" On the second first Sabbath " (sabbato deuteroproto), i.e., just after the beginning of first-fruits, i.e., of corn, to wit, first day of unleavened bread.
If the above statement be correct, there would be, I think, allusion in the particular Sabbath; at any rate it was the corn freshly ripe. It was in them a passing act, no labor of gathering, but the Lord's reply has, in the reference to David, a great deal of bearing on the circumstances. David was the king raised up in grace, but hidden and an outcast, and grace acts on the will of God in mercy to it; if the king be reduced to such a condition, the showbread, and order of God's house is, in a manner, common. The Lord accordingly asserts in that His title over the Sabbath. " The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." This was an important point. The Son of man forgave sins, and touched the leper, and by His will cleansed him. Thus grace was introduced. If, on the now avowed impossibility of putting new cloth on an old garment, Pharisees found fault with liberty, while Israel's rejection of its King made its own restoration privileges common, the Son of man must declare His title as such as paramount to the obligation in its original force. Their failure and His title as Son of man concurred in opening the door for grace, and breaking down the restriction that had confined privilege to themselves. Such the double force, in its principle put, of this passage. If the twelve loaves of showbread were the expression of the Lord's association with Israel, the force of the allusion would be stronger still. At any rate, David was king in grace, on the failure of Israel; see Psa. 78, and was then outcast, as Jesus was. The second point takes even a higher ground; the " those with him," beautifully brings in grace, associating them with Him. The next case, as the healing the man whose forgiveness He had pronounced, introduces the grand evidence of divine beneficent power proving His title, and forcing them, if they would not own it, to oppose God's working in grace. God had not a Sabbath while sin and where sin and sorrow were, nor did He come to this earth to find or to have a Sabbath here, nor to make one, but by the redemption which gave it in another life. Here it was giving power where withered, not finding rest where there was ruin. This grace, as they could not gainsay (and it mortified their pride, proving their impotency) they opposed, and were mad at. This was the result of grace in divine power passing over every obstacle, manifested before them, and this closed this immediate division of the account.
4. A saint is not an instance of laxity of conduct in breaking through principles, but his conduct being of faith may show a principle which may have been covered, under any given rite, from circumstances.
6. Illustrative of the way in which Luke brings things together by subjects, showing what was the main subject matter. Note this subject of the Sabbath was circumstantially worthy of a distinct place, for it had become a pledge of the separating covenant; it is manifest to me that the Lord dissolves its obligation, not its object. If a man be not under grace, I do not say but he may be obliged by the Sabbath, but so also by the whole law, and should be circumcised. But the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath, and it is lawful to do good on it, and I do not know what else it is lawful for a Christian to do at any time. Indeed, it seems to me to weaken the results of Christ's resurrection, to suppose that the Gentile Church is subject to the Jewish Sabbath; however, let a man be fully persuaded in his own mind, and consider him who might be led into sin by it. It is of the old things, and men like them, and they are connected here in consequence, however excellent the object.
10. The Lord gave them no occasion of caviling, for He neither did anything Himself, nor did the other bat stretch forth his hand, and showing His power and mission to save, without giving them even handle to accuse. They were filled with distraction of mind. And it was done very publicly, and drawing expressly the attention of all, and He looking around on them all so as to fix their attention on Himself.
12, et seq. The Lord having taken this place and had disciples with Him in His manifestation of it, now associates others with Him in the testimony of it. But here again we see the Lord setting about it, whatever His authority, as an independent Man as to men—a dependent Man as to God. He was all night in prayer to God, so I take it, and afterward, when the day came, called His disciples, and having chosen, etc. How blessed and most gracious is this expression in the Lord, of dependence, and reference to His Father! It is most lovely.
There is nothing puts the Lord in such a place of gracious leading to us, for I speak not of atonement here.
The principles of our Lord's own mission having been exhibited, we find others then chosen to be witnesses of it. I speak of course of the gospel. Christ named them " apostles." Their character was definitely assigned them, as sent out from Him; they had been companions with Him.
Are not " having chosen " (eklexamenos) and " descending " (katabas) dependent on " He stood " (este) as the only verb of the sentence? We have now not Jesus teaching in the synagogue and grace, and the setting aside of the old covenant system alluded to, but the multitudes coming to Jesus when He has assumed the prerogative, still as Man, but the Lord of sending out missionaries from Himself as the Center-Power shown towards them all so coming, and then the principles in which He viewed the world, morally communicated to His disciples in the audience of the people.
There is difference in Matt. 5, etc., and this discourse, that Matthew is the introduction of the Father's Name, and the principles, regenerate principles of Christ's kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, into the Jewish state and circumstances showing who, and on what principle they would be accepted.
Here, on the contrary, Christ is become the Center, grace having been spoken of, forgiveness and cleansing, from which He sends out witnesses for testimony. Consequently, we have His estimate of things contrasted with the world's thoughts, into which they were really going (even if Judaea was the momentary name it had) and what became a disciple so going out. They are looked at either as apostles of Christ, His judgment and will being declared before the people, or connected with the principles on which He was sending them out, not the mere introducing a new principle into the presence of the Jewish nation, as that which morally connected them with the Father, and with the kingdom of heaven, when it should come, in the principles of the children in Messiah's kingdom. In this we have contrast with the world—not a contrast with sayings (dicta) to those of old time.
16. It seems to be marked as characteristic.
17, et seq. I am disposed to think the same as Matthew S. " On a level place," is not the plain, but a meaning expressly distinct from it. The place from which the multitudes came is in fact, in both cases, the land of Israel from one end to the other. Such parts of the discourse as peculiarly affected their place in the world, are by the Spirit put forward here, such as showed conformity to Christ, the Second Adam, and nonconformity to the world which crucified Him. In Matthew we are presented with it in its bearings on the old system, and them as elected amongst it, and the principles of the new dispensation of which He appeared as the Founder, but it has thus a narrower character of manifestation, though of the same root, though there is enough the same to lead us into this instructive comparison. Thus the " Now " (nun) is of characteristic force in this passage of Luke, and the whole will be found a detection of, or pronouncing on worldly principles—the present and that which is to come, brought into juxtaposition. And in this view compare the note on Matt. 5:2525Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. (Matthew 5:25), and the place which it holds in Luke, confirming that much. But all Matthew is addressed to them as members of the new system—this, as children of God, and so Christians in the world. So compare verse 22 here with Matt. 5:1111Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matthew 5:11), etc., as there too it is introduced on His first collecting disciples, and public preaching, exhibiting the character of the new dispensation. So here, after the historical introduction as to the acknowledgment of Him in childhood, and the exhibition of His Person ministerially, as we have seen, we have here the moral character of the hope of the everlasting gospel contrasted with " this age "—generally, we may say, its moral character. The time of the history points it out as the same discourse.
They arc general principles. " I say to you which hear " comes afterward. His disciples were, however, the poor." Note they were not blessed because they were poor, but because theirs was the kingdom of God. Therefore the Lord says " When " (hotan). And whereas we may rejoice in that day, 'tis in that day we may rejoice, not beforehand, thinking highly of ourselves above that which we ought to think.
All the moral characters of this are very strong, and their personal application gives them great force.
- 27. " To you that hear " is a peculiar character—those who are His followers indeed. And note, therefore, in wisdom while we may desire the increase of faith for others, it is to those " that hear," to whom it is of any avail to say these things, not to despise the rest (for there is no difference) but it is not for profit. Yet this is the Spirit of Christ.
- 30. " What is thine " (ta sa) that of which you can say: " It is mine."
- 35. The reason, it is of faith, for all perfectness is of faith, and faith only perfects. " And your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Highest "; a reason which is its own reason, and which a man must have in order to be of any weight, for the conduct and the result here mentioned are apprehended together, for the apprehension of it in God is its power in us.
I think here general principles are resumed as, in one sense, they run through it.
" Shall be given " is a generic expression with Luke. " And shall men give " misleads from the sense.
The two verses pursue the analogy of the divine character in the dispensation. Then comes the human relation and sense of the thing. There is moral blindness. Then judging after the flesh, and they cannot lead the blind. The flesh cannot guide the flesh; it cannot see its own evil. But the tree is known by its own fruits, not by its judgment of the fruits of others; see Rom. 2 This is traced to the root. What comes forth from the man is the plain evidence of the root from which it springs. Thus, in the new man, the old nature is judged, i.e., so far as that, oneself. The plain power of practice is then adverted to. Thus, having laid grace, cleansing forgiving grace as the basis, and the old bottles worthless, the principles of the kingdom, as contrasted with the world, and of the children, are stated, and thereon the grace to, and recognition of Gentiles in faith openly brought in.
There is another blessed point brought in here, the flesh cannot lead the flesh, and make it better; they would both fall into the ditch. The taught cannot be above his master (and the Jew was a teacher in the flesh), but then comes the revelation that every one that is perfected shall be as His master. The disciple is to be conformed to Christ. This is indeed a leading principle of this, if I may so call it, missionary discourse, i.e., on which the blessed Lord sent His disciples forth, not every Christian here, but every disciple that is perfected (katertismenos). The instruction of the Master was of His own principles and standard. It was not salvation, but discipleship was in question here. It was what He expressed was to be learned, and the blessed privilege of the disciple was to be conformed to his Master. The teaching was the expression of the truth of His character. For our sakes He has sanctified Himself. The Lord then goes on to show it was not judgment, but the evidence of what was within by their acts, which showed the stability of their assumed condition, for indeed then there was a new nature.
- 39. " Both " is an anxious word. God may give gifts, but when he who ought to be a disciple is the master, there is no teaching at all, and the blind lead the blind. But discipular place is according to the gift of knowledge. A man who is wiser than his teacher, through the knowledge of God's law, cannot be the disciple of such in truth. On the other hand, he who really apprehends in principle all that his master teaches is as his master—one with him. There may be other principles connected with this, not to be passed over, but these things are true. Note, too, it is " shall be " (estai), but a disciple cannot learn or have more than his master has to teach. But what were stated above are the principles of Christ's teaching. The blind cannot lead the blind, but those to whom it is given are to manifest that which they have, that others may, having it also, be so far as themselves, and they that have ears to hear shall hear and understand and be as the teacher.
- 40. A form we have to note here is pas (every one) with a participle; pas katertismenos (every one that is perfected), here it is in that character, en cant que (in so far as). This use of it is common in other cases. Rom. 12 I. Thusian zosan (living sacrifice), as a living sacrifice; and so in many places. So 1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6), he dous heauton antilutron (who gave Himself a ransom); to marturion (the testimony), where note the difference—He did not give Himself as a witness, the witness was for its own times. As to participles again, 1 Cor. 11:44Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. (1 Corinthians 11:4), 5; on the other hand Luke 6:4747Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: (Luke 6:47), pas he erchomenos (every one that comes). Here the individual; so Matt. 5:2222But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:22), pas he orgizomenos (every one that is angry), and elsewhere—the individual fact, not the characteristic case. As to the case of some nouns; without the article, they are clearly characteristic. All nouns are by themselves—" table " answers to what is that object. Only we do not so speak in English; so Matt. 5:1414Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14), polls keimene (a city situated), such a thing, not that thing. Exceptions are nothing; " gone to town," in England would be to London or some very large city in the thoughts.
There is also a promise in this word " perfected, shall be," etc.
41. This verse needs little comment. It is a moral defect, and truth itself will always be wandering without grace.
- 42. " To thy brother." There is not the spirit of love in it. One cannot say " brother " sincerely in doing 'it, for indeed there is pleasure in seeing the fault, a spirit of comparison. The Christian spirit of teaching is delight of soul in the holy things of God there, and in spirit communicating them to others in love, and so even in finding fault. No man ought to find fault until he be able to say " Brother," in the spirit of, and because he loves him; see accordingly, the directions if a brother trespass against us. As to others, we resist not evil, but bear all things. Men may rebuke sin if they have authority. " Perceivest not "; it may be forgetfulness, but surely there is the very moral fault in this—we see our neighbor's and not our own. Not so the repentant man, he is full, until cleared, of his own sins, and then can speak in the spirit of love which knows forgiveness. Therefore He says elsewhere: " Thou hypocrite," for it shows our mind is not changed as to the thing, yet we find fault with it in another; therefore evidently not of love, nor indeed have we right in this to say " Brother "; so Psa. 51, which see—you are bad enough yourself, and therefore it is impossible you can have a right moral judgment to direct others.
- 46. This is a reproach, yet instruction is treasured up in it.
48. The rock which was under the surface. The power of eternal life is not in the audience of the words, pleasant as they may be, and seemly in profession, but in a fruit-producing change of mind, which no floods can affect, for it is within, it unites us to God which the great water floods cannot come nigh as to its stability.
49. And the higher and nobler, the greater the ruin.