning-point of life should be hallowed by solitary 
 prayer. — It is not indifferent to the Lord what men say of Him, nor 
 must it be indifferent to His disciples. — Public opinion should be 
 neither slavishly followed nor contemptuously despised. — The simila- 
 rity and dissimilarity between the Lord on the one hand, and John, 
 Elijah, and the prophets, on the other. — The spirit of the faithful 
 jwophets appearing again, and far more gloriously, in Jesus. — The 
 disciple of Jesus called upon, 1. to listen to the vox populi concern- 
 ing him, but 2. to rise above it. — But whom say ye that I am 1 
 1. A question for the conscience; 2. a disputed question; 3. a vital 
 question ; 4. a seasonable question. — Jesus desires to be, 1. individu- 
 ally recognised, and 2. voluntarily confessed, as the Christ by His 
 disciples. — No sincere faith without confession ; no true confession 
 without faith. — The confession of Peter the first voice from amono; 
 the millions uniting in the Christian confession. — What was then 
 to be kept secret, is now to be proclaimed aloud. — A time to be 
 silent, and a time to speak. — The first announcement of Christ’s 
 sufferings: 1. Its remarkable contents; 2. its high importance. — 
 Anticipations of suffering and glory closely connected in the con- 
 sciousness of Jesus. — The path of suffering : 1. How it was trod- 
 den by the Lord ; 2. how it must be trodden by His disciples after 
 Him. — The disciple of the Lord, a willing daily cross-bearer after 
 Jesus. — The Christian calculation of profit and loss. — We must 
 
31G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 risk all to ^vill all. — The all-surpassing value of a soul. — The 
 spiritual bankruptcy of him who gains the whole world and loses 
 himself. — The gain of even the whole world is but show and loss, 
 as long as we have not gained Christ. — The saying of Christ con- 
 cerning the loss and gain of life, compared with Paul’s experience, 
 Phil. iii. G-9. — How a professor of the Gospel may, at the present 
 day, be ashamed of llis Master: 1. In heart; 2. in word; 3. in 
 deed. — The Christian, 1. needs not be ashamed of Ilis Lord, 2. 
 must not, 3. and will not, if he be a Christian indeed. — Seeking 
 honour from men, the way to gain shame before God. — He who 
 willingly abased Himself, will come again in glory. — No disciple of 
 the Lord will die before he has, in a greater or less measure, seen 
 the coinino; of the kino;dom of God. — The comino; of the Lord, 1. a 
 bodily, 2. a spiritual, 3. and finally, both a spiritual and bodily 
 coming. — The history of the world the judgment of the world, but 
 not the final judgment. — The pathway of suffering, 1. plainly fore- 
 seen by Jesus, 2. clearly pointed out to His disciples, 3. terminat- 
 ing in glory both for Himself and Ilis disciples. — The demand of 
 self-denial for Jesus’ sake, 1. a difficult, 2. a necessary, 3. a whole- 
 some, 4. a practicable demand. — The Lord with His faithful dis- 
 ciples : 1. How much He demands; 2. how infinitely much more 
 He promises. 
 
 StaTche. — Ca7istein : Truth is one, but errors and lies are many. 
 — Brentius : It must not be concealed that the kingdom of Christ 
 is the kingdom of the cross, so that none may be offended thereby. 
 — Certain and ineffable glory follows the cross and sufferings, 2 
 Cor. iv. 17, 18. — True self-denial distinguishes the true Christian 
 from the counterfeit. — It costs much to become a Christian, but 
 more to remain one. — The carnal heart is so blind, that it seeks its 
 life in that which produces death. — In Christianity nothing hap- 
 pens according to our thoughts, but all according to the thoughts 
 of God. — With Christ, the jus talionis applies on the right hand 
 and on the left. — Nov. Bihl. Tub.: It is an unhappy thing to taste 
 of death before we have seen the kingdom of God. — Salvation is 
 often nearer than we think, Kom. xiii. 11. 
 
 Heubner: A Christian’s independence of public opinion. — 
 Gerlach : Beariiif^ the cross is not something reserved for certain 
 extraordinary occasions: lie who deeply feels his own and the world’s 
 sins, bears it daily. — J. Saurin : A sermon on the value of the soul, 
 inferred, 1. from the excellence of its nature, 2. from the eternity 
 of its existence, 3. from the cost of its redemption. 
 
CIIAr. IX. 28 36. 
 
 317 
 
 2. The Transfiguration (vers. 28-36). (Parallel passages : 
 
 Matt. xvii. 1-9 ; Mark ix. 2-9.) 
 
 28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took 
 Peter, and John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And, as 
 He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was 
 white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which 
 were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease 
 which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were 
 with him were heavy with sleep : and when they were awake, they saw His 
 glory, and the two men that stood with Him. 33 And it came to pass, as they 
 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. 34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud 
 and overshadowed them : and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 
 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying. This is My beloved Son ; hear 
 Him. 36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they 
 kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had 
 seen. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Eight days. — According to Matthew and Mark, six days after 
 the conversation just reported. Allowing that Luke includes the 
 day on which this discourse took place, and reckons also the day of 
 the transfiguration, which perhaps occurred in the morning, the dif- 
 ference between them is reconciled without havino; recourse to the 
 supposition, that the Lord spent one or two days upon the moun- 
 tain before this event. 
 
 2. Into a mountain^ to opo^;. — More definite than Matthew and 
 Mark, who speak only of an opo 9 v'^yXov. The tradition, which 
 points out Tabor as the scene of this event, has been often opposed ; 
 but, in our opinion, no insuperable difficulties have ever been raised 
 against it. That this tradition existed in the days of Jerome, and 
 that the Empress Helena, on this account, built a church on Mount 
 Tabor, is certainly in itself no sufficient proof of its correctness. 
 It must, however, be considered remarkable, that tradition should 
 fix upon a place so remote from Caesarea Philippi, where the Lord 
 had so lately been (Matt. xvi. 13) ; and it is not probable that this 
 would have been done without sufficient grounds. Still less needs 
 perhaps be said in favour of the other mountains, viz., Hermon and 
 Paneas, which have been mentioned instead of Tabor. It must not, 
 however, be forgotten that about a week elapsed between Christ’s 
 first announcement of His sufferings and His transfiguration, in 
 
ai8 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 wlilcli time tlie Lord miglit well traverse the considerable distance 
 between Tabor and Cyesarca Philippi : comp. Matt. xvii. 22. And 
 though we find the Lord shortly after at Capernaum, Matt. xvii. 
 24-27, yet this town was scarcely a day’s journey from Tabor. 
 The only really formidable difficulty is that adduced by De Wette, 
 from Robinson, that, at this period, the summit of Tabor was occu- 
 pied by a fortress. But even if Antiochus the Great fortified this 
 mountain u.c. 219, this by no means proves that a fortress existed 
 in the time of Christ; while if, as Josephus tells us, it was fortified 
 against the Romans, this must certainly have happened forty years 
 later. The ruins, afterwards found on the south-western declivity, are 
 probably those of these fortifications ; but, in any case, it cannot be 
 proved that the whole mountain was built over at the epoch of the 
 transfiguration. At the same time, it must be admitted that the 
 far-famed beauty of this locality may have contributed to its being 
 regarded as the scene of the Lord’s earthly glorification. Accord- 
 ing to Meyboom, a Dutch theologian, the event in question took 
 place on the southern summit of the Anti-Lebanon, a snow-cajiped 
 mountain, whose modern name is Djebel Ejeik. 
 
 3. Peter , and Janies^ and John . — Previously the witnesses of the 
 raising of Jairus’ daughter, and subsequently of the agony in Geth- 
 semane, — the three most intimate friends of Jesus, who were alone 
 allowed to participate in the most mysterious and sublime transac- 
 tions. The influence of Peter’s eye-witnessing is apparent in Mark’s 
 account, vers. 3, 6, 8, 10. 
 
 4. The fashion of Ills countenance was altered . — The change in 
 the Lord’s outward appearance is the first moment in the narrative 
 demanding special attention. We cannot possibly coincide with 
 Olshausen in the view that the body of the Lord, during His earthly 
 life, underwent a continuous process of glorification, a new stage of 
 which was now perhaps entered upon. This notion has a tendency 
 to Docetic views, and accounts only for the shining of His counte- 
 nance, but not for the splendour of His garments. Indeed, this 
 latter circumstance obliges Olshausen to describe the Lord as not 
 only emitting, but receiving rays of light. Lange justly directs 
 attention to that unmeasured indwelling of the Holy Spirit which 
 beamed forth over His whole being. But this does not sufficiently 
 explain the brilliancy of His garments, and we are constrained to 
 unite an external illumination with the internal radiation. But why 
 should not this have proceeded from the glory, which we undoubt- 
 edly imagine to have surrounded the two celestial visitants ? We 
 
CHAP. IX. 28- 3G. 
 
 319 
 
 nowliei’c read that this supernatural splendour preceded their ap- 
 pearance. The light wherewith the face of Moses shone, was also 
 occasioned by an external celestial illumination. 
 
 5. Tico men. — How it was that the Apostles knew these to be 
 Moses and Elias, neither Evangelist informs us. It may have been 
 either intuitively, or by some outward sign ; perhaps it was from 
 the subject of the conversation, or from being subsequently informed 
 by Jesus. This uncertainty, however, as to the manner of their 
 obtaining this knowledge by no means necessitates the assertion, that 
 they did not possess it, and still less the rationalist notion, that these 
 were merely two unknown persons, secret disciples, associates, etc. 
 
 6. Which were Moses and Ellas. — That these words report 
 merely the judgment of the narrators, but by no means a definite 
 declaration of the fact, has indeed been often asserted, but never 
 yet proved. 
 
 7. And spahe of Ills decease, rrjv e^oSov avrov. — Luke alone 
 gives this intimation of the subject and purport of the conversation, 
 and thus places this whole “vision” in its true light. We cannot 
 possibly agree with Meyer, that this information of Luke arose 
 
 from subsequent tradition, which very naturally added this reflec- 
 tion.” The witnesses, who had beheld the rest, might well have 
 heard and remembered this also. It is remarkable that Peter speaks 
 of his own death as an efo3o?, 2 Pet. i. 15. 
 
 8. V/hen they icere awake, SLayp7]<yopri(7avTe<;. — Watching awake, 
 Lange ; When they were awakened, De Wette. In any case, 
 their present state was a contrast to the previous vttvw jSejSapi^piivoL, 
 forbidding us to conclude, from the latter expression, that sleep 
 prevented them from being competent witnesses. However heavy 
 they might have been with sleep, they did not fall asleep, but re- 
 mained so wakeful as to be able to see with their bodily eyes, and 
 to appreciate with their perceptive faculties, all that took place. If 
 we had no other proof, this trait, in Luke’s narrative, would suffice 
 to show that this was no dream of the three sleeping disciples, and 
 no fancy of their own over-heated imaginations. That this account 
 entitles us, more than those of the other synoptical Gospels, to as- 
 sume that we have here somewhat merely subjective (Neander), is 
 at least wholly unproved. 
 
 9. And it came to pass . — The first feeling of the disciples at the 
 sight of the heavenly vision, was that of fear (Mark ix. 6). Scarcely, 
 however, had they recovered from this, than they were filled with an 
 indescribable feeling of happiness, to which Peter gave expression 
 
320 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE, 
 
 'wltli almost cliilclisli rapture. The heavenly frame of mind enjoyed 
 in the spirit-world is communicated to the inhabitants of this, who 
 would detain the celestial visitants, as it were, with their hands, be- 
 fore they again disappear. 
 
 10. Three tabernacles. — From the fact that Peter proposes to 
 make three and not six tabernacles, we may surely conclude that by 
 
 he intends only himself and his fellow-disciples, and not all 
 who were there present (De Wette). Sej)p, ii. p. 408, sees, in the 
 three tabernacles, a symbol of the threefold ministry of the 
 Church.” 
 
 11. Not knowing what he said. — Not because he was still over- 
 come by sleep, but because he was entirely carried away by the 
 extraordinary nature of the whole occurrence. He would not else 
 have expressed himself in so unfitting a manner. A subjective 
 reminiscence, probably derived from Peter himself. 
 
 12. A cloud. — The Shechinah, the symbol of the glory of God. 
 
 IloeCy ut ex sequentihus patet, ad ima se demisit d’’ Bengel. The 
 
 bright cloud, which formerly filled the sanctuary of God, now re- 
 ceives the three as into a tabernacle of glory, and conceals from the 
 eyes of the disciples the conclusion of the vision, the commencement 
 of which had also been hidden from them. 
 
 13. A voice. — The same formerly heard on the banks of Jordan, 
 and subsequently in the temple (John xii.). As the voice from 
 heaven inaugurated Him as King of the kingdom of heaven at 
 Jordan, and afterwards consecrated Him the High Priest of the 
 New Testam.ent (John xii.), so is His prophetic office here declared, 
 by the Father, to surpass that of the two most distinguished mes- 
 sengers of the Lord, under the Old Testament dispensation. 
 
 14. And they kept it close, etc. ; according to Matt. xvii. 9, by 
 the express command of the Lord. Luke passes over the whole 
 conversation concerning Elias, which is given in Matthew and 
 Mark ; perhaps because he thought it less comprehensible, and less 
 important to the Gentile Christians, for whom he wrote. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. For notices and criticisms of various views of this subject, see 
 Lange on Matt. xvii. 1. 
 
 2. Violence is done both to the letter and spirit of this narrative, 
 as well by those who view it as a purely objective appearance from 
 the spiritual world, without any subjective intervention, as by 
 those who attribute all to the excited susceptibility of the disciples. 
 
CHAP. IX. 28— 3G. 
 
 321 
 
 aided by certain external circumstances, such as the morning light, 
 tiie illumination of the snow, etc. Tlie true point of view in which 
 this occurrence is to be regarded, is indicated by the Lord Himself, 
 when He calls it the opa/xa, a word frequently applied in the New 
 Testament to an actual objective appearance (Acts vii. 31, xii. 9). 
 It is, as Lange justly calls it, spiritual appearance in this 
 world.” Tliey, however, who would ascribe the whole miracle to 
 the susceptibility of the disciples, will find it difficult to explain 
 how it was, that the three simple, yet earthly-minded, disciples, 
 should, all at once, and of themselves, have got into such a state of 
 ecstasy, that they could all believe they saw the heaven open above 
 the head of the Messiah. On the contrary, the accounts of the 
 three synoptical Evangelists decidedly authorize the view, that the 
 disciples, being awake, saw an actual appearance, and heard a real 
 voice. For, even though Peter did not know what he said, he 
 knew well enough what he saw ; and if they had been misled by 
 their own over-wrought imaginations, and had afterwards shown 
 that this was the case, the Lord would certainly not have omitted 
 to correct their error. On the other hand, however, it must be as 
 decidedly maintained, that, by means of what they saw externally, a 
 state of intense spiritual activity was induced, which rendered them 
 capable of hearing the heavenly voice. He who, like Peter, finds 
 nothing terrible in association with the inhabitants of the spiritual 
 world, but, on the contrary, desires that this should last as long 
 as possible, shows thereby that he is already raised above him- 
 self. It is probable that a union of sensuous and spiritual percep- 
 tion, of miraculous fact with intensified inner life, took place, 
 similar to that which we perceive at the baptism of Christ. 
 
 3. Should philosophy doubt, a 'priori^ the possibility of such a 
 manifestation of the spiritual world being perceptible by mortals, 
 our answer is simply this, that philosophy is incompetent to decide 
 anything, by its own power, with regard to an order of things which 
 can be known neither by reasoning nor intuition. But if historical 
 criticism should ask, whether we have sufficient grounds for giving 
 to the account of the transfiguration a place among the facts of 
 our Lord’s public ministry, we would mention, that our reasons for 
 believing in the credibility of the Evangelists, even when they 
 relate the most astonishing miracles, apply with undiminished force 
 to this occurrence also. It has certainly been maintained, that such 
 enigmatical peculiarities did not form a part of the original apo- 
 stolic kerugma ; but this is merely the arbitrary assertion of ration- 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 21 
 
322 
 
 TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 alism. Tlic command of the Lord, not to publish it till after Ilis 
 resurrection, implied, not a permission merely, but, in a measure also, 
 a command to mention what then occurred, when that event should 
 liave transpired; and it would liave been psychologically incomprehen- 
 sible, if the disci})les had omitted to do so. The high rank — higher 
 even than that of the miracle at the baptism — assigned by the synop- 
 tical Evangelists to this event, is very apparent ; while the differ- 
 ence between their accounts, with regard to certain points, is indeed 
 unimportant. St John, indeed, says nothing of the occurrence: his 
 silence, however, by no means invalidates the testimony of his pre- 
 decessors. It is far more consistent with the scope and manner of 
 his Gospel, to exhibit the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father 
 by a comprehensive view of His whole manifestation, than by such 
 isolated details. Only a onesided spiritualism, and a forgetfulness 
 of the fact that John also speaks of a voice from heaven, could 
 deduce from this silence an argument against the objective nature 
 of this occurrence. But, above all, we may by no means overlook 
 the testimony so strikingly borne to the truth of the Evangelists by 
 the Second Epistle of Peter (ch. i. 16-18), the sjouriousness of 
 which has indeed been often asserted, but, in our view at least, 
 never convincingly proved. Comp. Dietlein on the two Epistles of 
 Peter, pp. 1-71 ; Guericke, Neutestamentl. Isagogik, p. 472 ; Stier 
 on the Epistle of Jude, p. 11 ; Thiersch, Apost. Zeitalter, p. 209. 
 
 4. The inquiry concerning the design of this celestial visitation, 
 is not difficult to answer. The representatives of the Old Cove- 
 nant came to consecrate the Messiah to His death. The Lord must 
 liave longed to speak of what now lay so near His heart ; but He 
 could find none on earth who could fully understand Plim, nor to 
 whom He could safely unbosom Himself. His subsequent agony 
 in Gethsemane would certainly have been even deeper and more 
 overwhelming than it was, if it had not been preceded by the event 
 cn Tabor. As we elsewhere read (1 Pet. i. 12) that the angels 
 desire to look into the work of redemption, even so do we here see 
 that it excites no less the most intense interest among the happy 
 departed. For the Lord Himself, this visitation and conversation 
 were a proof that the plan of His sufferings was indeed resolved 
 on in the counsel of God; while, for the disciples, the remembrance 
 of this hour was calculated to act as a counterpoise to the scandal 
 and shame of the cross. Finally, with regard to the voice from 
 heaven, the pre-eminence of the Lord above the most distinguished 
 prophets of the Old Covenmit was thereby attested, the testimony of 
 
CHAP. IX, 28-36. 
 
 323 
 
 Jordan repeated, and a new proof given of the sinlessness of Jesus, 
 and of the Father’s complacence in Him, more than compensating 
 11 im beforehand for the mockery and contempt He would after- 
 wards have to endure. For further remarks on the desio-n of 
 
 O 
 
 the transfiguration, considered as a whole, and of its various details, 
 see Lange on this passage. 
 
 5. The doctrinal importance of this whole occurrence to suc- 
 ceeding ages, is self-evident. A new liglit from heaven arises upon 
 the person of Jesus ; — on one hand, upon His true humanity, 
 which needed communications and strengthening from on high ; on 
 the other, upon His divine dignity, which is here announced to 
 heaven and earth, as well with relation to the Father as in com- 
 parison witli the prophets. Considered in a typical and symbolical 
 point of view, it is important to observe, that the prophets are re- 
 presented as disappearing, Jesus as remaining with His disciples. 
 Their light sets. His sun continues to shine. 
 
 6. Equal light is also thrown upon the work of Jesus. The 
 internal harmony between the Old and New Testament is mani- 
 fested, and it is shown that the highest expectations held out by the 
 law and the prophets are fulfilled in Christ. His death, far from 
 being accidental or unimportant, here figures as the accomplish- 
 ment of the eternal purpose of God, and is of so high importance, 
 that celestial messengers come from heaven to earth to speak of it. 
 The difficulty of the sacrifice which Jesus was about to offer, may 
 be deduced from the extraordinary manner in which He was pre- 
 pared for this conflict. And how evidently is that great end of 
 His sufferings, the union of heaven and earth (Col. i. 20), repre- 
 sented to our minds, when we behold upon Tabor, tliough but for 
 a few moments, the inhabitants of heaven descending to earth, and 
 they that dwell in the dust admitted to their society ! 
 
 7. The vision on mount Tabor may also be called a striking 
 revelation of the world to come in this world. We here see that 
 the spirits of just men made perfect live to God, even when cen- 
 turies have already passed over their dust. In the glorified body 
 they are active in the cause of God’s kingdom, in which they take 
 the holiest interest. Though far separated from each other below, 
 by time and space, Moses and Elias recognise and know each other 
 above. The centre of their communion is the suffering and glori- 
 fied Jesus ; and so blessed is their condition, that even their transi- 
 tory appearance irradiates, with the light of joy, the hearts of the 
 children of earth. Earthly sorrow is forgotten and compensated. 
 
324 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 The Canaan which Moses was not j)ermitted to enter during his 
 life, he now sees open to him, centuries after liis death. They thus 
 a})pear before us as types of what tlic pious dead are, even in the 
 separate state ; and prophets of what the redeemed of the Lord 
 shall be, in a far higher degree, at Ilis appearing. 
 
 8. The indissoluble connection between suffering and glory, in 
 the case of both the Lord and Ilis disciples, is here most strikingly 
 illustrated. Tabor is at once the inauguration of Golgotha, and a 
 foretaste of the Mount of Olives. Carnal longings for the joys of 
 Ascension Day, without the sufferings of Good Friday, are here, as 
 it were, condemned for all future time. The Tabors of Christian 
 life are still like those of Peter and his fellow-disciples. So long 
 as we are here on earth, much that is sensual and selfish is mixed 
 with even the purest feeling of joy in believing ; and these eleva- 
 tions of spirit, produced by God Himself, are not bestowed upon 
 us that we may revel in the intoxication of unspeakable joy ; the 
 cloud follows them, depriving us of all the emotional delight of the 
 enjoyment vouchsafed, and making us feel, in our poverty and sin- 
 fulness, the terrors of the Lord, that we may better learn how to 
 serve Him in spirit.” Y. Gerlach. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The mountain-tops in the life of Jesus. — Prayer the night’s 
 rest of Jesus. — The inner glory of the Lord’s nature externally 
 manifested. — The conflict waged on earth is known to the inha- 
 bitants of heaven. — Jesus dedicated to His sufferings and death 
 by a visit from the inhabitants of heaven. — This dedication was, 
 1. necessary, on account of the true humanity of the Lord; 2. fit- 
 ting, by reason of the importance of the event ; 3. of high value to 
 the disciples, both then and subsequently ; and is, 4. continually im- 
 portant to Christendom in all after ages. — The servants of God, 
 separated from each other on earth, are united in heaven. — The 
 high importance attributed by heaven to the work of redemption. — 
 The radiant heaven contrasted with the sleeping earth. — The blessed 
 glimpse at the heavenly world. — Master, it is good for us to be 
 here;” 1. For us to be here; 2. for us to be here; 3. for us to be 
 here with heaven and Thee. — The enjoyments of Tabor only last for 
 moments. — Even in the society of the inhabitants of heaven, Peter 
 cannot act contrary to his individuality. — When I w^as a child, I 
 spake as a child. — The alternation of delight and fear in the festive 
 hour of Christian experience. — The voice of God out of the cloud ; 
 
CHAP. IX. 28-36. 
 
 325 
 
 Its high significance, 1. for the Lord, 2. for the disciples, 3. 
 for the world. — God desires us to hear His beloved Son : 1. The 
 Father requires it ; 2. the Son deserves it ; 3. the Holy Ghost 
 teaches it. — The prophets depart, the Son remains. — Jesus only: ♦ 
 
 1. It is He alone who manifests Himself to His people in their 
 
 holiest hours ; 2. it will be Jesus only in the future. — Even heaven 
 itself vanishes from the sight of him who may see the Lord of 
 heaven face to face. — Christian silence. — The disciple of the Lord 
 cannot tell even his fellow-disciples of all that the Lord has caused 
 him to enjoy. — How good it is to the friend of the Lord to be upon 
 Tabor ! 1. How good it was for His first disciples to be there ! 
 
 they there saw a vision, a. very elevating in itself, h. very important 
 to their Master, c. very instructive to themselves. 2. How good it 
 still is for the Christian to be there ! he there finds, a. a support 
 for his faith, h. a lesson for his life, c. an emblem of his hope. — The 
 light which Tabor throws, 1. upon the dignity of the Lord’s person, 
 
 2. upon the purpose of His sufferings, 3. upon the eminence of His 
 kingdom. — Hear Him, 1. with deep reverence, 2. with uncondi- 
 tional obedience, 3. with joyful confidence. — The internal connec- 
 tion of the Old and New Testaments. — Tabor the boundary line, 
 
 1. between the letter and the spirit, 2. between the ministration of 
 condemnation and the ministration of righteousness, 3. between 
 that which was done away, and that which remaineth, 2 Cor. iii. 
 6-11. — The transfiguration of Jesus considered in connection with 
 His sufferings : On Tabor, 1. the prophecy of His suffering was 
 repeated, 2. the necessity of His suffering confirmed, 3. the con- 
 flict of His sufferings alleviated, 4. the fruit of His sufferings fore- 
 told. — Jesus the centre of union between the Church militant and 
 the Church triumphant. — From depths to heights, and from heights 
 down into depths again. 
 
 Star eke . — The prayer of believing souls brings a foretaste of 
 eternal life. — O Saviour, wert Thou thus glorious upon Tabor, 
 what wilt Thou be in heaven ! — Christ, Moses, and all the prophets 
 speak, as with one mouth, of our redemption ; let us then be not 
 faithless, but believing. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : When Jesus awakes us to 
 see His glory, we shall be as those who dream. — Quesnel : He who 
 would enjoy rest and glory before work and suffering, has not yet 
 learnt what true Christianity is. — We may save the saying, “ It is 
 good to be here,” till we reach heaven. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : Our future 
 blessedness is still hidden by a cloud: it doth not yet appear- what 
 we shall be, 1 John iii. 2. — O my Kedeemer, it matters nothing 
 
326 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 who departs and leaves me, if only Tliou remain with me ! Ps. 
 Ixxiii. 25. — Wallin: Do not desire heaven upon earth. — The trans- 
 figuration of Jesus, the introduction to Ilis passion: 1. The con- 
 nection in whicli it stands with the passion ; 2. the special light it 
 throws upon the passion. — Fuchs: The transfiguration of Christ: 
 
 1. Where it took place: 2. how it took place; 3r why it took 
 place. — Couard : The importance of this histoiy, 1. for our faith, 
 
 2. for our life, 3. for our hopes. — Palmer : Master, it is good to 
 be here. An excellent text for occasional discourses, for medita- 
 tions on the Lord’s Supper, for marriages, for the churchyard, also 
 for the consecration of churches. — Molster (preacher in Utrecht, 
 1850), a sermon of an entirely apologetic character. — In Kruni- 
 machers sermons on Elijah, the concluding sermon, Jesus alone,” 
 
 3. The Return (vers. 37-50). (Parallel passages : Matt. xvii. 
 
 14-23; Mark ix. 14-21 ; Matt, xviii. 1-5.) 
 
 37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down 
 from the hill, much people met Him. 38 And, behold, a man of the company cried 
 out, saying. Master, I beseech Thee, look upon my son ; for he is mine only child : 
 39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out ; and it teareth him 
 that he foameth again ; and, bruising him, hardly departeth from him. 40 And 
 I besought Thy disciples to cast him out ; and they could not. 41 And Jesus 
 answering, said, 0 faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with 
 you, and suffer you ? Bring thy son hither. 42 And as he was yet 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. 43 And they were 
 all amazed at the mighty power of God. But, while they wondered every one 
 at all things which Jesus did. He said unto His disciples, 44 Let these sayings 
 sink down into your ears : for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands 
 of men. 45 But they understood not this saying, 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 of them should be greatest. 47 And 
 Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by liim, 
 48 And said unto them. Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth 
 Me ; and whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth Him that sent Me : for he that 
 is least among you all, the same shall be great. 49 And John answered and 
 said. Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and we forbade him, 
 because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him. Forbid him 
 not : for he that is not against us is for us. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Harmony. — Luke continues liis narrative by relating what 
 occurred on the morning after the transfiguration, thus furnishing 
 us with a proof that we are to picture this event as taking place 
 
CHAP. IX. 37-60. 
 
 327 
 
 during tlie night. (For the contrary view, see Lichtenstein’s Lehen 
 Jesu, p. 309.) He omits the conversation during the descent from 
 the mountain, as a matter of little interest to Theophilus ; but re- 
 lates, as well as Matthew and Mark, the cure of the possessed child, 
 and the announcement of His coming sufferings which followed. 
 The account of His return to Capernaum, and of the piece of money 
 found in the mouth of the fish, related by Matthew alone (Matt, 
 xxii. 24-27), must be inserted here. The strife among the disciples, 
 recorded by Luke, vers. 46-48, is parallel with Matt, xviii. 1-5 ; 
 while his account of John, and the man who had cast out devils, 
 vers. 49, 50 (comp. Mark ix. 38-41), seems given in its correct his- 
 torical connection, and must immediately follow Matt, xviii. 5. 
 
 2. Much people met Him . — Mark relates this coming of the 
 people to meet Him, in a more detailed and graphic manner, vers. 
 14, 15 ; indeed, the influence of Peter, who was an eye-witness of 
 the transfiguration, is unmistakeably evident throughout his narra- 
 tive. On comparing the accounts of the three Evangelists, however, 
 we find no artificial climax, arising from a certain impulse to exalt 
 Jesus” (Strauss). They rather agree in the most natural manner, 
 that, while part of the multitude hastened to meet the Lord, the rest 
 waited for Him. Meanwhile the i^66afi^7]67](7av of Mark offers an 
 unambiguous proof of the deep impression made by His sudden 
 appearance. When we consider, however, that the people, as it 
 appears, were not expecting Him, and that their consciences must 
 have reproached them for their unjust and unfavourable feelings 
 towards Him and His disciples, at this moment. His unlooked-for 
 appearance among them must have surprised them, in proportion 
 to the contrast between His tranquillity and majesty, on His descent 
 from the mountain, and the restless thronging of the multitude. 
 
 3. Look upon my son, iTrL^eT^raL . — Not the Imperative 1st 
 Aorist, Middle, but the Infinitive, Act., gov. by Beoyat. It is not 
 therefore necessary (with Lachmann) to give the preference to the 
 reading iirl^Xeylrov. The request, that the Lord would look with 
 compassion on the child, is strengthened by the mention that he is 
 an only son ; a fact which Luke alone records, but which is not for 
 this reason less historically true. 
 
 4. And, lo, a spirit . — According to Matthew, the patient was 
 lunatic. The epileptic attacks with which the youthful sufferer 
 was almost uninterruptedly tormented, were periodically aggravated, 
 as it seemed, with the increase of the moon. The fact, that lunacy 
 and demoniacal possession by no means excluded each other, is justly 
 
328 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 remarked upon by Lange, in treating of tliis passage. — ITe suddenly 
 crieth out. Not the child (Meyer, De Wette), hut the sjoirit, who, 
 as soon as lie has overcome the child, suddenly (i^alcj^vrjs;), hy acting 
 upon the bodily organs of the sufferer, gives forth the most frightful 
 sounds, and inflicts upon him the further injuries described in the 
 concluding part of the verse. A sudden change of the subject 
 is neither hinted nor required. 
 
 5. TJiy disciples. — The unhappy father had evidently come with 
 tlie view of obtaining the assistance of Jesus, and was not a little 
 disappointed on perceiving that the Lord, and the three disciples, 
 who were His most intimate friends, were absent. As he had, how- 
 ever, heard that the devils were frequently subject to the disciples 
 (Matt. X. 8), he had applied to them to have pity on him ; and pro- 
 bably expected that they would, at least, be able to do as much as 
 the disciples of the Pharisees w’ere said to effect (Matt. xii. 27). 
 The sight, however, of the fearful condition of the child had filled 
 them with mistrust of their own powers ; perhaps, too, they had 
 of late been neglectful of prayer and fasting (Matt. xvii. 21) ; 
 at all events, the application to them had been unsuccessful — the 
 evil spirit had not departed at their word ; and the result had been, 
 confusion in the presence of their petitioner, vexation with them- 
 selves, and shame at meeting their Master. The seeds of mistrust 
 had been sown, disunion caused, perhaps mockery already excited : 
 it was high time for the Lord to interpose. It was also shown how 
 little they were, as yet, capable of acting alone, even for so short a 
 space of time. 
 
 6. 0 faithless and perverse generation. — Matthew and Luke do 
 not tell us to wdiom the Lord addressed these words; and the 
 avToU of Mark has given rise to many conjectures. The principal 
 of these are cited by Lange, on Matt. xvii. 17. It is evident, 
 however, from Matt. xvii. 20, that the Apostles are not excluded 
 from this censure ; and if we endeavour in some measure to realize 
 the frame of mind in which the Lord was, at this period, and con- 
 sider the great contrast of feeling, induced by the scene on the 
 summit and that at the foot of the hill, we shall perceive how it 
 was, that, at such a moment. Pie should pronounce all who were 
 about Him, though in various degrees, to be a yeved aTr^erro? ; a 
 single word, but containing a world of melancholy. All the con- 
 flict, the self-denial, the effort, wdiich it cost His love to prolong 
 His sojourn in the midst of a people in all things opposed to His 
 inner life and tendencies, are wonderfully concentrated in it. How 
 
CHAP. IX. 37-50. 
 
 329 
 
 niucli more difficult tliis effort liad become, after all Tie liad seen, 
 enjoyed, and experienced in tlie preceding night, we can only 
 venture silently to su 2 ')pose. But we may openly ask, whether even 
 this complaint may not be regarded as a psychological proof, that 
 the Transfifruration on the Mount was indeed an actual occurrence. 
 
 7. Bring thy son hither . — Concerning minor details, the graphic 
 account of Mark should be especially compared. This command 
 must have contributed to excite the believing expectation of the 
 father, and thus to render him capable of receiving the answer to 
 his request. At the Lord’s approach, the last paroxysm of the 
 unhappy patient takes place in full power. Quod atrocius solito, 
 in hominem scevit diaholus, uhi ad Christum adducitur, mirum non 
 esty quum quo proprior affulget Christi gratia et efficacius agitj eo 
 imqwtentius furit SatanC — Calvin. 
 
 At the mighty power of God. — Here, as in many other places 
 in Luke’s Gospel, the glory of God, manifested by the cure, is re- 
 presented as the climax of the Lord’s miracle. 
 
 9. Let these sayings smk dowm into your ears. — It is obvious, 
 that the Lord is not to be misled by appearances ; on the contrary. 
 He points out to His disciples the close connection between the 
 Hosannas, and Crucify ! Crucify ! They are to give heed to these 
 sayings, f.c., these praises of the people. Into your ears,” primus 
 gradus capiendi : Bengel. — For the Son of man : jdp, not in the 
 sense of namely, as if the words to which He had just directed 
 their attention were those wffiich here follow ; but, as Meyer 
 understands it, the disciples were to take notice of these expres- 
 sions of astonishment, on account of the contrast to them which 
 w^ould be exhibited by His own fate.” They w^ere, therefore, to 
 build no hopes upon them, but only to learn from them justly to 
 appreciate the mobile vulgus. 
 
 10. But they understood not. — A description of the ignorance 
 and uncertainty of mind of the disciples, in which we recognise 
 Luke’s psychological skill. The fact, that the Lord’s saying was 
 not understood by His disciples, is made prominent. The reason is 
 stated : pv irapaKeKoX . ; a KaXvpbpa w^as upon the eye of their mind, 
 in consequence of which they did not understand the words of the 
 Lord ; and because this perceptio was wanting, they could come to 
 no cognitio. The only one who could have removed this obscurity 
 would have been the Master Himself ; but they w'ould not venture 
 to ask Him personally, and therefore remained in darkness. The 
 natural consequence of these obscure presentiments, which never 
 
330 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 iittaincJ clearness, was tlie sorrow, wlilcli Mattliew describes as 
 tlieir j)revailing state of mind (Matt. xvii. 23), after tlie Lord’s 
 renewed announcement of Ilis sufferings. 
 
 11. A 7'easoning — which of them should he greatest. — That such 
 a reasoning” could have arisen, at such a juncture, plainly shows 
 that the announcement of the Lord’s sufferings had not yet taken 
 deep root in the minds of Ilis discijdes. While their Master is 
 contemplating the cross, their imaginations are apportioning crowns. 
 For the rest, the occurrences of the preceding day were calculated 
 to give rise to such a strife, even if the seeds of jealousy had not 
 already existed. The Lord’s saying to Peter, that lie would build 
 Ilis Church upon this rock ; the distinction granted, on the night of 
 the transfiguration, to the three disciples, who, it would be per- 
 ceived, had witnessed some great event which they were to “ keep 
 close;” the miraculous payment of the tribute-money, which the 
 Lord had made for Himself and Simon (Matt. xvii. 24-27) ; and 
 finally, the enthusiasm excited among the multitude by the cure of 
 the possessed child ; all these combined to excite their jealousy and 
 carnal aspirations. According to Luke, J esus perceived the thought 
 of their hearts ; according to the more detailed account of Mark, 
 lie first asks the reason of their contention (vers. 33, 34), which 
 they can scarcely venture to tell Him. 
 
 12. Took a child. — As in the Gospel of St John (ch. xiii. 1-11), 
 
 so also in the synoptical Gospels, the Lord communicated instruction 
 by a symbolical action. The tradition of the Greek Church, that 
 the child here mentioned was no other than the afterwards cele- 
 brated Ignatius (Christophorus), (see Eusebius, H. E. iii. 30 ; Nice- 
 phorus ii. 3), probably rests upon his own saying in the Epistle to 
 Smyrna, ch. 3, yap koX pbera r^v dvdaTaaiv iv aapKL avrov 
 
 olhaA But, even supposing that this epistle is genuine, and that 
 olha is to be understood of an actual bodily meeting, yet what this 
 father mentions as occurring after the resurrection, can be no rea- 
 son for concluding that he came in contact with the Lord before 
 that event also. 
 
 13. Whosoever shall receive this child. — Not a reminiscence of 
 Matt. X. 40, an admission of which would entirely destroy all keep- 
 ing in this speech of our Lord, recorded by Luke ; but one of those 
 sayings which the Lord might appropriately introduce on more 
 occasions than one. By thus showing the high rank the child holds 
 in His esteem. He commends to them the childlike sj^irit ; but 
 what this consists in, is shown in ^latt. xviii. 4. The point of com- 
 
CHAP. IX. 37-50. 
 
 331 
 
 parison is not the susceptibility, the absence of pretension, the 
 innocence of the child (De Wette) ; but, emphatically, the humility 
 in which they were so entirely wanting. It was through this 
 humility that the childish understanding was as yet free from high 
 imaginings, the childish heart from jealousy, the childish will 
 from insubordination. As Olshausen justly remarks, the Lord does 
 not here teach the perfect moral purity of childhood, or deny its 
 share in the universal ruin caused by sin. 
 
 14. In My name, iirl ovofMari /jlov ; that is, because he ac- 
 knowledges My name. — It is obvious that the expression, “ Whoso- 
 ever shall receive this child in My name, receiveth Me,” is to be 
 applied, not to the child considered merely as such, but to the child 
 as a type of the childlike in mind. Such an individual is not only 
 a true subject, but also a lawful representative, of the humble Christ; 
 as He is the image of the F ather, and most highly exalted when He 
 most deeply abases Himself. Quisquis igitur demiserit semet ipsum^ 
 hie est ille maximus in regno coeloruml — Erasmus. Humility is here 
 pointed out as the way to true greatness. 
 
 15. And John answered and said. Comp. Mark ix. 38-40. — It 
 gives us a favourable view of the spirit and disposition of the 
 apostolic circle, at this junctm’e, that the words of Christ, in favour 
 of humility, should have awakened their conscience, instead of 
 wounding their self-love. J ohn, at least, remembers a former fault, 
 wherein he perceives that he acted contrary to the principles just 
 uttered by the Lord, in not receiHng one of the little ones who 
 confessed Plis name ; and though he already discerns that his Mas- 
 ter cannot approve his conduct, he will yet confess it. 
 
 16. We saw one. — Here, as also in Acts xix. 13, the name of 
 J esus was used as a weapon by one of the exorcists ; a striking proof 
 of the importance which even a stranger attributed to the name of 
 Jesus. Success had attended the man, but, from ill-concealed jea- 
 lousy and ambition, the disciples had forbidden him, because the 
 command, “ Cast out devils,” had been exclusively addressed to 
 themselves. Perhaps this prohibition had been lately uttered by the 
 nine disciples after they had failed to cure the lunatic child, and 
 could the less bear that another should succeed better in this respect 
 than themselves. The Lord would certainly have reproved this 
 arbitrary behaviour of His disciples more sharply, if they had not 
 themselves humbly and voluntarily confessed it. 
 
 17. He that is not against us, etc. — It is not to be denied that 
 many manuscripts here read vywv for ; see Lachmann on this 
 
332 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 passage. 'Jliere are, however, two reasons for giving the preference 
 to tlie Texius Receptus. First, the reading is the more difficult, 
 and it is easier to explain how '^fioyv might be changed into vfjLwv than 
 the reverse. Besides, the preceding ^dp is in favour of the usual 
 reading, since casting out devils, in the name of the Lord, had been 
 the matter just spoken of. But however this may be, the difference 
 of meaning is, even with the altered reading, far less than, superfi- 
 cially considered, it may at first seem. For if the Lord had just 
 said, “ lie that is not against you,” etc., lie yet intends to speak of 
 the cause of the disciples only in so far as it was also Ilis own, and 
 thus indirectly includes Himself. For the fuller form of His an- 
 swer, see Mark’s Gospel, and comp, the remarks on this passage. 
 It is evident that the Lord regarded the casting out of devils in His 
 name as an involuntary homage to His person, this homage as a 
 ])roof of good-will, and this good-will as a pledge that He had, at 
 least, no such attack to expect from this quarter, as the accusation 
 of being in league with Beelzebub. It is at the same time evident 
 how painfully this blasphemy, to which He had lately been exposed, 
 moved Him. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The descent of the Lord from the Mount of Transfiguration, 
 where Pie had been consecrated to His passion, may, in the widest 
 sense of the term, be called His entrance upon the path of His suf- 
 ferings. The powers of hell glare with increased fury at their 
 future conqueror, over whom heaven has just been opened. The 
 exasperation of the Pharisees has not lessened, but increased, dur- 
 ing Plis absence ; and the defeat which His disciples have just suf- 
 fered is but the precursor of the greater shame which awaits them, 
 when the hour of the power of darkness shall arrive. Very striking 
 is the saying of the Lord, How long,” etc., in the midst of all the 
 discords of sin and unbelief, which resound at the foot of the hill. 
 It is the expression of the longing of His soul for home, for His 
 Prather’s house, which had been for a moment opened to His view 
 on the summit of the mountain. Comp. Luke xii. 50. How many 
 cries, in secret, to His Father may we not infer from this single 
 audible cry ! 
 
 2. The childlike disposition which the Lord requires from His 
 disciples so little militates against the doctrine of universal corrup- 
 tion through sin, that it may, on the contrary, be inferred from the 
 entire change of the inner man, required for its attainment. In 
 
CHAP. IX. 37—50. 
 
 3H3 
 
 fact, ]Matt. xviii. 3 teaches the same truth as John iii. 3, and the 
 two passages furnish a striking proof of the identity of the Christ of 
 St John and of the synoptical Evangelists. 
 
 3. Our Lord’s answer to John, with respect to the man who 
 had cast out devils in His name, is a glorious example of His holy 
 gentleness. It breathes a similar spirit to that manifested by Moses, 
 when called upon to rebuke the prophesying of Eldad and Medad, 
 Num. xi. 26-29; and by Paul, concerning those who preached 
 Christ of envy and strife, Phil. i. 18 ; and offers, at the same time, 
 a standard by which to judge the philanthropic and Christian acti- 
 vity of those, concerning whose personal faith we may be uncertain. 
 The Lord had indeed declared, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt, 
 vii. 22, 23), that it was possible even to cast out devils in His name, 
 and yet to be lost ; but though this should be made manifest in that 
 day before His judgment-seat. His disciples must not, and could not, 
 pass a previous judgment in such cases. They were always to hope 
 for the best ; and the more so, since they who should attempt to cast 
 out devils in His name, while cherishing inimical designs, or having 
 no true faith in their hearts, would certainly fail in the attempt. 
 The successful result of such an effort was a certain proof that they 
 were not dealing with one who was, at the time, an enemy to their 
 Lord’s interests. 
 
 4. The rule here laid down by our Lord, is not in the least op- 
 posed to His words in Matt. xii. 30. The rule, He that is not for 
 Me, is against Me,” is to be applied in judging of our own faults. 
 The other, He who is not against us,” etc., is to guide us in judg- 
 ing others. The first saying gives us to understand, that entire 
 neutrality in the Lord’s cause is impossible ; the second warns us 
 against a narrow-minded exclusiveness. See two excellent discourses 
 by A. Vinet on these seemingly contradictory texts, entitled, la to- 
 lerance et T intolerance de V Evangile^ in his Discours sur quelques 
 sujets religieux, pp. 268-314; and the article, by Ullmann, in the 
 Deutschen Zeitschr. of H. F. A. Schneider, 1851, p. 21, etc. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The passage from the summit to the foot of the mountain. — To 
 be glorified with Christ, we must first suffer with Him. — Jesus the 
 best resource for afflicted parents. — The best disciples cannot fill the 
 place of the Master. — Unsuccessful conflict with the kingdom of 
 darkness is, 1. possible, 2. explicable, 3. injurious. The Lord’s 
 name defamed through the weakness of His disciples’ faith. — Eveiy 
 
334 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 failure of the Lord’s disciples brings discredit upon tlieir Master. — 
 ddie happiness of childhood and youth destroyed by the power of the 
 devil. — The contest between faith and unbelief in the heart of the 
 alHicted father. Comp. Mark ix. 24. Jesus, 1. knows, 2. lightens, 
 and, 3. ends this contest. — The whole world is, in the Lord’s eyes, 
 a faithless and perverse generation. — Bring thy son hither,” the 
 best advice to afflicted parents. — A last and violent contest often 
 immediately precedes a triumph. — Jesus the conqueror of the 
 powers of hell. — The glory of the Father the Son’s best reward. — 
 No outward praise can mislead the Lord. — When the world does 
 him honour, the Christian must, first of all, remember how quickly 
 its opinion changes. — The Lord’s plainest words misunderstood : 1. 
 How this is shown ; 2. whence it arises ; 3. how it may be avoided. 
 — The contest for priority among the disciples, 1. an old, 2. a 
 dangerous, and, 3. a curable evil. — No citizenship in the kingdom 
 of heaven, without a truly childlike disposition : 1. Wherein this 
 childlike disposition consists : In humility ; whereby, a. the child- 
 like understanding is free from vain imaginations, h. the childlike 
 heart from ignoble jealousy, c. the childlike will from insubordi- 
 nation, d. the childlike life from the dominion of unrighteousness. 
 2. Why no one can be a genuine disciple of the Lord without this 
 disposition : AVithout this childlike disposition, it is impossible, a. 
 to acknowledge the King of this kingdom, h. to obey the funda- 
 mental law of this kingdom, c. to enjoy the happiness of this king- 
 dom. — The world makes its servants great, Jesus makes His disci- 
 ples little. — The high value which the Lord puts upon receiving 
 His people. — The tolerance and intolerance of Christ’s true disci- 
 ples. — Narrow-mindedness, 1. not uncommon among even the most 
 distinguished disciples, 2. directly opposed to the precept and ex- 
 ample of the Master. — The allies which the cause of the Lord finds, 
 even beyond the circle of His immediate followers. — Independent 
 Christian activity: 1. How frequently it still occurs; 2. how can- 
 didly it should be judged. — How the Church universal should justly 
 esteem the voluntary activity of individual Christians. 
 
 Starche, Langii Op. : Oh, how many parents endure extreme 
 grief of heart for their children ; but how few are they who are 
 thereby drawn to Christ! — Brentius : The devil is a cruel foe to man, 
 when God suffers it. — Cramer: Christ is far mightier than all the 
 saints ; therefore, in our hour of need, let us fly to Him, and not to 
 them. — Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. — Brentius : The wise 
 and long-suffering Saviour knows how to reinstate and make right 
 
CHAP. IX. 51-62. 
 
 335 
 
 what Ills servants overlook or neglect. Oh, what comfort! — No con- 
 cord between Christ and Belial, 2 Cor. vi. 15. — Osiander : When it 
 is well with iis, we should remember that it may soon be ill with us, 
 lest we be betrayed into carnal security. — Iledinger : The flesh does 
 not like to hear of suffering, and will not understand it. — If there 
 is so gross misunderstanding of spiritual things, even among the re- 
 generate, what must be the misunderstanding of the unregenerate ? 
 — Jesus thinking of suffering, while Ilis disciples are thinking of 
 earthly greatness : how different the mind that is in Jesus and the 
 mind of men I — Nov. Bibl. Tub. : How necessary is it to watch one’s 
 own heart, when such thoughts of ambition arise, even in enlight- 
 ened souls I — There is more good to be found in children than we 
 are generally inclined to seek for. — Go and learn lessons from chil- 
 dren. — True humility of heart an unmistakeable mark of grace. — 
 Quesnel: God is in Christ, and Christ in His members. — Before 
 honour is humility — Hedinger : Only let Christ be preached every 
 way, Phil. i. 18. — Blind religious zeal the greatest error in religion, 
 Rom. X. 2. — True love approves what is good, let it be done where 
 and by whom it may, 1 Thess. v. 21. — Cramer: When the servants 
 and children of God are united in what is essential, it does no harm 
 if they differ about words and ceremonies. — Lisho: Defective Faith. 
 The power of sin over man : 1. How it is manifested; 2. how it is 
 conquered by Jesus. — Heubner : John (ver. 49) an example of well- 
 meant but unwise zeal and sectarian spirit. — The Spirit of Christ is 
 not bound. — There is a jealousy of the good that is in others, to 
 which even the better are tempted. — The boundary line between 
 tolerance and indifference, liberality and carelessness. — Palmer: 1. 
 What do our children bring us ? 2. What have we prepared for 
 
 them ? 
 
 THIRD SECTION. 
 
 THE WAY OF DEATH. 
 
 Chapter ix. 51-xix. 27. 
 
 A. The Divine Harmony exhibited in the Son of Man, and the four 
 Temperaments of the Children of Men (chap. ix. 51—62). 
 (Parallel to vers. 57-60, Matt. viii. 19-22.) 
 
 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received 
 up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers be- 
 
33G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 fore His face : and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to 
 make ready for Him. 53 And they did not receive Him, because llis face was 
 as though He would go to Jerusalem. 54 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 know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 5G 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 way, 
 a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. 
 58 And Jesus said unto him. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests ; 
 but the Son of man hath not where to lay Ilis head. 59 And He said unto an- 
 other, Follow Me. But he said. Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 
 GO Jesus said unto him, I.,et the dead bury their dead ; but go thou and preach 
 the kingdom of God. G1 And another also said. Lord, I will follow Thee ; but 
 let me first go bid them farewell which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus 
 said unto him. No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, 
 is fit for the kingdom of God. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Chronology . — We believe the journey here mentioned to be 
 identical with that of John x. 2 (Friedlieb, Hug, Liicke, Wieseler, 
 and others). The grammatical expression, Luke xi. 51, allows of 
 this supposition ; while the remark, John x. 2, that the Lord went 
 up secretly, exactly agrees with the account of Luke, that He went 
 through Samaria. Stier’s arrangement of events, which places 
 John vii. 1 immediately after Matt. xvi. 12, and makes the Lord 
 stay three whole months at Jerusalem, seems to us not satisfactorily 
 accounted for, and open to internal objections. We think it quite 
 improbable that He should have passed any time in Galilee between 
 the Feast of Tabernacles, John vii., and the feast of the Dedication, 
 John X. 22. 
 
 2. ^ When the time was come that He should he received ujj . — With 
 these words Luke begins a description of a new and special journey, 
 for the harmonizing of which, our inquiries must naturally be di- 
 rected to the important question. What are we to understand by 
 the expression, rjy. t?)? dvaX. % It would help us out of great diffi- 
 culties, if we felt ourselves at liberty to understand here, the end of- 
 those days in which the Lord met with a favourable reception in 
 Galilee (Wieseler, Lange). But even if the grammatical possibility 
 of this rendering were sufficiently proved, yet a representation of 
 the first period of our Lord’s public ministry, as the time of His 
 favourable reception, in contrast with the opposition afterwards ex- 
 
 1 The literal translation of the German version is, “ When the days of His 
 reception were fulfilled.” — T r. 
 
CHAP. IX. 51-62. 
 
 337 
 
 cited, seems to us little in accordance with the whole spirit of Luke’s 
 narrative. To translate (7U[jiTfkr]povcr6aL in the sense of to come to 
 an end, is at least not favoured bj Acts ii. 1 ; while the Pauline 
 diction of this Gospel decidedly authorizes us to interpret avaXrj'y^n^ 
 in the church sense of assumtio : comp. Acts i. 2, 11, 22; 1 Tim. 
 iii. 16. ^Ve think, therefore, that it here points to the conclusion 
 of the Lord’s sojourn upon earth, to which His death would natu- 
 rally lead. We must not, however, hence infer, that the journey to 
 the last Passover is here intended ; the contrary seeming more pro- 
 bable from ch. xiii. 22, and xvii. 11. But as little can we conceive, 
 that our Evangelist here mixes two journeys together (Schleier- 
 macher) ; and least of all, that no special journey is here begun 
 (Ritzschl). It seems rather, that one of the last journeys which the 
 Lord undertook towards the close of His life, and in contemplation 
 of His subsequent exaltation, is here described; and also, that, in 
 the whole account of this journey, ch. ix. 51-xviii. 14, tlie various 
 particulars are not given in strict chronological sequence. Such a 
 course was open to the Evangelist, since, practically, the whole 
 public ministry of Jesus might be called a journey to death ; as 
 Bengel says, instahat adliuc passio^ crux, mors, sepulcrum, sed per 
 hcec omnia ad metam prospexit Jesus, cujus sensum imitatur stilus 
 EvangelistceT It is, moreover, certain that the whole of this part 
 of his narrative was derived, by Luke, from one or more written 
 documents (piT^yrjcnv ) ; and, as it is impossible to speak decidedly of 
 their nature and origin, the declaration which Luke makes concern- 
 ing his whole Gospel in his introduction, ch. i. 4, must be our 
 warrant for the credibility of this section of it also. 
 
 3. He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, icrr^pL^e to 
 T rpoacoTTov . — We cannot agree with the notion (v. Baur), that 
 nothing more is here meant, but that Jesus, in all the journeys 
 which He now performed, never lost sight of His destination, but 
 made them with the constant and fixed conviction, that whither- 
 soever they led, they would certainly be a iropeveadaL eh J€pov<i. 
 The word ianjpL^e certainly does express a firm, undaunted survey 
 of the termination of the journey ; but it is obvious, from vers. 53 
 and 56, that it includes also the consequent commencement and 
 continuation of the journey. 
 
 4. They did riot receive Him . — Caravans to Jerusalem often, 
 indeed, went by this route; see Josephus, A. Jud. 20, 6, 1, and 
 Lightfoot ad John iv. 4 ; but hospitality might have been refused 
 to a single company of travellers, and especially to the Lord, if the 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 22 
 
338 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 report of the increasing animosity against Him had reached Samaria, 
 and had any influence tliere. On the hatred existing between the 
 Jews and Samaritans, see Lange on John iv. 9. 
 
 5. James and John . — There seems as little reason for asserting 
 (Euth. Zigah.), as for denying (Meyer), that the sons of Zebedee 
 were themselves the messengers. The indignation which they feel 
 is quite as explicable as the demand for vengeance which they 
 express. They had lately beheld their Lord upon Tabor, and had 
 witnessed the homage paid Him by Moses and Elias ; an important 
 conversation had shortly after directed their attention to Elias, and 
 to his connection with the kingdom of God : was it, then, any 
 wonder that a passage of this prophet’s life should fill their mental 
 vision, and a spark of his fiery zeal inflame their hearts I Comp. 
 2 Kings i. 9-12. We have before remarked, that there is no 
 reason for supposing that the name, Boanerges, was bestowed upon 
 these disciples as a humiliating remembrance of what now occurred. 
 
 6. As Elias did, co? teal 'H. iTroirjerev . — On the authority of 
 B.L., and some manuscripts and translators, these words were 
 formerly considered doubtful (Mill, Griesbach), and have now 
 been omitted by Tischendorf. We believe, however, that their 
 early omission must be explained by the fact, “that an indirect 
 censure of this example was found in the answer of Jesus:” De 
 Wette. On the other hand, it seems probable, that these words 
 were uttered by the disciples to justify a question so seemingly pre- 
 posterous, by express reference to one who had performed a similar 
 miracle of judgment. 
 
 7. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. — The Lord 
 does not unconditionally disapprove of this Elias-like zeal. He 
 knows that such a zeal was often necessary under the old theocracy. 
 What He seriously reproves is, that His followers should so entirely 
 overlook the difference between the Old and New Covenants, as to 
 think they could be allowed to act in the same manner, in the 
 service of their meek and lowly Master, as was permitted to the 
 severe reformer of Israel. They should rather have reflected, that 
 by communion with Him they had already begun to be partakers 
 of another Spirit, who knew nothing of revenge. Their Master 
 does not merely warn them that they ought to be possessors of this 
 Spirit, but says, that by communion with Himself they had 
 already begun to be His abode. We see no reason for omitting 
 these words from the text, though they have been considered 
 doubtful by many (see Tischendorf on this passage). Their rejec- 
 
CHAP. IX. 51-G2. 
 
 339 
 
 tion, however, is sufficiently explained by the circumstance, that 
 they seemed to imply an indirect censure of the action of Elias, 
 and thus gave offence to copyists, though on mistaken grounds. 
 Perhaps, also, it was feared that the retention of these words might 
 condemn the zeal formerly exhibited in the persecution of heresy ; 
 and they were, on this account, purposely expunged. In either 
 case, their omission is perfectly accountable ; but not so the manner 
 in which they crept into other copies, if the Lord really never 
 uttered them. And would Luke have written only iTrerl/jiTjaev avroU^ 
 without adding anything more, using the very words he describes 
 the Lord as addressing to the unclean spirit, ver. 42 f With regard, 
 however, to the next words of the Textus Receptus, “ The Son of 
 man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them,” the 
 weight of evidence against them is in our view decisive. They 
 were probably introduced from Matt, xviii. 11 and Luke xix. 10. 
 .^t all events, the grounds upon which Stier defends them seems to 
 us subjective and unsatisfactory. 
 
 8. And it came to pass . — The first circumstance here recorded 
 seems to be given in its strict chronological order by Matt., ch. viii. 
 19, 20. The second may have taken place almost contemporane- 
 ously ; the third, probably on another occasion. It is, however, pro- 
 bable that Luke reports it in this connection, from its similarity to 
 the two preceding. Our Evangelist places them at the commence- 
 ment of this journey, perhaps on account of their relation to a very 
 important subject, viz., the following of Christ in His path of self- 
 denial, pain, and conflict. 
 
 9. A certain man . — A scribe, according to Matthew. If we set 
 out with the supposition, that the Evangelists, when relating special 
 calls to discipleship, always intend calls to apostleship, and that 
 hence the person here introduced must have been one of the Twelve, 
 the conjecture of Lange, that we have here the calls of Judas 
 Iscariot, Thomas, and Matthew, is very ingenious. On the other 
 hand, we do not know that the first of these was a scribe ; while we 
 feel bound, on chronological grounds, to believe that the call of 
 Matthew, at least, must have occurred at an earlier period. Besides, 
 the first of these three men is not called by Jesus, but offers to be- 
 come His fellow-traveller, unasked. He speaks the language of 
 enthusiastic excitement, and, led by the impression of the moment, 
 is the type of the sanguine temperament. 
 
 10. Foxesy etc. — The Lord’s answer, even in the figure of speech 
 He uses, gives no reason to the scribe who offered himself as a dis- 
 
THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ;'^40 
 
 cl[)le to accuse himself of interested motives ; hut merely sets be- 
 fore him the fact, that he has taken his resolution too suddenly, 
 and before he can have well and maturely considered its conse- 
 quences. The Lord will, therefore, have him reflect beforehand, 
 how little rest and comfort he has to expect as His follower. lie 
 possesses less than the wild animals, and can therefore only invite 
 those who follow Him to daily self-denial. The Lord has not here 
 so immediately in view the poverty and meanness, as the unrest 
 and wandering nature, of Ilis life ; though the idea of the former 
 need not be entirely excluded. Perhaps, also, these words express 
 the foreboding, that even in death lie should not lay His head in a 
 resting-place that was Ilis own property. At the same time, we 
 must admire the deep wisdom which the Lord manifests, in desig- 
 nating Himself on this occasion the Son of man ; as if to point out, 
 that He, who requires so much self-denial, has Himself fully earned 
 the right to do so. From what we learn in other places, even of the 
 best disposed among the scribes, we are obliged to conclude, that at 
 this saying of the Lord he went away grieved. The notion, that 
 by this pregnant saying the Lord meant no more than, I do not 
 yet know where I shall sleep this night” (Herder), or, that the 
 Divine Spirit, who was incessantly active within Plim, could not be 
 cooped up under a roof, or within four walls” (Weisse), may rank 
 among the curiosa of exegesis. Nor can we agree with the view 
 of Schleiermacher, that the scribe meant only that he would follow 
 the Lord in whichever of the four roads He should take to reach 
 Jerusalem, since it rests on the assumption, that it is not Matthew 
 but Luke who introduces this anecdote in its true historical se- 
 quence. We shall better understand this man’s meaning, by com- 
 paring the speech of Ittai to David, 2 Sam. xv. 21. 
 
 11. And He said unto another , Follow Me . — According to the 
 hint given by Matthew, Jesus first called this man to be His fol- 
 lower, and thus encouraged him, while He rather discouraged the 
 former. The Lord treats the melancholy temperament in a manner 
 very different from the sanguine. According to Matthew, he be- 
 longed to the wider circle of fjbadrjrai, mentioned also John vi. 66. 
 If the scribe had been too inconsiderate, this man is too melancholy, 
 and is haunted by the dark image of death, even in the immediate 
 presence of the Prince of Life. Jesus knows that He must choose 
 promptly, or that he will never choose at all ; and He treats him 
 therefore with loving strictness, but at the same time with loving 
 wisdom. 
 
CHAP. IX. 51-62. 
 
 311 
 
 12. First to go and hury my father. — The meaning is not that 
 his father is already old, and that he would wait till his death (Ilase, 
 Leb. Jesu), since he would then have been demanding an indefinite 
 and perhaps a long delay, and have deserved a sharper answer. No, 
 his father was undoubtedly dead, and he had perhaps but just re- 
 ceived the news. It is not, however, probable that he had just left 
 the house of death, and, being thus ceremonially unclean, had 
 mingled with the crowd, and approached the Lord. On the con- 
 trary, he desired to go to his dead father, and cherished the hope, 
 that the Lord would postpone His departure for his sake, or else 
 allow him to follow Him afterwards. 
 
 13. Let the dead, etc. — See Lange on Matt. viii. 22. With a 
 man of this character, the Lord finds it necessary to insist on the 
 strict fulfilment of the high principle, that everything must be un- 
 conditionally given up for His sake. If even the Nazarites were 
 forbidden to render themselves unclean by touching the mortal re- 
 mains of their relations (Num. vi. 6, 7), without this command 
 being esteemed too strict, the Lord was certainly not demanding 
 too much, when He required him to leave a dead father, and the 
 less so, since all he could give up was requited a thousand-fold, by 
 the joyful call to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God. His 
 duty to a handful of dust must yield to his duty to humanity. For 
 the rest, it is obvious, that by the first veKpoi the Lord intends the 
 spiritually dead ; while the double meaning in which this word is 
 used, adds materially to the beauty and force of the passage. The 
 coincidence between the diction of St John’s Gospel and the synop- 
 tical Gospels is worthy of remark: John v. 24, 25. 
 
 14. Lord, I will follow Thee. — Luke does not decidedly inform 
 us, whether in this case the initiative was taken by the Lord or the 
 disciple. Perhaps Jesus may have previously called him ; but it is 
 also possible, that it is he who first offers himself. This account 
 remarkably coincides with that of the call of Elisha (1 Kings xix. 
 19, 21) ; and the form of our Lord’s answer seems also derived from 
 the circumstance of Elisha being engaged in ploughing. Jesus 
 here insists on unconditional surrender, as, in the first instance. He 
 had done upon a deliberate, and, in the second, upon a courageous 
 decision. The offerer must either follow wholly and fully, or not 
 at all. 
 
 15. No man, having put his hand, to the plough, etc. — The Lord 
 will have this man feel, above everything, that there is difficult 
 work to do in the kingdom of God ; a work which will be doubly 
 
342 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 difficult, and certainly unfruitful, unless the whole man take part 
 in it. lie draws from life the picture of the plougher, his hand at 
 the plough, his eye wandering, and his wwk, in consequence, irregu- 
 lar, difficult, and unprofitahle. What should He want with such 
 labourers in Ilis kingdom ? Similar, though not identical, is the 
 example of Lot’s wife, Luke xvii. 32, and the Apostle’s saying, 
 2 Peter ii. 20, 22. 
 
 16. On the icliole 'passage . — It has been often remarked, that 
 Luke here depicts, without strict regard to chronology, four dif- 
 ferent characters : in vers. 51-56, the choleric; in vers. 57, 58, the 
 sanguine; in vers. 59-60, tlie melancholy; in vers. 61, 62, the phleg- 
 matic. Without asserting that it was the aim of the Evangelist to 
 depict the Lord’s manner of dealing with men of opposite tempera- 
 ments, it cannot be denied, tliat he was more concerned about 
 placing similar events in juxtaposition, than about their strict his- 
 torical sequence. It is improbable that at so late a period of the 
 Lord’s public ministry, when the enmity with which He was re- 
 garded had so greatly increased, a scribe should have offered himself 
 as Ilis follower ; and, on the contrary, more likely that this should 
 liave taken place at the earlier date at which IMatthew recounts it. 
 That two occurrences of the kind should have happened at two diffe- 
 rent times (Stier), seems to us less probable, on internal grounds. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 The question has often been asked. Which temperament is to be 
 ascribed to the Son of man ? and decided in favour of one of the 
 four, viz., of the choleric, by Winkler. But a comparison of the 
 disposition and doings of the Lord with those of the different cha- 
 racters who figure in this passage, plainly shows that any strongly 
 manifested temperament necessarily exhibits somewhat of onesided- 
 ness, while it is in the perfect harmony of His inclinations, energies, 
 and emotions, that the characteristic peculiarity of His individuality 
 consists. 
 
 2. The farther the fame of the Lord’s Messianic dignity had 
 penetrated among the Samaritans, the greater would be the insult He 
 now experienced from them. Hospitality could hardly be extended 
 to a Messiah who should go up to Jerusalem, instead of restoring the 
 temple on Gerizim. But, at the same time, this repulse is a strik- 
 ing image of the reception which awaits the Christian in an unbe- 
 lieving world, as soon as it is suspected or perceived that his face is 
 turned towards the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 
CHAP. IX. 51-62. 
 
 343 
 
 3. The heavenly meekness, opposed hy the Lord to sectarian 
 liatred, on the one hand, and the spirit of revenge, on the other, 
 will not be fully appreciated till we consider who He was, and what 
 reception lie had a right to require. The revenge He took on 
 Samaria for the rejection lie now experienced, may be seen. Acts 
 viii. 14-17. 
 
 4. It is as erroneous to overlook the special necessity of the de- 
 mands, vers. 60-62, at the time they were uttered, as to conceive 
 them exclusively adapted to those days. They are rather special 
 applications of that high principle which we were taught, ch. ix. 
 23-25, and which universally concerns all His disciples, irrespective 
 of time or place. 
 
 5. The very strictness of the demands the Lord makes from His 
 followers, is an unambiguous proof of the elevated self-consciousness 
 He at all times possessed. Wlio ever required more, but who ever 
 promised or requited more than He ? And what He requires from 
 'others. He first gives an example of in His perfect fulfilment of 
 His Father’s will. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Yers. 51-56. The decision with which the Lord sets forth to 
 meet His sufferings and glory. — The difference between this district 
 of Samaria and Sichar, John iv. 40. — The power of deeply-rooted 
 sectarian enmity. — The opposition between excessive religiousness 
 and true humanity. — The enmity in Samaria a prognostic of the 
 contest in Jerusalem. — The fiery zeal of the sons of Zebedee, 1. in- 
 flamed, 2. rebuked, 3. purified. — The Lord contrasted with His 
 narrow-minded enemies and mistaken friends. — Jesus the meek 
 servant of the Father. — True and false religious zeal; comp. Rom. 
 x. 2. — Sectarian enmity, false zeal, and meekness. — The difference 
 between the spirit of the Old and of the New Covenant. 
 
 Yers. 57-62. A threefold direction for the followers of Jesus: 
 
 1. No hasty measures, the Master requires serious consideration ; 
 
 2. no sorrowful resolution, the Master requires a cheerful walk; 3. 
 no irresolute disposition, the Master requires perfect surrender. — 
 Jesus warns against well-meant, but unconsidered steps. — The un- 
 resting life of Jesus. — He who would follow the Son of man must 
 reckon on self-denial. — That which is most difficult must be most 
 strictly weighed. — The dead father and the living Gospel. — To the 
 spiritually dead, the care for the lifeless dust. — Forgetting those 
 things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things 
 
344 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 wliicli arc before.” — Tlie love of the Lord exhibited in a seemingly 
 arbitrary refusal. — The irresolute man hesitating between the Lord 
 and his own family. — The unserviceable plougher in the field of the 
 kingdom of God: 1. Ilis jiortrait; 2. his work; 3. his condemna- 
 tion. — Three stumblingblocks in the way of following Jesus ; 1. 
 Precipitation ; 2. depression ; 3. irresolution. 
 
 On the ^vhole passage . — The divine harmony exhibited by the 
 Son of man, and the varying temperaments of the children of men. 
 — The Lord’s wisdom exhibited in Ilis intercourse with men of 
 various temperaments, and in Ilis mode of treating them. — Serious- 
 ness and love, holiness and graciousness, united in the Son of man. 
 — Compare especially the excellent serm.ons of Fr. Arndt on Luke 
 ix. 51-62. 
 
 Starcke. — The contemplation of death must not depress us, since 
 we know that we are travelling towards the heavenly Jerusalem. — ■ 
 J. Hall: Oh deep humiliation, that He whose are the heavenly 
 mansions should seek a dwelling and not find one! — Quesnel : 
 When any one once sets out in earnest on the journey to heaven, 
 his credit with the world is gone. — It is unjust to be inhospitable, 
 especially to the followers of Christ, Heb. xiii. 2. — Zeisius : How 
 vindictive is flesh and blood ! — We must be zealous against sin, but 
 not against sinners. — We should carefully consider whether we can 
 reall}" follow the Holy One. — Canstein : The Church of Christ is 
 not a power to be employed for the ruin of men. — Hov. Bihl. Tub.: 
 Let him stay away from Christ who only seeks profit in following 
 Him. — Brentius : A divine call must be accepted without con- 
 ferring with flesh and blood. Gal. i. 16. — We must honour our 
 parents, but yet be willing to leave them for the kingdom of hea- 
 ven’s sake. Matt. xix. 29. — The office of the preacher requires the 
 whole man. — Zeisius : It is both easy and difficult to be a Christian. 
 — Heubner : How many unprofitable labourers and idlers there are 
 among theologians I Such labourers are corjDses, who will all be 
 buried. — Jesus does not generally come unannounced. — -Augustinus: 
 Opus est mitescere pietate. — Palmer : Earthly pleasure, earthly love, 
 and earthly sorrow, are the three great powers that keep men from 
 Christ. — Schaufier on vers. 61, 62 : No partial following of Jesus. 
 (^Stimmen dev Kirche^ a collection of sermons of various countries. 
 Langenberg, 1852.) 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 345 
 
 B. The Seventy Disciples (chap. x. 1-24). (Partly parallel with 
 Matt. xi. 20-30.) 
 
 1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them 
 two and two before His face, into every city and place whither He Himself 
 would come. 2 Therefore said He unto them. The harvest truly is great, but the 
 labourers are few : pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would 
 send forth labourers into His harvest. 3 Go your ways : behold, I send you 
 forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes ; and 
 salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, 
 Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest 
 upon it : if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, 
 eating and drinking such things as they give : for the labourer is worthy of his 
 hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and 
 they receive you, eat such things as are set before you : 9 And heal the sick that 
 are therein ; and say unto them. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways 
 out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, 
 which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you : notwithstanding, be ye sure 
 of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you. 
 That it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 
 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 at the judgment than for you. 15 And thou, Ca- 
 pernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 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. Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name. 
 18 And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 
 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all 
 the power of the enemy ; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Not- 
 withstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you ; but 
 rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. 21 In that hour Jesus 
 rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank Thee, 0 Father, Lord of 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 good in Thy sight. 22 All 
 things are delivered to Me of My Father : and no man knoweth who the Son is, 
 but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son 
 will reveal Him. 23 And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately. 
 Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see : 24 For I tell you, that many 
 prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not 
 seen them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. General remarhs. — The autlienticitj of Luke’s account of the 
 sending out of the seventy disciples has been opposed by opposite 
 parties. (Strauss, De Wette, Theile, Weisse, v. Ammon, Baur, 
 
34G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Kostlln, Scliwcgler, and otliers.) Internal improbability seems to 
 liave cast a doubt upon tliis account, wliile tlie silence of the other 
 synoptical Evangelists was ominous. Controversy has, however, 
 been generally directed against a view of this subject, which neither 
 the letter nor the spirit of our Evangelist’s account necessitates. 
 The Seventy have, that is to say, been too much regarded as a com- 
 pact community, constituting an instrumentality continually em- 
 ployed by the Lord, together with, and beside, the Twelve ; and also, 
 on other occasions than that now mentioned, engaged in preaching 
 the kingdom of God. In this case, it would certainly seem extremely 
 strange that no other trace should exist of this band of disciples, and 
 that even Eusebius (II. E. i. 12) should be unable to report their 
 names. On attentive consideration, however, it appears that the 
 Seventy received no other commission, than just at this period to 
 announce the coming of the Lord in certain towns and districts ; 
 and that, having executed it, their company was again dissolved, and 
 mingled with the wider circle of His followers. In this case, we 
 may regard them as a remarkable luminary in the public life of 
 Christ, the splendour of which, however, lasted but a short time ; 
 and Luke cannot therefore be accused of having for the first time 
 not “accurately investigated” all things. That Jesus had a wider 
 circle of followers than the Twelve, is proved by John vi. 66 ; Acts 
 i. 15-26 ; 1 Cor. xv. 6 ; but if any intentional fiction could be 
 imagined here, we should undoubtedly have more particulars, con- 
 cerning the great deeds of these men, both here and in the Acts of 
 the Apostles. Nor does the number, seventy, offer the smallest 
 real difficulty. It may be an indefinite round number (comp. Matt, 
 xviii. 22), or the Lord may have had His own reasons for sending 
 out neither more nor less than thirty-five couples on this occasion. 
 And if we also accept the notion, that we have here a symbolical 
 number, answering to the numbers of the elders of Israel (Exod. 
 xxiv. 9), or to the members of the Sanhedrim, or to the seventy 
 Gentile nations, according to the ancient Israelitish computation, 
 the symbol need by no means be regarded as unhistorical (Schweg- 
 ler). The number of the twelve Apostles was also symbolical ; and 
 if we view this number, seventy, as indicating the universal ten- 
 dency of the Gospel, it is all the more comprehensible why Luke, 
 the companion and disciple of Paul, should give it so much promi- 
 nence. Matthew and hlark perhaps omit it, because they had given 
 so much more copious an account of the sending forth of the Twelve, 
 which event in many particulars coincided with this. 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 347 
 
 2. Other seventy. — If this community existed, as such, for only a 
 few days or weeks, it is the less surprising that it should soon be- 
 come uncertain who had belonged to it. Free scope was left to the 
 imagination ; and this society was soon used as a kind of provisional 
 institution, in which to insert such names of note as were not among 
 the Twelve, as Mark, Luke, Matthias. A special list of supposed 
 members is furnished by Sepp, iii. 26, who sees, in the number 
 seventy, a foreshadowing of the seventy cardinals of the Papal See. 
 
 3. And sent them. — The chief end of this sending was not to 
 train and form these men to be hereafter independent agents (Hase, 
 and after him Krabbe) ; but it was a fresh attempt to make a decided 
 impression on, at least, a part of the people, and to prepare, by word 
 and deed, for the coming of the kingdom of God among them. 
 
 This whole jommey of Jesus was intended to offer the people a 
 final choice, before His departure from His present scene of action, 
 and to be a Messianic progress through all parts, terminating with 
 His last entry into Jerusalem” (Meyer). 
 
 4. Into every city and place whither He Himself would come . — 
 Lange says (Leben Jesu ii., p. 1057) that this refers exclusively to 
 the cities of Samaria, and looks upon this mission as a noble revenge 
 of His rejection by the Samaritans, Luke ix. 51-56. It is a ques- 
 tion, however, whether the Lord actually purposed to visit, at least, 
 thirty-five Samaritan cities and places. Considering the direction 
 of His own journey, it seems far more probable that they preceded 
 Him through Judea. Besides, we must not lose sight of the fact, that 
 it is very questionable whether Luke narrates the sending out of the 
 Seventy in its strictly historical connection. The expression pera 
 ravraj ver. 1, is, at all events, very indefinite ; and as he relates 
 their retmm (ver. 17) immediately after their departure, we are 
 almost driven to the conclusion, that he is here more guided by the 
 nature of events than by their order. If we are obliged to infer 
 that the Lord actually visited every place whither these messengers 
 had preceded Him, this mission probably took place before the 
 Feast of Tabernacles, John vii. We can, by no means, entertain 
 the notion of v. Ammon, who seems to know, from some peculiar 
 source, that the Lord, during this journey, dismissed a great num- 
 ber of His disciples, and appointed them teachers in the neighbour- 
 ing synagogues (! !). Biggenbach more aptly remarks, that “ the 
 Seventy may be looked upon as a net of love which the Lord casts 
 over Israel.” 
 
 5. And said. — As the Seventy differ from the Twelve, so do the 
 
348 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 instructions delivered to each of these bands of disciples. The dif- 
 ference between these two inaugural discourses is great enough to 
 discredit the supposition, that interpolations, and transpositions of 
 single sentences from one to tlie other, have taken place. It is 
 remarkable how these exhortations of Jesus to the Seventy agree 
 with those whicli Luke had reported Him as delivering to the Twelve 
 (cli. ix. 1-6). Unless we accuse our Evangelist of great inaccuracy, 
 we sliall he obliged to conclude that the words of Jesus, on these 
 two separate occasions, were, at least partially, the same. But the 
 difference becomes more apparent, on a comparison with Matthew’s 
 account. The gifts of miracles, bestowed upon the Twelve, were 
 far more important than those here vouchsafed to the Seventy ; 
 while, of the persecutions foretold to the Twelve, and of the extra- 
 ordinary help of the Holy Ghost promised to them, ]Matt. x. 17-24, 
 but not bestowed till after the day of Pentecost, not one word is 
 said to the Seventy, when entering upon their temporary and 
 speedily terminating mission. The command given to the former, 
 not to enter into any city of the Samaritans, is here omitted, since 
 their way probably lay through a part of Samaria. On the other 
 hand, the remarkable injunction, given only to the Seventy, to salute 
 no man by the way, seems doubly fitting, now that the Lord was 
 advancing, with hasty steps, towards the termination of His public 
 ministry. Such variations are neither insignificant nor accidental, 
 but arise from corresponding variations in time and circumstances. 
 The Twelve were to follow in the track of Jesus, to reaj) the harvest 
 which lie had sowed ; the Seventy were to go before His face, to 
 prepare His way before Him. 
 
 6. The harvest is great, etc. — According to Matt. ix. 37, 38, the 
 Lord uttered these words when He sent forth the Twelve ; and it 
 is quite probable that He should repeat them here. If we, however, 
 insist that they were only spoken once, the connection in which 
 IMatthew reports them is the more accm’ate. 
 
 7. As lambs . — According to Matt, x. 16, the Twelve were sent 
 forth &)9 irpo^ara. It is certainly possible that this may be a merely 
 verbal difference in the report (Meyer) : on the other hand, it is 
 quite as conceivable that the Lord modified His former figure of 
 speech on this occasion ; though certainly not for the purpose of 
 assigning a lower rank to the Seventy (Euth. Zigab.), but to ex- 
 hibit, this time, not only their defencelessness, but their simplicity 
 
 as doves,’ Matt.).” — Stier. 
 
 8. Salute no man . — It is known that in the East salutations were 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 349 
 
 mucli more ceremonious than is the case with us, and that, e.g.^ in- 
 feriors had to remain standing till their superiors had passed : comp. 
 2 Kings iv. 29. On the various forms of salutation among the 
 Jews, see Lightfoot on this passage. 
 
 9. And into whatsoever house ye enter. — The previous inquiry, 
 commanded ^latt. x. 11, is omitted here. Everything shows that 
 the Master’s business required haste. All these instructions may 
 be summed up in the words (John xiii. 27), ^^That thou doest, do 
 quickly.” 
 
 10. The son of peace. — Not pace dignus (Bengel), but one for 
 whom peace is prepared, because a susceptibility for the reception 
 of the word is found in his heart. Upon him shall your greeting 
 come, for peace shall fill his heart, Phil. iv. 7. In the opposite 
 case, it would be but an empty sound, and should return imme- 
 diately to him from whom it proceeded. 
 
 11. And in the same house remain. — In one, that is, in which 
 they had been received by the sons of peace. They must avoid the 
 very appearance of seeking not them but theirs ; and must there- 
 fore find, in the poverty of their entertainment, no reason for a 
 speedy departure. Comp. Matt. x. 11 ; Luke ix. 4. 
 
 12. Heal the sich. — The brevity of this commission, compared 
 with the copious directions given to the Twelve, Matt. x. 8, must not 
 be overlooked. It is remarkable that the Seventy, on their return, 
 speak of no other cures than the casting out of devils. The union 
 of healing and preaching, in this passage, gives a symbolical cha- 
 racter to the former. 
 
 13. Even the very dust. — See the remarks on ch. ix. 5, and 
 Lange on klatt. x. 14. That, however, which was not commanded 
 to the Twelve, is here prescribed to the Seventy ; viz., even after this 
 last act of rejection, to repeat the words of love, The kingdom of 
 God is come nigh;” but now no longer ^^unto you”^ (these words 
 not being genuine), but in general. It is, i.e.^ at hand, though you 
 reject and despise it. 
 
 14. It shall he more tolerable — for Sodom. — According to popular 
 notion, retribution has already come upon Sodom and Gomorrha. 
 According to the universal teaching of the New Testament, however, 
 the judgment poured out upon these cities, terrible as it was, is but 
 a prelude to what is to be expected at the last day : comp., e.g., Jude 
 
 ^ The words l(p’ of the Text. Rec. are only a repetition from ver. 9, by 
 which the strength of the parting words, dictated to the Seventy, is needlessly 
 weakened. 
 
350 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ver. G. The terrible judgment, threatened by the Lord against 
 those who reject these llis messengers, is an unambiguous proof of 
 tlie Iiigh rank lie assigns tliem, among the most distinguished ser- 
 ATints of God ; and an indirect, though striking, manifestation of 
 consciousness of Ilis own uiia])proachable dignity. 
 
 15. Woe unto tliee^ Chorazin! comp. Matt. xi. 20-24. — Here, as 
 in a former instance, they who consider that our Lord pronounced 
 this woe but once, must agree that Mattliew reports it in its most 
 natural connection. In this case, Luke probably mentions it on 
 this occasion, because he had just before given the exclamation 
 against Sodom : he reports it also less copiously than Matthew. On 
 the other hand, no one can deny us the right of supposing, that the 
 ills awaiting these Galilean cities lay so heavily upon the heart of 
 Jesus, as to extract this cry of woe from Him on two separate 
 occasions (Meyer). On the locality of the places here mentioned, 
 see Lange on Matt. xi. 20-24. It is worthy of remark, that the 
 Lord does not expressly mention Nazareth among the cities whose 
 judgments He announces. To have done so, might have had the 
 appearance of personal enmity. 
 
 16. They had .... repented. — These words are re- 
 markable, as showing that the Lord does not speak even of the past, 
 as of something absolutely necessary. He here openly recognises 
 freedom of action, and the possibility of things having happened 
 othenvise.” Olshausen. — In any case, so many miracles must have 
 been performed, both at Chorazin and Bethsaida, as to make them 
 thoroughly deserve these evils. And yet the Evangelists relate 
 none of them ; a proof that they were rather scanty, than profuse, 
 in their reports of miracles : comp. John xxi. 24, 25. 
 
 17. He that heareth you. — Since the Seventy, though not invested 
 with the apostolic office, were temporarily called to apostolic agency, 
 we cannot be surprised that the Lord should give them an assurance 
 similar to that with which He despatched the Twelve, Matt. x. 40. 
 
 18. And the Seventy retimied again with joy. — Though it is self- 
 evident that the return of these various messengers could not have 
 taken place at the same time, Lulve represents the event, as though 
 they had together given to the Lord an account of the result of 
 their mission, and together received His commendation. Not a 
 single trace has been preserved of any abiding result of their efforts 
 for the kingdom of God ; though a hint is given of the momentaiy 
 impression they produced. — Even the devils. Every other fruit of 
 their labour is eclipsed, in their eyes, by this remembrance. If we 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 351 
 
 consider that they were not expressly commissioned to cast out 
 devils, and that the nine Apostles had lately failed in the attempt 
 to perform this miracle (ch. ix. 37, etc.), we shall better understand 
 the joy of the Seventy ; while we must, at the same time, entertain 
 high notions of their courage, and of the strength of^their faith. Their 
 just joy is confirmed, elevated, and hallowed by the Lord’s answer. 
 
 19. / beheld Satan, etc. — It is as certain that the fall of the 
 kingdom of darkness, in and with its personal head, is depicted in 
 this figurative language, as that a beholding with the eye of the 
 mind is here spoken of. The inquiry, when, or since when, the 
 Lord beheld this spectacle, can only be decided by the connection 
 of the words. If this saving stood quite alone, we should not have 
 the least difficulty in conceiving it to refer to an earlier period of 
 the Lord’s public ministry (Lange), or even to a time pre-vdous to 
 Ilis incarnation. The whole inner life of J esus may, indeed, in the 
 truest sense of the words, be called a continuous spiritual beholding 
 of the fall of the kingdom of darkness, unlimited to any particular 
 penod. But when we find the Lord uttering this saying as an 
 answer to the Seventy, He can scarcely mean to say anything else 
 to them, than that they are by no means mistaken, since He, 
 accompanying them in spirit, ^vitnessed the overthrow of Satan, 
 whose servants the devils are. It is no isolated Hsion which is here 
 spoken of, but the spiritual intuition of the God-man, to whom even 
 the secrets of the spiritual world are naked and open.” 
 
 20. I give unto you power . — Tlie Lord thus increases the joy He 
 had just confirmed, by a new assurance. Aeh(i>Ka^ according to the 
 connect reading of Tischendorf. The Prseterite is not merely a 
 remembrance of a formerly bestowed power, but also a confirmation 
 and renewal of it . — To tread on serpents and scorpions. Such 
 miracles are certainly here alluded to as are related in ]Mark xvi. 
 17, 18, Acts xxviii. 5, Ps. xci. 13; yet only inasmuch as they were 
 manifestations of the higher spiritual power, which Christ had 
 bestowed upon tliem. It was their holy calling, not only to shake 
 off poisonous serpents and vipers, which, as well as the lightning, 
 with its serpentine course, are images of the fallen spirits, but to 
 overcome every spiritual power which should rise up against the 
 kingdom of Christ. They were to subdue lying spiilts by the 
 spirit of truth ; but hidden danger would await them in this noble 
 emplojunent. Tlie Lord knows how the net of temptation is spread 
 for His people, and He therefore hallows their just and exalted 
 joy by a word of serious warning. 
 
352 
 
 THE GOSTEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 21. NofAmthstanding, in this rejoice not ; .... written in 
 
 heaven . — The word fjidXKov seems introduced to show the more 
 ])lainly, that the Lord does not unconditionally, hut only relatively, 
 disapprove their joy at the subjection of the spirits. This is, how- 
 ever, evident from the whole spirit and context of the admonition, 
 even without this addition. The Lord is unwilling that they should 
 I’ejoice too much at what they have done for the kingdom of God. 
 Such joy might easily be united with self-seeking and pride ; and 
 would, beside, not always abide in their hearts, but might hereafter 
 give place to strife and disappointment : it must also, at length, 
 lead them to look more without than within and above. What 
 any one effects, is also a very deceptive standard by which to judge 
 his real worth. It was possible to cast out devils, and yet to be 
 children of darkness (Matt. vii. 22) ; the Lord would therefore give 
 their joy a better direction. The very greatest gifts and talents 
 could not be compared with the privilege of receiving a place of 
 honour in heaven. — That your names, etc. The Seventy were cer- 
 tainly acquainted, as well as we, with that beautiful scriptural figure 
 Avhich depicts the Almighty as having a book of remembrance 
 written before Him,” in which the names of llis faithful servants 
 are inscribed (Exod. xxxii. 32, 33; Mai. iii. 16; Lev. iii. 5). 
 lie delights them with the joyful assurance, that their names are 
 indeed written therein ; and directs their attention to the fact, that 
 their own rescue from the power of the devil should much more 
 dispose their hearts to joyful praise, than the most distinguished 
 success over his disarmed vassals. This privilege would abide, even 
 if Satan should again prevail, even if their names should be for- 
 gotten on earth. Contrariwn de prcevaricatorihus, in terra scriben- 
 tur, Jer. xvii. 13.” Bengel. Comp, also Ps. Ixix. 23, and Phil, 
 iv. 3. 
 
 22. In that hour, etc. ; comp. Matt. xi. 25, 26. — It is well 
 proA^ed by Lange, in his remarks on these Avords, that they are 
 giA^en in a much more significant connection by MattheAv. That 
 Luke correctly points out the exact occasion, hoAvcA^er, on Avhich this 
 ascription of praise Avas uttered, is apparent, not only from the 
 Avords, iv avry ry copa, but also from the Avhole context ; unless Ave 
 admit this saying also among the his repetita, an admission attended 
 indeed Avith difficulties, if too frequently made. 
 
 23. Jesus rejoiced. — If the Lord’s former Avords (A^er. 20) had 
 any appearance of Avant of sympathy Avith the joy of His disciples 
 in the harvest they had gathered, these plainly testify to the con- 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 353 
 
 trary ; wlillc, by tlic one word 7)^aXkidcraTO, Luke presents to our 
 liearts and imaginations tliat most delightful picture, — The joyful 
 hour of Christ’s life. 
 
 24. That Thou hast hid, etc. — It is evident that by ^Hhe wise and 
 
 prudent ” we are to understand those who imagine themselves to bo 
 such ; and by the not the ignorant as such, but simple, child- 
 
 like spirits. And accordingly we find, that not only in our Lord’s 
 own days, but in the succeeding centuries, the Gospel was generally 
 rejected by the former, and accejited by the latter. But what are 
 we to understand by God hiding these things from the wise and 
 prudent *? To say that God only permitted, but did not ordain it, 
 is an evasion, and betrays perplexity ; for was it only by permission 
 that He revealed them to babes ? To maintain that God had thus 
 arbitrarily ordained it, sounds blasphemous. Can God Himself 
 blind me, and then make my blindness a reason for my condemna- 
 tion 1 Undoubtedly we have here a direct, though at the same time 
 a holy, wise, and loving, appointment of the Father, arising from 
 the very nature of things. It is morally impossible to the proud 
 mmn to humble himself before Christ ; and the connection between 
 his inward corruption and his great deficiency is caused by God 
 Himself. God has united a share in His kingdom to a condition, 
 which lies within the power of the veiy simplest, a humble and 
 lowly heart. The wise and prudent” wilfully make them- 
 selves incapable of this blessing, and consequently expose them- 
 selves to the judgment of having these things hidden from them by 
 God. And when the Lord thanks the Father for this, it is not for 
 this hiding, considered in itself, however well deserved it may have 
 been ; but that, even though these things were hidden from the wise, 
 they were not hidden from all. An example of a similar construc- 
 tion may be seen, liom. vi. 17. This divine appointment, through 
 which so many remained outside of His kingdom, was the source of 
 many a struggle during His life ; and yet the Lord not only per- 
 fectly concurs in the will of the Father, but even rejoices in it, and 
 says : ml, 6 irar^jp, k.t.X. Everything arbitrary must of course be 
 avoided in our notions of evSoKLa, as indeed appears from the fol- 
 lowing efiiTpoaOev <jov. The decree of the Father may be sovereign, 
 but cannot be tyrannical. 
 
 25. All things are delivered to Me of My Father. — Another of 
 the passages in which the Christology of the synoptical Gospels strik- 
 ingly coincides with that of John’s: comp. John xvii. 2. By limit- 
 ing this irdvra to the teaching of Jesus, Grotius opened a w^ay to 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 23 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlic rationalistic interpretation of tliis passage ; an interpretation 
 which may he designated as the very essence of sliallowness and 
 assumption. The original form of this saying seems given by Mat- 
 thew (see Lange on Matt. xi. 27) ; and the words, ovBeU ^yLvcoa/cec 
 TL<; icTTiv 6 u/o 9 , etc., must be viewed as an interpretamenturriy though 
 certainly a correct one. The peculiarity, that these words of the 
 Lord are found three times in Justin Martyr, and also in Clement, 
 Marcion, and Tertullian, with their order reversed (no one knoweth 
 the Father but the Son), is sufficiently accounted for, by the words 
 with which Irenseus introduces the notice of this alteration, advers. 
 Ilaeres. iv. 14 : hi auiem^ qui peritiores Apostolis esse volunt, sic scri- 
 bunt, etc. See Olshausen, Aechtheit der vier Evangelierij p. 295. — 
 No man knoweth. The Lord thus declares, that only by knowing 
 the Son can w'e attain the knowledge of the Father; and also, con- 
 versely, that only through the Father can we attain the knowledge 
 of the Son. But, that the complete form of this saying should also 
 require the addition, FTo man knoweth who the Son is but the 
 F ather, and he to wdiom the Son will reveal Him,” is apparent from 
 ver. 21, and Matt. xvi. 17. On the kind of revelation here intended, 
 see Dr v. Bell, Diss. theol. de vocihus epavepovv et diro/caXv'jTreLVj 
 Lugd. Bat. 1849, p. 51. It might undoubtedly be said of tffi 
 Seventy, and of all who should believe through their word, that the 
 Father had revealed Himself to their minds, through the Son. 
 This whole expression of sublime self-consciousness might also serve 
 to counteract the scandal, which some might have felt at the rejec- 
 tion of the Gospel by the wise and prudent. 
 
 26. He turned Him unto His disciples^ and said privately. — Others 
 (ver. 25) were by this time pressing nearer to the circle of the 
 Seventy, who were standing round J esus and receiving His com- 
 mendation. The Lord unites the highest wisdom with the holiest 
 rapture, and therefore addresses the following words especially to 
 them. This passage occurs also in Matt. xiii. 16, 17 ; but it certainly 
 seems doubly fitting on this occasion. Whether the Lord originally 
 coupled kings ” or righteous men ” with prophets, is very diffi- 
 cult on internal, and impossible on external grounds, to determine. 
 
 27. Many prophets and kings. — One of the most sublime expres- 
 sions in the synoptical Gospels. The Lord announces Himself as 
 the Being, in whom not only all the anticipations of past ages were 
 fulfilled, but also as the honour and climax of humanity. The 
 image of a David and a Hezekiah, of an Isaiah and a Micah, is be- 
 fore Him ; and their inner life manifests itself to His mind, as a 
 
CIIAr. X. 1-21. 
 
 355 
 
 life of expectation, of which He knows Himself to be the centre 
 and fulfilment. In contrast to all this, He surveys the little band 
 of His disciples, whose privileges are so infinitely higher ; and, as 
 though He feared even the appearance of self-exaltation if He 
 should bear record of Himself, He speaks in their ear, that which 
 shall soon be proclaimed upon the house-tops — a greater than 
 Solomon,” “ a greater than Jonas, is here.” This congratulation of 
 the Seventy is at the same time an indirect admonition to them, 
 not only to continue to regard Him with the eye of faith, but also 
 to hearken to Him with all that reverence of which Idngs and pro- 
 phets would certainly have deemed Him worthy. This hint was 
 doubly needed, now that the messengers were about to retire again 
 into the circle of ordinary hearers ; and the position of a saying like 
 this, exactly at the close of the conversation with the Seventy, seems 
 strictly appropriate. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The mission of the Seventy is a fresh manifestation of the 
 glory of the heavenly King. It is a repetition of what had, in some 
 measure, been begun, by the journeyings of the Twelve among the 
 towns and districts of Galilee — an evangelization in a less known 
 and more disaffected territory, a home mission upon a larger scale. 
 These messengers are also sent out two and two, as if in remem- 
 brance of the words of the Preacher, Eccles. iv. 9, 10. According 
 to the Lord’s own words, ver. 18, their journey may be looked upon 
 as a vigorous attack upon the powers of darkness. There is also 
 something indescribably naive and touching in the manner in which 
 they express their joy at the success of their important undertak- 
 ing. This fresh preaching was a powerful and awakening call, to 
 the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to come to the Good Shep- 
 herd; and the woe pronounced against the towns in which such 
 mii'acles as accompanied it were wrought in vain, was doubly de- 
 served. 
 
 2. The image of the faithful minister of the Gospel is strik- 
 ingly presented to us in the discourse of oui’ Lord to the Seventy. 
 The matter of His preaching is a message of peace (comp. Isa. 
 lii. 7), which finds an echo in the heart of the sons of peace, but in 
 theirs alone. The conduct which becomes Him is, on the one hand, 
 meekness, contentment, self-denial — for an example of the manner 
 in which the precepts here given were applied by Paul, see 1 Cor. 
 ix. 5; 2 Cor. x. 16; Kom. xv. 20 — on the other, a dignified com- 
 
35G 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 posure, in the midst of opposition and contempt. The authority 
 witli which he is invested, is, in a certain respect, equal to tliat of 
 tlie Apostles, and even to that of the Lord Himself ; since he also, 
 notwitlistanding every difference of office and agency, is engaged 
 in the service of the trutli. And the honourable nature of his 
 employment, continually overlooked as it is by the world, shall be 
 manifested by Him who sent him, when the judgment, hanging 
 over those who reject the Gospel, shall be openly manifested. 
 
 3. The lasting power over the spiritual world, which the Lord 
 accorded to His witnesses, is a direct argument against that limited 
 interpretation, which almost exclusively confines the gift of mira- 
 culous powers to the circle and nge of the Apostles, instead of sim- 
 ply believing the Lord’s promise, John xiv. 12. Compare the 
 important essay of Tholuck, on the miracles of the Catholic Church, 
 in the first part of his miscellaneous writings. 
 
 4. In the well-known letter of P. Lentulus to the Eoman Senate, 
 said to contain a description of the Lord’s person, it is said of 
 Him, qui nunquam visits est ridere, flere autem scepius. This rigo- 
 rously ascetic description is strikingly contrasted with what Luke 
 here relates of Jesus rejoicing in spirit. Here, at least. His coun- 
 tenance beams with inward joy. He lifts His face triumphantly to 
 heaven, and a glow of happiness suffuses His whole being. Yi e 
 feel the sublimity of this joy, when we compare it with that of the 
 Seventy. They rejoice in the greatness of that which is performed. 
 He in the good that is effected ; their joy relates to the external. 
 His to the moral world ; they rejoice in the present alone, Jesus in 
 the past and futime also ; their hearts are turned to boasting. His to 
 grateful devotion. Only once more do we hear Him thus openly 
 glorifying the name of the F ather ; and that is at the resurrection 
 of Lazarus (John xi. 42) : both occasions being therefore the rais- 
 ing of the dead to life. Both the m.atter and manner of His joy 
 are a proof of the truth of His saying, John xiv. 9. 
 
 5. The saying, No man knoweth who the Son is, but the 
 Father,” is one of the strongest testimonies to the true divinity of 
 Christ. It was impossible for one who was only a created spirit or 
 a spotless man to have uttered such words of himself without 
 blasphemy. If the Father alone perfectly knows who the Son is, 
 we must give up the hope, on this side of the grave, of fathoming 
 so far into these deep things, as to render matters of faith objects 
 of Christian knowledge. Touching the Almiglity, we cannot 
 find Him out,” Job xxxvii. 23. We must, nevertheless, make a 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 357 
 
 distinction behveen a cogmtio vera et adceqiiata, and despair only of 
 attaining the latter. Hence it is both over-hasty and shallow to 
 adduce this saying as a reproach against those who would institute 
 a more than superficial research into the person and work of the 
 Lord, which it is supposed to represent as impossible and unprofit- 
 able. The saying, ^^No man knoweth the Son, but the Father,” 
 can at most be regarded as expressing the result of doctrinal investi- 
 gations ; but can never be an obstacle to research, still less a cover- 
 ino; for indifference or imiorance. The remark of Otto v. Gerlach 
 on Matt. xi. 27 is worthy of notice. 
 
 7. The Gospel is not beneath, but beyond, the understanding of 
 the wise and prudent in their own eyes. It is an abuse of our Lord’s 
 saying, concerning children ” and simple ones,” to see in them 
 a charter for stupidity and narrow-mindedness, and a reproof of 
 science and true Christian research. That, however, can alone be 
 true wisdom which is combined with childlike simplicity; and as 
 true knowledge leads to faith, so can faith alone conduct us to true 
 knowledge. It is no reproach, but an honour to the Gospel, that 
 it can be nothing to those who do not learn, but judge ; who do not 
 humble themselves, but desire to be exalted. Comp. 1 Cor. i. and ii. 
 
 7. “ Rejoice, because yom’ names are written in heaven.” A 
 dictum lorohans^ for the instruction of the Evangelical Church, that 
 the believer may be assured of his future blessedness, even in this 
 life. When Mohler says, that it would make him feel “ extremely 
 uneasy to be near a man who should, without reservation, declare 
 himself sure of his own salvation,” and even that he should not be 
 able to get rid of the thought, that there must be somewhat 
 diabolical in the matter, he only gives us a glimpse of the wretched- 
 ness of a heart seeldng the foundation of hope in its own right- 
 eousness, and shows, at the same time, that he has not fully en- 
 tered into the deep meaning of the Lord’s saying to the Seventy. 
 This rejoice ” was the well-known and dignified answer of the 
 dying Haller to the friends who congratulated him on the honour 
 of receiving a visit, during his last illness, from the Emperor 
 Joseph H. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Our Lord’s work of love, an untiring and enduring work. — The 
 preaching of the kingdom of God must be carried on, in an ever 
 increasing proportion. — The Lord still often sends His servants out 
 two and two. — Value and difficulty to ministers of the Gospel of 
 
358 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 sustaining the relations of colleagues. — God’s husbandry : 1. Tlie 
 harvest is great; 2. the labourers are few; 3. God alone can 
 institute just proportions between the harvest and the labourers. — 
 God is the Lord of the harvest : lie, 1. determines the time of har- 
 vest, 2. appoints the labourers to the harvest, 3. watches over the 
 growth of the harvest, 4. alone deserves the harvest-thanksgiving. — 
 The prayer to the Lord of the harvest ; 1. Its matter; 2. its motive ; 
 3. its blessing. — The call of the messengers of the Gospel, con- 
 sidered on its bright and dark sides : 1. Christ Himself sends them 
 forth; but, 2. He sends tliem as lambs among wolves. — The Chris- 
 tian freedom from care of those who serve the King of heaven. — 
 The preaching of the Gospel, a proclamation of peace, and a de- 
 claration of war. — Only a son of peace can receive and accept the 
 salutation of peace. — The entrance of the Gospel within the circle of 
 domestic life. — “We seek not yours, but you.” — The instructions 
 to the Seventy show traces of the future occupations of fishers of 
 men and shepherds of the flock. — The labourer is worthy of his 
 hire: 1. However imperfect he may be, he certainly deserves it; 
 
 2. however late it may be, he always receives it. — ’Jarpo? yap avyp 
 TToWoop avrd^iof; dWcov . — Even the severest words of the despised 
 servants of Christ, should never bear the impress of personal resent- 
 ment. — Eighteous indignation and inexhaustible love, combined in 
 the ambassadors of Christ. — The greater our privileges, the greater 
 our responsibility. — The wrath of the Lamb, Eev. vi. 16. — What 
 the ruined cities of antiquity preach to unbelieving posterity. — Even 
 the already condemned sinner has a future judgment to expect. — 
 Capernaum, an image of unbelieving Christendom : 1. The dark- 
 ness resting on Capernaum ; 2. the light arising upon Capernaum ; 
 
 3. the enmity prevailing in Capernaum ; 4. the sentence pronounced 
 against Capernaum. — The Lord looks upon the cause of His people 
 as His own. — He who rejects the Gospel, rejects not man, but God. 
 — The Lord null, sooner or later, put honour upon the servant who 
 seeks not his own, but his Master’s glory. — He who goes out in the 
 Lord’s service, must give an account of his labours, first of all, to 
 Him. — All the powers of darkness must bow at the name of Jesus. 
 — The fall of Satan: 1. purposed by Jesus; 2. effected by Jesus; 
 3. celebrated by Jesus. — The fall of Satan, and the fall of light- 
 ning : 1. The elevation of both; 2. the rapidity of both ; 3. the 
 depth of both. — The greatest triumphs over the powers of darkness 
 are omng to the Master, not to the servants. — Jesus, the bruiser of 
 the serpent’s head, gives to His Church also the same pownr of 
 
CHAP. X. 1-24. 
 
 359 
 
 treading upon tlie power of the enemy, Eom. xvi. 20. — Nothing 
 can hurt him who does not hurt himself. — Power over the spiritual 
 world, however desirable it may be, is not the highest source of 
 joy to the friends of Jesus. — The highest fame, Your names are 
 written in heaven 1. How it is to be understood; 2. how desirable 
 it is ; 3. how alone it is to be attained. — The assurance of salvation : 
 
 1. Its sole foundation; 2. it3 all-surpassing value. — Can a name 
 written in the book of life be blotted out of it % Rev. iii. 5. 
 
 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit 1. A proof of the joy 
 the Lord sometimes tasted on earth ; 2. an image of the joy He 
 now has in heaven ; 3. a foretaste of the happiness He will one day 
 enjoy, when the kingdom of God is perfected. — The joy of the 
 Lord is also the joy of His people. — Hoav true Christian joy rises 
 to praise and thanksgiving. — The sovereignty of the Father of 
 light : 1. The Father in heaven, also the Lord of heaven and earth; 
 
 2. the Lord of heaven and earth, also and always the Father. — The 
 kingdom of God still hidden from the wise and prudent, and 
 revealed unto babes. 1. It has always been so : a. In our Lord’s 
 days ; h, in after ages ; c, in our own times. It can but be so : 
 a. Objective reason, the nature of the Gospel ; h. subjective, the 
 nature of the human heart ; c. metaphysical, the counsel of God. 
 
 3. It mmt be so ; for, in this way, is, a. the divine origin of the 
 Gospel confirmed, h, the requirements of the Gospel justified, c. the 
 triumph of the Gospel assured. — God’s good pleasure in hiding and 
 revealing the truths of salvation, 1. an unblameable, 2. an un- 
 changeable, 3. an adorable good pleasure. — Even when it seems 
 enigmatical, faith must approve the Father’s good pleasure. — It is 
 possible to be wise and prudent, and at the same time simple and 
 childlike. — It is not in the developed understanding, but in the 
 salvation-seeking heart, that a point of contact for the things of 
 the kingdom of God is found. — The power delivered to Christ by 
 the Father, is, 1. an unlimited, 2. a lawful, 3. a beneficent, 4. an 
 enduring power. — The peculiar relations between the Father and 
 the Son: 1. How far they are matters of faith; 2. how far they 
 may be matters of knowledge. — How, 1. the Son reveals the Father 
 to us; 2. how the Father also reveals the Son. — The relations between 
 the Father and the Son: 1. The most sublime mystery; 2. a re- 
 vealed mystery; 3. even after revelation, still a partially hidden 
 mystery. — The happy lot of the sincere disciples of the Lord. — In 
 Christ, 1. the highest expectations of the ancients are fulfilled, 
 2. the highest ideal of humanity is exhibited, 3. the highest revela- 
 
3G0 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 tlon of Divinity vouclisafccl. — No proplict or king of tlie Old Testa- 
 ment so blessed as the inheritor of the New. — To see the greatest 
 sight on earth, one needs not be king or prophet, but a diseiple of 
 J esus. 
 
 Starcke. — Iledincjer : We must pray to God for faithful teachers. 
 — They who arc sent by God should have the dispositions of lambs 
 and sheep, 1 Tim. iii. 3. — Osiander : Preachers should be contented 
 with little, and remember that the kingdom of God is not meat 
 and drink, etc., Rom. xiv. 17. — When the usual customs of a 
 country are not sinful, they should, by all means, be observed. — 
 Nov. Bihl. Tub. : Blessed are the sons of peace ; the peace of God 
 shall rest upon them. Gal. vi. 16. — Woe to the houses whence the 
 proffered blessing returns. — If we have sown unto you spiritual 
 things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 
 1 Cor. ix. 11. — Cramer : There will certainly be degrees of punish- 
 ment in hell, Luke xii. 47, 48. — Quesnel: It is a sacred mystery of 
 the decrees of God, why the Gospel should be preached to those 
 who reject it, and not have been preached to those who would 
 liave repented, Rom. xi. 33. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : Temporal and eter- 
 nal ruin may be averted by repentance, 1 Kings xxi. 29 ; Jer. 
 xxvi. 3; Jonah iii. 10. — Brentius : Joy, when divine deliverance 
 is afforded, should keep within limits, and its watchword should be 
 Ps. cxv. 1. — Majlis : The holy ordinance of preaching, has for its 
 end, the destruction of the kingdom of Satan. — Canstein : It is a 
 sign of their imperfection, that the childi'en of God often rejoice 
 more over the less, than the greater, gifts of God. — Hedinger : It 
 is faith, not gifts, that saves. — In the kingdom of God, we have 
 not only cause to weep, but also heartily to rejoice at all the mar- 
 vels of goodness which God shows to the children of men. — 
 Osiander: Not all the wise are rejected, and not all the simple 
 enlightened : they who renounce their own wisdom, and learn of 
 Christ, will be instructed in the kingdom of God. — Canstein: The 
 natural knowledge of God is not sufficient, or we should not have 
 needed a special revelation. — Zeisius : How far does the Old Testa- 
 ment surpass the New ; and therefore, how far heavier is the con- 
 demnation of the unthankful Christian, than of the unthankful 
 Jew! Ileb. ii. 3. — Brentius : The Old Testament saints were saved 
 by the grace of Jesus Christ as well as Ave; but the light shines 
 more brightly upon us than upon them. Acts xv. 11. 
 
 Heubner. — Man can prevail more Nitii Christ than he thinks. 
 Our cowardice is often put to shame. How often have simple 
 
missionaries performed, tliroiigli faitli, 'svliat tlie most profound 
 theologians have been unable to attempt without it. — Christ evi- 
 dently viewed the kingdom of evil spirits as a reality. — If we are 
 really united to Christ, no enemy can hm’t us. — How different 
 are earthly and heavenly fame ! — Bengel : How may we know 
 whether om* names are written in the book life? — This point must 
 not be the beginning, but the close, of that wholesome instruction, 
 whose first lessons arc those of repentance and faith, as the Epistle 
 to the Homans especially shows. Only take care to cleave sted- 
 fastly to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and let Him take care 
 for the rest. If your name is written in the world’s books, it will 
 not profit, and may eveii' harm you. — Sclileiermaclier : Rejoice not 
 at what you have effected; 1. because this cannot be the measure 
 of real worth ; 2. because it is uncharitable to judge any by this 
 measure; 3. because we cannot always retain this joy. — 0. v. Gerlach: 
 The hour for the fulfilment of all oui’ hopes and anticipations will 
 come to us, as it came to the world, in Christ Jesus. What the 
 projDhets had portrayed of Ilis likeness in single features, but with 
 constantly increasing clearness, was realized in Himself in its fullest 
 gloiy. What He really was, no prophet could have imagined, much 
 less have depicted. Though there is no doctrine of the New 
 Testament, the beginnings of which are not to be found in the Old, 
 and thouo-h isolated truths concerning Christ are scattered here 
 and there, who could have anticipated, before Ilis appearance, that 
 combination of sublime and holy majesty with the deepest self- 
 abasement and humility, of the mightiest power and most ardent 
 zeal with the gentlest meekness and patience? — The saying of 
 Bernhard may be applied to the inestimable privileges of the true 
 Christian : quocunque loco fuero, Jesum meum desidero, quarn Icetus, 
 quum invenero I quam felix^ quum tenuero !” 
 
 C. Lessons of Love, Faith, and Prayer. (Chap. x. 25-Ciiap. xi. 13.) 
 1. The Good Samaritan. (Yers. 25-37.) 
 
 25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, 
 what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? 26 He said unto him, What is written 
 
 in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering, said, Thou shalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
 strength, and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And 
 He said unto him. Thou hast answered right :* this do, and thou shalt hve. 
 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neigh- 
 
362 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Lour? 30 And Jesus answering, said, A certain man went down from Jerusa- 
 lem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, wliich stripped him of his raiment, and 
 wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there 
 came down a certain priest that way ; and when he saw him, he passed by on 
 the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and 
 looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, 
 as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion 
 on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and 
 Avine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care 
 of him. 35 And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and 
 gave them to the host, and said unto him. Take care of him : and whatsoever 
 thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of 
 these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves ? 
 37 And he said. He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him. Go, 
 and do thou likewise. 
 
 CRITICAL IfOTES. 
 
 1. A certain lav)yer . — Strauss thinks that we have here only a 
 different version of the incident related by Matthew, ch. xxii. 37- 
 40, and Mark, ch. xii. 28-34. An attentive comparison of the ac- 
 counts will, however, soon lead us to the conclusion, that Luke is 
 liere relating an entirely different circumstance. (See also Lange, 
 Leben Jesu, j). 1242.) 
 
 2. Tempted Him . — It seems as if Luke, even by the opening 
 words of this narrative, kcu Ihov, were desirous of calling our atten- 
 tion to the contrast presented by the circle of admiring friends, who 
 had just received the approbation of Jesus, and listened to His ex- 
 pressions of joy, and the cold stranger, anxious to lay fresh snares 
 for Him. He is a voyiKo ^ ; distinguished, perhaps, from the Phari- 
 sees by a more strict adherence to the letter of the law of Moses 
 (comp. Luke xi. 44, 45), but by no means a Sadducee or a Hero- 
 dian, since his efforts seem directed to the attainment of eternal 
 life. He is introduced as ifCTreLpd^cov ; and as this word is never 
 used but in an unfavourable sense, we must conclude, that he 
 wished to ascertain whether Jesus would teach anything contrary 
 to the law of Moses. His question, therefore, proceeds from a very 
 different motive from the similar inquiry of the young ruler, hlatt. 
 xix. 16 ; and, undoubtedly, he expected a very different answer from 
 the one he received, — the only one possible from a legal point of 
 view. His first repulse arises from the fact, that he hears nothing 
 new, but only that with which he is already so well acquainted. 
 
 3. Thou shall love . — Perhaps it speaks well for this vofiiKo^ that 
 he does not cite one or several special precepts, but gives due promi- 
 nence to the chief matter and spirit of the law, of which, on a simi- 
 
CHAP. X. 25-37. 
 
 363 
 
 lar occasion, tlie Lord was first obliged to remind an inquirer, Matt, 
 xxii. 38, 39. Ilis case is but tbe sadder, that so clear a knowledge of 
 the law is combined with such an utter want of self-knowledge. 
 
 4. Willing to justify himself. — Perhaps the lawyer took the 
 words, This do,” as an indirect reproof, involving the fact, that, 
 to his own astonishment, he has not yet done it ; and now his con- 
 science began to speak. But he wished to justify himself, by point- 
 ing out that, in this view at least, he had fulfilled the requirements 
 of the law, unless Jesus should understand the words, “thy neigh- 
 bour,” in a very different sense from himself. Or, perhaps, we 
 should view the matter in the following manner : If the answer were 
 so simple, as seemed apparent from our Lord’s words, he might 
 feel that he stood in need of an excuse for having applied to Jesus 
 on so easy a matter. lie therefore wishes to show Him, by this 
 further inquiry, that the real point of his question is, whom he is to 
 consider his neighbour, and whom not; and to this question the 
 Lord gives a definite answer in the parable immediately following. 
 
 5. From Jerusalem to Jericho. — Lange supposes that the send- 
 ing out of the Seventy through the towns and districts of Samaria 
 may have given offence to this lawyer ; and that the Lord designs, 
 indirectly, to reprove his narrow-mindedness in the following re- 
 presentation. We may also conjecture, that the Lord, being upon 
 His journey from Samaria to Jerusalem, might have been, at this 
 very time, on the road between Jericho and the capital, and thus 
 have chosen the scene of His parable in loco. If we add to this, 
 that the village through which He had to pass, before He reached 
 the city, was Bethany (ver. 38), we obtain at least some notion of 
 the course of our Lord’s present journey. 
 
 6. And fell among thieves. — The wilderness between Jerusalem 
 and J ericho was well known to be dangerous : see J osephus, de B. J . 
 iv. 8, 3, and Hieronym. ad Jerem. iii. 2. Surrounded by robbers 
 (TrepceTrecrev), defence was useless ; and he was left lying wounded 
 on the road, while they made off with his clothes and property. 
 Half dead already, he must have perished had not assistance been 
 speedily afforded. 
 
 7. By chance. — Multoe occasiones honoe latent sub iis, quee for- 
 tuita videantur. Scriptura nil descrihit temere, ut fortuitum ; hoc loco 
 opponitur necessitudini F Bengel. — A certain priest — a Levite. It is 
 stated, that many priests dwelt at Jericho, who had to perform the 
 service of the sanctuary, when their turns came. They seem gene- 
 rally to have chosen the longer and safer route, through Bethlehem; 
 
3G4 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LEKE. 
 
 SO that it was an exceptional case for one of tliem to pass through 
 the wilderness. Tlie liard-lieartedness of these men is rendered 
 more striking hy the fact, that neitlier of them went away witliout 
 first perceiving, more or less correctly, the state of affairs. Their 
 inspection, however, only served to convince them of the greatness 
 of the danger they might incur hy even a moment’s delay ; and 
 they therefore left the spot as quickly as possible. Neither the 
 voices of humanity, of nationality, nor of religion, spoke so loudly 
 within their hearts, as the voice of self-preservation. 
 
 8. A certain Samaritan^ as lie journeyed . — The very choice of 
 tills example shows us, that the wounded man was not a Gentile 
 (Olshausen), but a J ew, in whom, however, his benefactor secs only 
 a fellow-man in distress. — And had eompassion on him. Animi 
 inotiis sincerus prcecedit, quern sequuntur facta^ animo congruentia 
 Grotius. Observe the climax : first the compassionate heart, then 
 the helping hand ; next the willing foot, and at last the kind provi- 
 sion for the future. — Oil and wine^ the usual remedies ; see Isa. i. 6, 
 and Wetstein on this passage. 
 
 9. lie took out two 'pence^ eic^dXwv — Evidently out of his girdle,” 
 Meyer. He leaves the unfortunate man in peace and safety, and 
 takes care, before his own departure, that no difficulty shall arise 
 about payment. Erom his promise to repay the overplus, when he 
 should return, we may probably infer that ohevwv denotes, not 
 merely the conditio^ but the hahitus of this Samaritan. 
 
 10. He that shoiced mercy on him, to eXeo? ; i.e., the mercy which 
 is described in the parable. It has often been remarked, that the 
 lawyer, by this circumlocutory answer, purposely avoided naming the 
 Samaritan; see, e.g., Bengel in loco. Luther also, in one of his postils, 
 writes, The proud hypocrite ! he will not say, The Samaritan.” 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. By the question, How readest thou ?” the Lord ascribes ab- 
 solute authority to the law, in determining such questions as that 
 asked by the lawyer. The same principle is here enunciated as in 
 John x. 35, and elsewhere. From such sajdngs of the Lord, it is 
 not difficult to answer the inquiry. What authority must be attri- 
 buted to the Scripture, in determining the great problems of life ? 
 
 2. The answer given by the lawyer, at least as far as it was con- 
 tained in Deut. vi. 5, wvas inscribed on the broad j^hylactery worn 
 by the Jews; and hence the tovto iroleL of Jesus may be said to 
 have been pronounced heiKTiKO)^, We need not be surprised that 
 
CHAP. X. 25-37. 
 
 3G5 
 
 tlie Lord here gives a different answer from tliat, e. reported in 
 John vi. 29. To one viewing the matter as the lawyer must have 
 done, tlie requirement of faith would have been utterly ineom- 
 prehensible. It is, besides, literally true, that if any one should 
 so fulfil these commands, that his deeds should, in God’s eyes, 
 bear the stamp of perfection, he would certainly inherit eternal 
 life. Had the scribe replied, that it was impossible for him, be- 
 cause of his sin and weakness, to obey this command in the man- 
 ner required by God, he would then have shown himself capable of 
 receiving further instruction. The Lord sets before him the per- 
 fection which the law requires, to bring him to the knowledge of 
 himself ; and to show him the imperfection of his own deeds, by 
 comparison with this perfect standard. Hence this conversation is 
 a striking specimen of the Lord’s aptness to teach. 
 
 3. Considered in an gesthetic point of view, the parable of the 
 good Samaritan is certainly one of the most beautiful. The con- 
 trast of the Samaritan, on the one hand, with the Jew, the priest, and 
 the Levite, on the other ; the graphic details of his deed of kind- 
 ness, in its whole extent ; and the completion of the picture by 
 the trait with which it concludes ; — all contribute to heighten the 
 artistic effect of the description. It is no wonder that this parable 
 has ever been one of the most popular, and that it has often been 
 seriously conjectured that the Lord was relating a real occurrence, 
 of which He had, in some manner, received information. We cannot, 
 however, incline to this view (Grotius and others), natm’al as it may 
 be, since the Lord would not have given currency to the clironique 
 scandaleuse of the priests and Levites without necessity, and in 
 their absence. 
 
 4. We should mistake the true aim of this parable, by suppos- 
 ing it directly intended to inculcate the duty of loving our enemies. 
 The Lord does not once say that the object of this deed of love was 
 a Jew, but only, that he was a man ; giving the inquirer to under- 
 stand that the word neighbour ” must be applied in a much wider 
 sense than that of friend, companion, or countryman. The beauty 
 of our Lord’s selection of a Samaritan, as the type of genuine phi- 
 lanthropy, is enhanced by the fact, that He had Himself so lately 
 experienced the full force of the intolerance of the Samaritans, 
 ch. ix. 51-56. 
 
 5. A distinction must be made between the brotherly love in- 
 culcated J ohn xiii. 34, and the love of our neighbour taught by 
 this parable. The first has our fellow- believers for its objects, the 
 
3GG 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 love of Christ for its measure, and faith for its foundation. The 
 second embraces all men, loves them as itself, and is founded on the 
 natural relationship in which all the sons and daughters of Adam 
 stand to each other on earth, as members of one great family. It 
 is not uncommon to find those, who are zealous concerning the 
 essentially Christian virtue of brotherly love, caring less about this 
 universal love of mankind. Hence, it is wHl worth while to ob- 
 serve, somewhat more closely, the image which our Lord here sets 
 before us. We shall then also remark, how appropriately this par- 
 able is found in the Pauline and catholic Gospel of Luke. 
 
 6. The element of universal philanthropy, is that pure feeling 
 which does not ask, “Who is my neighbour?” but sees in every man 
 a brother, and feels most compassion (iaTrXay'^vLaOr]) for the unfor- 
 tunate. Hence its extent is unlimited : it asks not whether it has to 
 do with J ew, Samaritan, or heathen ; but simply, whether it has to 
 do with a human being, as such. Its characteristics are ungrudg- 
 ing service (oil and wine), self-denial (dispensing with the use of his 
 own horse), liberality (the direction to the host), and perseverance 
 (he will pay for all afterwards). And its rewar besides the ap- 
 proving voice of conscience, and the involuntary praise even of those 
 of opposite opinions, is, above all, the testimony of the Lord, who 
 holds up such a deed of love as a model for others. A whole 
 chapter of Christian ethics is here expressed in few words. 
 
 7. Do we ask. Who is there who has ever perfectly represented 
 the good Samaritan, and performed his work ? we know of one only 
 — the Lord. Indeed, we may say that He drew this picture of per- 
 fect philanthropy with features taken from His own immediate 
 self-consciousness. 
 
 8. What has already been said, may serve to facilitate an 
 answer to the question, how far it is allowed to Christian homi- 
 letics to see in the good Samaritan a type of J esus Christ : an idea 
 adopted, as is well known, by many of the F athers, by Luther and 
 Melancthon, and among the moderns by Stier. This view has 
 been vigorously defended, and it has been maintained, that if we 
 content ourselves with the usual interpretation, it is “ difficult to 
 find a Christian TAema” in this whole passage (Cl. Harms, Pastoral- 
 theol. i., p. G9). By others, again, it has been wholly condemned, 
 as mere pious trifling ; and certainly such a condemnation is not 
 wholly undeserved, when we remember how even the smallest de- 
 tails of the parable have been interpreted: Jerusalem, e.g., being 
 made to represent Paradise ; J ericho, the world ; the inn, the 
 
CHAP. X. 25—37. 
 
 367 
 
 Church; the two pence, the sacraments, etc. This controversy can 
 only be reconciled by making a distinction between the historical 
 exegesis, and the practical application of the instruction here given. 
 Viewing the parable from the point of view furnished by the first, 
 it is wholly inadmissible to say, that the Lord here intended to 
 depict Himself, as the Redeemer of man from sin and misery. No; 
 His aim was only to represent philanthropy exercising itself in 
 actual life. This was, and must be, regarded as the main point. 
 But when it is afterwards asked. In whom is the ideal of perfect 
 philanthropy realized? it is almost impossible to overlook, or bo 
 silent concerning, the image of the Saviour, here presented: what He, 
 the heavenly Samaritan, was to mankind, sick unto death, given up 
 by both priest and Levite, etc. The love of Christ is not only the 
 model of such an active love to our neighbour as is here requii’ed, 
 but also its most powerful motive. An excellent specimen of a 
 method of treating this parable, in which both its ethical and dog- 
 matical elements are equally considered, is given in A. Yinet’s lec- 
 ture, ^^Le Samaritain,” in his Nouveaux discours sur quelques sujets 
 religieux. This parable thus becomes, in some respects, a sublime 
 allegory of sin on the one hand, and of grace on the other. It is, 
 however, obvious, that we are not therefore at liberty to build up 
 doubtful doctrines upon its isolated details (e. g., Semi-Pelagianism, 
 upon the saying that the man lay half dead on the road), and that, 
 in our interpretation, we must keep to the leading features, without 
 pressing minor points too far. A certain spiritual tact will be a 
 better guide, in this matter, than any rules that could be laid down. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The way to eternal life, the supreme concern of this life. — J esus 
 the best guide on the road to eternal life. — A right question from 
 a wrong motive. — Necessary and unnecessary questions, in matters 
 of religion, and in the concerns of life. — The highest problems of 
 life solved by God’s word. — Not, What thinkest thou? but, How 
 readest thou? — To the law, and to the testimony, Isa. viii. 20. — The 
 demand of love to God : 1. The extent, 2. the justice, 3. the re- 
 ward of this demand. — He who should really fulfil God’s com- 
 mands, would inherit eternal life. — The hopeless effort to justify 
 om’selves before the Lord. — The question. Who is my neighbour ? 
 1. Its high importance ; 2. its single answer ; 3. its manifold applica- 
 tion. — A man plunged into misery by his fellow-men. — Are we not 
 in jeopardy every hour? 1 Cor. xv. 30. — The importance of seem- 
 
368 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 ingly accidental occurrences. — A priest witliout love. — The power 
 of selfishness is stronger, 1. than tlie voice of humanity, 2. than the 
 voice of nationality, 3. than the voice of religion. — There is more 
 evil, hut also more good, than we know. — The attentive look, the 
 compassionate heart, the helping hand, the willing foot, the open 
 purse. — The service of love: 1. Willingly undertaken ; 2. indefa- 
 tigably continued ; 3. never ended. — The debt of love, Rom. xiii. 8, 
 1. an immeasurable debt, 2. an inevitable debt, 3. a blessed debt. — 
 True love gives not only her goods, but herself. — Let us not love 
 in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed, and in truth, 1 John iii. 18. 
 — True love of our neighbour: 1. Its motive; 2. its characteristics 
 — viz., liberality, self-denial, kindness, perseverance ; 3. its reward. 
 — The Samaritan-mission of the Lord’s servants. — The good Sama- 
 ritan, a type of the Lord. IIow the Saviour of sinners still, 1. 
 encounters the same misery, 2. feels the same compassion, 3. fm- 
 nishes the same assistance, 4. requires the same disposition, as are 
 represented in this parable. — Who then is our neighbour? — Not 
 knowledge, but action, our Lord’s chief demand. — All who would 
 entangle J esus in Ilis talk, were sooner or later put to confusion, 
 like this lawyer. 
 
 Starche: As is the question, so is the answer. — Cramer : The law 
 is exceeding broad, and requires the whole heart. — Qiiesnel: Piety 
 consists, not in knowing, but in doing. — Nov. Bill. Tub. : IIow great 
 is the shame of priests, who pass by the poor ! — They who fulfil 
 spiritual functions without the Spirit, are barren, unfruitful trees, 
 Jude 12, 13. — True love will expose itself to much danger to mini- 
 ster to the necessity of the saints. — True mercy shines with so 
 bright a splendour, that it dazzles even the eyes of enemies. — Majus : 
 We must not be ashamed of imitating the good that is in those who 
 are mean and despised. — Lisho : Christian love to one’s neighbour 
 must be, 1. universal, and, 2. self-sacrificing. — The active compassion 
 of the members of the kingdom of God : 1. Its province ; 2. its na- 
 ture ; 3. its agency. — Heubner: hlen do not so much fail in the know- 
 ledge of their duty, as in the will to perform it. — How seldom does 
 being occupied about holy things make the heart holy ! — IIow often 
 is the priesthood degraded ! — IIow often are the professors of a true 
 religion surpassed by the professors of false religions ! — Love seeks to 
 engage others in those acts, for which her own power is insufficient. 
 
 Heubner: How Jesus demands true philanthropy, 1. by His 
 own example, 2. by his perfect teaching. — The peculiarity of 
 Christian love of one’s neighbour: 1. Its source; 2. its manifesta- 
 
CnAP. X. 38—42. 
 
 369 
 
 tion. — The two double eyes of the Christian: 1. The eye of faith, vers. 
 23, 24 ; 2. the eye of love, vers. 25-35. The Christian must not be 
 one-eyed. — Love, the true evidence of faith. — Palmer : How love 
 restores what sin has ruined. — Fuchs : He whom the Lord esteems 
 blessed, is indeed blessed. — Schultz: How we may become partakers 
 of eternal life, even in this world : 1. When we see what Christ re- 
 veals, vers. 23, 24 ; 2. when we live as Christ requires, vers. 25-35 ; 
 
 3. when we do what Christ commands, vers. 36, 37. — CL Harms: 
 Love is the fulfilling of the law. 1. Happy he who is a Samaritan ; 
 2. happy he who meets with one. — V. Harless : Samaritan-like love : 
 1. Upon whom it is bestow'ed; 2. how it is shown; 3. whence it 
 arises. — Florey : The glory of true love ; 1. It asks no questions, 
 vers. 25-29; 2. it does not hesitate, ver. 33; 3. it is not afraid; 
 
 4. it does not delay, ver. 34 ; 5. it makes willing sacrifices, and leaves 
 nothing unfinished, ver. 35. — F, Arndt : Love, active and helpful. 
 — Burk : How we can do nothing rightly without the Lord Jesus. 
 This subject is also well suited for missionary sermons. 
 
 2. Mary and Martha. (Yeks. 38—42.) 
 
 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village : 
 and a certain woman, named Martha, received Him into her house. 39 And 
 she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word. 
 40 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 she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, 
 Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things ; 42 But one thing is 
 needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away 
 from her. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Nolo it came to pass . — The general expression with which 
 this occurrence opens, gives us as little reason for maintaining that 
 it took place immediately after the conversation with the lawyer, 
 as for concluding that it did not happen till some time after. At 
 all events, it is quite evident that Luke is not here relating events 
 in their strict chronological sequence. 
 
 2. Into a certain village . — If we accept the notion, that all the 
 circumstances recorded by Luke, from ch. ix. 51 to ch. xviii. 27 
 occurred dmlng one, and that the last, journey to Jerusalem, it is 
 certainly questionable whether the KcofiT) here mentioned could have 
 been Bethany ; and we are rather led to suppose that Luke is here 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 24 
 
370 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 speaking of one of tlie villages of Galilee (Meyer). But we can 
 see no obstacle to the view, that the historical materials composing 
 this narrative of Christ’s journey to Jerusalem may be divided among 
 two, or even three, journeys to feasts ; thus allowing the present one 
 to terminate with the approaching Feast of Tabernacles : John vii. 
 And if so, we can easily imagine that the Lord had already passed 
 the boundary between Judea and Samaria, and spent a day at 
 Bethany before lie went up to the feast, o)? iv KpvTrrwy John vii. 
 10. In this case, the locality of Luke’s incident is the same as that 
 of the eleventh chapter of John ; while it is obvious that the gra- 
 phic narrative of the text is an indirect and psychological, but at 
 the same time powerful, evidence for the truth of the event recorded 
 by John. This proof is by no means weakened by the fact, that 
 Luke does not so much as mention Lazarus (Strauss) ; for, in de- 
 scribing the difference between the sisters, there was not the slight- 
 est occasion for speaking of the brother. It is remarkable how 
 entuely the characters of Martha and Mary, as depicted by Luke, 
 coincide with what is related of them by John; while it is by no 
 means proved, that Lazarus lived in the same house with them. 
 On the locality of Bethany itself, see Winer in voce, 
 
 3. Into her house. — The cares of housekeeping seem to have 
 devolved on Martha, as the elder of the sisters ; while it is quite 
 unproved that she was a widow (Grotius), or had been formerly 
 married to Simon the leper (Paulus). Luke does not say that this 
 was the first visit of Jesus to this family, nor that he is describing 
 the commencement of Ilis acquaintance with these sisters : so active 
 an hostess, so sympathizing a friend, as Martha, would certainly 
 receive Him as gladly when His arrival had lost the charm of 
 novelty. With hearty zeal is the best which her house and board 
 can afford, prepared to do honour to so welcome a guest. Martha 
 does not know how to show hospitality enough : she wants to give 
 the repast a festive appearance; but she needs assistance, — is it any 
 marvel that she should be vexed with Mary’s inactivity I 
 
 4. Mary . ... at Jesus feet. — Not while He was at table 
 (Paulus, V. Ammon), for the repast was as yet in preparation ; but as 
 a learner at the feet of a master, as Paul afterwards is said to have 
 sat at the feet of Gamaliel. In John xi. 20, Mary is also depicted 
 as sitting, in contrast with the restless and busy Martha. 
 
 5. Lord, dost Thou not care. — The unfairness of Martha’s con- 
 duct consists chiefly in her wishing to enlist the Lord on her side, 
 
 • in her strife with her sister. — Hath left me to serve alone, KarekiTrev. 
 
CHAP. X. 38-42. 
 
 371 
 
 Mary had been probably lending her assistance to Martha in her 
 household cares, until the Lord’s arrival ; but perceiving that she 
 could now use this precious opportunity more profitably, she had 
 left her sister. Martha desires that the Lord should send her back 
 to the post which she had left too soon, as she can dispense with 
 her assistance no longer. 
 
 6. Martha^ Martha . — “ This repetition of her name is not to be 
 taken as spoken in the tone of serious admonition, but with the half- 
 sportive manner of friendly intimacy.” Nevertheless, the double 
 mention of her name — as afterwards, Simon, Simon, Saul, Saul — 
 conveys somewhat of gentle concern, not so much at the actions, as 
 at the temper and sentiments, of Martha . — About many things. It 
 is entirely unnecessary to insert any word here, with reference to 
 the food or the repast. 
 
 7. One thing is needful, ev6<; Se ean %/oeta. — The various explana- 
 tions of this saying could not have so widely differed if the question 
 were first decidedly asked. Needful — for what ? According to the 
 context, the answer can only be, F or the right reception of the 
 Lord; for this was what Martha was so very solicitous about; 
 while it was anything but a matter of indifference to Mary, how- 
 ever little she might seem to be occupying herself with it. But for 
 this, says the Lord, not many things, but one thing is needful. All 
 interpretations must be rejected which would understand by erd? 
 only one dish, or anything else than what the Lord Himself, a mo- 
 ment after, calls, Kar e^oyfjv, the good part. The ev is plainly 
 equivalent to rj dyaOrj fjLepl^. And what then is that one thing 
 needful to the right reception of the Lord ? The disposition which 
 Mary was at that moment exhibiting, sitting at the feet of Jesus, 
 a susceptibility for hearing and keeping the words of eternal life. 
 When Jesus comes. He comes to give ; and wherever there is faith 
 to receive the salvation He bestows. He is entertained in the man- 
 ner which He desires. The Lord does not say, that Martha is en- 
 tirely wanting in this disposition; she also was a disciple and a 
 friend ; but He gives her to understand that she may be in danger 
 of losing it, amidst the cares and turmoil of life. With these He 
 contrasts Mary’s privilege, which shall not be taken away from her. 
 Her sister must not call it in question ; and if she continue in the 
 same mind as at present, her good part shall also be an unchange- 
 able one. “ By which is not equivalent to the following 
 words are designated as essentially belonging to the cuyaOrj fjLepk, 
 quippe queer Meyer. 
 
372 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 8. It is certainly taking an eccentric view of this narrative, to 
 see in it a special contrast between Judaic and Pauline Chris- 
 tianity ; both of which are said to be here figuratively represented, 
 and the latter commended, by Jesus. If this short account had 
 been composed for such a purpose, the Lord would certainly have 
 bestowed a much more severe reproof upon Martha. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1 . It is as incorrect, as superficial, to regard Martha as the tjrpe 
 of a worldly-minded, and Mary as the type of a heavenly-minded 
 woman. Hence also, it is erroneous to understand by the one 
 thing needful, a general care for eternal things ; as if this were 
 found in Mary only, and entirely neglected by Martha. Both, it 
 must always be remembered, were friends and disciples of Christ, 
 whose hearty desire it was to receive Him to the best of their 
 ability ; but each has her own idea of the way and manner in which 
 this may best be effected. It is Martha’s opinion, that the Lord 
 should be welcomed with an elaborate entertainment, Mary is 
 anxious to listen to His words ; Martha’s ruling desire is to bestow 
 much, Mary feels the need of receiving much. In one character 
 the productive, in the other the receptive, is the chief element. 
 Martha is the Peter, Mary the John, among the female disciples. 
 Each has her special vocation, each her proper gift. Martha is not 
 to be blamed for desiring to show her love by an elaborate enter- 
 tainment ; if only she takes care that higher duties are not neglected. 
 Her error consists rather in her desire to compel Mary to follow 
 her example, instead of recognising that her sister is, in a certain 
 view, in the right, and even in the enjoyment of a still higher 
 privilege ; for, with all Martha’s affection for the Lord, she is 
 wanting in the quiet clearness of mind that could alone render her 
 capable of that inward and enduring communion with Jesus, which 
 till now has been the inestimable portion of Mary only. 
 
 2. Martha is not the type of a lover of the world, but of that 
 numerous class of Christians who will w^ork untiringly in the 
 cause of Christ and of their own salvation, but neglect the personal 
 possession and enjoyment of Christ, for His own sake. Mary, on 
 the contrary, presents us with a living image of those happy souls 
 who find in the peace which Jesus bestows, not only a motive for 
 activity, but also their supreme enjoyment. The heart of the 
 former is often like a sea too much agitated by storms, to reflect 
 plainly the image of the sun ; while in that of the latter, the light 
 
CHAP. X. 38-42. 
 
 373 
 
 of heaven is reflected as upon the clear mirror of the tranquil 
 waters. Tersteegen’s remark applies here : We are not always to 
 be seeldng God, we must sometimes have found Him. lie who is 
 seeking, works actively; he who has found, enjoys quietly.” The 
 first character predominates in the Koman Catholic Church, the 
 second in the Evangelical. The ^Martha-character, carried to excess, 
 degenerates into proud self-righteousness ; the Mary-character, on 
 the contrary, into inactive quietism. When hallowed by faith, how- 
 ever, each has its peculiar excellence ; and though the latter stands 
 higher, both are valuable in the kingdom of God, and may flourish 
 side by side, without the individuality of the one being lost in that 
 of the other. The more closely the active hand of Martha is united 
 ■with the quiet and meditative heart of Mary, the nearer does the 
 disciple approach to the ideal of Christian life. 
 
 3. It would have been somewhat narrow-minded, if Maiy had 
 looked upon the work of Martha as absolutely beneath her. The 
 qualities of these opposite characters, activity and passiveness, atten- 
 tion to the external and the internal, the practical and contempla- 
 tive dispositions, spontaneity and receptivity, love and faith, untmng 
 activity and unshaken tranquillity, can only be found perfectly 
 united in the perfect Son of man. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Jesus the best family friend; 1. He enhances the pleasures, 
 
 2. lightens the cares, 3. hallows the duties, 4. strengthens the 
 union, 5. and promotes the highest ends of domestic life. — The 
 right reception of the Lord. — The true service of the Lord con- 
 sists in letting oneself be served by Him. — Mary and Martha types 
 of two different phases of Christian life. — Great variety of cha- 
 racter combined -with unity of principle and effort . — Non multa sed 
 multum . — Much is not enough, but enough is much. — How sad it 
 is when Christians complain of each other, instead of being helpers 
 of each others’ joy. — How the Lord, 1. patiently listens to the 
 complaints of His people, 2. seriously answers them, 3. makes use 
 of them for their improvement. — One thing is needful, 1. in order 
 rightly to use the time of life, 2. rightly to taste the joys of life, 
 
 3. rightly to bear the burdens of life, 4. rightly to expect the end 
 of life. — The good part, 1. cannot, 2. must not, 3. shall not, be 
 taken a'way. — Jesus, the defender of His friends, when they are 
 misunderstood. 
 
 Starcke. — J. Hall: Christ esteems the female sex also, and is 
 
374 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 willing to enter the house of their hearts if they will only receive 
 Him. — Happy the family where all the members unite to receive 
 the Lord Christ. — Christians must be hospitable, Heb. xiii. 2. — 
 ]\[ajus : A soul, desirous of the knowledge of heavenly truth, must 
 be humble, and must rest from worldly cares. — Langii Op. : If our 
 manner of life entails much distraction, we have the more reason to 
 collect ourselves in a Sahhatismum sacrum, for secret communion 
 with God. 
 
 Heubner: Two different kinds of love to Jesus, — one more 
 natural, and more holy. — The advantage of the vita contemplativa 
 over the activa. — How many learned and subtle theologians are, like 
 IMartha, careful and troubled about trifles, wdiile that which is im- 
 portant escapes their notice ! — Theremin: The family whom Jesus 
 loved (Sermons, 1823, iii., pp. 131-148). Osiander in the Zeugn. 
 evang. AY ahrh. i., p. 386. — Schmidt: One thing is needful. 1. AYhat 
 are the many things, about which men are vainly careful and 
 troubled; 2. wdiat is the one thing needful, and how everything 
 depends upon it. — J. Muller: The true proportion between the 
 pursuit of heavenly good and our earthly emplojnuents. (A homily 
 in the Predigtsamml. das christl. Lebens. Breslau 1847.) — Arndt : 
 Jesus an unequalled family friend: 1. Because He makes Himself 
 happy in the family circle ; 2. because He makes them happy. — 
 Geroli : The good part chosen by the Evangelical Church. — Com- 
 pare also the hymn, Eins ist Noth, ach Herr, dies Eine, etc., and 
 the paper by F. AY. Krummacher on Mary and Martha, in Piper’s 
 evang. Kalendar, 1851, p. 74, etc. 
 
 3. Lord, teach us to pray (chap. xi. 1-13). (Partly parallel to Matt, 
 vi. 9-13, vii. 7-11.) 
 
 1 And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He 
 ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also 
 taught his disciples. 2 And He said unto them. When ye pray, say. Our Father 
 which art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will 
 be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3. Give us day by day our daily bread. 
 4 And forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. 
 And lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil. 5 And He said unto 
 them, AVhich of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and 
 say unto him. Friend, lend me three loaves ; 6 For a friend of mine in his 
 journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him ? 7 And he from 
 
 within shall answer and say. Trouble me not : the door is now shut, and my 
 children are with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, 
 
CHAP. XL 1—13. 
 
 375 
 
 Thougli 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. 9 And I 
 say unto you. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
 and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh, receiveth ; and 
 he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 11 If a 
 son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or 
 if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an 
 egg, will he offer him a scorpion ? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give 
 
 good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give 
 the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him ? 
 
 CKITICAL NOTES. 
 
 In a certain place . — The place is not pointed out by Luke; 
 but, if we might venture a conjecture, it seems probable that this 
 lesson of prayer was given in the same place as the preceding lesson 
 of faith, namely, in Bethany. Since Luke places this account im- 
 mediately after the domestic scene with Martha and Mary, and we 
 know from other places that the Lord was accustomed to pray on 
 the mountain-tops, we are almost inevitably directed to the Mount 
 of Olives, the subsequent scene of His agony and ascension (comp, 
 ch. xxi. 37). That the historical trait (Luke xi. 1) was invented by 
 the Evangelists, to give a fitting opportunity for introducing the 
 Lord’s Prayer (Strauss), is a conjecture quite incapable of proof. 
 We know, from other passages, that the Lord was frequently ac- 
 customed to retire for solitary prayer ; that J ohn really taught his 
 disciples to pray (Lake v. 33) ; and that some of these disciples, 
 who would well recollect this fact, had become the disciples of 
 J esus. 
 
 2. Our Father^ etc. — The first inquiry which meets us, is, whe- 
 ther the Lord gave this model of perfect prayer twice, or only once. 
 The latter seems to us, on internal grounds, the more probable ; and 
 hence we believe, that Luke, and not Matthew, has reported it in its 
 original historical connection. If the Lord had indeed previously, 
 in the Sermon on the Mount, prescribed the Lord’s Prayer to His 
 disciples, as the model for their prayer. He would surely not have 
 omitted to remind them of His previous instruction, in answering 
 their request, “ Lord, teach us to pray.” Besides, it seems less ap- 
 propriate that the Lord should have uttered this model of prayer, 
 for the first time, as part of a long discourse, and before thousands 
 of auditors, than that He should first have communicated it, on a 
 special occasion, to a little band of disciples, by whom it was after- 
 wards made generally known. The view (Stier, Tholuck), that the 
 
376 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 words wlilcli were first merely spoken in tlie Sermon on tlie Mount, 
 were afterwards prescribed as a model, is a subterfuge, and shows 
 perplexity. The words in Matthew, ovtco<; ovv TTpoaev^. vfjLel^f 
 surely express the same meaning as orav Trpoaev'^. Xeyerey k.t.X. — • 
 Matthew does not introduce the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on 
 the Mount because this was the occasion on which it was first spoken, 
 but because the preceding directions of the Lord, on secret prayer, 
 furnislied him with a fitting occasion for so doing. 
 
 3. Hallowed he .... lliy kingdom come. — See Lange on 
 Matt. vi. 9. 
 
 4. Ou7' daily bread. — ^Eiriovaio^ is that which is necessary for 
 
 our ovaiaj our existence, and therefore not daily bread ; which 
 idea is conveyed by the arjpbepov of Matthew, as also in the KaO' 
 rjpiipav of Luke. Tautologies should certainly not be taken for 
 granted in such a prayer ; the true sense being, bread sufficient for 
 the support of our life, suddens. Only a narrow spiritual- 
 
 ism could take offence at the fact that this prayer should contain at 
 least one petition for temporal necessities. Jesus was not furnish- 
 ing a model for angels, but for men ; and if the view of Stier and 
 others, that we are here to understand spiritual bread also, were 
 correct, we might doubt whether this limiting aT^puepov would have 
 been inserted. At all events, the Jews scarcely heard the bread 
 from heaven mentioned, than they immediately prayed, “ Evermore 
 give us this bread,” John vi. 34. — The directions in Matt. vi. 34 
 are applicable only to temporal, and not to spiritual matters ; and 
 this petition, even when exclusively used with reference to earthly 
 wants, contains a strildng allusion to the words. Matt. vi. 33. For 
 other views, see Lange on this passage. The reading ekOerca to 
 wyiov nrvevpLa aov i(j) koX KaOapiadioo, according to Gregory 
 
 Nyssen, instead of iXOEco rj J3aa. aov, seems to be merely a gloss, 
 originating from ver. 13. At all events, the external authority for 
 this reading is too unimportant to establish it as the genuine. 
 
 5. For ice also forgive. — In Matthew, ct) 9 . In neither case is the 
 willingness of the suppliant to forgive the reason for which God 
 should grant forgiveness to him ; but rather a subjective condition, 
 'without which he would not have felt at liberty to pray for the 
 pardon of his own sins. 
 
 6. Lead us not into temptation. — As the prayer for daily bread 
 raises us above care for the present, and the prayer for pardon 
 should make us easy concerning the past, so does the prayer against 
 temptation furnish us with a weapon for the future. The sense of 
 
CHAP. XL 1-13. 
 
 377 
 
 tins difficult expression is defined ex opposite by Matthew, aXka 
 pvorac, K.T.X. We pray, therefore, that God would not lead us into 
 such temptations as might cause us to fall before the power of the 
 evil one, from whom we pray to be delivered. God leads us into 
 such temptations, when He leaves us to the evil desires of our own 
 hearts (see, e. g., 2 Sam. xxiv. L). The ‘ temptation’ here spoken 
 of, is only a trial, increased by the guilt which had formerly been 
 confessed as a debt ; and the prayer, ^ Lead us not,’ is simply a 
 consequence of the petition for forgiveness. Let us not experience, 
 in intense temptations, the consequences of our guilt.” Lange. 
 
 With respect to this prayer in general, we are quite at liberty 
 to complete the less copious form of it, given by Luke, from Matthew. 
 It will then contain six, or more correctly seven, petitions ; in which 
 is expressed everything the believer can need for his Master’s glory, 
 and the promotion of his own temporal and eternal welfare. The 
 key-note of every strain that ascends from earth to heaven is heard 
 in it.” Stier. Without intending to prescribe a form to be always 
 repeated ad litteram, the Lord, nevertheless, so far accedes to the 
 request of His disciples, as to teach them how to pray, and what to 
 pray for. With the exception of one petition, the fifth. He ex- 
 presses all which He Himself, in the days of His flesh, could request 
 for Himself from the Father, and all that His disciples could ask, 
 in His name, according to His will. With respect to, 1. the con- 
 tents of this prayer, it teaches us, a. to pray for the supply of tem- 
 poral, as well as spiritual, necessities ; but, h. more for spiritual 
 than temporal, there being but one petition for daily bread, while 
 five are devoted to higher subjects ; c. that petitions for the glory 
 of God should precede those for the supply of our own wants : we 
 hear a threefold Thy, before the fourfold our. And with respect, 
 2. to the frame of mind befitting prayer, we are taught to pray, 
 a. with deep reverence, h. with childlike confidence, c. and in the 
 spmt of love for others. 
 
 With regard to the value of this model, the strange notion of 
 Herder, in his Exposition of the New Testament from Oriental 
 sources, that the Lord’s Prayer may have been derived from the 
 Zend-Avesta, has been tested by more recent research, and found 
 spurious; while the assertion also of Wetstein, tota hcec oratio ex 
 formulis Hehraicis conciunata est,” goes too far. To the fourth and 
 fifth petitions, especially, no parallels exist ; to the third and sixth, 
 only defective ones ; to the two first, a greater number, but none 
 of these verbal. Besides, it must not be overlooked, that with re- 
 
378 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 spcct to Jesus, the popular literature offered Him aught that 
 was true and noble, it did but work suggestively, that He might 
 develop its latent qualities, and reproduce even that which He first 
 received, renovated by His own creative power” (Olshausen). In 
 no case can this partial coincidence with others deprive this prayer 
 of its high value. Its peculiar excellence lies more in the tone and 
 spirit, in the arrangement and climax of the whole, than in its several 
 petitions ; and they who maintain that the Lord’s Prayer is hut a 
 collection of rabbinical expressions, might as reasonably assert, that 
 it would be possible to produce a living man from a due number 
 of separate arms, legs, and limbs. We rather recognise herein 
 the wisdom of the Lord, who taught His disciples no strains 
 which would be entirely strange to their unpractised lips ; while we 
 shall here seek in vain for any trace of a narrow Judaistic spirit. 
 It is so short, that it could not tire the most simple mind ; yet so 
 ample, that nothing is wholly forgotten : so simple in phraseology, 
 that even a child may understand it ; and yet so rich in matter, that 
 all the principal truths, promises, and duties, are here either presup- 
 posed, confirmed, or inculcated ; and that Tertullian rightly called 
 it a hreviarium totius EvangelUr Often as it has been abused, 
 especially by making it a mere fonn, and forgetting that it ex- 
 presses only the leading ideas which should prevail in the exercise 
 of prayer, it yet remains a mine of wealth for Christian faith, a 
 rule for Christian prayer, a support for Christian hope. On the 
 history and use of this prayer, compare Tholuck on the Sermon 
 on the Mount, p. 319 (Clark’s translation) ; on its value, Stier, 
 Words of the Lord Jesus i., p. 219 (Clark’s translation); Lange, 
 Lehen Jesii ii., pp. 609-618, and on Matthew, p. 24-5, etc. 
 
 7. Which of you^ etc. — A parable found only in Luke ; and so 
 slightly united to the preceding instructions, that it was probably 
 delivered at another time, and merely introduced here on account 
 of its matter. Its aim, like that of the unjust judge, is to encourage 
 perseverance in prayer (ch. xviii. 1-8). The imagery is taken en- 
 tirely from daily life, and gives fresh testimony to the Lord’s 
 penetrating observation of its customs and events. — Three loaves. 
 
 Unum pro hospite^ unum pro me^ unum supernumerarium^ honoris 
 causa. Mire popularis h. 1. est sermo Bengel. The request is 
 strikingly kinder in expression than the answer, which does not 
 begin with (^tXe, and plainly betrays ill-humour and annoyance. 
 
 8. Because of his importunity. — ^AvatSeia here, with direct re- 
 ference to prayer, signifies indefatigableness, perseverance carried 
 
CHAP. XI. 1—13. 
 
 379 
 
 to the highest point. God desires a faith which Is not ashamed 
 of perseverance, and which cherishes the highest hopes from it. 
 
 9. Ask, and it shall he given you. — A definite assurance of special 
 answers to prayer ; whence it appears, that prayer has not only a 
 subjective influence upon our comfort and tranquillity, but also ob- 
 jectively procures for us from God what He certainly would not 
 have granted us without. God is here represented, as He so fre- 
 quently is in the Old Testament, as a God who suffers Himself to 
 be entreated, and to be overcome by the efforts of believing prayer. 
 The inexorability of a stone, and the exorability of a free being, 
 are things that may be proved or denied by experience, which puts 
 an end to all philosophical objections, in spite of, or rather in im- 
 provement of, our (TocfiLa, yet certainly to the promotion of our 
 (f)LXo(TO(f>la (Pfenninger). On the climax in these words of the 
 Lord, see Lange on the parallel passage. 
 
 10. For every one that asketh, receiveth. — As the Lord had just 
 before required perseverance in prayer. He here speaks of the cer- 
 tainty of being heard ; and assures His disciples, that prayer can, in 
 no case, be made in vain ; and that the wish expressed will assuredly 
 be performed, if it relate to those good gifts here symbolized by the 
 bread, the fish, the egg. Should any one, however, in his folly, 
 pray for a stone, a serpent, or a scorpion, the Father would be no 
 father if He should grant such a request. 
 
 11. Or if he shall ask an egg. — This third example only occurs 
 in Luke, while the two preceding are in Matthew also, ch. vii. 9, 10. 
 From what friend would do, the Lord’s words rise to what may 
 be expected from a father; and from what an imperfect earthly 
 father would do, to what the perfect Father in heaven will grant. 
 
 12. If ye, being evil. — Not a comparison of morally corrupt 
 humanity with God (as Meyer says), but rather a reference to the 
 contrast between them. How could it be possible that the holy 
 God would not do what even sinful man would ? 
 
 13. The Holy Spirit,= dya6d in Matthew. A remarkable in- 
 terpretation, teaching us to consider the gift of the Holy Spirit as 
 inclusive of all the good gifts which our heavenly Father can be- 
 stow upon His children. 'O ef ovpavov, hcnaa , — a shortened form 
 for d 'jraTTjp iv ovpavw, Scocrec ovpavov. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. When we see our Lord praying in a solitary place at this 
 period of His life, we perceive in what a holy frame of mind He 
 
380 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 performed tlie latter part of Ills journey to tlie Feast of Tabernacles, 
 the scene of augmented conflict. Earth and its nakedness, vanish 
 for a moment from His praying eye ; heaven seems to linger in Ilis 
 words. The disciples silently observe Him, at a reverential distance. 
 What was more natural, than that the sight of their Master, engaged 
 in prayer, should awaken the disciples to a sense of their need of 
 being taught to pray ; and that they should take this wish to Him, 
 who as far surpassed J ohn as the Son surpasses the servant ? 
 
 2. The instruction in prayer given by the Lord, on this occasion, 
 answers the principal inquiries that can be made concerning private 
 communion with God. To the questions, how we are to pray, and 
 loliat we are to pray for, the Lord’s Prayer furnishes a satisfactory 
 answer. With reference to the no less natural inquiry, concerning 
 the grounds on which we may hope for acceptance, the Lord con- 
 fines Himself to a reference to the paternal feeling, even among 
 sinful men. The difficult inquiry, concerning the possibility and 
 conceivableness of special answers to prayer, may be best decided in 
 this court. F atalistic and rigorously absolute notions of the Divinity 
 make answers to prayer an impossibility, and can conceive no other 
 result from it than its psychological effect. But he who believes 
 in a living God, acting spontaneously, and forming and executing 
 His designs, not without, but with reference to, the prayers of man- 
 kind, will persevere in prayer, even though he may not be able to 
 explain every difficulty concerning the connection between the peti- 
 tion and its fulfilment. 
 
 3. The Lord’s Prayer is a short compendium of the principal 
 verities of the Christian faith, and of the highest requirements of 
 the Christian life. Theology here finds the idea of a personal, 
 living, freely-acting God, distinct from the creature, and yet stand- 
 ing in direct relation thereto. Anthropology obtains hence a repre- 
 sentation of man, as a dependent, sinful, easily-seducible being ; of 
 sin, as a debt incurred to God ; of man’s destination for union with 
 the kingdom of God. Pneumatology may appeal to the Lord’s 
 Prayer for the doctrine of angels, and of a personal evil spirit; 
 while the highest benefits which soteriology teaches us to hope for, 
 pardon and sanctification, are made duly prominent. It must be 
 conceded, that the specially Christian element is not as distinctly 
 enounced as might have been expected ; but, on the other hand, it 
 is obvious, that this prayer is intended for disciples, who know that 
 no man cometh to the Father but by the Son, and that they can ex- 
 pect to be heard only when they pray in His name, J ohn xvi. 24. 
 
CHAP. XI. 1-13. 
 
 381 
 
 Finally, the chief duties of the Christian life, whether considered 
 in themselves or with respect to our Father in heaven, and our 
 brethren on earth, may also be deduced from this prayer. 
 
 4. The perseverance in prayer wFich our Lord inculcates on 
 this occasion, must be distinguished from the prayer without ceas- 
 ing of which St Paul speaks, 1 Thess. v. 17. The latter is the con- 
 tinuous living and breathing of the soul, in communion with God, 
 even when it has nothing definite to ask ; the former, on the con- 
 trary, is persevering prayer for the same thing, when we do not 
 immediately receive it, but hope that God will grant it in His own 
 time and manner. Compare Luke xviii. 1-8. 
 
 5. Although our Lord, in the well-known words, ye being evil, is 
 not comparing His hearers to Himself, but to the pure and holy 
 Father, it is nevertheless true, that by saying vyuehy and not jjyae?? 
 TTovrjpolj He bears unambiguous, though indirect, testimony to His 
 own dvafiapT7]aLa. No teacher could have spoken of his hearers 
 as evil, to the exclusion of himself, without laying himself open to 
 the charge of presumption, unless he had himself been sinless. 
 
 6. The Lord, by summing up, at the conclusion of His instruc- 
 tions, all that God gives in answer to prayer in the single expres- 
 sion, TTvevpba dycovj gives us to understand to what prayers we may 
 expect unconditional, and to what conditional, answers. Prayer for 
 spiritual gifts is always heard ; desires for temporal blessings, only 
 when we ask for bread, and not for a stone, — for a fish, and not 
 for a serpent, etc. 
 
 7. Wherever there is a Christian, there is properly the Holy 
 Ghost, who does nothing but pray continually. For, though he 
 does not continually open his mouth or utter words, yet his heart, 
 like the pulse and heart of his body, is unceasingly beating in 
 sighs ; so that one can no more find a Christian without prayer, 
 than a living man without a pulse, which never rests, but beats con- 
 tinually of itself, even when the man is asleep.” (Luther.) 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The private prayer of Christ. — ^^Lord, teach us to pray:” 
 1. The disciple of Christ must pray ; 2. must learn to pray ; 3. must 
 learn to pray from Jesus; 4. must go to Jesus with the request. 
 Lord, teach us to pray.” — How the Lord teaches His disciples to 
 pray : 1. By His word ; 2. by His example ; 3. by His Spirit ; 4. by 
 His ways and dealings with them. — The desire of learning to pray, 
 well pleasing to the Lord. It is, 1. a good sign of spiritual life. 
 
382 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 2. a means of spiritual growth. — God, our Father in heaven : 1. A 
 Father ; 2. a heavenly Father ; 3. our heavenly Father. These three 
 words a lesson of faith, hope, and charity. — Hallowed be Thy name : 
 
 1. The first petition, 2. the favourite petition, 3. the last petition 
 of the Lord’s disciples. It will be uttered in heaven, even when 
 the kingdom is come, and sin forgiven, etc. — Thy kingdom come : 
 
 1. Whither ? In the heart, the home, the Church, the world. 
 
 2. Why^ Because, till it comes, the name of the Father will not 
 be fully glorified, the purpose of the Son not fully attained, the 
 communion of the Holy Spirit not perfected. 3. How must we 
 pray for it % With gratitude, with zeal, with stedfast hope. — Give us 
 this day our daily bread. Each word a lesson : 1. Give, a lesson of 
 dependence; 2. hreadj a lesson of contentment; 3. our hread^ a 
 lesson of industry ; 4. to-day^ a lesson of taking no thought for the 
 morrow ; 5. daily bread, panis sufflciens, a lesson of trust ; 6. give 
 usj a lesson of love. — The remarkable relation in which this part 
 of the Lord’s Prayer stands to the whole. 1. The Lord certainly 
 teaches us to pray also for daily bread ; but, 2. there are six peti- 
 tions for spiritual blessings, to one for temporal. Matt. vi. 33 ; 
 
 3. this one petition is preceded by three petitions for God’s glory ; 
 and, 4. immediately followed by three for far higher blessings. All 
 this is highly significant and instructive. — F orgive us our sins ; 
 
 1. Even the true disciples of Christ sin continually ; 2. these sins 
 are debts in God’s sight ; 3. there is daily forgiveness prepared 
 for these daily sins ; 4. this forgiveness will only be extended to 
 us, if we, on our side, are ready to forgive others. — For we also 
 forgive. This is, 1. not the ground of our hope, 2. not the motive 
 of om’ prayer, 3. not an indication of the measure in which we hope 
 to be forgiven ; but a sign, 1. of humility, conscious of its own guilt ; 
 
 2. of love, in whose lips Forgive \is is more than an empty sound ; 
 
 3. of sincerity before God, which cannot reckon strictly with a 
 brother, as conscious that God has forgiven so infinitely more. Matt, 
 xviii. 23-35. — Lead us not into temptation. 1. God’s way is often 
 so dark ; 2. the temptation is so great ; 3. our heart is so weak ; 4. the 
 consequences of repeated falls so sad. — The Lord’s Prayer, 1. a 
 prayer for the closet, 2. a prayer for the church. — Prayer the pulse 
 of the spiritual life. — Our heavenly Father gives more in answer to 
 prayer, than the best of earthly friends. — The boldness of faith : 
 1. How difficult it is to attain ; 2. how richly it is rewarded. — True 
 perseverance in prayer. — The certainty of answers to prayer: 1. Its 
 limits ; the request must be fitting, the prayer believing, the will in 
 
CHAP. XI. 1—13. 
 
 383 
 
 union -witli God’s will. 2. Its reasons : the attributes of God, the 
 promises of God, the acts of God, history, and experience. — The 
 (piestion. Are there special answers to prayer ? answered successively, 
 
 1. by the No of doubt, 2. the Yes of faith, 3. the Hallelujah of gra- 
 titude. — How often, in our short-sightedness, do we ask for stones 
 instead of bread, for serpents instead of fish, etc. ! — The Lord’s 
 words, I say unto you,” a sufficient answer to all the objections and 
 doubts of a darkened understanding. — The value of prayer for the 
 Holy Spirit : The Holy Spirit, 1. the first need of the Christian, 
 
 2. the highest gift of the Father; 3. the indwelling of the Holy 
 Spirit, the result of believing prayer. 
 
 StarcJce : In the ministerial office, there is a time to preach, but 
 also a time to pray. — One live coal kindles another. — Brentius : To 
 pray the Lord’s Prayer, in a believing spirit, is a gi’eat and impor- 
 tant matter, needing the spirit of adoption, Rom. viii. 16. — Nova 
 Bihl. Tub. : God is much kinder to His friends, than men are to 
 theirs. — If God were instantaneously to grant om’ requests, we 
 should suffer this loss, that there would be no opportunity for the 
 exercise of faith, love, and hope. — Osiander : If God is silent when 
 thou prayest, go on boldly, bravely, and joyfully. He will soon 
 answer. Thy faith hath saved thee. — Canstein : Parents ought to 
 care for the bodily wants of their children, and to succour them 
 according to their ability. 
 
 To the sermons on the Lord’s Prayer, mentioned by Lange, on 
 the Gospel of Matthew, may be added — Eleven Sermons by Cl. 
 Harms, Kiel 1838 ; sermons by Jahn, Zimmermann, etc. ; four ser- 
 mons by Tholuck, in the 2d vol. of his Sermons, — also. How one 
 ought to pray the Lord’s Prayer in these days, in his Zeitpredigten 
 1848, ii., p. 14. — On the parable — Lisho : On the persevering inter- 
 cession of distressed members of God’s kingdom : 1. Its reason ; 
 2. its occasion; 3. its power. — Christian boldness in prayer. — 
 Arndt: On the communion of a Christian with God: 1. That we 
 ought to pray ; 2. what we have to pray for ; 3. what must be the 
 nature of our prayer. — The Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer of all 
 Christians. — W. Hof acker : On prayer, as the pulse of the spiritual 
 hfe (Sermons, pp. 401-412). 
 
384 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 D. The Son of Man dealing with Sanctimonious Enemies, and 
 Weak Believers. (Chap. xi. 14-chap. xii. 59.) 
 
 1. The Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of Christ (CHAP. xi. 14-28). 
 (Parallel passages : Matt. xii. 22-30, 43-45 ; Mark iii. 22-30.) 
 
 14 And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, 
 when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake ; and the peof)le wondered. 15 
 But some of them said. He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of 
 the devils. 16 And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven. 
 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them. Every kingdom divided 
 against itself is brought to desolation ; and a house divided against a house 
 falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom 
 stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 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 goods are in peace : 22 But when a stronger than 
 he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour 
 wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is not with Me is 
 against Me ; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth. 24 When the un- 
 clean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest ; 
 and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 
 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 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, a certain woman of the com- 
 pany lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare 
 Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked. 28 But He said. Yea, rather 
 blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And He was casting out. — This miracle is not parallel with 
 Matt. ix. 32-34 (Neander, Tischendorf, Synops.), but with Matt, 
 xii. 22, etc. The devil cast out upon this occasion, was, according 
 to St Matthew’s more exact report, blind also. This sufferer must 
 be distingiaished from an ordinary patient, deprived of sight and 
 hearing from some organic disease or deficiency. He is by no 
 means called a demoniac because he was blind and deaf ; but was 
 blind and deaf, because he was in a very high degree demoniac. 
 
 He was dumb through physical infiuence. Of course, this effect 
 was produced by means of some kind of delusion : this delusion, 
 however, must not be regarded as merely imaginary, but as a con- 
 sequence of the real agency of the powers of darkness. Their con- 
 quest, by the power of the Redeemer, restores the right balance 
 
CHAP. XI. 14—28. 
 
 385 
 
 between the physical and psychical powers of the sufferer.” 01- 
 shausen. 
 
 2. And the people wondered . — According to the parallel passage 
 in IMatthew, they were just upon the point of acknowledging Jesus 
 as the Messiah. It was this enthusiasm wdiich excited the reaction 
 manifested by the Pharisees, who now declared Him to be, not the 
 chosen one of God, but an instrument of Satan. TJhi ad extremum 
 ccecitatis venit impietaSj nullum est tarn manifestum Dei opus, quod 
 non pervertatr Calvin. 
 
 3. Through Beelzebul . — The word Beelzebub properly means, 
 the fly-god, 2 Kings i. 2, 3, 16; Beelzebul means, the god of a 
 dunghill. See Lightfoot on this passage. It cannot be proved 
 that any other is here meant than he who is elsewhere called Satan, 
 the chief of the fallen angels. Beelzebul is nowhere else used, in 
 the Gospels, as the name of the de\dl. Beelzebul, and not Beelze- 
 bub, seems the correct reading. 
 
 3. K.al oIko^ eVt oIkov iriirreL . — A graphic representation of the 
 desolation of a town divided against itself, in which one falling house 
 necessarily involves another in its fatal ruin. It is as arbitrary to 
 take oIko^ in the sense of family (Bornemann), as to understand 
 merely the fall of a di\dded house e^’ eavrov (Paulus, Kuinoel, De 
 Wette). 
 
 5. If Satan also . — The Lord places Himself entirely upon the 
 standing-point of His opponents. If He really did cast out deHls 
 through the prince of the devils, it would follow, that Satan was at 
 present employed in destroying his own w'ork. Every kingdom, 
 every town, eveiy family, constitutes an undivided whole : as soon 
 as it violates this unity, it is undermining, vdth its own hand, the 
 foundations of its independent existence. The kingdom of dark- 
 ness was also a wdiole, in opposition to the kingdom of truth and 
 light. It would not therefore be possible for Satan to cast out evil 
 spirits, without damaging his own interests. Perhaps the Pharisees 
 might have replied, that Satan might be willing to incur the less 
 damage of driving out one of his satellites, for the sake of attaining 
 some higher advantage; as Caiaphas was willing that one man 
 should die, that the whole nation might not perish (John xi. 48). 
 As, however, they here betray no acquaintance with these higher 
 tactics of the kingdom of darkness, it was unnecessary for the Lord 
 either to obviate or anticipate this objection. On the whole of this 
 answer to the blasphemy of the Pharisees, compare Neander on 
 this passage. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 
 
 25 
 
386 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 6. Ihj ichom do your sons cast them out ? — The Lord here adds 
 to the aryumcntum ex ahsurdo, a proof e concessis. By the sons of 
 tlie Pharisees, we can understand none other tlian their spiritual 
 sons — tlieir disciples, tlie exorcists. Comp. Acts xix. 13. For want 
 of sufficient information, it is difficult to come to a perfectly fair 
 decision, respecting tliis casting out of devils by the disciples of the 
 Pharisees. Undoubtedly, much deception was employed, and many 
 a pretended cure found to be but apparent and temporaiy ; though 
 they must often have succeeded, by adjuration in the name of the 
 Lord, in dispelling a state of possession, which would yield to no 
 other means. See the imj^ortant passages cited by Grotius, in com- 
 mentiug on this passage, from Irenaeus and Tertullian. And why 
 should not some individuals, among the better-minded of the Phari- 
 sees, have performed such an act in faith, and by the Spirit of God, 
 and have seen their weak efforts crowned with success ? 
 
 7. With the finger ofi God. — According to Matthew, iv Trvevfi. 
 Seov: comp. Exod. viii. 19. 
 
 8. When a sty^ong man . — The Lord now passes on to a third coun- 
 ter proof, and, this time, of an entirely empirical nature. He shows, 
 first, in what light He looks upon the prince of this world, whom 
 the Pharisees had here so inaptly mentioned, and to contend with 
 whom, they esteemed a comparatively unimportant matter. He was 
 a strong man, well armed, relying on his munitions of war and his 
 strong fortress. He who would surprise, bind, and plunder such a 
 one, must be stronger than he, and not under, but above him. How 
 could the conqueror be in peaceful and friendly relations with the 
 conquered ; and how was it possible to conquer the strong man, but 
 ev SaKTvXq) Qeov'^. Comp. Isa. xlix. 24, 25. Bengel justly remarks : 
 Gloriosior victoria Christie postquam vicit Satanam^ tot scecidis gras- 
 satum et confisum. If we feel obliged to make special application of 
 the several features of the parable, we may see, with Stier, in the 
 strong man’s castle, the world; in his crKevr], mankind, whom, after 
 having stolen, he uses as his instnunents ; and in the binding, a 
 hidden reference to Christ’s death, and descent into hell. But it is 
 perhaps safer to attend simply to the tertium comparationis., and to 
 hx our mind upon the principal idea — the strong man can only be 
 conquered by a stronger. 
 
 9. He that is not with Me, etc. — On the connection of these words 
 with a seemingly contradictory sentence, see above on Luke ix. 50. 
 The discourse proceeds regularly. After the threefold refutation 
 of the blasphemers, there now follows a word of serious warning. 
 
CHAP. XI. 14-28. 
 
 387 
 
 It is especially addressed to those who, struck on the one hand ^^dth 
 astonishment at the miracle, and perplexed on the other by the blas- 
 phemy of the Pharisees, knew not what to think of Jesus, and were 
 secretly inclined, at lea'st for the present, to remain neutral. He 
 giv^es them to understand, that, in so violent a strife of opposing 
 principles, neutrality was impossible, and was, indeed, no better 
 than open enmity. It was not sufficient to dissent from the blas- 
 phemy of the Pharisees ; a decided part must be taken ; the so-called 
 juste milieu between friendship and enmity could no longer be pre- 
 sented ; indifference was, indeed, injury. How much more hlame- 
 ahle, then, were they, who now openly opposed Him! It is to them 
 that the following parable applies. 
 
 10. When the unclean spirit . — St Luke gives this parable before, 
 and St Matthew after, the discourse of Jesus concerning the sign 
 of the prophet Jonah. Comp. Matt. xii. 43-45. Probably the 
 latter is the original order. St Luke, on the contrary, is again 
 guided by similarity of matter ; and reports this parable, in its pre- 
 sent connection, as belonging to the department of demonology, to 
 which also the preceding accusation and defence equally relate. 
 It is, perhaps, for this reason that he omits the words, Even so 
 shall it be also unto this wicked generation,” with which, in Mat- 
 thew, our Lord’s discourse concludes. — The meaning and applica- 
 tion of this parable are not difficult. It was not He who was pos- 
 sessed, or in league with Beelzebub, as His enemies blasphemously 
 asserted ; but it was Israel, who, under the guidance of blind lead- 
 ers, was the great demoniac. An unclean spirit had been cast out 
 after the Babylonian captivity, the unclean spirit of idolatry. It was, 
 however, by no means the case, that the unhappy nation was any the 
 better off : an infectious Pharisaism, like a sevenfold worse scourge, 
 had taken the place of the former spirit. And no wonder! for 
 the spirit found his former abode empty, cr^oXa^ovra (^latthew), — 
 forsaken indeed by himself, but not yet inhabited by the better, 
 even the Holy Spirit. He found there sufficient space for his re- 
 turn ; the house ready prepared for him — adorned, as it were, for 
 his reception — by its reigning lord, the father of lies. He now took 
 with him seven other spirits, worse than himself : i. e., not morally 
 worse, — for Scripture does not teach us to recognise degrees of dia- 
 bolical guilt, — but worse, inasmuch as they can effect more mis- 
 chief than he can. With these he took possession of his former 
 dwelling ; so that the temporary release of the poor demoniac was 
 followed by a sevenfold greater evil. ^^Reperit domum vacantem: 
 
388 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 eos procul duhio dcsignat Christus, qui vacui Dei spiritu ad recipien- 
 dum diaholum parati sunt, nam fideles in quihus solide habitat Spiritus 
 Dei, undique muniti sunt, ne qua rima SatancB patent^ Calvin. 
 
 It is evident tliat tin's representation was very applicable to 
 the Pharisees, and that it was strikingly fulfilled in the continually 
 deeper fall of the whole nation. At the same time, we must not 
 overlook the fact, that a, very significant hint was given by it to the 
 newly-healed patient (ver. 14). It was eminently calculated to re- 
 mind him, that it was not enough to be released, for the present 
 moment, from the evil spirit, unless he were secured from all future 
 demoniacal influence by a true union of heart with the Lord : in- 
 deed, this description of a man, who, after being temporarily 
 cleansed from sin, gives himself up anew to its service, and now 
 sinks deeper than before, was full of instruction for the whole 
 circle of His auditors. Undoubtedly this parable awakened an echo 
 in many consciences, though the only trace of the effect it created 
 is the enthusiasm excited in one of His female hearers, and re- 
 ported by Luke alone. 
 
 11. A certain ivoman of the company . — It is evident, from the 
 natui'e of her exclamation, that she was a mother. (Tradition 
 declares her to have been Marcella, a servant of Mary and Martha.) 
 That her enthusiasm should have been excited by so severe a speech, 
 is by no means incomprehensible (Strauss), as her admiration was 
 undoubtedly bestowed more on the manner, than on the matter, of 
 the Lord’s words. “ The whole anecdote bears marks of a fresh and 
 lively remembrance, which seems to have inserted it at the time and 
 place of its occurrence” (Schleiermacher). This unnamed woman 
 had been listening to the words of the Lord, as only a mother 
 could listen, who, being perhaps childless, or even unhappy in her 
 children, was quietly envying Mary. Her words form a striking 
 contrast to those, which the Lord Himself utters on His way to 
 crucifixion, to the daughters of Jerusalem, Luke xxiii. 28, 29. 
 He did not contradict the sentiment she expressed, but corrected it 
 (fxevovvye, immo vero, as Kom. ix. 20, x. 18). Yea, rather blessed 
 are they, etc. A hint to the woman, not to let herself be too 
 easily carried away by transitory emotions, but rather to listen 
 further; a praise too of Mary, whom He perhaps perceived among 
 the multitude (comp. Luke ii. 19, 51) ; and probably a transition to 
 further instruction of the people, which, however, was now inter- 
 rupted, by the account that His mother and His brethren were de- 
 siring to speak with Him (comp. Matt. xii. 45, 46 ; Luke viii. 19- 
 
CHAP. XI. 14-28. 
 
 380 
 
 21). is not impossible that the report of His relatives’ arrival 
 
 had reached Jesus even during His reply to the blasphemy of the 
 Pharisees, and had given occasion to the exclamation of the woman. 
 But it is more probable that Jesus gave two several answers, one 
 to the woman, the other to those who announced the arrival of His 
 mother, since St Luke separates these two speeches, even too de- 
 cidedl}^, from each other. We may consequently infer, that this 
 announcement, which occasioned the words of the Lord concern- 
 ing His disciples, took place after the exclamation of the woman ” 
 (Lichtenstein). 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 The objective reality of the New Testament Satanology receives 
 one of its strongest proofs from tliis discourse of Jesus. Of how 
 much force would His words be deprived, by viewing them as 
 spoken merely in compliance with a popular superstition, to which 
 the Lord Himself was infinitely Superior ! If it were not true that 
 He really did cast out devils, and that through the Spirit of God, 
 then the inference which He draws from this circumstance, that 
 the kingdom of God is come, is, in this place, an assertion without 
 proof. That the Lord, in the form of this parable, especially in 
 vers. 24-26, follows the prevailing notions, must indeed be conceded ; 
 but He would never have allowed Himself such an accommoda- 
 tion, unless He had recognised in the matter of these notions the 
 elements of higher truth. There is a remarkable contrast between 
 His description of the strong man, armed, keeping his palace, and 
 only conquered by one still stronger ; and the insignificance which 
 many rationalistic theologians attribute to the locus de Diaholo, 
 
 2. The urgency of the Lord’s demand, upon this occasion, for a 
 decision either for or against Him, is a sufficient proof, how greatly 
 the opposition of parties had increased. It is also an indirect testi- 
 mony to the unprecedented dignity of His person and work, towards 
 which it was impossible to preserve a lasting neutrality, and which 
 claimed so undivided an interest, that indifference was but a Idnd 
 of mask for enmity. 
 
 3. The parable of the one evil spirit returning with seven others, 
 was strikingly fulfilled, first in the Jewish people, not only in the 
 days of our Lord, but during the apostolic age. The impression 
 produced upon some, after the death of Jesus, soon passed away ; 
 and it might have been said, especially just before the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, that the nation was possessed, not with seven, but with 
 
300 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 seventy times seven devils. But tlie same phenomenon is con- 
 tinually recurring in tlie Christian Church, when a period of 
 incipient growth is followed by one of sad declension, and a period 
 of tem])orary awakening by one of spiritual formality. Thus did a 
 merely formal church orthodoxy prevail after the Ileformation, as it 
 also threatens to do now in some places, since the religious revival 
 of the first half of the present century has cooled down. And, 
 finally, we have here an image of every individual, who, having 
 taken the first step on the road of amendment, afterwards falls into 
 still greater depths of iniquity: 2 Tim. iv. 10 ; Ilch. vi. 4-6 ; 2 
 l^et. ii. 20-22. How far this is possible, after true conversion, is a 
 question which cannot be answered here. In no case, how^ever, can 
 we recognise,, in the dwelling from which only one evil spirit has 
 been expelled, and which is now empty, swept, and garnished, the 
 image of one truly born again. 
 
 4. This woman is the prototype of all those who have, at any 
 period, honoured the mother of the Lord more than her Son, and 
 thus incurred the guilt of Mariolatry. If Jesus did not favour this 
 veneration of His mother, even when it kept within these moderate 
 limits, how emphatically would He have condemned the dogma of 
 Pio Nono, upon wdiich an entirely new Mariology has been founded ! 
 
 PIOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The three dispositions exhibited towards the wonder-working Son 
 of man : 1. Enthusiasm, and its just cause ; 2. hatred, and its blind- 
 ness ; 3. neutrality, and its impossibility. — The Son of God mani- 
 fested, that He might destroy the works of the devil, 1 John hi. 8. 
 — He hath done all things w-ell : He maketh the dumb to speak, 
 ^lark vii. 37. — No miracle is great enough to overcome the aver- 
 sion of unbelief. — The power of Satan is a fearful, a w^ell-arranged, 
 but yet a conquerable powder. — The enemies of the Lord condemned, 
 1. by their owm conscience, 2. by those who are of a kindred 
 spirit, 3. by the Lord. — The overthrow of Satan, a sign that the 
 kiimdom of God is come. — The contest of the strong man with the 
 stronger than he: 1. The strong man; a. his palace, h. his spoils, 
 c. his false peace. 2. The stronger than he ; a. His courageous 
 attack, h. His complete victory, c. His dazzling crowm. — Neutrality 
 in Christianity, no virtue, but a nonentity. — The Lord prefers open 
 enemies to pretended friends. — He wdio begins by being seemingly 
 neutral in the cause of truth, generally ends by openly opposing it. 
 — The danger of a half conversion. — The evil one does not easily 
 
CHAP. XI. 14-28. 
 
 391 
 
 give up possession of a heart which he has, for a long time, ruled. — 
 The spirit of a bad man can find lasting rest nowhere. — What avails 
 it to be temporarily delivered from the evil spirit, if we are not 
 filled with the Holy Spirit ! — The miserable re-entrance upon the 
 scarcely-forsaken path of sin : It is, 1. certainly possible, 2. ex- 
 tremely ruinous. — Hypocrisy, the worst kind of possession. — It had 
 been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, 
 etc., 2 Pet. ii. 20-22. — The mind of woman often more quickly 
 perceives the greatness of the Lord than that of man does. — The 
 first Mariolatry. — The woman mentioned, ver. 27, a type of superfi- 
 cial religious feeling: 1. The nature of this feeling; a. it is easily 
 excited, h. quickly manifested, c. it soon disappears. 2. Its value ; 
 a, the Lord does not wholly disapprove it ; h. still less does He un- 
 conditionally approve it ; c. He desires that it should be exchanged 
 for something better — for hearing and keeping His word. — ^^Blessed 
 are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” Their blessed- 
 ness, 1. is of a higher character, 2. has a firmer foundation, and, 
 3. a longer endm’ance, than any other. 
 
 Starche^ Hedinger : Scoffers blaspheme God’s work; they who 
 are better, doubt. — Brentius : It is the way of unconverted men to 
 mistake God’s works for the devil’s, and the deGl’s for God’s. — 
 Christ is also a judge of the thoughts of the heart; comp. Ps. cxxxix. 
 1, 2. — We are allowed to defend ourselves against those who speak 
 evil of the office which we exercise for God’s glory. — Children are 
 often the judges of their parents, in this world, 1 Sam. xix. 5. — 
 Only the finger of God, and not the power of man, is capable of 
 expelling Satan from the heart. — There is no concord between 
 Christ and Belial. — Quesnel: A converted sinner is a place which 
 the devil has lost ;• but of which he well knows all the weaknesses 
 and ways of access, and where he still has secret allies. — It is with the 
 children of Satan, as with their father, Isa. Ivii. 20, 21. — All wilful 
 sins are garnishings of the heart for the abode of many evil spirits. 
 — Zeisius : Spiritual relationship to Christ is more honourable than 
 any blood-relationship to Him. — Brentius : True Christianity con- 
 sists not in words, but in deed and in truth, 1 Cor. iv. 20. 
 
 Starche : W e must be free ourselves, if we would make others 
 free. — A moral relapse dangerous to the soul. — Massillon : Sur 
 Vinconstance dans les voies du salut, sermon sur Luc. xi. 26, pour le 
 troisieme dimanche de la careme. Marheineche : How ino-enious is the 
 human heart, when it is intent on finding a way of escaping the 
 impressions of revealed truth ! — Ulher : The many enemies of 
 
392 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Jesus, the Friend of all men. — Fuchs: Enmity against Christ, 1. 
 shows ingratitude, 2. betrays folly, 3. prepares for perdition. — Ahl- 
 field: How do you stand to Christ? 1. Are you Ilis enemy? 2. 
 arc you indifferent ? 3. are you offering Him half a heart ? 4. are 
 you believing in Him ? — Palmer : The kingdom of the world, and 
 the kingdom of Christ : 1. The nature, 2. the relation, of these two 
 kingdoms. — V. Gerlach: How Christ conquers the kingdom of Satan, 
 
 1. without, 2. within. — Pautenherg : The reproach of Christ, our 
 honour: A reproach, 1. for us, 2. of us, 3. to us. — Wanhel: The 
 fearful power of the wicked one. It is fearful, because of, 1. its 
 imperceptible beginning, 2. its speedy progress, 3. its miserable 
 result. — Alt: He that is not with Me, is against Me : 1. He who 
 does not believe in Me, speaks against Me ; 2. he who does not walk 
 with Me, resists Me ; 3. he who does not work with Me, works 
 against Me ; 4. he who does not fight with Me, betrays Me. 
 
 2. A Sign for the Eye^ and an Eye for the Sign (chap. xi. 29-36). 
 
 (Comp. Matt. xii. 38—42, vi. 22, 23.) 
 
 29 And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say, 
 This is an evil generation : they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it, 
 but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Nine- 
 vites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the 
 south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and con- 
 demn them : for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom 
 of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of 
 Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn 
 it : for they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than 
 Jonas is here. 33 Ho man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a 
 secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come 
 in may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye : therefore, when 
 thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light ; but when thine eye is 
 evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light 
 which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of 
 light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright 
 shining of a candle doth give thee light. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. He began to say. — The occasion of this discourse is recorded 
 by St Luke (ver. 1 6), contemporaneously with the accusation of the 
 Pharisees. St Matthew, who here observes chronological accuracy, 
 makes a more decided separation between these two elements (ch. 
 xii. 24 and 38). He informs us that it was the scribes and Phari- 
 sees, especially, who desired to see a sign from heaven, and whom 
 the Lord justly regards as the legitimate representatives of that 
 
CHAP. XI. 29—36. 
 
 393 
 
 evil aud adulterous generation. St Luke calls them dWoL than 
 those who had spoken before ; yet they were animated by no better 
 a spirit. They wish to tempt Jesus (Treipd^ovres;), and to assist 
 them humbled and discomfited associates, by laying the snare of 
 requesting from Him something which He cannot deny without the 
 appearance of impotence, nor grant -without exciting great atten- 
 tion. If we do not agree with the notion, that they here intend an 
 actual appearance of the Shechinah, they certainly allude to some 
 cosmical phenomenon — a darkening of the sun or moon, a meteor, 
 or something similar — which shall so far differ from the Lord’s 
 other miracles, as to be performed, not upon the men by whom He 
 was smTounded, but upon objects which were evidently raised 
 above Him, and which would hence be more strikingly evident. 
 Perhaps a pretext for making this request was furnished them by 
 the decided declaration of Jesus, that it was iv haKTvkcp Qeov that 
 He cast out deHIs, which they, hypocritically, declare themselves 
 ready to acknowledge, so soon as He shall give them incontestible 
 proof of His heavenly mission. It is, then, the more easy to com- 
 prehend that the Lord, in conformity with His own principle of 
 action, would perform no wonder before them, because He found 
 in them not the slightest susceptibility of any moral impression 
 from His miracles. Comp. Matt. xiii. 58. 
 
 2. There shall no sign be given it . — The answer of Jesus eHnces 
 heavenly tranquillity and wisdom, as well as righteous indignation ; 
 giving all plainly to understand, that His refusal to show a sign 
 from heaven was perfectly justifiable, and, at the same time, only 
 conditional and temporary. 
 
 3. The sign of Jonas . — The shorter expression of Luke must 
 be explained by the more copious report of the Lord’s words on 
 this occasion, furnished by Matthew, ch. xii. 40, whose authenticity 
 and accuracy are beyond all doubt. “ The application of the ex- 
 pression, Hhe sign of the prophet Jonas,’ to the mere preaching 
 and appearance of the Lord, by Paulus, Schleiermacher, Neander, 
 and others, needs no refutation.” Lange. If this had been all the 
 Lord intended to allude to. He would undoubtedly have expressed 
 Himself more clearly, and said. As Jonas was a sign to the Nine- 
 vites, so is also the Son of man to this generation. Even the earai, 
 points to the future. As Jonas was cast out of the belly of the 
 whale, as a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the risen Jesus be a sign 
 to His contemporaries. Not from heaven, however, but from the 
 depths of the earth, should the sign be given which should con- 
 
394 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 (lemn them. Tlie parallel consists in the fact, that Jonah enters 
 the belly of the fish, and, after remaining there three days, emerges 
 from it again ; while Christ descends into the heart of the earth, 
 SJieol (Meyer), and, after a similar period, triumphantly reappears. 
 And, even tliough, from Jonah ii., we must conclude that the pro- 
 phet was alive in the fish’s belly, yet this detracts nothing from the 
 general similarity of the comparison. With regard to any diffi- 
 culties relating to the definition of the time of Christ’s remaining 
 in the heart of the earth, we may mention that a vv'^Orjixepov does 
 not always consist of twenty-four hours, see 1 Sam. xxx. 12, 13 ; 
 while in the Jerus. Talmud it is expressly said, “Day and night 
 together make a period and a part of such a period stands for 
 
 the whole.” Comp. Words of the Lord Jesus, ii., p. 177. 
 
 4. The queen of the south. — Comp. Lange on St Matthew, p. 
 452. Luke, by placing the comparison with Solomon before that 
 with «T onah, gives it a far less striking position, since the beautiful 
 climax of the whole discom’se is thus destroyed. The queen of 
 Sheba gave far greater proof of faith, and showed greater interest, 
 than the Ninevites, who believed the words spoken in their imme- 
 diate neighbourhood ; for she came from the uttermost parts of the 
 earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon : the Jews, on the contrary, 
 despised what was brought to their very doors, and that by a 
 gi'eater than Solomon ! 
 
 5. A greater than Solomon. — To feel the full force of this com- 
 parison, in which the wisdom of Solomon is decidedly to be re- 
 garded as the tertium comparationis, we must not only recall what 
 is said in the Old Testament, to Solomon’s honour, but also all that 
 tradition had added, thereto, with respect to his incantations, his 
 ring, his acquaintance with the secrets of the spiritual world, etc., 
 in consequence of which Solomon shone vdth a kind of almost 
 supernatural splendour in the eyes of the contemporaries of Jesus. 
 
 6. The men of Nineve. — It cannot be affirmed, with certainty, 
 that Jonah informed the Ninevites of the miraculous occurrence that 
 had happened to him. But, even supposing that he did not, the con- 
 trast is but the more striking. The men of Nineve believe Jonah 
 upon his word alone, without knowing anything of the miracle ; the 
 Jews, on the contrary, hear not only the preaching of Jesus, but 
 also subsequently the account of His resurrection, and yet do not be- 
 lieve. In no case, then, is the judgment here pronounced too severe. 
 
 7. No man, when he hath lighted, etc. — The connection of ideas 
 is as follows : I am greater than Jonah (ver. 32) ; but in order to 
 
CIIAr. XI 20-3C). 
 
 395 
 
 perceive this, a man must not place his light under a bushel (as you 
 do). Certainly Jesus seems, according to Luke’s account, to cen- 
 sure the self-interest, insincerity, and 'want of candom: of Ilis 
 adversaries (De AYette) : comp. Matt. v. 15 ; Luke viii. 16. — et? 
 KpviTTTqv ; i.e.f in a vault, a cellar, the 'well-known crypta of ancient 
 buildings and churches : see Meyer on this passage. 
 
 8. When thine eye is single ; comp. Matt. vi. 22, 23. — If we are 
 to place the light upon a candlestick that it may enlighten others, 
 we must first of all take special heed to keep the light of our own 
 judgment pure and unclouded. On the inner eye, see Lange on 
 the parallel passage in Alatthew. An original and direct con- 
 sciousness of the existence of God, also alluded to Acts xvii. 27, 
 seems to be here intended. It is then evident, that, according to 
 the teaching of Christ, there exists, even in fallen man, an organ by 
 which revealed truth may be contemplated ; and we may say, that 
 in this passage, as well as in Matt. xiii. 12, the universal law is laid 
 down, according to which the increase of the inner light and of the 
 spiritual life takes place. If we consider that St Luke reports this 
 saying in its strictly historical connection, it will then appear, that 
 J esus is here addressing the people in general, and not His disciples 
 exclusively ; and consequently, that the eye and the light spoken of, 
 are not to be considered as specifically Christian privileges, but as 
 the general possessions of humanity. 
 
 9. Tahe heed therefove^ etc. — In Luke alone, does this admoni- 
 tion appear in a direct form. The same idea is expressed in the to 
 GKOTo<^ TToaov of Mattliew. The Lord fears that the darkness here 
 spoken of already partially exists among His hearers, and warns 
 them to take heed lest it should become total. 
 
 10. If thy whole body therefore . — This expression, also, has been 
 
 preserved by Luke alone. The appearance of a flat tautology, 
 which some expositors have complained of, is best avoided by 
 placing the emphasis, in the former clause, upon o\ov, and in the 
 latter upon (^(orecvov, co? orav^ The sense then is, AYhen thy 
 
 body is wholly enlightened, so that not even one dark corner is left, 
 it will be as bright and clear as if the full light of a brightly shining 
 lamp were enlightening thee ; i.e.^ thou wilt be placed in a condition 
 which is normally light. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. It is worthy of notice, with regard to the psychology of the 
 Son of man, that the very act of refuting the accusation of satanic 
 
39G 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO LUKE. 
 
 assistance causes and disposes tlie Lord to utter that most sublime 
 expression of self-consciousness, by wlilcli lie places Himself far 
 above Jonah and Solomon. This comparison, while it gives evi- 
 dence of His true humanity, also places the superhuman character 
 of His work and person in the clearest light. 
 
 2. The sign of Jonah the prophet is, in fact, no other than that 
 great sign which the Lord, even at the very commencement of His 
 ])ublic ministry, announced to the inimical TonSatot 9 , John ii. 19- 
 21. A year has elapsed, but He meets similar opponents in exactly 
 the same manner. 
 
 3. The craving after the miraculous is a morbid state of mind, 
 which can never be satisfied, and which is therefore strenuously 
 opposed by the Lord : comp. J ohn iv. 48. He the more decidedly 
 resisted this temptation, since it was, in fact, satanic in its origin, 
 and really a repetition of the request, that He should perform some 
 prodigy : comp. Luke iv. 9, 10. The Lord could the less satisfy the 
 desires of His contemporaries, since they were so wholly wanting in 
 that holy appreciation of light which the Ninevites had exhibited 
 towards Jonah, and the queen of Sheba towards Solomon. 
 
 4. It is here decidedly stated that the truth, which the Gospel 
 reveals to man, is not something foreign, and opposed, to his 
 nature ; but that it has as intimate relations to the deepest founda- 
 tions and highest susceptibilities of his being, as the eye and the 
 light have to each other. That beautiful saying of Goethe is 
 applicable here, ^AYar’ nicht das Auge sonnenhaft, wie konnten 
 wir das Licht erblicken,” etc. 
 
 5. “ The sources of light, In the spiritual vision (reason, feeling, 
 conscience), can and ought to be cultivated, and kindled into a light 
 of life, and of the body. The element of their cultivation is single- 
 ness of mind, ^.e., the combination, concentration, and consistency 
 of the inner life. To this spiritual organ, the word of God neces- 
 sarily becomes the inward light, which gradually expels all the ele- 
 ments of obscurity, all remains of former darkness, even from the 
 sphere also of our bodily and sensuous life, till the whole being of 
 man, even his outward existence, is not only enlightened, but also dif- 
 fuses light — a clear, beauteous, consecrated, and divine ray.” Lange. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 Outward hearing of the word, combined with inward enmity 
 and wrong motives. — The insatiable craving after still greater 
 miracles. — The request for a sign from heaven, an indii'ect proof of 
 
CHAP. XI. 29-36. 
 
 397 
 
 the reality of other signs upon earth. — The resurrection of the 
 Lord, the liighest scene of His Messianic dignity. — Jonah and the 
 Son of man: 1. Wherein the former seems to surpass the latter; 
 2. wherein the two are equal ; 3. wherein the latter infinitely sur- 
 passes the former. — A greater than Solomon is here. Consider, 
 with respect to this saying, 1. How strangely it sounds ; 2. how 
 true it is ; 3. how important it remains. — The wisdom of the Lord 
 and the wisdom of Solomon: The former had, 1. a higher origin 
 (John vi. 46), 2. a wider extent (John vi. 68), 3. a more beneficial 
 purpose, than the latter. — Degrees of condemnation : 1. Repentant 
 heathens stand above unbelieving Jews ; 2. Jews seeking salvation, 
 above nominal Christians. — The greater our privileges, the heavier 
 our responsibility. — The clearest light is lost, when it is either, 
 
 1. placed under a bushel, or, 2. beheld with a diseased eye. — As 
 light is adapted to the eye, and the eye to light, so are Christ and 
 man suited to each other. — The hopeless condition of the man in 
 whom the inner light is wholly obscured : It is dark, 1. within him, 
 
 2. around him, 3. before him. — The single eye and the light body ; 
 the evil (i.e., diseased) eye and the dark body. — ^^Yhat must exist in 
 the man who would rightly understand and appreciate revealed 
 truth? comp. John vii. 17. — There is the same inward relation be- 
 tween truth and mankind, as between light and the eye. 
 
 Starche. — Brentius : In the work of salvation, God does nothing 
 new, but keeps to the way showm in the Scriptures. — Cramer: The 
 Old and New Testaments mutually explain each other. — Hedinger : 
 It is terrible to think that the poor yet honourable heathen, who 
 have, though blindly, striven after virtue, will one day condemn 
 many Christians. — The doctrine of the last judgment is a funda- 
 mental article of the Christian religion, and must therefore be often 
 urged, with great earnestness. — Bibl. WiXrt. : Christian ministers 
 ought to be, in a special manner, a light in the Lord. — Man needs 
 to have his soul filled with heavenly light, that he may do the 
 works of light. — Let a man search diligently his own heart, and be 
 continually concerned about its enlightenment and improvement, 
 Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. — The condition of a man before, diming, and 
 after conversion, may be compared with night, dawn, and day. 
 
 Heubner: Christ must have regarded the history of Jonah as 
 true ; for, a. He would not have compared Himself with a fabulous 
 hero ; b, nor have said that the Ninevites, if their repentance at the 
 preaching of Jonah had been a mere fable, would one day condemn 
 the Jews of His days. — Every converted man is a condemning 
 
398 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 example to the unconverted who are acquainted with him. — How 
 often do men travel and study for tlic sake of earthly wisdom, 
 while the wisdom of Christ, which is always near at hand, is 
 despised ! the latter is loathed, while the former is worshipped. 
 
 3. One Judgment pronou7iced against two kinds of Enemies, (Chap. 
 
 XI. 37-54.) 
 
 37 And as He spake, a certain Pharisee besought Him to dine with him ; 
 and He went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he 
 marvelled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said 
 unto him. Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the 
 platter ; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, 
 did not He that made that which is without make that which is within also ? 
 41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have ; and, behold, all things are 
 clean unto you. 42 But woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and rue, 
 and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God : these 
 ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Woe unto you, 
 Pharisees ! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in 
 the markets. 44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are 
 as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of 
 them. 45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto Him, Master, thus 
 saying Thou reproachest us also. 46 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 your fingers. 47 Woe unto you ! for ye 
 build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly 
 ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers : for they indeed killed 
 them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, 
 I wiU send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and 
 persecute : 50 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 required of this generation. 52 Woe 
 unto you, lawyers ! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge : ye enter not 
 in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 53 ^ 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 ; 54 Laying wait for 
 Him, and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse 
 Him. 
 
 CEITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Ev Se rw XaX. — St Luke does not say, that the invitation of 
 the Pharisee was given to Jesus while He was speaking the words 
 immediately preceding ; but only, that it took place while He was 
 
 1 The reading TtdKuhu l^ihSourog ocurov^ recommended by Tischendorf, on the 
 authority of B.C.L. 33, Copt., has much internal probability. The Eecepta is 
 ambiguous ; and it seems far more conceivable that this plot was concocted after 
 the Lord’s departure, than in His presence. 
 
CHAr. XI. 37—54. 
 
 399 
 
 engaged in speaking. Hence it is not impossible that this occur- 
 rence may belong to a later period of the Lord’s ministry in Galilee, 
 'when the enmity excited against Him had reached a still greater 
 height. On the other hand, however, the invitation of the Pharisee, 
 at this moment, is doubly comprehensible : comp. Mark iii. 20. 
 Perhaps this meal was offered to the Lord by some Pharisee in the 
 neighbourhood, who feared that Jesus might be prevented by the 
 thronmncp of the multitude from reaching the dwellincr where He 
 would have taken food. 
 
 2. To dine icith him, dpio-rijo-r ). — We are not to understand here 
 the principal meal, but a slighter j^^andium, which was taken earlier, 
 and required less time. It is evident, from the context, that the 
 opinions of the host were not favourable to Jesus. 
 
 3. That He had not first washed^ etc. — ^On the washings and 
 purifications of the Pharisees, see the copious remarks of Lightfoot 
 on Matt. XV. 2, Sepp’s Leben Jesu ii., p. 343. We have no reason 
 to conclude, that the Lord usually omitted the washing before 
 meat. That He did so on the present occasion, may have arisen 
 from His having but just accepted the invitation, or from His being 
 fatigued by the work He had performed, during the part of the day 
 which had elapsed. 
 
 4. And the Lord said, etc. — In reply to the accusation, that the 
 Lord, in His discourse at the table, was in some degree forgetful 
 of the requirements of courtesy towards His host, we have simply 
 to remember, that such divine roughness w^as entirely in its 
 place” (Ebrard). If we consider that the host, by his astonish- 
 ment, had already first violated the duties of hospitality and bene- 
 volence ; that the Lord had scarcely seated Himself, before this 
 affront was offered Him ; and that He not only noticed the matter, 
 but also the principle and reason of the accusation ; we cannot be 
 surprised that He should so emphatically defend Himself, and ex- 
 pose the hypocrisy of those who had blamed Him. Commonplace 
 decorum here yields to an infinitely higher duty. ^lean while, we 
 may well conclude, that the Pharisee had, in some manner, ex- 
 pressed his astonishment, as otherwise the Lord would scarcely have 
 had occasion to pronounce such a philippic. 
 
 5. Now do ye Pharisees . — The agreement between this discourse 
 of the Lord, and that more copiously reported Matt, xxiii., is very 
 evident. The question, which of the two Evangelists has given it in 
 the more correct historical connection, has been alternately answered 
 in favour of either. See, e. g., the statement of Meyer, on Matt. 
 
400 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 xxiii. 1. We remark, liowcver, 1. That the first reproach which 
 our Lord, according to Luke’s account, uttered against the Phari- 
 sees (vers. 39, 40), bears internal evidence of having been spoken 
 during a meal ; and also, that the entrance of the lawyer, by which 
 fresh censures were called forth, is probable on internal grounds. 
 It cannot, hence, be reasonably doubted, that the Lord, on the 
 occasion of a meal, uttered several reproofs to a Pharisee in Galilee, 
 similar to those which St Matthew reports, in greater number, as 
 directed to the scribes and Pharisees at Jerusalem. 2. On the other 
 hand, however, the whole discourse, in Matthew, bears so many 
 marks of internal connection and unity, that the originality and 
 correctness of this edition can scarcely be denied. 3. It is certainly 
 possible, that the Lord may have repeated single censures against 
 the Pharisees in Galilee, and their like-minded brethren in Jerusa- 
 lem, as opportunity offered ; but less probable, that a whole series 
 of censures, with tlie same quotations from Scripture, and the same 
 announcement of judgments at the end, should have been twice 
 pronounced. 4. Hence it seems most natural to conclude, that 
 Luke rightly represents the Lord as delivering a discourse against 
 the scribes and Pharisees during a meal; but feels himself at 
 liberty to introduce also, per anticipationem^ certain similar expres- 
 sions, which, as it appears from Matthew, were not really uttered 
 till the last days of His ministry. The view, that the Evangelists 
 introduce the elements of earlier discourses of Jesus into later ones, 
 and of later into earlier” (Lange), can only be rejected, on princi- 
 ple, by those harmonizers who are under the influence of a theory 
 of mechanical inspiration. 
 
 6 . Nvv^ K.T.X. — This now is not used in contrast to an under- 
 stood 'rrakai (Meyer), for we have not a single proof that the Lord 
 esteemed the former generation of Pharisees as better than the 
 present ; but rather in the sense of eo jam perventmn est, which, 
 perhaps, considering the character of holy irony pervading the 
 whole discourse, would have been best translated, ^^Well;” i.e.^ 
 
 this must be, this is to be expected,” etc. 
 
 7. But your inward part . — Not a contraction for the inside of 
 yom' cup and platter, which Matt, xxiii. 25 seems to point to, but 
 the inward j)art of the individuals to whom these words are ad- 
 dressed, as opposed to the outward part of their cup. In Matthew, 
 the contrast between the inner and outer side of the enjoyments of 
 life is made prominent; in Luke, that between the externally 
 cleansed cup, and the internally corrupt heart of the drinker. 
 
CHAP. XI. 37—54. 
 
 401 
 
 8. Ye fools, did not lie, etc. — Since God made that Avhich is 
 without, as well as that which is within, both must be accounted 
 holy ; and it is not only wrong, but foolish, to endeavour to sepa- 
 rate, even in thought, that which, by the very nature of things, is 
 inseparable. — Give alms, etc. It seems to us entirely opposed to 
 the spirit and design of this discourse, to see here an actual pre- 
 cept as to the way in which alone they could attain true purity. 
 In this case, the motive adduced, irdvra naOapa yfilv eaeraL, would 
 have been expressed in futuro; while the actual expression, KaO. 
 vfi. i(7TLV, seems to us to point out how soon anything was clean in 
 their eyes, — as soon, i.e., as they had but devoted ra evovra to 
 ostentatious alms-deeds. The Lord says date, not datis; since they 
 really did it already, He only bids them imperative to continue. 
 And thus we come to the ironical interpretation (Erasmus, Kuinoel, 
 and others), as follows : lYhat more can be needful, than to devote 
 the contents to alms, whereby the whole inward impurity will 
 vanish?” That a sacred irony is employed in Scripture, is ap- 
 parent from Prov. i. 26. All endeavom’s to explain this as a 
 special moral principle, seriously uttered, seem constrained and un- 
 natural. Besides, it must not be forgotten, that the Lord adds, 
 'irdvra KaOapd vplv ianv, i.e., vestro (^perverso) judicio. If He had 
 been here speaking of a real, objective purity, this addition would 
 have been quite superfluous. 
 
 9. Ye tithe. — Hoses had once said that they should bring the 
 tenth of all that was theirs to the sanctuary, as an offering, Num. 
 xHii. 21 ; Deut. xiv. 23. The error of the Pharisees consisted in 
 their application of this command to trifles, such as mint, rue, and 
 all manner of herbs,” while they passed over the inviolable require- 
 ments of the divine law. They forgot, chiefly, judgment of them- 
 selves, in the sense in which the Lord requires it, John vii. 24; 
 the love of God ; and, according to Matthew, faith, t7]v ttlcttcv, also. 
 Thus they violated the plainest duties towards God, their neigh- 
 boui’s, and themselves. 
 
 10. These ought ye to have done. — It is a distinguishing proof of 
 the heavenly tranquillity and impartiality of the Lord, that, instead 
 of either abrogating the fulfilment of little duties, or declaring them 
 unimportant, He rather, in every respect, allows and prescribes 
 them ; but, at the same time, justly insists that higher duties should 
 be at least as conscientiously performed. Comp. Matt, xxiii. 23. 
 
 11. The uppermost seats — greetings. — Comp. ^latt. xxiii. 6, 7, 
 and Lange’s remarks on this passage. 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 
 
 26 
 
402 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 12. As graves which appear not. — Tliis reproof is somewhat 
 differently expressed in Matt, xxiii. 27. There, tlie Lord specially 
 condemns the external adornment and beautifying of a thing which 
 was horrible within ; here, the consequence of doing so is made 
 more prominent. The graves which are plastered over, can no 
 longer be recognised as what they really are ; and the men that 
 Avalk over them are not aware of them.” So also was it possible to 
 have intercourse with the Pharisees, without receiving any impres- 
 sion of tlieir inward moral corruption. 
 
 13. One of the lawyers. — There is no reason for supposing that 
 this vojjiiKo^ belonged to the sect of the Sadducees (Paulus). We 
 rather think that the learned order of vo/jlikoI stood in a somewhat 
 aristocratic relation to the more numerous body of Pharisees ; and 
 that this man meant to remind the Lord, If Thou speakest thus. 
 Thou wilt excite not only the multitude, but the learned body, not 
 only the laid, but the clerici, against Thee. He thus attempts to 
 bring this discourse to a conclusion, and to impose silence on the 
 Lord : how unsuccessfully, appears from the sequel. 
 
 14. Woe unto you also, ye lawyers, etc. Comp. Matt, xxiii. 4. — 
 Gradus : digito uno attingere, digitis tangere, digito movere, manu 
 
 tollere, humero imponere. Hoc cogehant populum, illud ipsi refugie- 
 hantr Bengel. 
 
 15. Ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, etc. Comp. Matt, 
 xxiii. 29-31. — It is not upon the building of the sepulchres, con- 
 sidered in itself, but upon the proof thereby afforded of community 
 with their prophet-slaying forefathers, that the Lord passes judg- 
 ment. Ancestors and descendants were engaged in the same 
 work, — the one slaying the messengers of God, the others burying 
 them ; the one entailing, the others perpetuating, this blood-guilti- 
 ness ; and, while they seemed to be honouring the prophets, having 
 the same enmity against God in their hearts as those who had 
 formerly slain them. For other views, see Lange on this passage. 
 
 16. And ye build. — It is obvious that the sepulchres of the pro- 
 phets are still spoken of. If they had been of a better spirit than 
 their fathers, they would have erected no memorials of a crime 
 which they would rather have consigned to oblivion. But now 
 that they so highly extolled their forefathers, they were, while 
 ostensibly honouring the prophets with their fjbvrjfjLeia, in fact, hon- 
 ouring their murderers and — themselves. 
 
 17. Therefore — i.e., because you are sharers in the guilt, and are 
 ripe for the punishment, of your fathers — also said the wisdom of 
 
CHAP. XL 37-54. 
 
 403 
 
 Godj etc. — The Lord seems to say that, tlirough Himself, the wis- 
 dom of God was speaking personally to the children of men. The 
 notion, that He was here quoting some old but now lost words of 
 Scripture (Paulus, v. Hengel), must be rejected as contrary to the 
 analogy of all His other quotations, as well as to the Gospel narra- 
 tive, which (^latt. xxiii. 34) appropriates these words to Jesus” 
 (Meyer). We therefore regard them as one of the Lord’s own 
 expressions: comp. Matt. xi. 19. As the Son of the Father, who 
 was speaking of the things which He had seen and heard of the 
 Father, He might most justly designate Himself as 77 oro(j)la rod 
 Geov ; and perhaps it was the remembrance of similar expressions 
 that led John to appropriate to Him that distinctive appellation, 
 0 Xeyo? Tov Qeou. That we have here only a varepov irporepov of 
 the form, is by no means proved (Neander, Twesten, Meyer). It 
 was certainly not unworthy of the Lord, to quote words wdiich He 
 had formerly uttered, as those of wisdom personified ; and, if He 
 did so, we must conclude that, by prophets and apostles. He meant 
 none other than those of the New Testament, who were so soon to 
 occupy His place, and by whose rejection the Jews would fill up 
 the measure of their iniquities. The features by which the fate 
 of His witnesses is here portrayed, are probably all taken from 
 their subsequent career ; even crucifixion is rightly mentioned by 
 St Matthew, if the well-known tradition be true, that Peter 
 suffered martyrdom in this form, not indeed by the hands of the 
 Jews, but yet after his rejection by the Jews, and delivery to 
 the heathen world. — Persecute^ iKSicio ^. ; so that they should be 
 no longer allowed to remain at peace in the land. Comp., e.g., 
 Acts xiii. 50. 
 
 18. The blood of all the prophets . — See Lange on the parallel 
 passage in Matthew. The view of Sepp, Hug, and others, that the 
 Lord here foretold the death of Zacharias, the son of Baruch, which 
 took place shortly before the destruction of the temple (comp. Joseph, 
 de hello Jud. iv. 54), already belongs to the history of Exegesis. 
 We cannot but suppose that the Lord was referring to 2 Chron. 
 xxiv. 21, and was thus comprising in one view the murder of all 
 the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament, from its first to its 
 last book. He thus mentions their old, and still unforgiven blood- 
 guiltiness, w^hich, increased by new additions, w^ould soon reach its 
 culminating point. With regard to the difficulty raised by the fact 
 that Zachariah was not the son of Barachiah, but of Jehoiada, we 
 prefer the view (Ebrard, p. 516), that Zachariah being, according 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 40 i 
 
 to tlic 01(1 Testamcntj not tlie son but tbc grandson of Jeboiada, 
 liis fatlicr, who is not named in tlie O. T., is liere riglitly called 
 Baracliiali by our Lord. On the whole passage, compare the essay 
 of Muller, Stud, und Kritik. 1841, III. 
 
 19. Verily I say unto you . — It is a terrible property of the 
 divine judgment, that when a generation agrees in heart with the 
 wickedness of a former generation, it receives in final retribution 
 of the accumulated debt, not only its own punishment, but also that 
 of the previous sins, which it lias thus inwardly appropriated. 
 
 20. Woe unto you, lawyers, etc. Comp. Matt, xxiii. 14. — The 
 same expression is here specially addressed to the vojjLLKol, which had 
 before been generally directed to the scribes and Pharisees. The 
 situation of this saying in St Luke’s Gospel, immediately after the 
 terrible censures of the preceding verses, by which the climax of 
 the discourse is more or less destroyed, helps perhaps to prove that 
 he has reported in this connection isolated sayings, whicli were per- 
 haps uttered on a later occasion. By the key of knowdedge, we 
 understand the way to the knoAvledge of divine truth revealed in 
 Christ. By means of their hierarchical influence upon the people, 
 they had blocked up this way against them, Avhile their enmity to 
 the Lord had obstructed their own entrance also. 
 
 21. And after He had gone out thence . — (See critical remark on 
 the text). It is A^ery evident, that either conscience or indignation 
 deprived the host and the laAAyers, for the moment, of the poAver of 
 replying. They, therefore, permitted the Lord to depart from the 
 'prandimn in silence, but remained themselves, to consult together 
 Avhat further steps Avere advisable. They soon, hoAvever, seek Him 
 again, to ply Him Avith questions {diroaToyard^eiv), probably of a 
 trivial and sophistical nature, Avhich St Luke does not deem worthy 
 of mention. They w^ere AAdlling to expose themselves to fresh 
 censures, if only they might find, in the ansAvers of the Lord, any 
 expression from Avhich they might deduce matter of accusation be- 
 fore either the secular or spiritual authorities. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The rio'hteous indignation of the Lord at the Pharisee’s table 
 (Mark iii. 5 ; comp. Eph. iv. 26), far from being derogatory to 
 His dignity, or inconsistent Avith His character, is rather a striking 
 exemplification of His exalted greatness. He Avas eA^er gracious 
 and gentle toAvards the fallen, though inexorably severe toAvards 
 hypocrites. There Avas no sin so directly opposed to His character, 
 
ClUr. XI. 37-54. 
 
 405 
 
 as King of truth, as hypocrisy, — boasting of the very virtues whose 
 reality was entirely wanting. 
 
 2 . Pharisaism, far from being a merely accidental form of tiie 
 then prevailing Judaism, is rather the natural manifestation of that 
 sinful state of heart which prevents us from giving up the hope of 
 being just before God by our own virtues and merits, which is 
 proud of those it thinks it possesses, and always inclined to assume 
 the appearance of such as it knows itself to be without. The en- 
 mity of the carnal mind to the unalterable demands of the law 
 (Rom. viii. 7) is hidden under a respect for outw^ard forms ; and the 
 transgression of the greater commandments supposed to be counter- 
 balanced by the stricter performance of the less. But one glance 
 of the King of truth penetrates this web of self-deception, and he 
 who, like the lawyer (ver. 45), espouses the cause of unrighteous- 
 ness, receives his just share of rebuke. 
 
 3. Though the Lord opposes the pretensions of the pharisaic 
 hierarchy, it is by no means His intention to proscribe all distinc- 
 tions and posts of honour in His kingdom. He who forbade His 
 followers to allow themselves to be called Rabbi, made some apostles, 
 etc.: Eph. iv. 11. What He really blames is, desiring the office 
 for the sake of the title, instead of the title for the sake of the office ; 
 and receiving honour one of another, instead of seeking the honour 
 that cometh from God only: John v. 44. How much the Church of 
 Rome has violated this precept of the Lord, both in the letter and in 
 the spirit, by imitating the Pharisees, is but too easily perceptible. 
 
 4. Men judge the heart by the deed; the Lord judges the deed 
 by the heart. Hence He adduced the building of the sepulchres of 
 the prophets — a deed which might in itself be lawful and praise- 
 worthy — as a fresh ground of accusation, because He perceived the 
 same disposition in those who were now garnishing their sepulchres, 
 as in those who formerly slew the prophets. In fact, what they 
 had perpetrated against former messengers of God, and would per- 
 petrate against futui'e ones, was so far from surprising or unexpected 
 to Him, that He, as the personal wisdom of God, both foresaw and 
 foretold it. And yet this sad prospect could not make Him pause, 
 for an instant, in His uninterrupted work of love. 
 
 5. That the Lord’s judgment, severe as it was, was not too harsh 
 a one, may be deduced from the fact, that the Pharisees had not the 
 most remote idea of humbling themselves under this rod, but set 
 themselves to devise new attacks upon Jesus ; thus falling into still 
 greater sin. 
 
403 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 3. There is a wisdom wlilch closes the kingdom of God against 
 itself and others, and a wdsdom which shows, and lielps others to 
 find, the entrance. The former is exemplified in the scribes and 
 Pliarisees, the latter in the Lord. The epithet, aocpia rov 0eo£), is 
 one of the numerous points of agreement between the synoptical 
 Gospels and that of St Jolin. Comp, also Prov. viii. 22. It would 
 have been impossible for the Christ of the Ebionites, or of the Soci- 
 nians, to speak of himself in this manner. 
 
 7. The Lord, by adducing the two examples of innocent blood 
 from the first and last books of the Old Testament canon respec- 
 tively, gives testimony to the O. T. Scriptures as a whole. 
 
 IIOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The Lord’s repast, embittered by the wickedness of men, Prov. 
 xvii. 1. — The freedom of Christ’s human nature, opposed to the 
 narrowness of a dry legality. — The severity of love. — Outward 
 purification, without inward purity.' — The sad contrast between 
 appearance and reality among professors of religion : 1. The 
 appearance a laborious copy of reality ; 2. the reality a sad contrast 
 to the appearance. — The compromise bet'ween the scruples of con- 
 science and the love of sin. — Beneficence not unfrequently used as 
 a covering of gross sins. — Fidelity in great and in small matters : 
 1. Some practise neither one nor the other ; 2. some are scrupulous 
 in little things, but not in gi’eat ones ; 3. some, on the contrary, are 
 conscientious in gi’eat things, but negligent in little ones ; 4. some 
 unite both. — The Lord Himself a glorious example of fidelity, in 
 both the highest and the smallest duties of His calling. — Vain- 
 glory, a genuine pharisaic error. — How seldom do men conjecture 
 the true state of our hearts. — The principle of solidarity. — He who 
 perpetuates the remembrance of deeds of iniquity, wdiich had better 
 be left in oblivion, is thereby witnessing against himself. — There is 
 no rejection of the word of God, which has not been foretold. — The 
 stream of innocent blood running through the history of Israel ; its 
 length, its breadth, its depth, its height. — The wisdom of God con- 
 trasted with the folly of men, comp. ver. 49 with ver. 40. — The 
 blood-guiltiness of Israel, 1. an old debt, 2. an accumulated debt, 
 3. a justly visited debt. — This whole discourse a proof of the truth 
 of the prophetic saying, “ The Lord is slow to anger and great in 
 power, Nahum i. 3. — Enmity against truth, even when it is clearly- 
 recognised. — Veritas odium parit. — Acts ix. 5. 
 
 Star eke » — Osiander: It is no sin to hold social intercom’se and 
 
CHAP. XL 37-64. 
 
 407 
 
 to eat with those of another religion, if only we avoid doing any- 
 thing contrary to our profession. — Majus : We must give offence 
 to none : he is responsible, who takes needless offence. — Men often 
 make unimportant matters the chief concern, and treat the chief 
 concern as unimportant. — Bibl. Wurt.: We must not conceal the 
 truth to please men ; but, when time and place demand it, must 
 acknowledge it, without regard to loss or profit. — Quesnel: It is 
 sometimes very necessary to reprove sinners sharply, that they may 
 be aroused and brought to conviction. — Brentius : Without faith it 
 is impossible to please God, however much a man may give away 
 in alms. — Hypocrisy and covetousness, when united, are almost in- 
 cm’able. — Everything in its due order and measure. — Quesnel: 
 There is no pride in being first or chief, but it is a sign of pride 
 to strive to be so. — The discovery of hypocrisy a difficult work. — 
 Canstein: It is the greatest hypocrisy to honour deceased in- 
 structors with monuments, while persecuting living ones. Acts vii. 
 52. — Anton : Preachers of the Gospel are appointed to suffer afflic- 
 tion; why should we then be surprised when they do so? — The 
 Lord remembers, and makes inquisition for, the blood of His 
 servants, Ps. ix. 12. — Canstein: From one sin to another — from 
 hypocrisy to the murder of the prophets. — Hedinger : It is one 
 thing to think that we understand the Scriptures, another to be 
 sure of it. — However men of the world may be opposed to each 
 other, they unite to oppose Christian truth. — They wax worse and 
 worse, deceiving and being deceived, 2 Tim. hi. 13. — Heubner: 
 If there is a heavenly aristocracy, it is of a different character 
 from the earthly. — How dangerous is the condition of the teacher 
 of religion ! — lax conscience is none at all. — The human heart 
 may be either a temple or a grave ; that which is best and that 
 which is vilest may be hidden in it. — There is a degree of depravity 
 at which men cannot escape perdition, but we can never determine 
 in concreto when it is reached. — Rieger : A sermon on the imputa- 
 tion to some of the sins of others, in his Herzenspostille, p. 91. — 
 Comp. Plutarchus, de sera nuniinis vmdicta, ed. Reichii viii., pp. 
 213-217. — Saurin: Les grands et les petits devoirs dans la reli- 
 gion, Sermon sur Matt, xxiii. 23 (parallel to Luke xi. 42), Tom. x. 
 — A sermon by Arndt ^ on the woes uttered by Jesus in the temple. 
 Matt, xxiii., in his Sermons on the Life of Jesus, iv., may also be 
 referred to. 
 
408 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 4. WJidt the JjQrd'! 8 Disciples must and must not care for. rCiiAP. 
 
 XII. 1-34.) 
 
 1 In tlie mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable 
 multitude of people, insomuch that they trodc one upon another. He began to 
 say unto Ills disciples first of all. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which 
 is hyj:)Ocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; 
 neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken 
 in darkness shall be heard in the light ; and that which ye have spoken in the 
 ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops. 4 And I say unto you, 
 my friends. Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no 
 more that they can do : 5 But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear : Fear 
 Him, which, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto 
 you. Fear Him. G Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings; and not one 
 of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head 
 are all numbered. Fear not therefore : ye are of more value than many spar- 
 rows. 8 Also I say unto you. Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him 
 shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God : 9 But he that de- 
 nieth ^le before men, shall be denied before the angels of God. 10 And whoso- 
 ever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but 
 unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. 
 11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates and 
 powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall 
 say : 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to 
 say. 13 And one of the company said unto Him, Master, speak to my brother, 
 that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And He said unto him, Man, who 
 made Me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And He said unto them. Take 
 heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abun- 
 dance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And He spake a parable unto them, 
 saying. The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully : 17 And he 
 thought within himself, saying. What shall I do, because I have no room where 
 to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said. This will I do: I will pull down my 
 barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and goods. 
 19 And I will say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many 
 years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him. 
 Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those 
 things be which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for 
 himself, and is not rich toward God. 22 And He said unto His disciples. There- 
 fore I say unto you. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat ; neither 
 for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the 
 body is more than raiment. 24 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? 25 And which of you, with taking 
 thought, can add to his stature one cubit ? 26 If ye then be not able to do that 
 
 thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest ? 27 Consider the lilies 
 
 how they grow : they toil not, they spin not ; and yet I say unto you. That 
 Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God 
 so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and to-morrow is cast into the 
 
CHAP. XII. 1-34. 
 
 409 
 
 oven ; how much more will He clothe you, 0 ye of little faith? 29 And seek 
 not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful 
 mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after : and 
 your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye 
 the kingdom of God ; and all these things shall be added unto you; 32 Fear 
 not, little flock ; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 
 33 Sell that 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. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. 
 
 GENERAL SUMMARY. 
 
 Although no small amount of ingenuity has been expended in 
 attempts so to combine the various elements of Luke xii. as to 
 render their logical connection evident (this has been done, among 
 others, by Olshausen, Stier, and Lange), yet this whole chapter seems 
 to us to exhibit rather a chrestomathic character, and to be com- 
 posed of various exhortations and warnings, collected in this place 
 by St Luke, but reported, at least in part, by other Evangelists as 
 delivered on different occasions. At this period of His life, oui’ 
 Lord undoubtedly delivered a discourse, in the presence of a nume- 
 rous multitude, in which He emphatically warned them against the 
 leaven of the Pharisees, ver. 1. But even vers. 3 to 9 too closely 
 resemble Matt. x. 26-33, in matter and connection, to allow us to 
 consider them as anything else than an altered edition of the say- 
 ings which Matthew reports in their right place. Yer. 10 seems, 
 too, far less suitable than Matt. xii. 31, 32. The promise in vers. 
 11, 12, appears also in Luke ch. xxi. 14, 15; while we likewise 
 find it, in a very fitting connection, in Matt. x. 19, 20. Unless, 
 then, we look upon it as having been uttered by the Lord on three 
 several occasions, we must conclude that it is not correctly placed 
 in ch. xii. 11, 12. We are, hence, almost necessarily led to agree 
 with the view of He Wette, with regard to the words of Jesus con- 
 tained in this twelfth chapter, which he pronounces, not indeed 
 with the most becoming expression, as “ for the most part compiled, 
 and only vers. 13-21 peculiar.” The parable of the rich fool be- 
 longs exclusively to this Gospel ; and as not a hint is given, that it 
 was originally delivered in any different historical connection, we 
 are quite at liberty to receive it in this train of thought. With re- 
 spect to vers. 22—34, on the contrary, we cannot think it very pro- 
 bable that the Lord should twice have warned His disciples against 
 vain care (comp. Matt. vi. 22-34), adducing on both occasions the 
 same examples from the kingdom of nature ; while it appears, be- 
 
410 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 sides, that the ideas are more naturally and rightly arranged in 
 Matthew. It is a much simpler view, that more than one edition 
 of such sayings of the Lord was preserved by the Evangelists, who 
 were as much under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in these repe- 
 titions and transcriptions of Ilis words, as in their narratives of His 
 life and deeds. Ver. 32 is also to he found in Luke alone ; as also 
 — to pass on to the second half of this chapter — ^vers. 35-38, 47, 48, 
 in the form in which they are here reported. Vers. 39-46 so evi- 
 dently coincides Vith Matt. xxiv. 42-51, that it, probably, originally 
 formed a part of that eschatological discourse of Jesus. We come 
 to a similar conclusion on comparing Luke xii. 49-53 with Matt. x. 
 34-36 (comp. ch. xx. 22) ; vers. 54-56, with Matt. x\d. 2, 3 ; and 
 vers. 57-59, with Matt. v. 21, 22. It is certainly conceivable, that 
 the Lord may have uttered all these sayings twice, or several times, 
 before different hearers; and not impossible, if we set out upon 
 this supposition, to find also the clue for more or less successfully 
 unitin" these heteroo:eneous elements. But is it not much more 
 natural to conclude, that the same dictum of the Lord was repeated, 
 under higher guidance, by each of the Evangelists, in his own 
 peculiar manner? while a prudent criticism will, in special cases, 
 abstain from research as to which was the original form. To deter- 
 mine, in every single instance, with such accuracy that no uncer- 
 tainty shall remain, will perhaps always be impossible. The want 
 of trustworthy historical dates will ever give more or less play to 
 individual assumption; and a man’s doctrinal views will, though 
 unconsciously, exercise an influence upon his harmony. As far, 
 however, as our present subject is concerned, we shall generally 
 find, that an unprejudiced review of the matter will lead to the 
 conclusion, that most of the sayings of Jesus, introduced in this 
 chapter, are reported by St Matthew in a connection which has 
 greater internal probability. This, however, need not prevent us from 
 reco"nisino: that the manner in which thev are communicated and 
 connected by St Luke, often affords us a deeper insight into the un- 
 speakable value of the sayings of the Eternal Word. We shall, 
 therefore, without stopping on every occasion to consider the con- 
 nection in which they are elsewhere reported, take them simply as 
 liuke communicates them. 
 
CHAP. XII. 1—12. 
 
 411 
 
 a. Warning against the Pharisaic Disposition^ and Commendation 
 of the opposite character. (Veks. 1-12.) 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. In the mean time^ iv oh. — It is probable tbat^ while the Pha- 
 risees were occupying themselves with their insidious questions and 
 representations, the crowd around our Lord was every moment in- 
 creasino;. There is no actual reason for considerimi; even the men- 
 tion of the myriads {fivpcdScov) as hyperbolical ; though, on the other 
 hand, there is still less for regarding it as a strictly arithmetical 
 computation. Comp. Matt. iv. 23-25; Mark iii. 20, iv. 1. We 
 have evidently arrived at that period of His history, when the oppo- 
 site feelings of love and hatred towards the Lord had reached their 
 utmost degree of intensity. 
 
 2 . Fij^st of all. — The Lord begins by speaking to His disciples: 
 thus shoving His forbearance and self-control, in not addressing 
 this warning directly to the multitude, at a moment when the Pha- 
 risees were inflamed with blind fury against Himself. IIpcoTov is 
 not to be connected with roh paOrjT. (Luther, Bengel, Knapp, and 
 others), which would be indistinct, aimless, and unprecedented; 
 but with TTpocre^ere =Luke ix. 61. After what had happened, there 
 was no warning He would more strenuously enforce. 
 
 3. Of the leaven. Comp. Matt. xvi. 6 . — As appears from His 
 
 discourse after the second mnaculous feeding of the multitude, the 
 Lord intended by the term, the leaven of the Pharisees, to desig- 
 nate more especially then doctrine ; yet not this generally considered, 
 as it would then contain pure Mosaic elements, but only in so far 
 as it was disfigured by their sectarian spirit. Hence it is, a priori^ 
 probable, that now that the Lord again denounces this He 
 
 has this same doctrine in view. For this reason, we entirely sub- 
 scribe to the acute remarks of Meyer, It is not hypocrisy in general 
 which is here meant, as in that case 97 viroKpiaL^ (with the article) 
 must follow ; but the corrupt teaching and traditions of the Phari- 
 sees, which Jesus had already discussed at table. Concerning these. 
 He says that their essence is hypocrisy, against which a fundamental 
 element of this warning is directed.” 
 
 4. There is nothing covered^ etc. Comp. Matt. x. 26. — Not only 
 is hypocrisy condemned (ver. 1 ), but declared to be useless, since 
 the truth must sooner or later come to light. Covered; z.g., hidden, 
 whether by God or man. whether good or evil, little or great. 
 
412 
 
 TIJE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 5. Therefore^ whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness^ etc. — A 
 strange saying, if we connect it exclusively with the apostolic 
 Ki'jpvyfjLa. For, though we read, indeed, that the Lord spoke in 
 the ear of Ilis disciples (Matt. x. 27), their preaching was, from 
 the very first, destined for the greatest publicity. Hence the fol- 
 lowing opinions: ^L\n unsuitable expression,” De Wette; cum 
 aliquo tirnore,^ Bengel; ^^All that you have (in consequence of 
 persecution) spoken in darkness, shall (through the success of My 
 cause) be announced with the greatest publicity,” Meyer. This en- 
 tire contrast, however, between persecution and victory, is publicly 
 carried on. But why should it be necessary to apply this to the 
 apostolic Kr/pvyjJLa only ? It is far simpler to understand it as spoken 
 generally of all that the people (ver. 1), as well as the Apostles, had 
 spoken in darkness, and which should one day be brought to light. 
 In ver. 2, it is said of everything hidden, that it shall be revealed. 
 In ver. 3, hidden or secret words are more definitely spoken of. 
 Hypocrisy is attacked at its very foundations by this warning, and, 
 before the Apostles should be in danger of concealing the truth 
 through fear of men, they are shown (vers. 3 and 4), whom they 
 must not, and whom they must, by all means, fear. 
 
 G. Fear not, etc. Comp. Matt. x. 28. — The question here is, 
 whether God or Satan is alluded to, by the designation, rov — e^ov- 
 crlav c'^ovra ifi^aXeiv et? rgv ^eevvav% The majority of expositors 
 have, in accordance with traditional exegesis, decided in favour of 
 the former view. Some voices have been given for the latter 
 (Olshausen, Stier; Lange, Leben Jesu, on this passage; Besser ; 
 Arndt, Sermons on this passage, p. 152 ; Keichel, in his Isaiah ; van 
 Oosterzee, Leben Jesu, on this passage). Even after the retraction 
 of this view by Lange, Gospel of St Matthew, p. 393, we cannot 
 but retain our conviction, that truth is on the side of the minority, 
 for the following reasons : — 1. Fear can here be understood only in 
 the sense of, to be alarmed, be on guard against, as the word in the 
 first member of this sentence shows (ver. 4) ; and he whom we have 
 thus to fear, still, 3e pdXkov, cannot be Him who is love, but must 
 be Satan. It is true that there is a difference in the construction : 
 first, it is said, gg (pojSrjOqre diro tcov, ; then, (^ojB^O'qre Be ror 
 e'x^ovra, Bengel even remarks, Plus est timeo ilium, quam 
 
 timeo ah ilhr But in the parallel passage. Matt. x. 26, (po^ijdyre 
 is used, with the accusative, in the same sense of being alarmed, 
 fearful ; and the Be pboXkov, in ISIatthew, certainly indicates an in- 
 crease of the fear (alarm) to a still greater degree, and that the 
 
CHAP. XII. 1-12. 
 
 413 
 
 Lord is not, therefore, exhorting Ilis disciples to exchange tlie first- 
 named emotion for another, but, on the contrary, to cherish it in a 
 yet higher degree. 2. Satan is, besides, especially the slayer of 
 souls, as men are the slayers of the body ; 'while God is never said 
 to destroy the soul. To the objection, that Satan is never spoken 
 of in Scripture as ^‘having power to cast into hell” (Olshausen), it 
 may be answered, that he is here represented, not as a judge, but 
 as the executioner of God’s judgment, under His special permis- 
 sion. He kills the body by means of men who are his instruments, 
 John viii. 40, 41 ; he destroys souls by the mortal disease of sin. 
 Among the many enemies who could do them great harm, the 
 Lord sets before them him who was able to injure them most of 
 all, and whom, therefore, they were chiefly to fear. And He em- 
 phatically adds, according to Luke, “Yea, I say unto you. Fear 
 him.” “AYe cannot understand with what ears they hear who can 
 imagine that He is speaking of om’ heavenly Father,” says Stier. 
 3. Least of all is such a designation of the Father suitable, in the 
 midst of a discourse in which our Lord is speaking to His “ friends,” 
 and for their encouragement, of a special ProHdence, which num- 
 bers even the hairs of then heads. For all these reasons, we under- 
 stand Him to be speaking here of “ that fearful, unnamed, yet well- 
 kno'vm one, whose kingdom is hell, who here seduces souls by sin, 
 and there torments both souls and bodies for ever:” Besser. The 
 Lord desires to fill His disciples with a holy fear, “ lest the evil one 
 should irreparably destroy their souls:” Lange, Bibl. Gedichte. 
 Or, if we think it somewhat doubtful that He should address such 
 an exhortation to His disciples, we must remark, with Clnysostom, 
 tI <y6evvr]<; '^aXeTrcorepov ; dXV ovhev rov raur?;? ‘^^pijcnficorepov 
 <j)6^ov. 'O <yap Tt]<; yeevvr]^; (^o/3o9 top rfi? ^acrLXela^; '^puv KopiL^e^ 
 crre^avov. "Ev6a (^o/5o? earlv, ovk ean <^^opo 9 * ev6a iarl, XPV~ 
 
 pLarcov 6pco<; ovk evo'^el' ev6a (p6^o<; earlv, ea/Searai OvpLo^;, eiTLOvpila 
 KarearcCXrai TTovrjpa, airav oXoyLarov i^wpiarat rrdOo'^ : Homil. vi. 
 ad popul. Antioch. Tom. vi., page 560. But enough has been said 
 to justify our doubt, that the friends of Jesus are here called upon 
 to fear GoJ, who, in the immediately following verses, is rather 
 portrayed as the object of their filial confidence. Ah utraqiie parte 
 saltern disputari potest. 
 
 7. Five sparrows . — A charming variation of the same dictum in 
 ^latt. X. 29. So trifling is the value of a sparrow, that he who pays 
 for two penny worth, receives one into the bargain. And yet, that 
 which is of so little value in the eyes of men, is not forgotten by 
 
411 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 God in heaven. The computation, liow far they excel such sparrows 
 in value, is left to the disciples. 
 
 8. Also I say unto you. — Even the frequent repetition of this 
 introductory phrase, might serve as a proof, to the attentive reader, 
 that various sayings of the Lord, originally uttered on entirely 
 different occasions, are here chrestomathically grouped together. 
 In this case, we are released from the difficult task of finding the 
 connection between this and the immediately preceding injunction. 
 On the subject itself, the open confession of Christ, see the remarks 
 on Matt. X. 32, and Luke ix. 26. In the confession wherewith the 
 Lord will requite this, the coram angelis is made more prominent in 
 this place ; the coram jpatre^ in the parallel passage in Matthew. 
 
 9. But unto him that hlasphemeth against the Holy Ghost . — On 
 the sin against the Holy Ghost, compare Lange on Matt. xii. 31, 
 32, and the authors there mentioned. The notion, that this sin 
 was nothing else than the ascribing those miracles to the power 
 of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy 
 Ghost” (Wesley), is quite obsolete. This blasphemy against the 
 Holy Ghost must be placed on a level with the sin which cannot be 
 forgiven, and which is mentioned in other parts of Scripture ; 
 Heb. X. 26; 1 John v. 16. This sin against the Holy Ghost can, 
 however, take place only where a high degree of religious enlighten- 
 ment and development has been attained ; and, in opposition to the 
 knowing not what they do, Luke xxiii. 34, it presupposes a con- 
 scious and obstinate enmity against God and godliness, in its highest 
 development. The highest degree of favour must have been be- 
 stowed, before the deepest fall is possible ; and only he who has 
 attained considerable heights, can plunge into such depths. Paul, 
 before his conversion, blasphemed the Son of man, and it was for- 
 given him. If he had kicked against the pricks, and resisted with 
 all his power the impression he had received, he would then have 
 committed the unpardonable sin. Perhaps it may be said that 
 Judas committed it, and thus brought upon himself the judgment 
 pronounced. Matt. xxvi. 24. With regard to the punishment of this 
 sin, we may cite the words of Augustine (de Civitat. Dei xxi. 24) : 
 
 neque enim de quibusdam veraciter diceretur, quod eis non remittetur^ 
 neque in hoc sceculo^ neque in futw^o, nisi essent^ quihuSy esti non in 
 istOy tamen remittatur in fiduroT Stier, ii. p. 44, gives a short but 
 excellent description of this sin. We cannot here discuss the 
 differences between Calvinistic and Lutheran expositors ; the for- 
 mer of whom believe that none of the regenerate, and the latter. 
 
CHAP. XII. 1—12. 
 
 415 
 
 that none but the regenerate, can fall into this sin. The arguments 
 in favour of the Calvinistic view may be found in Stier and 
 Olshausen ; and those for the opposite view, in J. Muller’s Christl. 
 Lehre von der Siinde ii., p. 566. 
 
 10. Unto the synagogues, etc. — If we might justly entertain a 
 doubt, whether the former warning, against blasphemy against the 
 Holy Ghost, were intended for the Lord’s true disciples, this pro- 
 mise, on the contrary, is uttered with peculiar adaptation to their 
 future calling, as preachers of the Gospel. The accumulation of 
 expressions is specially designed to point out to them, that they 
 would be summoned not merely before Jewish, but heathen 
 tribunals ; and the promise of the Holy Ghost is of such a nature, 
 that direct and immediate help, from above, is guaranteed to them, 
 in every case in which they can need it. But although this help is 
 here limited to the answer they would have to give, it is obvious 
 that this answer of the Apostles would be a testimony, Krjpvyixa, in 
 the highest sense of the word ; and that the assistance, promised 
 even when less urgently needed, would not be withheld when far 
 more imperatively necessaiy. ■ The book of the Acts of the Apostles 
 is a running commentary on the import and power of this saying. 
 Compare especially, the defences of St Paul and St Peter. Hence, 
 Bengel justly remarks, aut quid dicatis etiam proeter apologice 
 necessitatemr 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1 . It is by no means acccidental, that a warning against the 
 Tcov ^apiaalcovy icrrlv viroKpLcn^;, should thus stand in the fore- 
 ground, in one of our Lord’s discourses. — Hypocrisy is only one of 
 the sins which He reproves, in those who are called to His kingdom ; 
 but it is the sin which sm’passes all others in baseness, and which is 
 most opposed to the fundamental law of the kingdom of truth. The 
 Old Testament sayings. Dent, xviii. 13, Ps. li. 8, are equally suit- 
 able under the Christian dispensation. 
 
 2. The high rank awarded to mysteries, in the heathen religions 
 of antiquity, is well kno’^m. The initiated Avere thought to have 
 attained a higher degree of piety, and to have ascended by them 
 from the region of the known into that of the unknoAvn, which no 
 uninitiated foot must pollute, no indiscreet tongue betray. The 
 exact contraiy of all this preA^ails in the Christian religion. Here 
 the KeKoXvpLpbevov occupies not the higher, but the lower rank ; and 
 its adherents are directed not to the closets^ but to the house-tops : a 
 
410 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 proof that tlie revival of the heathen mysteries, in the bosom of the 
 Catholic Church, is essentially opposed to the genius of Christianity, 
 and that secret societies, which do not venture to bring their pur- 
 poses or deeds to light, have to fear the veto of Him who requires 
 publicity in the noblest sense of the word, and whose cause is more 
 worthy than any other to be placed in the brightest light. 
 
 3. There are some sayings of Jesus which are best understood, 
 and most honoured, by being read in the light of the bright, shining 
 firmament. To this class belong His words concerning the spar- 
 rows, and the hairs of our head. When I consider Thy heavens, 
 the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast 
 ordained ; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him ? and the 
 son of man,” that Thou hast numbered the very hairs of his 
 head % In order, however, rightly to appreciate the comfort of this 
 doctrine of a providentia specialissima^ we must not forget that the 
 Lord is here speaking to His friends, who were, as such, the objects 
 of the special care of Almighty God. 
 
 4. The immortality of the soul, in the philosophical meaning of 
 the word, is as little directly taught and proved by the Lord, as the 
 existence and unity of God : He usually assumes that which can by 
 no means be doubted. Hence, it is not the merely negative idea of 
 immortality, but the positive idea of the resurrection of the dead, 
 which is made prominent in the New Testament Scriptures. But 
 this being the case, it should the less escape our notice, that at least 
 once He said, in so many words, that the soul, which is decidedly 
 separated from the body, cannot be destroyed. New Testament 
 demonology also receives an important contribution from this say- 
 ing ; while the exhortation given to His disciples, to be continually 
 on their guard against the wiles and power of Satan, is reiterated 
 by them to their fellow-believers, Eph. vi. 12 ; 1 Peter v. 8 ; Jas. 
 iv. 7, and other places. 
 
 5. The sin against the Holy Ghost must by no means be repre- 
 sented as equivalent to sin against conscience (as, e.g.^ by B. Colani). 
 Conscience speaks even in the bosom of the rudest heathen ; while 
 no one can sin against the Holy Ghost, without already possessing 
 knowledge and experience of the power of Christian truth. 
 
 6. Our Lord’s promise, of the assistance of the Holy Ghost, has 
 been rightly considered one of the strongest reasons for the high 
 respect entertained for the sayings and writings of the Apostles. In 
 the parallel passage. Matt. x. 19, 20, that which the Spirit says 
 by them, is carefully distinguished from the utterance of their 
 
CHAP. XII. 1—12. 
 
 417 
 
 own indivitlual consciousness. The nature and manner of the 
 S})irit’s influence may be incomprehensible ; but thus much is evi- 
 dent, that we are here to understand an^extraordinary and immediate 
 influence, for it was to be given them iv avrf] rfj copa. This pro- 
 mise of assistance extended to the matter, as well as the manner, of 
 their words (ttw? i) tl) ; and this help was so powerfully to support 
 them (comp. Luke xxi. 14, 15), that it should be morally impos- 
 sible to their enemies, to persevere in their opposition. This help 
 was promised them, not only with respect to what they would need 
 to say in their own behalf, but also for the cause of their Master. 
 Their writings, too, containing such defences of their faith as the 
 opposition they then encountered demanded, are the true expression 
 of what the Holy Spirit led them, at such moments, to discuss, to 
 speak, or to write ; and this promise, reported in all the synoptical 
 Gospels, is only a short compendium of all that the Lord afterwards 
 more copiously spoke in His parting discourses to His disciples, 
 recorded by St John, concerning the mission and operation of the 
 Comforter. 
 
 nOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The essential difference between Pharisaism and Christianity. — 
 How Christ and the hypocrite stand in mutual opposition. — The 
 kingdom of heaven contains no mysteries, destined to remain such 
 for ever. — Secrecy in words and deeds must be the exception, sin- 
 cerity and publicity the rule, among Christ’s disciples. — No fear of 
 many enemies, but of one supremely terrible adversary. — The power 
 of Satan : 1. Its extent ; 2. its reason ; 3. its limits. — Watchfulness 
 against the enemy of souls, combined with childlike confidence in 
 the Father of spirits. — God’s control of trifles. — The arithmetic of 
 Christ’s disciples. — The least is great, and the greatest little, in 
 God’s sight. — The life of the Christian is inviolable. — The consola- 
 tion which a look at the sparrows, or at the hairs of the head, may 
 bring to the Lord’s disciples. How much higher we stand, 1. as 
 reasonable creatures, 2. as immortal beings, 3. as redeemed by the 
 blood of the Son of God, 4. as called to likeness to God. Hence it 
 is impossible, that He who counts the sparrows, should be forgetful 
 of men and Christians. — The holy calling of the Christian to acknow- 
 ledge his Lord : 1. The wide extent, 2. the undoubted justice, 3. the 
 incomparable importance, of this calling. — By what we are before 
 the Lord here, we may already judge what we shall one day have 
 to expect from Him. — How far does the disciple of the Lord need 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 27 
 
418 
 
 THE GOSTEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 warning, like the Pharisees, against the sin against the Holy Ghost? 
 (Matt. xii. 31, 32.) 1. There is but one sin that cannot be forgiven ; 
 2. it is ever possible to commit this sin; 3. the judgment passed against 
 it is perfectly just; 4. warning against it is always suitable, a. to 
 make some savingly uneasy, h. perfectly to pacify some who are un- 
 easy. — The Holy Ghost, the best defender of the Lord’s cause when 
 it is threatened : 1. How far this promise applied exclusively to the 
 Apostles, and was fulfilled to them ; 2. how far it concerns all be- 
 lievers, and belongs to them also. 
 
 Starche : lie who does not teach aright, cannot live aright ; and 
 he who does not live aright, cannot teacli aright. — Quesnel : Truly 
 pious persons do not avoid the light, and do nothing of which they 
 would be ashamed before the judgment-seat of God. — Iledingei' : 
 The doctrine of God’s grace is no chemical secret : every man ought 
 to know and understand it. — The marvellous simplicity and clear- 
 ness of the Gospel, Ps. xix. 9. — Bi'entiiis : If the children and ser- 
 vants of God share the sufferings of Christ, they are also richly 
 partakers of consolation through Christ. — The soul has its own 
 special existence ; hence, when separate from the body, it may fare 
 either ill or well. — Nov. Bill. Tub. : It is impossible that God 
 should forsake them who trust in Him. — All, even the veriest trifle, 
 that happens to man, is by God’s appointment. — It is not enough to 
 believe in Jesus with the heart: we must also boldly and joyfully 
 acknowledge Him with the mouth, before men. — There is one sin 
 greater than others, and therefore worthy of heavier punishment. — 
 Majus : Every Christian must be ready to confess Christ, 1 Peter 
 iii. 15. — The great ones of the earth have mostly been great enemies 
 of Christ, and of His Gospel. — The inward teaching of the Holy 
 Ghost is intimately united with His outward teaching, and must not 
 be separated from it, 1 Tim. vi. 3-5. — Balmer (on the parallel pas- 
 sage, Matt. x. 26-33) : The power of the Lord, and the impotence of 
 man : 1. He performs His work, and men cannot hinder it ; 2. He 
 protects His faithful servants, and men cannot hinder it ; 3. He 
 rejects the unfaithful, and men cannot hinder it. — V. Oosterzee : 
 The government of God extends to trifles. This is a truth, 1. too 
 certain to be doubted, 2. too glorious to be slightly valued, 3. too 
 instructive to be forgotten. — Bech: Whence is true courage 
 derived f 
 
CHAP. XII. 13-21. 
 
 419 
 
 b. The Parable of the rich Fool. (Vers. 13-21.) 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. And lie said unto him. — Doubt has, without any reason, been 
 cast by De Wette upon the historical veracity of the incident which 
 gave rise to the parable of the rich fool, and which rather seems 
 to us to bear internal marks of probability, and of being sketched 
 from life. The speaker here, however, is certainly no follower 
 of Jesus (Kuinoel), but a stranger, who, forming perhaps one of 
 the innumerable multitude,” had been hearing the Lord for the 
 first time, and, while He had been discoursing of heavenly things, 
 had been thinking only of earthly interests. Struck by the power- 
 ful words and dignified behaviour of the Nazarene, he had been 
 considering whether His influence might not be useful in bringing a 
 then pending family feud to an issue. This occurrence shows, in a 
 peculiar manner, how strongly marked a part was now taken, for and 
 against the Lord ; since, in the very place where His meal was em- 
 bittered, this special proof of confidence, though, at the same time, 
 of great dependence on earthly things, was given Him. The warn- 
 ing against covetousness, which immediately follows, does not neces- 
 sarily involve the fact, that this individual had made a request which 
 was in itself unjust. 
 
 2. Man, etc. — This answer expresses no personal displeasure 
 against him who had made so unsuitable a request, but merely states 
 that the Lord has no intention of taking upon Himself an office 
 which could not possibly be His. His answer involuntarily reminds 
 us of the question once put by an Egyptian to Moses, Exod. ii. 14. 
 
 3. Take heed, and beware of covetousness. — Not only of the 
 covetousness which had just shown itself in the form of attachment 
 to a disputed inheritance, but of all excessive love of earthly pos- 
 sessions. If the man were still among His auditors, the Lord now 
 does him better service than if He had made him rich, by trying to 
 cure him of his besetting sin. The parable of the rich fool, which 
 St Luke alone has preserved, and of which Eiggenbach rightly says, 
 
 It is hardly to be called a parable, so clear and direct is its refer- 
 ence to God,” was calculated to contribute to this end. 
 
 4. A mail s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which 
 he possesseth. — A difficult sentence. The reading of Tischendorf, 
 avTw, seems preferable to that of Lachmann, avrov. The best con- 
 struction seems : on y ^cog avrm ovk earlv nvl ev rp TrepiaaeveLv 
 (Inf nit. pro Substantivo) eV to)v inrap'^ovrcov avrov. Zcog is not here 
 
420 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 to be taken in the sense of liappiness, but = : as Scliott para- 
 
 phrases it, “ siquidem quando quis honis ahundat, tamen vito. ejus a 
 holds minime pendetr It depends, not on tlie possession of much 
 property, but upon the will of God, who lengthens or shortens the 
 thread of our life, whether any shall live long and peacefully here. 
 A man’s life may be preserved without his possessing property; or 
 he may continue in the possession of riches, and unexpectedly lose 
 Ids life. It is undoubtedly the fact, that riches cannot ensure hap- 
 piness, but this is not the leading idea of the parable. 
 
 5. 77/r ground, of a certedn rich man. — Probably of large extent ; 
 not '^(nplov^ but %ct)pa. It is not without design that our Lord 
 selects, as an example, a man who had acquired his riches in an 
 ordinary, lawful, and apparently blameless manner. Modus hie 
 ditescendi innocentissimus et tamen periculosus d’ Bengel. The first 
 thing wanting to this prosperous man, is perfect contentment. 
 
 6. What shall I do f — Care and anxiety are soon joined to dis- 
 content, when he does not know what to do with his treasures. 
 A like perplexity to that related Mark xvi. 3, but one in which 
 God does not interpose, and send help. He does not seem to have 
 a thought, that his increased prosperity affords him an opportunity 
 of relieving his more needy brethren. His egotism may be detected 
 even in the four times repeated /aov : rou? /capirov'^ piov, /c.r.X., vers. 
 17, 18. 
 
 7. I will pull down my hams. — He thus purposes to make room 
 for his possessions. The diTodrjfcat were geneiTilly dry, subterranean 
 vaults. It is possible that the rich fool was intending their enlarge- 
 ment, and that he also designed to build larger aTroOrj/cat. Here, 
 also, there is not the slightest mention of the poor; but, on the 
 contrary, an emphatic exaltation of his fyevvijyara, as his highest 
 earthly dyadd. 
 
 8. Sold. — The self-deceit of false hope is now added to his 
 abiding discontent, and increasing anxiety. He involuntarily owns, 
 that the long-desired ease has not yet been attained ; but that he 
 expects to have it, and to enjoy it for a long time, when the work 
 he proposes shall be completed. Meyer makes the following deli- 
 cate distinction : ^^To mjsoul; not exactly 7?^^7i^, but to my soul, 
 the seat of the affections — here, of love of enjoyment.” It is not 
 so much leism'e, as luxury, which constitutes the ideal of this fool. 
 The similarity of this passage to Ecclus. xi. 17-19 is undeniable. 
 
 9. Thou fool, etc. — The striking contrast between his self-com- 
 placent speech and the judgment of God, is one of the peculiar 
 
CHAP. XII. 13-21. 
 
 421 
 
 beauties of tins parable. This beauty is, however, lost, if we see 
 here only a decretum Dei, instead of the present, though invisible. 
 King of heaven, really speaking and acting, and soon making the 
 rich man feel that he has not even so many hours to live, as the 
 years he had been dreaming of. — ’ATratTovcrtv. Who, then, is to 
 execute this sentence ? God Himself (Meyer) ; the angel of death, 
 to whom I have delivered this commission (v. Gerlach) ; robbers 
 and murderers (Bornemann, Paulus). The latter supposition is, 
 perhaps, most in keeping with the concrete character of the parable ; 
 nor is there any reason for taking the verb im 2 Mrsonaliter. If we 
 understand robbers and assassins, the summons is doubly emphatic : 
 it presents an image in the highest degree terrible to the rich man ; 
 and the question immediately following, Whose shall those things 
 be which thou hast provided?” receives still more significance, if 
 we view the unknown, but already approaching murderers, as the 
 plunderers also of his property. Nor does ver. 21 offer any diffi- 
 culty against this explanation, if we only keep in view the tertium 
 comparationis. 
 
 10. So is he who layeth up treasure, etc. — He deludes himself, 
 that is, as this rich fool did, to be sooner or later as terribly unde- 
 ceived. — Srjaavpi^cov iavrS, in suum commodum, so as to make his 
 own enjoyment the chief end he has in view, in increasing his 
 treasures. With this restless and fruitless Orjaa-upL^eiv is con- 
 trasted that quiet and abiding ifKovTelv eh Qeov, which relates to 
 God, and the things of God, and which is called in another place, 
 laying up treasui’es in heaven. 
 
 DOCTEINAL EEFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. It is worthy our attention, that the Lord does not, for a mo- 
 ment, think of settling the dispute about the inheritance. If a similar 
 contest had arisen among His disciples. He would undoubtedly so 
 have arranged it, as to show that the rules afterwards laid down by 
 St Paul (1 Cor. vi. 1-6) were entirely in the spirit of his Master. 
 But here, upon an occasion wholly extraneous, and having no rela- 
 tion to the kingdom of God, His answer could but be a refusal; and, 
 accordingly. He repels the temptation of entering upon a sphere so 
 different from that which the Father had assigned Him. Although 
 He appeared as the King of Israel, He mingled neither in the 
 contentions of the J ews, nor the political interests or affairs of the 
 Homans, but remained faithful to the principle which He after- 
 wards enunciated (John xviii. 36). And while setting, in this re- 
 
422 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 spect, on example to all Ilis followers, wlio were to be no aWo- 
 rpLoeiTLcrKoiroL, ITis conduct on this occasion is also significant, as 
 indicative of tlic principle which should regulate the relations of 
 the Church to the State. The Confession of Augsburg, rightly at 
 least, quotes this saying of the Lord, in its 28th article, as a proof 
 that the two powers, spiritual and temporal, should neither be 
 mingled nor confounded. 
 
 2. The Lord will be recognised, not as a judge or divider of 
 inheritances, but as a Kedeemer from all sin, from covetousness as 
 well as hypocrisy. Such a lesson is entirely in accordance with 
 the sj)irit of the third and Pauline Gospel (comp. 1 Tim. vi. 6-10) ; 
 and needs the more to be cherished, since covetousness is not un- 
 frequently the sin of the pious, who are already comparatively 
 dead to the lusts of the flesh, and free from the pride of the natu- 
 ral heart. — The parable of the rich fool is full of allusions to the 
 Old Testament, especially to the Psalms; see, c.y.. Job xxii. 25; 
 Ps. xxxix. 7, xlix. 12 ; Jer. xvii. 11 ; Ps. Ixxii. 10, 11. 
 
 3. When we consider that the parable of the rich fool was 
 delivered in the presence of the disciples, and consequently in that 
 of Judas, we find fresh reason for admiring the Lord’s aptness to 
 teach, in this powerful yet indirect reproof of the future traitor. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS, 
 
 Even the preaching of Jesus had unimpressed and inattentive 
 hearers. — Care for the earthly, instead of longing for the heavenly 
 inheritance. — Covetousness the root of all evil. — Let every man 
 abide in the same calling wherein he was called. — How poor a rich 
 man, and how .rich a poor man, may be. — If riches increase, set 
 not your heart upon them. — Earthly prosperity may become a 
 snare. — The anxieties accompanying earthly riches, contrasted with 
 the holy tranquillity of the children of God. — The misery of the 
 selfish enjoyments of the rich. — The vain and deceitful hope of 
 ease in years to come. — God’s thoughts are not as man’s thoughts. 
 — The sudden death of a worldly man. — The sad lot of him who 
 lays up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God : 1. His 
 painful discontent ; 2. his increasing care ; 3. his deceitful hope ; 
 
 4. his irreparable loss. — Piches towards God: 1. The only true, 
 2. the inalienable, 3. the only all-sufficing riches. 
 
 The 15th and 21st verses offer the best openings for homiletical 
 treatment. This parable is also peculiarly adapted for harvest 
 sermons. 
 
I 
 
 CHAP. xir. 22-34. 423 
 
 Starche. — Qiiesnel: Earthly possessions often occasion division, 
 uneasiness, and offence. — Canstein : Not great possessions, but the 
 power and blessing of God, preserve the life of man. — The bless- 
 ing of God extends even to the fields of the ungodly. Matt. v. 45. 
 — They who receive the richest benefits often forget their bene- 
 factor. — Nov. Bihl. Tab. : Earthly minds have always earthly 
 thoughts and plans. — Majns : Epicures soon have their eternal 
 reward. — The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are 
 vain. — Bihl. Wurt. : The covetous are unhappy, both in this world 
 and the next. — Majus : Earthly riches do not injure those who are 
 rich towards God, as Abraham, David, and Solomon, for they use 
 them accordino; to God’s will. 
 
 Heubner: Even the closest ties of blood cannot restrain the 
 selfish heart from strife. — What is the self-love of the vain ? — 
 Dependence on earthly possessions a folly. — The poor rich fool 
 appears before the judgment-seat of God with a lost name, a lost 
 soul, a lost world, and a lost heaven. — The true riches of men. — 
 Arndt: Carnal security: 1. The form it takes; 2. God’s judgment 
 concerning it. — Lisco : Many children of the kingdom deceived by 
 earthly riches. — Covetousness considered as the destroyer of har- 
 vest blessings. — Krummacher : How faith and unbelief keep their 
 harvest feasts. — These two classes of men essentially differ from 
 each other, 1. in their views of the blessing received, 2. in the use 
 they make of it, 3. in the dependence they place upon it. — Geroh : 
 The rich man a poor man ; how men may be deceived. — Couard : 
 What is necessary to render earthly cares sinless. — Kliefoth : What 
 shall we carry with us through the gates of death ? 
 
 c. The Freedom of the Lord’s Disciples from Anxious Cares. 
 
 (Yers. 22-34.) 
 
 CRITICAL KOTES. 
 
 1. Therefore I say unto you. — If we take it for granted that 
 this exhortation, to maintain a state of mind free from anxiety, was 
 uttered on the same occasion as the exhortation and parable pre- 
 ceding it (see, however, the preceding remarks, and comp. Matt, 
 vi. 22-34), it is not difficult to point out the connection between 
 this and the former part of our Lord’s discourse. The very source 
 of the covetousness, which He had just been opposing, is this over- 
 anxiety, and fear of being exposed to any privation ; and this fear 
 becomes none so ill as the Lord’s disciple. The chief objects of 
 
424 
 
 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 eartlily care arc food and clothing; and the Lord opposes it by 
 directing tlie attention of tlie anxious to what they see in the king- 
 dom of nature, hut, above all, to the consideration that He, who 
 has already bestowed the greater, will certainly not fail to supply 
 the less. 
 
 2. The life is more than meat. — “ You just reverse matters. 
 IMcat ought to be the servant of the life, but the life is the servant 
 of the meat ; raiment ought to be the servant of the body, but the 
 body is the servant of the raiment. The world is so blind that it 
 cannot see this.” — Luther. If God bestows the greater. He gives 
 us thereby a pledge that lie will not withhold the less : Horn. viii. 32. 
 
 3. Consider the ravens. Comp. Ps. cxlvii. 9 . — An indistinct 
 allusion, perhaps, to the miraculous history of Elijah, 1 Kings xvii. 
 6 . — KaravoriaaTe means more than a superficial observation, and 
 rather expresses attention, studious regard (to the ravens). In 
 Matthew, we have the more general term, irereLvd. Perhaps, at 
 this moment, the birds and lilies, in Ills immediate neighbourhood, 
 attracted the Lord’s attention, and occasioned Ilis use of this figu- 
 rative lano-uao-e. 
 
 O O 
 
 4. ’EttI Tr]v 7]\iK[av avTov (to the extent of his life, German 
 version). — See Lange on Matt. vi. 27. 
 
 5. Consider the lilies. — The use of the plural does not necessa- 
 rily denote the Kpiva as a mass, but also as individuals. — Um — ovTe 
 vYjOei, K.T.\. : an indirect question, more copiously expressed in 
 klatthew. 
 
 6 . In all his glory. — When he appeared in the full sjfiendour of 
 his reo-al state. See 2 Chron. ix. 15. 
 
 O 
 
 7. Mr] fierecopl^eo-Oe . — The sense in which this verb (whence our 
 word meteor) is used, is well known. See a copious collection of 
 examples in Kuinoel on this passage. Merecopl^eadai can mean 
 nothing else than to raise oneself, in sj)irit, so far aloft, as to shine 
 like a meteor^ but to incur also the lot of so many meteors. Comp, 
 the well-knowm Tolluntur in altum ut lapsu graviore riiantl^ 
 Flights of fancy seem especially to be intended here, since these 
 create imaginary wants, rendering the individual doubly discon- 
 tented with reality, and so much the more easily tempted to unbe- 
 lieving anxiety. The more moderate the desires, the more easily 
 will the heart be satisfied. 
 
 8. Rather seeh ye the kingdom of God. — There is no sufficient 
 ground for inserting here the adverb TrpeoTov, from IMatt. vi. 33. 
 According to Luke, the Lord insists that the kingdom of God 
 
CHAP. XII. 22-34. 
 
 425 
 
 must absolutely be sought ; in which case^ this precept differs only 
 in appearance from that given in Matt. vi. 33. The irpoiTov 
 f);TetTe, which is there commanded, is such a seeking as excludes 
 every other care. The disciples of the Lord seek nothing else in 
 the manner in which they seek the kingdom of God. See Lange 
 on Matthew, p. 265. 
 
 9. Fear not. — Undoubtedly, the fear reproved in the preceding 
 verses is chiefly meant ; while every kind of fear which might be a 
 hindrance to them, in seeking the kingdom of God, is also included. 
 This seeking could, in no case, be fruitless ; since it was the F ather’s 
 good pleasure to give them that which they desired above all things. 
 
 10. Little floch. — Perhaps an intentional comparison of the 
 little band of disciples with the innumerable multitude of people,” 
 ver. 1. An expression, also, of the Good Shepherd: comp. Matt, 
 xxvi. 31 and John x. 11. 
 
 11. Your Father s good pleasure, Eph. i. 4-6. — Uot only a di- 
 vinum arhitrium cui stat pro ratione voluntas, but a hene placitum 
 amoris divini. 
 
 12. Sell that ye have. — A climax to the exhortation occurring, in 
 another form, in Matt. vi. 19-21. This saying may certainly be very 
 profitably applied to every Christian : comp. Matt. xix. 21. It is here, 
 however, a special direction to the Apostles, who, in order to live en- 
 tirely for the kingdom of God, ought to be bound by no earthly ties. 
 
 13. And give alms. — This command, as well as many of the 
 precepts of the Sermon on the Mount, must not be interpreted Kara 
 P7}t6v, but in that spirit of wisdom, which is as far removed from 
 selfish limitation as from communistic profuseness. By thus caring 
 for others, they would be roaking themselves hags which ivax not 
 old. They were not forbidden to take this kind of ^dkdvTia with 
 them, as they were the other sort, Luke xxii. 35 ; and in these 
 bags, they would collect a treasure that faileth not. This treasure 
 in heaven, spoken of by the synoptical Evangelists, is as much col- 
 lected in this world, as the fw?) alwvLo^, mentioned by St' John, is 
 said to begin before death. This treasure, being of spiritual origin 
 and heavenly nature, is also imperishable. 
 
 14. For where your treasure is, etc. — A saying showing the 
 deepest acquaintance with human nature, and capable of the most 
 various application. The heart of man gradually appropriates to 
 itself the nature of that treasure, to whose attainment its efforts are 
 directed. The heart of him who makes gold his god, becomes as 
 hard and cold as that metal ; he who makes flesh his arm, or takes 
 
426 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE, 
 
 it for liis idol, l)ccomes more and more sensual, and acquires the 
 ])roperties of tliat which he loves. But he who has treasure in 
 heaven, naturally fixes his eye and heart upon the invisible world ; 
 and he who has no higher good than God, yields Him also the 
 first place in his affections. This is the key to that inexpressibly 
 rich saying of a Father of the Church, Domine, quia nos fecisti ad 
 tCy cor nostrum inqidetum in nohisy donee requiescat in teP 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1 . See the Critical Notes. 
 
 2. To appreciate the high value of this instruction of the Lord, 
 v/e have only to put ourselves in the place of the Apostles, who had 
 left all for His sake. Undoubtedly, it was not only the eleven 
 whom the remembrance of these words preserved from despondency 
 and anxiety : the echo of these encouraging promises, which he 
 would certainly afterwards hear, resounded also in the soul of Paul, 
 who was not yet sitting at the feet of J esus. See Phil. iv. 6, 7, and 
 comp. 1 Pet. V. 7. 
 
 3. The holy freedom from care, which the Lord here inculcates 
 upon His disciples, has nothing in common with the light-minded 
 carelessness of those who never think of to-morrow ; for there is a 
 Christian carefulness which impels a man to pray, but, at the same 
 time, to work also. The Lord is only blaming that caring, which 
 acts as if everything depended, after all, upon care, instead of 
 thinking of the rule, 
 
 “ Mit Sorgen und mit Gramen, 
 
 Lasst Gott sich gar niclits nehmen, 
 
 Es will erbeten sein.” 
 
 Luther makes a very just distinction when he says, ^^The care 
 which proceeds from love, is commanded ; the care which sets faith 
 aside, is forbidden.” 
 
 4. This part of our Lord’s discourse offers abundant proof, how 
 He, who loved mankind, was also a lover of nature : He makes 
 choice of the ravens and lilies, to be preachers of consolation to Elis 
 disciples. If, however, we would feel the full beauty of these 
 figures of speech, we must behold Him who utters it with the eye 
 of a John, and recognise in Him the Eternal Word, without whom 
 nothing was made, and Avho created both the ravens and the lilies 
 of the field. The emblems of God’s fatherly care, which He 
 points out to us, are not merely the fruits of His imagination, but, 
 what is more, they are also the works of His creative power. 
 
CHAP. XII. 22-34. 
 
 427 
 
 4. This encouraging address to the little flock, contains the 
 fruitful germ of the evangelical and Pauline doctrine of predesti- 
 nation. At the same time, we receive an important hint, as to the 
 point of view from which it is the Lord’s will that this doctrine 
 should be viewed and represented, viz., as a consolation to anxious 
 believers, and not as an occasion for vain questionings. The con- 
 solation, here given, remains the same, though the number of 
 Christ’s disciples should be increased a million-fold. Their number 
 is always a small one, when contrasted with the majority of the 
 unbelieving world ; and it may always be said of the Lord’s friends. 
 Behold, I send you forth as sheep among wolves,” Matt. x. 16. 
 But these few and defenceless ones may, all the more, depend upon 
 the help and protection of their heavenly Father. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 IIow far the Lord’s disciple may, and how far he may not, take 
 thought for his temporal maintenance. — The difference between 
 the care of the blind heathen, the worshipping Israelite, and the 
 believing Christian. — The preaching of the ravens and lilies. — 
 Excessive care for temporal matters, is, 1. partly unnecessary, 
 2. partly in vain, 3. partly hurtful to higher interests. — Wouldst 
 thou be raised above care for the less, which thou hast not yet? 
 Look at the greater, which has been already bestowed upon thee. — 
 The impotence of our care to alter anything in our outward con- 
 dition, if such alteration be contrary to the will of God. — God 
 clothes, 1. Solomon with glory, 2. the lilies with more glory, 3. His 
 believing people with more glory than Solomon and the lilies to- 
 gether. — Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low 
 estate,” Rom. xii. 16. — ^Mn quietness and in confidence shall be 
 your strength, Isa. xxx. 15. — Your Father knoweth that you have 
 need of these things: 1. There is One who knows what we want; 
 2. this One is our Father; 3. Jesus leads us to this Father. — Fear 
 not, little fiock : A word of consolation, 1. for the Apostles in the 
 midst of an unbelieving world, 2. for the Evangelical Church in 
 the midst of numerous enemies, 3. for every society of Christians, 
 separated from a degenerate and hierarchical Church. — They that 
 buy, as though they possessed not, etc., 1 Cor. vii. 30. — Christian 
 Communism contrasted with its caricature in the present century. 
 — The art of giving so as to become not poorer, but richer. — The 
 security of the treasure laid up in heaven. — Where the treasure is, 
 there is the heart, whether, 1. on earth, or, 2. in heaven. 
 
428 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Starcke : Christians must occupy the middle ground between 
 anxious care and too great carelessness. — A 7 mdt : Let us diligently 
 study the book of nature, as well as the Scriptures. — Qaesnel: The 
 experience of our impotence in small things, should teach us to 
 submit to God in more important matters. — Canstein: Fine clothes, 
 and magnificence in other matters, are but vanity, and cannot equal 
 the beauty of a flower of the field. — Christ does not forbid the 
 labour of the hands, but the uneasiness and mistrust of the heart. 
 — The children of princes and kings have no need to torment 
 themselves with petty cares ; how much less, then, have Christians ! 
 — Canstein : If God purposes to bestow heaven upon us, why 
 should we take anxious care for our earthly sustenance ? — There 
 have been at all times few true believers, compared with the multi- 
 tudes of the ungodly, Ps. xii. 2. — Cramer : To do good to the poor 
 is the duty of all Christians, Isa. Iviii. 7. — Let him who would 
 be benevolent, be so at his own expense, not at that of others. — 
 Nov, Bihl. Tub.: No capital is better or more securely invested 
 than alms. — Ask thyself, O soul, where is thy treasure and thine 
 heart? — Heubner : The right order among the objects of our solici- 
 tude. — The unhapj)y folly of earthly cares. — The chief care of 
 Christians. — Care not how long, but Itow^ thou livest. — Couard: 
 On earthly care : It is, 1. unworthy of us; 2. highly dangerous ; 
 3. extremely foolish; and, 4. utterly useless. — Westenneyer: The 
 care forbidden by God : 1. How far it is forbidden, and, 2. why. — 
 Claus Harms : A harvest sermon in the Sommerpostille, 6th edit., 
 p. 349. 
 
 5. The Watchfulness and Coiiflict of the Lord’s True Disciples 
 (vers. 35-59). (Parallel to Matt. xxi. 43-51.) 
 
 a. Yers. 35-48. 
 
 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning ; 36 And ye 
 yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the 
 wedding ; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him imme- 
 diately. 37 Blessed 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. 38 And if he 
 shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, 
 blessed are those servants. 39 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 through. 40 Be ye therefore 
 ready also : for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 41 
 
CHAP, XII. 35-48. 
 
 420 
 
 Tlien Peter said unto Him, T^ord, speakest Thou this parable unto us, or even 
 to all ? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, 
 
 whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion 
 of meat in due season ? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he 
 
 cometh, shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make 
 him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, 
 Jly lord delay eth his coming ; and shall begin to beat the men-servants and 
 maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken ; 46 The lord of that servant 
 will come in a day when he looketh 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 will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 
 48 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. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. Let your loins he girded about. — This exhortation to watchful- 
 ness is very suitably united to the exhortation, in the preceding 
 verses, to confidence and freedom from anxiety. They had, indeed, 
 good reason to be without care, since it was their Father’s good 
 pleasure to give them the kingdom (ver. 32) ; but they could only 
 inherit it by awaiting, in watchfulness and activity, the coming of 
 their Lord. The exhortation which follows, contains, indeed, some 
 allusion to the parable of the ten virgins (De Wette), but it also 
 contains several peculiar features, placing the nature and means of 
 Christian watchfulness, as well as its blessing, in an entirely new 
 light. The form and contents of the parable which follows, are far 
 more copiously given here than in Matt. xxiv. 42—51. 
 
 2. Your loins girded — your lights burning. — Two characteristics 
 of a servant prepared to receive his absent but expected master in 
 a suitable manner. The long garments of the Oriental must be 
 girt up, that they might not hinder him in going and serving. See 
 Wetstein on this passage, and compare 1 Pet. i. 13, a reminiscence 
 perhaps of these very words. The light must also be kindled, if the 
 Lord were expected in the night. The first image depicts especially 
 the diligence, the second the watchfulness, of the faithful servant. 
 
 3. When he will return from the wedding. — A slight departure 
 from the usual figure, according to which the heavenly ^dyoi do 
 not begin till after the irapovala of the Son of man : see, e.g.j Matt. 
 XXV. 1-13. The Messiah is here represented as celebrating His 
 nuptials in heaven, surrounded by friends and guests, and return- 
 ing to His dwelling, after the marriage supper is over, to crown 
 
430 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Ilis faithful servants with joy and honour. It is not said that the 
 latter further celebrate Ilis marriage after His return ; the fes- 
 tivities attendant on this event are rather represented as over. 
 (Bengel and Stier think otherwise.) But Ilis servants, who have 
 faithfully awaited Him, are entertained by Him at a meal pre- 
 pared expressly to honour them, at which their Lord appears not 
 in the character of a bridegroom, but of a servant. It is obvious 
 that it would be extremely forced to interpret every separate fea- 
 ture of a parable dogmatically, and that we must only observe the 
 tertium comparaiionis. 
 
 4. They may open to him immediately. — Because they have 
 nothing to conceal, nor have they fallen asleep. Vult suos esse ex- 
 pedites^ Bengel. 
 
 5. Blessed are those servants. — The blessedness of these faithful 
 servants is here described by various particulars. First, the Lord 
 will cause the temporary absence, which had hitherto separated Him 
 from them, to cease, and will be nearer to them (irapeXdcov) than 
 He has been. Secondly, He will now gird Himself, and take upon 
 Him the servant’s office. How literally the Lord fulfilled this par- 
 ticular of His own description, appears from John xiii. 4. Thirdly, 
 He makes them sit down at table, and spreads before them His 
 choicest dainties. It is unnecessary to imagine that these were 
 brought by Him from the wedding supper, or sent thence to His 
 dwelling (Kuinoel). To these a fourth particular is added, ver. 44, 
 that the management of all their lord’s possessions is now entrusted 
 to those servants, to whom, hitherto, only a part of His property had 
 been committed. It is not, however, necessary to see here any 
 allusion to the Saturnalia of the Romans (Grotius), in which both 
 good and bad servants were publicly waited on by their masters. 
 We are rather reminded of the custom of the ancient Hebrews, who 
 let their servants share their sacred feasts. 
 
 6. In the second watch — in the third watch. — The Romans divided 
 the night into four watches, diei inclination galliciniumn canticiniumj 
 diluculumn — a division which the Jews received from them. See 
 further, among others, Friedlieb’s Archiiologie der Leidensgeschichte 
 on Luke xxii. 60-62. There is no reason for the view, that the 
 Lord here followed another division, into only three watches (Lisco, 
 Olshausen). He does not mention the fourth, that His disciples 
 may perceive that it is not at the latest possible hour that Ilis return 
 is to be expected ; nor the first, because this would weaken the whole 
 description of the faithful servants. His Trapovala is not so soon as 
 
CHAP. XII. 35-48. 
 
 431 
 
 impatience, nor so late as indifference supposes ; but in the middle 
 of the night, just when the temptation to fall asleep is greatest, 
 and must therefore be most vigorously resisted. It may be delayed 
 longer than the servants expected ; but whether it take place in the 
 second, or the third watch, he who is faithfully waiting at his post, 
 shall by no means lose his reward. 
 
 7. If the goodman of the house^ etc. — A modification of the figure 
 of speech hitlierto employed, by which they, who were hitherto re- 
 presented as servants waiting during their lord’s absence, are now 
 compared to the owner of a house, who has to be on his guard, lest 
 his property should be stolen. — The thief ; not the dp')(^cov tov 
 Koo-fiov (Olshausen), but the Son of man, ver. 40, who will come as 
 unexpectedly to His disciples. It is remarkable, how this com- 
 parison of the irapovala to the coming of a thief was transferred, 
 in various forms, to the apostolic writings, and afterwards heard from 
 the mouth of the glorified SaHour. See 1 Thess. v. 2, 6-8 ; 2 Peter 
 iii. 10 ; Rev. hi. 3, xvi. 15. This comparison is evidently taken 
 from the point of view of those sunk in earthly enjoyments and in- 
 active repose, and to whom the appearing of the Son of man would 
 be not a joyful, but a terrible event. 
 
 8. Be ye therefore ready also. — See Lange on Matt. xxiv. 43, 44. 
 
 9. Then Peter. — There is no ground for questioning the authen- 
 ticity of this inquiry, nor for considering it merely an insertion of 
 St Luke’s (De Wette). On the contrary, it is quite in keeping 
 with the character of this Apostle. It is also remarkable, in a 
 psychological point of view, that it should have been put by the 
 very Apostle who most of all needed this warning (Matt. xxvi. 41), 
 and who so sadly forgot it. It is much to be feared, from the ac- 
 knowledged notorious earthly-mindedness of the disciples at this 
 period, that this question related more to the former than the 
 latter part of the parable ; more to the reward promised, than the 
 watchfulness required; and that Peter was desirous of knowing 
 whether this high distinction (ver. 37) were destined only for him- 
 self and his fellow-disciples, or for others (f) Kai) besides. 
 
 10. A nd the Lord said. — The Lord neither sanctions the notion, 
 that the parable concerned all (Friedlieb), nor that it was chiefly 
 directed to the Apostles (Ewald) ; but He continues His figure of 
 speech in such a manner that Peter, after some consideration, might 
 easily answer his own question. This answer is equivalent to say- 
 ing, that the more extensive the sphere of activity to which a servant 
 of the Lord is promoted, the more is his need of watchfulness in- 
 
432 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 creased, and the more severe \Yill he the punishment he must expect 
 if lie neglects liis duty. A lesson of extreme importance to all the 
 Apostles, and most of all to Peter, Avhose question had. elicited, it ; 
 comp. Matt. xvi. 18. 
 
 11. Who then is that faithful and wise steward^ — The oIkovo/jlo^; 
 (comp. 1 Cor. iv. 2) was an agent between the master and. his slaves, 
 charged, like Eliezer in Abraham’s house, and Joseph in Potiphar’s, 
 with the care of the whole household. It was, in the highest sense 
 of the word, a place of trust, in which therefore fidelity was in every 
 respect required. The Apostles were called upon to occupy the same 
 relation, and j)erform the same duties, to ordinary believers, as the 
 ol/covofioL to the other servants, viz., to give them their portion of 
 moat in due season.” The reward of the faithful servant was to 
 consist in the still further, and considerable, enlargement of his 
 sphere of activity. 
 
 12. But and if that servant. — Emphatically i/ceivo^, so that the 
 Tjord very distinctly alludes to the before-named oi/covofjLo^. He 
 represents him as seduced by carelessness into two great sins, — into 
 harshness and tyranny to others, and idleness and luxury in him- 
 self. This latter notion is more strikingly expressed in Matthew 
 (ch. xxiv. 49), by eating and drinking with the drunken. The 
 j^eculiar feature of the unfaithful steward’s tyranny, is his oppression 
 of his faithful but defenceless fellow-servants, and detention of 
 their appointed portion ; while he fills the house entrusted to his 
 care with bad characters, and makes it a scene of licentiousness. 
 This picture of unfaithful apostles, pastors, and teachers, resembles 
 Ezekiel’s description of the shepherds (Ezek. xxiv.), who feed them- 
 selves instead of their flocks. The whole history of the Church 
 furnishes examples of such worthless pastors. It is deserving of 
 notice, how the spirit of this warning diffuses its light, as it were, 
 through the Epistles of St Peter. See, e. g.y 1 Pet. v. 3 ; 2 Pet. 
 iii. 3. 
 
 13. Ai')(0'Tog'^(jeL avTov. — For various views of this expression, 
 see Lange on Matt. xxiv. 50. Much, at all events, is to be said in 
 favour of not understanding this word in a milder sense, but of 
 literally translating it — “he will cleave him in two parts.” On the 
 other hand, it must not be overlooked, that after this punishment 
 a portion is appointed him with the unbelievers, and he is conse- 
 quently represented as still alive. The word only occurs here and 
 Matt. xxiv. 51 ; compare 2 Sam. v. 20, vi. 7, 8 ; 1 Chron. xiv. 10, 
 11. This image is the more striking, when we consider that this 
 
CHAP. XII 35—48. 
 
 .433 
 
 punishment is threatened against a miscreant, who at first seems 
 faithful, but afterwards proves unfaithful; and thus shows a heart 
 most ruinously divided. Qui cor Di visum hahet dividetur.” 
 Bengel. 
 
 14. With the unbelievers. — According to Matthew, with the 
 hypocrites. The prominent idea is, that the Lord will judge His 
 servants according to the state in which He finds them ; and that 
 no past fidelity can save them, if they afterw'ards fall into careless- 
 ness and unfaithfulness, because of the delay of His coming, Me 
 find the same idea in another form, Ezek. xviii. 24. 
 
 15. And that servayit. — The Lord defends the sentence He had 
 just pronounced against the charge of too great severity, by giHng 
 due prominence to a universal principle, viz., that the greater the 
 light bestowed upon an individual, the greater is the guilt of his 
 sin ; and that it is by the varying degrees of punishment that the 
 impartiality and righteousness of the judge is recognised. All evil 
 serv^ants are punished, — even they of whom it may be said, in a cer- 
 tain sense, that they knew not their lord’s will, since this ignorance 
 is never complete and absolute in any one, except by his own fault. 
 Some knowledge, however imperfect, must be presupposed in all, 
 since not only the light of a special revelation, but the light of con- 
 science, has been bestowed upon man. Compare the sapng of 
 Calvin : Tenendum memoria est, qui regendce Ecclesioe prcefecti sunt, 
 eos non ignorantia peccare, sed perverse et impie fraudare Dominum 
 suum. Hinc tamen generalis doctrina colligi debet, frustra ad igno~ 
 rantice patrocinium confugere homines, ut se a reatu liberentT Comp. 
 Jas. iv. 17. — Many stripes. Though the appointed number of 
 stripes, according to the Mosaic law (Deut. xxv. 2), was restricted 
 to forty, it is obvious that such a limitation would be opposed to the 
 whole spirit of the parable. The same principle, however, w’hich is 
 laid do5vn, Deut. xxv. 2, viz., that the number of stripes is to be 
 in proportion to the magnitude of the offence, is here set forth by 
 the Lord. 
 
 16. Unto whomsoever much is given, in temporal as well as in 
 spiritual matters. — The greatest privileges are accompanied by the 
 greatest reponsibilities. ’EBoOt] ttoXv, not to be limited to the magna 
 et accurata religionis scientia (Kuinoel), but to be understood, gene- 
 rally, of the trust committed to the highl;y promoted olKovoyo^, and 
 so far, also, of the confidence reposed in him. — TIoXv ^7]T7]6rja€TaL, 
 i.e., of official activity (Meyer), of which a strict account shall be 
 demanded. Though TrapeOevro and alrijcrova-cv are expressed hn- 
 
 LUKE — VOL. I. 28 
 
434 
 
 TIIK GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 personaliter^ it is yet scarcely possible, in this connection, to exclude 
 the idea of the servant’s lord, who, having placed confidence in 
 liini, will hereafter judge of his service . — Of him will they ask the 
 more, 'Trepia-aorepov. According to Meyer, more than was com- 
 mitted to him, since he ought to have obtained a surplus with it.” 
 But where, then, is the idea expressed, in this parable, that it was 
 the duty of the faithful servant to trade with his lord’s money? 
 The connection seems rather to favour the interpretation, plus 
 (juam ah aliis^ which can only seem flat and unmeaning, if we for- 
 get that this whole expression is proverbial in character ; the paral- 
 lel, too, of the two sentences is better preserved by this view of the 
 sense. 
 
 DOCTRINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. We need not be surprised that the Lord should so decidedly 
 represent His disciples as dependent servants ; for it was not till a 
 later period of His intercourse with them, that He addressed them 
 as “friends” and “children.” The high honour He here promises 
 to the faithful servant, shows how high a position His servants oc- 
 cupy in His eyes, and what love He felt for His disciples. With 
 the exception, perhaps, of the promise. Rev. hi. 21, we know of no 
 saying of the Saviour which sets forth so rich and surpassing a 
 reward to the life of the faithful as this 37th verse. 
 
 2. It is evident, that the parable of the faithful and unfaithful 
 olKovopo^ has a very special application to the preachers of the 
 Gospel, who, standing in a higher position than others, are also 
 exposed to greater dangers. After these expressions of the Lord, 
 we the better understand the holy fear of the Apostle, 1 Cor. ix. 27. 
 
 3. The force of the parable is weakened, if we conceive that 
 any individual is designated by the unfaithful steward (Vitringa, 
 e.g..) explains it of the Pope). Under the form of a concrete per- 
 sonality, a type, rather, is described, easily recognisable, not in 
 Rome alone, but in all Church despots and hierarchs. In order to 
 make manifest the inward unfaithfulness of all such, though per- 
 haps they began with an appearance of fidelity and obedience, and 
 were externally ranked among His servants, the Lord has only to 
 delay a little longer. Then the old Adam, for some time concealed 
 and adorned, comes to light again of its own accord, and not unfre- 
 quently in its most hideous aspect. Even since the Middle Ages, 
 unbounded arrogance and assumption, towards “ the people which 
 knoweth not the law,” have often gone hand in hand with luxury 
 
CHAP. XII. 35—48. 
 
 435 
 
 and sensuality. But tlic Lord is as mindful of what is done in Ills 
 name by an unsanctified clergy, as of what is practised against Ilis 
 defenceless servants by the spirit of Antichrist. 
 
 4. The whole description of the terrible punishment awaiting 
 the unfaithful servant, bears the character of a justitia retrihutiva. 
 They who believe that, from an evangelical point of view, punish- 
 ment in a judicial sense cannot be spoken of, but only loving cor- 
 rection for the moral improvement of the offender, can scarcely 
 have estimated aright the terrible earnestness of expressions like 
 those of vers. 45-48. It is also worthy of notice, that, while the 
 Lord makes a distinction in the degree. He makes none in the 
 duration, of the final retribution. That they also, to whom their 
 Lord’s will was less known than to others, should be threatened 
 with this judgment, is perfectly justifiable. For if even the heathen, 
 according to Rom. ii. 15, have the ep^ov rov vopLov ^pairrov ev rat? 
 KaphiaL^ avTMV, so that they are without excuse, how much less can 
 a servant of Christ reckon on entire impunity, because, in some 
 particular case, he may be ignorant of his Lord’s will ! 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The life of Christ’s disciples must be a life of watchfulness. — 
 The nature of Christian watchfulness : 1. Vigilance; 2. activity; 3. 
 circumspection. — The motives to Christian watchfulness : 1. The 
 certainty, 2. the suddenness, 3. the final award, of the Lord’s coming. 
 — What does the Lord require from His faithful servant ? 1. An 
 
 eye open to His light ; 2. a hand active at His work ; 3. a foot ready, 
 at any moment, to meet Him, and to open to Him. — What does the 
 Lord promise to His faithful servant ? 1. Honourable distinction ; 
 2. perfect satisfaction; 3. corresponding elevation. — The connection 
 between this representation and that of Luke xvii. 7-10. — In the 
 kingdom of God, the gracious reward of His servants depends, not 
 on the length, but on the faithfulness, of their service. The Lord 
 will judge them according to the state in which he finds them. — 
 The thief in the night ; 1. How unexpectedly he comes ; 2. with 
 what watchfulness must his coming be expected. — Increasing care- 
 lessness, a sign that the coming of the Son of man is not distant, 
 but very near at hand. — The minister of the Gospel an oIkov6plo<; : 
 this image expresses, 1. his high rank, 2. his holy calling, 3. his 
 heavy responsibility. — It is required in stewards, that a man be 
 found faithful,” 1 Cor. iv. 2. — The ot/coi/ogo?, in the kingdom of 
 God, no ruler over the men-servants and maidens, but still less their 
 
436 
 
 TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 slave. — Great temptation to carelessness is involved in tlie delay of tlie 
 Lord’s coming. — Injustice committed by Ilis ambassadors, towards 
 even one of the least of Ilis servants, is insufferable to the heavenly 
 King. — Excessive harshness to others, and excessive self-indulgence, 
 not unfrequently united in the hireling, who has not a shepherd’s 
 feeling for the flock. — The jus talionis in a theocratic sense. — Dif- 
 ferent degrees, 1. of the pardonableness, 2. of the retribution, of 
 sin. — Even ignorance, with respect to the Master’s will, may be our 
 own fault. — It would be better for the unfaithful oi’/coi/o/^o? to have 
 been the lowest of the servants in that day. — He who is distinguished 
 above others, can only rejoice with trembling ; comp. Heb. ii. 3. — 
 The higher we are placed, the deeper are we capable of falling. 
 
 Starcke : AVhen God knocks, we ought immediately to open 
 the door of our hearts to Him, and willingly and joyfully to receive 
 Him, Rev. iii. 20. — Bi^entius : Masters should recompense the love 
 and faithfulness of their servants with love and faithfulness. — To 
 be always found in the performance of good works, the best pre- 
 paration for eternity, Rom. xiv. 8. — The best blessedness of believers 
 dates from their happy death. Rev. xiv. 13. — Majus : There is a 
 moment upon which eternity depends ; everything may be lost in a 
 moment: we must therefore ever be watchful. — Osiander : All ought 
 to watch, especially ministers, that they may encourage others in 
 watchfulness. — Cramer : The faithful steward of God must be both 
 wise and faithful. — It is the duty of all the servants of the house, 
 to conduct themselves according to the directions of such a steward. 
 — An unthankful world does not appreciate the fidelity and diligence 
 of G od’s steward ; but God will reward him the more richly, on this 
 account. — ■ Quesnel : Two crimes are common in ungodly preachers : 
 ruling their hearers tyrannically, and living in idleness and luxury. 
 — Hedinger : Unfaithfulness punishes its owner. — Cramer: When 
 people are most secure, their destruction is nearest. — Terrible punish- 
 ments follow terrible sins. — Knowledge and obedience are never 
 separated in true Christianity. — Nov. Bihl. Tub. : Let none esteem 
 him fortunate, who has many gifts, and does not live accordingly. — 
 God’s grace and justice do not detract from each other, but both 
 confirm His holiness. 
 
 Lisco : The different servants. — On the preparation of Christ’s 
 faithful servants for their Lord’s coming: 1. Watchfulness; 2. faith- 
 fulness. — Arndt: The true characteristics of watchfulness: 1. Its 
 inward nature ; 2. its happy consequences ; 3. its universal necessity. 
 
 - — The glory of the faithful, and disgrace of the unfaithful servant. 
 
CHAP. XII. 49-59. 
 
 437 
 
 — ITeuhner : The judgment of God takes into account whatever 
 may increase or extenuate a fault. — We are but stewards, and 
 must give account of our stewardship. — Krummacher : The watch- 
 ing servant in our days, a missionary sermon (Sabbath-Glocke v., p. 
 17, etc.). — Kliefoth : The coming of the Lord. — Gerok : The good 
 day’s work of one of God’s worlanen. — Thomasius : Readiness for 
 the day of the Lord. 
 
 b. Yehs. 49-59. 
 
 49 I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what will I if it be already- 
 kindled ? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I 
 
 straitened till it be accomplished ! 51 Suppose ye that I am come to give 
 
 peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but rather division : 52 For from hence- 
 forth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two 
 against three. 53 The father shall be divided 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. 54 And He said also to the people. When 
 ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say. There cometh a shower ; 
 and so it is. 55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say. There will be 
 heat ; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the 
 sky, and of the earth ; but how is it that ye do not discern this time ? 57 Yea, 
 and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right ? 58 When thou goest 
 
 with thine 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. 59 I 
 tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. 
 
 CRITICAL NOTES. 
 
 1. 1 am come. — To the inquiry, what is the connection between 
 this part of our Lord’s discourse and the preceding, the simplest 
 answer certainly is, the neiitiquam cohcerent (Kuinoel). At all 
 events, the manner in which Olshausen and others point out the 
 connection of ideas, is, in our idea, extremely forced. If some con- 
 nection be insisted on, the view of Meyer, that the greatness of 
 the responsibility, ver. 48, as well as the serious need of the fidelity 
 demanded, being increased by the difficulty of the circumstance 
 mentioned ver. 49, needed, therefore, to be made still more evident 
 to the disciples,” is perhaps the simplest. 
 
 2. To send fire on the earth. — The question is, what fire the 
 Saviour here intends. The answer, that the fire of contention is to 
 be understood, is the most natm’al, but presents this difficulty, that 
 
438 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LL'KE. 
 
 then ver. 51 is but a mere repetition of wliat lias been already said 
 in ver. 49. If Trvp here is exactly the same as fid'^aLpa, Matt. x. 
 34, and ^lapiepLapio^y ver. 51, we cannot easily imagine that the 
 Lord would have unconditionally desired the kindling of such a 
 fire. On the other hand, however, there is not the slightest ground 
 for interpreting it directly, with many Fathers, and some modern 
 expositors, of the fire of the Holy Ghost ; in which case /SaXecv 
 would certainly be an unsuitable expression. It is, undoubtedly, 
 best to depart from the ordinary meaning of the metaphorical ex- 
 pression, and to understand by it the extraordinary excitement of 
 spirit which Christ would bring about, when His Gospel should 
 be universally proclaimed ; compare Luke xxiv. 32. As fire has, 
 on one hand, a warming and purifying, but, on the other, a dis- 
 solving and destroying, power, so also is it with the appearing of 
 Christ, which the Gospel announces. We must not, however, 
 overlook the fact, that the Lord is rather contemplating the latter 
 than the former side of the question, as is decidedly apparent from 
 ver. 51. The Lord’s coming had already produced separation ; but 
 this fire would not burn, with its full force, till after His death and 
 ascension. 
 
 3. Kal tI 6eX(D^ el rjBj] dv7j(j)6r].—The usual interpretation 
 (Kuinoel, Bretschneider, De Wette), which refers to Matt. vii. 14, 
 
 How much do I wish that it were already kindled?” has the mean- 
 ing of el against it. Schleiermacher’s rendering, What do I wish 
 more, though it is already kindled ? ” is preferable. It better agrees, 
 however, with the whole tone of the speech to translate it, with Gro- 
 tius and Meyer, “And what will I? would it were already kindled !” 
 The Lord, however, entertains this wish, not only because His 
 approaching and tenable sufferings lay between the time when He 
 was speaking and the kindling of this fire (Meyer), but, rather, be- 
 cause the sanitary, as well as the destructive, effect of this fire, was 
 present to His mind ; and because He knew that the impmaty of 
 the earth could not otherwise be exterminated. 
 
 4. A baptism . — The earthly flood of suffering, in which He 
 must first be immersed, is here contrasted with the heavenly fire. — 
 To he baptized with. An image of the depth and severity of His suffer- 
 ings, which were like a baptism by immersion : comp. Matt. xx. 22, 
 John i. 33 . — And how am I straitened., 7rw9 avvi'^opiac. A straiten- 
 ing, arising neither from longing and desire alone (Euth. Zigab., De 
 Wette), nor from fear and anxiety only (Meyer and others), but, 
 rather, from both states of mind united. Undoubtedly, we have 
 
CHAP. XII. 49-59. 
 
 439 
 
 liere a avvo'^y KapBia^^ no less tlian in Jolin xii. 27, and 2 Cor. ii. 4; 
 and he Avho sees anything offensive in the Lord’s human struggle 
 against suffering, is regarding Christ from a Docetic point of view. 
 But such a struggle against suffering can never arise in the heart 
 of the holy Son of man, without His feeling, at the same time, the 
 constraint of a love which is only obliged to be baptized with this 
 baptism because it freely chooses to be so. A like union of anguish 
 and desire are seen in the woman (John xvi. 21) who hath sorrow 
 when her hour is come, and yet, in the very midst of this sorrow, 
 feels love, and an inward longing soon to embrace her child. 
 
 5. Suppose ye, etc. Comp. Matt. x. 34, 36. — Only the per- 
 plexity of some interpreters could have led them to believe, that the 
 result of the Lord’s coming is here spoken of exclusively e/c^art/cw?, 
 and not reXt/cw?. We may rather say, that the Lord is not here speak- 
 ing of the highest and ultimate, but still of a very essential, purpose 
 of His appearing upon earth, which was again to become a means 
 for the attainment of a higher object, viz., a peace which could 
 only be arrived at through this conflict. The division which the 
 Lord caused on earth, was, and is so universal, that He might, in a 
 certain sense, say of Himself, that He caused nothing else but 
 (aX>C 7]) division. This phenomenon was so little unexpected or 
 accidental, that it was, on the contrary, both foreseen and designed 
 by Him, not as something good and desirable in itself, but as the 
 only way in which He could erect His kingdom of peace below 
 upon a sure foundation. For a kindred representation, see Lulve 
 ii. 34; John ix. 39. It is because Christ is the Sun of righteous- 
 ness that His glowing heat cannot but kindle the torch of discord. 
 When the holy God comes into personal contact with an unholy 
 world, resistance and strife are inevitable ; and these will be directed 
 not only against Himself, but will take place between man and 
 man, as soon as these begin to range themselves as subjects or op- 
 ponents of His kingdom. 
 
 6. Five in a house . — The number five here, as also in the men- 
 tion of the sparrows, ver. 6, is peculiar to Luke. Where three are 
 divided against two, and two against three, it is so much the more 
 difficult to bring them together again. The holiest ties are broken 
 through ; and the Lord has both friends and enemies, as well 
 among the male as the female sex, who, for His sake, contend 
 with each other. “ Non additur gener^ nam hie aliam constituit fa- 
 miliamr Bengel. Comp, the prophetic saying, Micah vii. 6, with 
 this whole description. It is not till the Lord appears as Prince of 
 
440 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 Peace that this discord between tlie three, on the one side, and the 
 two, on tlie otlier, will be satisfactorily extinguished. 
 
 7. And lie said also to the people . — Luke rightly notes, that the 
 Lord’s discourse to His disciples terminates here. What now fol- 
 lows, is more adapted to the mixed multitude of auditors, among 
 whom would be some who were enemies, and some like-minded 
 with the Pharisees. According to Matt. xvi. 1, etc., the Lord 
 directed the subsequent censure to the Pharisees and Sadducees 
 especially ; the expressions in the two Evangelists are, however, 
 more or less different. If we desire to find a connection between 
 this and the preceding section, we may observe, that the Lord now 
 })roceeds to state the reason of so much discord and misunder- 
 standing as He had just described, viz., the mistaking the signs of 
 the times, which were unequivocally pointing to the kingdom of 
 ^lessiah. 
 
 8. A cloud . — The cloud which arose out of the west, from the 
 
 quarter of the sea, was looked upon as a sign of approaching rain, 
 see 1 Kings xviii. 44 ; while the south wind was considered a sign 
 that heat might be expected. Job xxxvii. 17. The Kavacov here 
 spoken of, is certainly that glowing heat which was produced in 
 Palestine by the south wind, called in the LXX. With the 
 
 sound conclusions drawn from these signs of the weather, which 
 were quickly (eu^eco?) arrived at in daily life, and generally veri- 
 fied by the event, is sadly contrasted the universal blindness with 
 respect to what was infinitely more important, and quite as easily 
 perceived. 
 
 9. Ye hypocrites . — The conclusion of this discourse unmistake- 
 ably returns to the tone with which it had begun. When we con- 
 sider how far the leaven of the Pharisees had spread among the 
 people, it is evident that the multitude might be thus addressed 
 with the greatest propriety. Since they were able to discern the 
 face of the sky and of the earth (John iv. 35), it could only be 
 want of will, if they wholly failed to observe the gracious rain and 
 quickening warmth which were being bestowed in these times of 
 the kingdom of heaven. Men are always able to form the best 
 judgment concerning those things which they have most at heart. 
 Since, however, the advent of God’s spiritual kingdom was really 
 a matter of indifference to them, they did not think it worth the 
 trouble to pay attention to those signs of the moral world, which 
 offered such convincing proof that ‘‘ the fulness of the times ” was 
 come. The Lord, on the contrary, would have His contemporaries 
 
CHAP. Xir. 49-59. 
 
 441 
 
 spiritual meteorologists, and also reproves them, on a later occasion, 
 because they knew not the time of their visitation, Luke xix. 44. 
 
 10. Of yourselves^ def) eaurwp, Luke xxi. 30. — They were want- 
 ing, as appears from the preceding verse, in the proper gift necessary 
 for discerning what was right in spiritual matters (Kplvetv, secermere). 
 When they judged of the appearance of the sky and of the earth 
 (ver. 56), they did it independently, d(j) iavTMVj without being first 
 directed by others. It became them, then, to apply the standard of 
 a natural feeling of truth and duty in other matters also, without 
 first waiting for the prompting of their spiritual leaders. In vers. 
 58 and 59, the Lord adduces a special case, in which such a /eptert? 
 dej) eavTMV might be applied ; while He leaves to their o'wn rea- 
 son and conscience the application of the rule, here laid down, to 
 higher and more important concerns. 
 
 11. When thou goest, etc . — Fdp here introduces the mention of 
 the special instance, by which the Lord seeks to illustrate His 
 meaning: comp. Matt. v. 25, 26. He supposes an individual and 
 his adversary (dvrihiKo^) on their way to their lawful superior 
 (^dp'^cov), because, as appears from ver. 59, a dispute had arisen 
 between them on account of an unpaid debt. If, then, the former 
 should persist in his proceeding, the result might be very easily 
 foreseen. The adversary, with whom the debtor had not been re- 
 conciled, would hale ” (^Karaavprj) him to the judge (gcpirr}^') ; and 
 he, having satisfied himself of the justice of the demand, would 
 deliver the accused to the officer, who would cast him into prison 
 {tt paKTcop, ex actor ^ executor j a lawfully appointed official in the Roman 
 courts, whom Matthew more generally designates virrjpeTr)f ) ; and 
 there he must remain till he has discharged the debt to its full 
 amount. Matthew names tov ea^aTov KoSpdvrrjv ; Luke, still more 
 strongly, tov ea^. Xeirrov, the very last mite, equal to half the 
 farthing. How much misery, then, would he have escaped, and 
 how much would he have consulted his interest, by effecting a 
 peaceable reconciliation with such an dvTlBoKo<;, before the last 
 decisive step had been taken ! Jo? ipyacrlaVy — a Latinism, perhaps 
 sufficiently known to Theophilus as a Roman legal term. 
 
 Thus, then, does the Lord summon His hearers to reconciliation, 
 for them own interests’ sake, and would have them manifest, by 
 such conduct, that they were capable d(j) eavreov Kpiveiv to BiKatov, 
 Considered in itself, this exhortation has the same tendency as the 
 parallel passage in Matthew, with this difference merely, that in 
 Luke, the judicial form of the proceeding is somewhat more fully 
 
442 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 detailed. To tlie question, in wliat connection does this warning in 
 vers. 58, 59 stand to vers. 54, 5G, we acknowledge that, among all 
 the various expositors, we have not found one who offers a satisfac- 
 tory answer. The threads uniting the different parts of Luke xii. 
 grow looser as the chapter draws to an end. In general, it may be 
 said, that the Lord is here calling upon Ilis hearers no longer to 
 suffer their judgment to be guided by others, as they had hitherto 
 done (in consequence of which they liad. not recognised the signs of 
 the times), but to make more use of their own eyes. lie illustrates 
 Ilis meaning by an example — vers. 58, 59 ; but neither the letter 
 nor the spirit of His words offers a single proof, that this example is 
 to be viewed as a parable, and that He intended to exhort them, 
 thereby, to timely repentance, lest, since the Messianic crisis was 
 so near, they fall under the judgment of Gehenna;” Meyer. It is 
 wholly arbitrary to see, in the avrlSoKo^;, an allusion to the devil 
 (Euth. Zigab.), to the poor (Michaelis), to God (Meyer), or to the 
 law (Olshausen) ; and in the cpvXaKr], an image of Gehenna. The 
 desire of finding, in vers. 57-59, a fitting conclusion to a well-con- 
 nected discom'se, has led expositors upon a wrong track. The 
 Lord, however, offers no single proof in favour of the opinion, that 
 by this change of form He is summoning to repentance, while the 
 word used. Matt. v. 25, is of an entirely different meaning. It is 
 undoubtedly better, when necessary, to give up seeking to ascertain 
 the connection which sui’ely exists (Kuinoel, He Wette), than to 
 substitute, for the simple meaning of the words, a deeper significa- 
 tion, which none of His original hearers could have attributed to 
 them, without a special intimation from the Lord. 
 
 DOCTKINAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 1. In the former part of this discourse, the Lord exhorted His 
 disciples to watchfulness and fidelity; the latter part, so far at 
 least as it was specially addressed to the Apostles, was calculated 
 to prepare them for conflicts and hardships, and thus to obviate 
 the offence wdiich they might otherwise have taken, when His 
 cause, instead of triumphing, should be attacked and oppressed. 
 The reason of this conflict was, partly, the insensibility and earthly- 
 mindedness of the people, who neglected noticing the signs of the 
 times, and blindly followed their spiritual leaders, instead of seeing 
 with their o-wn eyes, 
 
 2. We have, in these expressions of our Lord, so far as they 
 directly relate to His own person and kingdom, a striking revela- 
 
CHAP. XII. 49-59. 
 
 443 
 
 tion, on the one hand, of His true humanity ; on the other, of Ilis 
 proper deity. With genuine human feeling does He struggle 
 against suffering, and long for the beginning of the conflict which 
 would succeed it. But it is with divine knowledge that He, at the 
 same time, estimates the result of the battle, and pronounces the 
 indispensable necessity of His baptism of suffering, if the fire is to 
 be kindled on earth. 
 
 3 We have already heard our Lord speak, more than once, 
 with sadness and deep feeling of His approaching sufferings. But 
 this is the first manifestation of that truly human self-conflict, in 
 the prospect of the impending struggle, which was afterwards re- 
 newed, with still greater intensity, John xii. 27 ; Matt. xxvi. 38. 
 This inward sorrow, and constraint of love, constitute important 
 elements among His secret sorrows. 
 
 4. It is one of the strongest proofs of the unparalleled impor- 
 tance of the Lord’s person and coming, that He causes such division 
 among mankind. He ever awakens the most lively sympathy, or 
 the strongest antipathy, but in no case produces apathy. The 
 Gospel never could have cost so much strife and blood, if both sides 
 had not been deeply persuaded that their highest and holiest 
 interests were involved. 
 
 5. Observation of the signs of the times is one of the holiest 
 obligations, which the Lord lays upon all who would be capable of 
 forming an independent judgment concerning the affams of His 
 kingdom. Meanwhile, the blindness of His contemporaries was 
 increasingly apparent, on every occasion. Men who manifest an 
 unusual measure of sound sense, in matters of this life, are stupidity 
 and insensibility itself, when the question is, to distinguish between 
 light and darkness, truth and error, in spiritual matters. A sad 
 proof of the power which the corrupt heart exercises over the 
 darkened understanding. See Eom. i. 18 ; Eph. iv. 18. 
 
 HOMILETICAL HINTS. 
 
 The fire which Christ kindles on earth, a fire, 1. warming what 
 is cold, 2. purifying what is unclean, 3. consuming what is evil. — 
 Suffering, a baptism. — A threefold baptism necessary to Christians : 
 1. The water-baptism of sprinkling ; 2. the spiritual baptism of 
 renewal; 3. the fiery baptism of trial. — The “straitening” of 
 anguish and love with which the Lord foresees His approaching 
 sufferings. — The division which Christ causes on earth : 1. A strange 
 phenomenon, if we consider, a. the King, Ps. Ixxii. h. the funda- 
 
444 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 
 
 mental law of llis kingdom, John xili. 35 ; 2. an explicable 
 phenomenon, if we direct our attention, a. to the strictness of the 
 Gospel, h. to the sinfulness of the human heart ; 3. an important 
 phenomenon ; for, a. this division is a proof of the high importance 
 of Christianity, h. and a means for its establishment, propagation, 
 and victory. — Christ’s announcement of the strife which would be 
 caused by Ilis coming, a proof, 1. of the infallible omniscience, 
 2. of the holy severity, 3. of the infinite love, of the Lord. — The 
 King of truth puts an end to all false peace. — The fire kindled on 
 earth not a curse, but a blessing. — We must, if necessary, renounce 
 even our nearest relations for Christ’s sake. — The spiritual, as well 
 as the natural, world has its signs. — Observation of the signs of the 
 times, a duty, 1. inculcated by heavenly wisdom, 2. forgotten by 
 sinful blindness. — The Lord will have us form an independent 
 judgment of what is fitting, what is true, and what is right. — How 
 self-interest constrains us to the duty of reconciliation. — A time is 
 coming, in which justice will take its course, and all hopes of 
 mercy be cut of. 
 
 Star eke. — Canstein: Wlien the Gospel is preached with true 
 earnestness, it is as though a conflagration took place, which every 
 one hastens to extinguish ; and thus faith is tried. — Quesnel : Jesus 
 always had His whole life before His eyes : His love for the cross 
 puts to shame the weakness and love of ease of Christians, who are so 
 unwilling to suffer. — Three against two : it was so in Abraham’s house 
 — Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, against Hagar and Ishmael. — There 
 is seldom a house in which the wicked are not mixed among the good, 
 or the good among the wicked. — Bre^itius : There is no peace be- 
 tween the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan, not even 
 in eternity ; let no one, then, use vain efforts to bring it about. — 
 Bibl. Wurt. : O man, know the day of grace, which may indeed 
 be easily known I — The proving of spiritual things is incumbent 
 even upon the simple. — Cramer: It is better to arrange differences 
 by kind behaviour and brotherly conciliation, than by strict justice 
 and legal decisions, 1 Cor. vi. 7. — No payment is possible in hell ; 
 therefore, its torments have no end. 
 
 Heubner : If all reforms and agitations were unjust and unlaw- 
 ful, Christianity would be unlawful in the highest degree. This 
 depends, however, on whether the reform and agitation arise from 
 selfishness, or come from God. — Even he who has resolved upon 
 duty, feels fear, till the conflict is over. — When a storm is passing 
 over thee, strengthen thyself in the Lord. — The great and the 
 
CHAP. XII. 49-59. 
 
 445 
 
 glorious demand a desperate struggle. — A false judgment concern- 
 ing Christ is our own fault. — Ehrenherg : Fire has power, 1. to 
 separate, 2. to consume, 3. to warm (Sermons, 1834, Nos. 3-5). 
 — Tholuch: “Of what fire is Christ here speaking? Is it that 
 which is already kindled in the Evangelical Church? ” AYith refer- 
 ence to the separation between the Lutheran and United Cliurches 
 (in the 2d vol. of his Sermons, p. 412). — ScJienkel: The division 
 caused by Christ upon earth : How we have, 1. to desire, 2. to 
 fear, 3. to bear it. — J. Muller : The destructive power of Chris- 
 tianity, 1. in the outer, 2. in the inner world (vers. 49-57). 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 MbRKAY A2sD GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. 
 

 
 
 
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 Professor Kurtz. — History of the Old Covenant ; or, 
 
 OI.D TESTAMENT DISPENSATION. By Professor Kurtz of Dorpat. In tliree 
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 3d Year, 1861. 
 
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 IX 51 VOI.U.AIES, DEMY 8vo. 
 
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 j THE CONTENTS OF THE SERIES ARE AS FOLLOW:- 
 
 ‘ VOL. 
 
 j Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3 
 I Tracts on the Reformation, . . 3 
 
 • Commentary on Genesis, ... 2 
 
 i Harmony of the last Four Books of 
 j the Pentateuch, .... 4 
 
 , Commentary on Joshua, ... 1 
 
 „ the Psalms, . . o 
 
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 .. Jeremiah and Lamen- 
 tations, . . .5 
 
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 diah, ... 1 
 
 Jonah, Micah, and 
 Nahum, ... 1 
 
 I Amongst the Theological "Works which w^re widely circulated in England and 
 i Scotland during the latter part of the Sixteenth century, Translations of many 
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 ‘ A minister without this, is without one of the best Commentaries on the Scriptures, 
 and a valuable body of divinity.’ — Bickersteth, Christian Student. 
 
 VOL. 
 
 Commentary on Habakkuk, Zepha- 
 
 niah, and Haggai, . 1 
 
 „ Zechariah and Malachi, I 
 
 Harmony of the Synoptical Evan- 
 gelists, 3 
 
 Commentary on John’s Gospel, . 2 
 
 „ Acts of the Apostles, . 2 
 
 „ Romans, ... 1 
 
 „ Corinthians, . . 2 
 
 „ Galatians & Ephesians, 1 
 
 ,, Philippians, Colossians, 
 
 and Thessalonians, 1 
 
 „ Timothy, Titus, and 
 
 Philemon, . . 1 
 „ Hebrews, ... 1 
 
 „ Peter, John, James, 
 
 and Jude, . . 1 
 
6 OTiorhS JJiibltsiljcil bp ®. niiB C. C(<nb, 
 
 JOHICr AI.BKRT BBI^aKL'S 
 
 (ITsOMON OF 'rilE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 first ®r:inshitcb into fingiislj. 
 
 WFTIT ORIGINAL NOTES, EXPT.ANATORY AND ILLUSTRATIVE. 
 
 The Translation is comprised in Five I^arge Volumes, Demy 8vo, of 
 (on an average) fully 550 pages each. 
 
 Subscription, 31s. Gd., or free hy Post 353. 
 
 The very large demand for Bengel’s Gnomon enal)les the Publishers still to 
 supply it at the Subscription Price. 
 
 The whole work is issued under the Editorship of the Rev. Andrew R. 
 Fausset, M.A., Rector of St Cuthbert’s, York, late University and Queen's 
 Scholar, and Senior Classical and Gold Medalist, T.C.D. 
 
 For the convenience o f such as may wish only a portion o f the Commentary^ the 
 volumes are sold separately at 8s. 6d. each (except Vol. II. 10.?. Gd.). 
 
 Vol. I.— INTRODUCTION, MATTHEW, MARK. 
 
 Vol. II.— LUKE, JOHN, ACTS. 
 
 Vol. III.— ROMANS, CORINTHIANS. 
 
 Vol. IV.— GALATIANS to HEBREWS. 
 
 Vol. V. — JAMES, TO THE End. 
 
 ‘ There are few devout students of the Bible who have not long held Bengel in the 
 highest estimation, nay, revered and loved him. It was not, liowever, without some ap- 
 prehension for his reputation with English readers that we saw the announcement of a 
 translation of liis work. 'We feared that his sentences, terse and condensed as they are, 
 would necessarily lose much of their pointedness and force by being clothed in another 
 garb. But we confess, gladl}^ to a surprise at the success the translators have achieved in 
 IDi’eserving so inuch of the spirit of the original. "We are bound to say that it is execiited 
 in the most scholarlike and able manner. The translation has the merit of being faithful 
 and perspicuous. Its publication will, we are confident, do much to bring back readers 
 to the devout study of the Bible, and at the same time prove one of the most valuable of 
 cxegetical aids. The “getting up” of those volumes, combined with their marvellous 
 cheapness, cannot fail, we should hope, to command for them a lai'ge sale .’ — Eclectic Review. 
 
 ‘ We are heartily glad that this important work, of an English Translation of Bengel’s 
 “ Gnomon,” has not only been fairly started, but has been successfully completed. Ben- 
 gel’s “ Gnomon” has always been held in the highest estimation by all competent judges, 
 as presenting a very remarkable, probably unexampled, combination of learning, sagacity, 
 critical tact, evangelical unction, and terseness and condensation of style. Its growing 
 popularity in Germany is, like the popxdarity of Calvin’s Commentary on the New Testa- 
 ment, as edited by Tholuck, one of the veiy best signs of the times. . . The enterpris- 
 
 ing publishers have secured, for this purpose, the services of several accomplished and 
 thoroughly qualified scholars. Mr Fausset, of Trinity College, Dublin, acts as general 
 editor and superintendent, and undertakes the translation of the Commentary upon the 
 Gospels of Mark, Luke, John, and Acts of the Apostles. The Rev. James Bandinel of 
 Wadham College, Oxford, has tianslated Bengtd’s General Preface, and his Commentary 
 upon Matthew’s Gospel. The Rev. Dr James Bryce, late of Aberdeen, has translated the 
 portion upon the Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians, and has undertaken the rest of 
 Paul’s Epistles. The Rev. Dr Fletcher of Wimborne has executed the translation of the 
 remainder of the Avork on the Catholic Epistles and the Apocalypse .’ — British and Foreign 
 Evangelical Review. 
 
:J8, (Scoigc Street, (JBtJuiburgfj. 7 
 
 III.-GHEAP RE-ISSUE OF THE WHOLE WORKS OF 
 
 DR JOHN OWEN. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 REV. W. 11. GOOLD, D.D., EDINBURGH, 
 
 WITH LIFE BY REV. ANDREW THOMSON, D.D. 
 
 In 24 Volumes, demy 8vo, handsomely bound in cloth, lettered. 
 
 With Two Portraits of Dr Owen. 
 
 Several years have now elapsed since the first publication of this Edition of the 
 Works of the greatest of Puritan Divines. Time has tested its merits ; and it is 
 now admitted, on all hands, to be the only correct and complete edition. 
 
 At the time of publication it was considered — as it really was — a miracle of 
 cheapness, having been issued, by Subscription, for Five Guineas. 
 
 In consequence of the abolition of the Paper Duty, the Publishers beg now to 
 issue Proposals for a Re-issue of the Twenty-four Volumes (to Subscribers only) 
 for 
 
 FOUR GUINEAS. 
 
 As there are above Fourteen Thousand Pages in aU, each Volume therefore 
 averages Five Hundred and Ninety Pages. 
 
 It will be issued on the following conditions : — 
 
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 each year — the Subscription of One Guinea being remitted in advance. 
 
 2. A sufficient number having indicated their desire to receive the Twenty- 
 
 four Volumes in one delivery, arrangements are made for this purpose, 
 
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 3. The Publishers gi*eatly prefer that intending Subscribers pay their Sub- 
 
 scription through their respective Booksellers ; but they beg that, in 
 
 any case, the names may be forwarded to them at once. 
 
 4. It is distinctly to be understood, that parties subscribing, subscribe for 
 
 the whole Twenty-four Volumes. 
 
 5. The issue at Four Guineas will be strictly confined to Subscribers ; and 
 
 after the List is complete, the AYork will return to its former price. 
 
 The first issue., Vols. 1 to 6, is now ready., and also the complete set of 
 24 Volumes. 
 
 Messrs Clark trust to receive the support of the Clergy and Laity of all 
 Denominations for this undertaking, which, in connection with Mr Nichol’s 
 Series, and the publication of Howe by another firm, completes the grand 
 gallery of 
 
 PURITAN DIVINES. 
 
 * ^ou totll finti tfiat tn lohn laDhien, the learning of ILightfoot, the jetrength 
 of Charnock, the anal^istgi of i^otoe, the jsahour of Leighton, the rarine$s of 
 l^e^tooolj, the gloh? of IBarter, the copiouoneiSg! of IBarroto, the ^plentjour of 
 IBateiS, are aU contbincU. WLe ehoulB quickin reeitore the race of great nihiness 
 if our canUitiateiS toere titgcipIineD in 0uch lore / — The late Dr Hamilton of 
 Leeds. 
 
8 OTovUsI Clarfe, 
 
 IV.-THE NORTH BRITISH REVIEW. 
 
 puin;isiiinj> 
 
 QUAKTEKI.Y. 
 
 b^E I E lU AR Y— A1 A Y— ATI G U ST— N ( ) VEMI3ER. 
 
 CONTENTS OF No. LXV.— AUGUST 1860. 
 
 ]. rioinancc of the New I’lanet. 
 
 7. Imaginative Literature. 
 
 2. iJr John Lrown’s Life and Works. 
 
 3. Russia and Serfdom. 
 
 J. Scotch Nationality — Social and Intel- 
 
 9. Itecent Rationalism in the Church of 
 
 lectual. 
 
 England. 
 
 4. Colonial Constitutions and Defences. 
 
 10. Severe Winters. 
 
 5. liccent Poetry. 
 
 11. Reviews of New Works. 
 
 C. Thiers’ Last Volume on the Empire. 
 
 
 CONTENTS OP No. LXVI.— NOVEMBER 1860. ' 
 
 1. Modern Thought— its Progress and Con- I 
 
 (). Lord Macaulay’s Place in English Lite- 
 
 summation. j 
 
 rature. 
 
 2. The Disturbances in Syria. i 
 
 7. American Humour. 
 
 3. Leigh Hunt. | 
 
 8. Revivals. 
 
 4. The Spanish Eepublics of South America, j 
 
 9. The Martyrdom of Galileo. ’ 
 
 5. The Province of Logic and Recent British ! 
 
 10. The Sicilian Game. 
 
 Logicians — Sir W. Hamilton’s Lectures, i 
 
 
 CONTENTS OP No. LXVII.— FEBRUARY 1861. 
 
 1. India Convalescent. 
 
 7. The Political Press — French, British, 
 
 2. Shelley and Ids Recent Biographers. 
 
 and German. 
 
 3. Larpre Farms and Peasantry of the Scot- 
 
 8. Home Ballads and Poems. 
 
 tish Lowlands. 
 
 9. Hessey’s Bampton Lecture. 
 
 4. Lord Dundonald. 
 
 10. Autobiography of Dr Carljde. 
 
 .5. Modern Necromancy. 
 
 11. Lord Palmerston and his Foreign Policy. 
 
 (). Engineering, and Engineers. 
 
 
 CONTENTS OP No. LXVIIL— MAY 1861. 
 
 l. Present Movement in the Church of Eng- 
 
 6. Motley’s United Netherlands. 
 
 land — its Nature, Tendency, and Issue. 
 
 7. Berkeley’s Idealism. 
 
 2. Alexis de Tocqueville. 
 
 8. Dr John Brown’s Horae Subsecivae. 
 
 3. Poems and Plays of Robert Browning. 
 
 9. The Education Question in Scotland. 
 
 4. Bishop Hurd and his Contemporaries. 
 
 10. The Christian Architecture of Europe. 
 
 5. Railway Accidents. 
 
 11. The American Secession. 
 
 CONTENTS OF No. LXIX.— AUGUST 1861. 
 
 1. The British Universities and Academical | 
 
 7. Freedom of Religious Opinion — Its 
 
 Polity. j 
 
 Conditions and Limits. 
 
 2. Montalembert and Parliamentary Insti- 
 
 8. Marriage and Divorce— The Law of 
 
 tutions in France. 
 
 England and Scotland. 
 
 3. British Columbia and Vancouver Island. 
 
 9. Du Chaillu’s Explorations and Adven- 
 
 4 Stanley’s Eastern Church. 
 
 tures. 
 
 f). Edwin of Deira. 
 
 10. Mr Buckle on the Civilisation of Scot- 
 
 6. Recent Discoveries in Scottish Geology. 
 
 land. 
 
 CONTENTS OF No. LXX.— NOVEMBER 1861. 
 
 1. Pascal as a Christian Philosopher. 
 
 ( G. Edmund Burke, his Life and Genius. 
 
 2. What is Money ? 
 
 7. Scottish Humour. 
 
 3. Plato and Christianity. 
 
 8. Comets. 
 
 4. Spain. 
 
 9. Mill on Representative Government. 
 
 5. I’oets and Poetry of Young Ireland. 
 
 
 CONTENTS OF No. LXXI.— FEBRUARY 1862. 
 
 1. The Writings of Mr Ruskin. 
 
 j 7. Sanitary Improvement in the Array — 
 
 2. The House of Savoy. 
 
 1 Lord Herbert. 
 
 3. Our Single Women. 
 
 8. Recent Progress of Photographic Art. 
 
 4. Sir William Lockliart of Lee. 
 
 9. Mr Martin's Catullus. 
 
 5. Peasants and Poets of Austria and Scot- 
 
 10. The American Republic — Resurrection 
 
 land. 
 
 through Dissolution. 
 
 0. Guizot and the Papacy. 
 
 
38, (i^torge ^tr«t, CBKmburg]^. 
 
 9 
 
 V.-TH£0L0eiGAL Ei^GYGLOP/EDIA. 
 
 The Protestant Theological and Ecclesiastical Encyclopaedia ; Being a 
 Condensed Translation of Herzog’s Real Encyclopaidia. With Additions 
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 ‘ In its claim to be accepted as the work of reference on a wide range of topics, this 
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 ‘ If continued as it has been begun, it will be the only translation of the best Theological 
 and Ecclesiastical Encyclopaedia which has yet appeared, or is likely to appear, for a long 
 time to come .’ — News of the Churches. 
 
 V l.-SYSTEMATiO THEOLOGY AND DOGMATIOS. 
 
 Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated by Henry 
 Beveridge. Three vols. 8vo. 24s. 
 
 Dorner (Dr J. A). — History of the Development of the Doctrine of the 
 Person of Christ. By Dr J. A. Dorner, Professor of Theology in the 
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 10s. 6d. each. Translated by Rev. Dr Lindsay Alexander and D. W. 
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 Ullmann (Dr). — The Sinlessness of Jesus. An Evidence for Christianity. 
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 Crown 8vo. 5s. 
 
 ‘ We welcome it in English as one of the most beautiful productions of Germany, as not 
 only readable for an English public, but as possessing, along with not a few defects, many 
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Ollork^ Piibli!gl)el3 bi) anH C. Clarb, 
 
 vn.— INTRQDUCTiONS. 
 
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 ness and interest. I consider it a very valuable addition to every student’s library.’ — Rtv . 
 
 Dr jaioore^ Author of the able Commentary on ‘ The Prophets of the Restoration' 
 
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 fire of a fervent piety. . . We commend his most excellent and laborious treatise to 
 
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 VHI.-EiBLIOAl CRITIOISM, ETO., AUD EXEBETIGAL 
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38, <©corge (IrUiiiburgl). 11 
 
 ‘ I now eay, no Biblical Student should be without Professor Fairbairn’s Typology.’ — 
 Dr jS. Lte, in his ‘ Events and Times of the Visions of Daniel' 
 
 I ‘ As tho pi’oduct of the labours of an original thinker., and of a sound theologian, who 
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 Winer (Dr G. B.). — A Grammar of the New Testament Diction. Intended 
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 Illustrated by the Monuments of Egypt. 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Hengstenberg’s Dissertations on the Genuineness of the Pentateuch. 2 
 
 vols. 8vo. 21s. {Only a few Copies remain of this Work.) 
 
 Hengstenberg’s Dissertations on the Genuineness of Daniel and the 
 Integrity of Zechariah. With a Dissertation on the History and Pro- 
 phecies of Balaam. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 Philological Tracts, Illustrative of Old and New Testaments. 3 vols. 
 fcap. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 Pareau on Interpretation of Old Testament. 2 vols. fcap. 8vo. 8s. 
 
12 3Publi£{]^eK ij) C. anU C. Clarfe, 
 
 ]^)BINSON AND DuNCAN’S (JrEEK AND ENGLISH IjEXICON OF THE NeW TESTAMENT, 
 liy P^DWAPJ) ]{()BiNSON, D.l)., late l^rof. Extraord. of Sac. Lit. in the 
 Theol. Sem., Andover. A new and improved edition, revised by Alex- 
 ander Negris, Professor of Greek Literature, and by the Rev. John 
 Duncan, D.U., Professor of Oriental Languages in the New College, Edin- 
 burgh. One thick vol. 8vo. 10s. Gd. 
 
 Rohr’s IIisTORico-GEOGRAriiicAL Account of Palestine. Fcap. 8vo. 4s. 
 
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 Ivosenmuller’s IRblical Mineralogy and Botany. Fcap. 8vo. 4s. 
 
 Stuart’s Greek Syntax of New Testament. Fcap. 8vo. Cs. 
 
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 IX.-GOMMENTARIES. 
 
 1. OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Hengstenberg’s Christology of the Old Testament, and a Commentary on 
 THE Messianic Predictions. Second Edition. Four Volumes. L.2, 2s. 
 
 ‘ We hail with delight a new edition of Dr Hengstenberg’s most valuable work in a 
 readable English dress.’ — Churchman's Magazine. 
 
 ‘ A noble specimen of exegetical theology and critical analysis.’ — Clerical Journal. 
 
 ‘ The w'ell-matured production of a great and learned man. It is thoroughly ripe in the 
 spirit of Christian philosophy and true biblical scholarship.’ — Homilist. 
 
 [Macdonald (Rev. D.). — Creation and the Fall ; A Defence and Exposition 
 of the First Three Chapters of Genesis. Demy 8vo. 12s. 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on Genesis. Two Vols. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 Gerlach (Otto Von).-. Commentary on the Pentateuch. Demy 8vo. 
 10s. GL 
 
 ‘ This work possesses a high character among the Evangelical parties in Germany. It 
 is decidedly orthodox and conservative in its statements; and its spirit and its publication 
 hero will confer a great service on sacred literature, especially as writers on the Old 
 Testament are comparatively rare among us. The translation is well executed ; and we 
 hope the work will be extensively patronized by the clergy.’ — Clerical Journal. 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ant) Deuteronomy. 
 Four Vols. 8 VO. 24s. 
 
 Kurtz (Professor). — History of the Old Covenant : the Pentateuch. By 
 Professor Kurtz of Dorpat. In Three Vols. L.l, 11s. Gd. 
 
 ‘ It is intended to fonn a full and complete History of the Old Covenant, embracing 
 every subject that comes within that range, shirking no difficulty, ignoring no disputed 
 point. The object of the author is to describe the several links in the chain of develop- 
 ments by which God prepared the way, by successive revelations, for the great end of all — 
 the manifestation of Himself in a human form. The work is thus essentially a history. 
 The substance of the Scripture story is given in a series of paragraphs, to which are 
 added copious notes, elucidatory and explanatory, and in them are contained much 
 valuable matter. Not only are there full critical and philological investigations into the 
 meaning of difficult words and phrases — not only are the geographical and historical 
 ' notices most valuable, as giving a resume of the most recent investigations and conclusions 
 — but the tone and spirit of the narrative is eminently manly and Christian. The work is 
 prefaced with a condensed abstract of the author’s “Bible and Astronomy and Geology.”’ — 
 
 I Church of England Monthly Review. 
 
38, George Street, 13 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary ON Joshua. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Keil’s Commentary on the Book of Joshua. 8vo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 ‘ The spirit of the best old German biblical scholars revives and glows in Iveil. His 
 volumes ought to find a place in every clerical library.’ — Christian Times. 
 
 Keil’s Commentary on the Book of Kings, Supplemented by Bertheau on 
 Chronicles. Two Vols. 8vo. 21s. 
 
 ‘ Iveil is clear and sensible in his observations, with the advantage that the portion of 
 Scripture he explains is one for which English students have hitherto enjoyed very scanty 
 assistance.’ — Guardian. 
 
 ‘ We willingly acknowledge that w^e should not know where to find so rich a store of 
 valuable materials for the general illustration of the Books of Kings and Chronicles, as in 
 these volumes.’ — Literary Churchman. 
 
 Davidson, Rev. Dr (of Aberdeen). — Lectures, Expository and Practical, 
 ON the Book of Esther. Crown 8vo. 5s. Gd. 
 
 ‘ Throughout the volume is marked by sobriety and calm good sense, enlivened by 
 touches of taste and tenderness ; it is full of quiet earnestness, wdthout impassioned utter- 
 ances. It displays great knowdedge of human nature, and insight into character, and is 
 rich in counsels of matured Christian wisdom.’ — Witness. 
 
 Umbreit’s Exposition of the Book of Job. Two Vols. Fcap. 8vo. 8s. 
 Hengstenberg’s Commentary on the Psalms. Three Vols. 8vo. 33s. 
 
 ‘ It strikes us as an important duty to give every encouragement in our power to such 
 courageous pioneers, such devoted, long tried, and successful labourers as Professor Heng- 
 stenberg. We notice his Commentary, for the simple purpose of expressing our pleasure 
 at its appearance, and our confident persuasion that it must take a very high place among 
 our standard Commentaries on the Psalms. We have met with no commentator who dis- 
 plays higher powers or sounder qualifications ; and we feel persuaded, to quote the words 
 of a very competent judge with reference to his work on the Prophecies of Daniel, that “ it 
 will leave nothing to desire.” ’ — Churchman's Monthly Review. 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on the Psalms. Five Vols. 8vo. L.l, 10s. 
 
 Rosenmuller on the Messianic Psalms. Fcap. 8vo. 5s. 
 
 Hengstenberg (Dr E. W.). — Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. 
 To which are appended — Treatises on the Song of Solomon ; on the Book 
 of Job ; on the Prophet Isaiah ; on the Sacrifices of Holy Scripture ; and 
 on the Jews and the Christian Church. By E. W. Hengstenberg, D.D. 
 Translated by Rev. D. W. Simon. In One Vol. 8vo. 9s. 
 
 ‘ The qualifications of Dr Hengstenberg, as an eminent expositor, will not be doubted 
 by those familiar with his previous works on the Bible ; and a Commentary on this diffi- 
 cult book by one who has so long and so successfully devoted himself to biblical subjects, 
 will awaken new interest in its study. As an exposition of the language and the general 
 current of the writer’s view's, the work is full and rich.’ — Bibliotheca Sacra. 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on Isaiah. Four Vols. 8vo. 24s. 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations. Five Vols. 8vo. 30s. 
 
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 Auberlen (Professor). — The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation of 
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 Principal Passages. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
14 
 
 bi) C. anU C. Clarb 
 
 Oala^in’s Commentary on IIosea. One Vol. 8vo. fjs. 
 
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 Calvin’s Commentary on Jonah, Mioaii, and Nahum. One Vol. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 ' Calvin’s Commentary on IIabakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai. One Vol. 
 j 8vo. 6s. 
 
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 2. NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Olshausen’s Biblical Commentary on the Gospels and Acts. Four Vols. 
 
 I Demy 8vo. L.2, 2s. 
 
 ■ Olshausen’s Biblical Commentary on the Gospels and Acts. Four Vols. 
 
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 ; ‘ Dr Hermann Olshausen is one of those persons whom the pious hearts of Germany will 
 
 ; long remember with affection and veneration. . . On the great and fundamental doc- 
 
 trines of Christiaiiity, ODliausen is as fixed and as stable as the Rock on which the Church 
 ' is built. The consciousness of sin is, as his translator well remarks, “the pivot in 
 Olshausen’s mind which moves all the rest;” deep inward experiences and the pressing 
 need of a Redeemer, make him ever feel and ever avow that we are not following cunningly 
 devised fables, but real, substantial, and vital truths, which breathe and burn throiigh every 
 page of the blessed Gospels. Many passages of real force, eloquence, and piety, have been 
 , marked by us in the perusal of these volumes. The translation of Olshausen’s work, con- 
 sidering the difficulties inherent in the style of so thoughtful, and often profound writer 
 as Olshausen, is, on the whole, successfully executed.’ — Christian Obsei'ver. 
 
 , Stier (Dr Kudolpii). — On the Words of the Lord Jesus. Eight Vols. Demy 
 1 8vo. L.4, 4s. Translated by Rev. W. B. Pope. 
 
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 j pregnant instances of Avhat true genius under chastened submission to the control of a 
 ; sound philology, and gratefully accepting the seasonable and siiitable helps of a wdiolesome 
 I erudition, is capable of doing in the spiiitual exegesis of the sacred volume. Every page 
 I is fretted and studded with lines and forms of the most alluring beauty. At every step 
 i the reader is constrained to pause and ponder, lest he should overlook one or other of the 
 ' many precious blossoms that, in the most dazzling profusion, are scattered around his path. 
 We venture to predict that his “ Words of Jesus” are destined to produce a great and 
 ha ppy revolution in the interpretation of the New Testament in this country.’ — British and 
 Foreign Evangelical Review. 
 
 I ‘One of the most precious books for the spiritual interpretation of the Gospels.’ — Arch- 
 deacon Hare, 
 
 ' ‘Dr Stier brings to the exposition of our Lord’s discourses sound learning, a vigorous 
 understanding, and a quick discernment; but what is better, he brings also a devout mind, 
 and a habit of thought spiritual and deferential to the truth.’ — Evangelical Christendom. 
 
 Stier (Dr Rudolph). — The Words of the Risen Saviour, and Commentary 
 ON THE Epistle of St James. By Rudolph Stier, D.D., Chief Pastor and 
 Superintendent of Schkeuditz. One Vol. 10s. 6d. 
 
 ‘ This Amlume is in all respects alike remarkable and valuable. It illustrates a principle 
 of Avhich the bulk even of Christian people have little thought, and gives prominence to 
 portions of Scripture which have hitherto been largely overlooked. We are unable to name 
 any exposition so novel, so striking, so instructive, and so edifying. It cannot fail to bring 
 forward those portions of Scripture — portions of infinite moment — which have hitherto, in 
 a great degree, been neglected. The exposition is everywhere most excellent, and adapted 
 to be helpful to the public instructor as well as to the pilvate student. . . The latter 
 
 half of this volume consists of thirty-two discourses expounding the Epistle of James. By 
 these sermons Ave set great store. Nothing can be more full, clear, scriptural, and prac- 
 tical. The author has performed an exceeding great service to the Church of God, by 
 Avhom,, weare confident, sooner or later, the Avork will be highly estimated.’ — Christian 
 Witness. 
 
38, (J^eorgc j^trcet, 15 
 
 Tholuck’s (Professor) Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Trans- 
 lated from the Fourth Kevised and Enlarged Edition, by the Kev. K. L. 
 Brown. 8vo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 ‘ Its learning is exhaustive, it avoids no difficulties, and in its exegesis it seizes always 
 the kernel of a passage, and thoroughly and soundly builds up a fair and complete expo- 
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 Lisco’s Exposition of Christ’s Parables. Fcap. 8vo. 5s. 
 
 Witsius’ Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer. Fcap. 8vo. 4s. 
 
 Lange (Dr J. P.). — Theological and Homiletical Commentary on the 
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 j of Ministers and Students. By J. P. Lange, D.D., Professor of Divinity 
 
 i in the University of Bonn. Translated by the Kev. A. Edersheim, Pli. D. 
 
 Vols. L and 11. 10s. 6d. each. (Vol. III. in the j)ress.') 
 
 ! ‘ The method which Professor Lange pursues in his Commentary, makes it exceedingly i 
 
 valuable both in an exegetical and practical point of view. Having portioned out the i 
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 > of the passage, he subjects it to a threefold handling, in order to bring out the meaning 
 and applications of the text. First of all we have a series of critical notes., intended to deal 
 with the difficulties in the interpretation of the passage, and bringing all the aids which 
 exegesis supplies to elucidate and exhibit its proper meaning. Next we have a series of 
 doctrinal reflections, suggested bj'^ the passage interpreted, and intended to exhibit the sub- . 
 
 stance of the scriptural truths which it contains. And lastly, we have a series of * 
 
 homiletical hints, founded on the passage elucidated. We must add that the translator, Dr , 
 
 Edersheim, has excellently performed his part.’ — Daily Review. \ 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on St Matthew, St Mark, and St Luke. Three Vols. ‘ 
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 Tittman’s Commentary on John’s Gospel. Two Vols. Fcap. 8vo. 10s. • 
 
 Calvin’s Commentary on St John. Two Vols. 8vo. 12s. * 
 
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 result of its author’s thought and inquiry for an additional twenty years of a life spent 
 amid such labours. We have no hesitation in placing it, in its present form, at the head of 
 all expositions of the Fourth Gospel, to which the English reader has access.’ — Patriot. 
 
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 — Eclectic Review. 
 
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 ' Olshausen’s Commentary on the Romans. 8vo. 10s. 6d. ^ 
 
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3 0 OTorhi^ bi) C» aub C. Clarb, 
 
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38, ©corgc Street, ^Id'nburglj. 17 
 
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 by the Itev.W. B. Dope. Demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. 
 
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 j OF St John in their Mutual Relation, with an Exposition of the Principal 
 
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 \ 
 
 I Bengel’s Gnomon of the New Testament : A Commentary on the New Testa - 
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 X.-GHUROH HISTORY. 
 
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18 OToi'Us; 1)1? C. anU C. Ctaifa, 
 
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 Xf.-FR9PHEGY. 
 
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 the advocates of the side of the question on which Dr Brown has arrayed himself, are 
 accustomed to defend their position.’— W atchman. 
 
38, (©corgc Street, CtJinburgij, 
 
 19 
 
 Fairrairn (Professor). — P rophecy Viewed in its Distinctive Nature, its 
 Special Functions, and Proper Interpretation. 8vo. 10s. Gel. 
 
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 Xfl.-PRACTICAL TBEOLOGY AIID EXPOSITIOM. 
 
 American Pulpit. Containing Sermons by Barnes, Cheever, Hodge, etc. 
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 the First Ten Chapters of St John’s Gospel. Translated from the German 
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 the Eleventh Chapter to the End of St John’s Gospel. 1 ranslated from the 
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 (Just published.) 
 
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