Notes and Suggestions.

By:
Luke
Verse 13. — Again. He had walked by the sea before (1:16); now He taught the crowd there, as He had previously taught the more pious in the synagogue (1:21). This prepares the way for the call of tax-gatherers and sinners, which immediately follows.
Verse 14.—Levi. This tax-gatherer (Luke 5:27, 2927And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. (Luke 5:27)
29And 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. (Luke 5:29)) was also called Matthew, and was one of the twelve apostles (Matt. 9:9; 10:39And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)
3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; (Matthew 10:3); Mark 3:1818And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, (Mark 3:18); Luke 6:1515Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, (Luke 6:15); Acts 1:1313And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. (Acts 1:13)). The latter name is always used of him as an apostle. In the First Gospel written by himself, he with rare humility, does not conceal his former offensive calling, but writes “publican” after his name in the list of the apostles (Matt. 9:9; 10:39And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)
3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; (Matthew 10:3)).
Verse 15. — His house. This was Levi’s house where he had made a feast to the Lord (Luke 5:2929And 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. (Luke 5:29)). And a great crowd of fellow tax-gatherers and sinners, attracted by the public surrender of his office to follow the Lord, came to inquire what it meant, and were made welcome to the banquet.
Tax-gatherers. This class of persons was particularly odious to the Jews, who regarded them with as much aversion as heathens (Matt. 18:1717And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. (Matthew 18:17)). They were hated because they consented to be employed by the Romans to collect the taxes which they were compelled to pay to their conquerors. It is quite probable the publicans were also very unjust and extortionate, and often exacted more than they had any right to do (Luke 3:1313And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. (Luke 3:13)). But grace had come, and publicans went into the kingdom of God before the Pharisees (Matt. 21:3131Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21:31)).
Verse 18. — Were fasting. This was doubtless on one of the weekly fast-days; for many of the Pharisees fasted twice in the week (Luke 18:1212I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (Luke 18:12)). And the question as to the fasting was probably put at the very time the feasting was going on in Levi’s house.
Verse 19.— There is “a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:44A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:4)); and the Lord came to give “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa. 61:11The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)). They had yet to learn that He was there as the Bridegroom, and how unseasonable fasting was in His presence.
Verse 20. — Then shall they fast. Compare John 16:5-225But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. 16A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:5‑22) for the sorrow which filled the hearts of the Lord’s disciples on hearing of His approaching departure. Fasting is not commanded or forbidden for the Christian. See Acts 13:2, 3; 14:232As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13:2‑3)
23And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. (Acts 14:23); 2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:275In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; (2 Corinthians 6:5)
27In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:27). It is of most avail when by intense occupation with spiritual things we forego eating our necessary food.
Verse 21. — By the figures of the garment and the wine-skins the Lord shows that what He was introducing would not by any means coalesce with the former order of things. The new covenant was not at all to be after the manner of the old. This Jeremiah had prophesied (Jer. 31:31-3431Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31‑34); Heb. 8:7-137For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:7‑13)). And in this chapter we are shown the Lord (1) forgiving sins (verse 5), and (2) calling a tax-gatherer to be His disciple (verse 14), then (3) eating with a number of tax-gatherers and sinners (verse 15). These things were altogether contrary to the principles of the law.
Unmilled. After cloth is woven, it is often milled or beaten to render it more compact and durable. But this was unmilled, probably as better illustrating the feature of newness. So in Matthew 9:1616No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. (Matthew 9:16). In Luke 5:3636And 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. (Luke 5:36) we have a slightly different expression— “a piece of a new [i.e., in quality or character] garment on an old.”
Garment. This represents the outward forms, as the wine the inward life and power. The work of the law was the old garment, “the righteousness which is in the law” (Phil. 3:66Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:6)). The fruit of the Spirit is the new cloth (Gal. 5:22, 2322But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22‑23)), which cannot be used to patch up the old garment. Not only “Ye must be born anew;” but the Spirit is now given to dwell in us, the contrast with the wine of nature (Eph. 5:1818And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18)).
Verse 22. — Old wine-skins. The skins of animals were often sewn up and used as vessels to contain wine, etc. In course of time the skins became hard and cracked. They were then either bound up or discarded. See Joshua 9:4, 134They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; (Joshua 9:4)
13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. (Joshua 9:13). No one, therefore, would put new or unfermented wine into old skins; for the skins would be sure to burst, so losing both wine and skins. Note how the fact of the double loss is better shown in the new translation.