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n ch. ii. 50 : xviii. 34.

o Matt. x. 40. John xii. 44: xiii. 20.

But while

Jesus did,

were all amazed at the a mighty power of God.
they wondered every one at all things which
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 say-
ing, and it was hid from them, a 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

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e thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48 and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me p Matt. xxiii. receiveth him that sent me; P for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. 499 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not

11, 12.

q See Num. xi. 28.

a render, majesty.

bread, he. c render, is about to be.

d render, that they might not perceive it.

• render, reasoning: it is the same word as in the last verse.

is.

f read, 22, 23. Mark ix. 30-32. 43, 44.] all -the multitude -in contrast with "your ears of ver. 44. these sayings, not,

:

as some, the foregoing discourses and
wonders:'-that would give no sense,-for
the disciples were thinking exclusively of
those already nor strictly what I am
about to tell you,' so that these sayings
should be identical in meaning with "this
saying " below, ver. 45: but these sayings,
of which this was now the second;-these
intimations which I make to you from
time to time respecting My sufferings and
death.' The Resurrection, expressly men-
tioned in the others, is omitted here.
45.] The sense here is not to be evaded by
forcing it, as A. V., to mean so that they
did not

.....

but to be literally rendered, that they might not, as in Matt. i. 22 al. It was the divine purpose, that they should not at present be aware of the full significancy of these words.

46-50.] JESUS REBUKES THE DISCI

PLES FOR THEIR EMULATION AND EX

CLUSIVENESS. Matt. xviii. 1-5. Mark ix. 33-40. The most detailed account is in Mark, where I have discussed the differences in the three narratives. 46.] There is not the least occasion to confine the word reasoning to the sense of an inward doubt and questioning in the heart of each; indeed I will venture to say that no interpreter would have thought of

8 literally, hindered him.

48.]

doing so, had not the narratives of St.
Matthew and St. Mark, by mentioning an
outward expression of this thought, offered
a temptation to discover a discrepancy.
Had our narrative stood by itself, we
should have understood it, as I do now, of
a dispute which had taken place or was
taking place, and which, though not
actually spoken out before the Lord, was
yet open to His discerning eye, so that not
only the words, but the disputing of their
thoughts, was known to Him.
The discourse as here related has the
closest connexion and harmony. The dis-
pute had been, who (among the Twelve)
should be greatest,-i. e. greatest in the
kingdom of heaven: for other greatness is
not to be thought of,-the minds of the
disciples being always on this, as just
about to appear; and our Lord reminds
them, that no such precedence is to be
thought of among those sent in His name;
for that even a little child, if thus sent, is
clothed with His dignity; and if there be
any distinction among such, it is this, that
he who is like that child, humblest and
least, i. e. nearest to the spirit of his Lord,
he is the greatest.
49, 50.] On the
connexion of this answer with the pre-
ceding, see on Mark. It is even more
strikingly brought out here. Our Lord
had declared the absolute equality of all
sent in His name-and that if there were

with us.
for he that is not against i us is for i

50 And Jesus said unto him, h Forbid him not:

г

51 And it came to pass, j

us.

ii when the time was come that he should be received up, i he stedfastly set his face to go to

h

literally, Hinder.

i

read, you.

r see Matt. xii. 30. cho xỉ. 23.

li render, as the days of his receiving up were being accomplished. j render, he himself.

any difference, it was to be made by a deeper self-renouncing. Then arises the thought in the mind of the ardent son of Zebedee, of the exclusive and peculiar dignity of those who were thus sent, the apostles and he relates what they had done, as a proof of his fully appreciating this exclusive dignity. The link to what has preceded, is in the words in thy name See the rest in Mark.

51.-CHAP. XIX. 28.] INCIDENTS DURING THE LORD'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM. We now enter upon a long and most important portion of our Gospel, peculiar in this form, and most of it entirely peculiar to St. Luke. At ch. xviii. 15 he again joins the narrative of St. Matthew and St. Mark, within a few verses of where he parted from them. Respecting this portion, I will observe, without entangling myself in the harmonistic maze into which most of the interpreters have ventured, (1) that the whole of it is to be understood here as belonging to our Lord's last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem; see below on ver. 51. (2) that evidently that journey was not a direct one (see ch. x. 1; xiii. 22, 31; xvii. 11; xviii. 31, and notes), either in time, or in the road chosen. (3) that in each of the two other Gospels there is a journey placed at this very time, described Matt. xix. 1, "He departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judaa beyond Jordan," and Mark x. 1, "He arose from thence, and cometh into the borders of Judaa by the farther side of Jordan," which, in their narrative also, is the last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. (4) that in John x. 22, we find our Lord at Jerusalem, at the feast of Dedication, in the winter (about the end of December), without however any hint as to how or whence He came there. (5) that the whole time between that feast and His Passion is spent thus:-After the attempt to stone Him, John x. 31, He retired to Bethany beyond Jordan (see John i. 28, corrected text); was summoned thence by the message from Martha and Mary to Bethany near Jerusalem, where He raised Lazarus; - again retired to Ephraim, somewhere beyond Jericho, on VOL. I.

the borders of the desert ;-six days before the passover came to Bethany, and the anointing took place, &c.; this whole time being three months and a few days. (6) I believe then that we have obtained a fixed critical point in all the four Gospels for the last journey from Galilee, after which He never returned (in the flesh) thither again. And this last journey was to the feast of Dedication, or at all events brought Him in time for that feast (for it does not look like a journey specially to a feast) at Jerusalem. It was between the feast of tabernacles in John vii. 2, to which He went up privately (ib. ver. 10), and the occasion when we find Him in Solomon's porch, John x. 22. (7) The three first Evangelists relate nothing of the being in Jerusalem at the feast of dedication, or indeed at all, except at the last passover. We therefore find in them nothing of the retirements to Bethany (beyond Jordan) and Ephraim; but the removal of our Lord from Galilee to the confines of Judæa through the parts beyond Jordan is described as uninterrupted. (8) We are now I believe in a situation to appreciate the view with which our Evangelist inserts this portion. He takes this journey, beginning its narrative at the very same place where the others do, as comprehending

-as indeed in strict historical fact it did-the last solemn farewell to Galilee (ch. x. 13-15), the final resolve of our Lord to go up to Jerusalem (ix. 51), and,

which in its wider sense it did,-all the records which he possessed of miracles and discourses between this time and the triumphal entry. (9) As to arranging or harmonizing the separate incidents contained in this portion, as the Evangelist himself has completely by his connecting words in many places disclaimed it (see ch. ix. 57; x. 1, 25, 38; xi. 1, 14; xii. 1; xiii. 1, 10, 22; xiv. 1, 25; xv. 1; xvii. 1, 5, 11, 20; xviii. 1, 9),—I do not suppose that we, at this distance of time, shall succeed in doing so. The separate difficulties will be treated of as they occur.

51.] The verb is not past, as A. V. -not, when the time (days) was come (accomplished), but as the days were

A A

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Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before his face and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to s John iv. 4. 9. make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them [, 1even as t2 Kings i. 10, t Elias did]? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them [, m and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. u John iii. 17: 56 For "the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them]. And they went to another village. 1 omitted by some ancient authorities.

xii. 47.

k literally, going.

m omitted by most of our oldest MSS., but contained in the most ancient versions, and quoted by some very ancient writers.

being accomplished: i. e. approaching their
accomplishment.
his receiving up
can have but one meaning; see Mark xvi.
19: Acts i. 2; ii. 22: 1 Tim. iii. 16: in all
which places the verb belonging to this
substantive is used in the original: his
assumption, i. e. ascension into heaven.

Sama

He himself resumes the subject, not without some emphasis implying his own voluntary action. set his face is a Hebrew way of speaking, implying determinate fixed purpose; see Isa. 1. 7, the sense of which, as prophetic of the Messiah going to his sufferings, seems to be referred to in this expression. 52.] messengers, who have been assumed without reason to have been James and John. ritans] On the enmity of the Jews and Samaritans, see note, John iv. 9. The publicity now courted by our Lord is in remarkable contrast to His former avoidance of notice, and is a feature of the close of His ministry, giving rise to the accusation of ch. xxiii. 5. to make ready for him must mean something more, surely, than to provide board and lodging; there is a solemnity about the sentence which forbids that supposition. It must have been to announce the coming of Jesus as the Messiah, which He did not conceal in Samaria as in Judæa and Galilee, see John iv. 26; and the refusal of the Samaritans must have been grounded on the jealousy excited by the preference shewn for the Jewish rites and metropolis. They expected that the Messiah would have confirmed their anti-Jewish rites and Gerizim temple, instead of going up solemnly to Jerusalem, and thereby condemning them. 54.] The disciples whom He named 'sons of thunder,' Mark iii. 17. They saw some insult of manner,

See note.

or actual refusal to allow the Lord to enter their village. That a collision of this kind did take place, is plain from the last verse, and implied from the occasion alluded to by the two Apostles, where the fire was invoked in the presence of the offending persons. It happened also in Samaria. fire, not lightning, but fire, as in the passage alluded to, and in 1 Kings xviii. 38. It is exceedingly difficult (see margin) to determine the true reading in this passage, which seems to have been more than usually tampered with, or wrongly written. In this great uncertainty, I have thought the candid way is to let my edited text reflect such uncertainty, and I have therefore printed these latter debateable words in the same type as the text, and have annotated on them. 55.] Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of] Besides the mistaken ways of explaining these words of our Lord (e.g. Do you not see what a [bad] spirit you are shewing?") there are two senses which they may bear. (1) Affirmative, as in A. V.,-"Ye think ye are influenced by the same spirit as once influenced Elias... but ye are in error. Ye have indeed a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; the offspring of human partiality, not of divine inspiration," Grotius; or (2) interrogative-Know ye not what manner of spirit ye belong to (are of)?' the spirit meant being the Holy Spirit. The Spirit in Elias was a fiery and judicial spirit, as befitted the times and the character of God's dealings then; but the Spirit in Me and mine is of a different kind—a spirit of love and forgiveness.' The latter of these is perhaps better suited to the context; but the former is more according to the usage of the expression Ye know (not)

57 ▾ And [n it came to pass, that,] as they went in the v Matt. vii. 19. way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, • Fores have holes, and P birds of the air have nests; but

the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 w And w Matt. viii. 21 he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, 9 Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them see 1 Kings farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said [qq unto him], No man, having put his hand r to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

X. 1 After these things the Lord appointed t other seventy

n omit.

P render, the birds.

qa omit.

8 rather perhaps, serviceable.

render, The foxes.

xix. 20.

¶ render, Leave the dead to bury.
rrender, on.

trender, others also, seventy in number.

in the gospels: see note in my Greek Testament. I have therefore punctuated according to the former sense: which, indeed, seems more naturally followed by the for of the clause following.

It is very

interesting to remember that this same John came down to Samaria (Acts viii. 14 -17) with Peter, to confer the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Samaritan believers.

57-62.] St. Matthew (viii. 19-22) relates the contents of vv. 57-60, but at a totally different period of our Lord's ministry, viz. His erossing the lake to go to Gerasa. It is quite impossible to decide which Evangelist has placed the incidents in their proper chronological place. When we once begin to speculate on such things, it is easy to find a fitness, on whichever side of the argument we range ourselves. Only (see notes on Matthew) we must not adopt the wretched subterfuge of the harmonists, and maintain that the two events took place twice, each time consecutively, and each time with the same reply from our Lord. 57, 58.] See notes on Matthew. 59. Follow me] This command is implied in Matthew, where the reply is, as here, "Lord, suffer me first"... which words could hardly be spoken without a reference in the "first" to it.

it connects this incident with the sending out of the Seventy, which follows immediately afterwards? 61, 62.] Peculiar to Luke. The answer of our Lord again seems to refer to the sending out into the harvest (ch. x. 2), for which the present Seventy were as it were the ploughmen, first breaking up the ground. The saying itself is to be explained simply from agricultural operations-for he who has his hand on the plough, guiding it, must look on the furrow which his share is makingif he look behind, his work will be marred. serviceable, not fit,' but well adapted, 'the right sort of workman.' The sense is more immediately applicable to the ministry of the Gospel of Christ, which will least of all things bear a divided service and backward looks,- but of course affects also every private Christian, inasmuch as he too has a work to do,ground to break, and a harvest to reap.

CHAP. X. 1-16.] MISSION OF THE SEVENTY. It is well that St. Luke has given us also the sending of the Twelve:or we should have had some of the Commentators asserting that this was the same mission. The discourse addressed to the Seventy is in substance the same as that to the Twelve, as the similarity of their errand would lead us to suppose it would be. But there is this weighty difference. The discourse in Matt. x. in its three great divisions (see notes there), speaks plainly of an office founded, and a

60.] go thou and preach (literally, disseminate, go about announcing) the kingdom of God is peculiar to Luke, and shews the independence of his source of information. Am I wrong in supposing also, that

a Matt. x. 1.

Mark vi. 7.

also, and a sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. b Matt. ix. 37, 2 bu Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is

38. John iv.

35.

c 2 Thess. iii. 1. great, but the labourers are few: c

pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers d Matt. x. 16. into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you e Matt. 1. 9. 10. forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse,

Mark vi. 8.

ch. ix. 3.

g Matt. x. 12.

h Matt. x. 11.

i 1 Cor. 1. 27.

1 Cor. ix. 4,

e

f2 Kings iv. 29. nor scrip, nor shoes: and 'salute no man by the way. 5 g 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 Matt. x. 10. such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of &c. 1 Tim. 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: 91and heal the sick that are therein, m Matt. 2: and say unto them, " The kingdom of God is come nigh 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they n Matt. 1. 14. receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the very

V. 18.

1 ch. ix. 2.

iv. 17: x. 7.

ver. 11.

ch. ix. 5.

unto you.

Acts xiii. 51: same, and

xviii. 6.

11 Even the say,

" read, And he said.

ministry appointed, which was to involve a work, and embrace consequences, coextensive, both in space and duration, with the world. Here we have no such prospective view unfolded. The whole discourse is confined to the first division there (vv. 1-15), and relates entirely to present duties. Their sending out was not to prove and strengthen their own faith,but to prepare the way for this solemn journey of the Lord, the object of which was the announcement of the near approach of the kingdom of God,-and the termination of it, the last events at Jerusalem. Their mission being thus temporary, and expiring with their return, it is not to be wondered at that we hear nothing of them in the Acts. This last is surely an absurd objection to bring against the historic truth of their mission, seeing that the Acts are written by this same Evangelist, and the omission is therefore an argument for, and not against, that truth.

The words should not be rendered, as in A. V., other seventy also,' but as in margin, others also, seventy in number, see ch. xxiii. 32. The others may refer, either to the Twelve, ch. ix. 1, or perhaps, from the similarity of their mission, to the messengers in ch. ix. 52. But perhaps the

dust of your city, which

▾ render, in the house itself.

first is more probable, from the similarity
of the discourses.
The number of
seventy might perhaps have reference to
the seventy elders of Israel, Exod. xxiv. 1;
Numb. xi. 16:-all sorts of fanciful analo-
gies have been found out and insisted on
(and moreover forced into the text), which
are not worth recounting. 2.] See
Matt. ix. 37 and notes.
3, 4. The
time was now one of greater danger than
at the mission of the Twelve; therefore
ver. 3 is bound immediately up with their
present sending, whereas in Matt. x. 16 it
regards a time yet distant in the future;
also one requiring greater haste,-which
accounts for the addition, salute no man
by the way. These reasons also account
for merely the healing the sick being en-
joined, ver. 9. 6.] the son of peace:

i. e. persons receptive of your message of
peace;-see reff. 7—12.] See on Matt.
x. 11-15. The particular directions here
are different. 7.] in the (that) house
itself (see ver. 5, where it was last spoken
of, the inhabitants having been since men-
tioned) remain. Beware of rendering it
in the same house, as A. V., which the ori-
ginal will not admit. 9.] The kingdom
of God is come nigh unto you is a later an-
nouncement than generally, "the kingdom

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