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SKETCH  MAP 
PALESTINE 

Showing  the  Places  mentioned 
by  S^Luke,and  the  Main  Roads.    J 

Scale  of  Miles. 


10       15       20 


oMachaerus 


Westminster  Commentaries 
Edited  by  Walter  Look  D.D. 

LIDT  MARGARET  PROFESSOR  OP  DITINITT 


ST  LUKE 


ST    LUKE 


WITH  INTRODUCTION  AND   NOTES 

BY 

LONSDALE  RAGG,   B.D. 

CHRIST  CHURCH,  OXFORD, 

EXAMINING  CHAPLAIN  TO  THE 

ARCHBISHOP  OF  WALES 


METHUEN    k   CO.   LTD. 

36   ESSEX   STREET    W.C. 

LONDON 


First  fyublished  in  1922 


PREFATORY  NOTE  BY  THE  GENERAL  EDITOR 

nPHE  primary  object  of  these  Commentaries  is  to  be  exe- 
-■-  getical,  to  interpret  the  meaning  of  each  book  of  the 
Bible  in  the  light  of  modern  knowledge  to  English  readers. 
The  Editors  will  not  deal,  except  subordinately,  with  questions 
of  textual  criticism  or  philology  ;  but  taking  the  English  text 
in  the  Revised  Version  as  their  basis,  they  mil  aim  at  com- 
bining a  hearty  acceptance  of  critical  principles  with  loyalty  to 
the  Catholic  Faith. 

The  series  will  be  less  elementary  than  the  Cambridge  Bible 
for  Schools,  less  critical  than  the  International  Critical  Com- 
mentary, less  didactic  than  the  Expositor's  Bible  ;  and  it  is 
hoped  that  it  may  be  of  use  both  to  theological  students  and  to 
the  clergy,  as  well  as  to  the  growing  number  of  educated  laymen 
and  laywomen  who  wish  to  read  the  Bible  intelligently  and 
reverently. 

Each  commentary  will  therefore  have 

(i)  An  Introduction  stating  the  bearing  of  modern  criticism 
and  research  upon  the  historical  character  of  the  book,  and 
drawing  out  the  contribution  which  the  book,  as  a  whole,  makes 
to  the  body  of  religious  truth. 

(ii)  A  careful  paraphrase  of  the  text  with  notes  on  the 
more  difficult  passages  and,  if  need  be,  excursuses  on  any 
points  of  special  importance  either  for  doctrine,  or  ecclesiastical 
organization,  or  spiritual  life. 

But  the  books  of  the  Bible  are  so  varied  in  character  that 
considerable  latitude  is  needed,  as  to  the  proportion  which  the 
various  parts  should  hold  to  each  other.    The  General  Editor 


yi  NOTE 

will  therefore  only  endeavour  to  secure  a  general  uniformity  in 
scope  and  character  :  but  the  exact  method  adopted  in  each 
case  and  the  final  responsibility  for  the  statements  made  will 
rest  with  the  individual  contributors. 

By  permission  of  the  Delegates  of  the  Oxford  University 
Press  and  of  the  Syndics  of  the  Cambridge  University  Press 
the  Text  used  in  this  Series  of  Commentaries  is  the  Revised 
Version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

WALTER  LOCK 


PREFACE 

rr^HE  present  volume  is  designed,  in  conformity  with  the 
-■-  scope  of  the  whole  series,  to  provide  a  simple,  practical, 
and,  in  some  sense,  devotional  commentary  on  '  The  most 
Beautiful  Book  in  the  World  ' ;  a  commentary  which  shall  keep 
the  average  reader  in  touch  with  the  main  results  of  modern 
scholarship,  and  introduce  him  here  and  there  to  conjectures 
and  suggestive  interpretations  still  sub  iudice. 

This  will  explain  the  frequent  references  made  to  the 
Oxford  Studies  in  the  Synoptic  Problem,  and  the  occasional 
references  to  books  like  Hawkins's  Horae  Synopticae  and 
Stanton's  The  Gospels  as  Historical  Documents.  The  author 
felt  it  incumbent  on  him,  at  the  risk  of  occasional  tediousness, 
to  keep  the  Synoptic  Problem  always  in  view,  and  to  give  his 
readers  constant  opportunities  for  consulting  what  he  con- 
ceives to  be  the  best  opinion  on  the  subject  easy  of  access. 

To  the  writers  of  the  above-mentioned  works,  and  to  others 
mentioned  from  time  to  time  in  the  succeeding  pages,  the 
author  acknowledges  a  real  debt  of  gratitude.  But  there  are 
two  names  of  which  he  cannot  but  make  special  mention  : 
Dr  Lock,  general  editor  of  this  series,  to  whose  kindly  but 
sure  criticism  and  to  whose  suggestions  the  volume  owes 
much,  and  the  Rev.  Paul  Levertoff,  the  learned  subwarden 
of  St.  Deiniol's  Library,  from  whose  generously  administered 
stores  of  Rabbinical  lore  he  has  gathered  the  information 
specially  marked  (P.L.)  in  the  Notes,  and  much  besides.  Still 
more  he  owes,  as  does  all  the  world,  to  the  Beloved  Physician 
and  Evangelist  himself,  of  whom  he  would  fain  have  proved 
himself  a  more  worthy  disciple. 


viii  PREFACE 

The  writer  is  quite  conscious  that  his  own  individual 
tastes,  especially  his  love  of  Italian  Art,  have  afiEected  the 
Commentary  in  a  way  that  may  seem  out  of  due  proportion, 
but  he  feels  that  each  new  Commentator  should  enable  the 
reader  to  approach  a  familiar  subject  from  a  fresh  point  of 
view  :  and  the  tradition  which  regarded  St.  Luke  as  a  portrait 
painter  has  supplied  a  pretext  for  this. 

Perhaps  more  justification  may  be  needed  for  the  use  of 
Papini's  Storia  di  Cristo  which  only  appeared  in  1921.  On 
its  behalf  may  be  pleaded  the  extraordinary  graphic  power  of 
this  latest  recruit  from  the  ranks  of  Christ's  enemies  to  those 
of  His  ardent  disciples,  whose  setting  of  the  Gospel  narrative, 
based  on  no  mean  understanding  of  the  relevant  literature, 
though  deliberately  non-critical,  is  by  no  means  uncritical. 
The  references  to  Dante  may  also  be  excused  in  this  sex- 
centenary anniversary  of  his  death,  when  a  considerable  and 
growing  number  of  English  students  is  more  than  ever  con- 
vinced that  '  He  being  dead,  yet  speaketh.' 

Holy  Cross  Day,  1921. 

L.  rv. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 

I.     The  Author  :   Saint  Luke  . 
II.     Date  and  Circumstances  of  Writing  of  the  Gospel 

III,  Sources  of  the  Gospel :   Its  relation  to  the  other  Gospel 

IV.  Language  and  Style  .... 
The  Gospels  in  Art    .... 

V.    Characteristic  Features  of  the  Third  Gospel 

VL    The  Text 

VII.     St  Luke's  Outline  of  the  Ministry 

RUNNING  ANALYSIS  .... 

TEXT  AND  NOTES 

11-4    The  Author's  Preface   . 

I  5 — II  51    The  Gospel  op  the  Infancy   . 


(a)  I  5-25  The  Promise  of  the  Forerunner  . 

(b)  I  26-38  The  Annunciation      . 

(c)  I  39-56  The  Visitation.     The  Magnificat 

(d)  I  57-79  Birth  and  Circumcision  of  John.    The  Benedictus 
(c)  II  1-20  The  Birth  of  ChrLst   . 
if)  II  21  The  Circumcision  of  Christ 
(gf)  II  22-39  Presentation  in  the  Temple  ;   Simeon's  Song  and 

Prediction  and  testimony  of  Anna 

(A)  II  40-52  The  Boyhood  of  Jesus 

III  1 — IV  13    The  Preparation  for  the  Ministry 

(a)  III  1-23     The  Mission  of  John  and  Baptism  of  Jesus 

(6)  III  24-38    The  Earthly  Genealogy  of  Jesus 

(c)  IV  1-13      The  Temptation         .... 

IV  14 — IX  50    The  Galilean  Ministry 

(1)  IV  14-44    First  Period  :  Nazareth  and  Capernaum 

(2)  V  1— VI  49    Second  Period :  from  the  Call  of  the  first  Disciples 

to  the  appointment  of  the  Twelve  and  the  Great  Sermon 

(3)  VII  1— VIII  56    Third  Period  :  from  the  Great  Sermon  to  the 

Mission  of  the  Twelve     ...... 

(4)  IX  1-50    Fourth  Period  and  Climax  of  the  Galilean  Ministry 

from  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve  to  the  end  of  the  Northern 
Ministry        ......... 


PAGE 

xi 
.  xvii 
.  xxi 
.  xxvi 
.  xxxii 
.  xxxiv 
.  xli 
.    xliii 

xlvi 

1 

5 
6 
11 
17 
21 
26 
33 

34 
40 

43 
43 
50 
51 

56 
59 

66 

89 


118 


X  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

IX  51— XJX  27    St.  Luke's  new  Contribution  to  the  Gospel 

History 139 

(!)  IX  51 — XI  42     First  Period  of  the  '  Journeyinga  '  :  from  the 

conclusion  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  to  the  Visit  to  Bethany      142 

(2)  XI  1 — XII 1  35    Second  Period  of  the  '  Joumeyings  '  :  from 

the  Visit  to  Bethany  to  the  Lament  over  Jerusalem  .         .     160 

(3)  XIV  1— XVII  10    Third  Period  of  the  '  Joumeyings  '  :  from 

the  Lament  over  Jerusalem  to  the  Pilgrimage  of  the  Last 
Passover       .........      198 

(4)  XVII II— XIX  27    Fourth  Period  of  the  '  Joumeyings ' :  The 

Last  Peraean  Mission  and  Journey  up  to  the  Passover  of 

the  Passion 226 

XIX  28— XXIII  56    The  Story  of  the  Passion  .         .         .         .247 

( 1 )  XIX  28— XXI 38    From  the  Triumphal  Entry  to  the  Betrayal     249 

(2)  XXII  1-53     From  the  Betrayal  to  the  Arrest      .  .  .272 

(3)  XXII  54— XXIII  32    The  Trials  :  The  Way  of  the  Cross     .     288 

(4)  XXIII  33-56    The  Death  and  Burial  .  .  .  .298 

XXIV    The  Triumph 307 

(1)  XXIV  1-12    The  Resurrection  and  First  Appearances  .     309 

(2)  XXIV  13-43    The  Walk  to  Emmaus  :  The  Appearance  in  the 

Upper  Room  ........     313 

(3)  XXIV  44-53     Summary  from  Easter  to  the  Ascension  .     319 

INDEX 323 


\' 


INTRODUCTION 

I.     The  Author :    Saint  Luke 

Saint   Luke  is  unique  among  New  Testament  writers,  first  in  that  his 
work — the    third    Gospel    and    Acts    taken    together — bulks 
His  unique       largest :    more  than  all  St  Paul's    Epistles   together ;    more 
to  N.T.  than  a  quarter  (nearly  two-sevenths)  of  the  entire  New  Testa- 

ment ;    secondly,  because  he  is  the  only  Gentile  contributor , 
to  the  Bible. 

What  St  Luke  was  as  a  man  is  reflected  in  his  writings.  Wide  and  deep 
sympathy,  love  of  souls,  interest  in  simple  things,  in  manhood 
His  character  and  womanhood,  in  childhood  and  domesticity,  in  the  joy  of 
his  writings  life,  in  prayer,  worship,  praise,  and  thanksgiving ;  historical 
sense,  keen  observation,  loyalty  to  fact ;  gift  of  narrative, 
dramatic,  and  artistic  sense,  and  a  certain  genial  humour  ;  deep  enthusiasm 
for  the  Saviour,  the  Divine-Human  Christ,  and  for  the  first  missionary  heroes 
of  the  Ascended  Lord — all  these  are  there,  and  much  more.  No  wonder  his 
Gospel  is  described  by  Renan  as  '  the  most  beautiful  book  ever  written.' 

In  spite  of  the  scantiness  of  contemporary  references  we  may  say  we  know 
him  better  than  we  know  any  other  New  Testament  writer  except  St  Paul, 
whose  inner  revelations  of  his  own  heart  in  the  Epistles  are  so  beautifully 
supplemented  by  St  Luke's  narrative  of  his  deeds  and  some  of  his  words. 
Ac  XX  18-38,  for  instance,  tells  us  much  about  St  Paul's  lovableness — and  not 
a  little  about  St  Luke's. 

What  then  does  the  New  Testament  tell  us  about  St  Luke,  and  what  does 
he  say  about  himself  ?  The  traditional  title  of  the  Gospel,  Kara 
Author  of  \ovKav — '  according  to  Luke  ' — holds  the  field.^  We  may 
and  Acts  safely  assume  that  the  third  Gospel  and  Acts  (certainly  by  the 
same  hand)  are  his  ;  and  also,  with  the  overwhelming  majority 
of  modern  critics,  that  the  '  I '  of  Lk  i  3  and  Ac  i  1  is  included  in  the  '  We  ' 
of  St  Paul's  companion  of  the  Second  and  Third  Missionary  Journeys,  who 
gives  us  his  first-hand  experiences  in  Ac  xvi  10-17,  xx  6 — xxi  18,  xxvii  1 — 
xxviii  16. 

St  Paul  mentions  Luke  three  times  by  name,  in  letters  of  which  one 
(2  Tim)  certainly  belongs  to  the  Apostle's  second  imprison- 

Luke  ment  at  Rome — the  imprisonment  which  led  up  to  his  martyr- 

mentioned  by    ,        ,  „  „ .  X      „,,         ,  , .         ^,        ,  1 

name  "Om  (?  A.  D.  64).    The  other  two  are  earlier.    They  have  been 

^  See  below,  pp.  xii,  xiii,  and  Plummer,  8t  Luke  I.C.C.,  Introduction,  §  I, 
esp.  p.  xiv. 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

precariously  assigned  to  the  imprisonment  at  Caesarea  (?  a.d.  58-59),  but  more 
Evidence  of  usually  to  the  first  captivity  at  Rome  :  the  episode  with  which 
E^Jsties  ^^^  -"^'^^^  ^^^^  ^'  ^■^-  ^9"^)-     ^®  ^^y  F^haps  securely  assign 

them  to  this  later  period. 

(a)  Epistles  of  First  Roman  Captivity :  Philem  24  ;  Col  iv  10-14. 
Besides  implying  that  Luke  was  with  Paul  at  Rome  during  this  imprisonment, 
these  references  also  give  us  further  information.  From  the  Epistle  to  Phile- 
mon we  learn  that  he  was  (together  with  Mark,  Aristarchus, 
An  evangelist  ^^^  Demas)  a  '  fellow-worker  '  {a-wtpyos),  i.  e.  a  co-operator 
with  St  Paul  in  missionary,  evangelistic  ivork. 

From  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  we  learn  still  more.  Col  iv  10-14  gives 
two  groups  of  names  :  (1)  three  converts  from  Judaism^'  the  only  ones  ' — 
viz.  Aristarchus,  Mark,  and  Jesus  called  Justus  :    (2)  three  by  inference 

Gentiles. 

This  important  evidence  is  corroborated  by  the  internal  testimony  of  his 

own  writings,  to  the  effect  that  St  Luke  is  not  a  Hellenist  Jew 
A  Gentile  ,     ,  •      ^y     ti 

but  a  genuine  Gentile. 

Further,   Luke  is  styled  here  (iv  14)  6  larpos  6  aynTrijTof,  'the  beloved 

.  ».  .  .  physician ' :  a  statement  again,  as  most  critics  think,  fully 
A  physician      ^    -^  o       ' 

corroborated  by  the  evidence  of  his  phraseology  (see  further, 
pp.  XXX,  xxxi).  This  title  is  taken  up  by  ecclesiastical  writers,  beginning  with 
the  Muratorian  fragment  (a.  d.  170-200),  where  he  is  described  as  Medicv9. 
'  Beloved  '  speaks  to  us  o'  his  character  ;  '  physician  '  of  his  profession  and 
attainments.  This  latter  suggests  that  which  we  all  find  in  his  writings — 
a  keen  student  of  human  nature,  with  a  sympathy  for  human  weakness  and 
infirmity,  and  a  marked  interest  in  childhood,  motherhood,  joy,  and  pain. 
Further,  it  puts  him  among  the  scientists  of  his  day :    with  faculties  of 

observation  and  judgement  specially  trained,  a  capacity  for 
Pauline  weighing  evidence,  an  instinctive  feeling  for  accuracy  and  order. 

Epistles  Doctors  were  highly  thought  of  by  the  Empire  in  those  days. 

'Beloved  JuUus  Caesar  had  given  the  citizenship  to  all  those  resident  in 

Rome  (Suet.  Jul.  §  64). 
(6)  Epistle  of  the  Second  Roman  Captivity  :  2  Tim  iv  11.    This  reference 
enforces  and  illustrates  the  *  beloved  '  of  Col  iv  14,  and  adds  a  touch  of  deep 
human  interest  reflecting  honour  upon  St  Luke.    '  Only  Luke  is  with  me.'     Of 

St  Paul's  former  companions  Mark  is  apparently  at  Ephesus,  the 
the^^nd'  *°       destination  of  the  letter,  on  apostolic  business  (iv  10) ;  Demas  has 

'  forsaken  '  his  leader.    The  '  Beloved  '  is  also  the  loyal  to  the 
end  ;  and  may  indeed  have  been  the  amanuensis  of  the  Epistle. 

The  only  other  possible  New  Testament  reference  to  St  Luke  is  that  of 

Ac  xiii  1,  where  '  Lucius  ofCyrene  '  stands  shoulder  to  shoulder 
Doubtful  with  Herod's  foster-brother  (of.  Lk  viii  3  note)  among  the  group 

Ac  xiii  of  prominent  churchmen  at  Antioch  in  Syria,  who  send  forth 

Paul  and  Barnabas  on  their  mission.    If  it  were  possible  to  iden- 
tify Liucas  with  Lucius,  this  would  harmonize  with  the  early  and  general 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

tradition  that  connects  Luke  with  Antioch  ^ ;  it  would  also  go  some  way 
to  explain  the  special  interest  shown,  in  the  third  Gospel  and 
the  Acts,  in  Herod's  court  and  household  (cf.  viii  3,  ix  7,  xiii  31, 
xxiii  7-12  ;  Ac  iv  27,  xii,  xiii  1). 

Till  quite  recently  the  identification  of  the  two  names  was  considered 
childish  and  hopelessly  unscientific.  But  Sir  W.  M,  Ramsay 
Lukas^and  j^g^g  reopened  the  question.  It  may  remain  true  in  general  that 
Lucas  (AovKai)  is  properly  the  abbreviation  of  the  cognomen  or 
'  third  name  '  of  a  Roman — in  full,  Lucanus^ — while  Lucius  is  a  very  common 
praenomen  or  '  first  name  '  ;  but  Ramsay  has  foimd  evidence  that  in  early 
inscriptions  in  Asia  Minor :  (a)  Lucas  was  used  as  a  praenomen,  presumably 
equivalent  to  Lucius — we  have  the  name  Xovkos  tiXXio?  Kpirav — and  (6)  that 
the  two  forms  were  apparently  applied  actually  to  the  same  person ;  for 
a  pair  of  inscriptions  gives  the  names  of  two  brothers  variously  as  \ovkios, 
TTOfXTvovkios,  and  \ovKas,  TtovfinovXios .^ 

This  certainly  makes  the  identification  of  our  Luke  with  Lucius  of  Cjrrene 
conceivable  ;  nor  is  there  wanting  another  piece  of  evidence  to 

Western  favour  the  identity.     For  the  '  We  ',  which  in  our  authorized 

i*6fcrcrxc6  in 

Ac  xi  27  text  of  Acts  occurs  first  at  xvi  10,  is  found  in  Codex  Bezae  (con- 

jectured by  Blass  to  represent  Luke's  own  first  edition  of  his 
book)  *  at  xi  27,  where  this  text  adds,  '  and  there  was  much  gladness,  and 
when  we  were  collected  together,  one  of  them  named  Agabus  spake.  .  .  .' 

Nor  should  we  omit,  in  this  connexion,  the  fact  mentioned  by  a  recent 
commentator  ^  that  there  was  a  good  medical  school  at  Cyrene. 

Are  there  any  other  possible  references  to  St  Luke  in  the 

?efcrences  ^**'^  ^®^   Testament  ?     Such   have   been   conjectured   in    two   of 

St  Paul's  Epistles. 

{a)   2  Cor  viii  18 — '  the  brother  whose  praise  is  in  the  Gospel.'     Origen 

identified  this  '  brother '  with  St  Luke,  and  certainly  Luke 

might  answer  to  the  description,  as  a  faithful  '  fellow-labourer  ' 

of  the  Apostle  in  evangelistic  work,  though  any  reference  to  his  authorship 

of  the  '  third  Gospel '  is  out  of  the  question. 

(6)  Later  on  in  the  Epistle  (2  Cor  xii  18)  mention  is  again  made  of 
'  the  brother,'  sent  in  company  with  Titus.  Souter  suggests  that  St  Paul 
is  referring  to  Titus's  own  brother — certainly  a  valid  and  natural  transla- 
tion of  the  Greek — so  that  if  these  identifications  are  accepted,  we  gain 
a  new  fact  about  St  Luke ;   namely,  that  the  recipient  of  one  of  St  Paul's 

'  First,  in  the  Latin  Praefatio  Lv/mc,  attributed  by  Harnack  to  the  third  century 
at  latest.    There  he  is  styled  '  a  S3Tian  of  Antioch.' 

^  '  Lucanus'  would  make  the  EvangeUst  a  namesake — possibly  a  fellow  clansman 
— of  the  well-known  poet  M.  Annaeus  Lucanus  (d.  a.  d.  65),  an  elder  contemporary, 
and  might  connect  him  also  with  the  contemporary  philosopher  Seneca,  who 
belonged  to  the  same  Annaean  gens. 

^  necent  Discovery,  pp.  374r-377. 

*  On  Codex  Bezae,  see  further,  §  VI,  p.  xiii. 

*  See  A.  S.  Peake'a  Commentary  on  the  Bible,  p.  724. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

Pj«toral   Epistles  was   brother  to   the  author  of    tho   Acts  and   the   third 
Gospel.' 

Having  exhausted  all  possible  references  to  St  Luke  in  St  Paul's  writings, 

we  now  turn  to  note  what  he  has  to  say  about  himself. 

His   autobiographical    references    may   be   divided    into    three    groups  : 

Auto-  (a)  the  dedication  of  the  third  Gospel,  (6)  the  dedication  of  the 

biographical         '  ,  ,  .     ,      <.  »»t    ,  -     ^i       »    ^ 

references        Acts,  and  (c)  the    We    passages  in  the  Acts. 

He  speaks  of  himself  as  '  rae  '  (f5o|<  kuuoI)  in  Lk  i  3,  as  '  I '  {(woLr^a-dfir^v) 

in  Ac  i  1,  and  includes  himself  in  the  '  we  '  {fC'T''Wf^'^v)  of  Ac  xvi  10,  &c. 

(a)   Lk  i  1-4 — the  best  bit  of  Greek  in  the  New  Testament  (see  p.  xxvii) — 

expounds  the  author's  purpose  and  plan  as  a  writer  :  the  purpose, 
Dedication  to  put  into  the  possession  of  Theophilus  (not  exclusively,  of 
Gospel  course,  though  the  form  of  a  Dedication  necessarily  suggests 

this — Theophilus  addressed  as  '  Excellency  '  (Kpartarf ),  and 
therefore  probably  a  Roman  official  of  some  dignity)  accurate  information 
as  to  the  fundamentals  of  Christianity.  Theophilus  is  perhaps  a  catechumen 
(i  4),  and  possibly  resident  in  Antioch.  The  method,  to  compile  an  ordered 
narrative  by  consultation  of  eyewitnesses  and  documents  and  the  careful 
sifting  of  evidence, 

(6)   Ac  i  1.    Here  St  Luke  announces  to  Theophilus  (no  longer  addressed 

with  the  title)  his  purpose  to  continue  beyond  the  Ascension  the 
o/Acts''°"       narrative  of  the  Lord's  work  and  influence  (what  Jesus  went 

on  '  to  do  and  to  teach  ').  Here  there  is  the  same  orderly 
arrangement  as  we  can  discern  in  the  third  Gospel.  The  work  of  Christ's 
Gift  and  Representative,  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  shown  to  us  in  ever-widening 
circles,  of  which  the  outline  is  given  in  our  Lord's  words  (Ac  i  8) — '  Jerusalem 
.  .  .  Judaea  and  Samaria  .  .  .  uttermost  part  of  the  earth.'  To  the  minute 
accuracy  of  the  setting  of  this  narrative  where  it  can  be  tested,  Sir  W.  M, 
Ramsay's  researches  bear  eloquent  testimony. 

(c)   Ac  [xi  27a],  xvi  10-17,  xx  6 — xxi  18,  xxvii  1 — xxviii  16.     (So-called 

'Travel-Document'.)  The  first  person  plural — the  'We' — 
The  •  We '  shows  St  Luke  as  companion  of  St  Paul  in  his  missionary  wan- 
Acts  derings,  even  as  the  references  in  Philem,  Col,  and  2  Tim  show 

him  as  sharer  of  the  Apostle's  imprisonments. 
Its  earlier  occurrence  in  the  Bezan  text  (D)  would  indicate  a  much  earlier 
acquaintance  with  St  Paul — probably  previous  to  a.  d.  40 — but  in  his  later 
edition  *  Luke  seems  to  have  expunged  this  and  confined  the  references  to  the 
time  of  more  active  companionship  with  the  Apostle. 

St  Paul  has  a  vision  of  a  '  Man  of  Macedonia  '  at  Troos,  urging  him  to 

'  come  over  and  help  us  ' — and  immediately,  in  the  next  verse 
Ma«do^a°^   (Ac  xvi  10),  the  '  they  '  of  the  narrative  becomes  '  We  ',    and 

Luke  is  one  of  the  party.     R*msay^  (and  Souter  following 

'  It  would  ht  tempting  to  see  St  Luk«  in  the  yvTjme  (Tw^vye — 'true  yoke- 
fpllow  '  of  Phil  iv  3  for  not  a  few  ^^a8on8,  wpre  it  not  that  Luke  was  almost  certainly 
at  Rome  ^vith  the  Apostle  when  the  Letter  was  written. 

-  If  we  are  to  accept  Blaae's  theory.  '  St  Paul  the  Traveller,  p.  203. 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

him  ^)  identifies  Luke  with  the  '  Man  of  Macedonia  '  of  Ac  xvi  9.  Antioch, 
Luke's  traditional  native  city,  like  so  many  of  the  Greek  cities  of  the  East, 
was  a  Macedonian  foundation,  colonized  by  aristocratic  families  of  Macedonia. 
May  not  St  Luke  have  been  an  Antiochene  of  Philippian  descent,  and  so  at 
home  in  Philippi  ?  Certainly  there  is  in  Ac  xvi  12  an  apparently 
Phfi"***"  disproportionate  emphasis  on  Philippi.  It  is  described  (a)  as 
npa)TT}  rr]s  fiepidos  ttoXis — '  first  of  the  district ' — true,  doubt- 
less, in  some  sense,  since  Luke  is  our  authority ;  yet  Amphipolis  was  actual 
capital  of  the  district,  and  Thessalonica  of  the  province.  (/3)  He  names  it 
also  as  a  Roman  '  Colony.'  This  is  certainly  the  case  :  but  it  was  true  also 
of  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  of  Lystra,  of  Troas,  of  Corinth — all  of  which  he  names 
without  mentioning  their  colonial  status.  PhiUppi,  as  the  scene  of  the 
momentous  defeat  of  Brutus  and  Cassius  in  42  B.  c,  was  surely  well  enough 
known  to  St  Luke's  Gentile  readers.  But  (unless  the  reference  to  its  status  be 
merely  inserted  to  lead  up  to  xvi  37,  38)  obviously  he  has  a  special  interest 
and  pride  in  it,  as  St  Paul  in  Tarsus,  when  he  calls  himself  in  Ac  xxi  39 
'  a  citizen  of  no  mean  city.' 

Is  it  necessary,  however,  that  Philippi  should  therefore  be  St  Luke's 
native  city  ?  We  may  argue,  perhaps,  against  Rackham's  suggestion  {Acts, 
pp.  XXX,  xxxi)  that  Luke's  native  place  was  Pisidian  Antioch,  by  adducing 
the  fact  that  he  does  not  even  trouble  to  accord  that  city  its  status  as  a  colony  ; 
but  for  his  special  interest  in  Philippi  we  may  find  other  sufficient  reasons. 

Not  only  do  the  '  We '  passages  indicate  periods  in  which  the  author 
Luke's  accompanied  St  Paul  on  his  missions  ;   but  one,  at  least,  of  the 

Philippi  gaps  where  the  first  person  is  dropped  is  full  of  significance. 

Ere  the  Apostle  leaves  Philippi  on  his  Second  Missionary  Journey,  the 
narrative  (xvi  18)  relapses  into  the  third  person,  and  the  '  We  '  is  not  resumed 
until  St  Paul  returns  to  the  same  city,  some  six  years  later,  on  his  Third 
Journey.  The  natural  and  generally  accepted  inference  is  that  for  those 
years,  or  the  greater  part  of  them,  Luke  remained  at  Philippi,  engaged  in 
a  happy  work  of  building  up  the  Church ;  which  would  endear  the  Mace- 
donian city  to  him  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  draw  him  not  only  to  emphasize 
its  importance  in  every  possible  way,  but  also  to  take  pains  to  indicate  in  his 
narrative,  when  it  came  to  be  written,  that  he  was  with  St  Paul  at  the  first 
founding  of  that  Church  (cf.  the  emphatic  '  Paul  and  us''  oi  Ac  xvi  17). 

In  Ac  XX  6 — xxi  18  he  joins  his  old  chief  again,  and  is  his  companion  in 
the  fateful  journey  back  to  Jerusalem  (during  which  they  were 
fompanfon-  ^^^^^  g^^sts  of  PhiUp  the  Evangelist— Ac  xxi  8-10);  was 
l^ip  ^itb  near  him,  doubtless  (Ac  xxiv  23),  though  not  continuously  with 
him  (the  '  We  '  is  dropped  from  ch  xxi  till  xxvii),  during  the  long 
months  of  his  imprisonment  at  Caesarea  :  his  close  companion  again  in  the 
voyage  to  Rome  (Ac  xxvii  2),  in  the  sojourn  at  Malta  (xxviii  1-10),  where  he 
perhaps  took  part  in  the  treatment  of  the  sick  (cf.  the  plural  in  Ac  xxviii  10), 
and  in  the  two  imprisonments  in  the  Eternal  City. 

Art.  '  Luke,'  Hastings'  D.C.G. 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

This   companionship   necessarily   colours   his   outlook   and    his    work.^ 

Whether  or  not  St  Paul  first  converted  him  to  the  faith,  we  do 
Lucae**'°         not  know.     He  nowhere  styles  him  his  '  Son  '  ;    and  the  early 

Latin  Praefatio  Lucae,  says  '  Luke,  by  nation  a  Syrian  of 
Antioch,  a  disciple  of  the  Apostles  and  afterwards  a  follower  of  St  Paul,  served 
his  master  blamelessly  till  his  confession.  For  having  neither  wife  nor 
children,  he  died  in  Bithynia  at  the  age  of  74,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
'  Filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost ' — a  favourite  expression  of  his  own  (Lk  i  15, 
41,  67,  iv  1 ;  Ac  ii  4,  iv  8,  &c.).  But  his  inspiration,  under  God,  was  not 
a  little  due  to  St  Paul's  companionship.  To  his  own  Hellenic  sympathy  and 
tolerance  and  width  of  outlook,  love  of  beauty,  and  love  of  things  human, 
he  adds  a  PauUne  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  Christ — spiritual  imperiaUsm, 
and  love  of  sinful  souls. 

Does   the  Praefatio  quoted   above  give  us  a  credible  account  of  our 

Evangelist's  last  days  ?  Internal  evidence  is  in  its  favour.  As 
last  days         ^^  Vernon  Bartlet  points  out  (s.v.  '  Lxike  '  in  Encycl.  Brit.),  an 

invented  story  would  certainly  have  made  him  martyred  ;  so  the 
simple  statement  that  he  '  died  at  the  age  of  74  '  in  itself  goes  some  way  to 
accredit  the  whole  tradition.  The  fact  that  he  is  further  described  as  a 
'  disciple  of  the  Apostles  '  (plur.)  has  led  a  recent  writer  to  conjecture 
(G.  H.  Whitaker,  Expositor,  Dec.  1919)  that  St  Luke  was  the  convert  and 
disciple  of  Barnabas,  whom  he  so  enthusiastically  describes  in  Ac  xi  23,  24 
(cf.  iv  36,  ix  27  sqq.) ;  that  he  journeyed  with  him  to  Cyprus  after  the 
Apostolic  quarrel  (xv  39),  and  from  Cyprus  on  a  pioneer  visit  to  Bithynia 
(which  Paul's  party  were  therefore  inwardly  warned  to  avoid),  and  thence 
joined  the  Apostle  at  Troas  (Ac  xvi  10). 

In  conclusion  we  may  shortly  summarize  the  external  evidence  for  the 

foregoing  assumption  of  Lucan  authorship — an  assumption 
evidence  which  is  found,  as  Dr  Chase  observes  {Credibility  of  the  Acts  : 

STthorship       Hulsean  Lectures  1900-1901,  p.  10),  in  the  second  century,  as 

soon  as  the  Church  began  to  possess  a  strictly  theological  litera- 
ture, and  was  never  disputed  in  early  centuries,  and  practically  finds  no 
denial  among  serious  scholars  to-day. 

True,  there  is  no  '  Luke '  named  in  the  two  Books  save  in  the  title  of  the 

Gospel ;  but  all  MSS  from  the  earliest  have  this  title,  which 
Papias*  °^       assumes  that  the  '  me  '  of  Lk  i  3  (and  consequently  the  '  I '  of 

Ac  i  1)  refers  to  a  person  of  that  name.  From  Papias  of  Hiera- 
poUs,  who  has  famous  utterances  about  the  first  and  second  Gospels,  we  have 
no  mention  of  the  third,  or  of  St  Luke.  But  this  '  Silence  of  Papias  '  means 
nothing  more  than  that  Euaebius,  who  preserves  for  us  all  of  Papias  that  we 
have,  does  not  happen  to  quote  anything  from  him  on  this  subject. 

The  earliest  direct  and  definite  e\'idence  is  that  of  Irenaeus  {Haer.  Ill 

i  2),  who,  writing  about  a.  d.  180, '  united  in  himself  the  tradition 

of  Southern  Gaul,  of  Rome  and  of  Asia  Minor,  and  ...  as  the 

•  For  marks  of  Pauline  influence  see  p.  xsii,  note  2. 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

pupil  of  St  Polycarp,  was  the  spiritual  grandson  of  St  John.'  ^    Irenaeus  is 
followed  by  Clement  of  Alexandria  and  TertulUan  and  the  full  line  of  Christian 

writers  ;  but  he  is  preceded  by  Justin  Martyr  (c.  A.  D.  150),  who, 

without  giving  names,  cites  from  '  Memoirs  of  the  Apostles  and 
those  that  followed  them  '  (Dial.  Ill,  of.  Apol.  i  35)  details  peculiar  to  our 
_  Gospel  such  as  the  Annunciation,  the  Trial  before  Herod,  and 

the  Last  Word  from  the  Cross.  Justin's  pupil  Tatian  uses  the 
third  Gospel  about  a.  D.  160  in  Mesopotamia,  weaving  its  substance,  side  by 
side  with  that  of  the  first,  second,  and  fourth,  into  his  Diatessaron,  or  '  Har- 
mony of  the  four  Gospels.' 

But  our  earUest  witness  of  importance  is  some  twenty  years  earlier  still 
„      .  (c.  A.  D.  140).     Marcion  the  heretic,  who  for  doctrinal  reasons 

rejected  the  other  three  Gospels,  but  adopted  and  adapted  the 
third  as  most  in  harmony  with  his  ultra-PauUne  teaching  on  Grace  and  the 
free  gift  of  Redemption.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  without  significance  that  Marcion 
hailed  from  Sinope  in  Bithynia,  the  province  which  the  Praefatio  connects 
with  Luke's  last  years. 

Once  the  Lucan  authorship  has  been  admitted,  and  the  identification 

made  with  the  Luke  of  St  Paul's  Epistles,  numberless  points  of 
Internal  corroboration  emerge  :    notably  the  '  medical  language  '  ^  and 

corroborates    the  many  traces  of  affinity  with  St  Paul.    On  the  other  hand, 

the  Luke  of  the  Pauline  Epistles  is  not,  as  such,  a  person  of 
sufficient  fame  or  prominence  for  it  to  be  Ukely  that  something  Uke  one-fifth 
of  the  New  Testament  should  be  ascribed  to  him  without  strong  reasons. 

Finally,  the  admission  of  the  common  authorship  of  the  third  Gospel  and 
the  Acts,  to  which  every  argument  of  internal  evidence — dedication,  language, 
style  and  vocabulary,  outlook  and  tendency — clearly  points,  intensifies  the 
conviction  that  both  of  them  come  from  the  hand  of  Luke,  Paul's  physician, 
fellow  traveller,  and  fellow  worker ;  and  the  occasional  inconsistencies  between 
the  narrative  of  Acts  and  the  Pauline  Epistles,  which  make  the  story  of  the 
Apostle's  life  so  difficult  to  trace  out  in  detail,  themselves  tell  in  the  same 
direction.  At  any  rate,  they  would  not  have  been  deliberately  introduced 
by  a  later  pseudepigraphic  writer  of  c.  a.  d.  100. 


II.     Date  and  Circumstances  of  Writing  of  the  Gospel 

We  may  take  for  granted  that  our  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  come  from 
one  hand,  and  that  we  may  without  hesitation  attribute  them  to  their 
traditional  author,  the  companion  of  St  Paul.  For  the  final  estabUshment 
of  this  position  we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Prof.  Harnack  and  Sir  W.  M. 
Ramsay. 

Adolf  Harnack,  in  his  Lukas  der  Arzt  (Leipzig,  1906),  records  his  own 

*  Chase,  loc.  cit.  2  See  p.  xxix, 

L.  h 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

conversion,  based  on  linguistic  and  literary  grounds,  to  the  view  that  the  third 

Gospel  and  the  Acts  are  a  historical  work  written  in  two  books, 
p  *1  depends  ^^^  written,  as  tradition  says,  by  Luke  the  Physician,  Paul's 
on  that  of        fellow  traveller  and  fellow  evangelist.     Ramsay  in   Luke  the 

Physician  and  other  works  accepts  Harnack's  results  (which  in 
some  parts  he  had  anticipated)  and  goes  farther.  He  brings  archaeological 
evidence  to  bear,  and  demonstrates,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  that  Luke's 
history  is  true.  If  we  inquire  into  the  date  of  the  composition  of  the  Gospel, 
we  must  take  into  accomit,  as  a  preliminary,  the  probable  date  of  the  Acts. 
In  one  sense  the  two  may  be  said  to  form  (with  a  slight  overlapping,  Lk  xxiv 
13  sqq.,  Ac  i  1-14)  two  volumes  of  a  single  work,  designed  to  tell  Theophilus, 
and  with  him,  doubtless,  other  educated  Gentiles  :  (a)  the  Gospel — what  Jesus 
'  began  to  do  and  to  teach  '  before  His  Ascension — and  (b)  the  Acts — what 
He  went  on  to  do  and  to  teach  by  and  through  His  Pentecostal  presence. 
Now  there  are  signs  that  an  interval  of  some  years  may  have  passed 

between  the  completion  of  the  Gospel  and  that  of  the  Acts, 
i/terval^  ^"  (°)    ^^*  '  overlapping.'      The  end  of  the  Gospel  seems  to 

^tween  suggest  that  nothing  further  is  needed  to  complete  the  story. 

The  way  in  which  Ac  i  1-14  covers  again  the  old  ground,  with 
a  difference,  implies  that  in  the  meanwhile  the  author  had  learned  more  of 
the  perspective  of  the  '  Forty  Days.' 

(b)  The  vocabulary  and  style  (see  further,  §  III),  as  patiently  and  ex- 
haustively analysed  by  Sir  J.  C.  Hawkins  (Horae  Synopticae,  1st  ed.,  Oxford, 
Clarendon  Press  1898),  though  offering  no  evidence  for  difference  of  authorship 
between  the  books,  do  evince  such  variations  as  might  well  be  accounted  for 
by  lapse  of  time,  and  new  experience  and  environment. 

To  these  some  would  add  the  difference  between  the  two  dedications. 

(c)  Theophilus,  in  Acts,  is  no  longer  addressed  as  Kparia-re.  Either  the 
person  addressed  has  completed  his  term  of  ofiBce,  or  St  Luke  has  become 
more  intimate  with  him,  or  Theophilus  has  in  the  interval  been  baptized  and 
become  a  '  brother  '  instead  of  '  His  Excellency  ' — or  both  growing  intimacy 
and  Christian  status  may  lurk  behind  this  discarding  of  formality. 

Whatever  weight  is  to  be  attached  to  this  last  consideration  may  be 
largely  discounted  if  we  accept  the  suggestion  of  Prof.  Cadbury  (Expositor, 
June  1921)  that  Theophilus  is  a  well-disposed  pagan  official,  and  that  the 
third  Gospel  is  a  Christian  '  Apology,'  addressed  to  the  ruling  race  in  general 
(cf.  note  on  i  3). 

We  know  of  four  pauses — periods  of  comparative  repose  or  stability — in 
St  Luke's  life  after  he  emerges  into  our  view  as  companion  of  St  Paul,  in  Acts. 

(1)  at  Philippi  (?  A.  D.  50-55),  (2)  at  Caesarea  (a.  d.  56-58),  (3)  at  Rome 

(?  A.  D,  59-61),  and  (4)  again  at  Rome  (?A.D.  62-64).     There 

for^s^Her       ^^  no  trace  in  Luke's  writings  of  the  martyrdom  of  his  hero, 

of  Acts"'*"*^   St  Paul,   unless  the  retention  of  the  pathetic  presentiment  of 

Ac  xxi  13  is  such.    (It  has  been  argued  that  whereas  St  Paul 

did  as  a  matter  of  fact  visit  Ephesus  between  his  first  and  second  Roman 


INTRODUCTION 


XIX 


imprisonment,  he  would  have  expunged  this  reference  had  not  his  hero 
been  dead  when  he  published.)  That  martyrdom  is  usually  assigned  to 
A.  D.  64-65.  If  it  is  inconceivable  that  he  should  have  failed  to  mention 
an  event  of  such  significance  to  him  personally  and  to  posterity,  we  must 
posit,  the  close  of  his  literary  activity  (unless  works  of  his  are  lost)  before 
64-65, 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  two  sets  of  indications  which  would  argue 

a  later  date  :  the  evidence  of  ch  xxi,  and  the  supposed  use  of 
Arguments       Josephus. 
Josephus  Josephus,  the  historian  of  the  siege  and  fall  of  Jerusalem 

in  A.  D.  70,  wrote  in  the  years  75-93.  It  has  been  claimed 
(chiefly  owing  to  the  mention  of  '  Theudas  '  in  Gamahel's  speech,  Ac  v  36 — 
identified  by  critics,  but  clearly  not  by  Luke,  with  a  later  Theudas  named 
in  Jos.  Ant.  XX  v  i ;  and  the  statement  about  Herod  Philip  in  the 
Gospel,  iii  2 — see  note  there)  that  St  Luke  used  Josephus's  writings,  and 
used  them  very  carelessly.  On  both  of  these  points — especially  the  supposed 
identification  of  Theudas,  one  is  tempted  to  quote  a  celebrated  note  of 
Harnack's.i  The  carelessness  involved  itself  rules  out  the  careful  and 
accurate  author  of  the  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts.^ 

As  to  the  argument  from  Lk  xxi  20,   that  is   more  serious.     Many 

moderate  critics  have  seen  there,  and  in  xix  43  (see  notes 
Jerusalem       ^'^  loc),  indications  that  the  Gospel  assumed  its  final  form  after 

the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Some  critics,  comparing  the 
language  St  Luke  puts  into  our  Lord's  mouth  with  that  of  the  other 
Synoptists,  roundly  declare  that  it  is  a  vaticinium  post  eventum — that  he 
must  have  written  with  a  knowledge  of  the  events  after  they  occurred 
(on  this  compare  Blass's  counter-argument,  referred  to  on  p.  xlii):  others 
think  that,  in  his  interpretation  of  the  phrases  into  language  intelUgible 
to  Gentile  readers,  he  was  unconsciously  influenced  by  the  form  events 
had  already  taken.  This  may  be  true,  and  yet  leaves  us  with  a  date 
earUer  than  70.  Encircling  armies  and  trenches,  and  razing  of  a  rebellious 
city,  would  be  a  natural  forecast  for  an  intelhgent  man  who  could  gauge  the 
possibilities  of  Jewish  insurgence  some  years  earlier.  There  is,  in  fact,  nothing 
peculiarly  distinctive  in  the  reference  to  encircling  armies  (xxi  20) ;    and 

*  In  an  article  on  '  St.  Felix  and  Regula  in  Spain  '  I  read  (pp.  6  f.)  as  follows  : 
'  If  any  one  had  anywhere  read  that  in  the  3rd  decade  of  this  [19th]  century  a 
pupil  of  the  public  school  of  Aarau,  the  son  of  one  Triimpi,  a  pastor  in  Schwanden 
[Canton  Glarus],  was  drowned  near  Aarau  when  bathing  in  the  Aar,  and  had 
afterwards  read  somewhere  else  that  in  1837  one  Balthazar  Leuzinger,  son  of 
M.  Leuzinger,  the  pastor  in  Schwanden,  was  drowned  when  bathing  in  the  Aar  close 
to  Aarau,  if  the  reader  were  at  all  of  a  critical  turn  of  mind  he  would  assuredly 
have  drawn  the  conclusion  that  one  and  the  same  occurrence  was  evidently  re- 
ferred to  in  each  case.  .  .  .  And  yet  it  actually  happened  that  two  young  natives 
of  Glarus,  both  of  them  sons  of  a  pastor  in  Schwanden,  were  drowned  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Aarau  [thus  a  long  way  from  Schwanden].' — Harnack,  Acts, 
Eng.  tr.  1909,  p.  247  note. 

^  See  Plummer,  pp.  xxxi-xxxii,  also  Bebb,  '  St  Luke's  Gospel,'  in  Hastings'  D.B. 
iii  168. 

62 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

a  glance  at  the  Septuagint  shows  that  the  earlier  passage  (xix  43,  44)  reflects 
the  siege  phraseology  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  is  remarkably  paralleled  by 
Ezek  iv  2,  with  an  added  reminiscence  of  Ps  cxxsvi  9  or  Hos  xiv  1  in  the 
reference  to  the  '  children.'  [See  further,  note  on  xix  43,  44.]  Says  an 
American  writer  (Shailer  Matthew,  Messianic  Hope  in  New  Testament, 
Chicago  Univ.  Press  1905) :  '  That  Jesus  expected  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  is 
beyond  question.'  .  .  .  '  This  passage  may  have  been  sharpened  up  by  Luke, 
but  such  a  hypothesis  is  really  gratuitous.  Any  picture  of  the  doom  of  a  city 
might  easily  run  into  the  conventional  picture  of  a  siege  '  (p.  230).  Zahn 
{Introd,  to  N.T.,  Eng.  tr.,  T.  &  T.  Clark  1909,  vol.  iii)  regards  the  date  of 
the  Gospel  as  entirely  independent  of  the  fall  of  the  Holy  City,  but  places 
it  on  other  grounds  somewhere  between  a.  d.  67  and  90 — after  the  other  two 
Synoptics,  and  before  the  fourth  Gospel.  It  may  be  well  to  remind  ourselves 
(cf.  Plummer,  p.  xxx)  that  these  later  dates — even  the  extreme  limit  of 
A.  D.  100-110  proposed  by  P.  W.  Schmiedel  {Encyc.  Bill.  1792)— are  not 
inconsistent  with  Lucan  authorship. 

But  a  late  date  for  the  Gospel  means  a  still  later  date  for  the  Acts  (say, 
The  close  A.  D.  75-85) ;  and  if  we  accept  this  late  date,  how  are  we 
of  Acts  ^Q  account  for  the  abrupt  close  of  that  book  ? 

Is  it  dramatic  ? — the  spiritual  imperialist  brought  to  the  centre  of  world- 
empire  and  left  there  ?  But  would  not  his  martyrdom  have  made  a  still 
more  dramatic  ending  ?  ^ 

Or  did  St  Luke  contemplate — or  even  write — a  (now  lost)  third  volume  ? 

The  most  obvious  (though  not  an  absolutely  necessary)  inference  from  the 
abruptness  of  the  ending  is  that  the  author  finished  writing  at  the  end  of 
St  Paul's  first  Roman  imprisonment.  This  date — about  A.  D.  64 — for  Acts 
is  accepted  by  one  of  the  latest  critics,  Prof.  C.  C.  Torry  (see  A.  S.  Peake's 
Commentary  on  the  Bible,  1920,  p.  742),  who  thinks  that  Ac  i  1— xv  35  is 
Luke's  translation  of  an  Aramaic  document  which  fell  into  his  hands,  and 
was  supplemented  (Ac  xv  36 — xxviii  30)  by  what  was  largely  within  his  own 
recollection  :  that  this  book  therefore  was  not,  like  the  third  Gospel,  a  work 
of  great  labour  and  research,  but  a  comparatively  simple  task  which  might 
occupy  a  relatively  short  time. 

Provisionally  accepting  this  date  for  Acts,  we  must  find  an  earlier  one 

for  the  Gospel.2     If   Acts  was  brought  out  during  the  second 

imprisonment  at  Rome,  the  Gospel  (at  any  rate  in  its  earliest 

form  ')  may  well  have  been  planned,  meditated,  and  prepared  for  during  the 

*  On  the  other  hand,  E.  J.  Goodspeed  in  an  article  on  the  '  Date  of  Acts ' 
in  Expositor,  May  1919,  points  out  a  parallel  in  Xenophon's  Menwrabilia.  Xenophon 
never  mentions  there  the  death  of  Socrates,  but  explicitly  refers  to  his  condemnation 
to  death.  So  the  author  of  Acts  does  not  record,  but  (in  Ac  xx)  '  forebodes  ' 
the  death  of  his  hero.  '  If  these  forebodings  had  turned  out  to  be  groundless, 
Luke,'  he  suggests,  '  would  not  have  recorded  them.' 

^  It  may  be  worth  mentioning  that  Dr.  Chase  {The  Gospels  in  the  light  of 
Historical  Criticism,  March  1914)  has  thrown  out  a  suggestion  of  an  earlier  date 
for  Acts  than  for  the  third  Gospel.    But  this  will  not  appeal  to  many. 

*  Cf.  Canon  Streeter's  latest  suggestion,  p.  xxiii,  note  1. 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

missionary  years  at  Philippi  (?  50-56),  worked  up,  with  important  additional 
matter,  at  Caesarea  (56-58),  and,  if  not  completed  then  and  there,  brooded 
over  during  the  voyage  and  three  months'  sojourn  in  Malta,  and  completed 
soon  after  arrival  in  the  Eternal  City. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  third  Gospel,  like  the  Acts,  seems  to  show  special 
traces  of  the  Caesarean  sojourn.    But  this  brings  us  to  the  subject  of  Sources. 

III.    Sources  of  the  Gospel :    Its  relation  to  the  other  Gospels 

The  third  Gospel,  like  the  Acts,  shows  marked  traces  of  the  sojourn  of  its 
author  at  Caesarea  while  St  Paul  was  imprisoned  there  (a.  d.  56- 
Palestine  ^^  •)•    -^^  Caesarea,  which  as  early  as  the  tenth  chapter  finds 

Qj.^j  prominent  mention  in  the  Acts,  resided  (Ac  xxi  8)  Philip,  the 

^  Evangelizer  of  Samaria  ^  (Ac  viii ;    cf.  Lk  ix  52,  x  33  sqq., 

xvii  11  sqq.),  and  his  prophetess  daughters  :  interested  doubtless  in  the 
women's  side  of  the  Gospel  story  (cf.  Lk  i — ii,  vii  11-17,  vii  26-fin.,  viii  2, 
X  38-42,  xviii  1-8,  xxiii  27,  xxiv  10,  and  below,  p.  xli)  and  able  to  give  Luke 
access  to  some  of  the  principal  female  characters  in  the  great  drama — possibly 
even  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself. 

How  much  of  the  special  richness  of  St  Luke's  Gospel :  the  story  of  the 
Infancy  (i — ii),  the  '  Great  Insertion  ' — recording  a  Galilean  and  Peraean 
Ministry  of  which  the  other  Synoptists  give  scarcely  a  hint  (ix  51 — xviii  14) — 
and  the  additional  touches  which  the  third  Evangelist  adds  to  the  narrative 
of  the  Passion  and  Resurrection — may  be  due  directly  or  indirectly  to  Phihp's 
household,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Speaking  of  Acts  viii  and  other  matters 
Hamack  says  {Acts,  Eng.  tr.  1909,  p.  245) :  '  The  whole  of  the  phenomena 
seems  to  be  best  explained  on  the  supposition  that  St  Luke  received  from 
St  PhiUp  (or  from  him  and  his  daughters)  partly  oral  information,  and  partly 
also  written  tradition,  which  helped  out  the  oral  accounts.' 

In  any  case  his  residence  in  Palestine  seems  to  have  given  him  access  to 

_,  ^        documents  in  Hebrew  and  Aramaic    (cf.  the  phenomena  of 

Documentary  ^  -^ 

Lk  i — ii  and  of  Ac  i — xv) ;  to  some  one — Manaen  (Ac  xiii  1)  or 

Joanna  (Lk  viii  3)  or  both — familiar  with  Herod's  Court  (Lk  iii  1, 19,  viii  3,  ix  7, 

xiii  31,  xxiii  6-11,  cf.  Ac  xii);  possibly  to  the  Lord's  Mother  (ii  19,  51),  to 

either  Mary  or  Martha  of  Bethany  (x  38-42),  and  to  that  Cleopas  from  whose 

lips,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  came  the  distinctive  and  vivid  story  of 

xxiv  13  sqq.    These  might  be  among  the  '  eyewitnesses  '  of  Lk  i  2. 

Important  as  are  the  documentary  sources  of  our  Gospels  (and  to  these 

we  shall  refer  later  on),  we  must  give  due  weight  also  to  the 
Source:  Oral         .,  /'  6  6 

evidence  of    oral  transmission,  and  by  oral  transmission  we 

mean  not  only  information  gained  from  individuals,  but  changes  in  the 

*  Cf.  Chase,  Credibility  oj  the  Acta  (Macmillan  1902).  '  There  were  only  two 
persons  from  whom  the  account  of  what  took  place  on  the  road  to  Gaza  could 
ultimately  have  been  derived,  Philip  and  the  Eunuch.  With  the  former  the 
writer  of  the  Acts  stayed  many  days  .  .  .'  (p.  20). 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

narrative  of  well-known  topics  resulting  from  mission  work,  from  oral  cate- 
cheais,  and  the  like.  Sir  John  Hawkins  sees  distinct  traces  of  this  oral  trans- 
mission both  in  the  different  uses  made  of  the  same  words  and  phrases  in 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  and  in  the  transpositions  of  what  are  obviously 
the  same  words  and  sentences.  In  his  second  edition  of  Horae  Synopticae 
(p.  217)  he  further  expresses  a  strong  opinion  that  St  Luke  and  one  of  his 
fellow  evangelists  '  had  provided  themselves  with  written  documents  as  their 
main  sources,  but  that  they  often  omitted  to  refer  closely  to  them,  partly 
because  of  the  physical  difficulties  '  involved  in  studying  roll-manuscripts 
(cf.  Sanday,  Studies  in  Synoptic  Problem,  16  sqq.)  and  partly  '  because  of  the 
oral  knowledge  of  the  life  and  sayings  of  Jesus  Christ  which  they  had  previously 
acquired  as  learners  and  used  as  teachers,  and  upon  which  it  would  therefore 
be  natural  for  them  to  fall  back  frequently.' 

This  oral  knowledge  we  can  picture  St  Luke  augmenting  dming  his  sojourn 
at  Philippi,  by  news  from  every  boat  that  hailed  from  Palestine,  welding  it 
into  shape  in  his  own  mission-work,  and  supplementing  and  completing  it 
by  the  personal  investigations  of  his  stay  at  Caesarea. 

But  there  are  clearly  larger  and  more  far-reaching  documents  lying  behind 

the  Gospel  than  those  with  which  St  Philip's  household  might 

Larger  have  Supplied  him.    Among  those  of  which  he  seems  to  have 

documentary  ,  .      .      , 

sources :  made  principal  use  are  two  :    one  familiar  to  us  all,  surviving 

Mark  independently  to  this  day ;    the  other  a  conjecture  of  critics 

which  has  so  much  to  be  said  for  it  that  it  is  spoken  of  almost 
as  a  certainty.  These  two  are  St  Mark  and  '  Q.'  Mark  (if  he  is  really  the 
author  of  the  Gospel),  the  friend  both  of  Peter  (1  Pet  v  13  ^)  and  of  Paul  ^ 
(Ac  xii  25,  2  Tim  iii  11),  must  have  been  also  the  friend  of  Luke — they  are 
mentioned  together  in  Philem  24. 

In  this  way  Luke  would  have  '  oral '  access  to  a  living  Mark — a  fact  which 

might  accoimt  for  some  of  the  phenomena  studied  by  Sir  John 
'  oml'  *  Hawkins  ;    and  perhaps  also  for  some  '  Petrine  '  touches  (e.  g. 

reference  to      Lkv4-ll)  which  the  second  Gospel  does  not  record.    But  that 

he  and  the  author  of  the  first  Gospel  actually  had  before  them 
a  '  Written  Mark  ' — the  Gospel  we  know,  or  an  earlier  edition  of  it  * — there 

can  be  no  manner  of  doubt.  They  both  repeat,  almost  word  for 
Larger  word,  nearly  the  whole  of  its  narrative.    Most  critics  now  accept 

sources :  •  Q '  the  second  main  source  of  Matthew  and  Luke,  and  call  it  '  Q  ' 

(from  Quelle  =  source).  This  source  appears  to  have  been  a  col- 
lection of  sayings,  and  is  sometimes  identified  with  the  \6yta  or  '  Oracles '  of  the 
famous  passage  of  Papias  (ap.  Eus.  H.E.  iii  39),  in  which  he  asserts  that 
'  Matthew  composed  the  oracles  in  the  Hebrew  language  and  each  one  inter- 

'  So  Papias  (ap.  Eus.  H.E.  iii  39),  calls  him  '  the  interpreter  of  Peter.' 

^  On  Luke  and  Paul  see  §  IV,  p.  xxix  ;  the  only  direct  debt  to  St  Paul  traceable 

in  the  third  Gospel  (except  xxii  19,  20,  see  note  there)  is  the  special  appearance 

to  St  Peter,  Lk  xxiv  34,  1  Cor  xv  5. 

■'  Possibly,  e.  g.,  omitting  Mk  vi  45 — viii  26  and  the  last  twelve  verses  (which 

seem  partly  dependent  on  Lk  xxiv). 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

preted  them  as  he  could.'  This  original  '  Hebrew  Matthew,'  translated 
already  into  Greek,  or  some  document  of  a  like  character,  lies  doubtless  at 
the  back  of  the  many  sayings  of  our  Lord  not  recorded  in  Mark  which  are 
reproduced  almost  or  exactly  word  for  word  in  Matthew  and  Luke,  but  often 
in  different  contexts.  Thus  '  Q,'  though  technically  conjectural,  has  come  to 
have  in  the  minds  of  scholars  a  very  positive  existence.  The  contributors 
to  the  Oxford  Studies  in  the  Synoptic  Problem,  e.  g.,  give  us  different  '  fancy 
portraits '  of  it,  in  most  of  which  you  can  detect  the  features  of  the  same 
sitter.  Thus  to  Sir  John  Hawkins  (pp.  108  sqq.)  it  is  a  document  consisting 
mainly  of  records  of  discourses,  extant  largely,  though  not  exclusively,  in  the 
'  double  tradition  of  Matthew  and  Luke  ' ;  to  Dr  Allen  (p.  242)  it  is  '  a  collec- 
tion of  Christ's  discourses  and  sayings  compiled  to  represent  certain  aspects  of 
His  teaching,  and  .  .  .  marked  by  a  very  characteristic  phraseology,'  while 
Canon  Streeter  {op.  cit.,  p.  212)  describes  it  as  'a  selection,  compiled  for 
a  practical  purpose,  of  those  words  or  deeds  of  the  Master  which  would  give 
guidance  in  the  actual  problems  faced  by  Christian  Missionaries.'  ^  A  recent 
American  writer  (Prof.  A.  T.  Robertson  of  Louisville,  in  Contemp.  Rev., 
Aug.  1919)  claiming  for  Q  the  position  of  the  '  oldest  document,'  draws  out 
forcibly  its  testimony  to  the  Divinity  of  Jesus,  exhibiting  '  the  same  essential 
picture  of  Jesus  as  the  Christ  that  we  find  in  the  Gospels  and  St  Paul's 
Epistles.'  '  The  facts  in  Q  are  open  and  simple  and  beyond  dispute.'  '  Jesus 
is  .  .  .  Son  of  God,  Son  of  Man.  One  may  explain  it  as  one  will,  but  the  fact 
remains.'  '  It  is  manifest  that  the  impression  made  by  Jesus  during  His 
ministry  was  all  that  the  Gospels  represent  it  to  be.    The  heart  of  it  all  is  in  Q.' 

But  Q  does  not  exhaust  the  non-Marcan  sources  of  the  first  and  third 
Gospels.  In  one  great  section  these  two  Gospels  at  first  sight  seem  to  agree 
in  supplementing  St  Mark — each  of  them  prefixes  to  the  narrative  of  the 
Ministry  an  accovmt  of  our  Lord's  Nativity  and  Infancy 
for^N^attvitv  (^^^  i — "'  Lk  i — ii).  But  as  soon  as  we  look  into  the  two 
accounts,  we  find  that  they  are  independent  to  the  point  of 
seeming  inconsistency ;  though  further  consideration  shows  how  they  can 
be  adjusted  (see  notes  on  ii  39). 

The  whole  relation  of  the  first  and  third  Gospels  is  one  of  extraordinary 
interest.  The  different  grouping  of  the  same  items — of  which 
ttiird  Gospels  typical  instances  would  be  the  Temptation  (Mat  iv  1  sqq., 
Lk  iv  1  sqq.),  the  Beatitudes  (Mat  v  3  sqq.,  cf.  Lk  vi  20-23), 
and  much  of  the  matter  which  Matthew  collects  in  his  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount ' 
(Mat  V — vii),  but  which  in  Luke  is  not  only  scattered,  but  often  deliberately 
associated  with  separate  contexts  in  the  narrative. 

The  Jewish  tendency  of  the  first  Gospel  is,  to  some  extent,  reflected  in 

*  In  Hibbert  Journal,  Oct.  1921  (vol.  xx,  pp.  103-12) — issued  while  the  present 
pages  were  in  the  press — Canon  Streeter  develops  his  views  further,  holding  that 
Q  overlapped  Mark  more  than  has  been  hitherto  realized,  and  arguing  for  an  earlier 
edition  of  the  third  Gospel  ('Proto-Luke ')  consisting  entirely  of  Q  plus  Lucan  matter, 
issued  at  Caesarea  c.  a.  d.  60,  and  re-edited  some  twenty  years  later  by  the  Evan- 
gelist, who  then  for  the  first  time  made  some  use  of  Mark. 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


the  Hebraistic  tone  of  Lk  i — ii  and  Ac  i — xii,  and  in  St  Luke's  obvious  know- 
ledge of  the  Septuagint.^  In  strong  contrast  to  this  is  the  general  attitude 
of  the  unique  Gentile  contributor  to  the  New  Testament,  which  makes  him 
omit,  as  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader,  matters  exclusively  Judaic  such 
as  figure  largely  in  Mat  v  17 — vii  42  and  in  Mk  vii  (though,  historically,  the 
historian  of  the  Acts  shows  himself  interested  in  a  later  form  of  the  problem 
of  '  imclean  meats,'  Ac  xv  29). 

Prof.  Burkitt  summarizes  thus  the  differences  between  the  use  of  Marcan 
material  in  the  first  Gospel  and  the  third  :  '  The  Gospel  according  to  Matthew 
is  a.  fresh  edition  of  Mark,  revised,  rearranged,  and  enriched  with  new  material ; 
the  Gospel  according  to  Luke  is  a  new  historical  work  made  by  combining 
parts  of  St  Mark  with  parts  of  other  documents  '  (Sources  for  the  Life  of  Jesus, 
p.  97).  Another  writer  (McLachlan,  Luke,  Evang.  and  Hist.,  pp.  10,  11)  sums 
up  the  relation  thus  :  '  Where  Luke  retains  what  he  found  in  Mark,  he 
improves  him  verbally  without  losing  the  picturesque  vividness  (as  Matthew 
sometimes  does) :  but  it  is  his  additions  to  Mark  that  constitute  his  chief 
claim  to  love  and  reverence.' 

The  importance  of  our  third  Gospel  for  the  SjTioptic  problem  can  hardly 

be  over-estimated.    '  But  for  St  Luke,'  says  Dr  A.  Wright  {Diet. 

Third  Gospel   C.  G.,  '  Luke,  Gospel  of),  '  the  Synoptic  Problem  would  never 

problem*"^  *^  have  existed,'  for  the  relations  between  St  Mark  and  St  Matthew 

are  comparatively  simple. 

Equally  interesting,  though  less  clearly  definite,  is  the  relation  between 

the  third  Gospel  and  the  fourth.     Everything  points  to  the 

Third  and        fourth  Gospel  being  later  than  the  Synoptics,  and  being  de- 

Gos^els  liberately  intended  to  supplement   and,  in  places,  correct  the 

impression  left  by  them.    It  is  out  of  the  question  that  St  Luke 

should  have  had  the  text  of  St  John  before  him — inconceivable,  especially, 

if  we  accept  an  early  date  for  the  third  Gospel.    Yet  there  are  marked  affinities 

between  the  two.    Schmiedel  (Encyc.  Bibl,  art.  '  Gospels  '),  who  characterizes 

the  fourth  Gospel  as  '  the  earliest  commentary  on  the  Synoptists  '  (p.  1766), 

says  that  St  John  here  and  there  '  steps  in  to  correct '  St  Luke 

?on-e^tLuke ?  where  the  latter  alters  the  Synoptic  tradition,  or  '  attempts  to 

describe  post-resurrection  phenomena.'    Thus  Jn  xviii  13  may 

be  a  correction  of  Lk  iii  2,  and  xviii  12  of  Lk  xxii  52  ;  while  in  three  places 

John  substitutes  an  act  for  Luke's  word :  Lk  xxii  27,  Jn  xiii  1-5  ;  Lk  xxii  32, 

Jn  xvii  15  ;  Lk  xxiii  44,  Jn  xix  30. 

In  subject-matter  one  of  the  most  striking  points  of  contact  is  in  the 
Points  of  mention  of  Mnri/  and  Martha  (Lk  x  38-42).    The  sisters,  who 

contact:  live  for  us  as  few  even  of  New  Testament  characters  do,  find 

Mary  and        no  mention  outside  these  two  Gospels.     St  Luke's  mention  is 
Martha  clearly  independent  of  St  John's.    He  does  not  state  the  name 

of  the  village  where  they  live.    He  makes  no  mention  of  their  brother 

'  J.  V.  Bartlet  ('  Luke  '  in  Encyc.  Brit.)  thinks  that  this  shows  Luke  to  have 
been  not  a  proselyte  but  an  '  adherent '  of  the  Synagogue. 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

Lazarus,  who  is  the  pivot  of  the  Johannine  episode.  But  in  a  few  telling 
words  he  draws  their  figures  and  distinguishes  their  characters  so  that  we 
recognize  them  again  when  the  fourth  Gospel  introduces  them. 

Again,  St  Luke  and  St  John  alone  among  the  Evangelists 
record  our  Lord's  dealings  with  Samaritans. 

Here  again  the  episodes  are  independent.  St  John's  (ch  iv)  follows  an 
early  Judaean  Ministry,  for  which  at  first  sight  the  Synoptics  appear  to  have 
no  room.  St  Luke's  (ix  50  sqq.)  comes  after  the  long  Galilean  Ministry. 
Here,  perhaps,  may  be  adduced  the  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes  which 
St  Luke  (according  to  one  theory)  reckoned  rightly  as  a  Galilean  incident, 
and  one  closely  connected  with  St  Peter ;  but,  having  no  place  for  Galilee 
in  his  post-resurrection  episodes  (see  note  on  xxiv  6),  marshalled  among  hia 
matter  for  the  early  days  of  the  Ministry  (ch  v). 

Further,  St  Luke  may  be  observed,  on  a  close  inspection  (see  notes  on 
ix  50  sqq.  ;    x  38-42  ;    xiii  31  sqq.)  to  allow  place  for  more 
mnis"rv°^        parallels  with  the  Johannine  picture  of  the  Ministry  of  our  Lord 
(see  further,  below,  §  VII). 

Slight  traces  appear  (iv  44  note)  of  the  possibility  of  an  early  Judaean 
Ministry ;  and  in  the  '  Great  Insertion '  room  may  be  found  for  those  two 
visits  to  Jerusalem,  which  St  John  places  between  the  Feeding  of  the  Five 
Thousand  and  the  Holy  Week  (see  note  on  ix  50  sqq.,  p.  141). 

Finally,  there  is  one  disputed  piece  of  narrative  which  might  almost  be 
said  to  bear  unconscious  testimony  to  the  affinities  between  St  Luke  and 
St  John.  Many  readers  must  have  noticed  the  awkwardness 
Adulterae°^^  with  which  Jn  vii  53 — viii  11,  the  Pericope  AduUerae — section  on 
'  The  Woman  taken  in  Adultery  ' — is  fitted  into  its  context. 
Various  expedients  have,  in  consequence,  been  adopted  by  scribes  and  editors 
ancient  and  modern. 

The  passage  is  omitted  by  nearly  all  the  best-known  MSS  (including  the 
Uncials  Aleph,  A,  B,  C,  L).  It  has  been  placed  by  some  editors  at  the  end 
of  the  Gospel — as  a  genuine  fragment  of  which  the  right  position  is  uncertain. 

One  group  of  MSS  (the  so-called '  Ferrar  Group ' )  places  it  in  the  third  Gospel, 
following  upon  Lk  xxi  38  (see  note  there).  This  transposition  is  accepted 
by  F.  Blass  (cf.  below,  §  VI,  p.  xliii),  and  is  brilliantly  defended  by  McLachlan 
(St  Luke,  the  Man  and  His  Work,  ch  xiii,  esp.  pp.  281,  282).  He  examines 
and  dissects  the  passage  very  minutely,  and  concludes  :  '  the  entire  narrative  is 
indisputably  Lucan  in  Vocabulary  and  in  Spirit,'  '  the  extraordinary  verbal 
resemblances  between  St  Luke's  Gospel  and  the  Pericope  AduUerae  cannot 
escape  the  slightest  examination.'  The  evidence  of  vocabulary  is  certainly 
very  strong :  the  incident  itself  is  typical  of  what  St  Luke  loves  to  record. 
If  we  suspend  our  judgement  as  to  the  actual  transposition  we  may  still  see 
one  more  evidence  of  the  affinity  between  the  third  and  fourth  Gospels  in  the 
fact  that  generations  should  have  accepted  as  part  and  parcel  of  the  fourth 
Gospel  a  passage  so  intrinsically  Lucan. 

And  the  fact  that  this  affinity  is  difficult  to  account  for  directly — there 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

is  no  evidence  of  a  personal  meeting  between  the  two  Evangelists — may  itself 
be  accepted  as  bearing  significantly  upon  the  truthfulness  of  the  record  of 
each,  and  linking,  as  has  been  said,  the  Synoptic  picture  of  Christ  with  the 
Pauline  and  Johannine  conception. 

In  the  account  of  the  Passion  itself  St  Luke  alone  of  the  Synoptists 
.  preserves  words  of  Christ  (xxii  27)  which  harmonize  significantly 
and  with  St  John's  incident  of  the  Feet-Washing  ( Jn  xiii  4-17),  and 

esurrection  ^^  alone,  with  the  fourth  Evangelist,  clearly  indicates  that  the 
Crucifixion  took  place  on  a  Friday.  These  two  alone  draw  attention  to 
the  fact  that  Joseph's  was  a  new  tomb  (Lk  xxiii  55,  Jn  xix  41),  and  alone 
record  the  appearance  to  the  Eleven  on  the  first  Easter  night  (Lk  xxiv  33  sqq., 
Jn  XX  19  sqq.). 

A  recent  writer  has  observed  yet  another  link  between  them  (Frederic 
Palmer,  Amer.  Joum.  Theol.  xxiii,  July  1919).  The  Day  of  Pente- 
and  «ie  ^*  cost,  of  which  St  Luke  is  the  unique  historian,  and  to  which  his 
'  spiritual '  Gospel  (see  below,  §  V,  p.  xxxvii)  may  be  said  to  lead  up  as  to 
a  climax,  forms  a  link  between  the  Synoptic  and  Johaimine 
conceptions  of  Jesus.  While  in  contrast  with  the  Christ  of  Luke,  who  seems 
to  place  the  resurrection  and  the  moral  assessment  of  mankind  far  away  at 
the  world's  end,  the  Christ  of  John  '  repudiates  this  view,  and  declares  that 
he  is  himself  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  and  that  belief  in  him  carries  life 
with  it  immediately  '  (p.  312),  yet  it  is  Luke  who  in  his  picture  of  the  Descent 
of  the  Holy  Spirit '  records  the  moment  and  the  means  '  by  which  the  disciples 
became  conscious  of  a  real  (though  not  corporeal)  presence  of  the  Master  ever 
abiding  with  them.  '  This  conviction  came  to  the  disciples  on  the  Day  of 
Pentecost,  and  it  changed  the  sphere  in  which  the  Master  was  present  with 
them  from  an  external  to  an  internal  one.  It  formed  thus  the  transition 
from  the  Synoptic  Conception  of  Jesus  to  that  which  was  the  basis  of  the 
Pauline  and  Johannine  Conceptions  '  {ib.,  p.  304). 


IV.     Language  and  Style 

In  dealing  with  language  and  style  we  must  remember  the  object  of  the 

Gospels    as    such — the  main   purpose   of   propaganda   in  the 

Go^e?s  Mediterranean  world.    A  modern  American  writer  has  so  well 

relative  to        summarized  this  (C.  W.  Votaw,  Amer.  Joum.  Theol.  xix,  Jan. 
tbeir  purpose  ^ 

1915)  that  it  may  be  well  to  quote  his  words  ;    remembering 

always  that  the  third  Gospel  is  addressed  primarily  to  a  man  of  culture,  and 

so  is  to  some  extent  less  '  popular  '  in  style  than  the  others,   though  like 

them  its  speech  is  based   on   that  lingua  franca  of  Hellenistic  Greek,  on 

the  character  of  which  the  papyrus  discoveries  are  yearly  throwing  more 

light ;  while  its  permanent  attraction  and  appeal  is  probably  greater  than 

that  of  the  other  three. 

'  In  comparison,'  says  Votaw,  '  with  the  elaborate  literary  productions 

of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  the  Gospels  were  brief,  special  and  popular 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

writings.  In  extent  a  Gospel  was  about  the  length  of  a  chapter  in  the  large 
histories,  or  of  an  Essay  in  the  ethical  writings,  or  of  a  play  in  the  Tragedies. 
In  character  it  was  a  religious  tract  intended  to  promote  the  Christian  move- 
ment. In  style  it  represented  the  popular  spoken  language  of  the  common 
people,  for  the  author  was  not  a  trained  philosopher  or  a  professional  litterateur. 
The  EvangeUsts  produced  their  books  for  the  simple  practical  purpose  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  Mediterranean  world.  They  were  writings  of  the 
people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people.  They  took  on  the  characteristics  which 
belonged  to  the  Christian  missionaries  in  their  work.  Their  length  and  content 
and  style  were  such  as  to  make  them  efficient  propagandist  media  among  the 
masses  of  the  Empire,  who  were  in  the  main  uneducated,  poor,  and  obscure ' 
(op.  cit,  pp.  45,  46), 

St  Luke's  ultimate  object  is  doubtless  well  expressed  here.  We  conceive 
Luke  a  ^^™  ^®  collecting  material  for  his  Gospel  while  engaged  in  keen 

versatile  evangelistic  work  in  the  slums  of  Philippi :   but  the  dedication 

of  his  book,  the  perfect  Greek  of  his  preface,  and  the  fact  that 
in  culture  he  belongs  to  the  same  class  as  the  '  philosopher  and  professional 
litterateur,''  mark  him  off  in  sharp  contrast  to  his  fellow  evangelists.  St  Luke 
is,  in  point  of  fact,  a  stylist  of  great  versatility,  and  one  whose  manner 
notably  varies  with  his  subject.  He  '  employs  more  classical  words,  and 
is  more  precise  and  accurate  in  his  constructions  than  any  other  Evangelist ' 
(McLachlan,  E.  and  H.,  p.  12).  And  while  he  can  write  the  purest  Greek, 
as  in  his  preface,  he  can  also  develop  at  will  a  phraseology  at  least  as 

,,  ^    .  Hebraistic  as  that  of  the  Septuagint,  with  which  he  shows 

Hebraisms        ,  .        ,,  ■, 

and  himself  very  well  acquainted.    It  is  noticeable  that  in  the  early 

enisms  chapters  ahke  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  Acts — where,  presumably, 
he  is  most  dependent  on  Palestinian  sources — the  Hebraistic  style  is  strongest. 
It  forms  a  striking  contrast  not  only  to  the  style  of  the  short  prefaces,  but 
also  to  that  of  the  later  narratives  of  the  two  books.  Yet  withal  it  is  worth 
remark  that  we  '  pass  without  conscious  effort  from  the  one  style  to  the 
other,'  from  the  Hebraic  to  the  Hellenistic  (V.  H.  Stanton,  s.v.  in  Encyc.  Brit.). 
In  Ac  xiii — xxviii  he  is  drawing  mainly  on  his  own  experience.  In  the  main 
body  of  the  Gospel  he  again  and  again  modifies  and  improves  the  phraseology 
found  in  St  Mark — often  (as,  e.  g.,  in  vi  6,  viii  27,  55)  for  no  apparent 
reason  than  that  of  taste  in  style.  These  phenomena,  Sir  William  Ramsay 
notes  (Luke  the  Physician,  p.  57),  occur  most  frequently  in  the  middle  part 
of  the  Gospel. 

The  Hebraistic  quality  of  ch  i — ii  presents  peculiar  features  (see  notes 
ad  loc),  and  there  is  some  reason  to  infer  that  St  Luke  made  use  of  written 
Hebrew  sources,  emanating  from  the  circle  of  Simeon  and  Anna,  Zacharias 
and  EUsabeth,  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  he  seems  indeed  to  refer 
as  to  one  from  whom  he  had  gathered  material  (see  note  on  ii  19). 

In  general,  we  may  adopt  Sir  Wm.  Ramsay's  phrase  {Lk.  Thy.,  p.  50),  '  The 
style  of  Luke's  history  is  governed  according  to  the  gradual  evolution  of  the 
Christian  Church  out  of  its  Jewish  Cradle.' 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

The  same  turn  of  mind  which  led  our  Evangelist  instinctively  to  colour 

the  different  sections  of  the  narrative  suitably  to  their  back- 
Dramatic  ,       ,  .        ,,     ,        .  r    1  •  J 

and  artistic  ground,  shows  itself  also  in  a  sort  oi  dramatic  power,  and  an 
acu  les  artistic  faculty  of  vivid  graphic  description — the  capacity  to 

sketch  a  life-like  picture  in  few  words,  and  to  bring  out  his  figures  into 
Rembrandtesque  relief.  Herein  lies  a  'mystical'  yet  very  real  justification 
of  the  rather  early  tradition  that  St  Luke  was  a  painter  who  painted  the 
Lord's  Mother. 

The  foundation  of  this  tradition  lies  in  a  meagre  extract  from  a  Byzantine 
writer  of  the  sixth  century,  Theodorus  Lector  (c.  a.  d.  518),  preserved  by 
Nicephorus  Calhstus  (Migne,  Patrologia  Oraeca,  Tom.  86,  Pars  I,  p.  166). 
There  he  speaks  of  the  '  portrait '  {eiKOfa) '  of  the  Mother  of  God  which  Luke 
the  Apostle  {sic)  painted  '  as  sent  with  other  relics  by  the  Empress  Eudocia, 
when  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Palestine,  to  Pulcheria  at  Constantinople. 

Not  a  few  pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  early  Byzantine  style — like 
the  Madonna  of  the  Borghese  Chapel  in  Rome,  '  sent  by  Luke  from  Jerusalem 
to  Theophilus,'  and  the  '  Madonna  di  S.  Luca  '  of  Bologna,  brought,  it  is  said, 
from  Sta  Sophia  in  433 — are  still  popularly  attributed  to  the  '  Beloved 
Physician  ' ;  while  S.  Marco  at  Venice  claims  (or  claimed)  to  possess  the 
actual  picture  mentioned  by  Theodorus  Lector,  pillaged  from  Constanti- 
nople by  the  Doge  Dandolo  in  1204  (see  further,  Bolton,  Madonna  of  St  Luke, 
Putnam  1895). 

No  one  who  reads  St  Luke's  descriptions,  for  instance,  of  the  birth  and 
infancy  and  childhood  of  the  Saviour  can  fail  to  see  in  him 
Christian  Art  ^  word-painter  of  exquisite  touch  and  extraordinary  skill.  The 
pictures  of  Zacharias  in  the  Temple,  of  the  Annunciation,  the 
Visitation,  the  Nativity,  the  Angels  and  Shepherds,  the  Presentation,  the 
Finding  in  the  Temple — in  these  the  EvangeUst  is  a  very  fountain  of 
Christian  Art.  And  the  like  are  to  be  found  scattered  all  through  the 
Gospel :  from  the  picture  of  the  Feast  in  Simon's  House,  the  Parables  of 
the  Good  Samaritan  and  the  Prodigal  Son,  right  on  to  the  vivid  sketches 
of  the  post-resurrection  appearances  of  the  Lord.  Nor  is  it  only  in  isolated 
pictures  that  his  genius  shows  itself.  We  note  the  subtlety  and  skill  with 
which  he  interweaves  contrasted  colours  :  the  birth  stories  of  John  and 
Jesus,  the  character  studies  of  Mary  and  Martha,  the  attitudes  of  the  Pharisee 
and  the  Publican,  the  penitent  and  the  impenitent  Robber  at  the  Crucifixion 
(cf.  V.  H.  Stanton,  s.v.  in  Encyc.  Brit.). 

It  has  seemed  appropriate  from  time  to  time,  in  notes  upon  the  text,  to 
make  reference  to  some  of  the  masterpieces  of  Art  which  St  Luke's  narrative 
has  inspired.  With  the  exception  of  St  Matthew's  'Magi'  (Mat  ii  1-12) 
— surely  the  most  '  Lucan  '  story  in  existence  outside  our  Gospel — St  Luke's 
word-pictures  may  be  said  to  form  the  bulk  of  the  evangelistic  subject- 
matter  of  subsequent  Christian  Art.^ 

»  See  Additional  Note  appended  to  this  chapter  :   The  Oospels  in  Art. 


INTRODUCTION  xxix 

As  to  the  language  and  vocabulary  of  St  Luke  much  has  been  written, 

and  elaborate  tabulations  have  been  made,  notably  by  Sir  John 

^anguage        Hawkins  {Horae  Synopticae  and  Studies  in  the  Synoptic  Problem. 

Vocabulary     -^^^  ^  ^^^^  summary  study,  see  Plummer,  St  Luke,  Introd., 

pp.  lii  sqq.).    Investigation  shows   a   strong  individuality  in    Luke,  when 

compared   with    his  fellow  evangelists;    great   freedom   of  expression,   an 

extraordinarily  rich  vocabulary.    There  also  emerge,  as  we  might  expect, 

a  striking  number  of  expreseions  common   (and   peculiar)  to 

St  Luke  and  St  Paul  (see  Plummer,  pp.  xUv,  liv,  and  Moffatt, 

Introd.  to  Lit.  ofN.T.,  p.  281).    Dr  Moffatt  (cf.  Hawkins,  Hor.  Syn.,  p.  197) 

quotes   a  number  of  typical  instances  where  strong  verbal  or  substantial 

parallels  occur  between  the  third  Gospel  and  the  PauUne  Epistles.^    Reference 

has  been  made  to  these  parallels  in  the  notes  on  the  text, 

'  Paulinism '  in  the  sense  of  propaganda,  as  Moffatt  rightly  observes 
{I.L.N.T.,  p.  281),  has  no  place  in  St  Luke.  The  graciousnesa 
and  universalism  of  the  Gospel  come  straight  from  Jesus 
Christ ;  but  St  Luke  is  an  apt  medium  for  this — fitted  ahke  by  his  own 
character  and  by  his  companionship  with  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  The 
notes  of  joy  and  tenderness,  and  the  burning  love  of  sinful  souls,  are  con- 
spicuous in  the  two  travelling  companions.  Some  would  see  in  a  '  Pauline 
Collection '  emanating  from  the  Apostle's  entourage  one  of  the  definite 
'  Sources '  of  the  EvangeUst,  as  does  Dr  A.  Wright  ('Luke  Gospel  of,'  in  D.C.O., 
p.  88),  who  attributes  to  this  source  nineteen  discourses  in  the  Gospel,  including 
the  Parables  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  the  Good  Samaritan,  the  Pharisee  and 
Publican,  and  Dives  and  Lazarus. 

Tenderness  and  graciousness  are  near  to  humour,  though  not  always 
associated  with  it  in  human  temperament.  A  recent  writer 
on  the  third  EvangeUst  (McLachlan,  St  Luke,  the  Man  and  His 
Work,  ch  v),  has  entitled  one  of  his  chapters  '  The  Humorist,'  and  devotes 
sixteen  pages  to  this  aspect,  instancing  in  particular  the  Parables  of  the 
UnwilUng  Guests  (xiv  16  sqq.)  and  the  Friend  at  Midnight  (xi  5  sqq.) — see 
notes  ad  loc.  If  either  of  these  Parables  were  already  (as  is  suggested  in 
Oxford  Studies,  pp.  134,  195)  in  Q,  the  source  common  to  St  Matthew  and 
St  Luke,  it  may  argue  the  greater  sense  of  humour  in  the  third  EvangeUst  that 
he  did  not  feel  called  to  omit  them.  McLachlan  might  have  added  references 
to  St  Luke's  record  of  our  Lord's  irony,  gentle  (x  41)  or  severe  (xiii  32,  33).^ 

The  impression  left  by  these  pages  is  perhaps  not  altogether  convincing, 
yet  strong  enough  to  estabUsh,  in  a  manner,  the  writer's  contention.    It  is 

Mv32     =   ICoriiiv  x  16    =    1  Thess  iv  8 

vi  36    =   2  Cor  i  3  xi  7      =   Gal  vi  17 

viii  12  =    1  Thess  i  6  xii  47  =    1  Cor  iv  2 

X  8       =    1  Cor  X  27  xx  38  =   Rom  xiv  8 

X  21     =    1  Cor  i  21  xxi  24  =   Rom  xi  25 

^  The  humour  will,  of  course,  be  ultimately  that  of  the  Master  :    but  the 

selection  of  it  for  permanent  record  and  the  phraseology  of  that  record,  the 
Evangelist's.    (See  notes  ad  loc. ) 


XXX  INTRODUCTION 

no  outrage,  assuredly,  upon  the  seriousness  and  sublimity  of  St  Luke. 
'  Humour,'  he  says,  '  is  no  surface  quality  of  the  mind  ;  it  springs  from  deep 
sources,  and  pervades  the  whole  being  '  (p.  144).  As  another  writer  observes 
(Dr  Reid,  art.  '  Humour  '  in  Encyd.  of  Religion  and  Ethics,  vi  872-873),  '  it  is 
invariably  associated  with  alertness  and  breadth  of  mind,  a  keen  sense  of 
proportion,  and  faculties  of  quick  observation  and  comparison.  It  involves 
a  certain  detachment  from  and  superiority  to  the  disturbing  experience  of 
life,'  It  appreciates  life's  whimsicalities  and  contradictions,  '  recognizes  the 
existence  of  what  is  unexpected  or  absurd,  and  extracts  joy  out  of  what 
might  be  a  cause  of  sadness.  .  .  .'  '  Humour  is  kindly,  and  in  its  genuine 
forms  includes  the  quality  of  sympathy.'  All  the  qualities  named  above  are 
on  the  very  surface  of  St  Luke's  writing,  and  we  shall  not  feel  that  we  are 
guilty  of  impious  rashness  if  we  look  for  touches  of  humour  in  the  picture  of 
the  man  tucked  up  in  bed  with  his  children  while  the  importunate  friend 
comes  rapping  at  the  door,  or  in  the  crescendo  of  futile  excuses  put  into  the 
mouths  of  churls  who  have  already  tacitly  accepted  an  invitation.  This 
humour  is  a  part  of  his  story-telling  power.  '  He  has  a  genius,'  says  McLachlan 
(Luke,  E.  and  H.,  p.  12),  '  for  producing  effects  by  contrast  and  antithesis. 
Pathos  and  sadness  blend  with  joy  and  gladness  in  his  Gospel,  giving  the 
narrative  an  exquisite  taste  of  bitter-sweetness.  In  many  ways  St  Luke  is 
the  one  New  Testament  writer  most  in  harmony  with  the  modern  mind.' 
St  Luke  has  been  called  a  '  Scientist '  ;   and  the  truth  that  underlies  this 

rather  bold  phrase  gives,  no  doubt,  an  added  touch  to  his 
Scientist  modernness.    He  had,  it  is  claimed  (Ramsay,  Luke  the  Physician, 

passim),  the  physician's  mental  training  and  faculty  of  diagnosis 
and  deduction.  This  brings  us  to  the  question  of  the  so-called  '  Medical 
Language  of  St  Luke.'  More  than  600  years  ago  Dante  emphasized  the  fact 
that  the  author  of  the  Acts  was  '  of  the  fraternity  of  Hippocrates ' — 

.  .  .  alcun  de'  famigliari 
Di  quel  sommo  Ippocrate. 

{Purg.  xxix  136-137.) 

But  the  theme  of  St  Luke's  Medical  Language,  though  broached  in  1751  by 
Wetstein  (Nov.  Test.  Grace.  Tom.  I,  p.  643),  and  touched  by 
Language  *  Writer  in  the  Gentleman^s  Magazine,  June  1841,  and  doubtless 
by  others,  was  first  elaborated  by  the  Rev.  W.  Kirk  Hobart,  LL.D. 
(Medical  Language  of  St  Luke,  Longmans.  London  1882).  His  starting- 
point  was,  of  course,  Col  iv  14,  '  Luke  the  Beloved  Physician.'  It  has  been 
remarked  (J.  Vernon  Bartlet,  s.v.  in  Encyc.  Brit.)  that,  with  a  very  slight 
emendation,  the  earliest  historical  reference  to  the  Evangelist  outside  the 
New  Testament  will  bear  its  testimony  to  this  identification.  The  Mura- 
torian  Canon,  in  its  Latin  form,  attributing  both  Gospel  and  Acts  to  Luke, 
goes  on  to  say  that  Paul  took  him  for  companion  quasi  iuris  studiosv^ — '  as 
a  Student  of  Law.'  In  the  original  Greek  we  should  only  have  to  change  one 
letter,  and  read  NOIOY  for  NOMOY,  and  the  '  Student  of  Law '  becomes  a 


INTRODUCTION  xxxi 

student  of  disease.    Hobart  observes  at  the  outset  the  curious  coincidence  that 
all  the  extant  Greek  medical  writings  of  antiquity  (those  of  Galen,  Dioscorides, 
Aretaeus,*  and  in  a  sense,  Hippocrates)  emanate,  like  the  third  Gospel,  from 
Asia  Minor  and  the  Levant  {op.  cit.,  p.  xxxi).    He  works  steadily  through  the 
Gospels  and  the  Acts,  noting  every  word  and  phrase  which  is  paralleled  in  the 
medical  works  of  classical  antiquity.    As  a  result  he  claims  (p.  xxx)  to  have 
estabUshed :    {a)  that  in  describing  pathological  cases  St  Luke  '  employs 
language  that  scarcely  any  one  but  a  medical  man  would  have  used,  and 
which  exhibit  a  knowledge  of  the  technical  medical  language  which  we  meet 
in  the  extant  Greek  medical  writers  '  :    and  {&)  that  his  general  narrative, 
where  there  is  no  specific  medical  reference,  exhibits  '  words  and  phrases  which 
were  common  in  the  phraseology  of  the  Greek  medical  schools,  and  which 
a  physician,  from  his  medical  training  and  habits,  would  be  likely  to  employ.' 
Harnack  (Lukas  der  Arzt,  Leipzig  1906)  ^  and   Zahn  in  Germany,  and 
Sir  W.  M.  Ramsay  ^  in  England,  have  warmly  championed  the  general  sound- 
ness of  Hobart's  claims ;   and,  while  discounting  detailed  items  in  his  volu- 
minous collection  of  words  and  phrases,  have  admitted  the  cumulative  force 
of  the  evidence  which  he  amassed.     The  subject  is  still  warmly  discussed 
to-day.    An  American  critic,  in  a  learned  article  on  '  The  Style  and  Method 
of  St  Luke '  (Cadbury,  in  Harvard  Studies,  vi.  Harvard  Univ.  Press  [and 
Oxford  Press]  1920),  subjects  the  alleged  data  to  a  most  severe  analysis.    He 
brings  forward  nineteen  examples  of  '  Medical  Language  '  in  Matthew  and 
Mark,  absent  from  Luke,  and  endeavours  to  turn  the  tables  by  a  hasty  but 
brilliant  examination,  in  Hobart's  manner,  of  the  language  of  Lucian  (also 
an  Asiatic  Greek),  from  which  he  produces  seventy-six  words  and  phrases. 
He  concludes  {op.  cit.,  p.  51), '  Luke  the  "  Beloved  Phjreician  "  and  companion 
of  St  Paul  may  have  written  the  two  books  which  tradition  assigns  to  him, 
though  their  Greek  be  no  more  medical  than  that  of  Lucian,  the  "  travelling 
rhetorician  and  show-lecturer."    But  the  so-called  Medical  Language  of  these 
books  cannot  be  used  as  a  proof  that  Luke  was  their  author,  or  even  as  an 
argument  confirming  the  tradition  of  his  authorship.'     We  are  willing  to 
admit,  with  Plummer  (p.  xiii),  that  this  feature  does  not  amount  to  a  proof 
that  he  was  a  physician,  and  still  less  to  a  proof  that  it  was  St  Luke.    But 
we  should  claim  that  it  hus  a  confirmatory  value,  when  such  other  evidence 
as  exists  is  so  strong  in  favour  of  the  Lucan  authorship.    '  When  all  deductions 
have  been  made,'  wi'ites  Dr  F.  H.  Chase  (Credibility  of  Acts,  Macmillan  1902), 
'  there  remains  a  body  of  evidence  that  the  author  of  the  Acts  naturally  and 
inevitably  slipped  into  the  use  of  medical  phraseology,  which  seems  to  me 
irresistible  '  (pp.  13,  14).* 

'  Of  these,  Aretaeus  and  Dioscorides  are  more  or  less  contemporaries  of 
St  Luke. 

2  Eng.  tr.,  Williams  &  Norgate  1907. 

*  Luke  the  Physician.    See  esp.  pp.  56,  57,  where  he  summarizes  six  classes  of 
evidence  from  the  data — all  going  to  prove  that  the  author  was  a  physician. 

*  See  also  Moffatt,  Intr.  Lit.  N.  T.,  i)p.  269,  298  sqq. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

The  Gospels  in  Art 

Most  of  the  inspiration  and  of  the  material  for  Christian  Art  throughout 
the  centuries  has  been  provided  by  the  Synoptic  Gospels,  and  among  them 
conspicuously  by  the  third. 

The  fourth  Gospel  indeed  has  scenes  of  particular  interest  for  the  artist — 
the  Marriage  Feast  at  Cana  (ii  1),  the  Woman  of  Samaria  (iv  7),  the  Miracle 
of  Bethesda  (v  2),  the  Raising  of  Lazarus  (xi  43),  the  Washing  of  the  Disciples' 
Feet  (xiii  5),  the  '  Ecce  Homo,'  the  '  Mater  Dolorosa  '  (xix  5,  25),  and  the 
'  Noli  Me  Tangere  '  (xx  17) — but  the  fourth  Gospel  tells  nothing  of  the  Lord's 
Nativity  and  Babyhood  ;  and  even  its  account  of  the  Passion — graphic, 
intimate,  original  as  it  is — is  matched  if  not  surpassed  as  regards  pictorial 
details  by  the  Synoptic  Evangelists. 

It  is  upon  these  two  extremes  of  the  Gospel  story — the  Childhood  and  the 
Passion  of  our  Lord — that  Christian  Art  has  fastened  from  the  first :  and  in 
these  St  Luke  is  supreme.^ 

No  subject,  of  course,  is  more  popular  among  painters  than  that  of  the 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  with  its  extraordinary  scope  for  gorgeous  and  imagina- 
tive treatment,  and  here  the  source  of  inspiration  is  St  Matthew.  But  when 
we  remember  that  St  Luke  is  our  sole  authority  for  the  Annunciation,  the 
Visitation,  the  Angels  at  the  Nativity,  the  Manger-Cradle,  the  Circumcision, 
the  Presentation,  and  the  Boy-Christ  among  the  Doctors,  as  also  for  the 
birth  and  childhood  of  the  Forerunner,  and  the  interweaving  of  the  story  of 
his  infant  life  with  that  of  the  Saviour,  we  begin  to  realize  something  of  the 
overwhelming  debt  of  inspiration  which  pictorial  Art  owes  to  the  third 
Evangelist.  The  countless  representations  of  the  Holy  family  and  of  the 
Madonna  and  Child,  while  they  deal  with  subjects  touched  upon  by  two 
EvangeUsts,  clearly  draw  their  inspiration  from  St  Luke,  and  afford  a  mystic 
justification  to  the  tradition  which  attributed  to  his  brush  a  portrait  of  the 
Mother  of  the  Lord. 

The  early  Italian  painters  who,  in  spite  of  a  crudeness  of  technique  and 
a  naive  neglect  of  '  local  colour '  in  the  scientific  or  historical  sense,  entered 
with  remarkable  sympathy  into  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  story,  devoted  them- 
selves almost  exclusively  to  the  beginning  and  the  end,  the  Childhood  and  the 
Passion.     The  scenes  offered  by  the  Ministry  were,  in  general,  only  treated 

•  It  is  a  pleasure  to  call  attention  to  the  educative  work  of  Mr.  Phifip  Lee 
Warner,  who  in  recent  years  has  produced  in  a  form  suited  to  children,  in  the 
splendid  style  of  the  Medici  Society,  two  beautiful  little  collections  of  examples 
from  the  Old  Masters,  entitled  respectively  A  Book  of  the  Childhood  of  Christ 
(1915)  and  A  Book  of  the  Passion  of  our  Lord  (1916).  In  the  former  9  out  of  13 
are  Lucan  subjects,  and  7  exclusively  Lucan  :  in  the  latter  11  are  Lucan  subjects, 
though  all,  except  the  Agony,  are  common  to  the  Synoptists.  In  the  notes,  pictures 
reproduced  in  these  volumes  are  referred  to  as  P.  L.  W. 

Reference  has  also  been  given  in  the  notes  to  Christian  Art,  by  Mrs  Henry 
.Tenner,  Mcthuen  1906,  and  to  The  Gospels  in  Art,  Hodder  &  Stoughton  1904.  But 
nothing  has  superseded  the  works  of  Mrs  Jameson,  to  which  the  reader  is  constantly 
referred:  especially  History  of  Our  Lord,  2  vols.,  Longmans  (2nd  ed.  1890)  and 
Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,  2  vols.,  Boston,  Houghton  &  Muffin  (n.d.). 


INTRODUCTION  xxxiii 

by  those  who,  like  Giotto  (at  Padua)  and  Fra  Angelico  (at  Florence),  set 
themselves  to  portray  in  fresco  the  entire  Gospel  narrative.  The  poten- 
tialities of  artistic  inspiration  in  the  narrative  of  St  Luke  are  strong  throughout 
the  whole  work,  and  especially  in  the  parts  pecuUar  to  himself.  Here  and 
there  they  were  seized  upon  by  Renaissance  painters;  Paolo  Veronese  and 
Titian,  for  instance,  discovered  in  the  Feast  of  ch  vii  congenial  opportunities 
for  display  of  vast  spaces,  of  grouping  and  of  rich  colour.  But  the  touching 
scene  of  the  Widow's  Son  at  Nain,  the  parabolic  trilogy  of  ch  xv,  and  the 
sequence  of  Parables  in  ch  xvi — xviii  have  been  left,  for  the  most  part,  to 
seventeenth- century  and  modern  Art  to  attempt.  We  have  to  wait  for 
Rembrandt  for  a  study  of  the  Good  Samaritan  and  the  Prodigal  Son.  An 
exception  is  the  '  Good  Shepherd '  (see  note  on  xv  9),  a  subject  which,  though 
neglected  by  Mediaeval  and  Renaissance  painters,  held  a  very  high  place  in 
the  earliest  Christian  Art. 

With  Palm  Sunday  and  the  Passion  we  get  a  wealth  of  representations, 
ancient,  mediaeval,  renaissance,  and  modern :  and  the  independence  of  the 
Lucan  Passion-Narrative  (to  which  attention  is  called  in  the  note  on  p.  247) 
here  bears  its  fruit.  The  popular  '  Stations  of  the  Cross,'  which  form  an 
invariable  feature  of  the  furnishing  of  Continental  Churches,  owe  at  least  one 
member  of  the  series — the  Address  to  the  '  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  ' — to  our 
Evangelist,  while  the  majority  (in  so  far  as  they  have  Scriptural  foundation) 
are  shared  by  him  with  his  fellow  Synoptists. 

And  St  Luke  also  has  a  preponderant  share  in  the  inspiration  of  those 
Fifteen  Mysteries  of  the  Faith  which  form  the  Rosary,  and  are  so  graphically 
if  crudely  represented  by  the  terra-cotta  groups  in  Pilgrimage  Chapels 
characteristic  of  the  Italian  Lake  District.  The  '  Joj^ul '  Mysteries  are  almost 
entirely  Lucan,  and  the  '  Sorrowful '  and  '  Glorious  '  (again,  so  far  as  they 
are  Scriptural),  if  not  individual  to  him,  in  many  cases  derive  some  special 
and  distinctive  feature  from  his  narrative.  Here  we  may  note  that  when 
St  Luke  shares  a  subject  with  other  Evangehsts,  some  exclusively  Lucan 
trait  has  fixed  itself  in  the  memory  of  the  painter,  proclaiming  the  actual 
source  of  his  inspiration.  Typical  instances  are  the  Baptism,  in  which  is 
almost  invariably  introduced  the  '  visible  form  '  of  the  Dove,  and  the  Agony 
in  the  Garden,  where  the  strengthening  angel  appears  to  the  kneeling  Lord 
(see  notes  on  iii  22  and  xxii  43). 

Modern  religious  Art,  since  Tissot,  has  taken  a  new  turn,  and  aims  at 
being  at  once  devotional  and  realistic.  In  devotional  intensity  it  can  never 
hope  to  out-do  the  great  Masters  of  the  past.  But  its  carefully  thought-out 
scientific  realism  can  make  vivid  the  actual  scenes  of  the  wondrous  Incarnate 
Life  to  a  generation  impatient  of  anachronisms.  We  may  venture,  however, 
to  predict  that  whatever  diflferent  phases  rehgious  art  may  assume  in  the 
future,  St  Luke  will  always  hold  his  own.  For  he  is  essentially  an  artist 
among  artists,  and  his  word-pictures  lend  themselves  imiquely  to  translation 
into  line  and  colour. 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION 

V.     Characteristic  Features  of  the  Third  Gospel 

Some  of  the  characteristic  features  have  already  been  noted  above,  §  I, 
where  we  were  treating  of  the  author,  his  sources,  and  his  style,  and  others 
will  emerge  when  we  come  to  consider  his  outline  of  our  Lord's  Ministry,  and 

the  form  and  structure  of  his  Gospel.    But  there  are  two  aspects 

Two  aspects :  of  this  Book  which  we  may  perhaps  term  the  Scientific  and  the 

(a)  Spiritual  Spiritual,  xmder  which  its  outstanding  characteristics  may  be 

conveniently  grouped.  The  '  Scientific '  aspect  we  would 
designate  that  in  which  his  previous  training  as  a  physician  and  his  undoubted 
gifts  as  an  historian  have  play ;  by  the  Spiritual,  that  which  gives  scope  for 
his  artistic  and  imaginative  gifts,  his  vivid  sense  of  the  supernatural  and  of 
the  natural — those  gifts  which  fit  him  to  be  the  chronicler  of  Pentecost,  while 
they  make  his  Gospel,  in  its  many-sided  interests  and  sympathies,  the  most 
human  of  the  four — the  work  of  a  man  who  might  truthfully  have  said : 
'  Homo  sum,  humani  nihil  a  me  alienum  puto.' 

(1)  Scientific.    We  cannot  claim  for  the  '  Beloved  Physician  '  of  Col  iv  14 

that  his  theory  or  practice  was  scientific  according  to  modern 
(i)  Scientific  standards  or  in  the  modern  sense.  But  post- Baconian  science 
The  Physician  is  not '  a  creation  out  of  nothing.'  Remarkable  and  revolutionary 

as  have  been  its  results,  it  was  built  upon  foundations  laid  by  less 
favoured  generations,  A  civilization  that  could  produce  an  Aristotle  and 
a  Hippocrates  was  not  without  a  very  real  tradition  of  patient  investigation, 
collection  and  co-ordination  of  facts,  keen  and  practised  habit  of  observation, 
capability  of  weighing  evidence,  and  that  power  of  intuition  which  is,  after 
all,  one  of  the  scientist's  most  valuable  assets  in  all  ages.  We  may  claim  for 
the  physician  of  the  first  century  a.  d.  that  though  his  range  was  very  limited 
(especially  on  the  surgical  side)  compared  with  our  own  ;  though  the  traditions 
of  his  art  were  doubtless  full  of  superstitious  and  mistaken  elements,  yet  the 
basal  qualities  of  what  we  call  '  the  scientific  mind  '  were  there.  He  had  the 
experience,  the  habit  of  thought  which  we  call  '  scientific'  With  modern 
knowledge,  modern  methods,  and  modern  appUances  he  might  have  been 
as  brilliant  as  the  most  illustrious  of  our  scientists. 

Again,  we  cannot  claim  for  him  the  position  of  a  '  scientific  historian  ' 
of  to-day.  Historical  method  has  developed  enormously  during  our  own 
lifetime  ;  historical  data  are  more  generally  accessible,  and  a  new  standard 
of  historical  writing  has  emerged.  But  without  declaring  him  a  '  first- 
century  Mommsen  '  it  is  not  absurd  to  claim  for  the  Physician-Historian  of 
antiquity  qualities  that  would  fit  him,  if  he  had  all  the  advantages  of  our 
time,  to  vie  with  and  to  outstrip  many  of  the  best  historians  of  our  age. 

Such  qualities  his  Preface  claims  for  him.     Prominent  among  them  and 

typical  of  them  is  that  of  patient  historical  investigation.  We 
Investigation   shall  expect  to  find  this,  and  the  other  characteristic  notes  of 

the  Book,  most  prominently  expressed  in  the  new  items  which 
he  introduces  into  the  Gospel,  the  Preface  and  the  Gospel  of  the  Infancy 


INTRODUCTION  xxxv 

(i — ii),  the  *  Great  Insertion '  (ix  51  sqq.),  and  the  special  features  of  the 
Passion-Narrative. 

The  claim  of  St  Luke's  Preface  implies  a  careful  study  and  orderly  mar- 
shalling of  facts,  and  suggests  that  he  had  access  to  numerous 
Deification  ^     '  Gospels  '  not  now  extant.    So  he  raises  in  us  an  expectation, 

which  at  once  finds  a  partial  fulfilment  in  the  synchronisms  of 
ii  1,  2  and  iii  1,  2  (see  notes  ad  loc).  The  writer,  who,  in  his  later  volume,  has 
reproduced  the  phrase  '  this  thing  hath  not  been  done  in  a  corner '  (Ac  xxvi  26) 
attempts,  at  any  rate,  to  fit  his  narrative  into  its  right  place  in  the  scheme 
of  the  world's  history.  He  is  no  mere  story-teller  or  local  annalist.  Sir 
William  Ramsay's  studies  on  the  Acts  have  gone  far  to  vindicate  its  author's 
historical  honesty  and  accuracy  where  it  can  be  tested  by  archaeological 
evidence  ;  such  archaeological  evidence  bears  like  witness  for  the  Gospel 
where  it  can  be  had  (see  reflf.  above),  and  affords  a  presumption  to  the  same 
effect  where  means  of  testing  are  not  forthcoming. 

Yet  an  examination  of  the  points  in  which  the  third  Gospel  varies  from 

the  other  Synoptists  affects  different  minds  in  different  ways. 
Is  the  claim  Some,  like  a  recent  American  writer  (C.  W.  Votaw,  in  Amer. 
justified?         Journ.  ofTheol.  xix  45  sqq.,  June  1915),  hold  that  St  Luke  does 

not  fulfil  the  promise  of  his  Preface ;  that  '  he  borrows  his  frame- 
work from  Mark,  and  from  the  historical  point  of  view  does  not  improve  it,'  and 
that  while  the  non-Marcan  material  he  uses  in  common  with  Matthew  '  may  in 
some  cases  and  features  be  more  historical  as  given  by  Luke,'  his  own  special 
contribution  '  massed  in  the  second  third  of  the  Gospel '  does  not '  particularly 
indicate  superior  historical  investigation  or  arrangement '  (pp.  47,  48).     The 

'  Great  Insertion  '  (Lk  ix  51 — xviii  14)  at  first  sight  certainly 
of  Lk°ix  5°  -  leaves  an  impression  of  chronological  vagueness  and  loose  logical 
xviii  14  sequence  such  as  would  almost  justify  those  who  are  inclined  to 

Arbitrary  regard  it  as  a  '  dumping-ground '  for  a  mass  of  undated  and 
'  uncontexted  material.  Even  Dr  Stanton  (The  Gospels  as  His- 
torical Documents,  vol.  ii,  p.  230)  thinks  that  St  Luke  is  here  borrowing  largely 
from  Q,  and  that  the  allusions  to  '  journeyings  '  (ix  51,  &c.)  are  a  justifiable 
'  device '  by  which  he  transforms  material  consisting  largely  of  sayings  and 
discourses  into  a  narrative  of  travel,  and  so  fits  it  '  for  inclusion  into  a  work 
of  history.' 

In  a  somewhat  similar  way  another  writer  (Blair,  Apostolic  Gospel,  p.  157, 

quoted  by  Moffatt,  I.L.N. T.,  p.  276)  compares  the  traditional 
'Trans-  ^  evangelist-painter  to  a  skilful  gardener,  and  his  'two  digres- 

incidents  sions  '  (vi  12 — viii  3  and  ix  51 — xviii  14)  to  beds  of  transplanted 

flowers — the  flowers  being  logia  or  discourses  taken  out  of  Q. 
'  They  are  arranged  with  skill,'  he  says,  '  and  fragrant  in  their  beauty,'  but 
their  original  context  is  undiscoverable. 

Such  reflections  as  these,  though  they  may  discount  the  detailed  accuracy 
of  the  Evangelist — where  accuracy  was  perhaps  unattainable — concede  to 
him  at  least  the  instincts  of  a  true  historian  face  to  face  with  the  task  of 

c2 


xxxvi  INTRODUCTION 

marshalling  chronologically  a  mass  of  material  quite  intractable  from  that 
point  of  view.    And  though  his  flair  for  arrangement  may  be  un- 
Use  of « Q '  in    doubted,  we  should  not  claim  for  it  infallibility.    We  should  be 
and  Luke  loth,  indeed,  to  count  his  Great  Sermon  in  the  '  Lesser  Insertion ' 

(vi  17-49,  see  note  ad  loc.)  as  a  thin  and  attenuated  shadow  of 
St  Matthew's  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount ' — regarding  the  latter  rather  as  the 
product  of  generous  grouping — or  the  scattered  parallels  to  St  Matthew  v — vii 
in  the  '  Great  Insertion '  as  arbitrary  excisions  from  a  continuous  discourse ; 
we  might  yet  expect  that  here  and  there  St  Matthew  would  have  hit  upon 
the  truer  and  more  logical  context  for  one  or  other  of  the  Q  discourses  which 
both  Evangelists  have  embodied. 

However,  there  are  not  wanting  in  the  '  Great  Insertion  '  more  definite 

indications  of  the  compiler's  skill  and  trustworthiness.    In  the 

d°^'ti^^ '" f     ^^^^  place  the  teaching  of  this  period  is,  in  general,  suited  to  the 

trustworthi-     latter  end  of  the  Ministry,  where  St  Luke  places  it.    It  may  be 

ri6ss  in  X^lc 

ix  51— xviii  14   (as  Dr  Stanton,  loc.  cit.,  suggests)  that  in  the  document  or 

documents  from  which  he  drew  St  Luke  found  the  more  general 
teaching  of  wider  application  first,  and  second,  warnings  of  sufferings  and 
prophecies  of  the  end.  If  he  found  this  arrangement  he  has  been  wise  enough 
and  honest  enough  not  to  upset  it.     Secondly  the  '  vagueness  '  itself  which 

pervades  these  chapters  has  a  witness  to  bear.  It  may  be  argued 
Reserve'^         from  the  very  reserve  of  St  Luke  in  handling  his  material — both 

in  the  matter  of  chronology  and  in  that  of  perspective — that  his 
historical  honesty  displays  itself  where  he  seems  most  open  to  criticism.  The 
elusiveness  of  his  time-references  in  this  section  wiU  be  due  to  an  unwillingness 
to  dogmatize  where  he  does  not  know,  to  define  where  he  has  not  complete 
material  for  definition.  To  the  remarkably  unconscious  way  in  which  his 
Gospel  seems  to  form  a  link  between  the  Synoptics  and  the  fourth,  and  so,  in 
a  sense,  receives  corroboration  from  the  latter,  we  have  already  referred  (see 
p.  xxiv  sq.). 

If  it  is  true  that  St  Luke  has  been  found  remarkably  accurate  where  we 

can  test  him,  are  we  not  justified  (with  Ramsay  and  his  school) 
Luke  a  ^^°^^  in  assuming  his  accuracy  where  no  full  test  is  possible  ?  Though 
'Scientific^        he  was  not  a  '  first-century  Mommsen  '  (and  even  Mommsen 

himself  was  neither  infallible  nor  free  from  disturbing  prejudice  !) 
— if  he  had  been,  he  would  have  been  a  monstrosity — yet  we  may 
claim  for  him  '  the  scientific  spirit '  in  so  far  as  it  was  existent  in  his 
century,  and  recognize  in  him  a  keen  eye  for  historical  relations,  an  industrious 
amassing  and  arranging  of  material  which  wiU  carry  him  behind  and  beyond 
the  traditional  limits  of  the  Marcan  Gospel  (cf.  i  3),  both  in  the  beginning 
(i  and  ii)  and  the  end  (xxiv  12-52)  and  in  the  large  section  (ix  51 — xviii  14) 
in  which  he  expands,  as  it  were,  Mk  x  1. 

One  other  aspect  of  St  Luke's  work  may  be  touched  upon  here  before  we 
turn  to  the  spiritual  and  artistic  aspect  of  his  work.  The  ideal  historian 
should  be,  among  other  things,  a  competent  translator,  and  St  Luke  certainly 


INTRODUCTION  xxxvii 

at  times  translates.  We  have  noted  elsewhere  (§  IV,  Language  aiid  Style, 
p.  xxvii  above)  the  way  in  which  his  style  varies  from  that  of 
t''*'^^  later  Xenophon  to  that  of  the  Septuagint.  This  almost  certainly 
implies  not  only  a  keen  eye  to  colour  and  background,  but  a  modi- 
cum of  definite  translation.  How  much  of  his  matter  is  directly  rendered 
from  Aramaic  or  Hebraic  documents  it  may  be  difficult  to  decide  ;  but 
the  Hebraistic  tone  of  chs  i  and  ii,  of  passages  like  ix  43  sqq.  and  xiv  1-6 
(see  note),  and  of  much  of  the  earlier  half  of  Acts,  suggests  a  very  strong 
probabihty  of  such  translation,  and  in  some  cases,  like  those  of  the  '  Songs 
of  the  Holy  Nativity '  (chs  i  and  ii,  see  notes),  the  phenomena  are  such  as 
almost  to  demonstrate  a  faithful  and  very  able  rendering  from  a  Hebrew 
original.  On  this  subject  Prof.  C.  C.  Torry  remarks  ('  Facts  and  Fancies  in 
Theories  concerning  Acts,'  in  American  Journ.  ofTheoL,  vol.  xxiii,  pp.  62-64, 
Jan.  1919) :  '  Luke,  like  all  the  best  translators  of  his  day,  is  cautious  and 
reliable — barring  the  inevitable  slips,  which  are  likely  to  be  of  the  greatest 
value  to  us.  His  procedure  in  the  Gospel  and  the  Acts  does  not  necessarily 
afford  an  index  of  the  relative  importance  to  him  of  the  documents  he  was 
rendering ;  he  and  his  fellows  would  have  pursued  the  same  method  if  the 
texts  in  hand  had  been  of  minor  interest.  ...  It  seems  to  me  .  .  .  that  he 
conceived  his  duty  to  be  that  of  a  collector  of  authentic  Palestinian  records, 
by  translating  which  he  could  give  Theophilus  and  his  like  a  trustworthy 
account — the  best  native  Palestinian  account — of  the  Christian  beginnings.' 

(2)    The  Spiritual  Aspect.     When  we  consider  St  Luke's  selection  of 
material,  and  the  way  he  has  handled  it,  we  notice  at  once 
Spiritual  ^  marked  blending  of  the  natural  and  the  supernatural :    a 

Aspect  blending  which  we  may  find  also  in  St  John,  yet  not  pre- 

St  Luke  and  sented  in  quite  the  same  way.  While  St  Luke's  Eschatology  in 
common  with  that  of  the  other  Synoptists,  in  contrast  to  that 
tii>*n'?nhe'^^"  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  is  of  a  remote  and  catastrophic  kind,  the 
•  other  world'  wonders  he  records  are  not  (as  by  St  John)  specified  as  '  signs  '. 
The  other  world  seems  in  his  Gospel  unobtrusively  to  interpene- 
trate this,  in  a  way  at  once  less  and  more  impressive  than  that  of  the  fourth 
Gospel. 

The  key  to  this  lies,  surely,  in  the  fact  that  the  author  of  the  third  Gospel 

is  also  the  historian  of  Pentecost.     The  activity  of  the  Holy 

Penteco^°^     Ghost    recorded  in  this  Gospel  from  the  very  first,i  while  it 

recalls  the  special  movements  of  the  '  Spirit  of  the  Lord  '  in  the 

Old  Testament  (e.  g.  Num  xi  25,  Judg  xi  29,  xiii  25),  leads  up  naturally,  at  once 

to  the  presence  predicted  in  Jn  xiv — xvi  and  to  the  phenomena  of  Ac  ii  sqq. 

The  prominence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  third  Gospel  (Lk  17  times. 

Mat  9  times,  Mk  6  times)  welds  the  Gospel  and  the  Acts  together,  and  makes 

it  reasonable  to  suggest  that  the  climax  of  this  book  is  found  not  so  much  in 

the  Lord's  Ascension  (Lk  xxiv  50-53)  as  in  the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

(Ac  ii). 

'  See  i  15  and  note  there. 

c3 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTION 

The  Holy  Spirit  Himself  dominalses  the  entire  story,  and  notably  those 

portions  which  are  peculiar  to  St  Luke.    It  ie  foretold  of  the 

the  Historian   Forerunner  before  his  birth  that  he  shall  be  '  filled  with  the  Holy 

Spirit  ^°'^      ^^°^* '  (^  ^^)-    "^^^  ^°^y  ^^°^*  ^^  ^^  '  ^'^^^  "P°"  '  ^^^^  *^*^ 
she  may  play  her  great  part  in  the  world's  redemption  (i  35). 

Elisabeth  (i  41),  Zacharias  (i  67)  are  '  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,'  and  Simeon 
(ii  25,  27)  is  '  in  the  Spirit,'  and  so  they  are  enabled  to  utter  their  inspired 
'  Songs  of  the  Holy  Nativity.'  All  three  Synoptists  mention  the  Holy  Spirit 
at  our  Lord's  Baptism,  as  also  John's  prediction  of  a  '  Baptism  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,'  and  the  Spirit's  '  leading  '  or  '  driving  '  of  Jesus  into  the  wilderness. 
St  Luke,  however,  lays  emphasis  on  the  vividness  of  the  Baptismal  appearance 
(iii  22),  and  on  His  continuous  presence  with  the  Tempted  in  the  wilderness 
(see  note  on  iv  1).  He  also  tells  us  that  it  is  '  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit '  that 
He  commences  His  Galilean  mission  (iv  14),  and  '  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  me  '  is  the  text  of  His  first  sermon  at  Nazareth  (iv  18).  In  St  Luke's 
special  contribution,  ix  51 — xviii  14,  there  are  two  significant  references  ; 
where,  in  x  21,  we  are  told  that  Jesus  '  rejoiced  in  the  Holy  Spirit,'  and  in 
xi  13  it  is  '  The  Holy  Spirit '  that  is  offered  in  answer  to  prayer,  while 
St  Matthew  has  simply  '  good  things  '  (Mat  vii  11). 

Thereafter  no  direct  mention  of  the  Holy  Spirit  occurs  in  this  Gospel, 
though  He  is  clearly  indicated  in  the  phrases  '  Promise  of  the  Father '  and 
'  Power  from  on  high  '  in  xxiv  49. 

But  the  influence  of  the  idea  is  by  no  means  confined  to  direct  mention. 
The  brooding  of  the  Holy  Ghost  over  this  Gospel  is  seen  in 
ter^^ics  de-      three  special  features  at  least  which  distinguish  it  from  its 
pendent  on       companions :   (a)  a  prominence  of  the  Spirit- world  of  Angels  ; 
(6)  an  atmosphere  charged  with  those  qualities  summarized  by 
St  Paul  as  the  '  Fruit  of  the  Spirit,'  and  (c)  a  special  emphasis  on  Prayer. 
(a)  Angelic  missions  have  prominence  especially  in  St  Luke's  early  chapters, 
and  he  is  the  only  Evangelist  who  mentions  an  Angel's  name 
WoTld^  Angel-  ^-  ^g  26).    In  the  presence  of  these  heavenly  visitants  the  Spirit- 
world  intrudes  itself  into  the  ordinary  and  domestic  life  of 
Zacharias  at  Jerusalem,  of  Mary  at  Nazareth,  and  of  the  Shepherds  at  Bethle- 
hem ;  a  naive  blending  of  the  natural  and  supernatural  which  is  characteristic 
of  our  Evangelist,  and  has  made  his  angels  very  favourite  subjects  of  Christian 
Art,     The  naivety  of  a  Giotto,  e.  g.,  can  catch  by  a  natural  sjmipathy  the 
serene  beauty  and  dignity  of  such  an  angelic  intrusion — free  from  all  hint 
of  melodramatic  excitement.^ 

Outside  the  Gospel  of  the  Nativity  St  Luke  (who,  curiously,  omits  mention 
of  angelic  ministrations  after  the  Temptation)  pictures  to  us  the  Angel  in 
Gethsemane^  and  the  '  two  men '  at  the  Empty  Tomb,  xxiv  4,  as  in  Ac  i  10 
at  the  Ascension. 

'  See  Ruskin,  Oiotto  and  His  Works  in  Padua,  Noa.  xiv,  xv  (London,  George 
Allen  1905).     [Library  Edn.  (George  Allen  1906).  vol.  xxiv,  p.  67.] 
*  If  the  reading  ie  oorrect  in  xxii  43  (see  note  therej. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxix 

(b)  Not  only  does  the  Spirit-world  intrude  naturally  and  unobtrusively 
into  the  natural,  but  the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  latter  is 
^  FrS  of  the  <^^^''g^<^  "^^^  ^^^  virtues  of  Gal  v  22,  23,  the  '  Fruit  of  the  Spirit.' 
Spirit'  Each  of  these  virtues  finds  special  exemplification  in  St  Luke's 

exclusive  matter.  Love  (vii  47),  Joy  (i  14  and  passim).  Peace 
(ii  14,  29),  Longsuffering  (xv  20),  Beneficence  (x  33  sqq.).  Goodness,  Faith- 
fulness, Meekness,  Self-control,  in  the  pious  group  of  Chasidim  introduced  to 
us  in  the  first  two  chapters.  One  of  these  virtues,  Joy,  is  so  specially  character- 
istic of  St  Luke  that  it  calls  for  fuller  treatment. 

The  third  Gospel  begins  (i  14)  and  ends  (xxiv  52)  on  the  note  of  joy,  to 
which  St  Luke's  Hellenic  spirit — lacking  the  stern  puritanism  of  the  Jew — 
gave  him,  no  doubt,  a  natural  disposition.  But  though  indeed  he  seems  to 
deUght  in  natural  enjoyment  and  the  festive  side  of  life — he  alone  records 
three  instances  of  Pharisaic  hospitality  (chs  vii,  xi,  and  xiv),  and  our  Lord's 
special  teaching  on  hospitaUty  to  the  poor  (xiv  12  sqq.) — yet  the  joy  that 
suffuses  his  narrative  is  more  particularly  that  special  quaUty,  itself  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  must  have  been  developed  in  him  by  companionship 
with  the  converted  Pharisee.  St  Paul's  utterances  on  the  subject  might  well 
form  a  motto  for  this  Gospel :  the  '  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  '  of  Phil  iii  1,  iv  4  ; 
the  '  Filled  with  the  Spirit  .  .  .  singing  and  making  melody  with  your  heart ' 
of  Eph  V  18-20  ;  the  '  Rejoice  alway  ;  pray  without  ceasing;  in  everything 
give  thanks  '  of  1  Thess  v  16-18. 

The  joy  foretold  at  the  birth  of  the  Forerunner  (i  14),  and  exemplified 
later  in  Zacharias's  burst  into  song  (i  68  sqq.),  is  followed  by  the 
'  rejoicing  in  God  the  Saviour  '  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  (i  47).  In 
the  next  chapter  the  Angel  announces  '  great  joy  to  all  people  '  in  the  ears 
of  the  Shepherds  (ii  10)  and  an  angehc  choir  bursts  forthwith  into  the  Gloria 
in  Excelsis :  nor  is  the  melody  finished  till  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple 
has  evoked  the  Nunc  Dimittis  (ii  29). 

Gladness  marks  the  beginning  of  the  Ministry  in  GaUlee  (iv  15)  and  at 
Nazareth  (iv  16  sqq.),  though  soon  to  be  swallowed  up  in  jealousy  and  op- 
position. In  the  midst  of  controversy,  at  the  heaUng  of  the  paralytic,  en- 
thusiastic wonder  seizes  the  crowd  (v  26),  even  as  in  the  later  days  when 
hostility  was  become  stronger  and  more  bitter,  a  burst  of  joy  hails  the  healing 
of  the  bowed  woman  (xiii  17). 

In  the  '  Great  Sermon,'  where  our  Lord  is  imparting  to  His  disciples  the 
secret  of  joy  that  can  meet  trials  serenely  (cf.  Mat  v  12),  St  Luke  has  a  specially 
strong  expression — '  leap  for  joy  '  (vi  23).  In  the  Story  of  the  Mission  of  the 
Seventy  (ch  x)  three  notes  of  joy  are  struck — the  joy  of  the  Missioners  on 
their  return  (x  17),  and  our  Lord's  indication  of  a  surer  joy  than  that  of  obvious 
success  (x  20),  and  the  statement  that  '  in  that  same  hour  he  rejoiced  in 
the  Holy  Spirit'  (x  21)  not  found  in  the  parallel  passage  of  St  Matthew 
(xi  25). 

The  chapter  of  sublime  teaching  in  which  a  trilogy  of  evangelical  parables 
is  grouped  together  has  as  its  theme  and  its  refrain  the  joy  of  heaven  over  the 


xl  INTRODUCTION 

penitent  (xv  7,  10,  32) ;  the  only  element  in  it — the  Parable  of  the  Lost  Sheep 
— which  St  Matthew  preserves  (xviii  12-14)  he  gives  in  a  dififerent  context. 

As  the  end  draws  near,  St  Luke  records,  most  characteristically,  the  joyful 
welcome  (xix  6)  of  Zacchaeus  to  his  self-invited  Guest ;  and  after  the  un- 
reheved  gloom  of  the  days  when  the  '  Bridegroom  '  was  '  taken  away  '  (v  35) 
he  sets  before  us  on  Easter  Day  the  '  burning  hearts  '  (xxiv  32)  of  the  two 
disciples,  the  'incredulous  joy'  of  the  Eleven  (xxiv  41) ;  and  finally  the 
'mighty  joy'  with  which  the  worshippers  returned  to  Jerusalem  after  the 
Ascension  (xxiv  52). 

St  Paul,  who,  in  Gal  v  and  elsewhere,  shows  us  Joy  as  an  inevitable  fruit 
of  the  Spirit,  is  no  less  emphatic  as  to  the  intimate  function  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  life  of  Prayer — both  as  the  Spirit  of  sonship  in 
us  (Rom  viii  15)  and  as  interceding  within  us  and  voicing  our  best  prayer- 
self  (viii  26  sqq.). 

It  would  be  natural,  then,  that  the  prominence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our 
Gospel  should  be  accompanied  by  a  prominence  of  the  subject  of  Prayer  ;  and 
this  is  conspicuously  the  case. 

There  are,  in  fact,  no  less  than  seven  instances  in  which  St  Luke  alone 

tells   us   that   Jesus   prayed :     at   His   Baptism   (iii  21) ;    before   His   first 

encounter  with  the  Pharisees  (v  16) ;    before  choosing  the  Twelve  (vi  12) ; 

before  the  first  prediction  of  His  Passion  (ix  18)  ;    at   the  Transfiguration 

(ix    29)  ;    before   giving    His    disciples   the    '  Lord's    Prayer '   (xi    1),    and 

twice  upon  the  Crops  (xxiii  34,  46).      He  alone  records  the  Lord's  special 

prayer  for   St  Peter  (xxii   32),    and    His  injunction   at    the    entrance    to 

Gethsemane  (xxii  40),  '  Pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  '  ;    and  the 

teaching  on  Prayer  given  in  the  two  Parables  of  the  '  Friend  at  midnight ' 

(xi  5-8)  and  the  '  Unjust  Judge  '  (xviii  1-8) ;   both  lessons  of  '  importunity,' 

of  earnest  perseverance,  and  the  second  with  its  moral  overtly  stated,  '  always 

to  pray  and  not  to  faint.' 

,,  .  ,.  One  further  characteristic  of  the  third  Gospel  associates  itself 

Uiuversalism  *• 

intimately  with  the  Holy  Spirit :  its  Universalism. 
Compared  with  the  other  Synoptists  St  Luke,  the  Gentile  follower  of  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  the  historian  of  the  great  day  when  the  Spirit  was 
(potentially)  '  poured  out  on  all  flesh '  (Ac  ii  17),  strikes  a  clearer  universa- 
listic  note.  Without  any  trace  of  hostility  to  Judaism,  he  omits  matter  like 
Mat  vii  17  sqq.  and  Mk  vii  8-23  abstrusely  connected  with  Jewish  Law  ; 
though  familiar  enough  with  the  Greek  of  the  Old  Testament  to  adopt  its 
style  at  will,  he  does  not,  like  St  Matthew,  adorn  his  narratives  with  '  proof- 
texts  '  from  the  Hebrew  Prophets.  The  apparent  contempt  of  the  Gentile 
embodied  in  the  incident  of  the  Syro-Phoenician  Woman  may  have  influenced 
him  in  eliminating  it  from  his  story  (see  preliminary  note  on  iv  14 — ix  50),  while 
he  alone  adduces  our  Lord's  teaching  drawn  from  that  most  '  liberal '  docu- 
ment of  Old  Testament  history,  the  story  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  (iv  25-27). 
Apart  from  the  question  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  where  his  blood  would  naturally 
range  him  on  the  more  liberal  side,  there  are  numerous  features  in  his  Gospel 


INTRODUCTION  •  xli 

which  argue  a  wide  outlook,  insight,  and  sympathy.  The  fitting  of  the  Gospel 
story  into  the  framework  of  universal  history  (ii  1,  2,  iii  1,  2) ;  the  original 
touch  by  which  he  traces  the  Saviour's  pedigree  beyond  Abraham  to  '  Adam, 
the  son  of  God  '  (iii  38),  the  common  ancestor  of  mankind ;  the  kindly 
references  to  Samaritans  (ix  51-56,  x  30-37,  xvii  16),  the  intensified  enforce- 
ment of  the  Synoptic  picture  of  Jesus  as  the  friend  of  social  outcasts  (vii  37  sqq., 
xviii  9  sqq.,  xix  2  sqq.,  xxiii  39  sqq.) ;  the  special  interest  in  the  poor  (i  52,  55, 
vi  20,  xiv  13  sqq.,  xvi  20  sqq.  ),i  and  in  the  rich  ( viii  2,  3,  xix  2  sqq.,  xxiii  50),  and 
in  the  temptations  and  problems  of  wealth  (xii  16-21,  xvi  1-12,  xvi  19  sqq.), 
the  '  domestic  '  tone  which,  from  the  first  scenes  at  Nazareth  and  Bethlehem, 
runs  through  the  Gospel ;  his  special  interest  in  women  and  children,  all 
exhibit  the  same  width  of  sympathy. 

The  prominence  of  Womanhood  in  the  third  Gospel  is  indeed  so  marked 
as  to  constitute  a  special  feature  by  itself.     From  the  first, 
'  The  Gospel    woman  takes  her  place  in  the  foreground  of  the  sacred  artist's 
hood'  pictures,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  Elisabeth,  and  Anna  in  that 

part  which  precedes  the  Marcan  narrative  ;  and  in  the  Story  of 
the  Ministry,  a  whole  gallery  of  portraits  unknown  to  the  other  Synoptists — the 
forgiven  sinner  (vii  37  sqq.),  the  ministering  ladies  (viii  2,  3),  the  Widow  of 
Nain  (vii  11  sqq.),  Mary  and  Martha  (x  38  sqq.),  the  infirm  woman  (xiii 
10  sqq.);  the  Housekeeper  of  the  Parable  (xv  8  sqq.);  the  'Daughters  of 
Jerusalem '  (xxiii  27  sqq.) ;  and  Joanna  among  the  Women  at  the  Tomb 
(xxiv  9).  Luke,  if  we  may  beheve  tradition,  died  in  old  age,  without  wife 
or  child ;  but,  like  his  Lord,  he  knew  how  to  honour  womanhood,  the  insight 
which  he  received  from  the  Holy  Ghost  crowning  a  natural  gift  of  discerning 
sympathy  which  his  medical  practice  would  have  developed  beyond  man's 
ordinary  range. 

VI.     The  Text 

It  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  enter  deeply  into  questions  of  textual 
criticism  :  that  side  of  the  subject  may  be  profitably  studied  in  C.  H.  Turner's 
excellent  summary  in  Murray's  Diet.  Bihl.  (art.  'N.T.,  Text  of)  and  the 
volumes  there  suggested  for  reference. 

This  Gospel  is  found,  wholly  or  in  part,  in  eleven  '  primary '  and  seven 
'  secondary '  uncial  MSS  ;  in  a  vast  number  of  cursives  and  in  twelve  im- 
portant ancient  versions.  It  shares  its  textual  history  and  its  transmission, 
for  the  most  part,  with  the  other  three  canonical  Gospels,  though  it  has  not, 
so  far,  the  vaunt  of  a  third-century  fragment  from  the  Oxyrhynchus  Papyri.^ 
But  in  one  respect,  in  common  with  St  Luke's  other  work,  it  presents  unique 
problems  on  the  textual  side.  In  the  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  the  celebrated 
Codex  '  D  ',  the  uncial   MS  presented  in  1581  by  Theodore  Beza  to  the 

'  This  characteristic  has  led  some  to  describe  St  Luke's  as  an  '  Ebionite  ' 
Gospel  emanating  from  the  primitive  Christian  sect  of  '  Ebionim  '  or  '  Poor 
Men'  (cf.  Hastings'  D.B.,  s.v.) :  how  wrongly  the  whole  tenor  of  the  Gospel 
shows  (cf.  Adeney,  Introd.  in  St  Luke,  '  Century  Bible,'  p.  11). 

^  There  is  one  extant  for  Mat  i  1-9,  12,  14-20  (see  C.  H.  Turner,  loc.  cit.,  p.  587). 


xlii  INTRODUCTION 

University  of  Cambridge,  presents  far  more  and  more  significant  variations 
from  the  consensus  of  the  other  micials  than  it  does  in  any  other  part  of  the 
New  Testament.  These  variations  take  the  prevaihng  form  of  additions  to 
the  text  of  the  Acts  and  of  omissions  from  the  text  of  the  Gospel,  though  the 
few  additions  in  the  latter  case  are  not  without  significance. 

It  is  this  fact  which  has  led  a  recent  writer  to  assert  that  '  the  greatest 
textual  discussion  of  the  present  day  springs  out  of  the  witness  of  the  Lucan 
writings  '  (McLachlan,  St  Luke,  Evang.  and  Hist.,  p.  14). 

These  phenomena  of  the  '  Western  '  text  ^  of  D,  in  so  far  as  they  took  the  i 

form  of  additions,  were  largely  rejected  by  Westcott  and  Hort  as  corruptions  : 
to  the  omissions,  which  are  very  significant,  more  respect  was  paid.  i 

The  first  great  champion  of  the  importance  of  D  as  a  positive  factor  was 
Professor  Friedrich  Blass  of  Halle-Wittenberg,  whose  results  are  accessible 
in  English  in  his  translated  work,  The  Philology  of  the  Oospds  (Macmillan 
1898).  His  conclusions  have  been  accepted  with  reserve  and  caution  in 
England,  and  more  readily  with  regard  to  the  Acts  than  to  the  third  Gospel 
(see  Bebb,  in  Hastings'  D.B.  iii  164) :  but  Blass  has  his  followers  here,  notably 
Herbert  McLachlan,  Warden  of  the  Unitarian  Home  Mission  College  at 
Manchester,  in  two  successive  volumes  :  (a)  St  Luke,  Evangelist  aiid  Historian 
(Sherratt  and  Hughes  1912)  and  (6)  St  Luke,  the  Man  and  his  Work  (Man- 
chester Univ.  Press,  and  Longmans  1920),  in  which  he  republishes  parts  of 
the  earUer  book  in  a  revised  form. 

Blass's  theory  is  that  the  very  considerable  variations  which  D,  when 
compared  with  the  other  chief  MSS,  introduces  into  the  Lucan  writings,  are 
to  be  accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that  the  Evangelist  himself  issued 
two  different  recensions  both  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  Acts.  In  the  case  of 
the  Gospel,  with  which  we  are  here  primarily  concerned,  Blass  thinks  the 
first  edition  (the  'Non-Western,'  represented  by  Aleph,  A,  B,  &c.)  to  have 
been  written  in  Palestine  as  early  as  St  Paul's  imprisonment  at  Caesarea,^  and 
addressed  to  Theophilus  ;  the  second  (largely  represented  by  D),  further 
edited  and  revised  by  Luke's  own  hand,  in  Rome. 

So  sure  was  Blass  of  his  ground  that  in  1897  he  issued  from  the  Teubner 
Press  at  Leipzig  a  text  of  this  latter  Gospel  secundum  formam  quae  videtur 
Romanam. 

The  first  recension  he  assigns  to  about  the  year  A.  D.  55 — some  fifteen 
years  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (Praef.,  p.  x).  And  it  is  in  this 
connexion  that  he  adduces,  in  answer  to  the  argument  for  a  later  date  than 
A.  D.  70  commonly  drawn  from  the  language  of  ch  xxi  (see  notes  ad  loc),  the 
parallel  of  Savonarola's  detailed  prophecy  in  1496  of  the  invasion  of  Italy 
by  Charles  VIII  in  1527. 

'  This  nomenclature,  familiar  to  us  from  Westcott  and  Hort,  in  which  the 
type  of  D  is  distinguished  from  that  of  the  '  Syrian  '  and  Alexandrine  MSS, 
is  now  discounted  by  the  fact  that  widely  spread  patristic  authority  is  found  to 
support  D  against  B.  The  so-called  '  Western  '  text  has  ceased  to  be  '  repre- 
sentative of  one  particular  locality  '  (Turner,  loc.  cit.,  p.  595,  of.  591). 

*  Cf.  p.  xxiii,  note  1,  Canon  Stroeter's  latest  theory. 


INTRODUCTION  xliji 

In  Blass'a  edition  of  the  Roman  Gospel  are  given  not  all  the  variants  which 
appear  in  D.  Some  of  these  (as,  e.  g.,  in  the  Genealogy,  iii  35  :  Philol.  Oosp., 
p.  173)  he  frankly  admits  to  be  corruptions.  But  a  large  number  of  them 
are  included,  including  the  incident  of  the  man  working  on  the  Sabbath  (see 
note  on  vi  5)  which  D  alone  records.  He  includes  also,  after  xxi  36,  in  the 
place  which  it  occupies  in  the  so-called  '  Ferrar  '  MSS,^  the  Pericope  Adulterae 
(Blass,  Praef.,  pp.  46-50),  which  modem  scholarship,  following  the  best  MS 
authority,  has  rejected  from  its  traditional  place  in  the  fourth  Gospel  (see 
above,  §  II,  p.  xxv). 

The  main  variations  are  referred  to  in  our  notes  upon  the  text,  with 
references  to  the  English  edition  of  Blass's  Philology  of  the  Gospels  (see,  e.  g., 
notes  on  ii  4  and  7,  iii  36,  vi  5,  xi  2-4,  &c.).  It  wiU  be  sufficient  here  to  note 
in  conclusion  the  remarkable  omissions  which  D  exhibits  in  the  narrative  of 
the  Passion.  These  include  the  '  Words  of  Institution  '  in  the  account  of  the 
Last  Supper  (xxii  19b,  20) ;  the  '  First  Word  from  the  Cross  '  (xxiii  34) ; 
St  Peter's  visit  to  the  Tomb  (xxiv  12) ;  the  '  Peace  be  unto  you '  of  Easter 
night  (xxiv  36) ;  the  showing  of  Hands  and  Side  (xxiv  40) ;  and  the  final 
Carrying  up  into  Heaven  (xxiv  51).  In  sharp  contrast  to  these  omissions  it 
is  to  be  noted  that  D  stands  alone  with  one  of  the  recensions  of  the  Sinaitic 
MS  Aleph,  in  recording  the  '  Bloody  Sweat '  (xxii  43,  44). 

If  Blass's  theory  has  any  truth  in  it,  the  omission  from  the  majority  of 
MSS  of  some  of  the  most  precious  touches  of  the  Passion  Story  need  not 
trouble  us  ;  for  the  fuller  text  as  well  as  the  shorter  will  be  from  St  Luke's 
own  hand.  But  even  if  we  reject  his  theory,  and  regard  these  touches  as 
primitive  additions  to  St  Luke's  work,  their  canonicity  will  be  untouched,  and 
they  may  still  be  genuine  records  of  a  true  tradition. 

[There  is  a  useful  paragraph  on  Blass  and  the  '  Western '  text  in  Bebb's 
article  '  Luke,  Gospel  of,'  in  Hastings'  D.B.  iii,  p.  164. 

Cf.  also  an  interesting  note  in  S.  C.  Carpenter's  Christianity  according  to 
St  Luke  (S.P.C.K.  1919),  p.  229.  For  a  study  of  the  peculiarities  and  abnor- 
malities of  D  see  J.  Rendel  Harris's  Texts  and  Studies,  vol.  ii.  No.  1,  Cam- 
bridge Press.] 


VII.     St  Luke's  Outline  of  the  Ministry 

For  the  earUer  part  of  the  Ministry  of  our  Lord,  and  for  the  Last  Days, 
St  Luke  on  the  whole  foUows  the  Synoptic  scheme — the  lines  laid  down  in 
St  Mark's  Gospel.  In  this  scheme  the  duration  of  the  Ministry  is  left  ex- 
tremely vague  ;  and  it  is  often  asserted  that  it  could  all  be  comprised  within 
a  single  year.  It  is  from  data  derived  from  the  fourth  Gospel  (the  '  Passovers  ' 
of  Jn  i  29,  ii  15,  vi  4,  xii  1)  that  the  commonly  accepted  tradition  of  a  three 
years'  Ministry  is  derived.     It  is,  however,  possible  that  the  words  of  the 

1  On  the  importance  of  this  group  cf.  C.  H.  Turner,  loc.  eit.,  pp.  585,  688. 


xliv  INTRODUCTION 

parable  (Lk  xiii  7),  '  These  three  years  I  come  seeking  fniit,'  may  allude  to 
the  actual  length  of  the  Lord's  Ministry. 

Apart  from  the  new  matter  which  he  introduces  in  ch  vii  and  the  first  three 
verses  of  ch  viii,  and  from  the  special  touches  with  which  his  Passion-Narrative 
abounds  (see  Prelim.  Note  on  xix  28 — xxiii  56,  p.  247),  there  are  two  main 
points  at  which  the  third  Evangelist  departs  from  the  Marcan  outline.  These 
are  commonly  known  as  the  '  Great  Omission  '  and  the  '  Great  Insertion.'  The 
former  might  shorten  the  Ministry  by  a  few  days  or  weeks  ;  the  latter  might 
lengthen  it  by  months. 

(a)  The  Great  Omission.  At  ix  18  Luke  passes  on  straight  from  the 
narrative  of  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (cf.  Mk  vi  32-44),  near  Beth- 
saida  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  to  the  incident  of  Peter's  confession, 
and  the  first  Prediction  of  the  Passion,  which  Mark  locates  (viii  27)  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Caesarea  Philippi.  He  thus  omits  the  series  of  events  and 
sayings  given  in  Mk  vi  45 — viii  26.  With  the  reasons  for  this  omission  we 
are  not  concerned  here — various  conjectures  are  set  forth  in  the  Commentary 
(see  Introductory  Note  on  iv  14 — ix  50,  p.  57).  The  point  that  concerns  us 
here  is  the  relation  of  this  omission  to  St  Luke's  outline  of  the  Ministry.  He 
takes  up  the  narrative  at  ix  18  with  the  formula  '  And  it  came  to  pass,'  which 
is  quite  indefinite  as  to  time-sequence  (cf.  ix  51,  xi  1,  xiv  1,  xviii  35,  xx  1) 
except  when  further  defined,  as  in  ix  37.  He  was  probably  uncertain  of  the 
interval  between  ix  17  and  ix  18  (as,  e.  g.,  of  that  between  x  42  and  xi  1)  and 
therefore  left  it  vague.  It  does  not  therefore  follow  that  he  pictured  the 
'  Confession  '  as  following  immediately  after  the  '  Feeding.' 

So  we  may  say  that  practically  the  Great  Omission  does  not  materially 
affect  St  Luke's  conception  of  the  length  and  course  of  the  Ministry. 

(6)  The  Great  Insertion,  ix  51 — xix  27  (sometimes  regarded  as  finishing  at 
xviii  14,  because  of  the  '  temporary  coalescence '  of  St  Luke  with  the  main 
Synoptic  stream,  xviii  18-43).  Here  St  Luke  contributes  some  350  verses 
of  new  matter  to  the  Gospel  history,  and  expands  to  a  length  probably 
requiring  weeks  and  months  what  St  Matthew  compresses  into  two  verses 
(Mat  xix  1,  2)  and  St  Mark  into  a  single  verse  (Mk  x  1).  He  thus  gives  more 
space  to  the  period  of  the  Ministry  which  lies  between  the  Transfiguration 
and  the  Passion. 

The  section  begins,  however  (ix  51),  with  a  time-reference  of  the  vaguest 
description.  '  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  days  were  being  fulfilled  that 
he  should  be  received  up.  .  .  .'  And  within  the  section  the  references  are 
equally  vague.  The  recurring  '  antiphon  '  referring  to  His  going  up  towards 
Jerusalem  (ix  51,  57,  x  38,  xiii  22,  xvii  11,  xviii  22,  xix  28)  may  or  may  not  be 
intended  to  mark  successive  journeys,  or  successive  stages  in  a  single  journey. 
The  Evangelist's  vagueness  here  is  doubtless  a  measure  of  his  honesty — he 
speaks  indefinitely  because  his  data  are  indefinite.  But  it  is  interesting  and 
significant  to  note  with  how  little  violence  the  few  incidental  indications  of 
locality  can  be  made  to  fit  into  the  chronological  framework  of  the  fourth 
Gospel  (see  Introductory  Note  on  ix  51 — xix  27,  p.  139). 


INTRODUCTION  xlv 

For  the  duration  of  the  Ministry  we  must  turn,  as  has  been  said,  to  that 
fourth  Gospel.  St  Luke  alone  attempts  to  fix  the  point  in  history  where  our 
Lord's  Ministry  begins,  by  means  of  the  elaborate  synchronisms  of  iii  1,  2, 
He  enables  us  to  conjecture  with  tolerable  certainty  that  the  Mission  of  John 
and  the  Baptism  of  Christ  took  place  either  in  A.  D.  26  or  a.  d.  28  (according 
as  the  fifteenth  year  of  Tiberius  is  dated  from  the  year  in  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Augustus  or  from  that  on  which  he  became  sole  emperor). 

Like  all  the  Sjmoptists  he  sees  in  the  Transfiguration  a  dividing  epoch  in 
the  Ministry.  Before  it  the  theme  is  '  Jesus  is  the  Christ ' :  after  it  '  The 
Christ  must  suffer.' 

But  for  any  date  after  that  we  must  look  to  indications  outside  the  third 
Gospel,  When  he  wrote  the  Gospel,  he  was  not  even  certain  (as  he  was  when  he 
wrote  the  Acts)  that  forty  days  intervened  between  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Ascension.  He  strove,  however  (i  3)  to  marshal  his  matter  in  its  true  sequence, 
and  an  attempt  has  been  made  in  the  Running  Analysis  which  follows  to  set 
forth  this  sequence  in  intelligible  form. 

It  is  well  to  keep  distinct  the  question  of  St  Luke's  outline  of  the  Ministry, 
as  it  may  have  appeared  to  him,  and  that  of  the  actual  outline  which  a  refer- 
ence to  facts  which  he  had  not  before  him  makes  possible  to  us.  His  honest 
vagueness  gives  us  room  to  insert  the  results  of  other  investigations,  such  as 
those  of  C.  H.  Turner,  '  Chronology '  in  Hastings'  D.B.,  and  F.  R.  M.  Hitch- 
cock, '  Dates  '  in  Hastings'  D.C.O. 

A.  D.  26-27  Preaching  of  John  Baptist  (Lk  iii  1) 

,,     27  (Passover)  Baptism  of  Jesus 

,,     27  Early  Ministry  in  Galilee 

„     28  (April)  Work  in  Judaea  (Jn  iii  22-36,  iv  1-4  :   hinted  at, 

Lk  iv  44  R.V.  Marg.) 
,,     28  (April)  Arrest  of  Baptist 

„     28  (April-May)  Work    in    Galilee,    with    Capernaum    as    centre 

(Lk  iv— ix  50) 
Mission  of  Twelve 
The  Transfiguration 
,,     28  (Autumn)  '  Journeyings  towards  Jersualem  ' 

Mission  of  Seventy 
,,     28  (Sept.-Oot.)  '  Feast  of  Tabernacles  '  at  Jerusalem  (Jn  vii  1 — 

ix  21  :  Lk  X  38  ?) 
„     28  (Dec)  '  Feast  of  Dedication  '  at  Jerusalem  (Jn  ix  21 — 

X  42  :  Lk  xiii  35  ?) 
„     28  (Dec.)-29  (Mar.)    3rd  and  4th  Periods  of  the  '  Journeyings  '  (Lk  xiv 

— xix) 
„     29  (Mar.  12)  Arrival  at  Bethany  (Lk  xix  29) 

„     29  (Mar.  18)  Crucifixion — '  Good  Friday  '  (Lk  xxiii) 

„     29  (Mar.  20)  Easter  Day  (Lk  xxiv  1) 

„     29  (April  22)  Ascension  Day  (Lk  xxiv  51) 


xlri  INTRODUCTION 

RUNNING  ANALYSIS 

i  1-4^        ,  The  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  alone  of  New  Testa- 

Prefaoe^^  *  ment  books  have  a  formal  Prologue  or  Preface,  in  the 
manner  of  the  writers  of  classical  antiquity.  (The 
nearest  parallel  in  Scripture  is  the  Prologue  affixed  to 
the  Apocryphal  book  Ecclesiasticus,  by  the  grandson  of 
its  author  Jesus  son  of  Sirach.)  These  prefaces  link 
together  the  two  works  attributed  to  St  Luke,  and 
mark  ofif  the  Gospel  as  prior  in  time  to  the  Acts.  The 
two  may  be  regarded  as  twin  volumes  of  a  single  work  ; 
the  Gospel  (Ac  i  1,  2)  describing  the  beginnings  of  the 
redemptive  work  and  teaching  of  the  Saviour,  wrought 
during  His  bodily  presence  on  earth,  the  Acts  the 
continuance  and  development  of  that  work  by  the 
ascended  Lord  through  His  Spirit. 

The  formal  beginning  of  St  Luke's  Gospel  is  at  the 
opening  of  ch  iii,  with  its  elaborate  synchronisms. 
This  corresponds  to  the  commencement  of  the  second 
Gospel,  and  to  the  demands  of  apostolic  witness  as 
stated  in  Ac  i  21  :  '  begiiming  from  the  baptism  of 
John  '  .  .  .  It  is  possible  that  the  narrative  originally 
began  at  iii  1,  and  that  the  author  subsequently  pre- 
fixed, under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
uniquely  precious  story  of  the  Saviour's  Annunciation, 
Birth,  and  Infancy. 

i  5— ii  51.  In  passing  from  the  Preface  to  this  story,  at  i  5  we 

fanc^^^^atul*'    P^^^'  ^^  ^^^  hQen  said,  from  the  Greek  of  Xenophon 

ChiWiood  of  *o  that  of  the  Septuagint.     This  preliminary  section 

the  Saviour,    of  the  Gospel  is,  like  the  first  chapters  of  the  Acts, 

sown  with  Hebraisms  and  Aramaisms,  while  the  rest 

of  the  two  books  is  couched  in  a  purer  Greek  than  any 

other   of   the    New   Testament   documents,    with   the 

possible  exception  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews. ^ 

St  Luke  was  a  real  artist,  who  knew  how  to  achieve 
his  '  local  colour  '  :  but  there  is  also  every  reason  to 
suppose  that  ch  i  5 — ii  52  is  based  on  a  tradition 
derived  from  those  prominently  concerned — Elisabeth 
and  the  Lord's  Mother — and  one  which  if  not  actually 
committed  to  writing  (and  there  is  evidence  for  a 
Hebrew  document,  see  below,  p.  6)  had  assumed  a  very 
definite  oral  shape. 
The  narrative  covers,  according  to  the  most  probable 

'  It  is  noticeable  that  there  is  some  patristic  authority  for  ascribing  Hebrews 
to  Luke  (Clem  Alex,  and  Origen  ap.  £useb.  H.E.  vi  14,  25). 


INTRODUCTION  xlvii 

chronology,  the  period  between  7-6  B.C.  and  the  Passover 
of  A.D.  6  (ii  41).  It  recounts  eight  successive  events: 
(1)  the  Promise  of  the  Forerunner,  (2)  the  Annunciation 
of  the  Saviour's  birth,  (3)  the  "Visitation,  (4)  the  Birth 
of  the  Forerunner,  (5)  the  Nativity  of  the  Saviour, 
(6)  His  Circumcision,  (7)  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple, 
(8)  the  Saviour's  visit  to  the  Temple  12  years  after. 

Two  things  are  specially  noticeable  about  this  section 
of  the  Gospel. 

(1)  It  forms  a  perfect  link  between  the  two  Testa- 
ments. The  mental  and  psychological  atmosphere  of 
the  story,  the  outlook  of  the  actors,  and  the  very  form 
and  shape  of  the  utterances  ascribed  to  them  are  those 
of  the  threshold.  The  writer  or  editor  of  the  narrative 
has  not  inserted  anywhere  anachronistic  touches  from 
the  colouring  of  the  years  when  he  was  writing,  in  the 
second  half  of  the  first  century.  Even  the  prophetic 
utterances  of  Zacharias  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  are 
couched  entirely  in  Old  Testament  language  and  idea. 
They  are  '  Songs  before  Sunrise  ' — Songs  of  the  Dawn. 

(2)  The  provenance  of  a  large  part  of  the  narrative 
is  broadly  hinted  at  more  than  once  by  the  Evangelist 
(ii  19,  51) — Mary  '  kept  all  these  sayings,  pondering 
them  in  her  heart.'  There  is  much  of  this  record  that 
could  have  emanated  from  none  else,  and  St  Luke  tells 
us  whence  he  derived  it,  directly  or  indirectly. 

Of  the  glory  and  beauty  of  this  Gospel  of  the  Infancy 
the  world  of  Art  and  Poetry  speaks  with  no  uncertain 
voice  in  the  long  line  of  paintings  of  '  Madonna  and 
Child,'  and  '  Holy  Family,'  with  their  immense  influence 
on  human  feeling,  and  on  the  Christmas  hymns  and  carols. 
Above  all  St  Luke  has  won  the  gratitude  of  all  Christen- 
dom by  his  preservation  of  the  '  Songs  of  the  Holy 
Nativity  '  :  Magnificat  (i  46-55),  Benedictus  (i  68-79), 
Gloria  in  Excelsis  (ii  14),  and  Nunc  DimiUis  (ii  29-32), 
continuously  used  as  Christian  Canticles  throughout 
nineteen  centuries. 

With  ch  iii  begins  the  narrative  of  the  Ministry  of  iii  1— iv  13. 
John  the  Baptist  (Mat  iii,  Mk  i)  immediately  preceding      Preparation 
that  of  the  Saviour.     The  narrative,  dropped  at  the  -^i^^^^y 
Passover  of  a.  d.  6,  is  resumed  at  a  date  probably  a.  d.  26 
or   27,   with   elaborate   chronological  introduction,   in 
which   mention  is  made  not  only  of  the   Emperor's  iii  i_23. 
regnal  year,  but  of  the  names  of  the  contemporary  local      (a)  Mission 
rulers.     In  this  ceremonious  way  St  Luke  ushers  in  °U    ■^^' 
the  Herald  of  the  King;    and  forthwith  narrates  (1)  tism  of  Jesus. 
with  matter  in  the  main  identical  in  all  three  Synoptists, 


xlviii  INTRODUCTION 

but  here  and  there  peculiar  to  his  Gospel,  the  mission  of 
John  the  Baptist,  culminating  in  his  baptism  of  Jesus. 

(b)  Genea-  There  follows  (2)  a  genealogy  of  Jesus  differing  from 
logy  of  that  of  St  Matthew  in  detail,  and  characteristically 
Jesus.  extending  back  not  merely  to  Abraham,   but  to  the 

(c)  Temp-  first  man.  Finally  (3)  the  story  of  the  Temptation, 
tation.  closely  resembling  that  of  the  first  Gospel  but  with 

variation  in  order,  brings  us  to  the  point  where  the 
preparation  is  done,  and  the  actual  mission  of  the 
Saviour  commences,  at  ch  iv  14. 

iv  14 — ix  50.       We  are  now  transported  to  Galilee, ^  where,  according 

Galilean  to  the  Synoptic  tradition,  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  first 

Ministry.        official  words  and  works  was  laid,^  and  the  next  section 

of  the  Gospel  (iv  14 — ix  50)  deals  with  this  ministry 

atNlSrSr  ^^  ^^®  ^^^*^-     ^^)  "^^^  record  of  the  first  sermon  at 

Ministry    at   Nazareth  '  where  he  had  been  brought  up  '  is  peculiar 

Capernaum,    to  the  third  Gospel,  and  has  been  attributed  to  the 

same  sources  as  the  narratives  of  the  Infancy.     From 

Nazareth   He   passes   to   Capernaum   and   the   lake   of 

Gennesaret,  where  we  have   from  St  Luke  a  uniquely 

full  account  of  the  call  of  Peter  and  Andrew,  James 

and  John.      (2)  By  the  lake-side,  after  sundry  words 

r  it^  1^^      ^^^  works  of  power,   which  attracted   multitudes  to 

dkcip*les  bv    ^^^  ieei,  and  elicited  also  the  first  venomous  darts  of 

the  Lake. "     hostility  from  the  official  leaders  of  religion,  He  chose 

Works  and  His  Twelve  Apostles,  after  a  whole  night  of  prayer  on 

words  of         j^Y^Q  hill-side.      As  sequel   to   the   appointment   of   the 

^''choosin  of  '^^^^'^^  S*  I^"^®  places  the  great  Sermon  (vi  20-49), 

the  TwelTC°  ^^  which  the  bulk  of  the  material,  together  with  other 

rpv     g         like   matter,   is   concentrated   by   St   Matthew  in   the 

mon  on  the    '  Sermon  on  the  Mount.' 

Level  Place.  Then  follows  (3)  a  further  period  of  activity  in  and 
around  Capernaum,  leading  up  to  the  Mission  of  the 
Twelve  (chs  vii,  viii),  a  section  in  which  St  Luke's 
peculiar  and  characteristic  message  is  summed  up  in 
the  two  stories  of  the  Raising  of  the  Widow's  Son 
(vii  11-17)  and  the  Pardoning  of  the  Penitent  Woman 
(vii  36-50),  and  in  the  notice  (viii  2,  3)  of  the  large 

'  According  to  St  Matthew  (iii  1)  the  scene  of  St  John's  preaching  had  been 
'  the  wilderness  of  Judaea  '  ;  St  Luke,  more  vaguely  (iii  3),  '  all  the  region  round 
about  Jordan.' 

^  There  is  a  hint  in  St  Matthew  (iv  12)  of  a  possible  sojourn  in  Judaea  imme- 
diately after  the  Temptation,  and  the  best  attested  reading  in  Lk  iv  44  would 
imply  that  the  Galilean  Ministry  was  interrupted,  shortly  after  the  healing  of 
Simon's  mother-in-law,  by  a  circuit  through  the  towns  and  villages  of  Judaea. 
This  would  add  to  the  points  in  which  St  Luke  seems  to  bridge  the  gulf  between 
the  first  three  Gospels  and  the  fourth. 


INTRODUCTION  xlix 

group  of  women  of  substance  who  attached  themselves 
to  the  Saviour. 

Finally  (4)  a  fourth  sub-section  of  the  narrative 
carries  us  from  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve  (ix  1-6)  to 
the  moment  when  the  Lord  '  stedfastly  set  His  face  to 
go  to  Jerusalem.'  The  climax  of  this  period  is  the 
Feeding  of  the  5,000,  mentioned  by  all  four  Evangelists, 
and  occurring  probably  at  Passover  a.  d.  28,  and  His 
Galilean  Ministry  proper  comes  to  an  end.  Here  is  to 
be  noted  the  unusual  phenomenon  of  an  omission  by 
St  Luke  (between  ix  17  and  18)  of  a  well-marked  section 
of  St  Mark's  narrative  (Mk  vi  45 — viii  26).  So  far  the 
Lucan  record  of  the  Ministry  has  been  largely  paralleled 
in  St  Matthew,  and  has  followed  in  the  main,  with  the 
exception  just  noted,  the  outline  of  St  Mark's  story. 


With  ch  ix  51  begins  St  Luke's  '  new  contribution  to  ix  51— xix  27. 
the    Gospel    history,'  a  long    section    (ix  51 — xix  27)      '^^-^^^^'^ 
which  has  no  parallel  in  the  other  Synoptists  ;  though  j^^^^iow  «o' 
scattered  fragments   up   and   down   are   to   be   found,  the  Gospel 
otherwise  ordered  in  the  first  Gospel,  and,  in  a  less  Story. 
degree,  in  the  second. 

This  central  section  constitutes  one-third  of  the  whole 
Gospel,  and  is  balanced  by  the  Galilean  Ministry  and 
the  Passion  before  and  after,  each  a  little  more  than 
half  its  length.  Its  marks  of  time  and  place  are  few 
and  somewhat  vague,  but  there  are  two  points  where 
a  proximity  to  Jerusalem  is  implied  before  the  last 
Passover  ;  and  a  comparison  with  the  fourth  Gospel — 
to  which  St  Luke  has  more  points  of  affinity  than  have 
the  other  Sjmoptists — emboldens  us  to  assume  that  the 
visit  to  Bethany  (x  38-42)  was  connected  with  that 
mentioned  by  the  fourth  Evangelist  (Jn  vii — ix)  at 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (Sept.  23,  a.  d.  28)  ;  and  the 
mention  of  danger  from  Herod,  and  the  pathetic 
reference  to  Jerusalem  (xiii  34) — itself  implying  visits 
to  the  Holy  City  not  recorded  by  St  Luke — would 
synchronize  with  the  visit  to  the  Feast  of  Dedication 
(Dec.  A.  D.  28)  given  by  St  John  (Jn  x  22).  The  great 
section  therefore,  sometimes  called  the  '  Travel-Docu- 
ment,' may  be  sub-divided  on  the  basis  of  these  Feasts. 

(1)  ix  51 — X  42,  from  the  conclusion  of  the  Galilean  (a)  ix  51 — x 
Ministry  to  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  in  which  St  Luke's  ^^    „ 
most  notable  contributions  to  our  knowledge  are  the  Tabernacles 
rejection  of  our  Lord  by  Samaritan  villagers,  the  Mission  [Sept.  a.  d. 
of  the  Seventy,  the  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  28]. 
and  the  description  of  the  Home  at  Bethany. 


1 


INTRODUCTION 


(6)  xi  1 — xiii 
35 

to  Festival 
of  Dedica- 
tion [Dec. 
A.  D.  28]. 
(c)  xiv  1 — 
xvii  10 

to  journey 
np  to  last 
Passover 
[Feb.    A.D. 
29]. 


{d)  xvii  11— 

xix  27 

last  Journey 
up  to  Jeru- 
salem [Feb.- 
Mar.  A.  D.  29]. 


xix  28 — xxiii 
36 

The 
Passion. 

xix   29 — xxi 
38. 

(a)  Palm 
Sunday  to 
the  Be- 
ti-ayal. 


xxii  1-53. 


(2)  xi  1 — xiii  35,  from  Tabernacles  to  the  Dedication 
Feast,  in  which  period  come  the  Parable  of  the  Rich 
Fool,  and  the  lesson  of  calamities  drawn  from  a  recent 
outrage  of  Pilate,  the  healing  of  the  infirm  woman,  and 
the  universalist  teaching  about  salvation. 

(3)  xiv  1 — xvii  10,  from  the  feast  of  Dedication  to 
the  Journey  up  to  the  Passover  of  a.  d.  29.  The  whole 
of  this  section  with  two  exceptions  is  peculiar  to 
St  Luke,  and  it  includes  such  important  teaching  as  is 
embraced  in  the  Parables  of  the  Great  Supper,  the 
Prodigal  Son,  the  Unjust  Steward,  and  Dives  and 
Lazarus. 

(4)  Finally,  xvii  11 — xix  27,  there  is  the  narrative  of 
the  last  Peraean  IVIinistry  and  the  final  journey  up  to  the 
Passover  of  the  Passion.  This  begins — as  the  whole 
great  section  began  (ix  52 — x  30) — with  a  Samaritan 
reference,  in  the  story  of  the  Ten  Lepers.  St  Luke's 
special  interest  in  Samaritans  reminds  us  that  he  is 
also  (Ac  viii)  the  chronicler  of  the  later  evangelization 
of  their  city  by  St  Philip,  who,  later  still  (Ac  xxi  8), 
was  his  host  at  Caesarea.  We  may  perhaps  see  in 
St  Philip  one  of  our  Evangelist's  sources,  not  only  for 
these  allusions,  but  also  for  some  of  the  touches  where- 
with he  has  enriched  the  Passion  narrative  that  follows. 
Characteristic  of  the  third  Gospel  is  its  emphasis  on 
the  teaching  about  Prayer  ;  and  in  this  section  (cf . 
xi  1-13)  we  have  the  Parable  of  the  Importunate  Widow 
directed  to  this  end.  Then,  after  four  narratives  common 
to  other  Synoptists,  the  section  closes  with  two  items 
peculiar  to  St  Luke  :  the  incident  of  Zacchaeus  and 
the  Parable  of  the  Pounds  (xix  1-27). 

In  the  story  of  the  Passion  all  three  Synoptists  come 
together  again  and  are  closely  parallel  throughout ; 
while,  with  certain  notable  exceptions,  the  fourth 
Gospel  approximates  to  them  beyond  its  wont. 

(1)  In  the  first  section  of  this  story  (xix  29 — xxi  38), 
which  carries  us  from  Palm  Sunday  up  to  the  day  of 
the  Betrayal  (Wednesday  ?),  there  is  little  peculiar  to 
St  Luke,  though  he  diverges  rather  strikingly  from  the 
other  two  in  certain  phrases  of  our  Lord's  great  prophecy 
of  the  end  ;  and  his  substitution  (xxi  20)  of  '  Jerusalem 
compassed  with  armies,'  for  the  more  enigmatic  '  abomi- 
nation of  desolation  '  (IVIk  xiii  14,  IVIat  xxiv  15)  has 
been  accorded,  perhaps,  an  exaggerated  significance  by 
critics. 1 

(2)  The  second  section  (xxii  1-53),  which  carries  us 


'  See  Introd,  p.  xix,  and  notes  ad  he. 


INTRODUCTION 


li 


from  the  Betrayal  and  the  preparation  for  the  Passover 
to  the  arrest  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  is  peculiarly 
rich  in  Lucan  touches.  The  account  of  the  Last  Supper 
is  closest  of  all  to  the  Pauline  account  in  1  Cor  xi  23-25, 
and  the  third  Gospel  has  a  unique  record  of  the  Lord's 
discourses  thereafter,  which  at  one  point  (xxii  27) 
dovetails  remarkably  into  St  John's  narrative  of  the 
Feet-washing;  and,  in  the  story  of  the  Agony,  Luke 
alone  records  (if  the  text  is  to  be  retained)  i  the 
strengthening  Angel's  appearance  and  the  Bloody 
Sweat  (xxii  43). 

(3)  The  account  which  follows,  of  the  Trials  and  of 
the  Via  dolorosa  (xxii  59 — xxiii  32),  has  two  features 
peculiar  to  our  Gospel.  In  common  with  the  other 
Synoptists  St  Luke  records  the  arraignments  before  the 
Jewish  leaders,  with  St  Peter's  denials  as  background, 
and  the  trial  before  the  Roman  Governor  ;  but  into 
the  account  of  Pilate's  trial  he  inserts  a  remitting  of 
the  Prisoner  to  Herod  Antipas — which  falls  into  line 
with  the  other  signs  he  displays  in  the  Gospel  and  the 
Acts,  of  a  special  knowledge  of  the  Herodian  Court 
(cf.  viii  3,  ix  7  sqq.,  xiii  31,  32  ;  Ac  xii  1  sqq.,  19-23, 
xiii  1),  and  almost  drives  us  to  the  conjecture  that 
Chuza's  wife  (viii  3)  may  have  provided  a  special 
source  of  information.  In  describing  the  Way  of  the 
Cross,  this  '  Woman's  Evangelist '  (cf.  i,  ii,  vii  11  sqq., 
37  sqq.,  viii  1-3,  x  38  sq.,  xiii  10  sqq.,  &c.)  characteristi- 
cally contributes  the  tender  episode  of  the  '  Daughters 
of  Jerusalem  '  (xxiii  27-31). 

(4)  The  last  Episode  in  the  Passion  is  the  Crucifixion 
itself,  with  its  sequel,  the  Entombment  (xxiii  33-56), 
and  here  again  St  Luke  has  enriched  our  knowledge  of 
the  Gospel  story.  He  alone  records  the  first  ^  and  last 
Words  from  the  Cross,  the  words  which  find  an  echo 
in  the  martyr-cries  of  St  Stephen  (Ac  vii  59,  60)  and 
reverberate  afterwards  in  the  heart  of  St  Paul.  And 
of  a  piece  with  these,  and  with  the  mind  of  St  Paul, 
and  with  the  Lucan  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  and 
narrative  of  the  Forgiven  Harlot,  is  his  record  of  the 
Saviour's  reception  of  the  Penitent  Robber,  and  of  the 
gracious  Second  Word  from  the  Cross. 

With  the  last  chapter  comes  the  final  motif  of  the 
Gospel  story — the  narrative  of  the  Saviour's  Triumph  : 
the   glad   surprise   of   Easter   Day ;     the   Resurrection 


(b)  Be- 
trayal to 
Arrest. 


(c)  xxii  54 — 
xxiii  32. 

The  trials : 
the  Way  to 
the  Cross. 


(d)  xxii  33- 
56. 

The  Cnici- 
fixion  and 
Entomb- 
ment. 


xxiv  1-53. 

The 
Triumph. 


^  Omitted  by  N  A,  B,  al,  retained  by  D  (except  the  words  '  from  heaven'). 
See  notes  ad  loc. 

2  xxiii  34,  like  the  Bloody  Sweat  (xxii  43),  is  omitted  by  most  of  our  best 
MS  authorities  (N,  B,  D*,  b,  d,  &c).    See  notes  ad  loc. 


lii 


INTRODUCTION 


xiiv  1-12. 

(a)  Resur- 
rection and 
firat  Ap- 
pearance. 


xiiv  13-43. 

(b)  The  Walk 
to  Emmaus 
and  Appear- 
ance in 
Upper  Room. 

xxiv  44-51. 

(c)Summary, 
to  the  As- 
cension. 


attested  by  angels  and  by  the  holy  Women,  and  by 
the  Eleven  ;  the  final  injunction  to  the  disciples,  and 
the  ascension  from  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

The  opening  scenes — the  angels,  the  women,  the 
empty  tomb — are  largely  parallel  to  those  described 
by  the  other  Sjnioptists,  though  not  without  special 
features,  and  the  third  Gospel  approaches  the  fourth 
in  its  mention  of  a  visit  of  St  Peter  to  the  sepulchre, 
as  it  does  later  on  in  the  record  of  an  appearance  on 
Easter  evening  to  the  Eleven.  But  between  these 
two  incidents  St  Luke  inserts  (xxiv  13-35)  a  narrative 
of  peculiar  beauty  and  interest,  perhaps  summarized  in 
the  last  twelve  verses  of  St  Mark  :  the  story  of  the 
appearance  to  Cleopas  and  his  friend  on  their  walk. 
Who  was  the  unnamed  friend  ?  Was  it  Philip  the 
Evangelist  ?  Or  could  it  have  been  St  Luke  himself  ? 
The  last  nine  verses  of  the  Gospel  give  a  cursory  and 
syncopated  account  of  what  is  described  more  fully  in 
Ac  i  1-11,  and  the  Gospel  ends  as  it  began,  on  the 
characteristic  note  of  joy  (cf.  i  14,  44,  47  ;  ii  10,  &c.). 


Il] 


ST  LUKE 

I  1-4    THE  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

This  simple  preamble,  which  has  a  parallel  in  Ac  i  1,  2,  but 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament,  is  important  in  several  ways. 

(a)  It  shows  that  St  Luke,  the  only  Gentile  contributor  to  the 
Bible,  was  a  master  of  the  literary  Greek  of  his  day,  and  conversant 
with  literary  conventions.  The  style  and  language  of  these  few 
verses  are  comparable  to  those  of  Xenophon.  For  the  dedication 
to  an  individual,  Blass  {Philol.  Gosp.,  p.  2)  adduces  several  parallels 
among  Greek  writers,  notably  that  to  Sossius  Senecio,  prefixed  by 
Plutarch  to  his  Biography  of  Theseus  and  Romulus.  There  and  in 
other  instances  the  name  comes  immediately  after  the  opening 
phrase. 

(6)  Taken  together  with  the  preface  to  the  Acts,  it  claims  that 
the  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  are  by  the  same  author,  addressed  to  the 
same  person,  and,  in  fact,  a  first  and  second  volume  of  the  same 
work.  Incidentally  it  bears  on  the  date  of  the  Gospel :  whatever  date 
is  assigned  for  the  completion  of  the  Acts,  the  third  Gospel  must  be 
earlier. 

(c)  It  throws  light  on  the  author's  purpose  and  method.  His 
design  is  to  present  an  accurate  and  systematically  ordered  account  of 
the  Gospel  story,  the  subject  of  oral  instruction  to  catechumens, 
and  in  so  doing  to  supersede  a  number  of  less  satisfactory  narratives 
already  in  circulation.  His  method  is  scientific  research — the 
'  accurate  tracing  out  of  the  course  of  things  from  the  first  ' — with 
the  use  of  such  material  documentary  (imperfect  Gospels)  and  oral 
(eyewitnesses)  as  was  available. 

(d)  In  so  doing,  it  also  throws  light  on  the  problem  of  Inspiration. 
St  Luke's  aim  was  to  be  a  conscientious  historian  ;  the  Church  has 
sealed  his  two  books  as  inspired  writings,  including  them  in  her 
Canon  of  Holy  Scripture.  To  many  devout  minds  the  third  Gospel 
is  the  most  precious  and  most  obviously  inspired  of  all  the  Books  in 
the  Bible.  Its  '  Gospel  of  the  Infancy,'  its  tenderness  and  high 
recognition  of  womanhood,  its  emphasis  on  joy,  on  penitence,  on 
the  wide  embrace  of  redeeming  Love,  its  parables  of  the  Prodigal 
Son  and  the  Good  Samaritan,  its  special  version  of  the  Message 
from  the  Cross,  all  mark  it  out  as  unique,  and  give  it  a  unique 
appeal.  Yet  it  is  the  result  not  of  an  overpowering  afflatus  by  which 
the  author  would  be  rendered  a  merely  passive  instrument,  but  of 
careful  and  painful  research,  artistic  selection  of  material,  diligent 
and  masterly  compilation. 

L.  1 


2  ST   LUKE  [I  I 

If  this  be  so  we  need  not  shrink  from  the  conclusion  of  modern 
scholarship,  that  compilation  and  redaction  played  a  vevy  large  part 
in  the  development  of  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament.  Inspiration 
quickens  the  natural  gifts,  and  illumines  and  steadies  the  judgement 
of  the  inspired  writer.  The  author  of  the  third  Gospel  is  a  notable 
example  of  this. 

I  Forasmuch  as  many  have  taken  in  hand  to  draw  up  a 
narrative  concerning  those  matters  which  have  been  ^fulfilled 
among  us,  2  even  as  they  delivered  them  unto  us,  which 
from  the  beginning  were  eyewitnesses  and  ministers  of  the 
word,  3  it  seemed  good  to  me  also,  having  traced  the  course 
of  all  things  accurately  from  the  first,  to  write  unto  thee  in 
order,  most  excellent  Theophilus  ;  4  that  thou  mightest  know 
the  certainty  concerning  the  ^things  •"'wherein  thou  wast 
instructed. 

*  Or,  fully  established  *  Gr,  words. 

^  Or,  which  thou  wast  taught  by  word  of  mouth 

1.  Forasmuch  as  many.  .  .  .  When  St  Luke  wrote  these  words 
we  cannot  be  certain.  The  latest  probable  date  is  about  a.  d.  80 
and  the  earliest  about  60  (see  Introd.,  p.  xx).  It  would  seem 
probable  that  many  fragmentary  and  imperfect  narratives  must 
have  seen  the  light  during  the  first  half  of  the  first  century  :  i.  e. 
within  some  twenty  years  of  the  Crucifixion.  That  these  were,  all 
or  any  of  them,  gravely  incorrect,  St  Luke's  words  do  not  necessarily 
imply.  Among  these  might  well  be  (a)  a  MS.  of  the  '  Logia  '  or 
Sayings  of  the  Lord  (see  Introd.,  p.  xxii)  emanating  from  the  Apostle 
St  Matthew,  or  a  similar  document  in  narrative  framework  such  as 
is  known  as  '  Q,'  and  an  earlier  edition  of  the  narrative  of  the  Lord's 
doings  and  sufferings,  the  substance  of  St  Peter's  preaching,  put 
together  by  St  Mark  (see  Introd.,  ibid.).  We  need  not  necessarily 
endorse  the  suggestion  (McLachlan,  St  Luke,  Evangelist,  cfcc,  p.  9) 
that  the  third  Evangelist  '  virtually  condemned  '  the  second  '  as 
"  wrong  in  its  order  of  events,  unspiritual,  imperfect,  and  in- 
correct ".' 

have  taken  in  hand.  Here  begins  the  '  medical  language  of 
St  Luke  '  :  linx'^Lpa.v  is  a  common  medical  word,  and  is,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  used  similarly  in  their  Introductions  by  both  Hippocrates 
and  Galen  (Hobart,  Med.  Lang., -p.  xxxii).  See  further,  Introd.  p.  xxx. 

fulfilled.  If  this  rendering  be  preferred  to  '  fully  established  ' 
(R.V.  marg.)  or  '  surely  believed  '  (A.V.),  its  implication  will  be  : 
'  The  facts  on  which  our  belief  are  grounded  are  quite  certain  ; 
it  remains  to  present  them  in  the  most  complete  and  scientific  way.' 
The  word  {Tr€irXr)po(f>opr)fj.iv<Dv)  is  really  a  metaphor  from  natural 
growth,   '  have  reached  full  and  ripe  development,'   and  is  thus 


1 1-3]  ST  LUKE  3 

applied  by  Polybius  in  his  preface  (c.  200  b.  c.)  to  the  consummation 
of  the  Koman  Empire  {Expositor,  Oct.  1910).  St  Luke's  excuse  for 
adding  to  the  number  of  narratives  is  his  access  to  the  information 
of  eyewitnesses. 

2.  Even  as  they  .  .  .  word.  On  the  other  hand,  the  words  imply 
that  St  Luke's  information  was,  in  the  main,  second-hand,  and, 
taken  with  '  to  me  also '  {v.  3),  is  usually  regarded  as  implying 
a  denial  that  he  was  in  any  sense  an  '  eyewitness.'  He  was,  how- 
ever (see  Introd.,pp.  xv,  xxvii),  almost  certainly  a  'minister  of  the 
word,'  a  teacher  and  perhaps  Catechist  (which  may  be  the  meaning 
of  '  minister  '  here)  both  at  Philippi  and  elsewhere.  It  may  be 
questioned  whether  this  verse  absolutely  rules  out  the  guess  that 
he  may  have  been  Cleopas's  friend  (xxiv  13  sqq.),  though  he  can 
hardly  have  been  one  of  the  Seventy  (x  1  sqq.). 

3.  having  traced  the  course  {waprjKoXovO-qKOTL).  Hobart  {op.  cit., 
p.  xxxiii)  points  out  that  Galen  the  Physician  often  uses  this  word 
— technically  applied  to  the  investigation  of  symptoms,  in  the  same 
sense  in  which  St  Luke  employs  it  here. 

frmn  the  first.  This  probably  alludes  to  the  substance  of  chs  i — ii. 
No  Gospel  hitherto  had  gone  beyond  the  scope  of  witness  suggested 
by  St  Peter  before  the  election  of  St  Matthias  (Ac  i  22)  :  '  beginning 
from  the  baptism  of  John,  unto  the  day  that  he  was  received  up 
from  us.'  St  Peter's  own  Gospel  (as  presented  to  us  by  St  Mark) 
is  set  within  these  bounds  exactly  ;  and  St  Luke  may  have  seen  it 
in  a  still  earlier  shape.  If  our  present  first  Gospel  was  already  in 
circulation,  surely  St  Luke  had  not  seen  it.  In  spite  of  what 
Sir  W.  M.  Ramsay  says  {Recent  Research,  p.  303),  it  seems  difficult 
to  conceive  him  deliberately  rejecting  the  Story  of  the  Magi  from 
his  material  (see  Introd.,  p.  xxviii).  St  Luke's  own  Gospel  may  have 
been  originally  planned  to  begin  at  ch  iii  1  ;  but  fuller  research 
and  contact  with  Palestine  opened  to  him  the  treasure-house  of  the 
'  Gospel  of  the  Infancj-.'  If  he  had  had  nothing  else  to  add,  it  would 
have  justified  his  decision  to  write. 

in  order.  He  attempts  to  arrange  his  matter  as  far  as  possible 
chronologically,  and  to  associate  the  Lord's  sayings  with  the 
occasions  on  which  they  were  uttered.  This  was  not  always  prac- 
ticable ;  hence  the  chronological  and  topographical  vagueness  of 
much  of  the  great  section  ix  51 — xviii  10.  The  first  Gospel  seems 
to  group  sapngs  together  by  subject — as,  e.g.,  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  (Mat  v — vii),  of  which  elements  are  scattered  up  and  down 
the  third  Gospel.  The  original '  Logia  '  of  St  Matthew  had  probably 
little  or  no  trace  of  chronological  arrangement — like  the  recently 
discovered  Oxjrrhynchus  papjrri,  '  Sa3dngs  of  Jesus.'  There  is  a  very 
good  vindication  of  St  Luke's  method  of  research  in  pp.  42-60  of 
A.  T.  Robertson's  Luke  the  Historian  in  the  Light  of  Research,  T.  and 
T.  Clark  1920. 

most  excellent  Theophilus.  Some  have  thought  that  the  name 
Theophilus  ( =  God-lover  or  God-beloved)  is  merely  a  symbol  for  the 

1-2 


4  ST   LUKE  [1 3, 4 

typical  believer.  This  was  Origen's  view,  and  was  favoured  by 
Bishop  Lightfoot.  But  the  name  was  not  uncommon,  and  St  Luke 
is  most  likely  addressing  an  actual  Gentile  convert  to  Christianity, 
a  friend  or  patron  of  his.  This  is  rendered  the  more  probable  by 
the  epithet  (Kpano-Tos)  which  is  one  like  '  Your  excellency,'  applied 
to  persons  of  rank  or  high  office  such  as  Felix  (Ac  xxiii  26,  xxiv  3) 
and  Festus  {ib.  xxvi  25).  Ramsay  {Recent  Research,  p.  303)  thinks 
the  title  proves  that  Theophilus  was  '  a  definite  Roman  Official.' 

4.  instructed  :  literally  '  catechised.'  If  we  may  take  this  verb 
in  its  technical  sense,  it  will  follow  that  this  Gospel,  like  the  rest  of 
the  New  Testament,  was  written  not  to  convert  the  heathen,  but  to 
build  up  and  render  more  intelligent  the  faith  and  practice  of 
believers.!  -phe  early  catechism  was  oral,  and  the  Apostles'  Creed 
as  we  know  it  first  appears  for  certain  at  Rome  in  the  fourth  century  : 
but  doubtless  some  such  outline  of  the  faith  as  forms  the  framework 
of  St  Mark's  Gospel  had  already  been  mastered  by  Theophilus. 
Dr  A.  Plummer  points  out  (Preface  to  1st  Ed.,  p.  v)  that  the  Old 
Roman  Creed  is  all  of  it  to  be  found  in  St  Luke's  exposition  of  the 
'  certainty '  of  the  things  wherein  Theophilus  was  instructed.^ 
The  word  'instructed,'  KaTr^x^/^^ys^' catechised,'  if  used  in  what 
very  early  became  its  technical  sense,  seems  to  imply  that  Theophilus 
was  at  least  a  catechumen  under  instruction  for  baptism.  He  may 
or  may  not,  as  yet,  have  been  baptized.  Zahn  thinks  that  if  already 
one  of  the  '  Brethren  '  he  would  not  have  been  accorded  the  formal 
title  '  excellency  '  ;  and  the  fact  that  the  title  is  dropped  in  Acts 
might  suggest  that  Theophilus  had  been  baptized  in  the  interval. 

An  old  tradition  (Clementine  Recognitions)  makes  Theophilus 
a  rich  and  influential  compatriot  of  St  Luke,  a  native  of  Antioch  : 
later  traditions  make  him,  further.  Bishop  of  Antioch  or  of  Caesarea. 
(There  is  an  interesting  note  on  Theophilus  in  McLachlan's  St  Luke, 
the  Man  and  his  Work  (1920),  pp.  218-220.) 

*  Prof.  Cadbury  {Expositor,  June  1921,  pp.  431  sqq.),  comparing  the  phraseology 
of  the  Preface  with  St  Luke's  use  of  the  same  words  in  Acts,  concludes  for  an  un- 
technical  use  of  Karrix-qQ-qs ;  thinks  that  Theophilus  was  a  well-disposed  heathen 
official,  and  St  Luke's  Gospel  is  the  first  of  Christian  '  Apologies.' 

^  Dr  Plummer  sets  it  out  as  follows  : 

'  I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty  '  :  i  37,  iii  8,  xi  2-4,  xii  32,  &c. 

'  And  in  Christ  Jesus  His  only-begotten  Son  '  :  i  31,  ii  21,  49,  ix  35,  x  21,  22, 
xxii  29,  70,  xxiii  33,  46  :   cf.  iv  41,  viii  28. 

'  Our  Lord  '  :  i  43,  ii  11,  vii  13,  x  1,  xi  39,  xii  42,  xvii  5,  6,  xLx  8,  31,  xxii  61, 
xxiv  3,  34. 

'  Who  was  born  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  Mary  the  Virgin  '  :  i  31-35,  43,  ii  6,  7. 

'  Who  under  Pontius  Pilate  was  crucified  and  buried  '  :   xxii,  xxiii. 

'  The  third  day  rose  from  the  dead  '  :   xxiv  1-49. 

'  Ascended  into  the  heavens  '  :   xxiv  50-53. 

'  Sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  '  :   xxii  69. 

'  Whence  He  cometh  to  judge  the  quick  and  dead  '  :  cf.  ix  26,  xii  35-48,  xviii  8. 

'  And  in  the  Holy  Ghost '  :  i  15,  35,  41,  67,  ii  26,  iv  1,  14,  xi  13,  xii  10,  12. 
'  '  The  Holy  Church  '  :   cf.  i  74,  75,  ix  1-6,  x  1-16,  xxiv  4'J. 

'  The  remission  of  sins  '  :   i  77.  iii  3,  xxiv  47. 

'  The  resurrection  of  the  flesh  '  :   xiv  14,  xx  27-40. 


I5-II51]  ST   LUKE  5 

I  5— II  51     THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  INFANCY 

(a)  The  Promise  of  the  Forerunner,  i  5-25. 

(6)  The  Annunciation  of  the  Saviour's  Birth,  i  26-38. 

(c)  The  Visitation,  and  Magnificat,  i  39-56. 

{d)  The  Birth  of  the  Forerunner  and  Benedictus,  i  57-80. 

(e)  The  Nativity  of  the  Saviour  and  Gloria  in  Excelsis  :    the 

worship  of  the  Shepherds,  ii  1-20. 
(/)  The  Circumcision  of  the  Saviour,  ii  21. 
(g)  The  Presentation,  and  Nunc  Dimittis  :  Prophecies  of  Simeon 

and  Anna,  ii  22-39. 
(h)  The  Saviour's  Childhood  and  First  Passover,  ii  40-52. 

If  St  Luke  had  written  nothing  but  these  two  chapters,  he  would 
have  earned  the  undying  gratitude  of  posterity.  He  has  recorded 
for  us  the  things  that  '  Mary  kept  and  pondered  in  her  heart ' 
(ii  19,  51),  and  in  so  doing  has  given  us  the  only  possible  contem- 
porary and  first-hand  evidence  for  the  phrase  of  the  Creed,  conceived 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary}  He  has  furnished  us, 
alike  in  the  atmosphere  which  pervades  these  chapters  and  in  the 
Canticles  embedded  in  them,  with  a  perfect  link  between  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New.  The  '  Songs  of  the  Holy  Nativity  '  have 
each  its  own  individuality.  '  Mary's  Hymn  teems  with  personal 
feeling,  Zacharias'  with  national  aspirations,  Symeon's  with  cos- 
mopolitan hope.' 2  Yet  all  alike  seem  to  grow  naturally  out  of 
Old  Testament  Psalmody  and  Prophecy,  in  the  phrases  of  which 
they  abound,  and  all  alike  circle  round  a  single  central  event.  Their 
liturgical  use  in  the  Church  has  lasted  nearly  nineteen  centuries,  and 
they  are  never  out  of  date. 

'  They  belong,'  says  Canon  Bernard,^  '  to  individual  persons,  to 
one  moment,  to  one  event ;  but  the  persons  are  chosen  of  God,  the 
moment  is  the  commencement  of  the  Gospel,  the  event  is  the  Birth 
of  Christ ;  and  therefore  the  words  spoken  are  words  for  ever. 
The  thought  of  God  is  in  them,  exalting  the  thought  of  man.  They 
mean  what  Mary,  what  Zacharias,  what  Simeon  meant  from  their 
own  standpoint,  but  they  mean  also  what  we  understand  as  involved 
in  the  event  which  they  celebrated  and  as  implied  in  the  words  that 
they  used.  So  these  Canticles  become  the  voice,  not  only  of  those 
holy  persons,  but  of  the  holy  Church,  and  have  their  place  in  its 
devotions  as  a  leading  note  for  the  perpetual  choir.  Thus,  in  using 
them  as  we  do  in  our  services,  we  have  the  double  advantage  of 
hearing  the  voices  of  the  first  evangelical  singers  and  of  joining  our 
own    with    them.      There  is  distinction  and  there  is   harmony  ; 

'  Dr  Chase  (Creed  and  N.T.,  Macmillan  1920,  p.  31),  remarking  that '  Ultimately 
the  story  if  true  must  have  rested  on  the  word  of  the  Lord's  Mother,'  adds  that 
the  evidence  for  the  Virgin  Birth  '  is  slight,  but  in  a  case  of  this  kind  it  could  not 
be  otherwise  than  slight.' 

2  A.  Wright,  St  Luke,  Macmillan  1900  (p.  9). 

^  Songs  of  the  Holy  Nativity,  by  T.  D.  Bernard,  Macmillan  1895,  p.  43. 


6  ST   LUKE  [I  5-10 

distinction  because  they,  speaking  at  the  dawn  of  knowledge,  had 
a  cast  of  thought  different  from  ours  ;  harmony  because  the  Spirit 
who  spake  in  them  is  the  same  who  speaks  in  the  Church  in  the 
fulness  of  the  Gospel  day.'  ^ 

A  strong  plea  has  recently  been  urged  ^  that  there  are  really 
ten  '  Songs  of  the  Nativity  '  ;  for  besides  the  recognized  Canticles, 
there  are  six  other  passages  which,  when  translated,  fall  naturally 
into  the  Hebrew  Poetry  with  the  characteristics  of  the  later  Psalms. 
These  are  :  (a)  i  13-17  Angel's  Message  to  Zacharias,  (6)  i  30-33 
Gabriel's  first  address  to  Mary,  (c)  i  35-37  Gabriel's  second  address, 
(d)  i  42-45  Elisabeth's  welcome,  (e)  ii  10-12  the  Angel's  address  to 
Shepherds,  (/)  ii  34-36  Simeon's  address  to  Mary.  It  is  claimed, 
in  fact,  that  practically  everything  spoken  in  these  two  chapters 
has  a  Hebrew  metrical  original.  But  some  of  these  utterances  are 
so  clearly  part  and  parcel  of  the  narrative  that,  if  this  be  so,  the 
evidence  is  very  strong  that  St  Luke's  Gospel  of  the  Infancy  is 
based  on  a  Hebrew  (not  Aramaic)  document. 

(a)  I  5-25     The  Promise  of  the  Forerunner 

Zacharias,  a  childless  priest,  in  the  reign  of  Herod  the  Great,  is 
divinely  promised  a  son  in  his  old  age.  The  revelation  comes  to  him 
at  the  moment  of  offering  incense.  This  son  is  to  be  the  new 
Elijah  foretold  by  Malachi  as  ushering  in  the  Messianic  kingdom, 
Zacharias,  doubting,  asks  for  a  sign,  and  the  sign  given  is  his 
own  dumbness.  He  returns  home,  and  shortly  afterwards  his  wife 
Elisabeth  conceives, 

» 

5  There  was  in  the  days  of  Herod,  king  of  Judaea,  a  certain 
priest  named  Zacharias,  of  the  course  of  Abijah  :  and  he  had 
a  wife  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  7ww  ^well  stricken  in  years. 

8  Now  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  executed  the  priest's 
office  before  God  in  the  order  of  his  course,  9  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  priest's  office,  his  lot  was  to  enter  into  the 
Hemple  of  the  Lord  and  burn  incense,  10  And  the  whole 
multitude  of  the  people  were  praying  without  at  the  hom-  of 

^  Gr,  advanced  in  their  days.  "  Or,  sanctuary 

'  Cf,  Naime,  Epistle  of  Priesthood,  pp,  82,  91. 

*  Aytoun,  '  The  Ten  Lucan  Hymns  of  the  Nativity  in  their  original  language,' 
Journal  of  Theol.  Studies  (1917),  vol,  xviii,  pp.  27^288.  Cf.  also  G.  H.  Box,  The 
Virgin  Birth  of  Jesus,  Isaac  Pitman  1916,  pp.  112,  113. 


I  11-24]  ST  LUKE  7 

incense.  11  And  there  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  standing  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense.  12  And 
Zacharias  was  troubled  when  he  saw  him,  and  fear  feU  upon 
him.  13  But  the  angel  said  unto  him,  Fear  not,  Zacharias  : 
because  thy  supplication  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  shaU  rejoice  at  his  birth. 

15  For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
And  he  shall  drink  no  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  unto  the  Lord  their  God. 

17  And  he  shall  ^go  before  his  face 
In  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah, 

To  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children, 
And  the  disobedient  to  walk  in  the  wisdom  of  the  just ; 
To  make  ready  for  the  Lord  a  people  prepared  for 
Him. 
18  And  Zacharias  said  unto  the  angel,  Whereby  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  I  was  sent  to 
speak  unto  thee,  and  to  bring  thee  these  good  tidings.  20  And 
behold,  thou  shalt  be  silent  and  not  able  to  speak,  until  the 
day  that  these  things  shall  come  to  pass,  because  thou 
belie vedst  not  my  words,  which  shall  be  fulfilled  in  theii' 
season.  21  And  the  people  were  waiting  for  Zacharias,  and 
they  marvelled  ^while  he  tarried  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  :  and  he 
continued  making  signs  unto  them,  and  remained  dumb. 
23  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  days  of  his  ministration 
were  fulfilled,  he  departed  unto  his  house. 

24  And  after  these  days  Elisabeth  his  wife  conceived  ;  and 

^  Gr.  sihera.  ^  Or,  Holy  Spirit :  and  so  throughout  this  book. 

*  Some  ancient  authorities  read  come  nigh  before  his  face. 

*  Gr.  advanced  in  her  days.  *  Or,  at  his  tarrying  ®  Or,  sanctuary 


8  ST   LUKE  [1 5, 6 

she  hid  herself  five  months,  saying,  25  Thus  hath  the  Lord 
done  unto  me  in  the  days  wherein  he  looked  upon  me,  to  take 
away  my  reproach  among  men. 

5.  Herod,  king  of  Judcea,  reigned  over  the  whole  of  Palestine 
from  37  b.  c,  when  he  took  Jerusalem  by  storm,  till  4  b.  c.  He  is 
known  as  '  Herod  the  Great.'  An  Idumaean,  second  son  of  Anti- 
pater,  who  after  being  right-hand  man  to  the  Hasmonean  Hyrcanus 
from  the  time  of  Pompey's  invasion  of  Palestine  in  63  b.  c,  had 
steadily  attached  himself  to  successive  Romans  of  distinction.  He 
saved  Caesar's  life  after  the  battle  of  Pharsalia,  and  was  given  by 
him  the  Roman  Citizenship,  and  afterwards  the  title  of  Procurator. 
When  Antipater  was  assassinated  in  43,  Herod  was  already  Governor 
of  Galilee.  With  his  father's  address  he  ingratiated  himself  with 
Antony,  and  he  and  his  brother  were  made  tetrarchs.  In  40,  in 
peril  of  his  life  from  Antigonus,  last  of  the  Hasmoneans,  he  fled  to 
Rome,  and  obtained  from  the  Senate  the  title  of  '  King  of  the  Jews,' 
and  three  years  later  entered  his  kingdom  by  force  of  Roman  arms. 
Though  friendly  on  the  whole  to  his  subjects,  he  developed  gradually 
into  the  bloodiest  of  tyrants.  The  massacre  of  the  Innocents 
recorded  by  St  Matthew  would  be  an  act  typical  of  the  last  years  of 
his  reign.  The  Herod  mentioned  later  in  the  Gospel  is  his  son 
Antipas,  who  inherited  the  Galilean  portion  of  his  father's  do- 
minions on  the  death  of  the  latter.  (On  the  Herod  family,  see 
Hastings,  D.B.  s.v.) 

Zacharias,  of  the  course  of  Abijah.  Zacharias,  Greek  form  of  the 
familiar  Old  Testament  '  Zechariah  '  (  =  '  the  Lord  remembereth  '). 
In  1  Chron  xxiv  10  this  course  of  Abijah  is  detailed  as  the  eighth 
of  the  twenty-four  courses  into  which  the  priests  were  subdivided. 
Each  course  served  in  the  Temple  for  a  week  in  turn,  and  the 
numerous  members  of  the  course  drew  lots  {v.  8)  as  to  who  should 
officiate.  This  arrangement  probably  dates  back  to  Ezra's  time. 
It  has  been  calculated  that  the  course  of  Abijah  was  on  duty  in 
6  B.  c.  from  April  18  to  24  and  from  Oct.  3  to  9  ;  the  latter  date 
would  fit  in  with  the  traditional  times  for  Christmas  and  Lady  Day 
(see  Hastings,  D.C.G.  i  410). 

of  the  daughters  of  Aaron.  The  priests  might  intermarry  with 
other  tribes,  and  it  must  have  been  some  such  intermarriage  that 
made  Elisabeth  and  Mary  (of  the  tribe  of  Judah)  cousins  {v.  36). 

Elisabeth  :  Elisheba  ( = '  God  is  my  oath,'  i.e.  '  the  absolute^ 
faithful ')  was  the  name  of  Aaron's  wife.  Ex  vi  23. 

6.  righteous  before  God  .  .  .  blameless :  cf .  ii  25  of  Simeon.  The 
'  Gospel  of  the  Infancy '  introduces  us  into  a  circle  of  simple,  gracious, 
and  saintly  characters  all  too  rare  in  the  Judaea  of  that  epoch. 
Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Simeon  and  Anna, 
represent  the  noblest  product  of  Old  Testament  education,  and  as 
such  are  privileged  to  see  with  clear  eyes  the  dawn  of  the  New 
Testament  revelation. 


1 


19-14]  ST   LUKE  9 

9.  to  enter  into  the  temple  .  .  .  incense.  This  coveted  ofiQce  of 
burning  incense  on  the  golden  altar  at  the  morning  or  evening 
sacrifice  could  only  fall  to  an  individual  priest  once.  It  was  the 
great  moment  of  Zacharias's  life,  and  his  heart  was  no  doubt  alert  for 
the  supernatural.  The  altar  was  in  the  Sanctuary  or  '  Holy  Place  '  : 
a  chamber  60  feet  long,  which  had  the  table  of  Shewbread  on  the 
left,  the  altar  of  incense  in  the  centre,  and  the  seven-branched 
candlestick  on  the  right.  The  altar  is  described  Ex  xxx  1-10  : 
the  place  of  the  table  and  candlestick  Ex  xxvi  35.  They  are  men- 
tioned again  in  1  Mace  iv  49-51  in  the  account  of  Judas  Maccabaeus's 
dedication  of  the  restored  Temple  in  165  b.  c. 

10.  at  the  hour  of  incense,  i.  e.  of  the  Morning  Sacrifice  (about 
9  a.m.)  or  of  the  Evening  Sacrifice  (about  3  p.m.). 

11.  an  angel.  The  word  means  messenger,  and  is  used  also  for 
human  messengers,  as  in  vii  24.  In  the  Old  Testament  some  have 
thought  that  the  '  angel '  who  waked  the  weary  Elijah  (1  Kgs  xix 
5  sqq.)  and  fed  him  with  bread  freshly  made  was  a  friendly  Bedawen 
— a  veritable  '  messenger  of  God  '  to  him  in  his  desolation.  So  too 
Sir  W.  M.  Ramsay  thinks  that  the  '  angel '  who  unlocked  Peter's 
fetters  and  the  doors  of  his  prison  was  some  friendly  member  of 
Herod's  household. 

Angels  in  the  New  Testament  are  mostly  described  in  the  form 
of  men,  e.  g.  the  angels  of  the  Resurrection  (xxiv  4)  and  of  the 
Ascension  (Ac  i  10).  Granted  the  existence  of  angels,  which  is 
implied  not  only  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  but  specifically 
in  our  Lord's  own  teaching  (e.  g.  ix  26,  xii  9,  xv  10,  xvi  22)  ;  and 
that  God  has  '  ordained  and  constituted  the  services  of  Angels  and 
men  in  a  wonderful  order,'  it  is  quite  natural  that  his  human  servants, 
when  doing  angels'  work,  may  sometimes  be  mistaken  for  their 
superhuman  fellow  servants.  But  there  is  no  question  of  a  human 
agent  here,  nor,  probably,  in  the  other  cases  in  this  Gospel. 

Angelic  appearances  are  frequent  in  this  Gospel  of  the  Infancy, 
where  the  actors  are  of  such  a  temperament  as  to  be  helped  by  such 
visions  ;  they  occur  again  in  the  momentous  days  of  the  Passion 
(xxii  43,  cf.  Mat  xxvi  53)  and  the  Resurrection  (xxiv  4)  and 
Ascension. 

Later  Judaism  became  puerile  in  its  elaborate  angelology,  and 
in  St  Paul's  time  the  '  worship  of  angels  '  was  a  danger  at  Colossae 
(Col  ii  18)  ;   but  abusus  non  tollit  usum. 

12.  Zacharias  was  troubled.  Fear  is  a  natural  outcome  of  contact 
with  the  supernatural :  cf .  the  very  detailed  description  of  an  angelic 
vision  in  Dan  x.  As  there,  so  here  to  Zacharias,  and  later  to  the 
shepherds,  the  angel's  first  word  is  one  of  reassurance,  '  Fear  not.' 

13.  thy  supplication  is  heard  :  evidently  Zacharias  and  his  wife 
had,  like  Hannah  the  mother  of  Samuel,  been  hoping  against  hope, 
and  praying  for  a  son. 

John  =  Johannan,  '  the  Lord  is  gracious.' 

14-17.     The   angel's  proclamation   takes,   when   turned   into 


10  ST   LUKE  [1 14-1 7 

Hebrew,  a  metrical  form  :  see  also  i  30-33,  i  35-37,  i  42-46,  ii  10-12, 
ii  34-36. 

14.  joy  and  gladness.  He  would  bring  joy  not  only  to  his 
parents  in  their  lonely  old  age,  but  to  a  large  circle,  because  of  his 
function  in  the  scheme  of  Redemption,  to  usher  in  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Messiah. 

Joy  is  a  characteristic  note  of  this  Gospel,  struck  here  for  the 
first  time.  So  the  angel  of  the  Nativity  brings  a  message  of  '  great 
joy  '  to  the  shepherds  and  all  mankind  ii  10  ;  the  Evangelist  records 
the  joy  of  the  Seventy  as  they  return  from  their  mission  x  17,  and 
the  responsive  joy  of  their  Master  x  21,  the  joy  of  the  people  at  the 
glorious  works  of  Jesus  xiii  17,  and  the  Lord's  assertion  of  the  joy 
of  angels  over  the  repentant  sinner  xv  7,  10  ;  the  joy  of  Zacchaeus 
that  he  should  be  permitted  to  entertain  Jesus  xix  6,  and  that  of 
the  disciples  when  their  Risen  Lord  came  to  them  xxiv  41  (cf .  xxiv 
32)  ;  and  the  Gospel  ends  as  it  began  on  the  note  of  gladness 
xxiv  52 — a  gladness  that  suffuses  the  life  also  of  the  early  Church 
as  depicted  by  St  Luke  (Ac  viii  8,  xiii  52,  xv  3,  &c.). 

St  Luke  has  caught  the  spirit  of  his  illustrious  friend  and 
travelling  companion  St  Paul  (Eph  v  19,  20),  who  could  '  sing  and 
make  melody  in  his  heart  unto  the  Lord  '  when  imprisoned  at  Rome 
as  earlier  at  Philippi  (Ac  xvi  25). 

15.  no  wine  nor  strong  drink  :  cf.  the  thrice-repeated  injunction 
to  Manoah's  wife  (Jadg  xiii  4,  7,  14)  at  the  '  annunciation  '  of  the 
proximate  birth  of  Samson.  The  mother  is  there  exhorted  during 
the  period  of  conception  and  gestation  to  conform  to  the  ascetic 
rule  of  her  future  Nazarite  son  (cf.  Numb  vi  3).  We  are  not  told 
that  St  John  Baptist  was  actually  a  Nazarite  (as  an  ancient  tradition 
asserts  St  James  '  the  Lord's  Brother  '  to  have  been)  :  but  he  was 
marked  off  from  the  first  for  an  ascetic  life.  This  is  hinted  at  by 
St  Luke  of  his  childhood  and  youth  ('  in  the  deserts,'  i  80,  cf. 
vii  24  sq.),  and  asserted  of  his  official  life  by  the  other  evangelists, 
Mat  iii  4,  Mk  i  6,  and  by  our  Lord  himself  in  St  Luke's  record, 
vii  33 — '  John  the  Baptist  is  come  eating  no  bread  nor  drinking 
wine.  .  .  .' 

16-17.  The  special  mission  of  John  will  be  to  convert  members 
of  the  Jewish  Church  to  their  God,  and  to  propagate  the  spirit  of 
dutifulness  in  preparation  for  the  '  Day  of  the  Lord,'  even  as 
Malachi  had  prophesied  of  Elijah,  Mai  iv  5,  6.  He  will  '  bring  the 
present  rebellious  generation  into  religious  harmony  ■with  the 
righteous  of  olden  time.'  It  is  noticeable  that  the  angel's  message, 
while  it  definitely  recalls  the  passage  of  Malachi,  robs  that  passage 
of  its  threatening  sternness,  even  as  the  Saviour,  in  his  reading  of 
Isaiah  at  Nazareth,  stops  short  of  the  words,  '  the  day  of  vengeance 
of  our  God  '  (see  iv  19,  20).  The  identification  of  the  Baptist  with 
the  Elijah  predicted  by  Malachi  is  made  clear  in  Mat  xi  14.  The 
picture  hero  presented  represents  one  side  of  Messianic  tradition — 
the  Coming  of  Jehovah  :   that  given  in  the  Annunciation  to  Mary, 


1 17-25]  ST   LUKE  11 

the  other  side — the  Davidic  King  {v.  32).    In  B&nedictus  the  two 
are  blended  {vv.  67  sqq.). 

19.  /  am  Gabriel :  the  angel  of  the  Annunciation  also  {v.  26). 
Gabriel  (  =  Man  of  God)  and  Michael  ( =.who  is  like  God  ?)  are  both 
mentioned  in  Daniel — Gabriel  viii  16,  ix  21,  Michael  x  13,  21, 
xii  1 — and  these  two  are  the  only  angels  named  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment— Gabriel  in  this  chapter,  and  Michael  in  Rev  xii  7  as  a  warrior- 
angel,  and  in  Jude  v.  9  as  '  archangel.'  The  allusion  in  Jude  was 
thought  by  Origen  to  have  been  drawn  from  an  apocryphal  As- 
sumption of  Moses,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  Jewish  angelology, 
stimulated  probably  by  Persian  influence,  was  developed  and 
elaborated  in  the  centuries  preceding  our  era.  An  '  archangel ' 
figures  in  2  Esdras,  named  Jeremiel  (iv  36),  and  an  angel  Uriel 
(iv  1,  V  20,  X  28)  ;  in  Tobit  the  angel  Raphael  figures  largely 
(iii  17,  &c.),  and  opposes  the  evil  spirit  Asmodeus  (iii  17,  cf.  iii  8). 
Gabriel  is  the  angel  of  revelation,  and  Mohammed  claimed  to  have 
received  from  him  revelations  which  appear  in  the  Koran. 

20.  because  thou  believedst  7iot.  Zacharias  gets  the  desired  sign 
(v.  18),  but  receives  it  in  the  form  of  a  chastisement.  Superficially 
his  question  resembles  Mary's  in  v.  34  ;  but  the  context  makes  it 
clear  that  his  perplexity  was  not,  like  hers,  blameless. 

21.  they  marvelled  while  he  tarried.  '  According  to  Pharisaic 
practice  the  incense  was  prepared  outside  the  Temple,  and  then 
brought  in  ;  so  that  the  presence  of  the  censing  priest  in  the  sanctuary 
was  normally  of  short  duration,  and  that  is  why  the  people  were 
surprised.'     P.  L. 

23.  when  the  days  .  .  .  were  fulfilled,  i.e.  when  his  week  '  on  duty  ' 
was  over.    (See  on  v.  5.) 

unto  his  house  :  in  a  city  in  the  uplands  of  Judah,  as  we  see  from 
V.  39. 

24.  hid  herself  :  not  from  shame,  as  the  next  verse  makes  clear, 
but  to  avoid  foolish  gossip  and  to  meditate  and  pray. 

25.  to  take  away  my  reproach.  Childlessness  was  esteemed 
a  reproach  among  the  Hebrews,  partly,  no  doubt  on  account  of  the 
intense  natural  desire  for  motherhood,  and  on  the  father's  part 
for  the  continuance  of  the  family  :  but  this  longing  was  doubtless 
heightened  in  the  devout  because  any  child  might  prove  to  be  the 
promised  Messiah.  So  Sarah,  bearing  a  son  in  her  old  age,  says 
'  God  hath  made  me  to  laugh  '  (Gen  xxi  6),  and  Rachel,  before  the 
birth  of  Joseph,  '  God  hath  taken  away  my  reproach  '  (Gen  xxx  23). 
Perhaps  a  closer  parallel  still  is  Hannah,  whose  bitter  longing,  and 
persevering  prayer  and  triumph  are  recorded  in  1  Sam  i,  ii.  Her 
Song  at  the  birth  of  Samuel  (1  Sam  ii  1-10)  formed,  in  some  sense, 
a  model  for  the  Magnificat  (see  on  vv.  46  sqq.). 

(b)  26-38     The  Annunciation 

The  angel  Gabriel  is  sent  to  Nazareth  to  announce  to  Mary, 
virgin  betrothed  to  Joseph  of  the  house  of  David,  that,  by  the 


12  ST   LUKE  [1 26-34 

power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  she  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  Son,  to  be 
called  Jesus,  who  shall  be  called  Son  of  the  Most  High,  and  shall 
rule  for  ever  as  Davidic  King  over  God's  People.  Mary's  alarm  is 
quieted  by  a  reference  to  God's  dealings  with  her  cousin  Elisabeth, 
and  she  submits  herself  in  faith  to  the  Will  of  God. 

The  Annunciation  is  amongst  the  most  favourite  subjects  of 
Christian  Art,  and  the  National  Gallery  contains  a  wealth  of  typical 
examples  from  Duccio  di  Buoninsegna  (No.  1139)  in  the  thirteenth 
century  to  D.  G.  Rossetti  (No.  1210)  in  the  nineteenth.  Notable  are 
those  of  Era  Filippo  Lippi  (No.  666),  Crivelli  (No.  739),  and  Gau- 
denzio  Ferrari  (No.  3068).  The  Medici  Society  in  P.  L.  Warner's 
Book  of  the  Childhood  of  Christ  (cited  hereafter  as  P.  L.  W.,  Childhood), 
see  Introd.,  p.  xxxii,  has  a  reproduction  of  Era  Angelico  in  which  he 
has  caught  the  genuine  Giottesque  spirit  of  reverent  serenity,  as 
contrasted  with  the  '  reckless  impetuosity  '  of  the  Angel  and  the 
'  panic  fear  '  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  limned  by  later  Artists.  See 
Ruskin,  Giotto  and  his  Works  in  Padua,  G.  Allen  1905,  p.  94.  On 
Gabriel  in  the  Annunciation  see  Mrs  Jameson,  Sacred  and  Legendary 
Art,  Pt  I,  §  ii  (The  Archangels). 

26  Now  in  the  sixth  month  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent 
from  God  unto  a  city  of  Galilee,  named  Nazareth,  27  to  a 
virgin  betrothed  to  a  man  whose  name  was  Joseph,  of  the 
house  of  David  ;  and  the  virgin's  name  was  Mary.  28  And 
he  came  in  unto  her,  and  said,  Hail,  thou  that  art  ^highly 
favoured,  the  Lord  is  with  thee.^  29  But  she  was  greatly 
troubled  at  the  saying,  and  cast  in  her  mind  what  manner  of 
salutation  this  might  be.  30  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  Most  High  : 
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  And  Mary  said  unto  the  angel.  How  shall  this  be,  seeing 

*  Or,  endued  with  grace 

^  Many  ancient  authorities  add  blessed  art  thou  among  women.    See  ver.  42. 

"  Or,  grace  *  Gr.  unto  the  ages. 


126-28]  ST  LUKE  13 

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  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee : 
Wherefore  also  Hhat  which  ^is  to  be  born  ^shall  be  called  holy, 
the  Son  of  God. 

36  And  behold,  Elisabeth  thy  kinswoman, 

She  also  hath  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age  : 

And  this  is  the  sixth  month 

With  her  that  *was  called  barren. 

37  For  no  word  from  God  shall  be  void  of  power. 

38  And  Mary  said.  Behold,  the  %andmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be 
it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word.  And  the  angel  departed 
from  her. 

*  Or,  the  holy  thing  which  is  to  he  horn  shall  he  called  the  Son  of  God. 
^  Or,  is  hegottcn  *  Some  ancient  authorities  insert  of  thee. 

*  Or,  is  ^  Gr.  handmaid. 

26.  in  the  sixth  month  :  cf .  vv.  24  and  37. 
Nazareth  :  see  notes  on  ii  30,  51. 

27.  of  the  house  of  David.  As  Joseph  was  not  the  father  of 
Jesus,  vv.  32  and  69  would  seem  to  imply  that  Mary  also  was  of  the 
royal  lineage  ;  and  some  have  supposed  that  the  genealogy  given 
by  St  Luke  (iii  23-38)  is  really  Mary's  pedigree.  It  certainly  differs 
considerably  from  that  of  St  Matthew  (i  1-17,  see  note  ad  loc.). 
But  if  the  two  pedigrees  are  both  of  Joseph  we  must  remember  that 
Jesus  would  be  counted  as  Joseph's  son  for  purposes  of  heritage. 
In  this  sense  St  Matthew  himself  asserts  (i  12)  that  Jeconiah  (who 
died  childless,  Jer  xxii  30)  '  begat  Shealtiel '  (cf.  I  Chron  iii  17). 
It  is  noted  by  Dr  Chase  {Creed  and  N.T.,  Macmillan  1920)  that  both 
the  first  and  the  third  Evangelists  lay  stress  at  once  on  the  Virgin 
Birth  (Mat  i  18,  20,  and  Lk  i  35)  and  on  the  royal  descent  (Mat  i  1, 
ii  2,  and  Lk  i  32),  so  that  neither  of  them  can  have  regarded  the 
two  facts  as  incompatible. 

Mary  :  Mariam,  the  Septuagint  form  of  Miriam  (Ex  xv  20)  is 
the  form  of  the  name  habitually  applied  by  St  Luke  to  the  Lord's 
Mother  ;  the  other  form  Maria  is  also  frequent  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

28.  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly  favoured :  cf .  v.  30.  Xaipc 
K€xapLTWfji4vr],  almost  a  play  on  words — '  Grace  to  thee,  object  of 
God's  grace.'  The  translation  of  the  Vulgate  gratia  pletia  is  am- 
biguous, and  in  the  '  Ave  Maria  gratia  plena,'  &c.,  has  come  to  be 
interpreted  illegitimately  as  '  fountain  '  or  '  source  '  rather  than 
'  recipient '  of  favour. 


14  ST   LUKE  [1 28-32 

(T.  D.  Bernard,  in  his  Songs  of  the  Holy  Nativity,  has  an  in- 
teresting Appendix  on  the  Ave  Maria  devotion,  pp.  157  sqq.) 

29.  greatly  troubled  :  alarmed  and  perplexed,  in  her  own  modesty 
(cf.  vv.  48,  52),  at  the  splendour  of  the  salutation.  Later  on  (v.  34) 
her  modesty  lands  her  in  a  fresh  perplexity.  But  her  true  attitude 
throughout  is  summed  up  in  the  final  utterance  of  v.  38. 

30-33.  The  angel's  first  and  second  address  to  Mary  (i  35-37) 
assume  a  metrical  form  when  rendered  into  Hebrew.  Sec  note  on 
i  14,  and  also  p.  18. 

30.  Fear  not :   cf.  note  on  i  12. 

hast  found  favour  with  God.  Implying  her  worthiness  for  the 
unique  role  designed  for  her.  Without  accepting  the  dogma  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin — which  logically  would  have 
to  be  carried  back  and  back  to  the  first  Mother  of  the  Human  Race 
— or  misinterpreting  the  salutation  of  v.  28,  we  must  needs  see  in 
her  a  vessel  uniquely  fitted  by  her  own  virtue  and  faith  for  the 
honour  about  to  be  conferred  on  her. 

31-33.  Virgin  Bieth  Predicted.  The  language  of  these 
verses,  as  of  the  whole  section,  tells  its  own  tale  of  sincerity  and 
genuineness.  St  Luke  does  not  impart  into  it  one  jot  of  the  more 
developed  Christology  of  his  master  St  Paul,  though  it  is  yet  not 
inconsistent  therewith.  The  angel  announces,  and  Mary  receives, 
remembers,  and  eventually  reports,  and  the  Evangelist  faithfully 
records,  promises  that  grew  naturally  out  of  the  old  Messianic 
teaching  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  The  full  significance  of  what 
it  meant  to  be  Theotokos,  Dei  Genetrix,  Human  Mother  of  Him  who 
was  God  from  all  eternity,  was  not  revealed  to  her  now  :  she  could 
not  have  borne  it.  The  Messianic  promise  to  be  fulfilled  by  this 
nativity  has  its  root  in  Nathan's  prophecy  to  David,  2  Sam  vii 
11-13,  16,  cf.  26,  and  is  developed  in  subsequent  Psalm  and 
Prophecy — Ps  Ixxxix  3,  4,  Ps  cxxxii  11,  17,  Is  ix  6,  7,  xi  1  sqq.,  &c. 
Even  the  phrase  Son  of  the  Most  High  is  drawn  from  the  atmosphere 
of  Messianic  expectation,  which  had  been  created  hy  the  apocal5rptic 
literature  of  recent  centuries,  such  as  the  Book  of  Enoch.  And  the 
phrase  itself  is  applied  by  our  Lord  to  His  followers  (vi  35). 

On  the  Virgin  Birth  see  G.  H.  Box's  monograph.  The  Virgin 
Birth  of  Jesus,  Isaac  Pitman  1916,  and  A.  T.  Robertson,  op.  cit., 
pp.  103-]  17,  '  A  Physician's  account  of  the  Birth  of  Jesus.' 

31.  and  shalt  call  his  name  JESUS:  cf.  ii  21.  St  Matthew, 
who  obviously  gives  the  point  of  view  of  Joseph,  makes  an  angel 
minister  this  injunction  to  him  :  adding  '  for  he  shall  save  his  people 
from  their  sins.'  Joseph  may  have  got  the  angelic  message  first 
from  Mary,  and  '  made  it  his  own,'  and  the  report  subsequently 
confused  the  exact  details,  or  the  message  may  have  been  delivered 
separately  to  each  of  them. 

Jesus  is  the  Greek  form  of  the  Old  Testament  name  Jehoshua, 
Joshua,  Jeshua  (  =  The  Lord  is  Salvation). 

32.  his  father  David.     See  notes  on  i  16,  17,  and  27. 


1 33-35]  ST   LUKE  15 

33.  the  house  of  Jacob.  Here  again  St  Luke  has  declined  to 
colour  the  narrative  with  the  ideas  prevalent  around  him  as  he 
wrote.  There  is  no  intimation  as  yet  of  a  wider  Israel  such  as 
St  Paul  preached  and  St  Luke  ministered  to  at  Philippi  (see  Introd., 
p.  xv).  Simeon's  Song,  some  ten  or  eleven  months  later,  carries 
the  thought  a  step  further — '  A  light  for  revelation  to  the  Gentiles  ' 
(ii  32). 

34.  35.  Those  who,  like  Montefiore,  pour  scorn  on  the  Virgin 
Birth,  would  reckon  these  two  verses  as  a  later  interpolation,  or 
simply  expunge  the  words  '  seeing  I  know  not  a  man.'  It  may  be 
conceded  that  the  mystery  of  the  Virgin  Birth  as  hitherto  under- 
stood by  the  Church  of  Christ  is  in  itself  rather  congruous  with  than 
necessary  to  a  genuine  belief  in  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God. 
But  a  straightforward  reading  of  the  text  here  (there  is  no  MS 
authority  for  special  treatment  of  these  verses,  except  the  minuscule 
'  b  ' — on  which  see  G.  H.  Box's  Virgin  Birth,  pp.  223,  225),  and  of 
the  parallel  narrative  of  St  Matthew,  would  seem  to  lead  inevitably 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  two  Evangelists  believed  in  it  as  a  fact 
grounded  on  the  soundest  evidence.  We  have  seen  that  St  Luke 
has  hitherto  avoided  the  importation  of  Pauline  deductions  into 
this  early  record  of  fact.  The  doctrine  of  the  Virgin  Birth  he  could 
hardly  have  impoited  from  St  Paul,  because,  though  the  Apostle's 
language  '  born  of  a  woman  '  ...  is  consistent  with  it,  St  Paul 
nowhere  in  his  extant  writings  asserts  it.  St  Matthew's  narrative 
(Mat  i  18  sqq.)  is  more  explicit  in  the  matter  than  St  Luke's,  and 
is  at  first  sight  so  inconsistent  with  it  in  small  details  as  to  be 
obviously  independent.  If  St  Matthew  can  be  accused  of  deducing 
it  from  a  misinterpretation  of  Is  vii  14  which  he  quotes,  the  same 
criticism  could  not  by  any  means  be  applied  to  St  Luke,  in  spite  of 
the  resemblance  of  v.  31  to  that  passage.  It  may  be  true  that  the 
announcement  of  v.  35  carries  us  beyond  the  circle  of  contemporary 
Jewish  expectation  ;   but  so  did  the  fact  it  predicted. 

35-37.  In  the  metrical  form  of  the  assumed  Hebrew  original  of 
these  verses  (see  note,  p.  6)  vv.  35b  Wherefore  also  .  .  .  and  37  For 
no  7vord  .  .  .  stand  outside  the  couplets  (see  text). 

35.  The  Holy  Ghost :  first  mentioned  in  v.  15,  where  John,  in 
language  paralleled  in  the  Old  Testament  with  reference  to  '  the 
Spirit  of  Jehovah,'  is  to  be  '  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.'  From  the 
first  chapter  of  the  Gospel  to  the  last  of  the  Acts  (Ac  xxviii  25)  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  very  frequently  mentioned  in  St  Luke's  writings,  and 
in  the  Gospel  especially  in  these  early  chapters.  See  i  41,  ii  25-27, 
iii  22,  iv  1,  14,  18,  x  21,  xi  13.  The  third  Gospel,  in  fact,  leads  up 
to  the  climax  of  His  revelation  at  Pentecost  (Ac  ii),  and  the  Book 
of  Acts  has  been  appropriately  termed  '  The  Gospel  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.' 

Here,  however,  St  Luke  exercises  the  self-restraint  already 
noticed.  The  language  used  to  Mary  need  not  and  probably  would 
not  have  conveyed  to  her  by  anticipation  what  it  means  to  later 


16  ST  LUKE  [1 35-38 

believers,  a  Holy  Ghost  who  is  the  third  Person  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity  in  Unity. 

shall  come  upon  thee  .  .  .  overshadow  thee.  The  most  straight- 
forward interpretation  is  the  traditional  one,  that  in  this  unique 
case  the  Spirit,  who  is  the  Life-giver  to  all  creation,  and  normally 
mediates  the  propagation  of  life  in  manldnd  through  fatherhood, 
here  dispensed  with  that  means,  so  that  the  Son  of  God  in  taking 
upon  Him  our  flesh  was  '  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.'    Cf.  Mat  i  18,  20. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  while  the  Holy  Spirit  figures  in  the 
annunciation  of  the  birth  of  the  Forerunner  as  well  as  in  that  of  the 
Messiah,  the  language  used  is  very  different.  John  is  to  be  '  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost ' — a  frequent  expression  of  St  Luke — i  41,  67  ; 
Ac  ii  4,  iv  8,  31,  ix  17,  xiii  9.  John's  conception  was  natural,  though 
his  austere  and  temperate  spirit  was  to  be  specially  stimulated  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  (cf.  Eph  v  18),  that  of  Jesus,  supernatural. 

36.  Elisabeth  thy  kinswoman.  .  .  .  Here  is  the  most  divinely- 
human  touch  in  all  the  angel's  message.  Mary  is  brought  down 
from  heaven  to  solid  earth  ;  is  given,  in  her  own  circle,  at  once 
a  concrete  example  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  of  God  and 
the  suggestion  of  a  confidante  with  whom  she  may  share  her  stupen- 
dous and  overwhelming  secret.  At  once  all  her  loyalty  and  faith 
is  evoked.  This  touch  and  the  narrative  of  the  '  Visitation  ' 
(viK  39-56)  proclaim  this  Gospel  at  once  as  the  '  Gospel  of  Woman- 
hood' (cf.  Introd.,  p.  xli),  and  strongly  suggest  that  the  record  of 
chs  i  and  ii  not  only  originated  with  a  woman,  but  was  passed  on  to 
Luke  the  Physician  not  through  a  man  but  through  a  woman. 

37.  no  word  of  God  shall  be  void  of  power.  Referring  to  the  child 
of  Elisabeth's  old  age,  the  angel  very  appropriately  quotes  the 
divine  message  to  Sarah,  Gen  xviii  14.  Perhaps  the  original  form 
of  the  words  was,  as  in  the  Hebrew,  '  Is  anything  too  hard  for  the 
Lord  ?  '  and  St  Luke  may  have,  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
altered  it  to  the  Septuagint  version,  with  which  he  is  very  familiar, 
in  turning  the  Hebrew  record  into  Greek.  Dabbar,  which  in  Gen  xviii 
14  means  'thing,'  is  in  Greek  translated  pTJixa  =  '  word.'  Cf.  ii  15, 
'  this  thing  (mg.  '  saying  ').  Like  v.  35b  (see  text)  this  verse  seems 
to  stand  outside  the  metrical  form  of  the  original,  if  a  Hebrew 
original  be  assumed. 

38.  Behold,  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it  unto  me  according 
to  thy  word.  With  these  simple  words  of  absolute  self-surrender 
she  '  turned  the  key  to  open  the  door  of  heaven's  Love  ' — ad  aprir 
r  alto  amor  volse  la  chiave — Dante  {Purg.  x  42).  Dante's  references 
to  this  scene  are  of  great  frequency  and  beauty,  cf .  Purg.  xxix  85,  86, 
Par.  ix  138,  xiv  32,  xvi  34,  xxxii  94  sq.  The  whole  future  of  mankind 
depended  on  her  '  yes  '  or  '  no.'  All  her  perplexities  have  vanished  ; 
her  surrender  is  unconditional.  She  is  the  Lord's  '  slave-girl,'  and 
content  to  be  entirely  at  His  divine  disposal. 


I39-4S]  ST   LUKE  17 

(c)  39-56     The  Visitation.     The  Magnificat 

Mary,  following  Gabriel's  suggestion,  goes  to  visit  her  kinswoman 
Elisabeth  in  the  Judaean  highlands.  Elisabeth,  responsive  to  her 
greeting,  voices  the  welcome  of  her  own  unborn  child  to  the  Mother 
of  the  Messiah,  blesses  Mary,  and  proclaims  the  sure  fulfilment  of  her 
faith.  Mary  then  pours  out  her  thanksgiving  in  the  Church's  most 
famous  Canticle.  After  a  visit  of  three  months  Mary  returns  to 
Nazareth.  The  Visitation  has  formed  the  subject  of  numerous 
sacred  pictures  of  first  rank,  as  by  Giotto,  in  his  Padua  series  of 
frescoes,  Tintoretto  (in  the  Scuola  di  S.  Rocco),  Ghirlandajo  (in  the 
Louvre),  where  Elisabeth  kneels  to  embrace  the  B.V.M.  Better 
known  is  that  of  Albertinelli  (in  the  Uffizi),  which  the  Arundel 
Society  reproduced.  There  is  a  fifteenth-century  picture  in  the 
National  Gallery  by  Patinio  (No.  1082).  P.L.  W.  {Childhood)  has 
one  by  A.  Pirri. 

39  And  Mary  arose  in  these  days  and  went  into  the  hill 
country  with  haste,  into  a  city  of  Judah  ;  40  and  entered 
into  the  house  of  Zacharias  and  saluted  Elisabeth.  41  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  Elisabeth  heard  the  salutation  of  Mary, 
the  babe  leaped  in  her  womb  ;  and  Elisabeth  was  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  ;  42  and  she  lifted  up  her  voice  with  a  loud 
cry,  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  unto  me  ? 
44  For  behold, 

When  the  voice  of  thy  salutation  came  into  mine  ears, 
The  babe  leaped  in  my  womb  for  joy. 
45  And  blessed  is  she  that  ^believed  ;     for  there  shall  be 
a  fulfilment 
Of  the  things  which  have  been  spoken  to  her  from  the 
Lord. 

*  Or,  believed  that  there  shall  he 

39.  went  into  the  hill  country  with  haste.  The  journey  between 
Nazareth  and  the  Judaean  hill-country  could  be  taken,  as  Jesus 
Himself  took  it  afterwards,  either  through  Samaria  (the  shortest 
route,  but  sometimes  avoided  owing  to  the  hostility  of  the  in- 
habitants) or  through  Peraea,  east  of  Jordan.  She  goes  in  haste, 
excited,  and,  as  it  were,  bursting  with  her  wondrous  news  ;  also 
perhaps  eager  to  see  her  kinswoman  well  before  the  birth  of  her 

L.  2 


18  ST   LUKE  [1 39-46 

child  :   which  indeed  {v.  57)  followed  quickly  upon  the  close  of  her 
visit. 

Of  the  nine  Judaean  priestly  cities  enumerated  in  Jos  xxi  13  sqq. 
at  least  five  seem  to  have  been  in  the  hill-countrj^ :  Hebron,  Jattir, 
Juttah,  Eshtemoa,  Debir.  The  length  of  Mary's  journey  would 
depend  partly  on  which  of  these  cities  was  Elisabeth's  home.  They 
were  all,  however,  towards  the  south  end  of  the  Judaean  range,  where 
it  begins  to  slope  towards  Beersheba.  In  any  case  it  would  be  eight 
days'  journey  or  more — more  than  80  miles,  through  Ain  Karim, 
the  traditional  site,  and  much  nearer  to  Jerusalem.  It  is  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Septuagint  that  makes  Luke  call  this  towTi  (unknown 
to  him)    a  city  of  Judah,'  not  "  of  Judea.'    (P.  L.) 

40.  saluted  Elisabeth.  The  twofold  promise  of  motherhood  had 
woven  a  new  bond  of  sympathy  between  the  cousins. 

41.  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost :  see  note  on  v.  35.  Before 
Mary  speaks  her  secret  is  revealed  to  Elisabeth,  whose  unborn  child 
pays  homage  to  his  unborn  Lord.  With  loud  cry  of  exultation  she 
exclaims 

42-45.  Blessed  art  thou.  .  .  .  Words  attached  to  the  Ave  Maria 
(see  on  v.  28)  in  the  sixteenth-century  devotion  of  that  name. 
They  are  re-echoed  by  Mary  herself  in  her  Magnificat,  v.  48,  '  from 
henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed.'  Turned  back  into 
Hebrew  (see  note,  p.  6)  this  utterance  of  Elisabeth  falls  into  two 
strophes,  the  first  of  two  trimeter,  the  second  of  two  tetrameter 
couplets. 

46-55.  Magnificat.  The  three  Canticles,  Magnificat,  Bene- 
dictus,  Nunc  Dimittis,  are  so  much  alike  in  style  and  matter,  and 
breathe  so  evidently  the  same  spirit,  that  some  have  ventured, 
with  Harnack,  to  assert  them  imaginative  compositions  of  the 
Evangelist.  Of  course  St  Luke,  who  followed  the  Graeco-Roman 
literary  style  in  his  Preface,  might  naturally  be  expected  where  it 
was  aesthetically  called  for,  if  not  like  Thucydides  and  Livy  to 
put  into  the  mouths  of  his  actors  appropriate  speeches  of  his  own 
invention,  at  any  rate  to  work  up  such  speeches  into  literary  form 
from  brief  notes  and  other  indications.  Very  likely  this  may  be  the 
history  of  some  of  the  speeches  in  the  Acts.  But  consummate  artist 
as  he  was,  and  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
in  the  Septuagint,  it  is  hardly  conceivable  that  he  could  have 
achieved  the  extraordinary  result  here  claimed  for  him.  Dr  Sanday 
says,  '  St  Luke  always  impresses  his  signature  upon  his  documents, 
and  no  doubt  he  has  done  so  in  his  first  two  chapters,  but  (1)  there 
are  here  a  number  of  minute  allusions  to  Jewish  Law  and  Cere-^ 
monial  so  unlike  St  Luke's  manner,  and  (2)  these  chapters  so  exactly 
hit  the  attitude  of  expectancy  which  existed  before  the  public 
appearance  of  Christ,  that  I  venture  to  assert  that  these  two 
chapters  and  their  Songs  are  essentially  the  most  archaic  thing  in 
the  New  Testament.' 

Pious  Jewish  minds,  steeped  in  Old  Testament  poetry,  and  in 


146-55]  ST   LUKE  19 

the  literature  of  more  elaborate  and  definite  expectation  of  which 
the  Pharisaic  Psalms  of  Solomon  (c.  70-40  b.  o.)  are  good  examples, 
might  well  express  themselves  thus  under  the  exalting  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  bend  pre-Gospel  language  to  bridge  the  gap, 
carrying  on  revelation  almost  unconsciously  to  a  point  hitherto 
unreached.  But  could  a  Gentile  convert,  writing  some  60  or  70  years 
after  the  event,  achieve  the  same  result  ?  If  they  are  not  either 
compositions  of  the  Evangelist  or  genuine  utterances  of  the  people 
to  whom  he  attributes  them,  they  may,  in  whole  or  in  part,  have 
been  conscious  citations  of  contemporary  Messianic  hymns,  extant 
now  in  no  other  context.  So  Dr  Adeney  suggests — as  a  Christian 
woman  to-day  might,  in  moments  of  deep  emotion,  sing  '  Rock  of 
Ages  ' ;  and  in  this  case  either  actually  uttered  at  the  times  alleged, 
by  Mary,  Zacharias,  and  Simeon,  or  put  into  their  mouths  as 
appropriate  by  St  Luke.  There  seems  no  adequate  reason  for 
doubting  St  Luke's  attribution.  It  is  remarkable  that  all  these 
inspired  utterances  fall  naturally  into  Hebrew  verse  ;  alike  those  of 
the  Angels  to  Zacharias,  to  Mary,  and  to  the  shepherds,  and  of  the 
Angel  choir,  and  those  of  men  and  women  '  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost ' — Elisabeth's  welcome  of  Mary,  and  Simeon's  prediction 
to  Mary — as  well  as  the  recognized  Canticles.  Either  the  whole 
foundation-document  used  by  St  Luke  was  in  Hebrew  rather  than 
Aramaic,  or  at  least  the  utterances  seem  to  have  been  in  almost 
classical  Hebrew  forms. 

The  Song  of  Mary  is  crowded  with  reminiscences  and  phrases 
from  Old  Testament  poetry,  as  any  reference  Bible  will  make  clear, 
but  its  opening  and  v.  53  so  definitely  recall  the  Song  of  Hannah 
(1  Sam  ii  l-IO)  that  we  are  inevitably  drawn  to  a  comparison 
between  the  two  utterances.  Harmah's  song  would  certainly  seem 
to  have  been  in  Mary's  mind  :  and  it  is  quite  natural  that  since  the 
Annunciation  she  should  have  meditated  deeply,  not  only  on 
Messianic  Prophecy,  but  specifically  on  the  figure  of  Samuel's 
mother — the  devout  woman  who  was  chosen  by  God  in  the  past  to 
give  birth  to  a  great  Deliverer. 

Magnificat  has  been  attributed  by  Harnack  to  Elisabeth  (or 
regarded  as  a  free  composition  of  the  Evangelist  put  into  Elisabeth's 
mouth)  on  the  ground  that  the  very  meagre  MSS  authority  (three 
old  Latin  versions,  supported  by  a  few  patristic  references,  which 
substitute  Elisabeth  for  Mary  in  this  verse)  is  corroborated  by  the 
situation.  Elisabeth's  case  resembles  Hannah's  ;  Mary's  does  not. 
But  it  is  noticeable  that  the  verse  really  in  point  for  Elisabeth, 
'  Yea,  the  barren  hath  borne  seven  '  (1  Sam  ii  5),  does  not  appear 
in  our  Canticle.  Perhaps,  as  some  MSS  have  neither  name,  St  Luke 
may  have  written  '  and  [she]  said.'  Cf.  G.  H.  Box,  Virgin  Birth, 
pp.  226,  227. 

But  in  other  respects  comparison  between  the  two  songs 
emphasizes  a  contrast  in  spirit  that  is  even  greater  than  the  resem- 
blance.    '  Whilst  Mary  '   (says  Godet)  '  celebrates  her  happiness 

2-2 


20  ST   LUKE  [I46-SS 

with  deep  humility  and  holy  restraint,  Hannah  sui  renders  herself 
completely  to  the  feeling  of  personal  triumph,  with  her  very  first 
words  breaking  forth  into  cries  of  indignation  against  her  enemies.' 
There  is  also  a  contrast  noticeable  (A.  E.  Brooke)  between  the  spirit 
of  these  songs  [Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis)  and  the  fervid  spirit 
of  the  contemporary  Zealots.  Here  it  is  the  hopes  of  the  Chasidim, 
rather  than  of  the  Nationalists,  that  find  expression.  The  scope  of 
the  thought  will  be  found  to  widen  out  steadily,  the  first  stanza, 
vv.  46-50,  being  mainly  personal ;  the  second  (vv.  51-55)  ending 
on  a  note  that  suggests  the  promise  of  Gen  xxii  18,  'in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed.' 

46  And  Mary  said, 

My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 

47  Aiid  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

48  For  he  hath  looked  upon  the  low  estate  of  his  hand- 

maiden : 
For  behold,  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. 

50  And  his  mercy  is  unto  generations  and  generations 
On  them  that  fear  him. 

51  He  hath  shewed  strength  with  his  arm  ; 

He  hath  scattered  the  proud  ^in  the  imagination  of 
their  heart. 

52  He  hath  put  down  princes  from  their  thrones, 
And  hath  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 

53  The  hungry  he  hath  filled  with  good  things  ; 
And  the  rich  he  hath  sent  empty  away. 

54  He  hath  liolpen  Israel  his  servant, 
That  he  might  remember  mercy 

55  (As  he  spake  unto  our  fathers) 
Toward  Abraham  and  his  seed  for  ever. 

*  Gr.  bondmaiden,  '  Or,  hy 

46-50.  We  notice  the  mingling  of  exultant  joy  and  deep  humility 
with  exquisite  modesty  of  reticence  and  reverential  adoration. 

In  V.  50  she  ranges  herself  with  all  God-fearing  people,  claiming 
for  them  the  same  mercy  which  has  so  blessed  her. 

This  forms  the  transition  to  the  second  stanza,  according  to  our 
traditional  arrangement.     Aytoun,  in  his  Hebrew  version,  makes 


isi-61]  ST   LUKE  21 

vv.  46-48  the  first  stanza  of  two  tetrameter  couplets,  vv.  49-55  the 
second,  of  couplets  chiefly  in  pentameter. 

51-55.  In  this  speaks  the  true  child  of  Israel,  the  peasant  scion 
of  the  ancient  royal  house.  She  sees  God's  people  under  alien 
domination — an  Edomite  ruler,  by  the  grace  of  Rome — she  sees 
worldliness  and  bigotry  among  the  official  leaders  of  religion.  The 
world  is  a  scene  of  usurpation  :  God  must  and  will  strike  in  to  set  it 
right.  The  Rod  of  Jesse's  stem  has  been  promised  .  .  .  '  on  whom 
rests  the  spirit  of  the  IjORD  as  a  spirit  of  government  in  truth  and 
righteousness,  and  whose  reign  is  the  dynasty  of  God  '  (Bernard, 
p.  60).  Contrast  this  pure  '  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness '  with  the  spirit  of  personal  triumph  that  breathes  through 
Hannah. 

56  And  Mary  abode  with  her  about  three  months,  and 
returned  unto  her  house. 


(d)  57-79     Birth  and  Circumcision  of  John,     The  Benedictus 

The  narratives  of  the  annunciation  and  birth  of  the  Herald  and 
the  King  are  necessarily  dovetailed  into  one  another,  yet  the 
atmosphere  of  each  is  quite  distinct.  The  Visitation  forms  a 
beautiful  connecting  link  between  them. 

Elisabeth's  child  is  duly  born,  and  amid  congratulations  of  her 
circle  of  friends  the  ceremony  of  circumcision  takes  place.  At  this 
ceremony,  as  among  Christians  at  baptism,  the  child's  name  is 
given.  Elisabeth,  mindful  of  the  angel's  injunction  {v.  13)  declines 
to  name  him  after  his  father,  and  will  have  him  called  '  John.' 
Zacharias,  still  dumb,  and  apparently  deaf  also,  is  appealed  to, 
since  John  is  not  one  of  the  family  names.  He  signs  for  a  wax 
tablet  and  writes  thereon  '  His  name  is  John,'  and  immediately 
recovers  his  speech,  to  the  amazement  of  the  company.  Then, 
under  an  inspiration  like  Mary's,  he  bursts  forth  into  a  prophetic 
song  of  praise. 

57  Now  Elisabeth's  time  was  fulfilled  that  she  should  be 
delivered  ;  and  she  brought  forth  a  son.  58  And  her  neigh- 
bom-s  and  her  kinsfolk  heard  that  the  Lord  had  magnified  his 
mercy  towards  her  ;  and  they  rejoiced  with  her.  59  And  it 
came  to  pass  on  the  eighth  day,  that  they  came  to  circumcise 
the  child  ;  and  they  would  have  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 


22  ST   LUKE  [i  62-66 

name.  62  And  they  made  signs  to  his  father,  what  he  would 
have  him  called.  63  And  he  asked  for  a  writing  tablet,  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,  blessing  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  Judsea. 
66  And  all  that  heard  them  laid  them  up  in  their  heart, 
saying,  What  then  shall  this  child  be  ?  For  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  with  him. 

59.  on  the  eighth  day :  in  accordance  with  the  Mosaic  Law  (see 
Gen  xvii  9-14) — so  too  in  our  Lord's  case,  ii  2L 

62.  made  signs  to.  This  seems  to  assume  that  Zacharias  was 
deaf  as  well  as  dumb.  The  Syr-Sin.  version  has  :  '  and  they  also 
spoke  to  the  father  '  (P.  L.). 

66.  laid  them  up  in  their  heart.  So  the  Evangelist  speaks  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  (ii  19,  51)  as  storing  up  the  memories  of  this  won- 
derful time.  In  each  case  he  seems  to  be  hinting  at  the  ultimate 
source  of  his  information  (cf.  note  on  p.  4). 

67-79.  Benedictus.  If  we  could  see  reason  for  the  appro- 
priateness of  Magnificat,  with  its  teeming  Old  Testament  allusions, 
in  the  mouth  of  the  devout  peasant  maiden,  still  more  obviously 
appropriate  is  this  poetic  summary  of  Old  Testament  prophecy 
from  the  lips  of  the  aged  priest.  Every  line  echoes  holy  and  familiar 
phrases  (see  Reference  Bible),  and  there  has  been  noted  a  special 
affinity  with  the  '  Benedictions  '  used  in  the  Temple  before  the 
daily  sacrifice. 

Benedictus,  like  Magnificat,  falls  naturally  into  two  stanzas. 
These  are  of  two  strophes  each.  The  first  two  strophes,  68-71  and 
72-75,  summarize  and  enunciate  afresh  the  gracious  promises  of 
Jehovah  on  which  the  Messianic  Hope  is  based.  This  first  half  of 
the  song  announces  the  Davidic  Messiah,  and  proclaims  (against 
the  actual  background,  gloomy  alike  from  the  political,  social, 
and  religious  points  of  view)  deliverance  from  external  foes  and  an 
unhindered  opportunity  for  the  expression  of  the  true  life  of  God's 
People — glad  service  of  the  Lord,  unwearied  and  unafraid. 

The  second  stanza — third  and  fourth  strophes  {vv.  76-78  and  79) 
— is  still  richer  and  more  beautiful  in  thought  and  phrase.  The  first 
strophe,  taking  up  the  angel's  word  about  the  child  {v.  17),  apostro- 
phizes the  newly-circumcised  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Old 
Covenant,  as  j)rophet,  forerunner,  harbinger  of  redemption  ;  the 
second  hails  the  brightening  dawn  of  God's  Kingdom.  The  strophes, 
as  arranged  by  A}i;oun,  form  (a)  four  tetrameter  lines,  (6)  three 
trimeter  couplets  (of  which  each  line  begins  with  the  Hebrew 
Lamed),  (c)  four  hexameter  lines,  {d)  one  tetrameter  couplet. 


167-79]  ST   LUKE  23 

67  And  his  father  Zacharias  was  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  prophesied,  saying, 

68  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel ; 

For  he  hath  visited  and  wrought  redemption  for  his 
people, 

69  And  hath  raised  up  a  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  Salvation  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  all 

that  hate  us  ; 

72  To  shew  mercy  towards  our  fathers, 
And  to  remember  his  holy  covenant  ; 

73  The  oath  which  he  sware  unto  Abraham  our  father, 

74  To  grant  unto  us  that  we  being  delivered  out  of  the 

hand  of  our  enemies 
Should  serve  him  without  fear, 

75  In  holiness  and  righteousness  before  him  all  our  days. 

76  Yea  and  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of  the 

Most  High  : 
For  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  make 
ready  his  ways  ; 

77  To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people 
In  the  remission  of  their  sins, 

78  Because  of  the  ^tender  mercy  of  our  God, 
^Whereby  the  dayspring  from  on  high  ^shall  visit  us, 

79  To   shine  upon  them  that   sit  in  darkness  and  the 

shadow  of  death  ; 
To  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 

*  Or,  heart  of  mercy  "  Or,  Wherein 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  read  hath  visited  tis. 

67.  prophesied.  Zacharias,  like  Ezekiel,  was  both  priest  and 
prophet,  for  the  moment  at  least.  Inspiration  gave  him  special  and 
intimate  insight  into  the  mind  and  will  of  God  ;  which  is  the  heart 
of  prophecy.  Prediction  is  only  one  aspect  of  the  gift ;  but  that 
too  is  here — couched,  as  often  in  Old  Testament  prophets,  in  the 
'  prophetic  past  tense,'  which  is  virtually  past,  present,  and  future 
in  one,  visualizing  events  and  movements  from  the  plane  of  eternity. 
What  God  wills  is  a  fact,  even  though  it  be  not  yet  generalh' 
realized. 


24  ST   LUKE  [1 69-76 

69.  a  horn  oj  salvation  :  cf .  the  end  of  Hannah's  song  :  '  He  shall 
.  .  .  exalt  the  horn  of  his  anointed  '  (1  Sam  ii  10)  ;  the  agricultural 
metaphor  by  which  the  horn  of  the  ox  stands  for  strength  is  common 
in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  well  rendered  in  our  Prayer  Book 
version  by  '  a  mighty  salvation.' 

In  the  house  of  his  servant  David.  See  note  on  i  16,  17.  '  The 
tabernacle'  or  'hut'  of  David  in  Amos's  phrase  (Am  ix  11)  was, 
indeed,  to  all  appearance  '  in  a  ruined  condition.'  An  Edomite 
(cf.  Am  ix  12)  was  on  the  throne,  and  the  last  scions  of  the  old 
Royal  House  were  living  the  obscure  life  of  poor  artisans  away  from 
David's  city,  in  an  obscure  village  of  Galilee. 

Three  people  alone  had  shared,  during  the  last  three  months, 
the  secret  of  its  coming  restoration,  and  but  a  little  of  the  truth  can 
as  yet  have  been  revealed  to  them  ;  little,  especially  of  the  manner 
of  its  fulfilment.    But  the  fact  is  henceforth  common  property. 

72.  To  shew  mercy  towards  our  fathers,  i.e.  in  faithful  fulfil- 
ment to  their  children.  But  perhaps  also  with  the  implication  that 
the  fathers — living  unto  God,  cf.  xx  38 — would  be  conscious  of 
such  fulfilment. 

covenant.    See  Gen  xv. 

73.  The  oath.  See  Gen  xxii  16,  17 ;  cf.  also  Micah  vii  20, 
'  Thou  wilt  perform  the  truth  to  Jacob,  and  the  mercy  to  Abraham, 
which  thou  hast  sworn  unto  our  fathers  from  the  days  of  old.' 

74.  76.  serve  hiw  without  fear,  d;c. :  cf .  Collect  for  Fifth  Simday 
after  Trinity :  '  That  thy  Church  may  joyfully  serve  thee  in  all 
godly  quietness.'  This  unhindered  and  unmolested  fulfilment  of 
the  purpose  for  which  we  were  created  is  the  theme  of  Dante's 
De  Monarchia.  The  predatory  instincts  of  men  and  nations  have 
been  its  enemies  all  through  history  :  Zacharias  predicts  the  com- 
plete subdual  of  these  under  the  Monarchia  of  the  Messianic  King. 
The  same  hope  is  now  placed  in  a  League  of  Nations  founded  on 
a  basis  of  Christian  principle. 

76.  Yea  and  thou,  child.  .  .  .  Here  begins  the  second  stanza, 
as  the  aged  father  turns  and  addresses  the  infant  John. 

the  prophet.  The  canon  of  the  Prophets  was  already  closed 
when  Ben-Sirach's  grandson  wrote  (c.  130  b.  c.)  his  preface  to  the 
Book  Ecclesiasticus.  '  My  grandfather  Jesus,'  he  says,  '  gave 
himself  much  to  the  reading  of  the  Law,  and  the  Prophets,  and  the 
other  books  of  our  fathers.'  Apocalyptic  writers  had  been  busy 
ministering  hope  and  courage  to  a  depressed  people  ;  but  of  the 
whole  period  since  Malachi,  the  Psalmist's  words  might  be  used 
(Ps  Ixxiv  9)  : 

We  see  not  our  signs  : 

There  is  no  more    ny  prophet ; 

Neither  is  there  among  us  any  that  knoweth  how  long. 

John,  '  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah,'  was  to  revive  the  true 
spirit  of  prophecy.     In  virtue  of  his  office  as  herald  of  the  imme- 


I76-80]  ST   LUKE  26 

diate  coming  of  the  Kingdom,  our  Lord  proclaims  him  as  '  much 
more  than  a  prophet '  (vii  26,  27). 

77.  to  give  knowledge  of  salvation.  The  message  of  Deliverance 
had  been  mishandled  by  Jewish  teachers,  who  tended  to  centre 
all  their  Messianic  ideas  in  the  thought  of  temporal  blessings  and 
a  temporal  Conqueror  and  ruler.  This  bred  the  political-religious 
fanaticism  of  the  Zealots,  which  was  among  the  prime  causes  of 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  extinction  of  the  Jewish  State. 
On  the  spiritual  side  the  Pharisees,  who  had  done  splendid  service 
in  the  past,  were  now,  as  the  Gospel  story  makes  clear,  tending 
to  narrow  down  the  means  of  salvation  to  an  elaborate  and 
mechanical  legality,  and  to  interpret  salvation  itself  in  terms  of 
self-righteousness. 

The  Ministry  of  the  Messiah  had  to  be  preceded,  as  Godet  says, 
by  that  of  another  divine  messenger,  '  because  the  very  notion  of 
salvation  was  falsified  in  Israel,  and  had  to  be  corrected  before 
salvation  could  be  realised.' 

in  the  remission  of  their  sins  :  this  pre-requisite  of  salvation, 
to  which  repentance  is  itself  a  necessary  preliminary^,  had  been  left 
out  of  sight.  It  is  to  be  the  great  theme  of  John's  preaching. 
See  iii  3  sqq. 

78.  the  dayspring  from  on  high.  This  beautiful  phrase,  when 
analysed,  involves  a  contradiction  in  terms  ;  the  first  thought  is  of 
the  upspringing  of  the  dawn  from  the  eastern  horizon,  the  second, 
that  the  Gospel-dawn  breaks  on  us  from  above.  The  mixture 
of  metaphors  is  quite  in  the  Hebrew  manner,  e.  g.  in  Is  xxviii  18, 
'  When  the  overflowing  scourge  shall  pass  through,  then  ye  shall 
be  trodden  down  by  it,'  we  have  in  one  half- verse  at  least  three 
metaphors  combined — a  flood,  a  whip,  and  a  trampling  host ! 

79.  upon  them  tlmt  sit  in  darkness,  <fcc.  The  background  of 
this  verse  is  clearly  the  great  prophecy  Is  ix,  wherein  the  '  Prince 
of  Peace  '  is  first  named.  There  light  is  predicted  for  the  desolated 
region  of  Galilee — Zebulun  and  Naphtali — the  Northern  Kingdom 
recently  ravaged  and  depopulated  by  Assyria.  This  gives  point 
to  St  Matthew's  citation  of  Is  ix  1,  2  in  connexion  with  the  opening 
of  our  Lord's  Galilean  ministry  (Mat  iv  12-16).  Cf.  also  Is  Ix  1-3. 
Vistas  of  meaning  lie  in  these  words,  no  doubt  beyond  what 
Zacharias  saw  as  he  uttered  them.  '  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles  ' 
suggests  the  bolder  and  more  definite  universalism  (again  perhaps 
only  partly  perceived  when  uttered)  of  the  Nunc  Dimittis  (ii  32)  : 
and,  originating  from  this  passage,  but  enriched  by  the  frequent 
use  of  the  '  light  and  darkness  '  metaphor  throughout  the  New 
Testament,  the  bearing  of  the  Gospel  light  to  illumine  '  heathen 
darkness  '  has  become  a  most  familiar  metaphor  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world. 

80  And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and 
was  in  the  deserts  till  the  day  of  his  shewing  unto  Israel. 


26  ST   LUKE  [i  So-Il  i 

80.  was  in  the  deserts.  John's  ascetic  life  began  in  early  boy- 
hood. Meanwhile  Jesus,  who  says  of  himself  that  he  '  came  eating 
and  drinking  '  (vii  34) — purposely  sharing  as  far  as  might  be  the 
normal  experiences  of  human  life — was  growing  up  quietly  in  the 
home  at  Nazareth.^ 


(e)  II  1-20     The  Birth  of  Christ 

The  year  of  the  Nativity  is  still  subject  of  discussion.  That 
St  Luke's  object  was  to  give  a  definite  unmistakable  date  (as  also 
in  iii  1-2)  is  obvious ;  but  it  is  diflficult  to  harmonize  the  Evangelist's 
indications  with  knowTi  synchronisms  from  secular  history.  If  the 
first  Gospel  is  to  be  trusted  (cf .  Lk  i  5)  Christ  was  born  during  the 
reign  of  Herod,  who  died  in  the  year  styled  4  B.  c.  according  to 
our  inaccurate  traditional  reckoning  ;  and  the  Nativity  should 
apparently  be  dated  two  years  at  least  before  his  death  (Mat  ii  16). 
This  would  bring  us  to  7  or  6  B.C.,  and  would  rule  out  the  known 
census  under  Quirinius  in  a.  d.  6-7,  after  the  deposition  of  Archelaus 
when  Judaea  became  a  Roman  Province.  This  census  is  recorded 
by  Josephus,  and  mentioned  also  by  St  Luke  himself  in  Ac  v  37. 

Sir  Wm.  Ramsay's  researches  have  recently  done  much  to 
clear  up  this  question  and  to  suggest  that,  allowing  for  our  ignorance 
on  many  points,  St  Luke,  who  has  proved  so  remarkably  accurate 
where  we  can  really  test  him,  may  be  trusted  where  positive  proof 
is  wanting.  Ramsay  notes  that,  besides  giving  us  a  date,  the 
Evangelist  sets  the  Birth  of  Jesus  '  amid  its  proper  surroundings  as 
an  event  in  the  development  of  Roman  imperial  relations.'  ^ 

The  Narrative  itself — the  world's  greatest  classic,  we  might 
almost  venture  to  call  it — compares  strikingly,  in  its  naturalness, 
restraint,  and  dignity  with  the  extravagances  of  Apocryphal 
Gospels  on  the  same  theme.  Like  the  two  previous  episodes  and 
the  one  that  follows,  it  finds  expression  in  a  song.     The  Gospels 

^  In  Art  the  young  St  John,  usually  accompanied  by  ■  Lamb  in  vie-w  of  his 
future  proclamation  (Jn  i  29)  of  the  Agnus  Dei,  is  usually  grouped  with  the  Holy 
Family.  Of  this  there  are  countless  examples  by  the  best  Masters.  The  National 
Gallery  contains  one  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci  (No.  1093),  and  an  unBnished  one  by 
Michelangelo  (No.  809).  A  charming  representation  by  Bernardino  Luini  (Prado, 
Madrid)  shows  the  Baptist  and  his  Divine  Cousin  embracing.  Occasionally  St  John 
is  depicted  alone  as  by  B.  Luini  (in  Ambrosiana,  Milan,  and  in  S.  Maria  degli 
Angioli  at  Lugano).  A  very  striking  picture  of  an  inspired  boy  of  about  8  or  9  years 
old  in  the  desert  is  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds'  in  the  National  Gallery.  Donatello's 
wonderful  statue  in  Florence  represents  him  as  a  little  older. 

^  '  Not  only  are  the  statements  in  Lk  ii  1-3  true,  they  are  also  in  themselves 
great  statements,  presenting  to  us  large  historical  facts,  world-wide  administrative 
measures,  vast  forces  working  on  human  society  through  the  ages.  He  sets  before 
us  the  circumstances  in  which  Jesus  Christ  came  to  be  bom  in  Bethlehem,  not  at 
Nazareth,  as  caused  by  the  interplay  of  mighty  cosmic  forces.'  {Recent  Discovery, 
p.  304.) 

Cf.  McLachlan,  St  Luke,  the  Man,  d-c,  1920,  p.  26.  There  is  a  census  return 
among  the  Oxyxhynchus  PapjTi  '  which  Drs  Grenfell  and  Hunt  on  good  evidence 
date  A.  D.  19-20  (Oxyr.  Papyri  ii  209  ff.).' 


11  1-7]  ST   LUKE  27 

are  never  more  quiet  and  simple  than  when  they  are  narrating 
redemptive  facts  of  world-wide  moment. 

II  Now  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  there  went  out 
a  decree  from  Csesar  Augustus,  that  all  Hhe  world  should  be 
enrolled.  2  This  was  the  first  enrolment  made  when  Quirinius 
was  governor  of  Syria,  3  And  all  went  to  enrol  themselves, 
every  one  to  his  own  city.  4  And  Joseph  also  went  up  from 
Galilee,  out  of  the  city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judaea,  to  the  city 
of  David,  which  is  called  Bethlehem,  because  he  was  of  the 
house  and  family  of  David  ;  5  to  eru-ol  himself  with  Mary, 
who  was  betrothed  to  him,  being  great  with  child.  6  And  it 
came  to  pass,  while  they  were  there,  the  days  were  fulfilled  that 
she  should  be  delivered.  7  And  she  brought  forth  her  firstborn 
son  ;  and  she  wrapped  him  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him 
in  a  manger,  because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 

^  Gr.  the  inhabited  earth. 

1.  a  decree  from  Ccesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world  should  be 
enrolled.  The  first  Roman  Emperor,  31  b.  c. — a.  d.  14,  prepared 
with  his  own  hand  a  rationarium  imperii,  a  kind  of  '  Domesday 
Book  '  with  a  description  of  the  subject  kingdoms  and  provinces 
with  the  taxes  direct  and  indirect,  and  such  a  census  as  is  implied 
here  would  be  a  useful  means  of  collecting  the  necessary  informa- 
tion. Taking  the  well-known  census  under  Quirinius  in  a.  d.  6-7, 
we  may  add  the  consideration  that,  according  to  the  evidence  of 
Egyptian  papyri,  in  Egypt  at  any  rate  a  census  was  taken  every 
fourteen  years  ;  and  if  this  census  was  general  in  the  East,  a 
previous  census  would  fall  just  about  7-6  b.  c,  which  would  be 
St  Matthew's  date  for  the  Nativity.  If  we  assume  that  Herod's 
attempts  to  allay  Jewish  prejudice  (see  note  on  vv.  3-4)  delayed 
the  execution  of  the  order,  6  or  5  B.  c.  would  fit  in  exactly  with  the 
requirements  of  the  situation. 

The  results  of  Ramsay's  scattered  arguments  and  discussions 
are  conveniently  collected  by  A.  T.  Robertson,  op.  cit.,  pp.  118-129. 

2.  when  Quirinius  was  governor  of  Syria.  We  know  that 
Quirinius  was  Procurator  of  Judaea  in  a.  d.  6  ;  but  that  is  not  the 
style  St  Luke  gives  him  here,  and  the  implied  title  here  ( = '  leader  ') 
is  a  vague  one,  which  serves  also  as  translation  for  Legatus  or  Dux, 
and  there  is  evidence  that  Quirinius  was  holding  office  in  Syria  side 
by  side  with  the  civil  pro-consul  Sentius  Satuminus,  on  a  mifitary 
command  against  the  Homonadenses,  in  the  year  immediately 
preceding.  That  may  be  the  reference  here,  or  '  leader  '  may  mean 
that  Augustus  put  him  in  charge  of  the  census  when  Varus, 
Saturninus's  successor,  was  pro-consul. 


28  ST   LUKE  [II 3. 4 

3,  4.  every  one  to  his  own  city.  This  cumbrous  form  of  enrolment 
of  whole  families  in  the  place  to  which  each  belongs  has  been 
laughed  at  by  critics,  as  a  clumsy  invention  of  the  writer,  to 
allow  for  the  birth  of  Jesus  at  Bethlehem  instead  of  Nazareth. 
But  Ramsay  claims  to  have  found  precedent  for  it ;  and  its  employ- 
ment on  this  occasion  might  well  be  due  to  Herod's  wash  to  give 
a  Jewish  tone  to  the  ceremony,  and  so  in  some  degree  to  allay  the 
prejudice  against '  numbering  the  people  '  (cf .  2  Sam  xxiv  ;  1  Chron 
xxi),  intensified,  no  doubt,  by  the  fact  that  the  orders  emanated 
from  the  Roman  conqueror.  Deissmann  [Light  fr.  Anc.  East,  p.  268) 
gives  facsimile,  text,  and  translation  of  an  edict  of  a  Governor  of 
Egypt  A.  D.  104  :  '  Gaius  Vibius  Maximus  Prefect  of  Egypt  saith  : 
The  enrolment  by  household  being  at  hand,  it  is  necessary  to 
notify  all  who  for  any  cause  so  ever  are  outside  their  homes  to 
return  to  their  domestic  hearths,  that  they  may  also  accomplish 
the  customary  dispensation  of  enrolment,  and  continue  stedfastly 
in  the  husbandry  that  belongeth  to  them.' 

4.  Joseph  .  .  .  went  up  from  Galilee  .  .  .  into  Judcea.  Joseph 
and  Mary  would  take  the  same  road  which  she  had  taken  to  visit 
Elisabeth.  There  was  a  Bethlehem  also  in  Galilee,  within  a  few 
miles  of  Nazareth,  and  some  have  supposed  a  confusion  with  this  ; 
but  the  tradition  of  Bethlehem- Judah  is  too  strong  to  need  support. 
Ramsay  notes  [Recent  Discovery,  p.  304)  how  Luke  assumes  the 
birth  in  Bethlehem  as  familiar  to  his  readers,  and  tells  us  how  it 
came  about.  St  Matthew  (i  28,  ii  5  sq.)  emphasizes  its  fulfilment 
of  prophecy. 

because  he  was  of  the  house  and  family  of  David.  Blass  notes 
[Philol.  Gosp.,  E.T.  p.  170  sq.)  that  the  Western  text  reads  '  because 
they  were  of  the  '  (cf.  iii  23).  The  claims  of  '  the  Lord's  Brethren  ' 
to  royalty  are  said  to  have  been  brought  before  Domitian  in  the 
persons  of  the  grandsons  of  St  Jude,  and  the  Emperor's  Herod-like 
fears  to  have  been  allayed  by  the  spectacle  of  their  toil-worn  hands. 
(Eusebius,  iii  20,  quoting  from  Hegesippus.) 

The  Jewish  families  kept  their  pedigrees  carefully,  as  witness 
the  books  of  Chronicles  (1  Chron  i — viii ;  cf.  Ezra  vii  1  sqq., 
Neh  xi  4  sqq.,  xii  10,  11),  and  the  descendants  of  the  House  of 
David  might  well  be  particular  in  keeping  theirs  (iii  23  sqq.,  cf. 
Mat  i)  though  fallen  to  a  humble  condition  since  the  days  of 
Zerubbabel.  Tlie  use  in  general  mouths  of  the  name  '  Son  of 
David  '  as  applied  to  Jesus  (xviii  39  and  Mat  xxi  9)  may  imply 
that  the  royal  descent  was  common  knowledge  ;  and  that  may 
have  made  it  prudent  for  the  family  to  leave  their  native  Bethlehem, 
and  remove  to  a  district  farther  away  from  the  court  of  Herod. 

Bethlehem.  '  The  Messiah  according  to  Jewish  tradition  [cf. 
Mat  ii  5],  was  to  be  born  in  Bethlehem.  Cf.  P.  Ber,  5a  ;  IVIidrash 
Echa  i  IG.  Prof.  G.  Dalman  suggested  in  1919  that  David  was 
anointed  king  by  Samuel  (1  Sam  xvi  13)  near  the  church  of  the 
Nativity.'    (P.  L.) 


II 5-8]  ST   LUKE  29 

5.  who  was  betrothed  to  him.  According  to  St  Matthew  (i  24) 
Joseph  had  already  '  taken  unto  hiui  his  wife,'  i.e.  married  her  ; 
though  he  had  not  lived  with  her  as  a  husband  (Mat  i  25).  The 
betrothal,  with  its  religious  ceremony,  was  a  fast  bond,  and 
unfaithfulness  during  the  year  it  lasted  would  have  been  counted 
adultery.    This  is  the  point  of  Mat  i  18,  19. 

7.  her  firstborn  son  :  there  is  no  necessarj''  implication  that 
she  had  other  children  afterwards  :  '  Every  male  that  openeth 
the  womb  '  {v.  23)  is  firstborn  in  this  sense,  whether  other  children 
follow  or  not. 

she  wrapped  him.  .  .  .  inn.  The  details  of  this  wondrous  picture, 
so  familiar  through  art  and  song,  have,  like  the  Cross,  acquired 
a  symbolic  splendour  which  makes  it  difficult  for  us  to  realize  them 
in  all  their  sordidness  and  discomfort.  '  He  came  unto  his  own, 
and  ...  his  o^vn  received  him  not.'  Already  on  the  day  of  His  birth 
'  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head.'  Giovanni 
Papini,  in  his  recent  Storia  di  Cristo  (Florence,  Vallecchi  1920), 
has  some  very  vigorous  remarks  on  this  point  (pp.  1-5). 

She  on  whom  the  world's  future  depended  was  crowded  out  by 
the  throng  of  more  self-important  people  who  had  come  up  for 
the  enrolment.  Weary  and  distressed,  she  passed  unnoticed  from 
the  caravanserai  where  no  place  or,  at  least,  no  privacy  could  be 
found.  '  Any  one  who  has  travelled  in  Palestine  and  mixed  among 
the  native  peasants  knows  that,  notwithstanding  their  hospitality, 
it  is  impossible  to  have  privacy.  And  the  inns  were  public  places, 
where  no  one  had  a  right  to  this '  (P.  L.).  It  is  not  clear  from  the 
text  whether  the  '  stable  '  in  which  she  gave  birth  to  the  Saviour 
was  attached  to  the  inn  or  not,  or  whether  it  was  an  open  enclosure 
(as  early  Christian  art  might  indicate)  or  a  cave  or  grotto,  as  per- 
sistent tradition  maintains.  Whether,  again,  the  word  translated 
'  manger  '  is  properly  a  manger  or  trough,  or,  as  it  is  rendered  in 
Lk  xiii  15,  a  '  stall.'  It  is  noticeable  that  the  traditional  '  cave  ' 
or  '  grotto  '  which  dates  back  not  only  to  the  building  of  the 
Basilica  of  the  Nativity  but  as  far  as  Justin  Martyr  {Tryph.  78), 
has  also  some  inferential  MS  authority,  for  Epiphanius  reads  here 
€v  <i)aTvrf  Kal  [ej']  cnnjXaLw  '  in  a  manger  and  in  a  cave  '  (Blass, 
Philol.  ^Gosp.,  E.T.  p.  165  sq.).  Westcott  and  Hort,  N.T.  ii  52, 
say  '  doubtless  in  a  confusion  with  the  Apocryphal  Book  of  James,' 
So,  too,  the  word  here  translated  '  inn '  is  rendered  '  guest-chamber ' 
in  xxii  11  and  maj''  have  been  a  lodging  promised  but  not  kept  free. 
But  there  is  no  conclusive  reason  against  the  general  contour  of  the 
picture  that  has  meant  so  much  to  countless  generations  of  believers. 

8-20.  The  Angels  and  the  Shepherds.  The  descendant  of  the 
Shepherd  King — Himself  the  '  ideal  Shepherd  '  of  souls  (Jn  x) — 
has  shepherds  as  his  first  devotees.  St  Luke  '  has  taught  us  and 
all  the  world  that  the  message  of  the  angels  is  to  every  man  who 
is  doing  his  duty  and  earning  his  living  like  the  shepherds  '  (A.  E. 
Brooke). 


30  ST   LUKE  [II 8-12 

8  And  there  were  shepherds  ia  the  same  country  abiding 
in  the  field,  and  keeping  ^watch  by  night  over  their  flock. 
9  And  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  them  :  and  they  were  sore 
afraid.  10  And  the  angel  said  unto  them, 
Be  not  afraid  ;   for  behold, 

I  bring  you  good  tidings 
Of  great  joy 

which  shall  be  to  all  the  people : 

11  For  there  is  born  to  you 

this  day  in  the  city  of  David 
A  Saviour, 

which  is  ^Christ  the  Lord. 

12  And  this  is  the  sign  unto  you ; 

Ye  shall  find 
A  babe  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes, 
and  lying  in  a  manger. 

^  Or,  night-watches  "  Or,  Anointed  Lord 

8.  keeping  watch  by  night.  '  The  flocks  in  Palestine,'  says 
Montefiore,  '  are  not  out  at  night  in  December.'  If  this  were  true, 
it  would  not  militate  against  St  Luke's  narrative,  for  he  gives  no 
hint  of  the  month.  It  might  prove  that  the  observance  of  Christmas 
on  Dec.  25  which  began  rather  late,  and  in  the  West,  is  due  to 
a  misconception.  If  Zacharias  were  on  duty  (see  note  on  i  5)  in 
April  6  B.  c,  it  would  throw  the  Nativity  of  Christ  into  the  month 
of  Jime.  But  there  is  evidence  (Edersheim)  that  the  sheep  set 
apart  for  the  Temple  Sacrifices  were  kept  out-of-doors  all  through 
the  year  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem. 

9.  an  angel  of  the  Lord  :  this  is  the  third  appearance  of  an 
angel  in  this  Gospel  (cf.  ill  and  26).  Was  it  Gabriel  ?  We  are 
not  told  :   but  in  that  case  we  should  have  expected  '  ike  angel.' 

they  were  sore  afraid  :  the  almost  inevitable  result  of  contact 
with  the  supernatural.    Cf.  i  13,  30  and  notes. 

10.  /  bring  you  good  tidings,  dsc. :  literally,  I  '  evangelize  '  you 
great  joy.  The  root  word  is  the  Greek  equivalent  of  our  '  Gospel.' 
Here  indeed  is  the  Gospel  in  brief  !  ■  ' 

to  all  the  people,  i.e.  the  Chosen  People  :  not  yet '  to  all  nations ' 
(cf.  V.  32a). 

11.  A  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  Reversing  the  order 
of  the  words,  we  have  our  traditional  phrase  '  The  Lord  Jesus 
(  =  Saviour)  Christ.'  But  Christ  (=  anointed)  here  is  the  equivalent 
of  Messiah — the  anointed  Deliverer  whom  all  Judaism  was 
expecting.    We  might  render  '  Lord  Messiah.' 


II 13,  14]  ST   LUKE  31 

13-14.  The  Globia  in  Excelsis.  This  song  of  the  AngeL 
choir  has,  like  the  other  three  which  St  Luke  has  preserved,  been 
taken  up  by  the  church  into  liturgical  use.  In  the  famous  Codex 
Alexandrinus  (end  of  fifth  century)  which  is  the  pride  of  the  British 
Museum,  it  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  Psalter  with  other  Canticles, 
and  is  described  as  a  '  Morning  Hymn  '  ;  by  the  fifth  or  sixth 
century  it  was  already  in  use  in  the  West  at  the  Eucharist.  Our 
Prayer  Book  reformers  moved  it  from  the  opening  of  the  Liturgy 
to  the  close. 

13  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  among  ^men  in  whom  he  is  well 
pleased. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  read  peace,  good  pleasure  among  men. 
^  Gr.  me7i  of  good  pleasure. 

14.  in  the  highest  realms  :  '  the  heaven  of  heavens  '  (2  Chron 
ii  6,  vi  18). 

among  men  in  whom,  d;c. :  reading  Iv  a.v6pwTroi<;  c^SoKtas  with 
the  vast  preponderance  of  MS  and  earliest  patristic  authority — 
though  the  A.V.  reading  {eiSoKla)  is  the  prevailing  post-Nicene 
reading.  See  Dr  Hort's  very  instructive  note  in  W.  and  H.,  N.T. 
ii,  pp.  53-56.  It  is  remarkable  that  while  Codex  Alexandrinus 
(see  last  note)  reads  ev8oKia  in  the  Gloria  as  a  Liturgical  Hymn, 
the  same  scribe  has  evSoKtas  in  the  text  of  St  Luke.  In  the  A.V. 
the  song  is  a  iristich  : 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ; 

And  on  earth  peace. 
Good  will  towards  men. 

but  the  second  and  third  lines  stand  together  in  antithesis  to  the 
first.  In  the  R.V.  it  is  a  distich.  The  two  lines  are  of  unequal 
weight,  but  the  arrangement  is  admitted  as  possible  by  Dr  Aytoun, 
and  finds  abundant  parallels  in  the  Psalter.  Dr  Hort  suggests 
another  arrangement  which  gives  two  well-balanced  lines  : 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest  and  on  earth. 
Peace  among  men  of  his  good  pleasure. 

Dr  Aytoun,  while  admitting  R.V.  text,  counts  it  'heavy  and 
clumsy,'  and  in  the  interest  of  a  more  perfect  Hebrew  metre  would 
expunge  the  disputed  word  cvSo/cca?  (eiSoKta)  as  an  interpreta- 
tive gloss,  and  read  : 

Glory  in  the  highest  to  God 
And  on  earth  peace  among  men. 

On  the  whole  we  may  best  perhaps  retain  the  R.V.  rendering, 
though  without  interpreting  it  as  the  Vulgate  hominibus  bonae 


32  ST   LUKE  [II 14-20 

voluntatis  is  often  rendered,  '  men  of  good-will,'  i.  e.  good  men  of 
a  right  spirit  and  intention.  The  Hebraistic  Greek  would  rather 
mean  '  men  in  whom  God  is  well  pleased.'  But  this  also  may  be 
said  to  restrict  the  range  of  the  gift  of  peace  to  men  of  faith — 
those  who  are  ready  to  accept  and  use  the  boon  God  offers. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  (cf.  G.  H.  Box,   Virgin  Birth,  p.  112) 
that  Lk  xix  38  offers  a  remarkable  parallel  to  this  : 

Peace  in  Heaven 

And  glory  in  the  Highest. 

15  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  angels  went  away  from 
them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said  one  to  another,  Let  us 
now  go  even  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see  this  Hhing  that  is  come 
to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  unto  us.  16  And 
they  came  with  haste,  and  found  both  Mary  and  Joseph,  and 
the  babe  lying  in  the  manger.  17  And  when  they  saw  it,  they 
made  known  concerning  the  saying  which  was  spoken  to  them 
about  this  child.  18  And  all  that  heard  it  wondered  at  the 
things  which  were  spoken  unto  them  by  the  shepherds. 
19  But  Mary  kept  all  these  -sayings,  pondering  them  in  her 
heart.  20  And  the  shepherds  returned,  glorifying  and  praising 
God  for  all  the  things  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  even  as  it 
was  spoken  unto  them. 

*  Or,  saying  ^  Or,  things 

19.  Mary  kept  all  these  sayings  (or  things),  pondering  them  in  her 
heart.  Here  and  in  v.  51  St  Luke  not  only  illumines  the  character 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  helps  us  to  understand  how  she  accumu- 
lated by  meditation  the  gems  she  set  in  the  Magnificat ;  but  he 
also  hints  at  the  source  from  which  his  matter  for  these  two  chapters 
was  ultimately  drawn  (cf.  note  on  i  66). 

pondering:  o-uv/SaAAouo-a.  Hobart  {31. L.  viii  141)  points  out 
that  this  verb,  peculiar  to  St  Luke  in  the  N.T.,  is  common  in  Hippo- 
crates, and  occurs  also  in  other  medical  writers. 

The  Nativity,  with  ox  and  ass  and  Angels  and  Shepherds  (and 
sometimes,  by  an  anachronism.  Magi  also)  adoring,  is  perhaps  the 
most  favourite  of  all  subjects  of  Christian  Art  from  the  age  of  Giotto 
to  the  present  day.  The  early  painters  loved  to  depict  angels 
clustered  on  the  mean  roof  of  a  broken  shed,  and  peering  adoringly 
through  its  holes.  There  is  a  t^-pical  and  beautiful  example  in  the 
National  Gallery  (No.  1034)  by  Botticelli,  with  a  perfect  riot  of  Angels, 
reproduced  by  P.  L.  W.  {Childhood),  p.  26.  Tintoretto  (Scuola  di  S. 
Rocco,  Venice)  depicts  the  angels  peeping  through  (cf.  1  Pet  i  12). 

Next  to  it,  if  not  equal  in  vogue,  has  been  the  picture  of  Madonna 


II 20, 21]  ST   LUKE  33 

and  Child  together  alone,  or  surrounded  by  various  Saints — of 
which  a  typical  example  is  that  Madonna  degli  Ansidei  of  Rafael, 
which  is  the  glory  of  our  National  Gallery,  or  his  almost  equally 
familiar  Madonna  di  San  Sisto  (now  in  the  Royal  Gallery  at  Dresden), 
of  which  an  artist  has  said,  '  A  consciousness  of  His  divine  mission 
...  is  already  shewn  with  singular  eloquence  in  the  eyes  so  intense, 
so  absorbed,  so  full  of  heavenly  mystery,  of  the  Bambino  who,  in 
the  arms  of  the  Madonna  di  San  Sisto,  blesses  the  world.' 


(f )  21     The  Circumcision  of  Christ 

Circumcision  was  by  no  means  confined  to  the  Hebrews  in  the 
ancient  world.  It  has  been  widely  practised  throughout  the  globe 
even  by  tribes  of  Africa  and  Poljmesia,  and  by  the  Aztecs  and  other 
peoples  of  Central  America.  Distinctive  of  the  Hebrew  religion  are 
its  entirely  religious  significance  and  the  fact  that  it  was  performed 
in  infancy,  when  least  painful. 

Religiously  it  was  to  the  Jews  symbolical  of  a  covenant  with 
God,  and  as  such  dates  back  to  Abraham  (Gen  xvii  9  sqq.).  Like 
every  other  covenant  it  is  sealed  with  blood.  The  shedding  of  blood 
was  an  essential  feature,  and  the  blood  seems  to  have  represented 
tha  offering  of  the  life  to  God.  Dr  Oesterley  quotes  words  to  this 
effect  from  a  modern  Jewish  Circumcision  Service  :  '  From  this 
eighth  day  and  henceforth  may  his  blood  be  accepted,  and  may  the 
Lord  his  God  be  with  him.' 

Thus  the  Circumcision  of  Christ  becomes  '  not  only  a  fulfilling  of 
the  Law,  but  also  .  .  .  a  "  parable  "  of  the  Crucifixion.'  Cf.  Keble, 
Christian  Year : 

The  year  begins  with  Thee, 

And  Thou  beginn'st  with  woe, 
To  let  the  world  of  sinners  see 

That  blood  for  sin  must  flow. 

21  And  when  eight  days  were  fulfilled  for  circumcising 
him,  his  name  was  called  Jesus,  which  was  so  called  by  the 
angel  before  he  was  conceived  in  the  womb. 

when  eight  days  were  fulfilled  Cf.  i  59.  Even  if  the  eighth  day 
were  a  Sabbath,  the  child  must  be  circumcised  then,  except  in 
case  of  sickness  or  other  urgent  cause.  Even  the  Circumcision  of 
our  Lord  has  been  made  the  subject  of  Christian  Art,  and  is  nobly 
treated  by  Giovanni  Bellini  (Nat.  Gall.  No.  145),  while  the  National 
Gallery  contains  pictures  also  by  Luca  Signorelli  (No.  1128)  and 
Marco  Marzial  (No.  803). 

his  name  was  called  JESUS.  See  i  31  and  note.  Boys  were 
named  on  their  Circumcision  Day,  girls  at  birth. 

L.  b 


34  ST   LUKE  [II 22-28 

(g)  22-39    Presentation  in  the   Temple  ;  Simeon's  Song  and 
Prediction  and  testimony  of  Anna 

This  episode,  with  its  reiterated  stress  on  the  '  fulfilling  of  the 
Law,'  and  its  prediction  of  a  '  better  covenant '  which  was  to 
supersede  the  Law,  is  characteristic  of  the  whole  Gospel  of  the 
Infancy  in  its  mediating  position  between  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New. 

The  humble  Galilean  peasants  bringing  the  '  poor  man's  offering, 
the  ancient  Simeon  with  the  holy  Child  in  his  embrace,  rapt  and 
inspired,  and  Anna  the  devout  widow,  radiant  at  the  sight  of  the 
Redemption  for  which  she  and  they  had  been  looldng  all  their  days 
...  it  is  a  picture  worthy  of  the  great  artist  Luke.' 

Simeon's  inspired  song  carries  the  revelation  a  step  farther  than 
the  previous  Canticles,  and  prophesies  redemption  and  '  consolation  ' 
not  for  Israel  only  but  for  the  whole  world. 

G.  Bellini's  and  Carpaccio's  splendid  pictures  in  Venice,  and 
many  another,  e.  g.  Fra  Angelico,  Fra  Bartolommeo,  and  later, 
Rembrandt,  testify  to  St  Luke's  pictorial  gift  in  this  episode. 

22  And  when  the  days  of  their  purification  according  to 
the  law  of  Moses  were  fulfilled,  they  brought  him  up  to  Jeru- 
salem, 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  tm-tle- 
doves,  or  two  young  pigeons.  25  And  behold,  there  was  a 
man  in  Jerusalem,  whose  name  was  Simeon  ;  and  this  man 
was  righteous  and  devout,  looking  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel  :  and  the  Holy  Spirit  was  upon  him.  26  And  it  had 
been  revealed  unto  him  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  should  not 
see  death,  before  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ.  27  And  he 
came  in  the  Spirit  into  the  temple  :  and  when  the  parents 
brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  that  they  might  do  concerning 
him  after  the  custom  of  the  law,  28  then  he  received  him 
into  his  arms,  and  blessed  God,  and  said, 

22.  the  days  of  their  purification.  Thirty-three  days  in  the  case 
of  a  male  birth.  See  Lev  xii  4 ;  '  their,'  i.  e.  of  the  mother  and  the 
child  :  strictly,  the  mother  was  '  purified,'  the  child  '  presented  '  and 
'  redeemed.' 

Jerusalem  :  'UpovaaX-^fi.  St  Luke,  like  St  Paul,  has  two  forms 
of  this  name,  '  Hierousalem  '  (always  in  a  '  hieratic  '  sense)  and 
'  Hierosolyma'  (4  times,  ii  22,  xviii  31,  xix  28,  xxiii  7)  usually  in  a 


1123-29]  ST   LUKE  35 

purely  geographical  sense.    Ramsay,  Luke  the  Physician,  pp.  51,  52. 
Cf.  McLachlan,  op.  cit.,  pp.  40-45. 

23.  Every  male,  <fcc.  This  is  laid  down  in  Ex  xxxi  2,  12,  as 
a  memorial  of  the  slaying  of  the  Egyptian  firstborn  and  saving  those 
of  the  Israelites  on  the  occasion  of  the  original  '  Passover.'  Like 
other  '  Mosaic  '  ordinances,  it  may  have  been  a  re-enactment,  with 
a  new  significance,  of  an  ancient  and  barbarous  tribal  custom.  As 
so  enacted  it  involves  not  the  sacrifice  of  the  child,  but  his  redemp- 
tion by  a  substituted  offering. 

24.  A  pair  of  turtledoves,  <fcc.  Lev  xii  8.  This  was  a  concession 
to  the  poor  :  the  normal  offering  required  was  a  lamb  and  a  pigeon 
or  dove.  Lev  xii  6. 

25.  a  man  .  .  .  whose  name  was  Simeon.  Evidently  a  person 
in  the  world's  eyes  obscure,  like  the  rest  of  the  holy  company.  He 
cannot  have  been  the  great  Rabbi,  Simeon,  son  of  Hillel  and  father 
of  Gamaliel,  for  Gamaliel's  father  was  too  young  at  the  time.  Nor 
can  he  have  been,  as  an  apocryphal  Gospel  (Nicodemus)  makes  him, 
'  a  great  priest '  :  though  that  tradition  has  left  a  splendid  mark 
in  art — e.  g.  in  Bellini's  famous  picture. 

He  is  a  very  human  figure,  and  more,  a  mouthpiece  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

looking  for  the  consolation  of  Israel :  cf.  v.  38.  A  reminiscence  of 
the  Deutero-Isaiah's  'Comfort  Ye,'  or  of  Jacob's  'I  have  waited 
for  thy  salvation,  O  Lord  '  (Gen  xlix  18).  But  '  the  consolation 
of  Israel '  in  the  mouths  of  the  Rabbis  meant  definitely  '  the  days 
of  the  Messiah.' 

29-32.  Nunc  Dimittis.  The  song  is  reduced  by  Dr  Aytoun 
(see  note,  p.  6)  to  a  Hebrew  poem  of  three  trimeter  couplets. 
These  are  well  represented  in  the  text  (R.V.  spacing),  except  that 
the  first  tM'o  {v.  29)  would  run  thus  : 

Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart 
Master,  according  to  thy  word,  in  peace. 

The  next  couplet  consists  of  vv.  30  and  31,  and  the  third  of  v.  32. 
It  is  from  Nunc  Dimittis  that  Aytoun  takes  his  start,  and  he  writes 
{J.T.S.,  vol.  xviii,  p.  275)  as  follows  : 

'  It  would  seem  quite  impossible  that  such  a  result  should  be 
accidental.  Something  in  the  way  of  Hebrew  parallels  might  be 
achieved  in  Greek,  which  would  still  be  parallelism  of  a  kind  when 
translated  into  Hebrew  ;  but  perfectly  regular  Hebrew  metre  for 
six  consecutive  lines  grouped  in  couplets,  as  a  result  of  a  literal 
translation  from  the  Greek,  can  mean  but  one  thing,  and  that  is, 
a  metrical  Hebrew  original  for  the  Greek.  I  would  therefore  submit 
this  as  good  evidence  that  the  Nunc  Dimittis  was  originally  written 
in  Hebrew  in  accordance  with  the  canons  of  Hebrew  metre  followed 
in  the  majority  if  not  in  all  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  Psalms  and 
Poems.' 

If  this  is  true  it  disposes  of  Prof.  Burkitt's  theory  that  in  Lk  i 
and  ii  it  is  '  the  Septuagint  '  (familiar  to  St  Luke)  '  and  not  any 

3-2 


36  ST   LUKE  [ii  29-32 

Hebrew  or  Aramaic  document '  that  has  '  perceptibly  coloured  the 
style  and  language  of  the  whole  narrative,' 

29  Now  lettest  thou  thy  ^servant  depart,  0  ^Lord, 
According  to  thy  word,  in  peace  ; 

30  For  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation, 

31  Which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  peoples  ; 

32  A  light  for  ^revelation  to  the  Gentiles, 
And  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel. 

^  Gr.  bondservant.  ^  Gr.  Master.  *  Or,  the  unveiling  of  the  Gentiles 

29.  In  the  first  couplet  Simeon  thanks  God  for  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promise  recorded  in  v.  26,  that  he  should  not  die  until  he  had 
seen  the  Lord's  Christ.  He  proclaims  himself  now  ready  to  depart 
when  his  hour  comes,  '  as  the  sentinel  when  the  hour  of  his  watch 
is  over.'  Servant  and  Lord  should  be  '  Slave  '  and  '  Master,'  terms 
which  modern  theology  tends  to  eliminate  as  savouring  of  the 
'  Eastern  Despot '  conception  of  God.  But  they  are  not  exclusively 
Old  Testament  ideas  :  the  New  Testament  writers  are  eager  and 
proud  to  style  themselves  '  slaves,  bondservants  of  Christ  ' 
(cf.  Rom  i  1,  Phil  i  1,  Tit  i  1,  Jas  i  1,  2  Pet  i  1,  Rev  i  1).  But  this 
word  for  '  Master  '  {Secnrorrjs)  is  used  here  only  in  the  Gospels. 
The  verb  (dTroAveis)  translated  '  lettest  .  .  .  depart,'  if  used  techni- 
cally, may  be  said  to  enforce  the  metaphor  here.  As  applied  to 
a  slave  it  means  '  release,'  '  emancipate.' 

30,  31.  In  the  second  couplet  Simeon  gives  the  reason  why  he 
can  be  glad  at  the  prospect  of  death.  In  Is  Ix  5  it  had  been  pro- 
mised that  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God  :  this  salvation  is 
now  embodied  in  the  Infant  of  eight  days  old  whom  Simeon  holds 
in  his  arms,  in  Him  '  were  lodged  the  powers  and  destinies  of 
salvation  '  for  all  peoples.  Saviour,  Salvation  {auyry/p  i  47,  o-wrr/pta 
i  69,  (Twrripiov  ii  30),  give  us  the  key-note  of  the  three  Canticles. 

32.  In  the  third  couplet  the  thought  of  '  all  peoples  '  is  defined 
in  terms  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  and  the  Gospel  truth  of  the  universality 
of  God's  redeeming  purpose  bursts  upon  us. 

The  language  of  these  Canticles  has  close  parallels  with  the 
Psalms  of  Solomon — Pharisaic  Canticles  of  some  two  generations 
earlier — but  the  thought  and  aspirations  are  in  direct  contrast  to 
these,  substituting  the  universalism  of  Deutero- Isaiah  for  the 
narrower  and  more  nationalist  aspirations  of  Pharisaism. 

Several  passages  seem  to  echo  in  this  couplet  (Is  xlii  6,  lii  10, 
Ix  3),  but  that  which  represents  it  most  fully  is  Is  xlix  6  : 

It  is  too  light  a  thing  that  thou  shouldest  he  my  servant 

To  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel : 

I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles, 

That  thou  maycst  be  my  salcation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 


II 33-35]  ST   LUKE  37 

33  And  his  father  and  his  mother  were  marvelling  at  the 
things  which  were  spoken  concerning  him  ; 

33.  his  father.  The  Evangelist  throughout  adopts  the  terms  in 
which  Jesus 's  relations  to  Mary  and  Joseph  would  ordinarily  be 
spoken  of,  ii  41,  48,  iv  22.  The  genealogy  he  gives  us  at  iii  23  sqq. 
is  probably  that  of  Joseph  (see  note  there).  But  he  takes  care  to 
support  his  account  of  the  Virgin  birth  (i  34,  35)  by  the  recorded 
saying  of  Jesus  Himself  (ii  49)  in  correction  of  His  Mother's  phrase. 

34-35.  Simeon's  Prophecy  to  Mary.  Hitherto  there  has  been 
a  naive  gladness  and  exultation,  an  unmixed  joy  about  the  utter- 
ances that  the  Nativity  evoked — a  temper  which  it  would  have  been 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  have  invented  after  experience  of  the 
Lord's  Passion.  If  any  passage  could  be  suspected  of  traces  of  later 
'  editing  '  in  view  of  what  actually  happened,  it  might  be  the 
following  verses.  But  here  the  words  are  so  vague  and  mysterious 
as  to  necessitate  no  such  hypothesis.  The  prophecy  falls  into  two 
tetrameter  couplets  in  Hebrew.  (See  text.)  The  burden  of  the 
prediction  is  like  that  of  Jn  iii  18-21,  the  inevitable  discrimination 
between  good  and  evil  which  the  coming  of  the  true  light  will  effect ; 
or  of  2  Cor  ii  16,  where  the  same  message  is  to  some  '  a  savour  of 
death,'  and  to  others  '  of  life.' 

34  And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  Mary  his 
mother, 

Behold,  this  child  is  set  for  the  falling  and  rising  up 
Of  many  in  Israel ;    and  for  a  sign  which  is  spoken 
against  ; 
35  Yea,  and  a  sword  shall  pierce  through  thine  own  soul  ; 
That  thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed. 

34.  is  set  for  the  falling  and  rising  up  :  as  the  '  stone  of  stumbling 
and  rock  of  offence  '  in  Is  viii  14  is  also  '  a  sanctuary  '  ;  so  the  effect 
of  this  stone  (which  in  Rom  ix  33  and  1  Pet  ii  6,  7,  is  combined  with 
the  '  precious  corner-stone  '  of  Is  xxviii  16,  and  identified  with  Christ) 
will  be  directly  opposite  on  different  classes  of  men  who  come  into 
contact  with  it.  The  obvious  example  is  that  of  the  contrast 
between  the  two  crucified  robbers — recorded  only  by  St  Luke 
(xxiii  39-43). 

a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against.  Here  again  we  may  have 
an  echo  of  Is  xi  12,  xiii  2,  where  the  LXX  uses  the  same  word  as  here. 

In  the  open  opposition  and  hostility  to  the  '  Sign  '  (which 
should  induce  loyalty  as  well  as  acknowledgement)  lies  the  tragedy 
of  our  Lord's  life.  The  '  speaking  against '  is  more  obvious  in  the 
fourth  Gospel,  where  it  is  dramatically  developed  from  point  to 
point,  than  in  the  Synoptists,  where  it  is  mainly  concentrated  in 


38  ST   LUKE  [II 34-36 

the  last  scenes.  In  St  Luke,  however,  we  get  the  prediction  of 
this  fateful  hostility  here  ;  the  first  appearance  of  it  in  Galilee 
iv  28  ;  Galilee  and  Judaea  and  Jerusalem  combined,  v  17,  21  ;  Phari- 
saic contradiction  again,  v  30,  vi  2,  cf.  vii  39,  xv  2  ;  unintelligent 
Samaritan  opposition,  ix  53.  Persistent  hostility  of  Scribes, 
Pharisees,  and  Lawyers  is  implied  in  the  denunciations  of  chs  xi 
and  xii,  and  in  the  challenge  of  xiv  3-6,  and  perhaps  the  Parable 
of  the  Pharisee  and  Publican,  peculiar  to  St  Luke  (xviii  9-14).  On 
the  better  side  of  Pharisaism,  see  note  on  v  17. 

35.  Yea,  and  a  sword.  .  .  .  This  sentence  seems  to  pierce  like 
a  sharp  sword  into  the  texture  of  the  prediction — so  startlingly 
that  the  A.V.  treated  it  as  a  parenthesis.  But  the  martyrdom  of 
Jesus  is  the  inevitable  consequence  of  the  hostility  foretold  in  the 
previous  verse,  and  His  martyrdom  is  His  Mother's  martyrdom  too  ; 
cf .  Lk  xxiii  49,  55,  Jn  xix  25.  This  verse  is  the  theme  of  the  great 
mediaeval  hymn.  Stab  at  Mater  Dolorosa. 

That  thoughts  .  .  .  may  be  revealed.  The  Messiah's  rejec- 
tion will  itself  lead  to  a  testing  of  hearts  and  a  sifting — such 
as  we  see  reflected  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Christ  crucified  will 
be  (1  Cor  i  23,  24),  unto  Jews  a  stumblingblock,  and  unto  Gentiles 
foolishness ;  but  unto  them  that  are  called,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ 
the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God. 

36-38.  The  Prophecy  of  Anna.  A  saintly  and  devout  woman 
of  extraordinary  age,  endowed  (like  Deborah  and  Huldah  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  Philip's  daughters  in  the  New)  with  the  gift 
of  prophecy,  adds  her  testimony  to  that  of  Simeon.  This  episode 
alone  fails  to  provide  us  with  a  Canticle:  v.  38  records  the  bare 
substance  of  her  utterance,  but  not  a  single  phrase  or  word.  Some 
have  regarded  her  as  the  source  of  the  whole  Nativity  narrative. 

36  And  there  was  one  Anna,  a  prophetess,  the  daughter 
of  Phanuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Asher  (she  was  ^of  a  great  age, 
having  lived  with  a  husband  seven  years  from  her  virginity, 
37  and  she  had  been  a  widow  even  for  fourscore  and  four 
years),  w^hich  departed  not  from  the  temple,  worshipping  with 
fastings  and  supplications  night  and  day.  38  And  coming 
up  at  that  very  hour  she  gave  thanks  unto  God,  and  spake  of 
him  to  all  them  that  were  looking  for  the  redemption  of 
Jerusalem. 

'  Gr.  advanced  in  many  days. 

36.  Anna  :  the  Apocryphal  Protevangelium  of  James  gives  this 
as  the  name  of  the  Virgin  Mary's  Mother. 

of  the  tribe  of  Asher.  Representatives  of  the  lost  ten  tribes  were 
still  to  be  found. 


1136-39]  ST   LUKE  39 

Edersheim  says  that  some  beautiful  women  of  the  tribe  of  Asher 
were  selected  to  be  wives  of  priests  {L.  and  T.  i,  p.  200). 

The  rather  cumbrous  parenthesis,  which  carries  us  on  to  v.  37, 
indicates  that  she  was  over  100  years  old.  Montefiore  puts  it  thus  : 
married,  say  at  15,  lived  with  her  husband  7,  then  a  widow  84  years, 
total  106  years. 

37.  Her  austerity,  her  long-continued  widowhood,  and  her 
devotion  to  God's  House  have  made  Anna  a  model  for  ascetics. 
Cf.  1  Tim  V  5. 

38.  the  redemption  of  Jerusalem :  another  aspect  of  that 
Messianic  Hope  which  is  expressed  in  v.  25  as  the  consolation  of 
Israel ;  and  is  acclaimed  by  Zacharias  (i  68)  as  a  '  redemption 
wrought  for  God's  People.' 

39.  The  Return  to  Nazareth.  Here  would  naturally  follow 
the  events  recorded  in  Mat  ii  1-21  :  the  Visit  of  the  Magi,  the 
Flight  into  Egypt,  the  Return  to  Palestine.  It  is  quite  clear  that 
St  Luke  knew  nothing  of  these  ;  not  only  because  the  Magi  story 
would  have  so  aptly  illustrated  Nunc  Dimittis  that  we  cannot  con- 
ceive of  his  deliberately  leaving  it  out ;  but  also  because  the 
insertion  of  the  details  of  what  happened  before  the  settlement  at 
Nazareth  would  have  added  to  the  accuracy  of  his  narrative. 

The  two  Gospels  are  here  obviously  independent  and  in  detail 
inconsistent.  St  Matthew,  whose  first  mention  both  of  Bethlehem 
and  of  Nazareth  is  in  connexion  with  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  says 
nothing  of  the  original  journey  of  Joseph  and  Mary  from  Nazareth 
to  Bethlehem  (Lk  ii  4)  ;  St  Luke,  who  brings  them  to  Bethlehem 
without  any  reference  to  prophecy,  is  equally  silent  about  the  train 
of  events  which  passed  between  the  presentation  in  the  Temple 
and  the  return  to  the  Galilean  home.  But  the  inconsistency  does 
not  invalidate  the  substance  of  either  narrative,  and  a  consistent 
story  can  be  pieced  out  of  the  two  without  substantial  violence  to 
either. 1  Had  St  Luke  had  our  first  Gospel  before  him,  doubtless 
he  would  have  achieved  this  ;  just  as  in  Ac  i  1-14  he  has  amplified, 
defined,  and  corrected  the  sketch  produced  earlier  at  the  end  of  his 
Gospel  (Lk  xxiv  44  sqq.    See  notes  ad  loc). 

39  And  when  they  had  accomplished  all  things  that  were 
according  to  the  law  of  the  Lord,  they  returned  into  Galilee, 
to  their  own  city  Nazareth. 

*  Thus  Godet,  for  instance,  harmonizes  the  two  accounts  (cf.  Eng.  tr.  1875, 
vol.  i,  p.  155  sq.)  :  1.  Annunciation  to  Mary  (Lk  i) — 2.  Mary  (with  or  without 
speaMng  to  Joseph)  visits  Elizabeth  (Lk  i) — 3.  After  her  return  Joseph  perplexed, 
reassured  by  Angel  (Mat  i) — 4.  Joseph  takes  Mary  ostensibly  for  his  wife  (Mat  i) 
— 5.  Herod's  order  following  decree  of  Augustus,  brings  them  to  Bethlehem  (Lk  ii) 
— 6.  Jesus  born  (Mat  i ;  Lk  ii) — 7.  Presentation  in  Temple  (Lk  ii) — On  return  to 
Bethlehem  visit  of  Magi  and  escape  into  Egypt  (Mat  ii).  [From  Bethlehem  to  the 
first  Egyptian  town  is  only  three  or  four  days'  journey.]  Returned  from  Egypt 
they  give  up  the  idea  of  settling  at  Bethlehem,  and  determine  once  more  to  fix 
their  abode  at  Nazareth. 


40  ST   LUKE  [II 39, 40 

39.  to  their  own  city  Nazareth.  The  words  of  Nathanael,  Jn  i  46, 
Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  are  not  unnatural  in  the 
mouth  of  a  Jew  who,  like  all  others,  looked  for  the  Messiah  from 
Bethlehem-Judah.  They  have  been  over-emphasized,  and  inter- 
preted as  though  they  implied  a  universal  contempt  for  Nazareth, 
on  account  either  of  its  obscurity  or  its  depravity.  Neither  accusa- 
tion appears  to  be  warranted,  Nazareth,  which  is  styled  city  and 
not  village  in  the  New  Testament  (it  has  now — or  had  before  the 
war — a  population  of  about  7,000),  though  retired  from  the  high- 
ways of  commerce,  was  within  reach  and  sight  of  them,  and  was 
thus  in  touch  with  the  outer  world.  Its  double  aspect  of  retirement 
and  proximity  to  the  great  world  made  it  an  ideal  environment  for 
the  growing  Saviour,  just  as  the  same  double  aspect  of  Palestine  as 
a  whole  made  it  an  ideal  school  for  God's  ancient  People  (see 
G.  A.  Smith's  Historical  Geography,  ch  xx,  pp.  432-434).  The  hill- 
brow  immediately  behind  the  old  city  (cf.  Lk  iv  29)  commands  a 
magnificent  view  of  historic  sites  and  scenes,  and  such  a  spectacle 
of  '  far  distances  '  (Is  xxxiii  17)  as  is  essential  to  the  development 
of  the  true  mystic's  outlook.    Cf.  further,  note  on  v.  51. 

(h)  40-52     The  Boyhood  of  Jesus  ;   His  second  appearance  in 

the  Temple 

St  Luke  alone  of  the  four  Evangelists  has  anything  to  say  of 
our  Lord's  Boyhood  ;  and  he  sums  up  in  twelve  verses  the  record 
of  some  thirty  years  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  This  record  is  very 
precious  and  doctrinally  important,  alike  for  the  implication  of  the 
episodes  of  His  twelfth  year,  vv.  41-51,  and  also  for  those  of  the 
two  verses,  40  and  52,  in  which  that  episode  is,  as  it  were,  framed. 
This  scene,  though  it  has  not  inspired  so  many  Christian  painters 
as  the  earlier  ones,  is  a  favourite  in  the  relief  pictures  which  in 
'  pilgrimage  chapels  '  set  forth  in  series  the  '  Mysteries  of  our 
Redemption,'  and  is  often — as  at  the  Madonna  del  Soccorso  above 
Lake  Como — among  those  most  graphically  portrayed.  In  modern 
times  Holman  Hunt,  in  his  well-known  picture,  has  treated  the 
subject  in  a  spirit  worthy  of  early  Italian  Art. 

40  And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong,  ^filled  with 
wisdom  :   and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon  him. 

*  Gr.  becoming  full  of  wisdom. 

40.  And  the  child  grew.  This  and  the  companion  verse  52 
make  clear  the  real  humanity  of  Jesus,  advancing,  like  that  of 
merely  human  children,  from  the  immature  to  the  mature.  Com- 
pare and  contrast  the  words  used  of  the  Baptist,  i  80. 

strong,  filled  ivith  wisdom :  cf .  v.  52,  advanced  in  wisdom  and 
stature.  Both  the  physical  and  the  intellectual  growth  (however 
more  perfect  they  may  have  been  than  ours)  proceeded  as  in 
normal  child,  boy,  and  youth. 


II 40-51]  ST   LUKE  41 

the  grace  of  Ood  was  upon  him :  ci.  v.  52,  in  favour  with  God.  .  .  . 
This  brings  us  into  the  spiritual  sphere,  and  implies  the  spiritualizing 
of  both  intellectual  and  physical  by  the  '  sunshine  of  God's  favour.' 
Grace  here  and  favour,  v.  52,  are  both  renderings  of  the  same  word 
(Xapts),  a  favourite  of  St  Luke  and  of  his  master  St  Paul,  but 
not  found  elsewhere  in  the  Synoptists.  This  is  the  first  occurrence 
of  the  actual  word  in  the  third  Gospel,  though  two  cognates  are 
found  in  Gabriel's  address  to  Mary,  i  28.    Cf.  Jn  i  14. 

41-51.  The  Finding  in  the  Temple.  The  Passover  was  one 
of  the  three  feasts  which  every  Jewish  male  was  ordered  to  attend 
every  year  (Exod  xxiii  17).  Jesus  would  now  at  12  years  old  be 
accounted  a  '  Son  of  the  Law.'  The  other  two  feasts,  Pentecost 
and  Tabernacles,  were  less  conscientiously  attended.  Josephus 
{B.J.  VI  ix  3)  speaks  of  2,700,200  Passover  pilgrims  in  Jerusalem  in 
the  year  a.d.  70.  Rabbi  Hillel  extended  the  obligation  to  women 
as  well  as  men.  The  incident  (a)  illustrates  the  '  growth  in 
wisdom  '  mentioned  in  vv.  40  and  52,  and  also  (6)  drives  home 
the  lesson  of  the  true  Sonship  of  Jesus. 

41  And  his  parents  went  every  year  to  Jerusalem  at  the 
feast  of  the  passover.  42  And  when  he  was  twelve  years  old, 
they  went  up  after  the  custom  of  the  feast  ;  43  and  when 
they  had  fulfilled  the  days,  as  they  were  returning,  the  boy 
Jesus  tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  his  parents  knew  it 
not  ;  44  but  supposing  him  to  be  in  the  company,  they 
went  a  day's  joiuney  ;  and  they  sought  for  him  among  their 
kinsfolk  and  acquaintance  :  45  and  when  they  found  him  not, 
they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  seeking  for  him.  46  And  it  came 
to  pass,  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  amazed  at 
his  understanding  and  his  answers.  48  And  when  they  saw 
him,  they  were  astonished  :  and  his  mother  said  unto  him, 
^Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ?  behold,  thy  father 
and  I  sought  thee  sorrowing.  49  And  he  said  unto  them. 
How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me  ?  wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  ^in 
my  Father's  house  ?  50  And  they  understood  not  the  saying 
which  he  spake  unto  them.  51  And  he  went  down  with  them, 
and  came  to  Nazareth  ;  and  he  was  subject  unto  them  :  and 
his  mother  kept  all  these  Mayings  in  her  heart. 

'  Or,  teachers  2  Gr.  Child. 

"  Or,  about  my  Father's  business    Gr.  in  the  things  of  my  Father. 

*  Or,  things 


42  ST   LUKE  [ii  41-51 

41.  passover:  the  Spring  harvest  festival,  enriched  with  the 
rcemorial  of  the  deliverance  from  Egj^pt  (Ex  xxiii).  This  would 
probably  be  the  Passover  of  a.  d.  6  ;  the  year  when  Archelaus  was 
deposed  and  banished  to  Vienne,  and  Quirinius  (cf.  ii  2)  reappeared 
on  the  scene  as  Procurator  of  Judaea. 

43.  tarried  behind  .  .  .  and  his  parents  knew  it  not.  A  mark  of 
their  confidence  in  Him. 

44.  they  sought  for  him  among  .  .  .  acquaintance.  In  the  caravan 
of  Galilean  pilgrims  now  on  its  way  northward. 

46.  the  doctors  :  the  '  Rabbis,'  recognized  teachers  of  the  Law. 
among  whom  would  probably  be  the  illustrious  Hillel  and  Shammai 
(Oesterley,  Sayings  of  the  Jewish  Fathers,  S.P.C.K.,  p.  9  note). 

both  hearing  them,  and  asking  them  questions,  dsc.  He  was 
not  teaching  the  Rabbis  (as  the  Apocryphal  Gospels  would  depict 
Him)  but  learning  of  them.  Wonderful  intelligence  was  shown 
both  in  the  questions  He  asked  of  them  for  His  own  information, 
and  in  the  replies  He  made  to  the  queries  which  they  put  to  Him 
as  teachers.  Christian  Art  has  always  been  apt  to  make  Him 
dominate  the  scene  too  obviously.  The  National  Gallery  contains 
two  good  examples,  in  Bernardino  Luini  (No.  18)  and  Francisco  de 
Herrera  the  younger  (No.  1676).  Among  our  own  Pre-Rafaelites, 
there  is  Holman  Hunt's  well-known  picture. 

49.  wist  ye  not  thut  I  must  be  in  my  Father's  house  ?  Probably 
the  right  translation  rather  than  '  about  my  father's  business.' 
Does  not  this  natural  and  convinced  assertion  that  God  (and  not 
Joseph)  was  His  father  go  far  towards  refuting  the  Gnostic  theory 
lately  revived  that  His  "  Messianic  consciousness  '  developed  first 
at  the  Baptism  (cf.  iii  22)  ?  No  doubt  that  and  the  Temptation 
mark  further  stages  in  the  realization  of  the  Messianic  mission  ; 
but  it  is  implicit  here  in  the  boy  of  12  vears  old.  Cf.  G.  H.  Box, 
Virgin  Birth,  pp.  106-108. 

50.  they  tmderstood  not :  evidently  the  modest  confession  of 
the  Virgin  Mother,  whose  meditations,  however,  were  more  than 
half  an  understanding.  The  fullness  of  what  it  meant  for  Him  to 
be  Son  of  God  she  would  not  fully  grasp  till  the  Resurrection. 

51.  came  to  Nazareth.  The  place  is  nowhere  mentioned  in 
the  O.T.  and  hence — though  its  identity  is  as  safe  as  anything  in 
Palestinian  geography — recent  negative  speculation  has  run  riot 
on  the  subject.  Dr  Cheyne  [Encycl.  Bibl.,  s.v.  'Nazareth')  does 
not  believe  in  the  existence  of  such  a  place,  and  regards  the  place- 
name  as  the  invention  of  early  Christians  ;  Burrage  (Nazareth  and 
the  Beginning  of  Christianity)  thinks  the  origin  of  the  name  is  to  be 
traced  to  the  '  Neser  '  of  Is  xi  1  ;  cf .  also  Burkitt  {Proceedings  of 
Brit.  Academy,  1911-12,  p.  391).  'All  these  doubts  have  no 
foundation  whatever  .  .  .  there  are  hundreds  of  Palestinian  places 
the  names  of  which  do  not  occur  in  the  O.T.,  and  there  is  evidence 
that  Nazareth  was  in  an  ancient  Rabbinic  list  of  places  of  priestly 
residence  in  Galilee  '  (P.  L.). 


II 51-11121  ST   LUKE  43 

was  subject  unto  them.  Till  His  thirtieth  year  (iii  23)  working, 
no  doubt,  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  incidentally,  in  cottage  life, 
accumulating  homely  illustrations  for  His  future  parables.  Cf. 
note  on  xi  7.  Conscious  of  His  divine  origin,  He  is  content  to  be 
a  model  of  human  dutifulness. 

52  And  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  Stature,  and  in 
"favour  with  God  and  men. 

*  Or,  age  -  Or,  grace 

52.  in  wisdom'  and  stature,  <fcc.  Cf.  note  on  ii  40  :  but  here  is 
added — in  contrast  to  John's  desert-isolation  (i  80) — the  note  of 
gracious  fellowship  that  was,  in  later  days,  to  attract  multitudes 
to  His  feet. 


Ill  1— IV  13    THE  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  MINISTRY 

This  important  section  of  the  Gospel  forms  the  link  between 
the  story  of  the  Lord's  Infancy  and  Childhood  and  that  of  His 
actual  Ministry  upon  earth.  Here  St  Luke  begins  to  use  his  Marcan 
material  (cf.  Mk  i  2  sqq.)  supplementing  it  from  '  Q  ' — the  docu- 
ment used  also  by  St  Matthew  (cf.,  e.  g.,  Mat  iv  1-11,  Lk  iv  1-13, 
and  contrast  the  meagreness  of  Mk  i  13) — and  from  sources  pecu- 
liarly his  own  (e.  g.  iii  1,  2,  6,  iii  10-14,  iii  23  sqq.). 

The  section  falls  into  three  subsections  : 

(a)  The  Mission  of  John  and  Baptism  of  Jesus  (iii  1-23). 

(b)  The  Lord's  earthly  genealogy  (iii  24-38). 

(c)  The  Temptation  (iv  1-13). 

(a)  1-23     The  Mission  of  John  and  Baptism  of  Jesus 

This  endeavour  to  link  the  events  of  his  story  with  the  move- 
ments of  the  great  world  is  characteristic  of  our  Evangelist. 
Like  i  5  and  ii  1  it  marks  a  fresh  point  of  departure,  and  may 
indeed  (see  note  on  i  3)  represent  the  original  opening  of  the 
first  draft  of  the  Gospel.  The  synchronisms  given  are  much  more 
elaborate  than  those  in  the  previous  chapters,  and  have,  it  would 
seem,  an  artistic  relation  to  the  sphere  and  scope  of  the  Ministry 
to  which  they  introduce  us. 

1,  2.  The  Synchronisms  of  John's  Ministry.  The  loose 
method  of  dating  by  synchronisms  (cf.  the  reference  to  Quirinius 
in  ii  2),  though  unsatisfactory  to  us,  was  quite  in  accordance  with 
ancient  custom  (Ramsay,  R.D.,  p.  275).  This  is  not  a  mere  list  of  the 
names  of  contemporary  rulers.  It  begins  with  the  Roman  Empire, 
i.  e.  the  civilized  world — Tiberius  Caesar  :  then  follows  the  Holy 
Land,  the  immediate  sphere  of  the  Lord's  Ministry — Pontius 
Pilate  .  .  .  Abilene,  and  finally — Annas,  Caiaphas — the  Circle  of 
Judaic  Religion,  the  hierarchy  of  the  chosen  people. 


44  ST   LUKE  [III  i 

He  thus  by  implication  draws  attention  to  the  political  dissolu- 
tion into  which  the  Theocracy  had  fallen,  and  the  dissolution  at  its 
inmost  heart — the  high  priesthood — when  He  arrived  on  the 
scene  who  was  to  establish  the  true  Kingdom  of  God,  and  the  true 
Priesthood,  upon  earth  (cf.  Godet,  ad  loc). 

Ill  Now  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius 
Caesar,  Pontius  Pilate  being  governor  of  Judaea,  and  Herod 
being  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and  his  brother  Philip  tetrarch  of 
the  region  of  Itursea  and  Trachonitis,  and  Lysanias  tetrarch 
of  Abilene,  2  in  the  high-priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas, 
the  word  of  God  came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  in  the 
wilderness. 

1.  Tiberius  Ccesar.  His  fifteenth  year  might  be  a.  d.  28-29 
(counting  from  the  time  of  his  sole  rule,  after  Augustus's  death) 
or  A.  D.  26-27  (counting  from  his  joint-rule  with  Augustus).  The 
latter  date  is  now  fairly  generally  accepted.  The  early  spring  of 
A.  D.  27  may  be  provisionally  received  as  the  time  of  John's 
Ministry. 

reign :  rjyefxovLa.  The  cognate  verb  (i^yc/AovewTos)  is  used 
immediately  below  of  Pontius  Pilate,  who,  though  strictly  eVtVpoTros 
{procurator)  '  was  entitled  to  be  called  rj-yefjiMv  because  in  Judaea  ' 
military  command  was  combined  mth  the  civil  (Godet).  Codex  D 
has  iTTLTpoTrevovTos,  here  obviously  a  correction.  Archelaus  (Mat  ii 
22)  had  been  deposed  by  the  Romans  in  a.  d.  6,  and  Judaea  united 
to  the  Empire.  Pilate  had  recently  been  appointed  Governor,  in  the 
autumn  of  a.  d.  25. 

Herod  (Antipas)  and  Philip  were  two  sons  of  Herod  the  Great 
who,  with  Archelaus,  originally  shared  their  father's  dominions. 
To  the  records  of  the  Court  of  Antipas,  who  reigned  over  Galilee 
and  Peraea  till  a.  d.  39  (his  death  is  recorded  by  Luke  in  Ac  xii) 
St  Luke  seems  to  have  had  special  access.    See  note  on  viii  3. 

Iturcea  .  .  .  Abilene.  On  two  points  Luke  has  been  accused  of 
inaccuracy  here,  (a)  Ituraea  is  not  mentioned  by  Josephus  when 
he  enumerates  the  dominions  of  Philip  (Ant.  XVII  viii  1 ) .  lb)  Abilene 
was  governed  by  a  '  Lysanias  '  some  sixty  years  earlier  than  this, 
and  he  was  styled  not  tetrarch  but  '  King '  {Die  Cassius,  xlix  32). 

As  regards  the  first  criticism  (a)  it  is  to  be  noted  that  we 
have  a  composite  adjectival  phrase  '  the  Ituraean-and-Trachonitid 
territory  ' ;  and  that  the  two  are  identified  in  Eusebius  (see  D.C.G., 
p.  844),  while  here  they  are  treated  as  vaguely  contiguous.  The 
second  criticism  is  like  that  which  accuses  Luke  of  having  muddled 
his  references  to  Theudas  and  Judas  of  Galilee  in  Ac  v  36.  The 
fact  is  that  inscriptions  prove  that  besides  the  Lysanias  of  Dio, 
made  king  by  Antony,  and  subsequently  put  to  death  by  him 


Ill  1-6]  ST   LUKE  45 

(C.I.G.  4521)  there  was  a  '  tetrarch  '  of  that  name  living  about 
fifty  years  later,  whose  '  freed  man '  Nymphas  left  an  inscription  to 
record  his  public  spirit  (Lysanias,  D.C.G.  95).  Another  inscription 
{C.I.G.  4583)  tells  us  that  the  earlier  Lysanias  left  children  :  so  it 
is  plausibly  conjectured  that  Augustus,  here,  as  in  other  cases, 
restored  a  son  to  some  part  of  the  inheritance  of  which  Antony 
had  deprived  the  father.  Abila — where  a  Roman  cemetery  still 
remains  visible — lies  to  the  north  of  Damascus,  between  Hermon 
and  Antilebanon. 

2.  in  the  high-priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas  :  literally 
'  Annas  and  Caiaphas  being  High  Priest '  (sing.).  Annas,  according 
to  Jewish  ideas,  de  jure  ;  Caiaphas — by  Roman  interference — de 
facto,  since  a.  d.  18.  This  mention  of  Annas  is  one  of  the  numerous 
points  of  contact  between  the  third  and  fourth  Gospels  (see  Introd., 
pp.  xxiv,  XXX vi).  Jn  xviii  13  may  be  a  deliberate  correction  of 
St  Luke's  phrase  here — '  Caiaphas  was  High  Priest ;  Annas,  whose 
official  position  the  Jews  recognized,  was  his  father-in-law.'  Annas, 
appointed  by  Quirinius  in  a.  d.  6,  had  been  deposed  in  a.  d.  15, 
but  was  succeeded  by  five  sons  (Jos.  Ant.  XX  x  I)  and  a  son-in- 
law,  and  seems  as  ex-high-priest  to  have  held  the  reins  of  power 
(Ac  iv  6).  For  the  infamies  of  Annas  and  his  house,  see  Edersheim, 
Life  and  Times,  i  263.  There  is  a  convenient  summary  of  facts 
and  opinions  on  these  verses  in  A.  T.  Robertson,  op.  cit.,  pp.  166-168. 

John  the  son  of  Zacharias :  the  narrative  of  whose  annuncia- 
tion and  birth  has  been  interwoven  with  that  of  the  Saviour,  his 
cousin  after  the  fiesh,  was  now  probably  34,  Jesus  33  years  old. 
His  definite  '  message  '  (pi}/xa)  is  given  succinctly  as  '  Repent  ye  ;  for 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand  '  by  St  Matthew  (iii  2)  who  puts 
the  same  proclamation  later  into  the  mouth  of  Jesus  (iv  17). 
John  stands  as  the  last  of  the  prophetic  series  which  runs  through 
all  the  O.T.  but  had  been  in  abeyance  now  for  centuries  (cf. 
Ps  Ixxiv  9)  ;  and  St  Luke  here  describes  the  '  coming  of  the  Word 
of  God  upon  '  him  in  language  which  recalls  the  inspiration  of  his 
great  predecessors  (cf .  Jer  i  2). 

3  And  he  came  into  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan, 
preaching  the  baptism  of  repentance  unto  remission  of  sins  ; 
4  as  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  the  words  of  Isaiah  the  prophet. 
The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  make  ye  ready  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  become  straight,  and  the  rough 
ways  smooth  ;    6  and  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

3-14.    John's  Baptism  and  Teaching.    The  picture  given  omits 
certain  outward  details  (his  clothing  and  diet)  given  by  Matthew 


46  ST  LUKE  [HIs-q 

and  Mark  (Mat  iii  4,  Mk  i  6)  but  is  much  fuller  in  its  description 
of  the  preaching  (see  vv.  11-14). 

4.  the  baptism  of  repentance  unto  remission  of  sins.  There  was 
something  new  in  John's  baptism  ;  for  Jewish  lustration  had  not 
hitherto  been  carried  to  the  extent  of  total  immersion,  though 
proselytes  were  so  baptized  after  a.  d.  70 — and  possibly  even  before 
this  (Hastings'  D.B.,  s.v.  '  Baptism  ').  The  rite  expresses  what 
John's  prophetic  predecessors  Ezeldel  (xxxvi  26,  27)  and  Zechariah 
(xiii  1)  had  predicted.  It  implied  recognition  of  spiritual  unclean- 
ness,  and  of  need  of  new  moral  outlook  {/xeTdvoia),  and  was  accom- 
panied, according  to  all  three  Synoptists,  by  'confession  of  sins.' 
Doubtless  it  conveyed  real  grace,  not  easy  to  distinguish  from  that 
conferred  shortly  afterwards  by  Jesus  at  the  hands  of  His  disciples 
(cf.  Jn  iv  1-3).  The  new  birth  (cf.  Jn  iii  5)  is  the  distinctive  gift 
of  Christian  Baptism,  the  domain  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (see  below, 
V.  16). 

4-6.  The  quotation  is  from  Is  xl  3  sqq.  The  Deutero-Isaiah 
pictures  the  restoration  of  the  Theocratic  State  and  the  return  of 
the  exiles  preceded  by  a  royal  courier  calling  upon  all  to  prepare 
the  roads.  This  ancient  custom  supplies  in  the  Gospel  a  still  happier 
use  of  the  metaphor,  when  it  is  the  King  himself  who  is  coming  to 
establish  the  Kingdom. 

6.  all  flesh.  It  is  typical  of  St  Luke's  universalism  (see  Introd., 
p.  xl)  that  he  carries  on  the  quotation  beyond  the  other  Synoptists 
to  include  this  phrase.  Cf.  Ac  ii  17.  Similarly  his  gentle  spirit 
leads  him  to  note  the  breaking-off  of  the  quotation  in  iv  18,  19 
before  the  proclamation  of  '  Vengeance.' 

7-9.  The  General  Message,  given  in  Mat  iii  6-12 ;  in  vv.  10-14 
differentiated  messages  are  given,  peculiar  to  St  Luke.  The  theme 
of  the  general  message  is  Judgement  and  Repentance.  The  figures 
in  which  it  is  couched — vipers,  stones — are  drawn  from  the  desert, 
with  fruit-trees  added  by  way  of  contrast. 

The  stern  words  '  broods  of  vipers  '  are  by  St  Matthew  put  into 
our  Lord's  mouth,  and  directed  against  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
(Mat  xii  34,  xxiii  33).  The  wrath  to  come  was  in  Jewish  minds 
concentrated  on  the  heathen  :  the  Baptist  turns  it  upon  themselves. 
(So  Godet.)    Cf.  Am  iii  2,  v  18. 

7  He  said  therefore  to  the  multitudes  that  went  out  to  be 
baptized  of  him,  Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who  warned  you  to 
flee  from  the  wi'ath  to  come  ?  8  Bring  forth  therefore  fruits 
worthy  of  ^repentance,  and  begin  not  to  say  within  youi'selves, 
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  even  now  is  the  axe  also  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees  : 

'  Or,  your  repentance 


Ill  7-14]  ST   LUKE  47 

every  tree  therefore  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn 
down,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 

7.  He  said  (IXcyev) :  'he  used  to  say.'  St  Luke  is  giving  a 
summary  of  John's  characteristic  preaching. 

8.  We  have  Abraham  to  our  father  :  St.  John  actually  puts  this 
boast  into  the  mouth  of  our  Lord's  Jewish  opponents  (viii  33) 
and  records  an  answer  (viii  37,  38)  even  more  stern  than  this. 

9.  the  axe  :  laid  at  the  root  of  a  barren  fruit-tree  marked  out  to 
be  felled.  Cf.  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  Barren  Fig-tree  (Lk  xiii 
6-9)  in  place  of  which  Matthew  and  Mark  have  the  narrative  of 
the  withering  (Mat  xxi  18,  19,  Mk  xi  13,  14). 

10-14.  The  Special  Messages.  St  Luke  distinguishes  three 
classes  of  penitents,  to  each  of  which  the  Baptist  gives  special 
counsel:  (a)  the  multitudes,  10-11  ;  (b)  the  tax-gatherers,  12-13  j 
(c)  men  on  military  service,  14.  In  each  case  it  is  the  selfish  or 
predatory  instinct  that  is  rebuked  :  (a)  '  Share  what  you  have,' 
(6)  '  Do  not  extort,'  (c)  '  Do  not  abuse  your  power  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, and  be  content  with  your  rations.'  Selfishness  and  self- 
assertion  are  thus  proclaimed  as  the  great  obstacles  to  an  approach 
to  Christ. 

10  And  the  multitudes  asked  him,  saying,  What  then  must 
we  do  ?  11  And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them.  He  that 
hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that  hath  none  ;  and 
he  that  hath  food,  let  him  do  likewise.  12  And  there  came 
also  ^publicans  to  be  baptized,  and  they  said  unto  him, 
^Master,  what  must  we  do  ?  13  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Extort  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed  you.  14  And 
^soldiers  also  asked  him,  saying.  And  we,  what  must  we  do  ? 
And  he  said  unto  them.  Do  violence  to  no  man,  neither  *exact 
anything  wrongfully  ;   and  be  content  with  your  wages. 

1  See  marginal  note  on  Mat  v  46.  ^  Or,  Teacher 

*  Gr.  boldiers  on  service.  *  Or,  accuse  any  one 

10.  WJiat  then  must  we  do  ?  The  question  is  the  same  as  that 
put  to  St  Peter  and  his  colleagues  in  Ac  ii  37.  Peter's  answer  is 
more  definite  because,  in  the  interval,  the  Kingdom  of  God  had 
come.     (So  Godet.) 

14.  Do  violence  to  no  man,  dhc.  The  armed  man  (as  the  late 
war  has  shown)  is  in  all  ages  subject  to  temptation  to  violence  and 
outrage  from  which  the  civilian  is  normally  immune.  Sack  and 
pillage  with  nameless  attendant  horrors  have  been  in  our  generation 
proclaimed  by  militarism  as  justifiable  in  war.  John  urges  dis- 
cipline,   {a)    external,    towards   the    populations    where    they    are 


48  ST   LUKE  [ill  15-20 

stationed,  (6)  internal — contentment  as  against  the  spirit  of  unrest 
and  mutiny. 

15-17.  The  Baptist's  Announcement  of  the  Christ. 
Verse  15,  describing  the  atmosphere  of  expectancy,  is  peculiar  to 
St  Luke,  and  forms  one  of  his  points  of  contact  with  the  fourth 
Gosj)el  (cf.  Jn  i  19  sqq.).    See  further,  Introd.,  pp.  xxiv,  xxxvi,  xliv. 

15  And  as  the  people  were  in  expectation,  and  all  men 
reasoned  in  their  hearts  concerning  John,  whether  haply  he 
were  the  Christ  ;  16  John  answered,  saying  unto  them  all, 
I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  ;  but  there  cometh  he  that 
is  mightier  than  I,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not 
^worthy  to  unloose  :  he  shall  baptize  you  ^with  the  Hol}'^ 
Ghost  and  with  fu-e  :  17  whose  fan  is  in  his  hand,  throughly 
to  cleanse  his  threshing-floor,  and  to  gather  the  wheat  into 
his  garner  ;  but  the  chaff  he  will  burn  up  with  unquenchable 
fire. 

*  Gr.  sufficient.  ^  Or,  in 

16.  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes,  dhc.  The  duty  of  the  humblest 
sort  of  slave. 

with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire.  The  disciples  at  Pentecost 
were  baptized  '  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire  '  (Ac  ii  3,  4). 
The  Hebraistic  phrase  amounts  to  a  hendiadys — '  with  the  fire 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  Fire  is  a  more  intense  purifier  even  than 
water,  and  has  {v.  17)  unquenchable  power  to  burn  up  the  evil. 
See  further  v.  22. 

17.  whose  fan,  c&c.  For  this  sifting  of  souls  cf .  the  Parable  of 
the  Tares  (Mat  xiii  24-30).  Here  again,  as  in  v.  7,  the  line  of 
demarcation  is  not  that  of  popular  Jewish  tradition  between  Jew 
and  Gentile,  but  between  saved  and  lost  Jews. 

18-20.  Imprisonment  of  John.  In  common  with  the  fourth 
Evangelist  (Jn  iii  24)  St  Luke  mentions  the  imprisonment  by 
anticipation.  Matthew  (xiv  3)  and  Mark  (vi  17,  18)  record  it  in  its 
chronological  sequence  (cf.  notes  on  vv.  2,  15). 

18  With  many  other  exhortations  therefore  preached  he 
igood  tidings  unto  the  people  ;  19  but  Herod  the  tetrarch, 
being  reproved  by  him  for  Herodias  his  brother's  wife,  and 
for  all  the  evil  things  which  Herod  had  done,  20  added  yet 
this  above  all,  that  he  shut  up  John  in  prison. 

'  Or,  the  gospel 

21,  22.  Baptism  of  Jesus.  By  this  '  Christian  Baptism  '  is 
linked  with  that  of  John  ;   for  here,  in  the  climax  of  John's  bap- 


II 21-23]  ST   LUKE  49 

ismal  acts  are  (a)  the  '  sanctifjdng  of  water  to  the  mystical  washing 
way  of  sin,'  and  (6)  the  Special  Presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (cf. 
Lc  ii  38).  It  is  at  once  a  solemn  investiture  of  Jesus  for  His 
linistry,  and  of  John  for  his  office  of  forerunner  (Papini,  Life  of 
Ihrist,  p.  70). 

21  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  all  the  people  were  baptized, 
hat,  Jesus  also  having  been  baptized,  and  praying,  the 
leaven  was  opened,  22  and  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  in  a 
)odily  form,  as  a  dove,  upon  him,  and  a  voice  came  out  of 
leaven,  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son  ;   in  thee  I  am  well  pleased. 

22.  in  a  bodily  form  :  phrase  peculiar  to  St  Luke — implying, 
)erhaps,  what  St  John  asserts  (i  32),  that  the  Baptist  saw  the  vision. 
Tvora  St  Mark  (i  10)  we  might  have  inferred  that  it  was  seen  by 
!!^hrist  alone. 

The  famous  D  MS  (with  some  Lat.  witnesses,  and  Justin  and  other 
fathers)  have  '  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee,' 
vhich  gives  a  definite  connexion  (otherwise  wanting)  with  v.  23, 
this  day '  contrasting  with  '  thirty  years  '  and  '  my  Son '  with  '  being 
he  son  {as  was  supposed)  of  Joseph  '  (Blass,  Philol.  Gosp.,  E.T. 
Dp.  167-169). 

On  the  implications  as  to  our  Lord's  Divinity,  see  A.  T.  Robert- 
ion,  op.  cit.,  pp.  153-165,  '  An  Historian's  Idea  of  the  Deity  of 
Jesus.' 

The  most  famous  accessible  picture  of  the  Baptism  is  that  of 
Piero  della  Francesca  in  the  National  Gallery  (No.  665).  In  it  the 
iove  is  unmistakable,  yet  assimilated  to  the  white  clouds  in  the 
sky.    Jameson,  Hist.  ofO.  L.,  vol.  i,  pp.  294-297  ;  P.  L.  W.,  p.  54. 

23  And  Jesus  himself,  when  he  began  to  teach,  was  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  being  the  son  (as  was  supposed)  of  Joseph, 
the  son  of  Heli, 

23.  when  he  began.  F.  Blass  {Philol.  Gosp.,  E.T.  p.  169)  would 
read  ipxofxevo?  for  apxofjievo^  '  when  He  came  [to  baptism].'  He  has 
only  one  minuscule  codex  to  support  him,  but  Clem.  Alex,  read 
the  text  so.  Blass  makes  the  phrase  '  as  was  supposed  '  cover 
two  clauses,  thus  :  '  Jesus  was,  when  He  came  to  be  baptised, 
about  30  years  old,  as  was  supposed,  and  the  son  of  Joseph.' 

about  thirty  years.  St  Luke's  general  aim  at  exactness  makes 
it  likely  that  he  had  some  reason  for  vagueness  here.  We  shall  not 
be  wrong,  e.g.,  if  we  make  the  age  28  or  32.  Cf.  Ramsay,  Recent 
Discovery,  p.  295. 

as  was  supposed.  The  Evangelist  (see  note  on  i  27),  like  St 
Matthew,  accepts  at  once  the  Virgin  Birth  and  the  Davidic 
descent. 


50  ST   LUKE  [III  24-30 

(b)  24r-38     The  Earthly  Genealogy  of  Jesus  (cf.  Mat  i  1-17) 

'  The  Hebrew  fondness  for  genealogy  is  evidenced  by  the 
character  of  such  books  as  Chronicles  and  Jubilees.  There  is  a 
Rabbinic  saying,  "  God  lets  His  Shekhina  dwell  only  in  families 
that  can  prove  their  pedigrees  "  '  (P.  L.). 

It  is  characteristic  that  while  the  Judaic  first  Evangelist  traces 
the  genealogy  down  from  Abraham,  the  universalist  St  Luke 
follows  it  up  and  back  to  the  first  Man. 

Endless  discussion  has  arisen  out  of  the  similarities  and  differ- 
ences between  this  list  and  that  given  in  Mat  i  1-16  (a  difference 
which  is  entirely  eliminated  in  the  great  Western  Codex  D,  where 
Luke's  names  are  identical  with  Matthew's).  Between  Abraham 
and  David  they  tally,  name  for  name  ;  between  David  and  Joseph 
they  coincide  in  Shealtiel  and  Zerubbabel  (Mat  i  12,  Lk  iii  27), 
but  all  the  other  names  are  different.  The  difference  of  the  names 
from  Zerubbabel  to  Joseph  is  accounted  for  if  we  regard  Luke's 
genealogy  as  being,  not  that  of  Joseph  (as  Matthew),  but  Mary's 
(cf.  A.  T.  Robertson,  op.  cit.,  p.  127)  ;  relying  on  the  Western 
reading  in  ii  4  which  makes  her,  as  well  as  her  betrothed,  '  of  the 
house  and  lineage  of  David,'  backed  by  the  general  atmosphere  of 
the  first  two  chapters,  which  seem  to  express  Mary's  point  of  view, 
and  may  be  ultimately  derived  from  her. 

Westcott,  however,  has  pointed  out  [Introd.  Stud.  Gosp., 
7th  edn.,  p.  316  note)  that  until  the  sixteenth  century  both  genealo- 
gies were  generally  supposed  to  be  Joseph's,  Matthew's  giving  the 

*  legal '  and  '  Royal '  descent,  Luke's  the  actual,  '  natural '  descent 
from  David  (cf.  note  on  v.  27). 

Early  Christian  speculation  attributed  to  Mary  a  descent  from 
Levi;  cf.  EphraemSjr.  (ArmenianV,),^.  17;  Test,  xii Pair.  ('Simeon,' 

*  Levi,' '  Judah ').  This  was  also  a  tenet  of  the  Manichaeans  ;  cf .  Aug. 
Contr.  Faust,  xxiii  9  (P.  L.). 

24  The  son  of  Matthat,  the  son  of  Levi,  the  son  of  Melchi, 
the  son  of  Jannai,  the  son  of  Joseph,  25  the  son  of  Mattathias, 
the  son  of  Amos,  the  son  of  Nahum,  the  son  of  Esli,  the  son  of 
Naggai,  26  the  son  of  Maath,  the  son  of  Mattathias,  the  son 
of  Semein,  the  son  of  Josech,  the  son  of  Joda,  27  the  son  of 
Joanan,  the  son  of  Rhesa,  the  son  of  Zerubbabel,  the  son 
of  ^Shealtiel,  the  son  of  Neri,  28  the  son  of  Melchi,  the  son  of 
Addi,  the  son  of  Cosam,  the  son  of  Elmadam,  the  son  of  Er, 
29  the  son  of  Jesus,  the  son  of  Eliezer,  the  son  of  Jorim,  the 
son  of  Matthat,  the  -sow  of  Levi,  30  the  son  of  Symeon,  the 
son  of  Judas,  the  son  of  Joseph,  the  son  of  Jonam,  the  son  of 

'  Gr.  Salathicl. 


Ill  31-38]  ST  LUKE  51 

Eliakim,  31  the  son  of  Melea,  the  son  of  Menna,  the  son  of 
Mattatha,  the  son  of  Nathan,  the  son  of  David,  32  the  son  of 
Jesse,  the  son  of  Obed,  the  son  of  Boaz,  the  son  of  ^Salmon, 
the  son  of  Nahshon,  33  the  son  of  Amminadab,  Hhe  sow.  of 
^Arni,  the  son  of  Hezron,  the  son  of  Perez,  the  son  of  Judah, 
34  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  50»  of  Isaac,  the  son  of  Abraham,  the 
son  of  Terah,  the  son  of  Nahor,  35  the  son  of  Serug,  the  son 
of  Reu,  the  so?^  of  Peleg,  the  son  of  Eber,  the  son  of  Shelah, 
36  the  son  of  Cainan,  the  son  of  Arphaxad,  the  son  of  Shem, 
the  sow  of  Noah,  the  son  of  Lamech,  37  the  son  of  Methuselah, 
the  son  of  Enoch,  the  son  of  Jared,  the  son  of  Mahalaleel,  the 
sow  of  Cainan,  38  the  son  of  Enos,  the  son  of  Seth,  the  son  of 
Adam,  the  son  of  God. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  write  Sola. 

^  Many  ancient  authorities  insert  the  son  o/  Admin  :  and  one  writes  Admin 
for  Amminadab.  *  Some  ancient  authorities  write  Aram. 

27.  f/i^e  son  of  Zerubbabel,  the  son  o/  Shealtiel,  the  son  o/  ^en. 
The  coincidence  of  Matthew  and  Luke  in  the  two  names  is  best 
Bxplained  by  the  fact  that  Jeconiah  (Coniah)  whom  Matthew 
(i  12)  makes  father  of  Shealtiel  was  actually  childless  (Jer  xxii 
28  sqq.)  ;  and  that  Matthew  carries  the  line  down  the  royal  suc- 
3ession,  making  Shealtiel  son  because  heir,  while  Luke  carries  it 
up  the  natural  birth-genealogy  through  Neri,  Shealtiel's  actual 
Father,  to  Nathan  {v.  31)  son  of  David,  Solomon's  elder  half- 
brother  (cf.  2  Sam  v  14). 

36.  the  son  of  Cainan.  This  name  is  omitted  by  D,  and  Blass 
Philol.  Gasp.,  p.  173)  accepts  its  reading  here  though  he  regards 
bhe  general  identity  with  Matthew's  names  (see  note  on  v  23) 
IS  a  clear  case  of  '  assimilation.'  In  omitting  Cainan,  D  agrees 
^th  the  Hebrew  text  against  the  LXX.  But  is  it  not  clear  that 
5t  Luke  habitually  used  the  Septuagint  ? 

38.  the  son  of  God.  In  this  '  daring  statement '  of  his  own, 
;ompleting  the  dry  genealogical  series  before  him,  Luke  claims 
or  man  the  privilege  accorded  in  Gen  i  26,  27.  Man,  as  such,  is 
jrod's  child,  made  in  His  image,  after  His  likeness ;  and  thus  Luke, 
ike  his  old  chief  St  Paul  (Rom  v  12-19),  links  the  Lord  Jesus 
miversally  to  the  human  race.  But  he  has  already  proclaimed 
3im,  by  the  mouth  of  Gabriel,  '  Son  of  God  '  in  a  unique  sense 
i  35). 

(c)  IV  1-13     The  Temptation 

The  narrative,  summarized  in  a  single  verse  in  Mark  (who  adds 
lis  own  touch,  '  he  was  with  the  wild  beasts,'  i  13)  is  common  to 

4-2 


52  ST   LUKE  [lVi-13 

the  first  and  third  Evangelists,  and  hence  is  usually  assigned  to 
Q  (of.  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  187  ;  Streeter,  Hibbert  Journal,  Oct. 
1921.  Streeter  now  thinks  the  whole  of  iii  1 — iv  30  is  Q  plus  Lk 
and  independent  of  Mk  ;  but  contra,  W,  C.  Allen,  ib.,  p.  273). 
It  is  strange,  however,  that  Mark  should  mention  the  Temptation 
without  any  further  specification^  unless  in  his  earlier  verses  he 
is  deliberately  summarizing  from  a  fuller  knowledge  (so  Streeter, 
Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  168, 169).  The  main  difference  between  the  records  of 
Matthew  and  Luke  lies  in  the  variation  of  the  order  of  the  last 
two  temptations  (Mat  iv  5-7  the  Temple,  iv  8-10  the  Mountain  ; 
Lk  iv  5-8  the  Mountain,  iv  9-19  the  Temple).  This  inversion  of 
the  order  of  common  material  is  observable  again  in  Mat  xii  41, 
42  =  Lk  xi  32,  31,  where  '  the  men  of  Nineveh  '  and  the  '  Queen  of 
the  South  '  change  places.  (Cf.  Sanday,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  8.)  For  a 
similar  phenomenon  see  on  xxiv  10. 

In  the  latter  case  there  is  no  literary  or  doctrinal  advantage 
in  either  order  ;  and  it  is  possible  that  the  variation  here  may  be 
an  accident,  due  to  the  difficulty  of  continually  turning  up  places 
in  a  roll  of  MS.  There  is,  however,  a  point  which  may  help  us 
to  conjecture  which  Evangelist  reproduces  the  order  of  the  common 
source. 

Canon  Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  153)  remarks  that  the 
'  crescendo  of  allurements  '  in  St  Matthew,  ending  up  with  '  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth  and  the  glory  of  them,'  is  the  more  effective 
dramatically  ;  he  claims  that  St  Luke  was  too  much  of  an  artist 
to  spoil  such  an  effect  if  he  had  it  before  him,  and  infers  that  there- 
fore St  Matthew  must  have  changed  the  order  which  St  Luke 
retains.  There  is,  however,  a  less  obvious  but  real  sense  in  which 
the  soul's  intimate  relation  to  God,  touched  in  v.  9  sqq.,  is  more 
sublime  than  even  world-wide  dominion  {v.  5  sqq.).  St  Luke  may 
have  the  credit  of  this.'^vCf.  Westcott,  Introd.  to  Study,  <fcc.,  ch  vi, 
p.  323  [7th  edn.].  In  Matthew  the  order  of  the  temptations  is  (1) 
Sense,  (2)  God,  (3)  Man;  in  Luke  (1)  Sense,  (2)  Man,  (3)  God; 
see,  for  another  suggestion,  the  note  below  on  vv.  9-12. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  documentary  source  from  which 
the  two  Evangelists  derived  their  narrative,  the  story  must  have 
come  originally  from  the  lips  of  the  Lord  Himself.  We  may  assume 
that  He  put  into  symbolic  form  the  record  of  an  inner  moral  and 
psj^chological  experience — the  three  typical  temptations  repre- 
senting in  principle  the  reality  of  the  struggle  of  His  human  Spirit 
in  preparing  to  face  the  responsibility  and  the  trials  of  the  Ministry, 
and  Passion  and  perfecting  Him  in  sympathy  with5|,the  tempted 
(Heb  ii  18),  and  in  some  sense  also  a  practical  guide  on  the  subject 
of  temptation  for  His  disciples.  We  note  that  it  follows  His 
Baptism — temptation  to  use  amiss  a  new  consciousness  of  power — 
and  precedes  His  Ministry,  illustrating  its  future  temptations  and 
showing  the  power  of  the  human  spirit  to  conquer  beforehand. 

Three  points  which  come  out  in  the  narrative  may  be  emphasized. 


lVi-13]  ST   LUKE  58 

(a)  The  temptations  are  suited  to  a  sinless  nature.  The  objects 
proposed  '  were  in  themselves  desirable  for  an  innocent  person  ' 
(Adeney,  ad  loc.)  ;  it  was  the  suggested  means  of  achieving  them 
that  were  wrong. 

(6)  The  temptations  were  real.  There  is  no  hint  of  anything 
less  than  a  deadly  struggle — a  struggle  the  more  exacting  because 
carried  on  to  the  end,  and  not  broken  off  by  giving  way  just  when 
the  strain  became  greatest.  He  would  not  (if  He  could)  bring  His 
Divinity  to  the  succour  of  His  humanity  in  any  exclusive  way, 
and  thus,  in  the  words  of  the  writer  to  the  Hebrews  (whose  language, 
of  all  N.T.  writers,  most  nearly  approximates  to  that  of  St  Luke), 
He  '  qualified  '  to  be  our  High  Priest  ...  '  in  all  points  tempted  like 
as  we  are,  yet  without  sin  '  (Heb  iv  15  ;   cf.  v  7,  vii  26). 

(c)  The  original  utterance  and  the  subsequent  transmission  of 
this  narrative  would  have  been  unmeaning,  had  not  those  con- 
cerned believed  in  the  miraculous  powers  of  Christ  (cf.  Oxf.  Stud., 
p.  129). 

On  the  moral  and  spiritual  interpretation  of  this  celebrated 
passage  volumes  have  been  written,  and  its  significance  will, 
surely,  never  be  exhausted.  Canon  Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  214) 
draws  attention  to  the  original  apologetic  purpose  of  the  narra- 
tive as  it  appeared  in  the  source  (Q)  from  which  the  first  and 
third  Evangelists  draw  it.  It  met  the  problem  of  His  poverty : 
'  If  He  was  Messiah,  why  had  He  not  bread  to  eat  ?  '  It  met 
the  failure  to  fulfil  Jewish  national  expectations  :  '  If  He  was 
Messiah,  why  did  He  not  rule  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  as 
Caesar  on  the  throne  of  David  ?  '  It  met  also  the  problem  of 
failure  to  convince  the  Jewish  People  as  a  whole  :  '  If  He  was 
Messiah,  why  did  not  all  Jerusalem  see  Him  borne  up  by  angels  as 
He  leaped  from  the  Temple  pinnacle  ?  ' 

Such  a  use  of  it  would  harmonize  with  what  we  may  regard  as 
its  original  significance  to  Himself  :  a  realization  and  a  loyal 
acceptance  of  the  necessary  limitations  involved  in  the  redemptive 
mission  of  the  Incarnation.  He  resolves  once  for  all  (a)  never  to 
use  His  Divine  powers  for  self-gratification,  or  for  the  fulfilment 
of  His  merely  human  needs  ;  (6)  never  to  compass  swiftly  a  desirable 
end  by  disloyal  and  unworthy  means  ;  (c)  never  to  presume  on 
Divine  aid  for  any  spectacular  exhibitions  of  His  paramount 
position  and  authority. 

Among  useful  books  for  further  reference  may  be  recommended 
A.  Morris  Stewart,  The  Temptation  of  Jesus,  London  1903. 
H.  J.  C.  Knight,  The  Temptation  of  Our  Lord,  Longmans  1907. 
G.  A.  Cobbold,  Tempted  Like  as  We  are,  London  1900. 
Archbishop  Trench,  Studies  in  the  Gospels,  London  1867. 

IV    And  Jesus,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  returned  from  the 
Jordan,  and  was  led  ^by  the  Spirit  in  the  wilderness  2  during 

^  Or,  in 


54  ST   LUKE  [IV 1-4 

forty  days,  being  tempted  of  the  devil.    And  he  did  eat  nothing 
in  those  days  :   and  when  they  were  completed,  he  hungered. 

1.  led  by  the  Spirit :  (imperfect — '  was  being  led  ' — '  led  about 
from  day  to  day  ')  ;  rather  different  from  St  Mark's  '  straightway 
the  Spirit  driveth  him  forth  into.  .  .  .'  A  new  access  of  the  Spirit, 
the  endowment  of  His  Baptism,  was  upon  Him  during  these  forty 
days. 

the  wilderness :  the  wild  uplands  north  of  Jerusalem. 

2.  forty  days.  Cf.  Deut  ix  9,  1  Kgs  xix  8.  The  origin  of  the 
Church's  Lenten  observance. 

tempted  of  the  devil.  Here  again  (as  in  Mark)  the  tense  of  the 
verb  points  to  a  continuous  tempting  throughout  the  forty  days. 
From  St  Matthew  we  might  have  thought  that  the  Temptation  was 
preceded  by  a  forty  days'  fast  (and  both  Luke  and  Matthew  agree 
that  the  feeling  of  hunger  came  after  the  long  fast).  Visible  or 
invisible,  we  find  Satan  pictured  as  actually  present  and  in  hand- 
to-hand  conflict  with  the  Son  of  Man. 

3.  4.  First  Temptation — or  '  Sense.'  The  tempter  chooses 
the  moment  of  extreme  exhaustion  and  depression  to  make  this 
assault. 

3  And  the  devil  said  unto  him,  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God, 
command  this  stone  that  it  become  ^bread.  4  And  Jesus 
answered  unto  him,  It  is  written,  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone. 

*  Or,  a  loaf 

3.  //  thou  art  God's  Son,  as  proclaimed  at  thy  Baptism  (iii  22). 
Jesus  was  pledged  to  be  true  man,  to  behave  and  suffer  as  man,  as 
the  author  of  the  Hebrews  clearly  sees  (iv  15  sqq.,  v  1-10,  &c.). 
Could  He  be  induced  at  the  outset — even  to  escape  this  deadly 
exhaustion — to  draw  upon  the  superhuman  He  felt  in  Him  ?  The 
Temptation  is  (a)  to  convince  the  tempter  of  His  divine  Sonship, 
(6)  to  feel  the  need  of  such  conviction  Himself,  and  (c)  to  satisfy 
His  natural  craving  for  food  and  preserve  Himself  for  future  use- 
fulness. 

command  this  stone  :  the  eyes  fixed,  we  may  suppose,  on  a 
particular  piece  of  limestone,  like  a  loaf  in  shape  and  size.  In 
Tintoretto's  picture  (Scuola  di  S.  Rocco,  Venice)  Satan  is  in  the  act 
of  handing  up  a  stone  to  our  Lord.  For  other  representations  of 
the  Temptation  in  Art,  see  Jameson,  Hist.  ofO.L.,  vol.  i,  pp.  310-314. 

4.  It  is  written.  The  three  answers  are  draAvn  not  merely  from 
the  Old  Testament,  but  all  from  the  same  Book  of  Deuteronomy, 
the  book  which  is  in  spirit  far  the  most  '  evangelical  '  of  the  Penta- 
teuch. This  Book,  which  records  so  touchingly  (Deut  viii)  God's 
fatherly  care  of  His  People  in  the  wilderness,  was  apparently  chosen 
by  our  Lord  as  His  subject  for  meditation  during  those  momentous 


ivs-io]  ST   LUKE  55 

days,  while  He  stood  as  it  were  on  the  verge  of  the  '  Promised  Land ' 
of  His  earthly  ministry, 

Man  shall  not  live  (Deut  viii  3).  God's  Spirit  had  led  Him 
hitherto,  and  He  must  not  cut  across  the  effects  of  that  leading. 

5-8.  Second  Temptation — concerning  '  Man.'  A  tempta- 
tion to  adopt  unhallowed  means  to  acknowledged  ends. 

5  And  he  led  him  up,  and  shewed  him  all  the  kingdoms  of 
Hhe  world  in  a  moment  of  time.  6  And  the  devil  said  unto 
him,  To  thee  will  I  give  all  this  authority,  and  the  glory  of 
them  :  for  it  hath  been  delivered  unto  me  ;  and  to  whom- 
soever I  will  I  give  it.  7  If  thou  therefore  wilt  worship  before 
me,  it  shall  all  be  thine.  8  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  It  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve. 

^  Gr.  the  inhabited  earth. 

5.  led  him  up :  in  thought  and  imagination.  Physically  such 
a  view  would  be  impossible,  even  from  snowy  Hermon — or  Mount 
Everest !  Jt  is  a  miraculous  flash  of  supernatural  vision.  This 
second  temptation  according  to  St  Luke  is  the  third  according  to 
St  Matthew.    See  preliminary  note,  p.  52. 

6.  it  hath  been  delivered  unto  me.  Is  this  one  of  the  devil's  lies  ? 
The  claim,  with  its  '  magnificent  insolence,'  is  implicit  only  in 
Matthew.  It  finds  some  apparent  support  in  such  passages  as 
1  Jn  V  19.  But  certainly  no  Messianic  sceptre  was  at  Satan's 
disposal.  Throughout  His  ministry  our  Lord  steadfastly  resisted 
this  recurrent  temptation  in  refusing  the  role  of  a  Nationalist  leader 
(cf .  Jn  vi  15)  and  preferring  that  of  misunderstanding,  hostility,  and 
the  Cross.  It  was  the  temptation  under  which,  as  Dr  Adeney 
observes  {ad  loc),  Mohammed  fell. 

9-12.  Third  Temptation — concerning  '  God.'  Mr  Morris 
Stewart  {op.  cit.,  p.  114)  pictures  the  transportation  as  actually 
accomplished — an  '  excursion  into  the  Fourth  Dimension  ' — a 
Temptation  and  a  Challenge  to  our  Lord  to  anticipate  the  powers 
of  His  post-resurrection  body. 

Mr  LevertofE  suggests  that  Luke  rightly  places  this  last,  because 
it  represents  the  Fiend's  attempt,  when  other  assaults  have  failed, 
to  induce  Him  to  '  fall  down  and  be  killed.' 

9  And  he  led  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  set  him  on  the 
^pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  said  unto  him,  If  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down  from  hence  : 

10  For  it  is  written, 

He  shall  give   his  angels  charge   concerning  thee,  to 
guard  thee  : 

*  Gr.  wing. 


56  ST   LUKE  [IVii-h 

11  And, 

On  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 

Lest  haply  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. 

10.  The  devil  himself  '  quotes  Scripture.'  He  misquotes 
Ps  xci  11-13,  omitting  the  important  phrase,  in  all  thy  ways.  This 
self -chosen  way  would  not  have  been  '  His  way  '  at  all. 

12.  Thou  shalt  not  tempt :  cf .  Deut  vi  16.  Jesus  in  His  reply 
'  refuses  to  prostitute  His  Godhead  to  a  use  which  is  merely 
theatrical '  (Morris  Stewart). 

13  And  when  the  devil  had  completed  every  temptation, 
he  departed  from  him  ^for  a  season. 

*  Or,  until 

13.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  notice  of  angelic  ministrations 
which  Matthew,  and  even  Mark  in  his  very  brief  narrative,  records, 
has  no  place  here.  St  Luke  with  his  fondness  for  angels  would 
hardly  have  deliberately  excised  it.  The  natural  inference  is  that 
it  was  not  in  Q,  the  source  common  to  Matthew  and  Luke,  and  that 
Luke  did  not  here  use  the  Marcan  source  (cf .  Streeter,  Oxford  Studies, 
p.  187). 


IV  14— IX  50    THE  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

This  section  of  the  Gospel  is,  in  general,  common  to  all  three 
Synoptists  ;  and  at  one  point,  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand 
(Lk  ix  12  sqq.),  to  all  four  Evangelists.  The  corresponding  narra- 
tive in  St  Mark  and  St  Matthew  is  followed  immediately  by  that 
of  the  Passion. 

St  Luke's  treatment  of  this  record,  as  found  in  his  Marcan 
document,  is  characteristic.  He  follows  the  outline,  as  a  rule  very 
closely,  and  often  repeats  word  for  word  ;  though  here  and  there 
(especially  where  medical  terminology  is  called  for)  he  alters  the 
phraseology,  while  retaining  the  substance. 

But  at  two  points  (chs  vii  and  ix)  he  deviates  notabl3\  In  ch.  vii 
he  inserts  two  narratives,  that  of  the  Widow's  Son  at  Nain  (vii  11-17) 
and  that  of  the  Penitent  Woman  in  the  Pharisee's  house  (vii  36-50), 
both  peculiar  to  his  Gospel,  and  eminently  characteristic  of  the 
'  Women's  Evangelist.'  For  the  explanation  of  these  additions  we 
need  look  no  further  than  St  Luke's  own  tastes. 

In  ch  ix  17,  18  he  puts  the  story  of  St  Peter's  Confession  imme- 
diately after  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  ;  thus  omitting  the 
whole  of  a  well-marked  section  Mk  vi  45 — viii  26,  containing  the 


IVI4-IX50]  ST   LUKE  57 

Walking  on  the  Sea  and  its  sequel  (Mk  vi  45-56),  the  Question  of 
Purifications  (Mk  vii  1-23),  the  Syrophoenician  Woman  (Mk  vii  24- 
30),  the  Deaf  Man  with  an  Impediment  in  his  Speech  (Mk  vii  31-37), 
the  Feeding  of  the  Four  Thousand  and  its  sequel  (Mk  viii  1-21),  and 
the  Gradual  Cure  of  the  Blind  Man  at  Bethsaida  (Mk  viii  22-26). 
The  explanation  for  these  omissions  may  be  : 

(a)  That  this  section  was  not  in  the  original  Mark  which  St  Luke 
used  as  source.  (Against  this  we  must  set  the  fact  that  St  Matthew 
does  not  omit  it.) 

(6)  That  the  reason  was  a  mechanical  one — this  section  of  the 
MS  roll  escaped  the  notice  of  a  compiler  who  had  so  many  authori- 
ties to  draw  from  at  the  same  time.  (This  is  the  kind  of  explanation 
emphasized  again  and  again  by  Dr  Sanday.) 

(c)  That  St  Luke  had  the  passage  before  him,  and  deliberately 
omitted  it.  It  is  not  difficult  to  conjecture  reasons  in  the  case  of 
some  of  the  episodes,  e.  g.  : 

The  Question  of  Purification — as  being  of  no  interest  to  a  Gentile 

reader. 
The  Syrophoenician  Woman — because  of  the  harsh  words  applied 

to  Gentiles  (Mk  vii  27). 
The  Feeding  of  the  Four  Thousand — because  it  simply  repeats 

the  lesson  of  the  Five  Thousand. 
The  omission  of  the  two  healings  of  the  Deaf  and  the  Blind  are, 
at  first  sight,  more  difficult  to  account  for  :  but  it  has  been  suggested 
that  St  Luke  seems  averse  from  recording  miracles  in  which  material 
means  were  used.  But  specific  reasons  are  not  of  so  great  importance 
if  we  recognize,  with  Canon  Streeter  {Hibbert  Journal,  Oct.  1921, 
p.  108),  that  Mark  was  to  Luke  a  secondary  source,  and  not  (as  to 
Matthew)  primary. 

St  Luke's  record  of  this  early  ministry  in  the  North  covers  an 
indeterminable  period  of  time,  roughly  perhaps,  from  the  spring 
of  A.  D.  27  to  early  in  a.  d.  28,  nearly  a  year.^ 

(The  events  of  Jn  i — v  would  come  in  between  iv  13  and  iv  14.) 
In  its  ninth  chapter  it  brings  us  to  the  climax,  or  central  point, 
of  the  earthly  mission,  whether  we  assign  that  place  to  the  Miracle 
of  the  Five  Thousand,  Lk  ix  10-17  (Mat  xiv  13-21,  Mk  vi  32-44, 
Jn  vi  1-13),  marked  by  all  four  Evangelists  as  the  climax  of  His 
superficial  influence  on  the  multitudes ;  or  to  St  Peter's  Confession, 
Lk  ix  18-20  (Mat  xvi  13-16,  Mk  viii  27-29)  ;  or,  with  Edersheim 
(L.  (&;T.,  Book  iii),  to  the  Transfiguration,  Lk  ix  28-36  (Mat  xvii 
1-8,  Mk  ix  2-8)  :  these  latter  representing  the  climax,  subjectively 
and  objectively,  to  the  imier  circle,  as  the  first  to  the  multitudes. 

Among  the  many  important  incidents  recorded  in  this  section 
is  the  appointment  of  the  Twelve,  followed,  as  in  the  first  Gospel, 
by  a  great  Sermon.     One  of  the  most  interesting  studies  in  the 

^  We  have  late  spring  (ripe  barley  or  wheat)  indicated  in  vi  1  (see  also  note 
ad  loc),  while  the  miracle  of  the  5,000  (ix  12-17)  is  noted  by  Mark  as  in  time  of 
'  green  grass  '  (Mk  vi  39),  i.  e.  early  spring  of  the  next  year  (cf.  Jn  vi  4). 


58  ST   LUKE  [IV  14-iX  50 

Synoptic  question  is  the  comparison  and  contrast  of  St  Luke's 
'  Sermon  on  the  level  place  '  (vi  17,  vi  20-49)  with  St  Matthew's 
'  Sermon  on  the  Mount '  (Mat  v  1  sqq.).  Interesting  suggestions  on 
this  point  may  be  found  in  Oxford  Studies,  especially  pp.  147-152, 
189  note,  and  326-328. 

The  section  may  be  divided  into  four  parts  : 

(1)  Ministry  to  the  Call  of  the  first  disciples,  iv  14 — v  11. 

(2)  Call  of  the  first  disciples  to  appointment  of  the  Twelve  and 
Great  Sermon,  v  12 — vi  49. 

(3)  From  Great  Sermon  to  the  first  mission  of  Twelve,  vii  1 — 
viii  56. 

(4)  Mission  of  Twelve  to  the  beginning  of  Luke's  '  Special  Con- 
tribution,' ix  1-50. 

(1)  First  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry 

(a)  iv  14,  15.    Introduction. 

(6)  iv  16-30.    The  Sermon  at  Nazareth. 

(c)  iv  31-44.    A  day  of  miracles  at  Capernaum. 

(2)  Second  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry 

(a)  V  1-11.    Call  of  first  disciples  on  the  Lake. 

(6)  V  12-16.    Leper  healed. 

(c)  V  17-26.    Paralysed  man. 

{d)  V  27-39.    Call  of  Levi,  the  feast  and  the  dispute  on  fasting. 

(e)  vi  1-11.    Two  disputes  about  Sabbath. 

(/)  vi  12-16.    Nomination  of  the  Twelve. 

{g)  vi  17-49.    The  Sermon  on  the  '  level  place.' 

(3)  Third  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry 

(a)  vii  1-10.    Centurion's  Servant  at  Capernaum. 

(6)  vii  11-17.    Widow's  Son  at  Nain. 

(c)  vii  18-35.    Message  of  John  and  subsequent  discourse. 

{d)  vii  36-50.    The  Pharisee  and  the  Penitent  Woman. 

(e)  viii  1-3.    The  Ministering  Women. 

(/)  viii  4^18.    Teaching  by  Parables  :   the  Sower,  the  Lamp. 

{g)  viii  19-21.    Mother  and  Brethren. 

(h)  viii  22-39.    Storm  on  the  Lake,  Gerasene  demoniac. 

{i)  viii  40-56.    '  A  miracle  within  a  miracle.' 

(4)  Fourth  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry 

{a)  ix  1-6.    Mission  of  the  Twelve. 
(6)  ix  7-9.    Herod's  perplexity. 

(c)  ix  10-17.    Return  of  the  Twelve  and  feeding  of  5,000. 
{d)  ix  18-27.    St  Peter's  great  confession, 
(e)  ix  28-36.    Transfiguration. 
(/)  ix  37-43.    The  Lunatic  Boy. 

{g)  ix  44-50.   Prediction  of  the  Passion  :    competition  within 
and  without  the  Twelve. 


IV 14-17]  ST   LUKE  69 

14-44    First  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry  :   Nazareth  and 

Capernaum 

(a)  14,  15     Introductory  link 

14  And  Jesus  returned  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  into 
Galilee  :  and  a  fame  went  out  concerning  him  through  all  the 
region  round  about.  15  And  he  taught  in  their  synagogues, 
being  glorified  of  all. 

Returned  seems  to  take  up  the  interrupted  '  return  '  of  iv  1.  If 
so  this  reference,  followed  by  Luke's  unique  account  of  the  Sermon 
at  Nazareth,  may  possibly  refer  to  the  visit  of  Jn  i  43 — ii  12,  which, 
according  to  the  fourth  Evangelist,  preceded  that  Judaean  ministry 
which  the  Sjmoptists  ignore  (Jn  ii  13  sqq.),  including  the  Passover 
of  A.  D.  27.  The  marked  reference  to  the  '  power  of  the  Spirit,' 
though  in  any  case  characteristic  of  Luke  (cf.  note  on  i  35),  seems 
to  carry  on  the  thought  of  iv  2.  The  first  Galilean  ministry 
mentioned  by  Matthew  and  Mark  (cf.  Mk  i  14)  is  after  the 
Baptist's  imprisonment,  and  the  departure  north  is  noted  by  John 
as  due  to  the  jealousy  and  suspicion  of  the  Pharisees  (iv  1  sqq.). 
Between  it  and  the  temptation  had  intervened  a  first  journey  to 
Galilee  (possibly  identical  with  this  of  St  Luke),  a  return  to 
Jerusalem  (cleansing  of  Temple  and  interview  with  Nicodemus)  and 
the  imprisonment  of  the  Baptist.  If,  however,  Luke  here  refers 
to  the  visit  of  Jn  i  43,  he  passes  insensibly  to  the  second  visit  of 
Mat  iv  12  sqq.,  Mk  i  14  sqq.  at  v.  31  of  this  chapter.  Perhaps  the 
hint  of  Capernaum  in  v.  23  (see  note)  may  be  evidence  that  St  Luke 
has  misplaced  the  ensuing  narrative  (cf.  Mk  vi  1  sqq.).  Or  it  may 
refer  to  what  is  recorded  in  Jn  ii  and  iv  45-54. 

(6)  16-30     The  First  Sermon  at  Nazareth 

'  This  vivid  description  of  the  latter  part  of  a  Synagogue  service 
on  a  Sabbath  is  quite  in  harmony  with  what  we  find  in  Rabbinical 
literature  '  (P.  Levertoff).  For  the  officials  and  arrangements 
connected  with  the  Synagogue,  see  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  i  438-439. 

A  '  companion  picture  '  to  the  scene  is  found  in  St  Luke's  account 
of  St  Paul's  first  sermon  in  a  Synagogue,  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia  (Ac  xiii 
16  sqq.). 

16  And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought 
up  :  and  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into  the  synagogue 
on  the  sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  to  read.  17  And  there  was 
delivered  unto  him  Hhe  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah.  And  he 
opened  the  ^book,  and  found  the  place  where  it  was  written, 

»  Or,  a  roll  «  Or,  roll 


60  ST   LUKE  [IV 18-30 

18  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 

^Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  ^good  tidings  to  the 
poor  : 
He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives, 
And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind, 
To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 

19  To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

20  And  he  closed  the  ^book,  and  gave  it  back  to  the 
attendant,  and  sat  down  :  and  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue 
were  fastened  on  him.  21  And  he  began  to  say  unto  them.  To- 
day hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your  ears.  22  And  all 
bare  him  witness,  and  wondered  at  the  words  of  grace  which 
proceeded  out  of  his  mouth  :  and  they  said.  Is  not  this  Joseph's 
son  ?  23  And  he  said  unto  them,  Doubtless  ye  will  say  unto  me 
this  parable.  Physician,  heal  thyself  :  whatsoever  we  have  heard 
done  at  Capernaum,  do  also  here  in  thine  own  country.  24  And 
he  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  No  prophet  is  acceptable  in  his 
own  country.  25  But  of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you.  There  were 
many  widows  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  when  the  heaven 
was  shut  up  three  years  and  six  months,  when  there  came 
a  great  famine  over  all  the  land  ;  26  and  unto  none  of  them 
was  Elijah  sent,  but  only  to  *Zarephath,  in  the  land  of  Sidon, 
unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow.  27  And  there  were  many 
lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  Elisha  the  prophet  ;  and  none 
of  them  was  cleansed,  but  only  Naaman  the  S3rrian.  28  And 
they  were  all  filled  with  wrath  in  the  synagogue,  as  they  heard 
these  things  ;  29  and  they  rose  up,  and  cast  him  forth  out  of 
the  city,  and  led  him  unto  the  brow  of  the  hill  whereon  their 
city  was  built,  that  they  might  thi'ow  him  down  headlong. 
30  But  he  passing  through  the  midst  of  them  went  his  way. 

'  Or,  Wherefore  "  Or,  the  gospel  *  Or,  roll  *  Gr.  Sarepta. 

16.  synagogue.  Jesus  comes  back  to  his  native  place  from  the 
unnamed  Judaean  ministry  with  a  reputation  as  a  teacher  {v.  14). 
The  synagogues,  places  of  non-sacrificial  worship  which  originated 
in  the  Babylonian  captivity,  were  under  the  control  of  local  elders, 
under  an  apxLarvydyu)yo<;  (Ac  xiii  15).  These  elders  had  power  to 
invite  any  competent  person  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  such 
invitation  was  an  honour.  Our  Lord  would  take  His  place  in  the 
front  row,  near  the  lectern.  He  stood  up  to  read,  as  was  the  custom. 
Doubtless  a  lesson  from  the  Law  had  been  already  read.    His  turn 


IV 17-23]  ST  LUKE  61 

came  with  that  from  the  Prophets.  According  to  the  Syr- Sin. 
He  '  stood  up  '  after  the  attendant  had  handed  Him  the  book,  thus 
asking  Him  to  read  (P.  L.). 

17.  found  the  place :  in  the  roll  delivered  to  Him ;  i.e.  either 
a  fixed  lesson  for  the  day,  or  one  of  His  own  choosing.  Is  Ixi  1,  2 
describes  (a)  an  ideal  or  jubilee  year,  and,  in  so  doing  (6)  the  release 
from  Babylonian  Exile,  &c.,  the  '  Day  of  the  Lord,'  or  Messiah's 
coming  (cf.  v.  21). 

18,  19.  It  is  noticeable  that  in  His  reading  He  stops  short  of 
the  severe  message  that  immediately  followed,  viz.  '  the  day  of 
vengeance  of  our  God  '  (cf.  note  on  iii  4-6). 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord :  at  His  Baptism  (iii  22)  came  as  seal  of  His 
Messiahship  ('  hath  anointed  me'). 

good  tidings  to  the  poor:  cf.  vii  22,  and  the  parallels  in  Matthew, 
where  the  '  preaching  of  good  tidings  to  the  poor  '  is  the  climax  of 
evidences  of  Messiahship — even  beyond  the  '  raising  of  the  dead.' 

captives  :  means  lit.  '  prisoners  of  war,'  and  is  used  here  only  in 
N.T.  In  its  original  context  it  referred  doubtless  (a)  to  slaves 
manumitted  in  Jubilee  Year,  and  (6)  to  the  Babylonian  Captivity  : 
in  the  mouth  of  Christ  to  the  bondage  of  sin  or  the  shackles  of 
Pharisaism,  or  both.  The  other  phrases  readily  lend  themselves 
to  spiritual  symbolizing. 

20.  closed :  having  rolled  up  the  parchment  (tttij&s)  he 
handed  it  back  to  the  attendant  Chazzan  from  whom  He  had 
received  it. 

eyes  .  .  .  were  fastened.  One  of  the  most  vivid  pictures  we  have, 
even  from  St  Luke's  inspired  brush. 

22.  bare  witness  :  to  the  truth  of  the  high  report  that  had  pre- 
ceded Him. 

Joseph's  son.  Cf.  iii  23.  In  ii  49  St  Luke  has  recorded  words 
which  dispose  of  this  misconception.  He  has  no  need  to  refute  it 
explicitly  here. 

Matthew  and  Mark  record  a  visit  to  His  '  own  country,'  though 
placed  later  in  the  ministry  (Mark,  after  raising  of  Jairus's  daughter, 
Matthew  later  still),  and  enlarge  upon  the  astonished  questioning 
of  His  fellow  kinsmen.  But  the  following  as  well  as  the  preceding 
matter  is  peculiar  to  the  third  Gospel.  The  corresponding  question 
is  in  Mat  xiii  55,  '  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  son  ?  ',  in  Mk  vi  3,  '  Is 
not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary  ?  ' 

Luke  alone  with  John  (i  45)  preserves  the  popular  contemporary 
description  of  Him  as  '  Son  of  Joseph.' 

Doubtless  ye  will  say  unto  me.  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  179 
sqq.,  points  out  that  this  seems  to  imply  a  still  earlier  rejection  at 
Nazareth,  making  this  the  second  visit.  A  third  (Mat  xiii  53, 
Mk  vi  1)  is  distinguished  from  this  by  the  fact  that  disciples  were 
present. 

23.  Physician,  heal  thyself :  a  proverb  which  the  '  beloved 
Physician  '  surely  records  with  a  smile  on  his  lips. 


62  ST  LUKE  [iv  23-32 

whatsoever  we  have  heard  done  at  Capernaum.  To  what  can  this 
refer  ?  St  Luke's  first  narrative  of  works  at  Capernaum  follows, 
iv  31-44.  A  common  theory  is  that  he  has  misplaced  the  two 
events,  which  should  be  in  the  Marcan  order  (Capernaum,  Mk  i  21-39 
— certainly  parallel  to  Lk  iv  31-44 — Nazareth,  Mk  vi  1-6 — not 
certainly  parallel  to  Lk  iv  23  sqq.),  and  has  forgotten  to  remove 
this  inconsistent  reference.  But  is  this  like  St  Luke  ?  Another 
interpretation,  which  consorts  with  his  repeated  unconscious 
approaches  to  the  chronology  of  the  fourth  Gospel  (see  Introd., 
p.  xliv  and  note  on  iii  15-17)  is  that  adopted  by  Edersheim  {L.  and  T. 
i  423  and  457).  According  to  this  view  the  things  '  heard  done  at 
Capernaum  '  will  belong  to  the  visit  described  in  Jn  iv  45-54  after 
the  second  visit  to  Cana — including  the  healing  of  the  Nobleman's 
Son  :  and  the  visit  to  Nazareth  described  Mat  xiii  54-58  and 
Mk  vi  1-6  will  be  later  than  St  Luke's. 

24-27.  Uni versalist  inferences  from  the  lives  of  Elij  ah  ( 1  Kgs  x vii 
9-16)  and  Elisha  (2  Kgs  v).  The  demand  of  the  Nazarenes  typified 
the  fatal  religious  self-centredness  of  the  Hebrew  people  to  which 
the  stories  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  and  that  of  Jonah,  form  striking 
protests.  Here  at  the  outset  of  the  ministry,  in  St  Luke's  record, 
the  more  generous  universalist  note  is  struck  (cf.  Introd.,  p.  xl), 
and  rouses  bitter  resentment  (general,  not  a  hostile  party,  cf.  '  all,' 
vv.  20,  28). 

26.  a  woman  that  was  a  widow.  This  emphasis  is  again 
characteristic  of  the  '  Gospel  of  Womanhood  '  (cf.  i  36,  vii  11-17, 
37  sqq.,  viii  1-3,  &c.),  and  the  Gospel  which  has  been  accused  of 
Ebionism  because  of  its  keen  interest  in  the  poor. 

29.  unto  the  brow  of  the  hill.  Above  the  present  Maronite  church 
is  a  cliff  some  40  feet  above  the  valley :  over  this,  apparently, 
they  intended  to  '  hustle  '  Him.  Where  the  road  bifurcates  He 
awed  them  with  a  look  (cf.  Jn  xviii  6),  turned  sharply  to  the  right, 
and  left  them  amazed.  This  is  in  substance  Edersheim 's  inter- 
pretation of  the  passage  [L.  and  T.  i  456). 

(c)  31-44    A  Day  of  Miracles  at  Capernaum 

Here  St  Luke  follows  Mk  i  21-39  in  general  very  closely,  though 
varying  the  phraseology  after  his  manner.  His  description  of  the 
demoniac's  reaction  to  our  Lord's  command  is  rather  less  graphic 
(cf.  Lk  iv  35  with  Mk  i  26),  but  he  adds  the  detail  that  the  exorcism 
did  not  injure  the  patient.  Again,  he  fails  to  mention  the  hand- 
grasp  in  the  cure  of  Simon's  mother-in-law  (Lk  iv  39,  Mk  i  31),  but 
says  that  Christ  stood  over  her  and  rebuked  the  fever. 

31  And  he  came  down  to  Capernaum,  a  city  of  Galilee. 
And  he  was  teaching  them  on  the  sabbath  day  :  32  and  they 
were   astonished   at   his   teaching ;    for   his   word   was   with 


IV  33-41]  ST   LUKE  63 

authority.  33  And  in  the  synagogue  there  was  a  man,  which 
had  a  spirit  of  an  unclean  ^devil  ;  and  he  cried  out  with  a 
loud  voice,  34  ^Ah  !  what  have  we  to  do  with  thee,  thou 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  ?  art  thou  come  to  destroy  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  down  in  the  midst,  he 
came  out  of  him,  having  done  him  no  hurt,  36  And  amaze- 
ment came  upon  all,  and  they  spake  together,  one  with  another, 
saying,  What  is  %his  word  ?  for  with  authority  and  power  he 
commandeth  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  come  out.  37  And 
there  went  forth  a  rumour  concerning  him  into  every  place  of 
the  region  round  about. 

38  And  he  rose  up  from  the  synagogue,  and  entered  into 
the  house  of  Simon.  And  Simon's  wife's  mother  was  holden 
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  rose  up  and  ministered  unto  them. 

40  And  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 
Mevils  also  came  out  from  many,  crying  out,  and  saying, 
Thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  rebuking  them,  he  suffered 
them  not  to  speak,  because  they  knew  that  he  was  the  Christ. 

^  Gr.  demon.  ^  Or,  Let  alone 

^  Or,  this  word,  that  with  authority  .  .  .  come  out  ?  *  Gr.  demons. 

31-37.  Teaching  in  the  Synagogue  :  healing  of  a  de- 
moniac. 

31.  to  Capernaum.  '  Capher-Nahum  '  held  sacred  by  the  Jews 
as  site  of  Nahum  the  Prophet's  tomb.  Controversy  has  been  hot 
between  Tell-Hum  and  Khan  Miniyeh  for  the  true  site.  Sanday 
{Sacred  Sites)  arrays  the  evidence  on  both  sides,  and  votes  for  the 
latter.    But  opinion  is  now  again  in  favour  of  Tell-Hum. 

on  the  sabbath.  St  Luke  records  five  miracles  as  wrought  on  the 
Sabbath  Day  ;  but  notes  no  criticism  on  this  first  occasion.  See 
note  on  vi  6-1 L 

32.  astonished.  St  Luke  uses  the  same  word  of  Paulus  in 
Ac  xiii  12.  Ramsay  {Recent  Discovery,  pp.  166-167)  points  out  that 
such  astonishment  does  not  necessarily  lead  to  conversion.  Cf. 
V.  36. 

with  authority.    With  this  and  v.  36  cf .  St  Paul's  account  of  his 


64  ST   LUKE  [IV  32-40 

own  '  Word  '  in  1  Cbr  ii  4.  In  Mat  vii  28,  29,  where  a  similar  remark 
is  made  at  the  end  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  this  authoritative 
quality'- — including,  no  doubt  a  weighty  originality  and  conviction 
in  our  Lord's  utterance — is  contrasted  with  the  words  of  '  their 
scribes.'    Cf.  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  203  sqq. 

33.  a  spirit  of  an  unclean  devil  (Mark,  '  an  unclean  spirit '). 
Here  we  come  face  to  face  with  that '  demoniacal  possession  '  which 
is  so  characteristic  and  prominent  a  feature  of  the  Gospel  story. 
Our  Lord,  either  in  accommodation  to  the  ideas  of  the  time,  or  in 
face  of  a  reality  to  which  the  nineteenth  century  was  blind  (though 
the  medicine  and  psychology  of  to-day  and  to-morrow  would  take 
a  different  view),  spoke  and  acted  as  though  demoniacal  possession 
were  a  fact,  and  were  responsible  for  many  cases  of  abnormality 
and  mental  derangement.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Luke  '  the 
Physician  '  wholeheartedly  endorses  this  view,  and  even  speaks 
{v.  39)  of  '  rebuking  '  a  fever  as  though  it  involved  personal  malignant 
agency. 

On  the  whole  subject  see  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  i  479,  480-485, 
607-612;  Trench,  Miracles  of  our  Lord,  Kegan  Paul  (Popular  Edn. 
1886),  pp.  162  sqq. 

38.  Simon's  wife's  mother.  Simon  Peter,  and  his  house,  and  his 
family  are  here  introduced  without  explanation.  He  was  too  well 
known  in  Christian  circles  to  need  a  formal  introduction.  That  he 
had  a  wife,  who  accompanied  him  in  his  travels,  we  know  also  from 
1  Cor  ix  5. 

39.  rebuked  the  fever :  a  '  great '  or  severe  fever  Luke  calls  it, 
using  Galen's  technical  distinction  between  different  kinds  (Hobart, 
M.L.,  p.  3) — here  he  seems  to  imply  a  malignant  personality  behind 
it.  But  cf .  the  use  of  the  same  expression  in  quelling  wind  and  wave 
in  viii  24.    The  other  Synoptists  say  that  He  touched  her  hand. 

immediately  she  rose  up,  dkc. :  a  sign  of  abnormally  swift  recovery. 
With  the  debility  usually  following  a  severe  attack  of  malaria  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  her  to  have  '  waited  on  '  them.  On 
this  miracle  see  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  250-255. 

40.  when  the  sun  was  setting.  At  sunset  the  Sabbath  would  be 
over,  and  scrupulous  Jews  would  feel  free  to  '  come  and  be  healed.' 
The  first  great  exhibition  of  healing- power  calls  for  a  word  or  two 
on  this  aspect  of  our  Lord's  Ministry.  The  scientific  rationale  of 
His  works  of  healing  is  still  a  matter  of  speculation.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  growing  tendency  to  attribute  them  to  the  perfection  of 
His  sinless  Manhood. 

The  experience  of  Spiritual  Healers  within  the  Church  has  gone 
some  way  towards  justifying  the  hypothesis  that  there  are  three 
several  planes  on  which  the  treatment  of  man's  bodily  ills  may  be 
approached :  (a)  the  purely  physical  {medicine  and  surgery)  ; 
(6)  the  mental  or  psychic  {psychiatry,  psycho-therapeutics)  ;  and 
(c)  the  spiritual  {spiritual  healing) :  that  a  right  approach  on  the 
higher  planes  is  effectual  for  the  ills  of  the  lower  ;    and  that  our 


IV  41 -44]  ST   LUKE  65 

Lord  habitually  worked  on  the  highest  (spiritual)  plane,  His  power 
showing  its  efficacy  in  all  three  regions.  See  Bishop  Pakenham- 
Walsh,  Divine  Healing  (S.P.C.K.  1921),  where  further  references 
will  be  found  ;  also  same  writer  in  Internal.  Review  of  Missions, 
Jan.  1922. 

41.  he  suffered  them  not  to  speak  :  as  in  the  case  of  the  leper. 
Mat  viii  4.  But  no  such  injunction  to  the  demoniacally  possessed 
is  recorded  by  St  Matthew.  There  must  have  been  special  reasons 
for  silence. 

42-44.    Retirement,  followed  by  itinerant  Preaching 

42  And  when  it  was  day,  he  came  out  and  went  into  a 
desert  place  :  and  the  multitudes  sought  after  him,  and  came 
unto  him,  and  would  have  stayed  him,  that  he  should  not  go 
from  them.  43  But  he  said  unto  them,  I  must  preach  the 
igood  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God  to  the  other  cities  also  : 
for  therefore  was  I  sent. 

44  And  he  was  preaching  in  the  synagogues  of  ^Galilee. 

^  Or,  gospel  "  Very  many  ancient  authorities  read  Judcea. 

St  Mark  makes  more  of  this  retirement  (i  35-39)  and  tells  us 
that  it  was  extremely  early,  and  that  His  purpose  was  prayer. 
It  is  strange  that  while  the  third  Evangelist  emphasizes  prayer 
beyond  the  other  Synoptists  (cf.,  e.g.,  ch  xi,  and  Introd.,  p.  xl)  he 
omits  to  mention  it  here.  Dr  Vernon  Bartlet  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  330) 
concludes  that  he  must  have  drawn  this  section  not  from  St  Mark 
but  from  a  parallel  document.    But  see  note  on  v  16. 

43.  kingdom  of  God.  This  phrase  in  St  Luke  corresponds  to 
St  Matthew's  (more  rabbinical)  '  Kingdom  of  Heaven.'  The  use 
of  it  here  seems  to  refer  to  the  same  occasion  as  Mat  iv  17,  where 
Jesus  is  said  to  have  adopted  the  Baptist's  formula  (cf.  Mat  iii  2), 
'  Repent  ye ;  for  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.' 

for  therefore  was  I  sent.  A  phrase  of  Johannine  ring.  Cf .  '  him 
that  sent  me  '  in  Jn  iv  34,  v  30,  vl  38,  &c. 

44.  he  was  preaching.  Edersheim  {L.  and  T.  i  446)  notes  how 
the  freedom  of  preaching  which  had  grown  up  in  the  Synagogue 
system  proved  one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  spread  of 
Christianity.  It  deserves  to  be  reckoned  as  a  part  of  the  Providential 
Preparation  in  History  for  Christ — that  '  wonder-working  Rule  of 
God  '  which  brings  about  marvellous  results  through  '  the  orderly 
and  natural  succession  of  events.'  The  role  that  the  Synagogue 
plays  in  the  beginning  of  our  Lord's  earthly  ministry,  it  continues 
to  play  in  the  ministry  of  St  Paul  and  his  companions  (see  Acts 
passim). 

In  all  the  synagogues  of  JndeLeA.  This  reading  {Aleph,  B,  C,  L,  Q,  R, 

L.  5 


66  ST   LUKE  [V1-7 

Syr-Sin.)  is  doubtless  the  original  here,  altered  to  'Galilee'  (A,D, 
&c.)  on  account  of  its  superficial  difficulty.  If  Galilee  had  been 
original,  no  scribe  would  have  altered  it.  Even  if  we  interpret 
'  Judaea  '  as  meaning  the  whole  of  Palestine,  it  would  not  exclude 
Jerusalem  (cf.  Zahn,  iii,  p.  161).  Hence  we  may  perhaps  class  this 
passage  as  one  of  the  points  of  contact  with  the  fourth  Gospel 
(cf.  Introd.,  §  III,  p.  xxv),  leaving  room,  at  any  rate,  for  an  early 
Judaean  Ministry. 

V  1 — VI  49  Second  Period  of  Galilean  Ministry  :  from  the 
Call  of  the  first  Disciples  to  the  appointment  of  the  Twelve 
and  the  Great  Sermon 

(a)  V  1-11     Call  of  the  first  Disciples  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee 

Between  this  and  the  events  of  chapter  iv  Edersheim  {L.  and  T. 
i  460  sqq.)  places  the  '  Visit  to  the  Unknown  Feast '  at  Jerusalem 
recorded  in  Jn  v. 

On  the  relation  of  the  narrative  of  St  Luke  to  that  of  St  John, 
see  further,  note  on  ix  51  sqq.,  p.  141,  and  Introd.,  pp.  xxiv-xxvi. 

Latham  {Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  197  sqq.),  without  identifying  this 
episode  with  the  miracle  of  Jn  xxi,  thinks  that  St  Luke  has  ante- 
dated it ;  and  that  the  simple  account  of  the  call  of  the  four  fisher- 
men given  by  Matthew  and  Mark  is  the  truer  one  ;  but  that  Luke, 
not  knowing  of  the  previous  intercourse  of  Jn  i,  rightly  felt  that 
their  sudden  response  to  the  call  needed  some  explaining  ;  and 
having  this  narrative  among  his  records,  naturally  placed  it  here. 
(See  further,  note  on  vv.  4-11  below.) 

V  Now  it  came  to  pass,  while  the  multitude  pressed  upon 
him  and  heard  the  word  of  God,  that  he  was  standing  by  the 
lake  of  Gennesaret  ;  2  and  he  saw  two  boats  standing  by  the 
lake  :  but  the  fishermen  had  gone  out  of  them,  and  were 
washing  their  nets.  3  And  he  entered  into  one  of  the  boats, 
which  was  Simon's,  and  asked  him  to  put  out  a  little  from 
the  land.  And  he  sat  down  and  taught  the  multitudes  out  of 
the  boat.  4  And  when  he  had  left  speaking,  he  said  unto 
Simon,  Put  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for 
a  draught.  5  And  Simon  answered  and  said,  Master,  we 
toiled  all  night,  and  took  nothing  :  but  at  thy  word  I  wiU 
let  down  the  nets.  6  And  when  they  had  this  done,  they 
inclosed  a  great  multitude  of  fishes  ;  and  their  nets  were 
breaking  ;  7  and  they  beckoned  unto  their  partners  in  the 
other  boat,  that  they  should  come  and  help  them.    And  they 


V8-II]  ST   LUKE  67 

came,  and  filled  both  the  boats,  so  that  they  began  to  sink. 

8  But  Simon  Peter,  when  he  saw  it,  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees, 
saying,  Depart  from  me  ;    for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord. 

9  For  he  was  amazed,  and  all  that  were  with  him,  at  the 
draught  of  the  fishes  which  they  had  taken  ;  10  and  so  were 
also  James  and  John,  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  boats  to  land,  they  left  all,  and  followed  him. 

*  Gr.  take  alive. 

3.  which  was  Simon's.  Simon  has  already  been  incidentally 
mentioned,  iv  38.  Mat  iv  18  sqq.  and  Mk  i  16  sqq.  formally  intro- 
duce to  us  the  brethren  Simon  and  Andrew  (sons  of  John  Mat  xvi  17) 
and  James  and  John,  sons  of  Zebedee.  St  Luke  brings  them  into 
his  narrative  incidentally,  even  as  he  brought  in  Capernaum  in  iv  23. 

taught  the  multitudes  out  of  the  boat.  This  may  have  become 
habitual  with  Him.  It  had  its  obvious  convenience,  and  the  voice 
would  carry  well  across  calm  water.  It  is  apparently  a  different 
instance  that  is  given  in  Mat  xiii  1-2,  Mk  iv  1. 

4-11.  '  The  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes  '  suggests  at  once 
the  strikingly  similar  episode  of  Jn  xxi,  which,  however,  has  its 
marked  differences.  There  is  obvious  point  in  the  theory  that 
St  Luke  has  antedated  the  miracle,  having  received  it,  so  to  speak, 
undated  yet  located  in  Galilee  ;  and  having  no  place  for  Galilee 
in  his  post-resurrection  narratives  (cf.  note  on  xxiv  6),  he  might 
naturally  relegate  it  to  the  early  Ministry.  If  this  be  so,  it  may  be 
classed  with  those  cases  (see  Introd.,  p.  xxiv)  in  which  the  fourth 
Evangelist  seems  to  be  sUently  correcting  the  third. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  view  of  the  naturalness  of  each  narrative, 
it  may  be  that  the  facts  are  duplicate,  not  merely  the  records.  Cf . 
Introd.,  p.  xix,  note. 

In  either  case  St  Luke  is  psychologically  right  in  connecting 
the  miracle  with  penitence  and  a  '  call '  of  Peter.  If  it  is  not  his 
first  call  to  definite  discipleship,  it  will  be,  as  in  Jn  xxi,  a  preliminary 
to  restoration  and  a  renewed  commission  after  his  fall. 

On  the  Miracle  see  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  134-151. 

4.  let  down  your  nets.  The  symbolical  significance  of  this 
'  acted  parable  '  is  among  the  richest  in  the  New  Testament.  This 
is  an  ever-fresh  message  to  exhausted  and  disappointed  missioners. 
The  expert  thinks  he  knows  that  there  is  no  chance  of  success  : 
yet  the  moment  of  utter  hopelessness  Jbrings  a  call  to  new  ventures 
of  faith. 

5.  but  at  thy  word.  The  answer  marks,  as  Edersheim  says, 
'  the  new  trust,  and  the  new  work  springing  out  of  that  trust.' 

8.     Simon  Peter.     The  surname  is  introduced  incidentally,  as 

5-2 


4 


68  ST   LUKE  [V11-16 

was  his  first  name  (see  note  on  v.  3).  From  Mk  iii  16  (cf.  Mat  x  2) 
we  should  have  judged  that  the  name  '  Peter  '  was  given  later,  at 
the  nomination  to  Apostleship.  But  here  again  the  fourth  Gospel 
comes  in  to  explain.  The  name,  in  its  Aramaic  form  Cephas,  had 
been  given  him  at  his  preliminary  call,  after  the  Baptist's  preaching 
(Jn  i  42). 

Depart  from  me ;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man.  Peter,  impressed  more 
and  more  by  the  Lord's  teaching  as  he  sits  beside  Him  in  the  boat, 
is  overwhelmed  by  this  token  of  the  superhuman.  It  is  perhaps  an 
unconscious  recognition  of  the  Deity  in  Him  (cf.  St  Thomas's  cry, 
Jn  XX  28)  which  inevitably  thrills  him  through  with  a  sense  of 
un worthiness  :  cf .  Is  vi  5,  Job  xlii  5,  6. 

(b)  12-16     A  Leper  healed 

The  Marcan  narrative,  dropped  at  the  end  of  the  last  chapter, 
is  here  taken  up  again,  and  v  12— -vi  16  follow  closely  Mk  i  40 — iii  19, 
with  St  Luke's  characteristic  variations  of  phrase.  The  rest  of 
chapter  vi  is  occupied  by  the  Great  Sermon  (more  or  less  parallel 
to  Matthew's  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount  '),  and  the  Marcan  framework 
is  not  resumed  by  St  Luke  till  Lk  viii  4.  St  Matthew  also  breaks 
off  from  the  Marcan  narrative  at  the  same  point,  and  inserts  his 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  (Mat  v — vii).  If  we  are  to  choose  between 
the  order  of  Matthew  and  Luke,  it  seems  more  natural  historically 
to  place  a  great  pronouncement  later,  after  the  development  of 
discipleship  and  the  choice  of  the  Twelve,  though  logically  such 
a  programme  of  Reform  might  well  find  a  place  at  the  very  fore- 
front of  the  Redeemer's  Mission. 

12  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  was  in  one  of  the  cities  ; 
behold,  a  man  full  of  leprosy  :  and  when  he  saw  Jesus,  he 
fell  on  his  face,  and  besought  him,  saying,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt, 
thou  canst  make  me  clean.  13  And  he  stretched  forth  his 
hand,  and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will  ;  be  thou  made  clean. 
And  straightway  the  leprosy  departed  from  him.  14  And  he 
charged  him  to  tell  no  man  :  but  go  thy  way,  and  shew  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  abroad  the  report  concerning  him  :  and  great 
multitudes  came  together  to  hear,  and  to  be  healed  of  their 
infirmities.  16  But  he  withdiew  himself  in  the  deserts,  and 
prayed. 

12.  full  of  leprosy :  and  therefore,  according  to  Levitical 
standards  (see  Lev  xiii),  nearer  to  a  hope  of  cleansing.  Matthew 
and  Mark  say  simply  '  a  leper.'     This  is  one  of  the  Physician's 


V 12-17]  ST   LUKE  69 

touches.  The  leprosy  of  the  Bible — which  by  the  primitive  '  Mosaic  ' 
diagnosis  was  extended  also  to  inanimate  objects  (by  infection  ?) — 
was  apparently  some  infectious  or  contagious  skin  disease  or  group 
of  diseases.  Originating  doubtless  in  filth,  it  became  a  type  of 
physical,  moral,  and  ceremonial  uncleanness.  Its  diagnosis  and 
treatment  are  given  at  length  in  Lev  xiii.  The  priest  was  the 
official  judge  of  its  presence  and  its  cure  (cf .  v.  14  below).  To  touch 
a  leper  involved  ceremonial  defilement.  He  is  expressly  condemned 
in  Lev  xiii  45,  46  to  live  apart,  an  outcast  from  society,  and  warn 
off  mankind  by  the  cry  '  Unclean  !   unclean  !  ' 

if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst.    The  expression  of  a  prevailing  faith. 

13.  touched  him :  fearless  of  ceremonial  defilement  where  mercy 
and  compassion  swayed  Him.  Even  so,  deliberately  following  their 
Lord's  footsteps,  St  Francis  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  Father 
Damien  in  later  days,  have  not  shrunk  from  closer  contact  with 
the  more  deadly  disease  of  elephantiasis  which  has  been  (probably 
erroneously)  identified  with  the  leprosy  of  the  Bible. 

14.  tell  no  man.  On  the  one  hand  our  Lord  seems  to  have 
desired  to  avoid  publicity  at  this  stage  of  His  Mission  (cf .  Mk  i  34, 
V  43,  vii  36),  and  note  on  viii  56.  On  the  other  the  incidental 
proclamation  of  ceremonial  defilement  might  have  kept  away  some 
whom  He  wished  to  help. 

shew  thyself  to  the  priest :   as  ordered  in  Lev  xiii  16,  &c. 

offer  for  thy  cleansing.  The  elaborate  ritual  of  the  leper's  offering 
is  set  forth  in  Lev  xiv. 

16.  withdrew  himself  in  the  deserts,  and  prayed.  Perhaps  it 
was  the  intention  to  notice  our  Lord's  habit  of  prayerful  retirement 
at  this  point  that  led  him  to  omit  it  at  iv  42.  In  Acts  he  gives  us 
typical  examples  of  things  which  must  have  recurred — one  apostolic 
Council,  one  Eucharist,  and  so  on — and  the  reason  that  he  omits 
the  feeding  of  the  4,000  is  probably  because  its  lesson  is  simply  that 
of  the  5,000.  N.B.  the  plural  deserts,  suggesting  many  times  and 
places. 

(c)  17-26     Healing  of  a  Paralysed  Man 

See  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  214-225,  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum 
(Deighton  1891,  p.  215). 

St  Luke  evidently  regards  this  as  an  important  occasion,  marking 
a  definite  stage  in  the  Ministry.  He  prepares  us  for  it  by  an  im- 
pressive preamble  in  v.  17.  In  face  of  a  representative  gathering 
of  religious  leaders,  Jesus  throws  down  His  challenge.  The  Rabbis 
accuse  Him  of  blasphemy  :   the  crowd  glorify  God. 

17  And  it  came  to  pass  on  one  of  those  days,  that  he  was 
teaching  ;  and  there  were  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law 
sitting  by,  which  were  come  out  of  every  village  of  Galilee  and 
Judsea  and  Jerusalem  :    and  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  with 


70  ST   LUKE  [V 17-26 

him  Ho  heal.    18  And  behold,  men  bring  on  a  bed  a  man  that 
was  palsied  :    and  they  sought  to  bring  him  in,  and  to  lay 
him  before  him,     19  And  not  finding  by  what  ivay  they  might 
bring  him  in  because  of  the  multitude,  they  went  up  to  the 
housetop,  and  let  him  down  through  the  tiles  with  his  couch 
into  the  midst  before  Jesus.     20  And  seeing  their  faith,  he 
said,  Man,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.    21  And  the  scribes  and 
the  Pharisees  began  to  reason,  saying.  Who  is  this  that  speaketh 
blasphemies  ?    Who  can  forgive  sins,  but  God  alone  ?    22  But 
Jesus  perceiving  their  reasonings,   answered  and  said  unto 
them,  2 What  reason  ye  in  your  hearts  ?    23  Whether  is  easier, 
to  say.  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee  ;  or  to  say,  Ai'ise  and  walk  ? 
24  But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of  man  hath  ^power 
on  earth  to  forgive  sins  (he  said  unto  him  that  was  palsied), 
I  say  unto  thee.  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  couch,  and  go  unto  thy 
house.    25  And  immediately  he  rose  up  before  them,  and  took 
up  that  whereon  he  lay,  and  departed  to  his  house,  glorifying 
God.    26  And  amazement  took  hold  on  all,  and  they  glorified 
God  ;    and  they  were  filled  with  fear,  saying.  We  have  seen 
strange  things  to-day. 

1  Gr.  that  he  should  heal.    Many  ancient  authorities  read  that  he  should  heal 
them.  ^  Or,    Why  *  Or,  authority 

17.  Pharisees  :  here  first  mentioned  in  third  Gospel.  (Cf .  Note 
on  i  77.)  The  name  means  'Separatists.'  They  are  probably  the 
descendants  of  the  Hasidaeans  (Chasidim)  of  1  Mace  ii  42,  under 
a  new  designation.  Although  called  in  the  N.T.  (Ac  xv  5,  xxvi  5) 
and  in  Josephus  {Ant.  XIII  v  9  and  passim)  a  '  sect '  they  were 
really  only  an  ecclesiola  in  ecdesia.  Their  aim  was  to  realize  the 
ideal  of  legal  purity  as  interpreted  by  the  Scribes,  whose  business 
it  was  to  hand  on  and  to  define  by  fresh  decisions  '  the  traditions  of 
the  elders.'  For  this  reason  they  organized  themselves  into  groups, 
the  members  of  which  called  themselves  H aberim  =  '  Associa,tes.' 
As  God  separates  light  from  darkness,  Israel  from  the  nations, 
the  Levites  from  the  People,  so  they  endeavoured  to  separate 
themselves  from  every  thing  and  person  that  defiled,  in  the  ritual 
sense.  They  did  not  ordinarily  mix  in  politics,  and  when  they  did, 
it  was  only  to  fight  for  freedom  to  obey  the  Law  and  to  bring  life 
more  and  more  under  its  influence.  St  Paul's  characterization  of 
Israel's  piety  is  pre-eminently  true  of  the  Pharisees  .  .  .  '  They  have 
a  zeal  for  God.'  They  exerted  a  great  influence  among  the  people 
because  of  their  reputation  for  learning  and  piety  and  because  they 
kept  alive  the  Messianic  Hope.    '  The  Pharisees,'  says  Josephus 


V 17-21]  ST   LUKE  71 

{Ant.  XVIII  i  3,  4),  '  have  such  an  influence  over  the  people,  that 
whatsoever  is  done  about  divine  worship,  prayers,  and  sacrifices,  is 
performed  according  to  their  direction  :  the  communities  give  them 
such  an  excellent  testimony  because  convinced  that  they  seek  both 
in  word  and  deed  only  that  which  is  most  honourable.'  This 
description  of  their  spiritual  influence  is  also  true  of  the  Pharisees 
in  the  time  of  our  Lord,  though  then  they  had  no  voice  in  the 
government,  and  until  about  a.  d.  63  the  management  of  the 
Temple  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Sadducees. 

They  (although  some  of  them  were  priests  themselves)  taught 
that  the  priests  were  only  the  deputies  of  the  people,  and  ordered 
the  deputation  of  laymen  to  be  present  at  the  daily  sacrifice.  They 
expounded  the  Scriptures  on  Sabbath  days  in  the  Synagogues. 
They  stood  for  sacramentalism  in  daily  life.  They  founded 
elementary  schools  and  academies.  The  N.T.  presentation  of 
Pharisaism  can  be  only  rightly  estimated  if  we  keep  in  mind  the 
fact  that  in  the  time  of  our  Lord  there  was  a  great  variety,  not  only 
of  apocaljrptical  and  mystical  tendencies,  but  also  of  Pharisaic 
piety.  Legalism  produced  its  sinners  and  hypocrites  as  well  as  its 
saints  and  martyrs  (P.  L.). 

18.  men  :  four  in  number,  according  to  Mk  ii  3. 

a  man  that  was  palsied  :  in  Mk  ii  3  '  a  paralytic'  St  Luke  here 
alters,  as  he  usually  does,  the  '  popular  untrained  language  '  of  Mark 
about  medical  matters.  Elsewhere  (e.  g.  vi  6,  viii  27,  viii  55)  he 
has  also  some  details  interesting  from  the  physician's  point  of  view, 
to  add.  (Cf .  Ramsay,  Luke  the  Physician,  pp.  57,  58.)  Hobart  {M.L. , 
pp.  6,  40)  quotes  Hippocrates,  Aretaeus,  Dioscorides,  and  Galen  for 
irapaXeXviJLi.vo's  as  the  technical  term. 

19.  went  up  to  the  housetop  :  by  an  external  stair,  on  to  the  flat 
eastern  roof. 

through  the  tiles  :  peculiar  to  St  Luke.  They  removed,  perhaps, 
some  overhanging  verandah  roofing,  and  lowered  the  pallet  by 
ropes  into  the  courtyard.  Mk  ii  5  says  they  '  dug  through  '  the 
(mud)  roofing. 

20.  seeing  their  faith.  The  '  charter  of  intercession.'  The 
sufferer  himself  is  helpless,  immobile  :  his  friends  bring  him  to 
Jesus,  and  He  rewards  their  faith.  So  we  by  intercession  may  bring 
to  Him  such  as  cannot  move  of  themselves,  and  our  faith  prevail. 
Yet  we  cannot  be  sure  that  the  sufferer's  own  faith  is  excluded  : 
it  may  have  been  there,  discernible  to  the  Lord  though  incapable 
of  outward  self-expression — as  that  of  the  impotent  man  at  Lystra 
was  to  St  Paul.    Ac  xiv  9. 

21.  Who  can  forgive  sins,  but  God  alone  ?  The  dilemma  is  the 
same  as  that  which  emerges  in  Jn  viii  and  again  in  the  Jewish  Trial, 
Lk  xxii  70,  71 — aut  Deus,  aut  homo  non  bonus.  If  Jesus  were  not 
what  we  know  Him  to  be.  His  claim  would  really  have  been 
blasphemous.  Yet  it  is  as  Son  of  Man — Messianic  representative 
man  {v.  24)  that  He  exercises  it  (cf.  note  on  vi  5). 


72  ST   LUKE  [V  22-29 

22.  perceiving  their  reasonings  :  reading  their  unspoken  thoughts; 

23.  Whether  is  easier,  to  say  ?  Each  is  of  course  equally  easy  to 
utter  ;  but  the  validity  of  the  second  can  be  tested  at  once,  involv- 
ing, as  it  does,  an  outward  manifestation. 

24.  the  Son  of  man  :  here  the  phrase  first  occurs  in  our  Gospel. 
The  Greek  phrase,  as  it  stands,  might  almost  be  translated  '  the 
Benefactor  of  Humanity  '  (there  is  no  Greek  word  for  '  humanity  ' 
as  distract  from  '  man  ').  Except  for  Ac  vii  56  this  term  is  found 
only  in  the  Gospels,  where  it  is  exclusively  used  by  our  Lord  as 
a  designation  of  Himself,  and  in  all  these  contexts  it  implies  directly 
or  indirectly  a  service  gratuitously  rendered.  Now  the  title  '  Son  ' 
in  Greek  inscriptions  of  the  first  century  is  habitually  given  to  citizens 
or  members  of  a  society  who  have  shown  themselves  gratuitous  and 
conspicuous  benefactors.  '  Son  '  of  a  '  city  '  or  a  '  tribe  '  is  a 
frequent  title  of  honour,  especially  in  Asia  Minor.  The  orator 
Herodes  Atticus  was  awarded  at  Corinth  the  title  of  '  Sou  of  Greece  ' 
(uto9  'EA.Aa8os)  for  his  munificence  in  erecting  public  buildings. 
In  this  sense  the  Greek  phrase  would  express  to  that  generation 
that  our  Lord  was  a  '  True  Son  (i.  e.  Benefactor,  Saviour)  of 
Humanity.'  In  the  Aramaic  Bar-nasha,  working  back  to  the 
Hebrew  Ben-adam,  the  title,  though  originally  meaning  simply 
'  a  man,'  would  strike  on  their  ears  with  the  eschatological  force 
derived  from  Dan  vii  13  and  Enoch  46  and  48  (cf.  4  Esdr.  13); 
and  was  definitely  used  by  our  Lord  '  in  order  to  express  His 
Messianic  consciousness  and  mission.'  [The  substance  of  this  note 
is  due  to  P.  L.] 

power  :  authority  (i^ovo-ia),  cf .  iv  36,  vi  2,  9.  The  thought  of 
the  new  authority  and  power  runs  through  the  whole  section. 

on  earth.  Proclaiming  on  earth  that  which  is  given  in  heaven 
(P.L.). 

26.  This  description  of  the  mingled  exultation  and  awe  of  the 
crowds  (cf.  iv  22)  is  characteristic  of  the  Gospel  which  forms  a 
prelude  to  the  story  of  Pentecost.  Edersheim  {L.  dh  T.  i  506) 
compares  it  to  the  shout  of  the  convinced  people  when  the  fire 
fell  on  Carmel  (1  Kgs  xviii  39).  Syr-Sin.,  'And  astonishment  took 
hold  of  them,  and  they  were  all  glorifjdng  God  and  saying,  We 
have  seen  glorious  great  things  to-day  '  (P.L.). 


(d)  27-39     The  Call  of  Levi,  Feast  in  his  house,  and  Dispute 

on  Fasting 

27  And  after  these  things  he  went  forth,  and  beheld 
a  publican,  named  Levi,  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll,  and  said 
unto  him,  Follow  me.  28  And  he  forsook  all,  and  rose  up 
and  followed  him.  29  And  Levi  made  him  a  great  feast  in 
his  house  :   and  there  was  a  great  multitude  of  publicans  and 


V  27-29]  ST  LUKE  72 

of  others  that  were  sitting  at  meat  with  them.  30  And  ^the 
Pharisees  and  their  scribes  murmured  against  his  disciples, 
saying,  Why  do  ye  eat  and  drink  with  the  publicans  and 
sinners  ?  31  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them.  They  that 
are  whole  have  no  need  of  a  physician  ;  but  they  that  are 
sick.  32  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous  but  sinners  to 
repentance. 

*  Or,  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  among  them 

27.  he  went  forth.  Mk  ii  13  adds  '  by  the  sea  side.'  The  toll- 
place  or  customs-house  would  naturally  be  at  the  junction  of  the 
trade-route  to  Damascus  and  the  landing-place  for  boats,  and 
here  also  would  be  the  obvious  place  for  our  Lord's  sea-side  teaching 
(cf.  V  1-3),  so  that  Levi,  sitting  before  his  toll-place,  would  have 
had  good  opportunities  of  hearing  Him.  (Cf.  Edersheim,  L.  d;  T.i 
p.  514.) 

a  publican  numed  Levi.  The  '  Publicani  '  proper  were  men  of 
wealth  and  position  who  '  farmed  out '  the  taxes  ;  the  '  publicans  ' 
of  the  Gospels  are  the  actual  taxgatherers,  whose  interest  was  to 
enrich  both  themselves  and  their  principals  by  extortion.  In 
Rabbinical  literature  they  have  a  very  bad  name.  And  of  all 
taxgatherers  the  douaniers,  custom-house  officers,  were  most  deeply 
execrated.  As  habitually  exacting  more  than  was  due  (cf.  Lk  iii 
12,  13)  they  were  disqualified  from  being  witnesses,  and  it  was 
a  maxim  that  '  repentance  was  specially  difficult  for  them  ' 
(Edersheim,  p.  515).  Their  unpopularity  was  doubtless  enhanced 
because  they  were  '  in  the  pay  of  the  foreigner  '  and  so  regarded 
as  anti-Nationalist.  '  Publicans  and  sinners '  {v.  30)  is  in  the 
language  of  the  average  Pharisee  of  Gospel  times  a  synonym  for 
social  outcasts. 

Levi.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  incident  of  Mat  ix  9  sqq. 
is  identical  with  this.  The  name  Levi  (here  and  Mk  ii  14)  is  there 
replaced  by  'Matthew'  (  =  gift  of  the  Lord),  and  Matthew,  not 
Levi,  appears  in  all  three  Gospels  in  the  Apostolic  list  (vi  15). 
'  In  Galilee,'  says  Edersheim  (p.  514),  *it  was  common  to  have  two 
names — one  the  strictly  Jewish,  the  other  the  Galilean.'  Mk  ii  14 
calls  him  '  son  of  Alphaeus,'  which  may  make  him  brother  of 
'  James  the  little.'  See  further,  note  on  xxiv  10.  On  Matthew 
see  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  214-217. 

28.  he  forsook  all,  and  rose  up  and  followed  him.  To  many 
readers  the  words  will  recall  Carpaccio's  picture  in  S.  Giorgio  degli 
Schiavoni,  Venice,  and  Ruskin's  comments  thereon. 

29.  made  him  a  great  feast.  St  Luke  here  supplies  a  link  in 
the  sequence  which  Matthew  and  Mark  omit,  though  they  describe 
the  feast.  Our  Evangelist  alone  records  our  Lord's  self-invited 
acceptance  of  the  hospitality  of  another  publican,  Zacchaeus 
(xix  2-10  ;   see  also  notes  on  vii  32  and  xiv  1). 


74  ST   LUKE  [V  30-39 

30.  murmured  against  his  disciples.  Their  moral  cowardice 
made  them  averse  to  a  direct  attack  on  Christ,  and  they  may 
have  hoped  to  wean  away  some  of  the  novices  by  an  appeal  to 
recognized  propriety.    It  is  Jesus  Himself  who  answers  them  (cf .  vi  3). 

31.  They  that  are  whole,  d;c.  All  three  Gospels  record  this 
saying,  but  only  the  Physician-Evangelist  uses  the  technical  word 
vytau'oircs.  The  answer  disclaims  any  desire  for  popularity  among 
the  rifl-raff.  The  company  He  keeps  He  keeps  for  no  personal  aim 
or  taste,  but  because  of  the  need  of  those  with  whom  He  consorts. 

32.  to  repentance.  In  the  true  text  these  words  occur  in  this 
Gospel  alone,  and  may  perhaps  be  reckoned  among  St  Luke's 
ironical  touches  (cf.,  e.  g.,  xiii  32,  33).  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
'  trusted  in  themselves  that  they  were  righteous  '  (xviii  9),  and 
were  therefore  immune  from — the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ !  The 
Parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  Publican  forms  a  remarkable  com- 
mentarj'  on  this  passage. 

33-39.    The  Dispute  on  Fasting. 

33  And  they  said  unto  hini;  The  disciples  of  John  fast 
often,  and  make  supplications  ;  likewise  also  the  disciples  of 
the  Pharisees  ;  but  thine  eat  and  drink.  34  And  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  Can  ye  make  the  sons  of  the  bride-chamber  fast, 
while  the  bridegroom  is  with  them  ?  35  But  the  days  will 
come  ;  and  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from 
them,  then  will  they  fast  in  those  days.  36  And  he  spake  also 
a  parable  unto  them  ;  No  man  rendeth  a  piece  from  a  new 
garment  and  putteth  it  upon  an  old  garment  ;  else  he  will  rend 
the  new,  and  also  the  piece  from  the  new  will  not  agree  with 
the  old.  37  And  no  man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  ^wine- 
skins ;  else  the  new  wine  will  burst  the  skins,  and  itself  will 
be  spilled,  and  the  skins  will  perish.  38  But  new  wme  must 
be  put  into  fresh  wine-skins.  39  And  no  man  having  drunk 
old  wine  desireth  new  :   for  he  saith.  The  old  is  -good. 

'  That  is,  skins  tised  as  bottles.  ^  Many  ancient  authorities  read  better. 

33.  they  said  unto  him.  Who  are  the  questioners  ?  St  Matthew 
makes  them  '  the  disciples  of  John  '  (ix  14)  ;  St  Mark  is  ambiguous, 
but  might  mean  that  disciples  both  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees 
combined  to  put  the  question  (Mk  ii  18)  ;  St  Luke  is  also  ambiguous, 
but  appears  to  mean  '  the  Pharisees  and  their  Scribes  '  of  v.  30. 
On  the  whole  the  balance  seems  in  favour  of  the  Marcan  record, 
which  the  first  and  third  Evangelists  will  have  interpreted  in 
different  ways. 

fast  often.    The  Pharisees  prided  themselves  (xviii  12)  on  fasting 


V  33-36]  ST  ?LUKE  75 

'  twice  in  the  week,'  Tuesdays  and  Thursdays ;  the  Early  Church, 
to  avoid  those  days  and  in  commemoration  of  the  Betrayal  and 
Crucifixion,  chose  Wednesdays  and  Fridays.  The  only  Fast 
enjoined  by  the  Levitical  Law  is  that  of  the  Day  of  Atonement 
(Lev  xxiii  29-32).  This  is  the  only  reference  we  have  to  the  Bap- 
tist's inculcation  of  fasting,  though  we  might  have  inferred  it  from 
the  austerity  of  his  own  life  and  from  his  penitential  message. 

make  supplications.  Only  in  St  Luke.  It  prepares  us  for  the 
statement  in  xi  1  that  John  had  'taught  his  disciples  to  pray.' 
(See  note  there.) 

34.  the  sons  of  the  bride-chamber  :  the  friends  of  bride  and 
bridegroom  who  are  wedding-guests.  The  same  O.T.  metaphor 
had  already  been  used  by  John  to  his  disciples  (cf.  Jn  iii  29). 
Jesus  is,  at  this  period  of  His  Mission,  the  centre  of  joyous 
enthusiasm.  Soon  He  will  be  transformed  into  the  '  Man  of 
Sorrows,'  and  finally  will  be  '  taken  away  '  by  death. 

35.  the  days  will  come.  These  days  are,  literally  taken,  the 
period  from  Good  Friday  to  Easter  morning  :  the  nucleus  of  what 
afterwards  became  the  Church's  Lenten  fast,  and  the  days  when, 
traditionally,  believers  fast  from  the  sacramental  Bread,  or  at  any 
rate  do  not  celebrate  the  Holy  Eucharist.  Notice  the  early  hint  of 
His  death,  and  cf .  the  allusive  references  in  Jn  ii  19,  iii  14. 

then  will  they  fast.  They  will,  in  O.T.  phrase,  '  afflict  their 
souls  '  when  their  Lord  is  removed.  It  is  sometimes  said  that  our 
Lord  nowhere  directly  enjoins  fasting.  But  there  is  (a)  His 
example  in  the  Wilderness,  iv  2  ;  (6)  His  acceptance  of  the  pious 
customs  of  His  day,  almsgiving,  prayer,  and  fasting  (Mat  vi  1-18) 
in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  and  (c)  the  reference  to  fasting  in 
the  incident  of  the  Lunatic  Boy  (]\Ik  ix  29,  Mat  xvii  21),  though 
absent  from  the  best  MSS  may  yet  prove  to  be  genuine,  and 
excised  very  early  by  opponents  of  asceticism. 

36.  a  parable.  This  is  St  Luke's  first  reference  to  our  Lord's 
Parabolic  Teachings.  He  and  St  Matthew  have  in  common  two 
examples  beyond  what  they  draw  from  St  Mark,  who  has  one  (the 
'  seed  growing  secretly ')  peculiar  to  himself  ;  St  Matthew  supplies 
ten  parables  of  his  own,  and  St  Luke  eighteen.  The  fourth 
Gospel  has  no  parables  strictly  so-called  ;  their  places  are  taken 
by  such  allegories  as  The  Light  of  the  World,  The  Good  Shepherd, 
The  True  Vine.  The  Parables  of  the  Synoptic  Gospels  are  analogical 
tales.  They  picture  something  natural  and  reasonable  in  nature 
or  human  nature,  and  argue  therefrom  to  the  reasonableness  of 
teaching  given  about  spiritual  and  heavenly  things — frequently 
about  the  nature  of  the  spiritual  realm,  '  The  Kingdom  of  God  '  or 
'  of  Heaven.'  Very  frequently  they  contain  an  a  fortiori  argument 
— if  imperfect  man  would  act  thus,  how  shall  not  God,  in  His 
perfection,  do  still  more  ?  (For  further  classification  of  N.T. 
Parables,  see  the  article  on  '  Parables  '  in  any  of  the  standard 
Bible  Dictionaries.) 


76  ST   LUKE  [V  36-Vi  5 

a  piece  from  a  new  garment.  St  Luke's  version  of  the  argument 
is  clear,  and  though  different  from  that  of  Mk  ii  21  (in  which  it  is 
the  new  patch  of  stiff  and  heavy  '  undressed  cloth  '  that  pulls  and 
tears  the  old  material)  leads  to  the  same  conclusion.  Christianity 
will  not  serve  merely  to  patch  up  Judaism  :  it  must  eventually 
supersede  it.  There  must  be  a  '  fresh  start ' ;  Judaism  as  it  stands 
is  incompatible  with  the  new  life  of  '  The  Kingdom.' 

37.  new  wine  into  old  wine-skins :  where  the  dregs  will  start 
a  ferment  and  burst  the  skins — or  perhaps  '  old  '  means  worn-out 
skins  which  need  to  be  discarded.  Here  is  incompatibility  again, 
between  the  '  New  Covenant '  and  the  Old,  or  possibly  the  wine- 
skin may  represent  the  individual  heart.  For  the  pair  of  parables 
vv.  36,  37,  cf.  the  Mustard  Seed  and  the  Leaven  (xiii  18-20),  the 
Treasure  and  the  Pearl  (Mat  xiii  44-46).  Our  Lord  loves  to  com- 
bine two  illustrations  of  the  same  thought,  to  give  completeness. 

39.  And  no  man,  <&c.  This  verse  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  and 
characteristic  of  him.  Although  it  confuses  rather  than  clinches 
the  argument,  he  could  not  omit  a  saying  that  recognized,  in  a 
kindly  spirit,  the  natural,  wistful  clinging  to  what  has  been,  which 
is  the  foe  of  all  progress  in  the  world.  If  '  the  best  is  the  enemy 
of  the  good,'  '  the  good  is  also  the  enemy  of  the  best.' 

(e)  VI  1-11     Two  Disputes  about  the  Sabbath 

The  Rabbinical  Sabbath  Law,  as  given  in  the  Talmud,  is  a 
maze  of  petty  restrictions  sometimes  of  the  absurdest  kind.  An 
idea  of  it  may  be  obtained  from  Edersheim's  Appendix  VII  {L.  and 
T.  ii  177-181).  Against  this,  as  typical  of  the  errors  of  contem- 
porary Judaism,  our  Lord  wages  war,  even  going  out  of  His  way 
to  outrage  Pharisaic  scruples  by  Sabbath  works  of  mercy,  and  so 
excite  against  Himself  bitter,  and  in  the  end  murderous,  hostility. 
The  campaign  opens  here,  according  to  St  Luke.  Further  develop- 
ments may  be  traced  in  xiii  12,  xiv  1,  where  see  notes. 

VI  Now  it  came  to  pass  on  a  ^sabbath,  that  he  was  going 
through  the  cornfields  ;  and  his  disciples  plucked  the  ears  of 
corn,  and  did  eat,  rubbing  them  in  their  hands.  2  But  certain 
of  the  Pharisees  said,  Why  do  ye  that  which  it  is  not  lawful 
to  do  on  the  sabbath  day  ?  3  And  Jesus  answering  them 
said,  Have  ye  not  read  even  this,  what  David  did,  when  he 
was  an  hungied,  he,  and  they  that  were  with  him  ;  4  how 
he  entered  into  the  house  of  God,  and  did  take  and  eat  the 
shewbread,  and  gave  also  to  them  that  were  with  him  ;  which 
it  is  not  lawful  to  eat  save  for  the  priests  alone  ?  5  And  he 
said  unto  them,  The  Son  of  man  is  lord  of  the  sabbath. 

^  Many  ancient  authorities  insert  second-first. 


VI I -^]  ST   LUKE  77 

1-5.    The  Incident  in  the  Coknfields. 

1.  on  a  Sabbath  :  A.V.  has  on  the  second  sabbath  after  the  first, 
and  R.V.  Marg.  '  Many  ancient  authorities  insert  second  first.' 
The  word  so  rendered  (deuteroproto)  is  found  in  the  MSS  B,  L,  and 
several  other  authorities  of  repute,  but  the  MS  authority  for  its 
omission  is  much  greater.  However,  the  proverbial  difficulty  of 
the  word  itself  constitutes  an  argument  for  its  retention.  It  is 
a  priori  more  likely  that  a  phrase  so  obscure — even  to  St  Jerome 
and  his  contemporaries  (Hieron.  Ep.  lii,  cited  by  Plummer) — would  be 
omitted  if  original  than  inserted  later.  Levertoff  suggests  that 
here  (as  in  Odyssey  xxiv  28),  we  must  read  irpu)!:  for  Trpwra.  The 
mistake  would  be  easy  in  second-century  papyri. 

2.  that  which  .  .  .  is  not  lawful :  because  in  the  meticulous  rules 
of  contemporary  Rabbinism  such  action,  innocent  in  itself,  was 
interpreted  as  '  labour  ' — i.  e.  as  equivalent  to  reaping  and  winnow- 
ing.   See  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  ii  783. 

3.  what  David  did.  According  to  the  Midrash,  the  incident 
recorded  in  1  Sam  xxi  1-6  happened  on  a  Sabbath.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  this  lesson  from  the  '  Former  Prophets  '  was  read  in 
the  Synagogue  at  the  Haphtara  {prophetic  lesson)  on  that  Sabbath. 
'  You  would  not  dare  to  criticize  David's  action,  which  broke  the 
very  letter  of  the  Law,  from  the  like  motive  of  hunger.' 

5.  The  Son  of  man  is  lord  of  the  sabbath.  Edersheim  quotes 
a  Rabbinical  saying,  representing,  no  doubt,  the  liberal  thought 
of  the  times  :  '  The  Sabbath  is  handed  over  to  you  ;  not,  ye  are 
handed  over  to  the  Sabbath  '  [Life  and  Times,  ii,  p.  58),  which 
reminds  one  of  the  phrase  added  here  by  St  Mark  (ii  27),  '  The 
sabbath  was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  the  sabbath.' 

lord  of  the  sabbath :  as  representative  of  man  and  of  his  free- 
dom. Here  the  '  Western  Text '  D — according  to  F.  Blass,  Luke's 
later  (Roman)  edition  of  the  Gospel  (see  Introd.,  p.  xlii) — has  a  very 
interesting  insertion,  5b.  On  the  same  day  he  saw  a  man  working 
on  the  Sabbath  and  said  unto  him  :  Man,  if  thou  knowest  what 
thou  art  doing,  blessed  art  thou  ;  but  if  thou  knowest  it  not,  thou  art 
cursed  and  a  transgressor  of  the  law  (Blass,  Philol.  Gosp.,  pp.  153  sqq.). 
The  connexion  with  v.  6  is  altered  in  this  version.  It  goes  on — 
'  And  entering  again  on  the  Sabbath  into  the  Synagogue  wherein 
was  a  man,  &c.' 

6-11.  The  Man  with  a  Withered  Hand.  This  is  the  second 
occasion  on  which  St  Luke  records  Sabbath-day  works  of  mercy 
wrought  by  our  Lord  (cf.  iv  31  and  38)  ;  and  it  is  at  this  point, 
after  the  incident  in  the  cornfields,  that  he  makes  the  criticism  and 
opposition  of  the  Pharisees  to  show  itself.  (With  this  agree  Mat 
xii  14  and  Mk  iii  6.)  W.  J.  Richmond,  Gospel  of  the  Rejection, 
p.  23,  urges  that  the  sudden  outburst  involves  previous  struggle 
with  the  Jews  such  as  St  John  records.  It  bursts  out  again  when 
He  heals  the  Infirm  Woman  (xiii  14)  and  the  Dropsical  Man 
(xiv  1) ;  and  our  Lord  meets  it  in  ea<?h  case  with  a  comparison  of 
humane  treatment  of  the  '  ox  and  ass.' 


78  ST   LUKE  [VI 6-12 

6  And  it  came  to  pass  on  another  sabbath,  that  he  entered 
into  the  synagogue  and  taught  :    and  there  was  a  man  there, 
and  his  right  hand  was  withered.     7  And  the  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  watched  him,  whether  he  would  heal  on  the  sab- 
bath ;    that  they  might  find  how  to  accuse  him.     8  But  he 
knew  their  thoughts  ;    and  he  said  to  the  man  that  had  his 
hand  withered,  Rise  up,  and  stand  forth  in  the  midst.     And 
he   arose   and  stood  forth.      9  And  Jesus   said  unto  them, 
I  ask  you,  Is  it  lawful  on  the  sabbath  to  do  good,  or  to  do 
harm  ?    to  save  a  life,  or  to  destroy  it  ?     10  And  he  looked 
round  about  on  them  all,  and  said  unto  him,  Stretch  forth 
thy  hand.    And  he  did  so  :  and  his  hand  was  restored.    11  But 
they  were  filled  with  ^madness  ;    and  communed  one  with 
another  what  they  might  do  to  Jesus. 

1  Or,  foolishness 

6.  his  right  hand  :  St  Mark  says  simply  '  a  withered  hand  ' 
(iii  1)  ;  St  Luke  adds  right.  '  The  medical  mind  demands  such 
specification  '  (Ramsay,  Luke  the  Physician,  p.  58). 

7.  watched  him  :  as,  later,  when  he  healed  the  dropsical  man  at 
a  Sabbath-feast  (xiv  1).  This  comes  from  the  Marcan  record 
(Mkiii  2),  but  St  Mark  further  records  here  a  conspiracy  of  Pharisees 
and  Herodians  against  Jesus  (iii  6);  which  may  corroborate  the 
hint  of  association  between  the  Pharisees  and  Herod  in  Lk  xiu 

32  ;   cf.  V.  11. 

9.  to  do  good—SLS  I  am  trying  to  do— or  to  do  harm— as  you  are  ; 
to  save  a  life—a,&  I  am  doing— or  to  destroy  it— as  is  in  your  hearts 

to  do   (cf.  V.   11).  c     ^r        r.        . 

11.  communed  with  one  another.  St  Mark  here  {not  St  Matthew) 
adds  with  the  Herodians.  Already  (as  Adeney  notices  ad  loc.)  the 
Pharisaic  party  had  accumulated  grievances  against  the  Lord  : 
(a)  the  claim  to  forgive  sins  (v  21  sqq.),  (6)  the  consorting  with 
'  publicans  and  sinners  '  (v  30),  (c)  the  neglect  of  fasting  (v  34), 
{d)  these  two  cases  of  '  Sabbath-breaking.'  As  a  result  they  are 
filled  with  madness.  We  have  here  a  crisis  in  the  relations  between 
our  Lord  and  the  religious  Leaders. 

(f )  12-16     Nomination  of  the  Twelve 

On  the  Gospel  narratives  of  the  Ministry  as  a  story  of  the  training 
of  the  Twelve,  see  Latham.  Pastor  Pastorum  (Deighton  1891). 
On  the  choosing  of  the  Apostles,  ih.  228-269,  and  on  their  individual 
characteristics,  p.  244  sq. 


VII2-I6]  ST   LUKE  79 

12  And  it  came  to  pass  in  these  days,  that  he  went  out 
into  the  mountain  to  pray  ;  and  he  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God.  13  And  when  it  was  day,  he  called  his  dis- 
ciples :  and  he  chose  from  them  twelve,  whom  also  he  named 
apostles  ;  14  Simon,  whom  he  also  named  Peter,  and  Andrew 
his  brother,  and  James  and  John,  and  Philip  and  Bartholomew, 
15  and  Matthew  and  Thomas,  and  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus, 
and  Simon  which  was  called  the  Zealot,  16  and  Judas  the  ^son 
of  James,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  which  was  the  traitor  ; 

J*  Or,  brother.    See  Jude  i. 

12.  all  night  in  prayer.  This  night  of  devotion  before  the 
appointing  of  the  Apostles  is  one  of  the  most  significant  of  St  Luke's 
special  mentions  of  prayer  ;  cf.  iii  21,  xi  1,  &c.  It  emphasizes 
the  importance  of  the  step  about  to  be  taken.  So  it  became  natural 
to  Christ's  followers  to  pray  before  choosing  the  Seven  (Ac  vi  6), 
and  before  sending  Barnabas  and  Saul  on  their  pioneer  mission 
(Ac  xiii  2,  3).  St  Matthew's  only  reference  to  prayer  in  this  con- 
nexion (Mark  has  none)  is  the  exhortation,  '  Pray  ye  therefore  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest '  (Mat  ix  38),  with  which  St  Luke  introduces 
the  later  appointment  of  the  Seventy  (x  2). 

13.  twelve :  symbolic  of  the  Twelve  Tribes — the  totality  of 
God's  People  ;   cf.  Rev  xxi  12,  14. 

apostles,  i.  e.  Messengers — '  men  sent  forth  ' — primarily  for 
the  immediate  mission.  Of  the  Twelve  St  Matthew  only  uses  it 
at  their  appointment  (x  2),  St  Mark  only  then  and  on  their  retiu-n 
from  the  mission  (iii  14,  vi  30).  St  Luke  employs  it  at  intervals — 
xvii  5,  xxii  14,  xxiv  10,  and  very  frequently  in  the  Acts.  St  John 
has  it  only  once  (xiii  16),  and  then  not  technically — his  phrase  is 
'  the  disciples.' 

The  lists  in  the  three  Synoptists,  as  Dr  J.  A.  Bobinson  points 
out  {Encyclopaedia  Biblica,  s.v.),  show  three  constant  groups  of 
four  names  each,  the  first  name  in  each  group  being  constant, 
while  the  order  of  the  rest  changes  : 

14-16.    (1)  Mark — Peter,  James,  John,  Andrew. 

Matthew — Peter,  Andrew,  James,  John. 
Luke — Peter,  Andrew,  James,  John. 

(2)  Mark — Philip,  Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Thomas. 
Matthew — Philip,  Bartholomew,  Thomas,  Matthew. 
Luke — Philip,  Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Thomas. 

(3)  Mark — James  of  Alphaeus,  Thaddaeus,  Simon  the 

Cananean,  Judas  Iscariot. 
Matthew — James  of  Alphaeus,  Thaddaeus,  Simon  the 

Cananean,  Judas  Iscariot. 
Luke — James  of  Alphaeus,  Simon  the  Zealot,  Judas 

of  James,  Judas  Iscariot. 


80  ST   LUKE  [VI 17-49 

The  only  points  which  call  for  comment  are  (a)  Luke's  transla- 
tion of  '  Cananaean  '  into  the  more  intelligible  Zealot  (Judas  must 
have  been  one  of  the  fanatical  anti-Roman  Nationalists),  and 
(6)  his  substitution  of  '  Judas  of  James  '  for  '  Thaddaeus.'  The 
man  doubtless  had  the  two  names,  as  had  Levi  the  second  name  of 
Matthew  (see  note  on  v  27).  Another  instance  is  probably  to  be 
found  in  Bartholomew,  who  is  almost  certainly  to  be  identified 
with  the  Nathanael  who  is  brought  to  Christ  by  Philip  in  Jn  i  45 . 

(g)  17-49     The  Sermon  on  the  '  Level  Place  ' 

The  connexion  and  partial  identity  with  the  '  Sermon  on  the 
Mount '  of  Mat  v — vii  is  obvious  alike  from  the  opening  with 
'  Beatitudes  '  and  the  general  tenor  of  each,  but  the  differences  are 
perplexing.  As  to  the  locality,  each  might  be  suited  by  the 
traditional  green  depression  between  the  twin  peaks  of  Mt.  Kurun 
Hattin,  W.  of  Capernaum.  As  to  time  St  Matthew  puts  it  before, 
St  Luke  immediately  after,  the  nomination  of  the  Twelve.  The 
discrepancy  in  length  (111  verses  in  Matthew,  29  in  Luke)  may  be 
accounted  for  in  two  ways.  (1)  St  Luke,  writing  for  Grcntiles, 
quite  naturally  omits  the  comparison  of  the  Old  and  New  Laws 
(Mat  V  17  sqq.  and  parts  of  vi)  ;  it  is  possible  that  he  had  this 
before  him,  and  deliberately  left  it  out.^  (2)  St  Matthew  doubtless 
aggregates  and  groups  sayings  found  in  his  source.  Not  a  few  of 
these  are  found  scattered  about  the  peculiar  section  (ix  50 — xix  27) 
of  the  third  Gospel.  See,  e.  g.,  xi  9-13  (Mat  vi  5-15,  vii  12  sqq.), 
xii  22-31  (Mat  vi  25-33),  xiii  25,  26  (Mat  vii  22)  :  where  the  saying 
in  Luke  seems  to  follow  naturally  out  of  the  context. ^  Though  it 
is  conceivable  that  the  Master  may  have  repeated  these  sajangs, 
and  St  Luke  have  omitt«d  them  here  because  he  was  going  to 
record  them  later.  The  real  difficulty  is  with  certain  details,  e.  g. 
the  Beatitudes,  which  in  Luke  are  directed  to  simple  material 
conditions,  and  in  Matthew  are  spiritualized  ;  Luke's  omission  of 
those  addressed  to  the  meek,  the  merciful,  the  pure  in  heart,  the 
peacemakers — so  characteristic  that  we  must  account  them 
genuine  sayings  of  our  Lord  ;  so  obviously  congenial  to  Luke's 
spirit  that  we  cannot  conceive  his  deliberately  omitting  them. 
Again,  it  is  hard  to  account  for  St  Matthew's  omission  of  the  four 
corresponding  '  woes '  (Lk  vi  24-26)  if  the  two  Evangelists  had  the 
same  source  before  them,  though  the  earlier  placing  of  the  discourse 
in  Matthew  makes  the  omission  of  the  '  woes  '  more  apparent 
{Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  256  sqq.,  Plummer  ad  loc).  Plummer  gives 
six   suggested  hypotheses,  and  is  inclined  to  agree   with  Sandaj'' 

*  Mr  Lummis  (How  Luke  was  written,  Camb.  Press  1915,  p.  67),  who  thinks 
Luke  had  the  text  of  Matthew  before  him,  says,  '  Almost  all  the  passages  in 
Matthew's  sermon  that  Luke  absolutely  discards  are  those  which  are  unfitted  for 
a  writing  intended  for  Gentile  readers.' 

'  There  are  at  least  two  sayings  in  St  Luke's  '  Sermon  '  that  occur  in  other 
contexts  in  St  Matthew  :   Lk  vi  39=  Mat  iv  14,  Lk  vi  40  «  Mat  x  24. 


VII7-20]  ST  LUKE  81 

and  P.  Ewald  that  Luke  has  an  extra  source  recording  a  different 
sermon  sufficiently  like  that  worked  up  by  St  Matthew  in  chs  v — 
vii  for  him  to  identify  the  two,  and  to  fill  up  his  outline  from  that 
passage  in  the  source  (Q,  Logia  ?)  which  they  both  used. 

The  Beatitudes  themselves,  as  well  as  other  pregnant  sayings, 
would  doubtless  be  repeated  more  than  once  by  the  Teacher,  in 
various  contexts  and  with  various  shades  of  meaning. 

After  the  introduction  (17-19)  describing  the  occasion  (cf.  v  17), 
more  or  less  paralleled  by  Mk  iii  7-12,  Mat  iv  24  sq.,  the  Sermon 
falls  into  three  parts  ;  (a)  Paradoxes  of  Discipleship  ;  The  Beati- 
tudes and  Woes  (20-26)  ;  (/?)  The  New  Commandment  of  Love 
(27-38) ;  (y)  Enforcement  of  the  teaching  by  brief  parabolic  sayings 
(34-49). 

17  And  he  came  down  with  them,  and  stood  on  a  level 
place,  and  a  great  multitude  of  his  disciples,  and  a  great 
number  of  the  people  from  all  Judsea  and  Jerusalem,  and  the 
sea  coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  which  came  to  hear  him,  and 
to  be  healed  of  their  diseases  ;  18  and  they  that  were  troubled 
with  unclean  spirits  were  healed.  19  And  all  the  multitude 
sought  to  touch  him  :  for  power  came  forth  from  him,  and 
healed  them  all. 

17.  on  a  level  'place  :  not  '  plain,'  as  A.V.  It  may  or  may  not 
be  identical  with  the  '  Mountain  '  of  Mat  v  1.  See  introductory 
note  above. 

a  great  number.  Here,  as  in  Mat  v  1,  it  is  the  vast  crowds  (with 
whom  He  first  deals)  which  necessitate  His  withdrawing  to  a  less 
accessible  spot  to  address  the  inner  circle  of  His  disciples  (see 
below). 

Jvdcea  and  Jerusalem  .  .  .  Tyre  and  Sidon :  suggests  the  wide 
range  north  and  south  of  Palestine,  to  which  His  fame  had  already 
spread.  The  first  words  harmonize  with,  though  they  do  not  necessi- 
tate, a  previous  Judaean  Mission  such  as  St  John  narrates  (cf .  note 
on  iv  44). 

(a)  20-23.  Beatitudes  (cf.  Mat.  v  3-12).  The  Qualifications 
of  Discipleship.  St  Luke  gives  these  sayings  in  a  simpler  and  more 
direct  form,  and  has  only  four  instead  of  eight,  omitting  the  Meek, 
Merciful,  Pure  in  Heart,  Peacemakers.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
believe  that  our  Evangelist  had  the  full  form  before  him,  and 
deliberately  extruded  these — qualities  so  congenial  to  him.  But 
if  St  Matthew  has  collected  and  grouped  his  Beatitudes  he  has  done 
it  in  a  most  masterly  way,  producing  a  perfect  portrait  of  the 
Saviour's  life  and  character  from  the  self-emptying  of  the  Incarna- 
tion (Mat  V  3)  to  the  Crucifixion  (Mat  v  10,  11)  as  summarized  in 
Phil  ii  5-11. 

L.  6 


82  ST   LUKE  [VI 20-22 

20  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples,  and  said, 
Blessed  are  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  jrom  their  company,  and  reproach  you,  and  cast  out  your 
name  as  evil,  for  the  Son  of  man's  sake.  23  Rejoice  in  that 
day,  and  leap  for  joy  :  for  behold,  your  reward  is  gi'eat  in 
heaven  :  for  in  the  same  manner  did  their  fathers  unto  the 
prophets. 

20.  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples.  One  of  St  Luke's 
graphic  touches.  This  discourse,  like  Matthew's  '  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  ',  was  addressed  not  to  the  crowd  but  to  disciples.  On  its 
bearing  upon  the  training  of  the  Apostles  see  Latham,  Pastor 
Pastorum,  pp.  252  sqq. 

ye  poor :  (see  last  note)  not  poverty  as  such — though  poverty 
itself  may  make  people  more  ready  to  receive  help — but  '  Apostolic  ' 
poverty  wins  the  blessing.  St  Matthew  spiritualizes  '  poor  in  spirit.' 
The  two  are  ideally  combined  in  '  Christ's  little  poor  man  ' 
St  Francis  of  Assisi,  the  type  of  those  in  whom  the  sense  of  utter 
dependence  upon  God  issues  in  extreme  simplification  of  the 
outward  life. 

The  '  marriage '  of  St  Francis  with  Poverty  is  classically 
described  in  Dante's  enthusiastic  lines,  Par.  xi  58  sqq. 

With  this  blessing  upon  poverty  may  be  compared  xiv  33  with 
its  stern  call  to  renunciation,  and  xviii  24-30,  the  teaching  that 
follows  the  incident  of  the  '  Rich  Ruler.'  That  literal  renunciation 
of  all  possessions  was  not  demanded  of  all  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  our  Lord  accepted  those  wealthy  ladies  '  who 
ministered  to  him  of  their  substance '  (viii  2),  and  Zacchaeus,  who 
gave  but  '  half  of  his  goods  to  the  poor  '  (xix  8). 

There  is  a  saying  in  Pirke  Aboth  cited  from  Rabbi  Jonathan : 
'  Whosoever  fulfils  the  law  (when)  in  poverty,  will  in  the  end  fulfil 
it  in  wealth ;  and  whosoever  neglects  it  in  wealth  (cf .  below,  v.  25) 
will  in  the  end  neglect  it  in  poverty  '  (Oesterley,  Sayings,  rv  ii,  p.  2). 

21.  ye  that  hunger  :  St  Matthew  spiritualizes  — '  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness.' 

that  weep  now  :  so  St  Matthew,  '  that  mourn. ' 

shall  laugh.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  word  (ycAaw)  occurs  in 
the  N.T.  only  here  and  in  v.  25.  Is  it  a  token  of  that  sunny  and 
genial  temperament  which  has  encouraged  some  to  speak  of 
'  St  Luke  the  Humorist '  ?  See  note  on  xi  5-8.  As  here,  so  in 
V.  23,  St  Luke's  exjDression  is  more  intense  than  St  Matthew's. 

22.  separate  you  :  this  reference  to  Jewish  excommunication 
is  peculiar  to  St  Luke  ;    in  Jn  xvi  2  it  is  described  as  '  banishing 


VI 23-26]  ST  LUKE  83 

a  man  from  the  synagogue  '  (aTroavvdywyov  Troielv) ;  cf .  Jn  ix  22,  xii  42. 
On  the  Synagogue's  jurisdiction  see  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  i  438  sqq. 
for  the  Son  of  man's  sake.  Here  again  is  emphasized  the 
differentia  which  makes  the  afflicted  blessed — not  mere  poverty, 
destitution,  sorrow,  unpopularity,  but  these  in  Christ's  followers 
and  for  Christ's  sake. 

23.  leap  for  joy.  A  remarkable  expression  characteristic  of 
the  joyous  Gospel  (cf.  note  on  v.  21  and  Introduction,  '  Charac- 
teristics,' p.  xxxix).  St  Luke  had  employed  the  same  word  in  i  44 
at  the  salutation  of  Elisabeth  by  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

24-26.  The  corresponding  Woes.  These  have  no  place  in 
St  Matthew,  and  St  Luke  may  have  drawn  them  from  a  source 
other  than  Q;  Sir  John  Hawkins,  however  (Oa;/.  >Siwc?. ,  p.  134),  suggests 
that  Matthew  may  have  omitted  them  as  liable  to  be  misunderstood 
by  the  readers  he  had  in  view  ;  though  Matthew  certainly  in  his 
chapter  xxiii  witnesses  to  equal  severity  in  our  Lord.  La  any  case 
they  are,  in  a  manner,  implied  by  the  Beatitudes,  which  deliberately 
reject  the  path  of  worldly  ease,  material  wealth,  earthly  ambition 
and  success  as  not  being  avenues  to  blessedness. 

24  But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich  !  for  ye  have  received 
your  consolation.  25  Woe  unto  you,  ye  that  are  full  now  ! 
for  ye  shaU  hunger.  Woe  unto  you,  ye  that  laugh  now  !  for 
ye  shall  mourn  and  weep.  26  Woe  unto  you,  when  all  men 
shall  speak  well  of  you  !  for  in  the  same  manner  did  their 
fathers  to  the  false  prophets. 

24.  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich  !  '  This  is  lamentation,  not 
merely  denunciation  '  (Adeney,  ad  loc).  St  Luke,  like  his  Lord 
(xviii  18  sqq.),  has  a  sympathetic  interest  in  the  rich  as  well  as  in 
the  poor  (cf.  viii  2,  xix  2).  The  '  Rich  Fool  '  (xii  16  sqq.)  gives 
a  vivid  picture  of  this  '  Woe.' 

ye  have  received  {d-n-ex^Ti) :  have  received  to  the  full  (the  technical 
expression  in  the  kolvtj  for  '  signing  a  receipt '  (Moulton  and 
Milligan,  s.v.) — there  is  no  further  reserve  of  consolation  stored  up 
for  you.  The  same  word  describes  in  Mat  vi  2,  5,  16  the  case  of 
those  who  do  their  religious  exercises  to  be  seen  of  men — as  though 
a  man  should  give  his  money  to  '  charity  '  with  apparent  generosity, 
but  really  with  a  view  to  a  baronetcy. 

26.  shall  speak  well  of  you  !  This  warning  of  the  danger  of  general 
popularity  (which  blinds  the  eyes  to  spiritual  values  and  divine 
ideals)  is  peculiar  to  the  third  Gospel.  In  Jn  v  44  our  Lord  expresses 
this  truth  concretely  when  He  exclaims,  of  the  self-centred  '  mutual 
admiration  society  '  of  the  Pharisees,  '  How  can  ye  believe,  which 
receive  glory  one  of  another,  and  the  glory  that  cometh  from  the 
only  God  ye  seek  not  !  '  The  converse  is  given  in  Jn  xv  19,  xvii 
14,  where  faithfulness  to  Christ  calls  down  the  hatred  of  the  world. 

6-2 


84  ST   LUKE  [VI 26-29 

to  the  false  prophets  :  of.  Jer  v  31,  '  The  prophets  prophesy- 
falsely,  and  the  priests  bear  rule  by  their  means ;  and  ray  people 
love  to  have  it  so.' 

(/S)  27-38.  The  New  Commandment  of  Love  ;  contrasted 
with  the  prevailing  spirit  of  selfishness.  This  corresponds  in  general 
to  St  Matthew's  contrast  of  the  Law  and  the  Gospel  ;  '  It  was  said 
to  them  of  old  time  .  .  .  but  I  say  unto  you  '  ;  and  in  particular  to 
Mat  V  43,  44.  St  Luke  expands,  and  has  a  different  arrangement 
of  the  thoughts  that  follow. 

27  But  I  say  unto  you  which  hear,  Love  your  enemies, 
do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  28  bless  them  that  curse  you, 
pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  you.  29  To  him  that 
smiteth  thee  on  the  one  cheek  offer  also  the  other  ;  and  from 
him  that  taketh  away  thy  cloke  withhold  not  thy  coat  also. 
30  Give  to  every  one  that  asketh  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. 

27.  /  say  unto  you  which  hear,  i.  e.  to  all  who  are  listening, 
the  '  multitude  '  as  well  as  the  disciples  (Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum, 
p.  257). 

do  good  .  .  .  bless.  This  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  and  characteristic 
of  him. 

29  sqq.  Here  the  generous  instinct  and  the  attitude  of  non- 
resistance  to  evil  are  interwoven.  The  former  (30a,  31  sqq.,  35) 
needs  no  apology,  though  '  indiscriminate  charity  '  (under  present 
social  conditions)  supplies  its  own  condemnation  in  the  demoraliza- 
tion of  the  recipients ;  and  the  gift  that  involves  more  thought, 
inquiry,  and  self-restraint  is  a  higher  gift.  The  principle  of  non- 
resistance  (29,  30b)  is  easily  misapplied  ;  and,  if  practised  literally 
by  all  the  more  conscientious,  might  swiftly  reduce  society  to 
a  state  of  anarchy  and  violence,  the  prey  of  the  predatory. 
Dr  Plummer  {ad  loc.)  is  doubtless  right  in  interpreting  these 
paradoxes  as  rather  illustrations  of  principles  than  actual  precepts. 
Of.  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  p.  211.  The  interwea\ang  of 
generosity  and  non-resistance  teaches  that  Love  and  Longsuffering 
(a  specialized  form  of  love  in  contact  with  evil)  are  to  be  the 
principle  of  Christian  conduct.  '  Love  has  no  limits  but  those  that 
love  itself  imposes.'  Private  retaliation,  resentment  of  individual 
loss,  are  no  justification  for  such  forceful  resistance  as  the  well- 
being  of  society  may  demand  of  its  loyal  members. 

The  question  remains,  however,  as  to  the  limits  in  practice  of 
application  of  this  principle  of  non-resistance,  and  a  variety  of 
opinions  is  inevitable,  as  was  demonstrated  in  the  phenomenon 
of  '  Conscientious  Objection  '  in  the  Great  War.     It  may  be  that 


VI 29-35]  ST   LUKE  86 

general  lack  of  faith  reduces  the  victorious  energy  of  this  principle 
of  non-resistance  to  its  present  narrow  dimensions.  The  experience, 
e.  g.,  of  early  Quaker  communities  in  dealing  with  the  Red  Indians 
(the  only  peaceful  relations  with  white  colonists  being  those  with 
the  professional  non-resisters)  points  to  the  superiority  of  faith  and 
charity  over  armed  force  in  cases  where  they  can  be  whole-heartedly 
applied. 

29.    smiteth  :   a  strong  phrase — a  pugilist's  blow  on  the  jaw. 

ojfer  also :  clearly  a  paradoxical  statement,  intended  to  arrest 
the  hearers'  attention,  and  '  redress  the  balance  '  of  human  self- 
assertiveness.  Its  obvious  hyperbole  throws  light  on  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  entire  context.  Yet  the  extreme  non-resister  would 
argue  from  it  a  command  to  offer  the  cheek  of  his  parents,  his  wife 
and  children,  and  his  fellow  citizens  in  general. 

31.  And  as  ye  would,  dhc.  The  '  Golden  Rule,'  paralleled 
negatively  by  Hillel's  saying,  '  What  thou  thyself  hatest,  do  to 
no  man.'  Montefiore  has  an  interesting  comment,  from  the  Jewish 
point  of  view,  in  The  Beginnings  of  Christianity,  p.  79  :  '  That 
Hillel's  form  of  the  Golden  Rule  is  negative  I  do  not  think  so 
important  as  Christian  writers  .  .  .  always  make  out.  That  same 
Hillel  said  "  Love  mankind  and  bring  them  in  to  the  Law."  .  .  . 
Nevertheless  ...  I  should  be  far  from  attempting  to  deny  the 
original  elements  of  the  Gospel  teaching.  The  summons  ...  to 
go  forth  and  to  seek  out  and  redeem  the  sinner  and  the  fallen, 
the  passion  to  heal  and  bring  back  to  God  the  wretched  and  the 
outcast — all  this  I  do  not  find  in  Rabbinism  ;  that  form  of  love 
seems  lacking.' 

32-35.  On  disinterested  Giving.  This  lesson  is  enforced  in 
the  teaching  on  hospitality,  xiv  12-14. 

32  And  if  ye  love  them  that  love  you,  what  thank  have 
ye  ?  for  even  sinners  love  those  that  love  them.  33  And  if 
ye  do  good  to  them  that  do  good  to  you,  what  thank  have  ye  ? 
for  even  sinners  do  the  same.  34  And  if  ye  lend  to  them  of 
whom  ye  hope  to  receive,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  even  sinners 
lend  to  sinners,  to  receive  again  as  much.  35  But  love  your 
enemies,  and  do  them  good,  and  lend,  ^never  despairing  ;  and 
your  reward  shall  be  great,  and  ye  shall  be  sons  of  the  Most 
High  :   for  he  is  kind  toward  the  unthankful  and  evil. 

*  Some  ancient  authorities  read  despairing  of  no  man. 

35.  n£ver  despairing  {fxrjBku  d7rcA.7rt^ovT£s) :  so  R.V.  (margin, 
despairing  of  no  man).  The  A.V.  had  'hoping  for  nothing  again,' 
implying  a  condemnation  of  interest  on  loans.  This  verb  may  be 
taken  as  one  of  St  Luke's  medical  words.  Hobart  (p.  118)  shows 
that   Galen  frequently  uses  it   of  a   medically   '  desperate   case.' 


86  ST   LUKE  [VI 35-43 

St  Paul  has  a  striking  parallel  in  1  Cor  xiii  7,  where  he  says  that 
Love  '  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  (eATri^et)  all  things.'  So  the  true 
interpretation  of  this  verse  suggests  a  patient  and  persevering  help 
of  apparently  hopeless  cases. 

36  Be  ye  merciful,  even  as  your  Father  is  merciful.  37  And 
judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged  :  and  condemn  not,  and 
ye  shall  not  be  condemned  :  release,  and  ye  shall  be  released  : 
38  give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you  ;  good  measure, 
pressed  down,  shaken  together,  running  over,  shall  they  give 
into  your  bosom.  For  with  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again. 

36.  even  as  your  Father  is  merciful.  Matthew  has  '  perfect  ' 
(reActos,  V  48).  Moffatt  {I.L.N.T.,  p.  281)  finds  here  an  echo  of 
St  Paul's  beautiful  words  in  2  Cor  i  3  sq.  about  comforting  others 
with  '  the  comfort  wherewith  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God.' 

37.  Teaching  against  censoriousness — a  peculiarly  poisonous 
form  of  uncharity — given  more  fully  in  Mat  vii  1-5,  where  it  leads 
up  to  the  '  mote  and  the  beam  '  of  v.  41. 

38.  A  similar  thought  appears  in  2  Cor  ix  6-8. 

your  bosom :  cf .  Ps  Ixxix  12.  The  Eastern  pocket  was,  and  is, 
formed  by  drawing  up  a  fold  of  the  garment  above  the  girdle. 
Thus  Prov  vi  27  pictures  a  man  putting  a  hot  ember  into  his  bosom- 
pocket  and  setting  his  clothes  on  fire. 

(y)  39-49.  Parabolic  enforcement  of  the  foregoing 
Lessons,  with  a  special  reference  to  sincerity.  A  number  of  short 
parabolic  utterances  :  The  Blind  Guide,  The  Disciple  and  the 
Master,  The  Mote  and  the  Beam,  The  Treasure  of  the  Heart,  The 
Two  Foundations.  In  this  section  our  Lord  seems  especially  to 
have  in  mind  the  thought  of  His  disciples  as  Teachers. 

39  And  he  spake  also  a  parable  unto  them,  Can  the  blind 
guide  the  blind  ?  shall  they  not  both  fall  into  a  pit  ?  40  The 
disciple  is  not  above  his  ^master  :  but  every  one  when  he  is 
perfected  shall  be  as  his  ^master.  41  And  why  beholdest  thou 
the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the 
beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?  42  Or  how  canst  thou  say 
to  thy  brother,  Brother,  let  me  cast  out  the  mote  that  is  in 
thine  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  cast 
out  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye.     43  For  there  is 

*  Or,  teacher 


VI 39-43]  ST   LUKE  87 

no  good  tree  that  bringeth  forth  corrupt  fruit  ;  nor  again 
a  corrupt  tree  that  bringeth  forth  good  fruit.  44  For  each 
tree  is  known  by  its  own  fruit.  For  of  thorns  men  do  not 
gather  figs,  nor  of  a  bramble  bush  gather  they  gi'apes.  45  The 
good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth  forth 
that  which  is  good  ;  and  the  evil  man  out  of  the  evil  treasure 
bringeth  forth  that  which  is  evil :  for  out  of  the  abundance  of 
the  heart  his  mouth  speaketh. 

39.  Can  the  blind  guide  the  blind  ?  St  Matthew  has  not  this 
in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  but  reproduces  it  in  an  altered 
form  in  Mat  xv  14,  where  our  Lord  says  to  the  disciples,  of  the 
Pharisees,  '  Let  them  alone :  they  are  blind  guides.  And  if  the 
blind,  &c.'  Sir  John  Hawkins  numbers  it  among  the  passages 
'  ascribable  to  Q  with  a  considerable  amount  of  probability ' 
{Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  117).  There  are  two  other  cases  in  St  Luke's  Sermon 
where  Matthew  has  his  parallel  in  another  context,  v.  41  =  Mat 
X  24,  and  v.  45  =  Mat  xii  35,  34b.  In  these  instances  Canon 
Streeter  {op.  cit.,  pp.  157,  164)  judges  that  Luke's  context  is  the 
original  one  (cf.  also  W.  C.  Allen,  op.  cit.,  p.  268). 

But  what  more  natural  than  that,  if  our  Lord  had  originally 
uttered  this  saying  here,  He  should  pointedly  refer  to  it  later,  in 
Matthew's  context  ?  '  They  are  just  an  instance  of  what  I  said 
to  you  last  year.'    What  more  apt  illustration  than  the  Pharisees  ? 

40.  the  disciple  is  not  above  his  master :  his  Rabbi  or  Teacher 
(8tSao-KaAos)  :  i.  e.  your  disciples  will  not  be  able  to  reach  a  higher 
level  than  you  set  them.  St  Matthew  (x  34)  gives  this  in  the  charge  to 
the  Twelve,  and  with  a  slightly  different  application.  There  the 
double  comparison  is  introduced — Disciple  and  Teacher,  Slave  and 
Master.     (See  note  on  preceding  verse.) 

when  he  is  perfected :    the  '  finished  pupil,'  perfectly  equipped 

(/caT7;pTto"/Aevos) . 

41.  beam.  Here  again  is  an  obvious  hyperbole,  throwing  light 
on  the  interpretation  of  the  whole  passage.  The  beam  referred  to 
is  the  main  beam  of  a  roof '  '  Let  criticism  centre  first  on  self  '  is 
the  teaching.  Similarly  the  modern  Montessori  teaching,  with  its 
doctrine  of  self-education,  claims  that  competition  should  be  mainly 
centred  on  self.    Aim  at  outstripping  your  past  and  your  present  self. 

42.  hypocrite  :  classically,  the  word  was  applied  to  a  professional 
actor.  In  Biblical  Greek — and  hence  in  modern  English — it  denotes 
one  who  '  plays  a  false  part  in  life  ' — pretending  to  motives  better 
than  his  actual  ones.  Such  a  one  may  of  course  be,  in  different 
degrees,  self-deceived. 

43.  For  there  is  no  good  tree,  <fcc.  ...  In  slightly  different  form 
Mat  vii  16-20.  The  connexion  here  is  not  easy.  What  are  the 
'  fruits  '  ?     Conduct,  as  the  expression  of  character  ?  ('  j^ou  must 


88  ST   LUKE  [VI 43-47 

Bee  straight — be  sound  morally — before  you  can  help  ')  ;  or  are 
the  fruits  the  converts  of  the  good  disciple,  the  '  fruits  of  his  disciple- 
ship  '  ('  an  inferior  Christian  cannot  by  his  action  on  others  produce 
superior  ones  ')  ?    Cf.  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  p.  259. 

44.  each  tree,  i.  e.  each  kind  of  tree.  The  verse  is  not  simply 
a  repetition  of  43,  but  contains  a  new  thought.    (P.  L.) 

45.  The  substance  of  this  verse  (see  note  on  v.  39)  appears  in 
Matthew  in  a  later  context,  and  one  of  controversy  with  the 
Pharisees.  Some  have  thought  that  St  Luke,  with  his  habitual 
avoidance  of  Pharisaic  controversy  (see  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud., 
p,  70)  has  deliberately  '  transplanted  '  these  sayings.  But  it  may 
well  be  that  Christ  repeated  them. 

the  abundance  of  the  heart.  A  man's  outward  expressions  will 
mirror  the  'preponderance  of  good  or  evil  in  him.  St  Matthew 
(xii  35,  34b)  transposes  the  order  of  the  clauses  in  this  verse. 

46-49  :  Sanction  to  foregoing  Teaching.  The  substance  of 
vv.  47-49  occurs  in  an  exactly  parallel  place  in  St  Matthew,  at  the 
conclusion  of  his  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount  '  (vii  24-27). 

46  And  why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things 
which  I  say  ?  47  Every  one  that  cometh  unto  me,  and  heareth 
my  words,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  shew  you  to  whom  he  is 
like  :  48  he  is  like  a  man  building  a  house,  who  digged  and 
went  deep,  and  laid  a  foundation  upon  the  rock  :  and  when 
a  flood  arose,  the  stream  brake  against  that  house,  and  could 
not  shake  it  :  ^because  it  had  been  well  builded.  49  But  he 
that  heareth,  and  doeth  not,  is  like  a  man  that  built  a  house 
upon  the  earth  without  a  foundation  ;  against  which  the 
stream  brake,  and  straightway  it  fell  in  ;  and  the  ruin  of  that 
house  was  great. 

'  Many  ancient  authorities  read  jor  it  had  been  founded  upon  the  rock :    as  in 
Mat  vii  25. 

46.  why  call  ye  me.  Lord,  Lord  .  .  .  The  parallel  in  Matthew 
is  vii  21,  22,  '  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me.  Lord,  Lord  .  .  .' 
Compare  also  Lk  xiii  25,  'Lord,  open  to  us,'  and  St  Matthew's 
'  Ten  Virgins  '  (xxv  11,  12),  '  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.' 

47  sqq.  There  is  an  interesting  variation  in  the  form  of  this 
Parable  of  the  Wise  and  Foolish  Builders.  In  Matthew  the  main 
point  is  the  selection  of  sites — rock  or  sand — here  it  is  a  question 
of  foundations.  But  the  teaching  is  the  same  ;  ultimately  character 
must  be  founded  on  Christ,  on  loj'alty  to  His  teaching.  For  the 
individual  as  for  the  Church,  '  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  ' 
(1  Cor  iii  11). 


VII I -lo]  ST  LUKE  8» 

VII   1— VIII  56     Third  Period   of  GalUean  Ministry  :    from 
the  Great  Sermon  to  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve 

This  section  contains  two  passages  of  purely  Lucan  matter 
(vii  11-17  and  vii  36 — viii  3),  inserted  into  matter  partly  non- 
Marcan  ^  but  common  to  Matthew  (vii  1-10,  18-25)  and  partly 
common  to  all  three.  In  this  latter  portion  (viii  16-56)  Luke, 
while  not  preserving  the  Marcan  order  exactly,  is  much  nearer  to 
it  than  Matthew. 

(a)  1-10     The  Centurion's  Servant  at  Capernaum  (cf .  Trench, 

Mir.,  pp.  238,  245) 

VII  After  he  had  ended  all  his  sayings  in  the  ears  of  the 
people,  he  entered  into  Capernaum. 

2  And  a  certain  centurion's  ^servant,  who  was  ^dear  unto 
him,  was  sick  and  at  the  point  of  death.  3  And  when  he 
heard  concerning  Jesus,  he  sent  unto  him  elders  of  the  Jews, 
asking  him  that  he  would  come  and  save  his  ^servant.  4  And 
they,  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  besought  him  earnestly, 
saying,  He  is  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  do  this  for  him  : 

5  for  he  loveth  our  nation,  and  himself  built  us  our  synagogue. 

6  And  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  come  under  my  roof  :  7  wherefore  neither 
thought  I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto  thee  :  but  %ay  the 
word,  and  my  ^servant  shall  be  healed.  8  For  I  also  am  a  man 
set  under  authority,  having  under  myself  soldiers  :  and  I  say 
to  this  one.  Go,  and  he  goeth  ;  and  to  another,  Come,  and  he 
cometh  ;  and  to  my  ^servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it.  9  And 
when  Jesus  heard  these  things,  he  marvelled  at  him,  and 
turned  and  said  unto  the  multitude  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. 

*  Gr.  bondservant.  *  Or,  precious  to  him     Or,  honourable  with  him 

^  Gr.  sufficient.  *  Gr.  say  with  a  word.  *  Or,  boy 

1.  A  connecting  link  between  the  Sermon  and  the  incident 
following  ;    the  chapters  might  well  have  been  divided  after  this 

'  The  interpolation  into  Marcan  framework  =  vii  11 — viii  15. 


90  ST   LUKE  [VII 2-1 1 

verse  (see  R.V.).  St  Matthew  places  here  the  healing  of  the  Leper, 
which  St  Luke,  following  the  Marcan  order,  narrated  much  earlier 
(v  12-16). 

2.  centurion'' s  servant.  The  slave  of  a  non-commissioned 
officer  probably  in  the  army  of  Herod  Antipas,  which  would  be 
modelled  on  the  Roman.  He  is  evidently  a  Gentile  {v.  5).  From  the 
reference  to  this  centurion,  the  one  at  the  Crucifixion  (xxiii47),  and 
the  frequent  references  in  Acts,  we  gain  a  uniformly  favourable  im- 
pression of  these  officers.  Polybius  (vi  249)  states  that  the  best  men 
in  the  army  were  promoted  to  this  rank.    (Plummer  on  xxiii  47.) 

who  was  dear  unto  him.  A  slave  (SoiJAos)  to  whom  the  man  in 
his  pleading  (v.  7)  applies  the  tenderer  name  Trais  ('  my  boy  '). 
There  is  at  first  sight  a  temptation  to  identify  this  miracle  with  that 
of  the  Nobleman's  Son,  Jn  iv  47-54.  It  would  then  be  a  tacit 
correction  of  the  tradition  by  the  foiu"th  Evangelist.  But  though 
the  scene  is  the  same,  and  the  miracle  of  a  '  cure  at  a  distance,' 
there  are  not  a  few  distinctive  features  in  each.  Here  it  is  not 
a  '  Son  '  but  one  cherished  as  a  son — a  trait  which  reminds  us  of 
Naaman's  relation  to  his  slaves  in  the  Old  Testament  (2  Kgs  v). 

3.  Principal  citizens  of  Capernaum,  and  clearly  Jews  {v.  5).  In 
Jn  iv  the  man  comes  himself,  as  also  in  Mat  viii  5.  Here  he  is  too 
modest  {v.  7)  to  appear  in  person.  Luke's  account  is  probably  more 
accurate  than  Matthew's  (cf.  Trench,  Mir.,  p.  238). 

5.  built  us  our  synagogue.  The  ruins  of  a  sumptuous  building 
at  Tell-Hum  used  to  be  conjecturally  identified  with  those  of  the 
Synagogue  in  question.  For  the  identification  of  Capernaum  see 
note  on  iv  31. 

6.  troiible  not  thyself :  in  Jn  iv,  the  cure  at  a  distance  takes 
place  because  the  news  comes  that  the  child  is  dead  while  Jesus  is 
on  the  way.  Here  the  Centurion  himself  takes  the  initiative,  while 
the  boy  is  still  alive. 

7.  say  the  word.  Scores  of  Jews  had  pressed  to  touch  Him  for 
healing  ;  here  is  the  cause  of  the  '  marvelling  '  of  v.  9  (a  remarkable 
testimony  to  our  Lord's  real  humanity)  ;  a  Gentile,  arguing  from 
the  visible  results  of  his  own  military  authority,  is  first  to  believe 
and  be  sure  that  here  was  spiritual  authority  that  could  heal  at 
a  distance. 

(b)   11-17     The  Widow's  Son  at  Nain  (cf.  Trench,  Mir., 

pp.  256-612) 

Peculiar  to  St  Luke.  The  consolation  of  the  Widow  is  character- 
istic of  this  '  Gospel  of  Womanhood.'  Our  Gospel  records  two  out 
of  the  three  recorded  raisings  of  the  dead,  this  and  Jairus's  daughter 
(viii  41  sqq.)  ;  the  third  is  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  only  in  Jn  xi. 
This  forms  the  link  between  the  other  two  ;  thus  (a)  Jairus's  daughter, 
12  years  old,  raised  from  her  death-bed  ;  (6)  Widow's  son,  a  young 
man,  raised  from  bier  on  way  to  burial  ;  (c)  Lazarus,  middle-aged, 
raised  from  tomb  four  days  after  death.  Other  raisings  are  alluded 
to  (e.  g.  V.  22)  but  not  specified. 


viiii-18]  ST  LUKE  91 

11  And  it  came  to  pass  ^soon  afterwards,  that  he  went  to 
a  city  called  Nain  ;  and  his  disciples  went  with  him,  and  a 
great  multitude.  12  Now  when  he  drew  near  to  the  gate  of 
the  city,  behold,  there  was  carried  out  one  that  was  dead, 
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  nigh  and  touched  the  bier  :  and  the  bearers 
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  gave  him  to  his  mother.  16  And  fear  took  hold  on  all  : 
and  they  glorified  God,  saying,  A  great  prophet  is  arisen 
among  us  :  and,  God  hath  visited  his  people.  17  And  this 
report  went  forth  concerning  him  in  the  whole  of  Judaea, 
and  all  the  region  round  about. 

^  Many  ancient  authorities  read  on  the  next  day. 

11.  Nain :  about  a  day's  journey  from  Capernaum,  and  eight 
miles  S.  of  Nazareth.  Adeney  {ad  loc.)  points  out  that  it  is  within 
half  an  hour  of  Shunem,  the  scene  of  Elisha's  miracle  (2  Kgs  iv  36). 

13.  the  Lord  (6  /cuptos).  This  title  is  only  applied  to  Christ 
before  the  Resurrection  by  St  Luke  (of.  x  1,  xi  39,  xii  42,  xiii  15, 
xvii  5  sq.,  xxii  61)  and  St  John  (iv  1,  vi  23,  xi  2).  Some  regard  it 
as  evidence  of  a  late  date,  but  it  need  not  necessarily  be  so. 

15.  sat  up  on  the  open  bier  or  '  stretcher  '  and  began  to  speah. 
An  immediate  cure.  Details  interesting  to  a  physician.  The  word 
'  sat  up  '  (dveKoi^tcrei/)  is  a  medical  word  (Hobart,  p.  11)  used  only 
twice  in  N.T.  and  by  St  Luke — here  and  in  Ac  ix  40. 

16.  glorified  God.  St  Luke  delights  to  record  these  moments 
of  pious  enthusiasm  ;  cf.  v  26  note,  xiii  17. 

17.  Judcea  :  if  not  Judaea  proper,  at  any  rate  including  it 
(cf.  iv  44).    So  John  and  his  disciples  in  the  south  would  hear  of  it. 

(c)   18-35     The  Message  of  John  and  the  subsequent  Discourse 

Here  we  reach  what  has  been  regarded  (Streeter,  Oxf.  Stud., 
pp. 212  sqq.)  as  one  of  the  three  principal  themes  of  ' Q ' :  {a)  Relation 
of  Christ's  Teaching  to  that  of  John  the  Baptist.  The  other  two  are  : 
(6)  its  relation  to  the  Pharisaic  Teaching  (on  which  Matthew  lays  much 
greater  emphasis ;  but  see  v  17  sqq.,  xi  37  sqq.,  xii  1  sq.,  xiv  1  sqq., 
xvi  14,  xviii  9),  and  (c)  the  question  (partly  met  in  the  story  of  the 
Temptation — see  note  on  iv  1-13,  p.  53),  why,  if  He  were  the  Messiah, 
His  guise  was  so  far  from  that  of  '  power  and  glory.'  St  Matthew 
(cf.  Hawkins,  op.  c?'^.,  pp.  151,  152)  has  placed  this  incident  later,  after 
the  Mission  of  the  Twelve,  perhaps  so  as  to  be  able  to  give  previous 


92  ST   LUKE  [Vli  18-20 

examples  of  each  of  the  items  mentioned  in  the  message  sent  back 
to  John  (Mat  xi  4,  5)  ;  St  Luke  introduces  that  message  {v.  21)  in 
a  way  that  renders  such  transposition  unnecessary. 

18-23.    The  Message  of  the  Baptist. 

18  And  the  disciples  of  John  told  him  of  all  these  things. 
19  And  John  calling  unto  him  ^two  of  his  disciples  sent  them 
to  the  Lord,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that  cometh,  or  look  we 
for  another  ?  20  And  when  the  men  were  come  unto  him, 
they  said,  John  the  Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  thee,  saying. 
Art  thou  he  that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  another  ?  21  In  that 
hour  he  cured  many  of  diseases  and  ^plagues  and  evil  spirits  ; 
and  on  many  that  were  blind  he  bestowed  sight.  22  And  he 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way,  and  tell  John 
what  things  ye  have  seen  and  heard  ;  the  blind  receive  their 
sight,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf 
hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  the  poor  have  ^good  tidings 
preached  to  them.  23  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall 
find  none  occasion  of  stumbling  in  me. 

'  Gr.  certain  two.  -  Gr.  scourges.  ^  Or,  the  gospel 

18.  John  was  now  in  prison  (Lk  iii  20  ;  Mat  xi  2)  in  the  Castle 
of  Machaerus  on  the  NE.  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  into  which,  says 
Josephus  {Ant.  XVIII  v  2),  Herod  cast  him  for  fear  his  influence 
should  lead  to  an  insurrection. 

19.  Art  thou  he  that  cometh  ?  '  The  Coming  One,'  announced 
as  such  by  John  himself  (iii  16)  is,  of  course,  the  Messiah.  The 
title  is  taken  up  by  the  enthusiastic  crowds  on  Palm  Sunday, 
'  Blessed  is  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord '  (cf.  xiii  35). 

20.  John  the  Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  thee.  What  is  the  meaning 
and  motive  of  the  Baptist's  question  ?  It  may  have  been,  in  part, 
to  strengthen  the  faith  of  the  disciples  sent  (Chrysostom,  &c.)  ; 
but  the  fact  that  our  Lord  directs  His  answer  to  John  Himself 
{v.  22)  suggests  that  there  was  a  personal  motive.  Was  his  faith 
failing  ?  Not  fundamentally,  else  he  would  not  have  addressed 
the  question  to  Jesus.  There  is  a  kind  of  analogy  with  the  central 
word  from  the  Cross,  where  the  '  My  God  '  virtually  contradicts 
the  bare  literal  signification  of  the  '  forsaken. ' 

But  he  may,  during  long  months  of  imprisonment,  have  felt 
a  growing  impatience  that  the  '  Coming  One  '  had  not  declared 
Himself  more  decisively  in  the  terms  of  iii  16,  17,  and  realizing  that 
this  impatience  bade  fair  to  imdermine  his  faith,  have  sent  his 
embassy  for  assurance.  Imprisonment  (which  has  such  strange 
psychological  effects)  may  even  have  suggested  that  his  own  past, 
and  his  convinced  message,  and  its  climax  in  the  scene  of  the 


■I 


VII 20-27]  ST   LUKE  93 

Baptism  (iii  21,  22)  were  an  illusion,  a  dream.  We  cannot  interpret 
it  as  an  utter  failing  of  faith,  and  we  need  not  predict  a  definite 
intention  to  '  force  the  Lord's  hand,'  such  as  some  have  seen  behind 
Judas's  betrayal  (xxii  3-6). 

21.  In  that  hour,  djc. :  this  touch  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke  (cf ,  Pre- 
liminary Note  on  this  Section).  It  covers  the  message  of  v.  22 
except  for  two  items  ;  (a)  the  raising  of  the  dead,  and  (6)  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.  These  the  Evangelist  has 
already  emphasized  (vii  11  sqq.,  iv  18,  43).  The  significance  of  our 
Lord's  action  has  a  modern  appeal,  for  He  is  teaching  John's 
disciples  by  the  '  Direct  Method. ' 

bestowed.  The  word  (ixapia-aTo)  is  characteristic  of  this 
'  Gospel  of  grace.'  Its  root  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  two  words  of 
Gabriel's  salutation,  Xalpe,  Kexa-pir(Mix.ivq  (i  28),  and  recurs  in  the 
brief  notice  of  Christ's  gracious  boyhood  (ii  40),  and  the  reference 
to  the  '  gracious  words  '  of  His  preaching  at  Nazareth  (iv  22). 
Here  this  magnificum  verbum,  as  Bengel  calls  it,  speaks  of  a  Royal 
largess. 

22.  the  poor  have  good  tidings  preached  to  them.  This  is  the 
climax  of  the  list  of  evidences  of  Messiahship  in  both  accounts 
(cf.  Mat  xi  5).  So,  as  St  Luke  has  reminded  us  (iv  18),  is  it  the 
primary  element  in  Deutero-Isaiah's  great  Messianic  proclamation 
(Is  Ixi  1,  2).  The  Evangelist  has  also  emphasized  it  from  the  first, 
in  the  atmosphere  of  the  '  Gospel  of  the  Infancy  '  (chs  i  and  ii),  and 
specifically  in  i  52,  53,  ii  10  sqq.  (cf.  vi  20). 

23.  blessed  is  he:  a  pointed  reference  to  John — implying  some- 
thing of  failure,  and  auguring  success  in  overcoming  the  insidious 
temptation  to  '  ofEence.'  N.B.  Our  Lord  could  not  say  point-blank 
that  He  was  the  Messiah  '  without  letting  loose  all  the  divers 
erroneous  imaginations  which  hovered  round  the  name.'  Latham, 
Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  263,  264. 

24-30.  DiscouESE  on  John's  Chaeacter  and  Status. 
Probably  from  Q.  Matthew  and  Luke  reproduce  this  discourse 
with  merely  verbal  variations,  except  that  Luke  has  not  here 
Mat  xi  12-15  (the  bulk  of  it,  differently  arranged,  is  in  Lk  xvi  16, 
cf.  i  17)  and  Matthew  has  not  Lk  vii  29,  30. 

24  And  when  the  messengers  of  John  were  departed,  he 
began  to  say  unto  the  multitudes  concerning  John,  What  went 
ye  out  into  the  wilderness  to  behold  ?  a  reed  shaken  with  the 
wind  ?  25  But  what  went  ye  out  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  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, 

Who  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee. 


94  ST   LUKE  [Vll  24-28 

28  I  say  unto  you,  Among  them  that  are  born  of  women 
there  is  none  greater  than  John  :  yet  he  that  is  ^but  little  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  greater  than  he.  29  And  all  the  people 
when  they  heard,  and  the  publicans,  justified  God,  ^^^ing 
baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John.  30  But  the  Pharisees  and 
the  lawyers  rejected  for  themselves  the  counsel  of  God,  ^being 
not  baptized  of  him. 

Gr.  lesser.  •  Or,  having  been  ^  Or,  not  having  been 

24.  he  began  to  say  unto  the  multitudes  concerning  John.  The 
answering  message,  meant  for  John's  ears,  but  overheard  by  the 
crowd,  was  liable  to  misinterpretation  by  them.  Christ  has  a 
chivalrous  desire  to  remove  from  their  minds  any  unjust  suspicion. 
John's  embassy  was  also  a  challenge  to  make  clear  the  true  relations 
between  Him  and  His  forerunner.  The  authority  of  the  Baptist 
was  still  a  subject  of  discussion  at  the  end  of  our  Lord's  Ministry 
(xx  3  sqq.). 

a  reed  sJmken  with  the  wind  ?  '  There  were  plentj^  of  these  to 
be  seen  on  the  banks  of  Jordan ;  but  the  object  of  your  pilgrimage 
— ^the  stern,  strong  figure  of  the  ascetic  preacher — was  the  very 
antithesis  of  this.'  It  recalls  the  thrill  of  those  stirring  days  ;  and 
rebuts  the  implied  misinterpretation  of  John's  recent  embassy. 
John  is  no  weak  vacillator. 

25.  soft  raiment.  Luke  has  not  specified  in  ch  iii  the  camel's 
hair  and  leathern  girdle  and  ascetic  diet  described  by  Mat  iii  4  and 
Mk  i  6  ;  but  he  had  earlier  emphasized  that  asceticism  both  in 
prediction  (i  15)  and  in  narrative  (i  80).  But  Mk  i  6  seems  almost 
to  underlie  the  phraseology  of  this  passage. 

gorgeously  apparelled  .  .  .  live  delicately  :  picturesque  phraseology 
peculiar  to  St  Luke.    Matthew  simply  repeats  the  '  soft  raiment.' 

26.  Yea  .  .  .  and  much  more  than  a  prophet.  St  John  is  a  prophet 
— the  last  of  the  Old  Dispensation.  As  such  he  holds  a  unique 
position.  But  his  ofiice  is  twofold,  to  sum  up  the  Old  and  herald 
the  New  ;  and  this  is  something  more. 

27.  before  thy  face.  A  thoroughly  Hebraic  expression,  which 
recurs  in  Lk  ix  52.  It  is  remarkable  and  puzzling  that  both  Matthew 
and  Luke  insert  this  clause,  which  is  contained  in  no  knowTi  version 
of  Mai  iii  1  ;  less  remarkable,  however,  if  they  are  both  quoting 
from  Q.  The  explanation  of  Plummer  (ad  loc.)  is  probably  correct. 
Q  represents  '  an  independent  Greek  form  '  of  a  '  common-place  of 
Messianic  prophecy,'  '  stereotyped  .  .  .  before  the  Evangelists  made 
use  of  it.' 

28.  he  that  is  but  little  :  lit.  '  lesser,' as  R.V.  marg.  ;  i.e.  either 
'  less  than  John,'  or  '  less  than  other  members  of  the  kingdom.' 
On  the  plane  of  history  John  holds  a  place  second  to  none ;  but, 
regarded  as  outside  the  Kingdom  of  God,  he  will  be  inferior  in 


Vll  28-34]  ST   LUKE  95 

status  and  privilege  to  its  humbler  members.  No  judgement,  of 
course,  on  the  vltimate  spiritual  status  of  John  will  be  here  intended. 
Dante's  instinct  is  doubtless  right  when  he  places  that  '  great  John, 
who,  ever  holy,  endured  the  desert  and  the  martyrdom  ' — 

quel  .  .  gran  Giovanni 
che,  serapre  santo,  il  diserto  e  il  martiro 
sofferse 

among  Christian  souls,  in  the  White  Rose  of  Paradise  (Par.  xxxii  31)  ; 
while,  in  deference  to  this  passage  perhaps,  he  gives  him  '  two 
preliminary  years  in  the  Inferno,'  pending  the  Harrowing  of  Hell. 

29-30.  Surely  (against  Dr  Plummer)  a  parenthesis  of  St  Luke's  ? 
St  Matthew  has,  however,  four  verses  put  into  the  mouth  of  Christ 
(Mat  xi  12-15  ;  cf.  note  on  24-30).  If  we  accept  the  two  verses  as 
the  Evangelist's,  the  '  And  the  Lord  said  '  of  A.V.  at  the  opening 
of  verse  31,  though  lacking  in  MS  authority  as  part  of  the  original 
text,  will  be  an  early  and  intelligent  gloss,  calling  attention  to  the 
close  of  the  parenthesis.  Sir  John  Hawkins,  who  thinks  these 
verses  hardly  likely  to  have  been  in  Q  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  118),  following 
Meyer,  regards  them  as  parallel  to  Mat  xxi  31b,  32.  Meyer's  con- 
tention {ib.,  p.  302)  was  that  Matthew's  'go  before  you  into  the 
Kingdom  of  God  '  and  Luke's  '  justified  the  counsel  of  God  '  were 
independent  renderings  of  a  single  Aramaic  original.  St  Matthew's 
reference  is  certainly  a  substantial  parallel.  Another  obvious  parallel 
lies  in  Lk  xx  3-7,  of  which  this  is,  in  some  sense,  an  anticipation. 

31-35.  The  Perversity  of  the  Present  Generation.  Com- 
plaint on  the  one  hand  of  John's  asceticism  and  on  the  other  of  the 
opjDosite  trait  in  Jesus. 

31  Whereunto  then  shall  I  liken  the  men  of  this  generation. 

and  to  what  are  they  like  ?     32  They  are  like  unto  children 

that  sit  in  the  marketplace,  and  call  one  to  another  ;    which 

say,  We  piped  unto  you,  and  ye  did  not  dance  ;    we  wailed, 

and  ye  did  not  weep.    33  For  John  the  Baptist  is  come  eating 

no  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  winebibber,   a  friend   of 

publicans  and  sinners  !    35  And  wisdom  ^Is  justified  of  all  her 

children. 

*  Gr.  demon.  -  Or,  was 

31.  Whereunto  then  shall  I  liken  .  .  .  ?  A  usual  Rabbinical 
formula  of  the  time. 

32.  like  unto  children.  The  '  double  tradition  '  here  testifies 
to  that  love  of  children  which  was  a  marked  trait  of  our  Lord 
(cf.  ix  47,  xviii  15  sqq.).     He  watches  them  at  their  games,  and 


96  ST   LUKE  [Vii  34-36 

draws  lessons  therefrom  as  He  does  from  the  wild  flowers  and  the 
cornfields . 

that  sit  in  the  marketplace.  In  the  presence  of  the  ascetic  John, 
they  are  anxious  to  '  play  at  weddings  '  and  pipe  dance-music  ; 
when  confronted  with  the  joyous  message  of  Christ,  and  His  dis- 
regard of  ascetic  formalities  (cf.  v  33  sqq.),  they  are  all  for  funerals 
and  the  attendant  wailing.  John  will  not  feast — he  is  possessed — 
Jesus  does  not  fast  ceremonially,  and  is  often  '  dining  out  ' — He 
has  thrown  in  His  lot  with  the  social  outcasts  ! 

35.  justified  of  all  her  children :  St  Matthew  (xi  19b)  has  '  by  her 
works.'  The  saying  evidently  concluded  the  episode  in  Q.  The 
'  children  of  Wisdom  '  (Heb.  for  the  '  Wise  ')  will  be  the  minority 
who  have  accepted  both  John  and  Jesus. 

(d)  36-50     The  Pharisee  and  the  Penitent  Woman 

This  section  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  of  the  third  Gospel 
(cf.  X  29-37)  alike  in  form  and  substance.  Its  style  and  phraseology 
is  so  intensely  Lucan  that  it  is  one  of  four  passages  set  apart  b}' 
Dr  Stanton  as  obviously  not  drawn  from  a  written  source  but  '  told  ' 
in  the  Evangelist's  '  own  words  '  (Gospels  as  Hist.  Doc.  ii  229). 
It  aptly  illustrates  the  preceding  verse  ;  showing  the  grounds  on 
which  the  two  popular  taunts  were  respectively  based. 

36  And  one  of  the  Pharisees  desired  him  that  he  would 
eat  with  him.  And  he  entered  into  the  Pharisee's  house,  and 
sat  down  to  meat.  37  And  behold,  a  woman  which  was  in 
the  city,  a  sinner  ;  and  when  she  knew  that  he  was  sitting 
at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  she  brought  %n  alabaster 
cruse  of  ointment,  38  and  standing  behind  at  his  feet,  weeping, 
she  began  to  wet  his  feet  with  her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with 
the  hair  of  her  head,  and  %issed  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  %  prophet,  would  have  perceived  who  and  what 
manner  of  woman  this  is  which  toucheth  him,  that  she  is  a 
sinner.  40  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Simon,  I  have 
somewhat  to  say  unto  thee.    And  he  saith,  ^Master,  say  on. 

'  Or,  a  flask  *  Gr.  kissed  much. 

"  Some  ancient  authorities  read  the  prophet.    See  Jn  i  21,  25. 

*  Or,  Teacher 

36.  one  of  the  Pharisees,  <fcc.  St  Luke's  is  the  Gospel  of  Hospi- 
tality. He  alone  records  invitations  from  Pharisees,  and  three  of 
them  :   here  and  in  xi  37  and  xiv  1-6  which  last  introduces  a  whole 


VII 36-38]  ST  LUKE  97 

section  on  'Earthly  and  Heavenly  Feasts.'  And  it  is  in  his  Gospel 
again  that  we  find  the  narrative  (xix  5  sqq.)  of  our  Lord's  self- 
invitation  to  be  the  guest  of  Zacehaeus.  'The  Son  of  man  is  come 
eating  and  drinking.' 

37.  a  woman  ...  a  sinner.  She  has  been  falsely  identified  by 
tradition  (a)  with  St  Mary  Magdalene  (viii  2)  ;  but  the  '  sevenfold 
possession,'  implying  paroxysms  of  mania,  would  be  incompatible 
with  the  life  suggested  here — that  of  a  courtesan.  Also  St  Luke 
would  have  no  motive  in  concealing  her  name  here,  and  mentioning 
it,  without  note  of  identification,  on  the  next  page.  (6)  This  com- 
posite Magdalen-Courtesan  has  been  identified  with  Mary  sister  of 
Martha  and  Lazarus  whom  St  John  (xii  3,  4)  describes  as  perform- 
ing a  very  similar  ministration  at  a  feast  which  Mt  xxvi  6  and 
Mk  xiv  3  characterize  as  held  in  '  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper.' 
The  second  identification  would  seem  inconceivable  in  the  light  of 
St  Luke's  own  portraiture  of  Mary  of  Bethany  (x  38  sqq.  ;  cf.  Jn  xi). 
The  two  Simons  may  well  be  different — ^the  name,  like  Mary,  was  so 
common — and  the  second  act  of  ministration  may  have  been 
suggested  by  the  first.  In  an}!-  case  we  may  be  sure  that  for  history 
this  unnamed  sinner,  and  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  of  Bethany 
are  three  separate  persons  ;  though  for  Art  they  will  probably 
remain  one  !  The  Magdalen  has,  from  the  days  of  Taddeo  Gaddi, 
the  alabaster  box  as  her  inalienable  symbol  ;  and  is  constantly 
depicted  therewith  in  the  four  scenes  (1)  at  this  Feast  in  the 
Pharisee's  house,  (2)  weeping  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  (3)  watching 
at  the  sepulchre,  (4)  meeting  the  Lord  on  Easter  morning. 

Of  this  particular  scene  there  are  notable  representations  at  two 
ends  of  the  artistic  scale — from  the  simplicity  of  Taddeo  Gaddi's 
in  the  Rinuccini  Chapel  at  Florence  to  the  rich  complexity  and 
vastness  of  Veronese's  representation  in  the  Royal  Gallery  at 
Turin,  and  so  to  the  over-dramatic  treatment  of  Rubens.  (See 
Jameson,  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art :  '  St  Mary  Magdalen,'  third 
edn.,  Houghton  &  Mifflin,  Boston  and  New  York,  1857,  vol.  i, 
pp.  384  sqq.) 

Here  is  the  '  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners  '  irresistibly  attract- 
ing a  social  waif  through  the  open  door  into  the  guest-chamber  of 
a  Pharisee's  house. 

the  city :  probably  Capernaum. 

an  alabaster  cruse  of  ointment :  such  as  women  habitually  carried 
with  them,  hung  by  a  cord  round  the  neck. 

38.  and  standing  behind,  <Ssc.  He  sits  or  reclines  with  his  bare 
feet  behind  Him  and  she  comes  furtively  behind,  irresistibly  drawn 
to  do  Him  honour  by  anointing  those  feet.  When  the  moment 
arrives,  overcome  by  emotion,  she  anoints  them  with  tears  instead, 
and  before  she  can  fulfil  her  original  intention  must  needs  face 
open  disgrace  by  letting  down  her  hair  and  wiping  them  therewith. 
Once  more,  before  the  anointing  she  impulsively  and  passionately 
kisses   His  feet  (KaT€<^tXct)  ;    the  word  used  only  in  the  Gospels 

L.  7 


98  ST   LUKE  [Vli  39-42 

of  the  Prodigal's  father  (xv  20)  and  of  the  demonstrative  kiss  of 
Judas  in  Matthew  and  Mark. 

39.  The  Pharisee — who  had  doubtless  shared  the  general 
astonishment  ('  Behold  !  '  v.  37)  is  now  shocked  to  find  his  guest 
submitting  to  these  defiling  caresses. 

if  he  were  a  prophet :  it  was,  then,  as  a  possible  prophet  that 
Simon  invited  Him — not  with  malignant  intent.  So,  in  verse  47 
He  alludes  to  His  host  not  as  an  enemy,  but  as  one  who  '  loveth 
little.' 

The  Vatican  MS  (B)  has  '  the  Prophet  '  of  Deut  xviii  15,  title 
refused  by  the  Baptist  (Jn  i  21)  when  questioned  by  the  Jewish 
envoys,  and  applied  to  our  Lord  (Jn  vii  40)  by  the  crowd  at  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

toucheth  him  :  better,  'clings  to  him.' 

40.  Jesus  answering  said  :  Simon  inwardly  accused  Him  of 
inability  to  read  the  woman's  character  ;  He  replies  by  showing 
that  He  can  read  Simon's  own  thoughts  (cf.  v  22). 

Master.  The  Pharisee,  though  shocked,  and  perhaps  a  little 
contemptuous  (cf.  '  This  man,'  v.  39),  is  still  polite,  and  addresses 
his  guest  as  '  Rabbi.' 

41-42.  The  Parable  of  the  Two  Debtors.  The  regular 
parabolic  teaching  begins  at  ch  viii  4,  and  St  Luke's  contribution 
to  this  is  concentrated  mainly  in  chs  x  30 — xviii  14.  (See  note 
on  viii  4.)  The  value  of  the  penny  denarius  (a  silver  coin  worth 
about  a  modern  franc  or  lira,  but  with  greater  normal  purchasing 
power)  is  irrelevant — the  point  is  that  the  one  forgiven  debt  was 
ten  times  as  great  as  the  other,  and  realized  as  such,  and  that  the 
grateful  love  given  was  proportionate.  (Cf.  Trench,  Notes  on  the 
Parables  of  our  Lord,  Kegan  Paul,  popular  edn.,  1886,  p.  297.) 

he  fwgave — here  we  have  again  the  magnificum  verbum  of  v.  21 
(see  note  there)  ;  the  obvious  spiritual  analogue — the  free  grace 
of  forgiveness  to  penitent,  impotent  sinners — fully  justifies  the 
royal  word. 

41  A  certain  lender  had  two  debtors  :  the  one  owed  five 
hundred  ^pence,  and  the  other  fifty.  42  When  they  had  not 
wherewith  to  pay,  he  forgave  them  both.  Which  of  them 
therefore  will  love  him  most  ?  43  Simon  answered  and  said, 
He,  I  suppose,  to  whom  he  forgave  the  most.  And  he  said 
unto  him.  Thou  hast  rightly  judged.  44  And  turning  to  the 
woman,  he  said  unto  Simon,  Seest  thou  this  woman  ? 
I  entered  into  thine  house,  thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my 
feet  :  but  she  hath  wetted  my  feet  with  her  tears,  and  wiped 
them  with  her  hair.     45  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  :    but  she, 

•  See  marginal  note  on  Mat  xviii  28. 


vn43-so]  ST  LUKE  99 

since  the  time  I  came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to  %iss  my  feet. 
46  My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint  :  but  she  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  Vithin  themselves, 
Who  is  this  that  even  forgiveth  sins  ?  50  And  he  said  unto 
the  woman.  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ;   go  in  peace. 

*  Gr.  kiss  much.  *  Or,  among 

43.  /  suppose.  Simon  is  not  really  interested,  but  politeness 
demands  an  answer,  even  if  it  be  a  somewhat  supercilious  one.  In 
a  moment  his  interest  will  be  aroused  to  the  utmost. 

44.  turning  to  the  woman  :  at  once  to  welcome  her  mute  appeal 
and  to  honour  her  in  presence  of  the  guests.  Here  the  scene,  already 
dramatic  almost  beyond  expression,  reaches  its  climax. 

/  entered  into  thine  house,  thou  gavest  me  no  water.  The  apparently 
unobservant  and  unconventional  Guest  now  assumes  the  offensive, 
and  convicts  His  host  of  threefold  neglect  in  hospitality. 

Water  for  the  feet,  a  kiss  of  welcome,  and  the  customary  anoint- 
ing with  olive  oil — all  these  commonest  usages  of  the  oriental  host 
Simon  had  omitted.  The  woman — a  stranger,  with  no  social 
responsibilities — ^had  in  her  love  fulfilled  and  more  than  fulfilled 
them  all. 

47,  48.  First  to  Simon,  as  a  declaration  of  fact,  then  to  the 
penitent  as  an  act  of  plenary  absolution,  He  pronounces  her  sins 
forgiven. 

for  she  loved  much :  she  proved  her  great  love  by  these  acts  ; 
that  she  was  a  great  sinner  is  admitted  ;  but  the  love  is  a  token  of 
the  forgiveness  of  her  sins.  The  woman's  faith  {v.  50)  in  the  '  Friend 
of  sinners  '  had  drawn  her  to  His  feet,  and  there  at  once  penitence 
and  love  had  been  consummated,  and  pardon  won.  His  gracious 
words,  '  Thy  sins  have  been  forgiven,'  are  only  the  definite  pro- 
nouncement of  that  which  had  happened  to  her  as  soon  as  penitence 
flooded  her  heart — and  His  feet — or  ever  He  turned  His  face.  This 
seems  to  be  the  most  satisfactory  explanation  of  an  admittedly 
difficult  passage.  Giovanni  Papini  [Storia  di  Crista,  pp.  327-340 — 
esp.  338)  takes  it  that  she  had  been  definitely  forgiven  earlier,  and 
now  came  in  to  thank  Him. 

49.  began  to  say  within  themselves :  as  some  of  them  had  done 
before,  at  the  healing  of  the  paralytic,  v  21. 

50.  he  said  unto  the  woman :  as  if  to  confirm  His  declaration, 
in  opposition  to  the  unspoken  criticism  of  His  fellow  guests. 


7-2 


100  ST  LUKE  [VIII  1, 2 

(e)  VIII  1-3     The  Ministering  Women 

This  is  one  of  the  four  passages  singled  out  by  Dr  Stanton  as 
so  full  of  Lucan  characteristics  that  we  cannot  conceive  it  as  derived 
from  a  written  source.  See  note  on  x  29  {Gosp.  as  Hist.  Doc.  ii  229). 
It  is  of  special  interest  both  for  the  names  which  it  records  and 
for  the  light  it  throws  on  the  financing  of  our  Lord's  Mission.  On 
St  Luke  as  the  Evangelist  of  Womanhood,  see  A.  T.  Robertson, 
op.  cit.,  pp.  237-238,  and  Introd.,  p.  xli. 

VIII  And  it  came  to  pass  soon  afterwards,  that  he  went 
about  through  cities  and  villages,  preaching  and  bringing  the 
igood  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  with  him  the  twelve, 
2  and  certain  women  which  had  been  healed  of  evil  spirits 
and  infirmities,  Mary  that  was  called  Magdalene,  from  whom 
seven  ^devils  had  gone  out,  3  and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza 
Herod's  steward,  and  Susanna,  and  many  others,  which 
ministered  unto  ^hem  of  their  substance. 

*  Or,  gospel  "  Gr.  demons.  '  Many  ancient  authorities  read  him. 

1.  soon  afterwards.  This  is  one  of  St  Luke's  indefinite  notes 
of  time.  He  will  not  define  where  he  has  not  the  right  to  do  so. 
See  Introd.,  p.  xxxvi  and  note  on  ix  51,  p.  141. 

through  cities  and  villages  :  cf .  iv  44.  The  region  is  not  named, 
but  presumably  it  is  Galilean,  and  may  be  identical  with  the 
Mission  of  Mk  vi  6,  which,  though  in  the  Marcan  narrative  it  follows 
the  Raising  of  Jairus's  daughter,  precedes  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve. 
These  extended  preaching  tours  must  have  added  enormously  to 
the  labour  of  the  Ministry  ;  perhaps  they  would  have  been  imprac- 
ticable without  the  ministrations  of  v.  3. 

2.  Mary  that  was  called  Magdalene,  from  whom  seven  devils  had 
gone  out.  Her  home  was  some  place  called  Magdala  (Heb.  '  Migdol ' 
=  watch-tower,  of  which  there  were  many).  It  is  now  generally 
identified  with  the  hamlet  of  Mejdel  on  the  W.  side  of  the  Lake, 
exactly  opposite  the  '  country  of  the  Gergesenes  '  (or  '  Gerasenes,' 
see  on  v.  26).  Her  extraordinarily  violent  demoniacal  possession — 
itself  'almost  incompatible,'  as  Plummer  points  out,  'with  the 
miserable  trade  of  prostitution,'  is  referred  to  again  in  [Mk]  xvi  9. 
It  has  been  '  mystically  '  interpreted  of  the  Seven  Deadly  Sins.  In 
fact,  it  was  doubtless  rather  pathological  than  moral ;  a  terrible 
malady  of  brain  and  nerve.  The  only  possible  ground  for  the 
popular  view  is  found  if  we  regard  her  miserable  plight  as  the 
outcome  of  a  previous  life  of  unchastity.  The  identification  of 
Mary  with  the  sinner  of  ch  vii,  on  which  the  traditional  con- 
ception is  based,  is  itself  most  unlikely  (see  note  on  vii  37),  though 
the  '  sinner  '  may  well  be  among  the  '  many  others  '  of  v.  3.  The 
identification   has,   however,  been  stereotyped  by  the  devotional 


VIII  3-s]  ST  LUKE  101 

books,  and  by  the  long  line  of  Christian  painters,  who  in  their 
luscious  portraiture  of  the  '  converted  courtesan  '  are  mostly  at 
their  worst. 

3.  Joanna  the  tvife  ofChuza.  Blass  {Philol.  Gosp.,  pp.  152  sqq.), 
on  the  authority  of  a  seventh-century  [MS  of  the]  Old  Latin  Version 
('  1  ')  which  reads  Cydiae,  suggests  that  Chuza  must,  like  St  Paul, 
have  been  known  by  two  names,  one  for  Jews  and  one  for  Gentiles. 
Godet  conjectures  that  he  is  the  ^aonXtKos  or  '  courtier  '  of 
Jn  iv  46-53,  who  '  himself  believed  and  his  whole  house.' 

In  any  case  here  is  an  obvious  point  of  access  for  St  Luke  to 
the  Herodian  court,  which,  with  the  mention  of  Herod's  foster- 
brother  Manaen  ('  Menahem  ')  in  Ac  xiii  1,  explains  this  Evangelist's 
more  frequent  mention  of  Herod's  thoughts  and  doings  :  e.  g. 
xiii  31,  xxiii  8-12.    For  Joanna's  presence  at  the  Tomb,  see  xxiv  10. 

Susanna  :  only  mentioned  here. 

man?/  others  :  among  whom  may  have  been,  perhaps,  the  penitent 
of  ch  vii,  and  almost  certainly  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  of 
Joses,  and  Salome,  whom  St  Mark  specifies  (xv  40)  as  among  those 
'  who,  when  he  was  in  Galilee,  followed  him,  and  ministered  unto 
him.' 

ministered  unto  them  of  their  substance.  The  importance  of  this 
notice  is  twofold  :  (a)  it  reveals  to  us  how  Christ  and  His  disciples, 
many  of  whom  had,  temporarily  at  least,  thrown  up  their  means 
of  livelihood,  were  supported  in  their  wanderings  (from  the  first, 
iv  3,  Jesus  had  decided  not  to  work  miracles  for  His  own  support)  ; 
and  (6)  it  makes  it  clear  that  our  Lord  did  not  demand  complete 
renunciation  of  worldly  wealth  on  the  part  of  all  His  followers 
(cf .  Zacchaeus,  xix  8).  Adeney,  who  points  out  that '  it  was  common 
for  Rabbis  to  be  supported  by  wealthy  ladies,'  characteristically 
and  aptly  speaks  of  these  as  '  prototypes  of  the  Countess  of  Hunt- 
ingdon.' 


(f )  4-18     Teaching  by  Parables  :    The  Sower  ;   The  Lamp 

This  is  a  '  block  '  from  Mk  iv  1-25. 

On  our  Lord's  Parabolic  Teaching,  see  Archbishop  Trench, 
Notes  on  the  Parables ;  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  ch  x.  Also 
Robertson,  Luke  the  Historian,  dbc.  (T.  &  T.  Clark  1920),  pp.  142- 
152. 

4  And  when  a  great  multitude  came  together,  and  they 
of  every  city  resorted  unto  him,  he  spake  by  a  parable  : 

4.  resorted  unto  him :  fruits  of  His  recent  mission  (viii  1). 
Matthew  and  Mark  make  it  clear  that  the  scene  was  the  lake-side, 
and  He  was  teaching  from  a  boat. 

5-8.     Parable  of  the  Sower.     Trench,  op.  cit.,  pp.  63-85. 


102  ST   LUKE  [VIII  s-9 

Matthew  (after  his  custom  of  grouping)  follows  this  with  a  string 
of  five  parables  (Mat  xiii),  Mark  with  the  '  Lamp  '  (as  here),  his 
own  '  Seed  growing  secretly,'  and  the  '  Mustard  seed.'  The  latter 
(both  Matthew  and  Mark)  and  the  '  Leaven  '  (Mat  xiii  33)  appear 
together  later  on  in  this  Gospel  (xiii  18-21).  This  is  one  of  the 
three  Parables  recorded  by  all  the  Synoptists  ;  and  one  of  the  two 
of  which  we  have  our  Lord's  own  explanation  ;  the  other  is  the 
'  Tares,'  which  is  not  in  St  Luke. 

5  The  sower  went  forth  to  sow  his  seed  :  and  as  he  sowed, 
some  fell  by  the  way  side  ;  and  it  was  trodden  under  foot, 
and  the  birds  of  the  heaven  devoured  it.  6  And  other  fell 
on  the  rock  ;  and  as  soon  as  it  grew,  it  withered  away,  because 
it  had  no  moisture.  7  And  other  fell  amidst  the  thorns  ;  and 
the  thorns  grew  with  it,  and  choked  it.  8  And  other  fell  into 
the  good  ground,  and  grew,  and  brought  forth  fruit  a  hundred- 
fold. As  he  said  these  things,  he  cried.  He  that  hath  ears  to 
hear,  let  him  hear. 

5.  The  sower.  Possibly  He  points  to  a  sower  casting  his  seed 
on  the  slopes  above  the  Lake  (Trench,  op.  cit.,  p.  66  and  ref.  there). 
If  so,  the  date  would  be  early  in  the  year.  The  next  possible  chrono- 
logical indication  is  the  '  green  grass  '  mentioned  by  the  other 
Synoptists  at  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (see  on  ix  14). 

For  the  sowing,  Plummer  quotes  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine, 
p.  425.     See  also  Edersheim,  L.  <£?  T.  i  58  sqq. 

6,  7.  In  these  verses,  which  represent  the  Marcan  sense  fairly 
exactly,  there  are  three  words  peculiar  to  St  Luke  ;  viz.  the  words 
for  '  grew '  {(f>vey),  '  moisture '  {iK/xdSa),  and  '  grew  with  it  ' 
(o-u/jK^veio-at),  all  of  them  conspicuously  medical  terms  (Hobart, 
M.L.,  pp.  57-59). 

8.  into  the  good  ground  :  not  '  beside  it '  {irapd,  v.  5)  nor  '  upon 
it  '  (eVt,  V.  6),  but  right  into  it  (ets). 

a  hundredfold.  There  is  no  mention  (as  in  Matthew)  of  the 
different  degrees  of  productiveness,  which  Luke  reserves  for  the 
parable  of  the  Pounds  (xix  12  sqq.),  while  it  is  lacking  in  the  parallel 
Matthaean  parable  of  the  Talents.  St  Luke  is  not  giving  here 
a  picture  of  the  '  Kingdom  '  and  its  characteristics,  but  concentrat- 
ing upon  the  '  Responsibility  of  the  Hearer  '  (cf.  Westcott,  Introd. 
to  Study  of  Gospels,  p.  376). 

he  cried,  He  that  hath  ears,  <fec.  A  penetrating  call,  appealing 
for  attention  and  receptiveness.  This  impressive  phrase,  pro- 
verbial in  form,  comes  here  in  all  three  accounts.  In  a  slightly 
shorter  form  it  recurs  in  Lk  xiv  35,  after  another  group  of  parables 
and  parabolic  sayings. 

9-15.    Interpretation  of  the  Parable, 


vinio,  II]  ST  LUKE  103 

9  And  his  disciples  asked  him  what  this  parable  might  be. 

10  And  he  said,  Unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  :  but  to  the  rest  in  parables  ;  that 
seeing  they  may  not  see,  and  hearing  they  may  not  understand. 

11  Now  the  parable  is  this  :    The  seed  is  the  word  of  God. 

12  And  those  by  the  way  side  are  they  that  have  heard  ;  then 
Cometh  the  devil,  and  taketh  away  the  word  from  their  heart, 
that  they  may  not  believe  and  be  saved.  13  And  those  on 
the  rock  are  they  which,  when  they  have  heard,  receive  the 
word  with  joy  ;  and  these  have  no  root,  which  for  a  while 
believe,  and  in  time  of  temptation  fall  away.  14  And  that 
which  fell  among  the  thorns,  these  are  they  that  have  heard, 
and  as  they  go  on  their  way  they  are  choked  with  cares  and 
riches  and  pleasures  of  this  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection. 
15  And  that  in  the  good  ground,  these  are  such  as  in  an  honest 
and  good  heart,  having  heard  the  word,  hold  it  fast,  and  bring 
forth  fruit  with  patience. 

10.  but  to  the  rest  in  'parables.  As  hostility  increases  the  parabolic 
method  is  more  used,  because  it  reveals  only  to  those  in  sympathy 
and  anxious  to  learn.  '  Parables  open  the  truth,'  says  Plummer, 
'  and  impress  it  on  the  minds  of  those  ready  to  receive  it  ;  but  they 
do  not  instruct,  though  they  may  impress,  the  careless.'  Further, 
'  What  the  unsympathetic  "  hear  without  understanding  "  they 
remember  because  of  its  impressive  form,  and  whenever  their  minds 
become  fitted  for  it,  its  meaning  will  become  manifest  to  them.' 

One  great  purpose  of  these  parables  was  doubtless  to  teach  the 
Teachers  (cf.  Latham,  loc.  cit.) ;  to  prepare  the  Apostles  to  face 
disappointing  '  results  '  of  their  missionary  work.  The  results 
depend  on  the  hearer,  and,  as  in  the  Parable  of  the  Sower,  may  fail 
three  times  out  of  four, 

11.  The  seed  is  the  word  of  God.  In  Matthew  the  seed  is  not 
named  ;  in  Mark  it  is  '  the  word. '  The  phrase  Word  of  God  is 
common  in  Luke.  See  iii  2,  v  1,  viii  11,  21,  xi  28,  and  twelve  times 
in  Acts.  Here  it  means  the  Word  which  both  comes  from  God  and 
speaks  of  God.  It  would  not,  perhaps,  be  fanciful  to  identify  it 
with  Jesus  Himself,  after  the  manner  of  St  John.  This  is  the  point 
of  the  whole  Parable — ^the  effect  of  the  same  good  seed  on  various 
soils — ^the  impact  of  God's  Message — of  Christ  Himself,  on  souls 
variously  disposed. 

We  see  this  in  the  following  verses,  in  an  ascending  series : 
(a)  the  seed  lost,  v.  12  ;  (b)  quick  sprouting,  followed  by  withering, 
V.  13  ;  (c)  longer  growth,  but  no  mature  fruit,  v.  14 ;  {d)  the  ideal, 
V.  15. 


104  ST  LUKE  [vm  12-18 

12.  by  the  way  side.  Souls  rendered  callous  because  people 
'  have  laid  their  hearts  open  to  the  common  traffic  of  idle  thoughts 
or  evil  habits  '  (Adeney). 

that  they  may  not  believe  and  be  saved.  Mysterious  words, 
especially  as  recorded  by  St  Luke,  the  universalist.  They  may  be 
interpreted  in  the  light  of  v.  16.  The  Parables  were  '  a  pillar  of 
cloud  and  darkness  to  the  Pharisees,  but  of  fire  and  light  to  the 
disciples  when  their  eyes  were  opened  to  see.  They  were  a  spiritual 
smoke-screen  to  shut  off  those  who  were  blaspheming.  .  .  .  Thus 
Jesus  ...  is  able  to  go  on  with  His  teaching  in  a.n  uncongenial 
atmosphere  '  (Robertson,  ojp.  cit.,  p.  144). 

13.  rock  :  better  expressed  by  Matthew  and  Mark  '  rocky 
ground  ' — a  shallow  layer  of  soil  through  which  the  rocks  crop  up 
to  the  surface  here  and  there  ;  with  '  no  deepness  of  earth  '  (Mat- 
thew, Mark)  into  which  roots  can  strike  down  so  as  to  resist  the 
sun's  scorching.  '  Shallow  '  characters,  with  no  stamina  to  resist 
trials. 

receive  the  word  with  joy :  enthusiastic  but  fickle.  St  Paul  uses 
the  phrase  in  a  good  sense,  1  Thess  i  6. 

14.  among  the  thorns  :  preoccupied  souls.  The  thorns  have  been 
cut  down  but  not  uprooted,  and  grow  faster  and  stronger  than  the 
corn,  which  is  eventually  screened  from  sun  and  rain  and  so  '  choked  ' 
by  them.  The  '  cares  '  of  the  poor,  the  '  riches  '  of  the  capitalist, 
the  '  pleasmres  '  of  the  self-indulgent,  rich  and  poor  alike.  These 
are  the  materialistic  preoccupations  of  civilized  man  in  every  age  ; 
but  never  more  so  than  to-day. 

15.  honest  and  good  heart.  The  phrase  is  difficult  to  translate 
satisfactorily  ;  perhaps  '  good  and  true,'  or  '  sound  and  good  ' 
might  come  near  it.  The  combination  of  adjectives  (kqAos  kol 
dya^o's)  gives  the  Greek  equivalent  for  our  '  Gentleman  '  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  word.  Luke,  the  cultured  Gentile,  alone  phrases 
it  thus.    Cf.  Robertson,  op.  cit.,  p.  58  ;   Carpenter,  op.  cit.,  p.  190. 

hold  it  fast  .  .  .  with  patience.  Rather  '  with  perseverance.' 
They  have  assimilated  the  message,  tenaciously  retain  it,  and 
perse veringly  apply  it  in  life. 

16-18.  Symbolism  of  the  Lamp.  This  follows  the  Parable 
of  the  Sower  also  in  Mark.  Matthew  distributes  the  sayings  of 
these  verses,  Mat  v  15,  x  26,  xiii  12.  Luke  regards  them  as  among 
sayings  which  Christ  repeated  in  different  contexts  (for  v.  IQ  see 
xi  33  and  for  v.  17,  xii  2).  And  it  has  been  suggested  that  his 
variations  from  St  Mark  here  are  '  coloured  by  the  remembrance 
of  the  language  of  such  doublets  '  (Dr  V.  Bartlet,  Oxford  Studies, 
p.  328.  For  the  eleven  '  doublets '  in  this  Gospel,  see  Hawkins, 
op.  cit.,  p.  35,  and  Hor.  Syn.,  pp.  99  sqq.). 

The  connexion  of  these  verses  with  one  another  and  with  what 
precedes  is  not  very  clear  (cf.  Streeter,  Oxf.  Studies,  pp.  171  sqq.). 
Perhaps  it  is  that  the  light  which  has  been  kindled  by  the  Lord's 
interpretation  of  this  Parable  (in  vv.  9-15)  must  be  exhibited  by 


VIIII8-20]  ST  LUKE  105 

the  hearers  for  the  good  of  all  who  'enter  in',  i.e.  are  ready  to 
receive  it.  They  must  not  re-enact  the  tragedy  of  Judaism  and 
treat  stewardship  of  revelation  as  though  it  were  an  exclusive 
possession  and  privilege. 

16  And  no  man,  when  he  hath  lighted  a  lamp,  covereth 
it  with  a  vessel,  or  putteth  it  under  a  bed  ;  but  putteth  it  on 
a  stand,  that  they  which  enter  in  may  see  the  light,  17  For 
nothing  is  hid,  that  shall  not  be  made  manifest  ;  nor  anything 
secret,  that  shall  not  be  known  and  come  to  light.  18  Take 
heed  therefore  how  ye  hear  :  for  whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall 
be  given  ;  and  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken 
away  even  that  which  he  Hhinketh  he  hath. 

*  Or,  seemeth  to  have 

18.  Take  heed  therefore  how  ye  hear.  The  responsibility  of 
sharing  with  others  has  an  antecedent  condition — ^receptivity — 
and  runs  back  into  responsibility  for  assimilation.  One  truth 
follows  upon — grows  out  of — another.  Without  the  '  grounding,' 
the  full  structm-e  of  education  is  impossible. 

even  that  which  he  thinlceth.  Eventually  he  will  lose  even  his 
'  fool's  paradise  '  of  imagined  possession. 

(g)  19-21     The  Mother  and  Brethren  of  Jesus 

St  Matthew  (xii  46-50),  following  Mk  iii  31  sqq.,  places  this  in- 
cident immediately  before  the  Parable  of  the  Sower.  Here  it  precedes 
the  story  of  the  Storm  on  the  Lake,  which  in  Mark  immediately 
follows  the  Parables.  St  Luke's  order  is  apparently  deliberate,  and 
(if  it  be  not  that  of  '  Q ')  must  be  the  result  of  careful  investigation. 
This  also  (see  note  on  vv.  16-18)  might  almost  be  described  as  a 
'  doublet.'  At  any  rate,  in  xi  27  sqq.  recurs  the  same  lesson,  viz. 
that  the  blessedness  of  the  Lord's  Mother  is  due  not  so  much  to  her 
unique  privilege  as  to  her  attitude  towards  God. 

19  And  there  came  to  him  his  mother  and  brethren,  and 
they  could  not  come  at  him  for  the  crowd.  20  And  it  was  told 
him.  Thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to 
see  thee.  21  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  them.  My  mother 
and  my  brethren  are  these  which  hear  the  word  of  God,  and 
do  it. 

19.  there  came  to  him.  No  doubt  alarmed  at  His  intense 
activities,  and  anxious  to  restrain  Him ;  desirous,  perhaps,  to 
obviate  that  very  exhaustion  of  which  v.  23  is  an  indication. 

20.  Thy  mother  and  thy  brethren.     For  the  '  Brethren  '  of  our 


106  ST  LUKE  [VIII 20-22 

Lord,  see  J.  B.  Lightfoot,  Dissertations  on  the  Apostolic  Age,  pp.  3-45 
(Maemillan  1892),  and  articles  in  Hastings'  Diet.  Bible,  and  Diet. 
Christ  and  Gosp.  The  controversy  is  ably  summarized  by  G.  H.  Box, 
The  Virgin  Birth,  pp.  236-238. 

The  contemporary  belief  was  evidently  that  they  were  the 
children  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Mk  vi  3,  Mat  xiii  55)  ;  and  though 
the  same  contemporary  belief  was  wrong  in  assuming  (Lk  iv  22, 
Jn  i  45)  Jesus  to  be  the  son  of  Joseph,  it  is  less  likely  to  have  been 
mistaken  about  so  large  a  group.  '  Firstborn  '  in  ii  7  does  not  of 
course  foreclose  the  question  (see  note  there)  ;  yet  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  apart  from  theological  prepossessions  (right  or 
wrong)  in  favour  of  the  perpetual  virginity  of  Mary,  that  interpre- 
tation— that  they  were  children  of  our  Lord's  Mother  and  foster- 
father — would  never  have  been  challenged. 

The  two  alternative  theories  make  these  '  Brethren '  :  (a) 
children  of  Joseph  by  a  former  wife  (Epiphanius).  Siu'ely  this  does 
not,  as  Plummer  states,  deprive  Jesus  of  His  Davidic  heirship — 
if  Mary  also  (see  note  on  iii  23)  was  of  royal  lineage  ;  (6)  that  they 
were  children  of  a  sister  of  Mary's,  and  so  His  cousins.  Such  would, 
in  Hebrew  parlance,  be  styled  '  Brethren.' 

21.  are  these  which  hear  the  word  of  God,  6sc.  This  involves  no 
denial  of  the  validity  of  family  ties,  or  the  duties  springing  therefrom, 
on  the  part  of  Him  who  was  '  subject '  to  Mary  and  Joseph  for 
thirty  years  (Lk  ii  51),  and  whose  last  word  to  man  from  the  Cross 
was  one  of  filial  piety  (Jn  xix  26,  27).  It  is  rather  the  assertion  of 
a  higher,  spiritual  relationship — taking  the  family  tie  as  tjrpe  of  the 
strongest  bond,  and  applying  it  in  a  wider  sphere.  The  family  of 
God  we  may  see  in  His  Chiurch,  from  membership  of  which  neither 
male  nor  female,  Jew  nor  Gentile,  bond  or  free,  is  excluded  ;  all 
being  joined  not  on  a  racial  basis  or  one  of  earthly  status,  but  by 
a  common  access  to  God  and  loyalty  to  Him. 

(h)  22-39     The  Storm  on  the  Lake  ;    The  Gerasene  Demoniac 

This  complete  section  occurs  in  all  three  Synoptists.  The 
position  in  Mark  is  practically  the  same  as  in  Luke,  though  the 
former  (Mk  iv  36)  says  they  took  Him  as  He  was  in  the  boat  after 
He  had  uttered  the  Parable  of  the  Sower  and  those  that  followed. 
Matthew  places  it  earlier,  viii  23  sqq.,  before  the  parabolic  teaching, 
and  soon  after  the  healing  of  Peter's  mother-in-law. 

22-25.  The  Storm  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee.  The  first  of 
the  '  Nature  Miracles  '  (if  we  except  Jn  ii  1-11) ;  recorded  by  all 
three  Synoptists  (cf.  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  152-160). 

22  Now  it  came  to  pass  on  one  of  those  days,  that  he 
entered  into  a  boat,  himself  and  his  disciples  ;  and  he  said 
unto  them,  Let  us  go  over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  lake  : 


VIII 22-24]  ST   LUKE  107 

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  filling  with  water,  and  were  in  jeopardy.  24  And  they 
came  to  him,  and  awoke  him,  saying,  Master,  master,  we 
perish.  And  he  awoke,  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  being 
afraid  they  marvelled,  saying  one  to  another.  Who  then  is 
this,  that  he  commandeth  even  the  winds  and  the  water,  and 
they  obey  him  ? 

22.  the  other  side.    The  comparative  solitude  of  the  eastern  shore. 

23.  fell  asleep  :  the  sleep  of  weariness  and  exhaustion  (cf .  note 
on  V.  19).  The  impact  of  the  crowds  of  v.  4  must  have  added  to  the 
resultant  strain  of  the  tour  oi  v.  1.  This  being  '  compassed  with 
infirmity  '  (Heb  v  2)  is  one  of  the  gracious  signs  of  His  true  humanity. 
Even  so  He  sits  by  Jacob's  weU  in  the  noonday  heat,  and  asks  the 
Samaritan  woman  for  a  drink  of  water  (Jn  iv  6,  7),  and  cries  from 
the  Cross '  I  am  thirsty '  ( Jn  xix  28) .  It  is  perhaps  significant  that  this 
only  reference  to  His  sleeping  is  preserved  by  all  three  Sjmoptists. 

there  came  down  :  quite  literally — swooped  from  one  of  the 
funnel-like  ravines  that  flank  the  Lake.  They  are  noted  as  pecu- 
liarly generative  of  such  sudden  squalls  ;  which  are,  however, 
a  familiar  feature  of  the  Italian  Lakes,  and  of  some  of  om*  home- 
waters.    Plummer  adduces  Thomson,  Land  and  Book,  p.  375. 

24.  Master,  master.  The  same  word  (eTrio-raTa)  which  is  put 
into  St  Peter's  mouth  at  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  v  5,  again 
when  the  woman  touches  Jesus  in  the  crowd  (viii  45),  and  at  the 
Transfiguration  (ix  33).  Surely  it  is  Peter's  voice  that  the  Evangelist 
hears  above  the  rest  on  this  occasion  ?  It  may  represent  the 
Apostle's  favourite  form  of  address  to  His  Master,  either  actually 
or  in  translation.  (See  on  viii  45.)  The  only  other  apostolic  mouth 
into  which  Luke  puts  it  is  that  of  St  John  (ix  49).  Besides  that,  the 
only  instance  he  gives  is  that  of  the  Ten  Lepers  (xvii  13).  The 
word  supplies  one  side  (the  authoritative)  of  the  connotation  of  the 
'  Rabbi  '  (which  Luke  never  employs),  while  his  other  word, 
BtSda-KaXos  (vii  40,  &c.)  represents  the  teaching  aspect.  The 
duplication,  though  found  twice  in  Matthew  ('  Lord,  Lord,' 
Mat  vii  21,  xxv  11),  and  again  in  St  John  ('Verily,  verily,' 
Jn  V  19,  24,  25,  &c.),  and  therefore  doubtless  a  genuine  echo  of 
Christ's  utterance,  is  specially  characteristic  of  St  Luke  ('  Lord, 
Lord,'  vi  46,  '  Martha,  Martha,'  x  41,  '  Simon,  Simon,'  xxii  31). 
Here  it  is  almost  inevitable — the  excitement,  the  babble  of  voices, 
the  attempt  to  wake  the  sleeper.  1  Pet  v  7,  '  casting  all  your 
anxiety  upon  him,  because  he  careth  for  you,'  may  possibly  be 
a  reminiscence  of  this  scene. 


108  ST   LUKE  [Vlll24-a6 

we  perish.  Mk  iv  38,  '  Carest  thou  not  that  we  perish  ?  ' 
Mat  viii  25,  'Save  Lord;  we  perish.'  Typical  instance  of  unim- 
portant variations  in  a  witness  that  fundamentally  agrees  ;  cf .  v.  25 
and  notes  on  xxiv  1-12. 

rebuked.  Mark  gives  the  actual  exclamation  (iv  39,  a-ioyn-a, 
TrecfiLfjiwa-o)  ;  lit.  '  Be  silent,  Be  muzzled  !  '  So  our  Lord  is  described 
as  '  rebuking  '  the  fever  of  Peter's  mother-in-law  (cf.  Trench,  p.  155). 
Perhaps,  in  the  light  of  this  passage,  we  may  see  in  both  cases  more 
of  a  personification  than  the  attribution  of  a  personal  agent,  though 
we  cannot  quite  rule  out  the  latter,  either  in  fact  or  in  the  belief  of 
our  Lord  and  His  Apostles,  in  view  of  the  powers  assigned  to  the 
devil  and  evil  spirits  in  the  New  Testament.  This  may  have  been 
the  ground  of  the  mediaeval  conviction  that  evil  spirits  have 
command  over  the  weather,  which  finds  typical  expression  in  the 
beautiful  episode  of  Buonconte  da  Montefeltro  in  Dante's  Purgatorio 
(Canto  V,  108-129). 

25.  Where  is  your  faith?  Mat  viii  26,  'Why  are  ye  fearful, 
O  ye  of  little  faith  ? '  Mk  iv  40,  '  Why  are  ye  fearful  ?  have  ye  not 
yet  faith  ?  '  They  had,  in  modern  phrase,  '  lost  their  heads.'  His 
rebuke  is  called  forth  not  because  they  did  not  expect  a  miracle — 
though  indeed  they  might  have  been  sure  that  the  boat  that 
'  carried  Messiah  and  His  fortunes  '  would  not  sink — nor  by  the 
prayer  involved  in  their  appeal  ;  but  rather  for  the  breakdown  of 
their  trust  in  God's  protecting  hand  over  them,  whether  they  should 
be  engulfed  or  not.  Here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  miraculous  draught 
(v  5),  their  very  experience  of  the  Lake  made  confidence  more 
difficult.  It  was  no  landsman's  alarm  at  a  fresh  breeze  that  awakened 
their  fears  ;  and  there  were  no  premonitory  signs  of  a  sudden 
abatement. 

being  afraid  they  marvelled.  All  three  Evangelists  emphasize 
the  awed  amazement  of  the  disciples  in  view  of  this  superhuman 
control  of  the  powers  of  Nature.  Cf .  the  '  fear  '  roused  at  the 
raising  of  the  widow's  son  (vii  16),  and  the  '  amazement '  of  Jairus 
and  his  wife  (viii  56)  when  their  daughter  is  restored  to  life. 

26-39.  The  Gerasene Demoniac  (cf.  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  161-190). 
Like  the  preceding  miracle,  this  is  recorded  by  all  three  Synoptists, 
and  in  each  it  immediately  follows  the  Storm  on  the  Lake.  It 
has  been  the  subject  of  special  controversy  in  modern  times,  because, 
apart  from  pathological  and  other  difficulties  (including  the  im- 
plication of  '  possession  '  in  the  case  of  the  lower  animals),  it 
involves  wholesale  destruction  of  the  property  of  innocent  people. 
This  consideration,  though  not  without  weight,  appeals  less  to  the 
average  twentieth-century  mind  than  to  that  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  for  whom  '  the  rights  of  private  property  '  may  be  said  to 
have  stood  as  the  climax  of  moral  obligations. 

It  is  difficult  to  see  why  the  problem  involved  should  be  more 
acute  than  that  raised  by  an  ordinary  murrain,  or  inundation, 
allowed  by  Providence  (cf.  Trench,  p.  184). 


VIII 26-39]  ST  LUKE  109 

26  And  they  arrived  at  the  country  of  the  ^Gerasenes, 
which  is  over  against  Galilee.  27  And  when  he  was  come 
forth  upon  the  land,  there  met  him  a  certain  man  out  of  the 
city,  who  had  ^devils  ;  and  for  a  long  time  he  had  worn  no 
clothes,  and  abode  not  in  any  house,  but  in  the  tombs.  28  And 
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  the  Most  High  God  ?  I  beseech  thee, 
torment  me  not.  29  For  he  commanded  the  unclean  spirit  to 
come  out  from  the  man.  For  ^oftentimes  it  had  seized  him  : 
and  he  was  kept  under  guard,  and  bound  with  chains  and 
fetters  ;  and  breaking  the  bands  asunder,  he  was  driven  of 
the  ^devil  into  the  deserts.  30  And  Jesus  asked  him.  What  is 
thy  name  ?  And  he  said.  Legion  ;  for  many  ^devils  were 
entered  into  him.  31  And  they  intreated  him  that  he  would 
not  command  them  to  depart  into  the  abyss.  32  Now  there 
was  there  a  herd  of  many  swine  feeding  on  the  mountain  : 
and  they  intreated  him  that  he  would  give  them  leave  to 
enter  into  them.  And  he  gave  them  leave.  33  And  the 
^devils  came  out  from  the  man,  and  entered  into  the  swine  : 
and  the  herd  rushed  down  the  steep  into  the  lake,  and  were 
choked.  34  And  when  they  that  fed  them  saw  what  had  come 
to  pass,  they  fled,  and  told  it  in  the  city  and  in  the  country. 
35  And  they  went  out  to  see  what  had  come  to  pass  ;  and 
they  came  to  Jesus,  and  found  the  man,  from  whom  the 
^devils  were  gone  out,  sitting,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind, 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus  :  and  they  were  afraid.  36  And  they 
that  saw  it  told  them  how  he  that  was  possessed  with  ^devils 
was  ^made  whole.  37  And  all  the  people  of  the  country  of 
the  Gerasenes  round  about  asked  him  to  depart  from  them  ; 
for  they  were  holden  with  great  fear  :  and  he  entered  into 
a  boat,  and  returned.  38  But  the  man  from  whom  the  Mevils 
were  gone  out  prayed  him  that  he  might  be  with  him  :  but  he 
sent  him  away,  saying,  39  Return  to  thy  house,  and  declare 
how  great  things  God  hath  done  for  thee.    And  he  went  his 

'  Many  ancient  authorities  read  Gergestnea ;  others,  Gadareries :  and  so  in  ver.  37. 
*  Gr.  demovs.  '  Or,  o/  a  lov^  time,  *  Gr.  ck,mon. 

•'  Or,  saved 


110  ST  LUKE  [VIII 26-28 

way,  publishing  throughout  the  whole  city  how  great  things 
Jesus  had  done  for  him. 

26.  the  country  of  the,  Gerasenes.  '  Khersa,'  identified  first  by 
Thomson,  author  of  The  Land  and  the  Book  (p.  377),  is  now  generally 
accepted  as  marking  the  neighbourhood  in  question.  It  is  '  over 
against '  the  Galilean  district  mainly  frequented  by  our  Lord, 
standing  about  midway  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Lake — opposite 
Magdala  (cf.  on  viii  2).  The  better -known  Gerasa  is  a  good  thirty 
miles  from  the  Lake.  This  seems  to  be  the  true  reading  here  and 
in  St  Mark  ;  in  Mat  viii  28  the  reading  Gadara  prevails.  They  can 
hardly  both  be  right  as  history,  for  Khersa  and  the  ancient  site  of 
Gadara  ( Um  Keis)  are  divided  by  more  than  eleven  miles  of  mountain, 
the  latter  standing  on  a  hill  more  than  1,000  feet  up,  beyond  the 
valley  of  the  Yarmuk,  and  some  five  miles  distant  from  the  Lake. 

27.  a  certain  man  .  .  .  who  had  devils.  A  complicated  case  of 
'  multiple  consciousness,'  represented  by  the  bewildering  inter- 
change of  singular  and  plural  in  the  ensuing  narrative.  The  singular 
is  used  up  to  v.  31,  even  where  the  evil  spirits  are  speaking  (v.  28), 
or  are  addressed  by  Christ  {v.  29),  or  the  man  is  explaining  the 
multiplicity  of  the  possession  (30).  In  v.  31  the  plural  is  introduced 
and  maintained  till  v.  33.  After  that  the  man  (sing.)  and  the  devils 
(plur.)  are  clearly  distinguished. 

for  a  long  time,  <fcc.  In  the  diagnosis  of  the  case  in  this  verse 
and  V.  29,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  variation  from  the  Marcan  account. 
On  the  one  hand  it  is  noticed  by  Prof.  Cadbury  (Style  and  Lit. 
Method,  '  Harvard  Studies,'  vi,  p.  48)  that  neither  here  nor  in  the 
case  of  the  Epileptic  Boy  (ix  37  sqq.)  does  Luke  mention  the  '  self- 
destructive  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  patient.'  And  this  is  alleged 
as  telling  against  the  '  Medical  Language '  theory  of  Hobart  and 
his  followers.  On  the  other  hand.  Sir  W.  M.  Ramsay  {Luke  the 
Physician,  p.  58)  draws  attention  to  Luke's  added  statement  that 
'  he  had  worn  no  clothes,'  as  '  a  symptom  of  the  insanity  that 
a  physician  would  not  willingly  omit.' 

in  the  tombs  :  abounding  on  the  neighbouring  hill -sides — hewn 
out  of  the  limestone  rock. 

28.  WJmt  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ?  What  have  we  in  common  ? 
The  instinctive  utterance  of  the  demons ;  cf .  iv  34. 

Jesus,  thou  Son  of  tJie  Most  High  God.  The  recognition  of  Jesus 
and  of  His  supernatural  character — by  a  kind  of  clairvoyance — 
seems  to  have  been  general  in  these  cases  ;  see  especially  iv  41 . 
St  Mark  has  exactly  the  same  phrase.  Mat  (viii  29)  has  '  thou  Son 
of  God.'  In  Lk  iv  34  it  is  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  .  .  .  the  Holy  One  of 
God,'  and  so  in  the  parallel  passage  of  Mark. 

'  The  Most  High  God  '  (Gen  xiv  20  ;  Numb  xxiv  16  ;  Dan  iii  26, 
&c.)  is  the  phrase  used  by  the  pagan  '  pjrthoness  '  in  Ac  xvi  17, 
and  would  be  natural  in  a  pagan  mouth  ;  there  is,  however,  no 
hint  as  to  the  demoniac's  nationality.    Wlien  St  James  (ii  19)  says 


VIII 28-32]  ST  LUKE  111 

'  the  demons  believe  and  tremble,'  he  may  perhaps  have  in  his 
mind  the  phenomena  of  our  Lord's  Ministry — the  shuddering, 
cringing  attitude  of  repulsion  which  seems  to  have  accompanied 
their  swift  intuition  of  His  personality. 

29.  For  he  commanded.  The  mention  of  this  command  comes 
in  St  Mark  out  of  its  natural  order,  in  a  precisely  similar  way,  and 
implies  a  documentary  relation  between  the  two  accounts.  Cf.  the 
identical  position  of  the  parenthesis  in  Lk  v  24  and  the  parallels 
in  Matthew  and  Mark. 

with  chains  and  fetters :  'LtdX.manicaeet'pedicae,  'chains'  {aXva-ea-iv), 
handcuffs  like  those  from  which  St  Peter  was  released  by  the  Angel 
in  Ac  xii  7 ;  '  fetters,'  foot-bonds,  whether  of  metal  or  of  rope  or 
withes.  The  purpose  was  to  restrain  him  from  straying  and  from 
self-destruction. 

30.  What  is  thy  name  ?  Our  Lord's  purpose  was,  no  doubt,  to 
recall  the  patient  to  the  consciousness  of  his  identity  ;  and  some 
such  motive  may  well  underlie  the  superstitious  exorcistic  routine 
of  the  day  referred  to  by  Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  p.  257,  note  8),  who 
shows  that,  according  to  recognized  usage,  in  order  to  obtain  com- 
plete power  over  a  demon  it  is  necessary  to  know  his  name.  He 
quotes  an  ancient  text,  The  Great  Magical  Papyrus  (cf.  Ac  xix  19), 
now  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  at  Paris  :  '  I  adjure  thee,  every 
daemonic  spirit,  say  whatsoever  thou  art.' 

Legion.  The  Latin  word,  transliterated  into  Greek,  and  given 
both  here  and  in  St  Mark,  is  itself  a  sign  of  the  authenticity  of  the 
record. 

many.  The  normal  strength  of  a  Legion  consisted  of  some 
4,000  to  5,000  men.  '  Legion  '  to  a  Jew  who  had  witnessed  its 
march  through  his  own  country  would  symbolize  a  '  cruel  inexor- 
able tjo-anny,'  cf.  Trench,  p.  18L  Levertoff  points  out  that  in 
Hellenistic  Greek  as  well  as  in  Rabbinic  literature  the  Latin  word 
is  always  used  literally  in  a  military  sense  ;  and  suggests  that,  as 
many  Jews  served  in  the  Roman  legions  (Josephus,  passim),  the 
dread  of  military  service  had  become  the  '  fixed  idea  '  of  this 
demoniac,  who  was  (Mk  v  4)  of  great  physical  strength,  and  so 
'  marked  out  for  a  soldier.' 

31.  abyss  :  represents  the  '  great  deep  '  on  which,  in  the  ancient 
Hebrew  conception  this  earth  floats — the  '  waters  under  the  earth  ' 
of  the  Second  Commandment.  In  the  New  Testament  it  symbo- 
lizes the  prison-house  of  evil  spirits  from  which  they  issue  on  their 
malign  emprises.  Rev  ix  1-11,  xi  7,  xvii  8 ;  and  where  Satan  (Rev  xx 
1-3)  is  '  bound  for  a  thousand  years.' 

In  Mk  V  10  the  plea  is  not  to  be  '  sent  out  of  the  country  '  ;  in 
both  cases  to  be  let  alone,  and  left  in  the  familiar  environment. 
The  plea  argues  a  strange  tameness,  almost  approaching  to  sym- 
pathy, on  the  part  of  the  demons. 

^.  many  swine.  St  Mark  says  '  about  2,000.'  This  number 
would  have  to  be  doubled  to  justify  arithmetically  the  name  Legion. 


112  ST   LUKE  [VIII 32-39 

But  we  need  not  be  too  particular  about  the  arithmetic  of  a  madman, 
or  of  the  populace  who  may  have  originally  fastened  the  name  upon 
him  in  ridicule. 

he  gave  them  leave.  The  permission  is  almost  as  unaccountable 
as  the  entreaty.  There  is  no  other  miracle  of  destruction  recorded 
of  om-  Lord  except  the  withering  of  the  fig-tree  (which  is  not  in 
St  Luke)  ;  there  is  no  other  instance  of  His  giving  demons  their 
will,  or  of  demoniacal  possession  of  brutes,  recorded  in  the  Gospels. 
Moreover,  the  sequel  looks  like  an  undignified  outwitting  of  the 
demons ;  they  beg  to  be  allowed  to  enter  the  swine  in  order  that  they 
may  avoid  '  the  abyss,'  and  as  soon  as  permission  is  granted 
apparently  submerge  themselves,  with  the  swine,  in  the  depths  of 
the  Lake. 

The  safest  conclusion  seems  to  lie  in  a  suspension  of  judgement, 
(a)  Granted  that  demoniacal  possession  is  a  reality,  there  is  doubtless 
much  about  it  which  we  do  not  yet  understand  ;  and  (6)  the 
account  is  from  the  point  of  view  of  onlookers,  and  the  first  eye- 
witnesses, overhearing  much  of  the  conversation  between  om"  Lord 
and  the  demoniac,  and  witnessing  subsequently  the  stampeding  of 
the  swine,  may  have  added  to  the  story  an  indefinite  amount  of 
their  own  interpretation.  Some  confusion  may  also  have  been 
added  in  translation  from  Aramaic. 

33.  entered  into  the  swine.  So  it  seemed  to  the  onlookers. 
Conceivably  the  man's  cries  and  gesticulations  at  the  moment  of 
exorcism  may  have  stampeded  one  or  two,  and  they  the  whole  herd. 

down  the  steep :  not  necessarily  a  precipice ;  there  is  none 
such  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Khersa  ;  but  a  steep  grass  slope  or 
scree  would  answer  to  the  description,  and  a  likely  spot  has  been 
found  near  by. 

35-39.  Plummer  notes  how  full  these  verses  are  of  marks  of 
St  Luke's  style  (p.  232). 

35.  clothed  (i/>taTtcr/i,eVov) :  used  to  be  nowhere  extant  except 
here  and  in  the  corresponding  passage  of  Mark.  But  Deissmann 
{op.  cit.,  p.  78)  has  found  it  in  inscriptions.  It  was,  then,  a  current 
word. 

37.  asked  him  to  depart.  They  found  Him  more  alarming  than 
the  demoniac,  and  humbly  requested  Him  to  leave.  Their  modern 
counterparts  would  have  demanded  exaggerated  compensation  ! 

38,  39.  prayed  him  that  he  might  be  with  him :  perhaps  a  con- 
scious contrast  to  the  foregoing  on  the  part  of  the  original  narrator 
— St  Peter,  it  may  be — who  observed  the  twin  movements  of 
attraction  and  repulsion  at  work.  The  man  wins  his  boon  in  a  higher 
form,  because  though  not  allowed  to  be  with  Him  '  after  the  flesh,' 
he  is  made  His  evangelist  to  his  native  town — Mark  adds  that  he 
published  the  story  '  in  Decapolis  '  (v  20). 


VIII40-42]  ST  LUKE  113 

(i)  40-56     A  Miracle  within  a  Miracle  ;  Jairus's  Daughter  and 
the  Woman  with  Haemorrhage.    (Trench,  il/i>.,  pp.  191-201.) 

This  interweaving  of  two  miracles  is  given  by  all  three  Synoptists. 
Matthew's  account  (ix  18-26)  is  the  shortest,  and  he  does  not  give 
the  father's  name,  describing  him  as  '  one  ruler.'  Luke's  is  the 
longest ;  he  and  Mark  (v  21-43)  both  name  Jairus,  and  call  him 
'  Synagogue-ruler,'  and,  unlike  Matthew,  make  it  follow  immediately 
on  the  incident  of  the  Gerasene  Demoniac.  In  vv.  40-48  Plummer 
again  notes  very  conspicuous  marks  of  St  Luke's  style  (p.  233). 

40  And  as  Jesus  returned,  the  multitude  welcomed  him  ; 
for  they  were  all  waiting  for  him.  41  And  behold,  there  came 
a  man  named  Jaii'us,  and  he  was  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue  : 
and  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  besought  him  to  come  into 
his  house  ;  42  for  he  had  an  only  daughter,  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  she  lay  a  dying.  But  as  he  went  the  multi- 
tudes thronged  him. 

40.  returned:  crossing  over  (as  Mark  notes  v  21)  back  to  the 
W.  side  of  the  Lake. 

the  multitude  welcomed  him :  received  Him  joyfully — He 
reciprocates  in  ix  11.  Christ  was,  at  this  period,  practically  living 
in  public.  Even  when  He  sought  much-needed  retirement,  He  was 
followed  by  those  who  could  not  resist  His  attraction.  The  earliest 
instance  of  thwarted  retirement  is  given  by  St  Mark  (i  36).  He  is 
interrupted  in  His  prayers  even  before  dawn  ;  the  most  conspicuous 
case  is  that  of  the  Miracle  of  the  Five  Thousand  (ix  11,  where  Mk  vi  31 
specially  emphasizes  the  desire  for  retirement).    See  note  on  ix  11. 

41.  Jairus  :    a  Hebrew  name — the  Jair  of  the  Old  Testament. 
a  ruler  of  the  synagogue.     These  officials  are  frequently  mentioned 

by  Luke.  Once  again  in  the  Gospel  (xiii  14 — the  only  hostile  in- 
stance), twice  in  Acts  (xiii  15,  the  Rulers  (pi.)  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia 
invite  St  Paul  and  his  companion  to  preach  ;  xviii  8  Crispus, 
the  Ruler  of  the  Corinthian  Synagogue,  becomes  a  convert  to 
Christianity).  On  their  functions,  see  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  i  438, 
As  the  Synagogue  administered  the  Law  for  the  local  community, 
Jairus  was  a  Church  official  on  the  Sabbath,  and  on  week-days 
a  sort  of  magistrate. 

42.  an  only  daughter.  St  Luke  only  notes  this,  as  the  Widow's 
only  son  vii  12,  and  that  the  epileptic  boy  was  an  '  only  child  '  ix  38. 

Ixiy  a  dying.  Mark  makes  the  father  say  '  is  at  the  point  of  death,' 
and  Matthew,  in  his  syncopated  account  (which  leaves  out  the 
message  of  v.  49),  '  is  even  now  dead.' 

thronged  him :  crowded  round  Him  to  the  point  of  suffocation. 
Their  eager  welcome  {v.  40)  converted  itself,  as  often  with  a  crowd, 
into  unconscious  '  hustling. ' 

L-  8 


114  ST  LUKE  [VIII 43-48 

43-48.  The  Woman  with  Haemorrhage.  (Mat  ix  20-22, 
Mk  V  25-34.)  On  the  way  to  one  healing  act,  Jesus  is  interrupted 
by  the  appeal  of  another. 

43  And  a  woman  having  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years, 
which  %ad  ispent  all  her  living  upon  physicians,  and  could 
not  be  healed  of  any,  44  came  behind  him,  and  touched  the 
border  of  his  garment  :  and  immediately  the  issue  of  her 
blood  stanched.  45  And  Jesus  said,  Who  is  it  that  touched 
me  ?  And  when  all  denied,  Peter  said,  ^and  they  that  were 
with  him,  Master,  the  multitudes  press  thee  and  crush  thee. 
46  But  Jesus  said,  Some  one  did  touch  me  :  for  I  perceived 
that  power  had  gone  forth  from  me.  47  And  when  the  woman 
saw  that  she  was  not  hid,  she  came  trembling,  and  falling 
down  before  him  declared  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people 
for  what  cause  she  touched  him,  and  how  she  was  healed 
immediately.  48  And  he  said  unto  her,  Daughter,  thy  faith 
hath  ^made  thee  whole  ;   go  in  peace. 

'  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  had  spent  all  her  living  upon  physicians,  and. 
^  Some  ancient  aul/horities  omit  and  they  that  were  with  him. 
'  Or,  saved  thee 

43.  having  an  issue  :  lit.,  '  being  in  (a  state  of)  haemorrhage.' 
The  term  is  the  usual  medical  one  (Hobart,  p.  15)  ;  therefore,  though 
the  whole  passage  bristles  (see  note  on  vv.  40-56)  with  his  charac- 
teristic innovations,  Luke  had  no  temptation  to  change  the  phrase 
here  as  he  had  done,  e.  g.,  in  v  18. 

twelve  years.  All  three  Synoptists  name  this  as  the  age  of 
Jairus's  daughter ;  Luke  and  Mark  give  it  also  as  the  duration  of 
the  woman's  trouble.  Hobart  (p.  40)  remarks  on  Luke's  '  medical 
note  of  the  time  the  disease  had  lasted '  here ;  in  the  case  of  the 
infirm  woman,  eighteen  years  (xiii  16)  ;  in  Acts,  the  lame  man  at 
the  Temple-gate,  forty  years  (iii  2,  iv  22),  and  Aeneas  bedridden 
eight  years  (ix  33).  It  is  not  only  in  the  case  of  disease.  The 
physician  has  acquired  a  habit  of  inquiring  into  and  recording  such 
details.  So,  in  the  passages  peculiar  to  himself,  he  gives  (ii  36,  37) 
the  elaborate  statistics  of  Anna's  life  ;  (ii  42)  our  Lord's  age  at  the 
time  of  His  boyhood  visit  to  the  Temple  ;  and,  in  the  part  common 
to  all  three  he  alone  indicates  Christ's  age  (iii  23)  at  the  beginning 
of  His  Ministry. 

had  spent  all  her  living.  St  Mark  (v  26)  is  much  fuller — '  had 
suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent  all  that 
she  had,  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse.'  The 
physician's  touch  is  visible  in  what  Luke  eliminates,  and  in  what 
he  retains.    Loyalty  to  the  profession  restrains  his  criticism  within 


viil  43-47]  ST  LUKE  115 

limits  ;  within  those  limits  loyalty  to  truth  and  a  sense  of  humour 
(cf.  note  on  xi  5-8)  bid  him  speak  out.  The  traditional  remedies 
for  this  complaint  seem  to  have  been  peculiarly  futile.  The  Lord's 
authoritative  sureness  of  touch  in  spiritual  healing  (cf.  note  on 
iv  40)  was  in  great  contrast. 

It  is  worth  noting,  however,  that  the  Syr-Sin.  omits  even  this 
phrase,  and  makes  the  beloved  physician  avoid  all  reference  to 
the  failures  of  the  doctors  (P.L.). 

44.  the  border:  'the  tassel.'  One  of  the  four  tassels  of  His 
under -garment  would  be  visible  behind  as  He  walked,  underneath 
the  upper  robe. 

Modesty,  and  perhaps  the  fear  of  rebufiE  (her  touch  would 
bring  Levitical  uncleanness,  Lev  xv  25),  led  her  to  approach  thus 
clandestinely.  Her  rather  superstitious  faith — in  something  as  it 
were  magical  about  the  very  clothes  he  wore — impels  her  to  filch 
a  miracle  from  Him  if  possible  without  His  knowledge.  St  Matthew 
(xiv  36)  shows  us  a  similar  '  touching  ' — but  this  time  openly — 
efficacious  on  a  large  scale ;  and  St  Luke,  in  Ac  v  15,  mentions  a 
number  of  cures  at  Jerusalem  effected  even  by  Peter's  shadow. 
In  these  cases  auto-suggestion  may  have  played  a  large  part. 
But  the  lesson  is  ao  important  one  ;  better  a  faith  mingled  with 
superstition  than  unbelief  or  indifference.  This  woman  alone, 
amid  all  the  thronging  crowd,  drew  '  virtue  '  from  the  Lord  ;  a;nd 
it  was  her  faith,  after  all  {v.  48),  that  won  it. 

stanched.  Here  St  Luke  changes  the  phraseology  of  his  source 
and  substitutes  the  verb  la-Tdvai,  which  is  the  technical  one  in  cases 
of  haemorrhage  (see  ref.  to  the  four  chief  medical  writers  in  Hobart, 
M.L.,  p.  15). 

45.  Who  is  it  that  touched  me  ?  He  had  distinguished,  in  the 
general  press,  the  touch  of  faith,  and  instinctively  responded  with 
healing  power.  He  had  not  seen  her  ;  but  the  purpose  of  His 
question  was  doubtless  largely  to  clinch  her  faith  by  the  moral 
courage  of  open  confession  which  would  win  a  further  blessing  {v.  48). 

Peter  said  .  .  .  Master.  Peter  is  forward  as  usual,  spokesman  of 
the  Twelve,  and  here  he  addresses  our  Lord  again  by  the  title 
he  had  used  when  he  became  a  disciple  (v  5.    See  note  on  viii  24.). 

46.  power  had  gone  forth  from  me.  It  seems  as  though  His  healing 
power  was  always  (almost  mechanically)  accessible  to  the  touch  of 
faith  not  so  much  unconsciously  as  through  a  constant  and  habitual 
attitude  of  His  will.  This  perception  of  His  would  seem  to  imply 
that  the  power  He  transmitted  definitely  cost  Him  something  and 
added  to  His  physical  exhaustion.  It  is  perhaps  in  reference  to  this 
that  St  Matthew  (viii  16,  17)  in  describing  the  great  day  of  miracles 
in  Capernaum  (cf.  Lk  iv  40  sq.)  quotes  Isa  liii  4  :  '  Himself  took 
our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  diseases.' 

47.  the  woman  .  .  .  trembling.  In  fear  that  she  had  committed 
an  offence,  she  had  joined  in  the  general  denial  [v.  45),  now  she  is 
doubly  afraid,  and  may  well  expect  a  withdrawal  of  the  boon. 

8-2 


116  ST   LUKE  [VIII 47-50 

A  complete  and  oi)en  confession  puts  her  right,  and  leaves  her  in 
the  attitude  of  soul  to  receive  the  Lord's  benediction  {v.  48). 

48.  Daughter.    Word  of  reassuring  affection. 

thy  faith :  in  spite  of  (a)  her  prevarication — now  amended — and 
(6)  the  mixture  of  superstition.  She  was  right  about  the  Personal 
source  of  healing,  if  wrong  about  the  means.  The  episode  may 
throw  light  on  our  sacramental  touch  of  the  Lord  ;  where  also 
(though  much  to  be  deplored)  superstition  is  doubtless  effective 
in  winning  blessings  barred  to  indifference  and  unbelief. 

go  in  (into)  peace.    Christ's  habitual  valediction  in  such  cases. 

Does  it  imply  here  that  she  is  absolved  from  the  ritual  formalities 
of  Lev  XV  28-30  ?  The  Levitical  rules  are  prescribed  for  obser- 
vance by  our  Lord  in  the  case  of  cleansed  lepers  (v  14,  xvii  14). 
Perhaps  this  was  more  necessary  as  a  measure  of  public  hygiene. 

49-56.  The  Jairfs  narrative  resumed.  The  situation  is 
intensely  instructive,  and  illustrative  of  our  Lord's  work  both 
then  and  now.  The  '  interruption  '  of  the  miracle  on  the  woman, 
valuable  and  significant  in  itself,  has  also  served  a  further  purpose. 
The  delay  has  been  a  call  for  patience  in  Jairus  ;  the  sad  news 
now  brought  to  him  a  test  and  a  strengthening  of  his  faith  ;  a  new 
situation  has  arisen,  as  in  the  case  of  Lazarus  (Jn  xi),  '  that  the 
Son  of  God  may  be  glorified  thereby  '  (Jn  xi  4)  ;  Jesus  might  have 
said,  as  in  that  case  (Jn  xi  14,  15),  '  The  child  is  dead.  And  I  am 
glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent  ye  may 
believe.' 

49  While  he  yet  spake,  there  cometh  one  from  the  ruler  of 
the  synagogue's  house,  saying.  Thy  daughter  is  dead  ;  trouble 
not  the  ^Master.  50  But  Jesus  hearing  it,  answered  him, 
Fear  not  :  only  believe,  and  she  shall  be  ^made  whole.  51  And 
when  he  came  to  the  house,  he  suffered  not  any  man  to  enter 
in  with  him,  save  Peter,  and  John,  and  James,  and  the  father 
of  the  maiden  and  her  mother.  52  And  all  were  weeping,  and 
bewailing  her  :  but  he  said.  Weep  not  ;  for  she  is  not  dead, 
but  sleepeth.  53  And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn,  knowing 
that  she  was  dead.  54  But  he,  taking  her  by  the  hand,  called, 
saying.  Maiden,  arise.  55  And  her  spirit  returned,  and  she 
rose  up  immediately  :  and  he  commanded  that  something  be 
given  her  to  eat.  56  And  her  parents  were  amazed  :  but  he 
charged  them  to  tell  no  man  what  had  been  done. 

*  Or,  Teacher  ^  Or,  saved 

49.  the  Master :  better  '  Teacher  '  (R.V.  margin),  or  '  Rabbi  ' — 
not  the  special  word  of  v.  45. 

50.  Fear  not  ;   ordy  believe.     '  Cease  to  fear  (pres.) :  make  an 


VIII 50-56]        .  ST   LUKE  117 

act  of  faith  '  {aor. ).  In  St  Luke's  version  the  man  is  called  to  summon 
all  his  power  and  concentrate  it  on  an  act  of  faith  ;  in  St  Mark's 
(imperf.)  to  continue  perse veringly  the  exercise  of  his  sorely  tried 
belief.    The  whole  issue  evidently  depends  on  the  faith  of  the  parent. 

51.  suffered  not :  to  enter  into  the  room.  Not  only  to  eliminate 
the  disturbing  influences  of  attitudes  other  than  faith — incredulity, 
curiosity,  &c. — but  also  because,  as  the  next  verse  implies,  the  hired 
mourners  were  already  on  the  scene.  St  Mark  states  that  He 
turned  all  these  out  of  the  house,  as  did  St  Peter  before  the  raising 
of  Dorcas  (Ac  ix  40). 

Peter,  and  John,  and  James.  Luke  has  this  unusual  order  (the  order 
of  prominence  as  distinct  from  that  of  seniority)  also  at  the  Trans- 
figuration, ix  28,  and  in  his  enumeration  of  the  assembled  disciples 
after  the  Ascension,  Ac  i  13.  These  three  were  the  chosen  witnesses 
of  His  power  (here).  His  glory  (ix  28),  and  His  Agony  (Mat  xxvi  37, 
Mk  xiv  33). 

52.  Weep  not  .  .  .  sleepeth.  Not  literally  (see  next  verse)  ;  but 
death  is  only  sleep  where  Christ  is  there  to  awaken.  So  His  followers, 
trusting  in  His  eventual  awakening  (Jn  v  28),  speak  of  their  departed 
as  '  fallen  asleep,'  and  of  their  burial  grounds  as  '  cemeteries  ' 
(/cot|U.7;T7;p6a  =  '  sleeping-places  ').  Christ  uses  '  sleep  '  also  of  Lazarus  ; 
and  though  the  word  is  different  from  St  Luke's  (Jn  xi  11),  the  sense 
is  the  same.    Cf.  also  Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  195,  196. 

53.  knowing  that  she  was  dead.  Peculiar  to  St  Luke  ;  and 
introduced  not  so  much  to  justify  their  incredulous  laughter  as  to 
imply  that  it  was  a  genuine  raising  from  death,  not  from  mere 
trance. 

54.  taking  her  by  the  hand,  called,  dbc.  Luke  omitted  the  hand- 
grasp  in  the  case  of  Peter's  mother-in-law  (iv  39).  Here  he  also 
indicates  the  raising  of  the  voice  (cf.  viii  8)  as  if  to  awake  one 
out  of  sleep.  Mark  gives  the  actual  Aramaic  words  of  the  call  ; 
'  Talitha  cumi  !  '  and  adds  that  '  she  walked. '  Luke  alone  adds, 
her  spirit  returned. 

55.  that  something  be  given  her  to  eat.  Ramsay  {L.P.,  p.  58) 
makes  much  of  this  common-sense  injunction  as  a  touch  character- 
istic of  the  Physician.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  though 
Matthew  has  it  not,  Mark  (presumably  the  source)  has  (Mk  v  43). 
If  Luke  had  omitted  it,  with  Matthew,  there  might  have  been  cause 
for  comment.  It  is  true  portraiture  of  the  Lord  Himself  that  leads 
Luke  to  blend  the  natural  and  supernatural  (cf.  Introd.,  p.  xxxvii). 
The  wonderfully  restored  life  is  to  resume  its  customary  routine. 

56.  charged  them  to  tell  no  mxin.  He  often  gave  similar  in- 
junctions. We  may  perhaps  see  special  appropriateness  here.  The 
bruiting  of  such  cases  would  have  embarrassed  His  Ministry, 
thronging  His  steps  with  bereaved  persons,  and  giving  a  false, 
thaumaturgic  perspective  of  His  work  and  function.  Physical 
death,  after  all,  is  normal  in  this  our  state,  if  disease  is  abnormal, 
and  would  outlast  the  elimination  of  disease.    Our  Lord  can  have 


118  ST  LUKE  [VIIIS6-IX1 

had  no  desire  to  raise  the  dead  on  a  large  scale.  The  actual  recorded 
cases  are  but  three  (see  note  on  vii  11-18),  though  others  are  hinted 
at.  His  healings,  on  the  other  hand  (cf.  iv  40,  vii  21,  viii  2,  ix  1,  11, 
X  13,  17,  xiii  32),  must  have  amounted  to  many  hundreds. 

Besides  this  there  was  the  personal  side — the  good  of  the  bene- 
ficiaries. The  gift  received  was  too  great  and  solemn  to  be  allowed 
to  '  evaporate  in  vainglorious  gossip  '  (Adeney).  To  thank  God 
for  it  at  home  would  be  far  more  profitable  than  talking  about  it 
abroad. 

No  such  command  is  recorded  as  given  at  Nain  (Lk  vii  16,  17) 
or  at  Bethany  (Jn  xi  44),  and  it  is  clear  that  something  of  a  sensation 
was  aroused  in  each  case  ;  the  latter  in  a  marked  degree  (Jn  xii  9), 
but  too  late  to  affect  the  purposes  of  the  Ministry. 

IX  1-50  Fourth  Period  and  Climax  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  : 
From  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve  to  the  end  of  the  Northern 
Ministry 

This  chapter  records  the  climax  of  the  Galilean  Ministry,  whether 
we  place  it  in  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  {vv.  12-17),  uniquely 
recorded  by  all  four  Evangelists,  the  moment  when  (Jn  vi  15) 
vast  crowds  were  eager  to  proclaim  Him  Nationalist  King — the 
summit,  therefore,  of  external  popular  success — or  in  the  Great 
Confession  {w.  20,  21),  which  may  be  counted  a  landmark  in 
Apostolic  belief  ;  or  in  the  Transfiguration  {vv.  28-36),  which  would 
doubtless  form  a  climax  to  the  inmost  circle  of  the  disciples,  and  in 
some  sense  a  fulfilment  of  the  promise  given  in  ix  27. 

It  contains  also  the  first  definite  references  by  our  Lord  to  His 
Passion — the  first  following  close  upon  Peter's  Confession  {v.  22). 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  Synoptic  Problem,  this  section 
has  a  special  interest  because  of  the  '  Great  Omission.'  After  the 
account  of  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (precisely  between 
vv.  17  and  18  of  this  chapter),  comes  a  long  section  of  Mk  vi  45 — 
viii  26,  of  which  there  is  no  trace  in  this  Gospel.  Up  to  that  point 
St  Luke  has  followed  the  Marcan  source  fairly  exactly,^  except  that 
he  eliminates  the  digression  on  the  Baptist's  imprisonment  (Mk  vi 
17-29),  having  already  recorded  it  succinctly  by  anticipation  in 
iii  19,  20. 

After  the  '  Great  Omission,'  he  again  takes  up  the  Marcan 
sequence,  and  follows  it  closely  to  the  end  of  this  section  (ix  50). 
His  chief  omissions  are  (a)  the  Rebuke  of  Peter,  following  on  the 
Great  Confession  (Mk  viii  32,  33)  ;  the  discussion  on  the  way  down 
from  the  Transfiguration  (Mk  ix  9-13),  and  the  Discourse  which, 
in  Mark,  follows  John's  statement  about  the  man  who  '  followeth 
not  us  '  (Mk  ix  41-50). 

^  Though,  according  to  Canon  Streeter's  latest  theory  (Hibbert  Journ.  Oct.  1921, 
pp.  103-112),  he  derived  from  Q  or  other  sources  rather  than  from  Mark  not  only 
the  matter  of  vi  20 — viii  3,  but  also  that  of  iii  I — iv  30.    Cf .  Introd.,  p.  xxiii,  note. 


IX 1-6]  ST  LUKE  119 

In  St  Matthew  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve  (together  with  their 
names)  is  recorded  at  the  beginning  of  oh  x,  and  the  departure  from 
Gahlee  after  the  end  of  eh  xviii.  His  narrative  varies  very  greatly 
from  the  other  two.  The  Mission  of  the  Twelve  (x  1),  Herod's 
Perplexity  (xiv  1),  and  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (xiv  15) 
(followed  by  some  of  the  items  of  Mk  vi  45  sqq.),  the  Great  Con- 
fession (followed  by  '  Tu  es  Petrus  '),  the  Prediction  of  the  Passion 
and  the  Rebuke  (xvi  13-28),  the  Transfiguration  and  the  Epileptic 
Boy  (xvii  1),  and  the  incident  of  the  little  child  (xviii  1)  follow  the 
Marcan  sequence,  but  large  blocks  of  other  matter  are  introduced 
between  the  earlier  items — matter  of  which  much  has  appeared 
earlier  in  Mark  and  Luke. 


(a)  1-6     The  Mission  of  the  Twelve 

Chosen  sometime  back  (Lkvi  13-16,Mkiii  14-19),  they  are  mentioned 
by  Matthew  first  at  this  point ;  but  he  assumes  a  previous  selection 
in  the  phrase  '  his  twelve  disciples  ')  ;  the  Twelve  are  now  sent  out 
two  by  two  on  a  definite  mission  of  preaching  and  healing  ;  even  as 
(according  to  St  Luke  x  1)  the  Seventy  were  sent  out  later.  How 
long  the  Mission  lasted  we  are  not  told.  Matthew  does  not  record 
their  return ;  Mark  and  Luke  interpose  no  event  between  the 
departure  and  return,  separating  them  by  a  digression  on  Herod 
and  John  Baptist  which  probably  refers  to  an  effect  of  the  Mission 
(see  note  on  ix  7). 

This  Mission  is  a  new  venture.  The  whole  body  hitherto  kept 
together  close  to  our  Lord's  Person  ('  that  they  might  be  with  him,' 
Mk  iii  14),  and,  supported  by  the  alms  and  ministrations  of  the 
faithful  women  (viii  3),  are  now  to  disperse  in  pairs  throughout  the 
villages,  and  win  experience  and  a  right  self-confidence,  trusting  to 
the  hospitality  of  those  to  whom  they  are  sent. 

IX  And  he  called  the  twelve  together,  and  gave  them 
power  and  authority  over  all  Mevils,  and  to  cure  diseases. 
2  And  he  sent  them  forth  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  to  heal  ^he  sick.  3  And  he  said  unto  them,  Take  nothing 
for  your  journey,  neither  staff,  nor  wallet,  nor  bread,  nor 
money  ;  neither  have  two  coats.  4  And  into  whatsoever 
house  ye  enter,  there  abide,  and  thence  depart.  5  And  as 
many  as  receive  you  not,  when  ye  depart  from  that  city, 
shake  off  the  dust  from  your  feet  for  a  testimony  against  them. 
6  And  they  departed,  and  went  throughout  the  villages, 
preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere. 

'  Gi".  demons.  ^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  the  sick. 


120  ST   LUKE  [IX 1-4 

1.  gave  them  power  and  authority.  '  Power,'  Luke  only.  The 
same  words,  in  the  same  order,  are  applied  to  om-  Lord  by  the 
onlookers  after  the  healing  of  the  demoniac  in  the  Sjaiagogue  at 
Capernaum.  Here  He  transmits  to  the  Twelve  gifts  which  He 
admittedly  possessed,  and  by  which  He  is  differentiated  from  the 
contemporary  Jewish  exorcists  (Lk  iv  36). 

over  all  devils  :   see  note  on  x  17. 

2.  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God :  not  teach  as  our  Lord  had  been 
doing,  but  to  '  announce  '  the  kingdom  ;  possibly,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Seventy  (x  1),  heralding  a  proximate  visit  of  Jesus  Himself. 

3-6.  And  he  said  unto  them.  The  charge,  as  given  here,  is  little 
fuller  than  that  in  St  Mark  (vi  8-13).  St  Matthew's  version  is  very 
much  longer,  occupying  nearly  a  whole  chapter  (Mat  x  5-42),  and 
he  gives  here  many  details  of  instruction  which  St  Luke  reserves 
for  the  Seventy  (Lk  x  2-16).  He  also  prefaces  the  calling  together 
of  the  Twelve  with  words  about  the  '  harvest  and  the  labourers  ' 
(Mat  ix  37,  38),  which  in  Lk  x  2  are  addressed  to  the  Seventy. 
Has  Luke  confused  the  testimony  of  his  sources,  and  made  two 
events  out  of  one  ?  A  priori  it  is  very  unlikely.  Dr  Vernon  Bartlet 
decides,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  phenomena  {Oxf.  Studies, 
pp.  324,  325),  '  That  Luke's  special  source  contained  both  of  these 
commissions,  in  terms  having  much  in  common,  is  the  hypothesis 
which  seems  best  to  fit  all  the  facts.'  Two  such  charges  would  be 
sure  to  have  '  much  in  common,'  and  (as  Dr  Bartlet  points  out), 
'  some  assimilation  of  language  between  them  would  easily  go  on 
in  tradition.'  An  instance  of  possible  confusion  arising  out  of  this 
similarity  is  found  in  Lk  xxii  35,  which  (unless  the  Twelve  were 
included  in  the  Seventy)  should  correspond  to  v.  3  here,  but 
actually  =  x  4. 

3.  Take  nothing  for  your  journey.  Like  the  first  preaching 
friars  of  the  thirteenth  century  they  would  quickly  win  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  by  throwing  themselves  trustfully  on  their 
hospitality. 

neither  staff.    Mark  says  '  only  a  staff.' 

wallet.  Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  p.  108)  quotes  a  Greek  inscription  to 
show  that  '  wallet  '  may  mean  here  (as  in  Shakespeare's  Troilus, 
III  iii  145)  a  bag  carried  by  a  beggar  for  alms  : 

Time  hath,  my  lord,  a  wallet  at  his  back 
Wherein  he  puts  alms  for  oblivion. 

The  Twelve  will  then  differ  from  the  friars  in  that  they  may  not  be 
mendicants,  begging  from  house  to  house.  In  fact,  the  next  verse 
precludes  this. 

4.  there  abide,  and  thence  depart :  balanced  in  the  charge  to  the 
Seventy  by  the  phrase  'Go  not  from  house  to  house'  (x  7).  The 
business  of  the  Missioners  is  not  to  be  feted.  A  quiet  stay  in  one 
house  will  give  them  most  time  and  the  best  opportunities.  Many 
of  these  injunctions  were,  in  principle,  adopted  bj'  the  Women 


1X5-9]  ST  LUKE  121 

Pilgrims  of  our  National  Mission  of  1915-1916,  and  their  practical 
value  proved  by  experience. 

5.  shake  off  the  dust.  St  Luke  records  how  Paul  and  Barnabas 
actually  employed  this  expressive  symbol  of  repudiation  on  leaving 
Antioch  in  Pisidia  (Ac  xiii  51).  The  same  gesture  is  named  in  the 
charge  to  the  Seventy  (x  11),  but  a  difiEerent  verb  is  used.  See  note 
on  that  passage. 

6.  'preaching  .  .  .  and  healing.  Christ's  care  for  body  and  soul 
alike  (so  strikingly  exhibited,  e.  g.  in  the  cure  of  the  paralysed  man, 
V  20-25),  has  been  characteristic  of  His  Church's  Mission,  at  her 
best,  throughout  the  centuries.  The  first  hospitals  on  a  large  scale 
were  founded  in  His  name  by  St  Basil  the  Great  in  the  fourth 
century  ;  Medical  Missions  in  the  East  are  among  the  most  successful 
— and  the  most  Christ-like — to-day.  On  Spiritual  Healing  of  the 
body,  see  note  on  iv  40. 

(b)  7-9    Herod's  Perplexity 

St  Luke  follows  the  Marcan  account  in  making  this  a  sequel  to 
the  Mission  of  the  Twelve.  Herod's  alarm  is  an  index  of  the  spread 
of  the  fame  of  Jesus,  and  so  of  the  immediate  success  of  the  Mission. 
St  Matthew  disconnects  it,  and  rather  strangely  places  it,  in  con- 
nexion with  the  story  of  the  Baptist's  imprisonment  and  martyrdom 
(xiv  1-12),  at  the  point  in  the  narrative  where  the  news  of  John's 
death  (xiv  13)  reaches  Jesus. 

7  Now  Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  of  all  that  was  done  : 
and  he  was  much  perplexed,  because  that  it  was  said  by  some, 
that  John  was  risen  from  the  dead  ;  8  and  by  some,  that 
Elijah  had  appeared  ;  and  by  others,  that  one  of  the  old 
prophets  was  risen  again.  9  And  Herod  said,  John  I  beheaded  : 
but  who  is  this,  about  whom  I  hear  such  things  ?  And  he 
sought  to  see  him. 

7.  Herod  the  tetrarch:  Herod  Antipas  (iii  1),  here  given  his 
correct  title  by  Luke  (as  by  Matthew).  Mark  accords  him  his 
courtesy  title  of  '  King.' 

all  that  was  done.  Especially  the  Mission  of  the  Twelve,  and  the 
interest  it  aroused  in  their  Master.  St  Matthew,  having  disconnected 
this  episode  from  the  Mission,  substitutes  '  heard  the  report  con- 
cerning Jesus.' 

it  was  said  by  some.  These  popular  rumours  are  reproduced  by 
the  disciples  in  answer  to  our  Lord's  question  at  Caesarea  Philippi 
(ix  19). 

9.  And  he  sought  to  see  him  :  leading  up  to  the  exclusively 
Lucan  episode  of  the  '  sending  to  Herod  '  in  the  Passion  narrative 
(xxiii  8b). 


122  ST  LUKE  [iXio.n 

(c)  10-17     Return  of  the  Twelve  ;  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand 

10,  11.  Return  of  the  Twelve.  St  Matthew  nowhere  men- 
tions the  return  of  the  Twelve.  Between  their  commission  (eh  x) 
and  the  episode  of  Herod's  perplexity  which  precedes  the  Miracle 
of  the  Five  Thousand,  he  interposes  (ch  xi)  the  Baptist's  embassy, 
the  rebuke  of  disbelieving  cities  (in  Luke  associated  with  commission 
of  the  Seventy),  the  outburst  of  Thanksgiving  (in  Luke  associated 
with  return  of  Seventy) ;  ch  xii,  the  incident  of  the  Cornfields,  the 
Withered  Hand,  the  Beelzebub  discussion,  the  demand  for  a  Sign, 
the  Mother  and  Brethren  ;  ch  xiii  the  first  group  of  Parables.  In 
Mark  and  Luke  the  digression  about  Herod  is  followed  immediately 
by  the  notice  of  the  return  of  the  Twelve  and  the  Miracle  of  the 
Loaves  and  Fishes.  But  the  Marcan  narrative  is  full  of  little 
picturesque  terms  not  found  here,  which  favours  the  conjecture 
that  Luke  must  have  had  a  separate,  partly  parallel  source  which 
ceases  at  the  close  of  the  Five  Thousand  (Lk  ix  17,  Mk  vi  44) ; 
cf.  below,  notes  on  vv.  10,  14,  and  17.  The  theory  is  adduced  by 
Dr  J.  V.  Bartlet,  Oxf.  Studies,  p.  324. 

10  And  the  apostles,  when  they  were  returned,  declared 
unto  him  what  things  they  had  done.  And  he  took  them,  and 
withdrew  apart  to  a  city  called  Bethsaida.  1 1  But  the  multi- 
tudes perceiving  it  followed  him  :  and  he  welcomed  them,  and 
spake  to  them  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  them  that  had  need 
of  healing  he  healed. 

10.  what  things  they  had  done :  as  already  sketched  in  v.  6. 
There  is  eloquent  testimony  to  the  success  of  their  Mission  in 
xxii  35,  where  in  reply  to  our  Lord's  question  on  the  night  of  betrayal 
they  are  prompt  to  own  that  they  '  lacked  nothing.' 

withdrew  apart.  Mark's  version  (vi  31)  is  much  more  explicit. 
'  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  a  while. 
For  there  were  many  coming  and  going,  &c.'  Here,  though  the 
Lord's  words  are  not  given,  the  implication  is  the  same.  They 
needed  rest  of  nerve  and  spirit — in  fact,  that  exercise  of  '  Retreat ' 
for  which  this  incident  has  always  provided  the  most  obvious  text. 

to  a  city  called  Bethsaida.  The  other  two  Synoptists,  and  the 
fourth  Evangelist  also  (Jn  vi  1),  make  it  clear  that  they  crossed 
the  Lake  by  boat,  into  a  desert  place,  but  name  no  city.  If  St  Luke 
is  right  in  naming  the  city,  it  is.  probably  to  be  identified  with 
Bethsaida  Julias  (see  note  on  x  13). 

The  gloss  represented  by  the  A.  V.  here,  to  a  desert  place  belonging 
to  a  city  called  B.,  which  has  large  though  insufficient  MS  authority, 
is  doubtless  an  early  and  a  true  gloss.  The  city  itself  is  excluded 
by  vv.  11,  12.  On  the  traditional  site  of  this  miracle  a  modern 
writer  records  a  touching  custom  of  the  Russian  pilgrims,  who 


iaii-i7]  ST  LUKE  123 

bring  bread  with  them  from  Jerusalem,  and  distribute  it  on  the 
spot  to  each  one  present  (Stephen  Graham). 

11.  But  the  multitudes  .  .  .  followed  him.  Here  again,  as  twice 
at  least  before  (see  note  on  viii  23),  His  desire  for  retirement  was 
to  be  thwarted  by  the  very  effectiveness  of  His  mission. 

and  he  welcomed  them:  as  always  (cf.  Mat  xi  28).  So  the  tired 
parish  priest  after  an  exhausting  day's  work  welcomes  an  un- 
expected call  to  pastoral  activity. 

h£.  healed.  Mark  (neither  Matthew  nor  John)  speaks  of  '  teach- 
ing '  here  ;  Luke  the  Physician  alone  of  '  healing.' 

12-17.  The  Five  Thousand.  (Trench,  if  ir.,  pp.  281-294;  Latham, 
Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  22,  30  sqq. )  These  crowds,  whose  eager  converg- 
ing is  vividly  described  by  St  Mark  (vi  33),  probably  represent  the 
maximum  number  confronted  by  our  Lord  at  any  one  time  until  the 
Passion.  As  such,  they  constitute  this  miracle — the  only  one 
recorded  by  all  four  Evangelists — in  one  sense  the  climax  of  the 
Galilean  ministry  (cf.  Jn  vi  15).  There  was,  as  Dr  Plummer 
puts  it,  '  no  counter-attraction  '  ;  for  the  Twelve  had  returned, 
and  the  Baptist  was  dead.  This  occasion  is  important  as  (a)  the 
first  on  which  om"  Lord  deals  with  masses  of  people,  and  (b)  the 
first  also  on  which  He  uses  the  Apostles  as  agents  in  a  miracle.  It 
is  a  natmral  sequel  to  their  Mission. 

12  And  the  day  began  to  wear  away  ;  and  the  twelve 
came,  and  said  unto  him,  Send  the  multitude  away,  that  they 
may  go  into  the  villages  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  than  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  ;  except  we 
should  go  and  buy  food  for  all  this  people.  14  For  they  were 
about  five  thousand  men.  And  he  said  unto  his  disciples, 
Make  them  ^sit  down  in  companies,  about  fifty  each,  15  And 
they  did  so,  and  made  them  all  ^sit  down.  16  And  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  that  which  remained  over  to 
them  of  broken  pieces,  twelve  baskets. 

1  Gr.  recline. 

12.  the  twelve  came,  and  said  unto  him.  So,  too,  the  other  two 
Synoptists  put  the  initiative  with  the  Disciples.  St  John,  on  the 
contrary,  makes  our  Lord  take  the  initiative,  and  in  so  doing  he  is 
very  likely  consciously  correcting  the  previous  narratives  from  his 


124  ST   LUKE  [IX 12-17 

personal  memory  (his  own  narrative,  bearing  unmistakable  evidence 
of  an  eyewitness,  is  of  first-rate  importance  here). 

The  thought  may  have  occurred  independently  to  Christ  and  to 
His  disciples,  and  Jesus  have  put  His  own  question  to  Philip  in 
John's  hearing,  while  some  of  the  others,  unaware  of  this,  pro- 
pounded the  problem  to  Him  independently  soon  afterwards. 

13.  Give  ye.  The  pronoun  is  emphatic.  '  It  is  you,  not  they, 
who  have  to  find  the  food.'  There  is  a  curious  anticipation  of  this 
situation  in  the  query  of  Elisha's  servant  when  a  hundred  un- 
expected guests  were  to  be  fed  :  '  What,  should  I  set  this  before 
an  hundred  men  ?  But  he  said.  Give  the  people,  that  they  may 
eat  .  .  .'  (2  Kgs  iv  43).  According  to  Mark  and  John  it  would  have 
cost  more  than  200  denarii  to  feed  them  with  bread  in  the  ordinary 
way. 

We  Imve  no  more  tlmn  five  loaves,  dkc.  So  Matthew  and  Mark  ; 
John  (vi  9)  makes  Andrew  say,  'There  is  a  lad  here,'  (perhaps  carrying 
the  rations  of  the  Twelve)  '  which  hath  five  barley  loaves,  and  two 
fishes.'  No  doubt,  again  a  conscious  correction  of,  or  addition  to, 
the  synoptic  narrative. 

14.  about  five  thousand  men :  '  males  '  (avSpts)  specifies  Luke  ; 
the  other  three,  more  explicitly,  add  '  apart  from  women  and 
children.'    Perhaps  7,000  to  7,500  in  all. 

Make  them  sit  down.  St  Mark's  narrative  is,  here  again,  strikingly 
more  picturesque  axid  vivid,  Li  common  with  Matthew  and  John 
he  mentions  the  '  green  grass  '  (showing  that  it  was  the  spring 
season),  and  exclusively  he  pictures  the  '  banqueting-companies  ' 
of  fifty,  in  their  varied  oriental  garb,  as  so  many  '  flower-beds  ' 
spread  over  the  turf.     (Mk  vi  39,  40.) 

16.  Here,  at  the  supreme  moment  of  the  narrative,  the  thiee 
Synoptists  agree  almost  verbatim.  Even  if  their  soiurces  were 
different,  we  should  expect  in  each  greater  exactness  at  this  point. 
St  John  for  '  blessed  '  (evXoyqaev)  has  '  gave  thanks  '  (ci-xapto-TT^o-as) — 
significantly  ;  for  this  miracle  and  the  Sermon  upon  it  which  he  alone 
records  (preached  on  the  morrow,  a  Sabbath,  in  the  Synagogue  at 
Capernaum,  Jn  vi  22-65),  takes  the  place  in  his  narrative  of  the 
institution  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  (Lk  xxii  14-23),  even  as  the 
discourse  to  Nicodemus  (Jn  iii)  seems  to  take  the  place  of  St  Mat- 
thew's record  of  the  institution  of  Christian  Baptism  (Mat  xxviii  19). 
If,  however,  Christ  did  prepare  His  disciples  for  the  Eucharist  to 
come  by  a  discourse  on  the  '  Bread  of  l2fe,'  that  does  not  make 
this  '  blessing  '  here  a  consecration  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  any 
more  than  the  blessing  of  Lk  xxiv  30  (see  note  there). 

Every  pious  head  of  a  Jewish  household  solemnly  blessed  God 
and  gave  thanks  at  every  meal.  The  disciples  must  have  been  long 
accustomed  to  this  practice  on  their  Master's  part ;  but  never  yet 
had  they  seen  so  Divine  a  response  to  the  Benediction. 

17.  were  all  filled.  How  ?  This  is  the  best  attested  of  all  our 
Lord's  miracles  (of.  Weiss,  quoted  at  length  by  Plummer  ad  loc), 


1 


IX 17-20]  ST   LUKE  125 

aad  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  rationalize.  If  each  of  the  hungry 
people  could  have  been  given  a  tiny  fragment  of  food,  and  the  rest 
done  by  suggestion,  that  might  yield  a  possible  explanation.  But 
the  disproportion  between  the  available  food  and  the  numbers  to 
be  fed  make  it  a  physical  impossibility. 

To  disciples  in  all  ages  who  have  seen,  in  the  spiritual  sphere, 
their  mean  and  minute  contributions  to  the  feeding  of  His  flock 
blessed  and  multiplied  beyond  belief,  the  story  of  the  Miracle  is  so 
charged  with  meaning  that  they  cease  to  question. 

St  Augustine  (on  8t  John  xxiv  init.,  cf.  also  Serm.  cxxx  1,  quoted 
by  Trench,  pp.  288,  289)  characteristically  suggests  that  in  this 
work  and  the  Miracle  of  Cana  we  see  the  Creative  Word  effecting 
in  a  moment  what  He  does  year  by  year  in  the  succession  of  the 
seasons — multiplying  wine  and  bread  in  the  vintage  and  the  harvest. 

It  would  be  more  consonant  with  present-day  ideas  of  our 
Lord's  marvellous  works  if  (without  derogation  to  the  reality  of 
His  Divinity)  we  could  attribute  them  all  to  the  perfection  of  that 
human  nature  which  He  assumed  at  the  Incarnation.  Cf.  note 
on  iv.  40. 

After  this  verse  comes  the  '  Great  Omission.'  Our  Gospel  passes 
over  the  substance  of  Mk  vi  45 — viii  26,  and  takes  up  the  Marcan 
narrative  at  viii  27,  Peter's  Great  Confession,  the  scene  of  which  is 
placed  by  both  Matthew  and  Mark  at  Caesarea  Philippi.  Of  the 
various  attempted  explanations  of  this  phenomenon  (see  Preliminary 
Note  on  iv  14 — ix  50,  p.  57,  and  cf .  Introd.,  p.  xli)  perhaps  the  simplest 
is  that  of  Dr  Vernon  Bartlet  {Oxf.  Studies,  p.  324),  who  thinks 
that  here  St  Luke  is  working  upon  a  source  other  than  our  second 
Gospel,  but  largely  parallel  with  it,  which  contained  the  substance  of 
Mk  vi  7-44  followed  immediately  by  that  of  Mk  viii  27  sqq.  See 
also  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Studies,  pp.  62-79. 

(d)   18-27     St  Peter's  Confession  and  the  Doctrine  of  the  Cross 

18-20.  The  Great  Confession.  As  the  Feeding  of  the  Five 
Thousand,  with  its  excited  enthusiasm  (Jn  vi  15),  can  claim  to 
be  the  climax  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  so  far  as  the  crowds  were 
concerned  ;  so  this  to  the  circle  of  the  intimate  Disciples.  The 
Synoptists  agree,  St  Matthew  most  emphatically  (see  Mat  xvi 
17-19),  that  it  marks  a  crisis  in  the  Disciples'  conception  of  the 
Person  of  their  Master ;  and  whereas  St  John  seems  to  antedate 
the  definite  expression  of  the  Lord's  claims,  and  their  perception 
of  His  Messiahship  (see,  e.  g.,  Jn  i  41,  45, 49),  the  probabilities  would 
seem  to  be  in  favour  of  a  true  perspective  in  the  earlier  narratives  ; 
and  though  in  general  St  John's  memory  of  actual  facts  and  incidents 
be  accurate  enough  to  warrant  his  detailed  corrections  (see  notes 
on  vv.  12,  13  above),  yet  after  many  years  his  picture  of  the  trend 
of  feelings,  movements,  thoughts,  and  attitudes  might  suffer  from 
'  foreshortening.' 


126  ST   LUKE  [IX 18-20 

18  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  praying  alone,  the 
disciples  were  with  him  :  and  he  asked  them,  saying.  Who  do 
the  multitudes  say  that  I  am  ?  19  And  they  answering  said, 
John  the  Baptist  ;  but  others  say,  Elijah  ;  and  others,  that 
one  of  the  old  prophets  is  risen  again.  20  And  he  said  unto 
them,  But  who  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  And  Peter  answering  said, 
The  Christ  of  God. 

18.  as  he  was  praying  alone.  Very  characteristic  of  this  Gospel ; 
see  note  on  iii  21,  ix  28,  and  Introduction,  p.  xl.  The  scene,  as  the 
other  Synoptists  tell  us,  is  Caesarea  Philippi,  on  the  northern 
frontier  of  Palestine,  where  Judaism  and  Paganism  met.  (See  note 
on  X  13.) 

he  asked  them  :  realizing  that  it  was  now  time  that  their  con- 
ception of  Him  should  become  less  naive  and  nebulous.  The  first 
question  {v.  18)  is  the  prelude  to  the  second  {v.  20). 

19.  they  answering  said.  The  wording  of  their  answer  is  a 
reproduction  of  ix  7,  8 — the  reports  that  had  reached  Herod.  We 
may  compare  the  questions  asked  of  the  Baptist  by  the  deputation 
from  Jerusalem,  Jn  i  19-21. 

20.  Peter :  as  always,  foremost  (cf.  viii  45,  ix  33)  ;  here  to  his 
credit.  His  answer,  as  given  by  the  three  Synoptists,  may  be 
tabulated  as  follows  : 

Mk  (viii  29),  '  Thou  art  the  Christ.' 

Lk  (ix  20),  '  The  Christ  of  God.' 

Mat  (xvi  16),  '  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.' 

The  Christ  of  God,  i.  e.  the  Messiah,  whom  God  has  anointed 
and  sent.  All  three  Synoptists  evidently  regard  it  as  the  first 
confession  of  Jesus  as  Messiah. 

St  Matthew  alone  (xvi  17-19)  records  the  famous  response  of 
our  Lord,  Tu  es  Petrus,  on  which  so  much  (besides  the  Church 
itself)  has  been  built  (see  Micklem,  St  Matthew,  pp.  166-168,  in  this 
series) :  and  he,  as  well  as  St  Mark,  follows  it  up  by  the  severe  rebuke 
to  Peter,  '  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  '  (Mat  xvi  23,  Mk  viii  33). 
St  Luke,  impartially,  omits  both.  Probably  they  were  not  in  his 
source  ;  but  he  has  been  accused  (A.  B.  Bruce,  Expos.  Gk.  Test,  i  46, 
ap.  Oxf.  Studies,  p.  70)  of  a  tendency  to  leave  out  or  soften  down 
incidents  humiliating  to  the  Disciples — a  tendency  to  '  spare  the 
twelve.'  (For  the  grounds  of  this  supposition — which  is,  of  course, 
in  line  with  his  genial  and  sympathetic  nature — see  instances 
adduced  by  Sir  John  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Studies,  as  above.) 

The  fourth  Evangelist,  who  has  so  little  to  say  about  the 
Northern  Ministry,  says  nothing  of  Confession  or  Rebuke  ;  but  in 
his  first  Epistle  he  has  a  close  parallel  :  '  Whosoever  believeth  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  begotten  of  God  '  (1  Jn  v  1,  cf.  iv  2).  Cf.  also 
Rom  X  9,  Philii  11. 


IX  21-27]  ST   LUKE  127 

21-27.    The  Doctrine  of  the  Cboss. 

21  But  he  charged  them,  and  commanded  them  to  tell  this 
to  no  man  ;  22  saying,  The  Son  of  man  must  suffer  many- 
things,  and  be  rejected  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and 
scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  the  third  day  be  raised  up.  23  And 
he  said  unto  all,  If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  me. 

24  For  whosoever  would  save  his  ^life  shall  lose  it  ;  but  who- 
soever shall  lose  his  ^life  for  my  sake,  the  same  shall  save  it. 

25  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  or  forfeit  his  own  self  ?  26  For  whosoever  shall  be 
ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words,  of  him  shall  the  Son  of  man 
be  ashamed,  when  he  cometh  in  his  own  glory,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  holy  angels.  27  But  I  tell  you  of 
a  truth.  There  be  some  of  them  that  stand  here,  which  shall  in 
no  wise  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 

*  Or,  soul 

21.  he  charged  them,  and  commanded  them :  very  emphatic. 
After  the  recent  attempt  (Jn  vi  15)  to  force  Him  to  lead  a  Nationalist 
insurrection,  it  was  clear  that  the  proclamation  of  His  Messiahship 
would  lead  to  more  harm  than  good.  According  to  the  fourth 
Evangelist  the  Samaritan  Woman  (Jn  iv  26,  29)  had  already 
recognized  it — but  that  was  in  the  isolated  Samaritan  country. 

22.  The  Son  of  man  must  suffer  many  things,  d;c.  This  is 
Christ's  first  'Prediction  of  His  Passion.'  He  makes  haste  to  set 
before  them — what  had  surely  been  made  clearer  to  Him  in  His 
time  of  prayer  {v.  18) — the  difference  between  what  actually  awaits 
Him  and  the  career  of  earthly  glory  and  conquest  popularly 
expected  for  Him.  This  is  a  turning-point  in  the  Gospel  story,  as 
Mk  viii  31  and  Mat  xvi  21  make  clear.  The  definite  expression  of 
what  awaits  Him  (which  must  have  been  with  Him,  in  embryo  at 
least,  since  the  Temptation)  now  first  reaches  His  disciples,  and  the 
shadow  of  the  Cross  is  over  the  rest  of  their  wanderings.  The 
thought  recurs  in  our  Gospel  at  the  Transfiguration  (ix  31  and  xiii 
33) ;  at  ix  44  comes  the  second  Prediction  ;  the  third  at  xvii  25  ;  the 
fourth  and  fullest  Prediction  at  xviii  31-33.  The  phenomena  of 
these  Predictions  of  the  Passion  are  of  some  interest,  and  desiderate 
further  study. 

St  Mark  gives  three  Predictions,  in  something  like  an  ascending 
scale.  The  first  (viii  31,  cf.  Mat  xvi  21)  answers  to  this  almost  word 
for  word  ;  the  second  (ix  31,  cf.  Mat  xvii  22)  comes  after  the  incident 
of  the  Epileptic  Boy,  and  adds  the  new  thought  of  '  delivery  into 
the  hands  of  men,'  the  third  (x  33,  34,  not  in  Mat),  uttered  on 


128  ST   LUKE  [ix  22-24 

the  last  journey  to  Jerusalem,  is  the  fullest  of  all,  and  refers  to 
the  Mocking,  Spitting,  and  Scourging.  St  Luke  gives  all  three,  and 
at  the  same  points  in  the  narrative.  His  second  (ix  44)  is  briefest, 
and  gives  nothing  but  the  differentia — '  shall  be  delivered  up  into  the 
hands  of  men  '  ;  his  first  and  fourth  are  closely  parallel  to  the 
Marcan  first  and  third,  the  fourth  even  fuller,  adding  '  shamefully 
intreated.'  St  Luke  adds  (ix  31)  a  reference  to  His  '  Decease  ' 
(c^oSos)  at  the  Transfiguration  itself,  and  St  Matthew  (xvii  12),  an 
incidental  reference  to  His  '  suffering  '  on  the  way  down  from  the 
mountain  (cf.  Mk  ix  12). 

That  the  details  should  become  clearer  to  our  Lord's  mind  as 
'  His  hour  '  drew  nearer  is  quite  natural,  with  His  constant  medi- 
tation on  the  Father's  will  and  dedication  of  Himself  to  the 
Messianic  purpose  (cf.  Jn  v  30  and  passim). 

What  is  not  so  clear  is  (a)  why  at  the  first  announcement  (here 
and  Mk  viii  31)  He  should  disclose  so  much  detail  to  His  disciples, 
and  (6)  how,  if  He  did  so,  they  could  have  remained  so  obtuse  as 
they  are  consistently  represented  to  have  been  in  the  narrative 
(see  ix  45,  xviii  34,  xxiv  18-27).  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  ii  86  sqq., 
suggests  that  the  language  of  this  first  Prediction  may  reflect 
something  of  the  Evangelists'  later  experience.  '  The  Evangelists 
wrote  it  down  in  plain  language,  as  fully  taught  them  by  later 
experience,  that  He  was  to  be  rejected  by  the  Rulers  of  Israel, 
slain,  and  to  rise  again  the  third  day.  And  there  can  be  as  little 
doubt  that  Christ's  language  (as  afterwards  they  looked  back  upon 
it)  must  have  clearly  implied  all  this,  as  that  at  the  time  they  did 
not  fully  understand  it.' 

If  the  mention  of  the  Cross  comes  strangely  early  (but  cf .  v  35 
note) — St  Matthew  mentions  it,  x  35,  in  the  commission  to  the 
Twelve,  St  Luke  first  here  (unless  we  are  to  reckon  the  allusion  in 
V  35) — we  must  remember  how  common  a  sight  it  must  have  been, 
under  Roman  rule,  to  see  a  file  of  the  condemned  passing  by  laden 
with  the  instruments  of  their  own  crucifixion.  So  the  obviously 
symbolic  reference  to  the  Cross  in  v.  23  may  have  blinded  the 
disciples'  eyes  to  the  literal  meaning  of  the  Lord's  prediction  here. 
They  perhaps  took  it  as  a  vivid  symbolic  picture  of  an  official 
rejection  of  His  teaching  and  claims,  followed  by  a  swift  revival 
and  triumph. 

23.  //  any  man  vx)uld  come  after  me:  'If  any  man  wills  to 
come  ' — like  St  John's  '  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  his  will  '  (vii  17). 
The  saying  is  definitely  addressed  '  to  all,'  and  is  not  a  '  counsel  of 
perfection  '  for  the  few. 

let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily.  The  last  word, 
'  daily,'  is  peculiar  to  Luke.  Matthew  gives  the  rest  (x  38,  39)  at 
the  commission  of  the  Twelve,  Mark  here. 

To  '  take  up  one's  Cross  '  may  have  been  a  proverbial  expression 
(cf.  last  note).    He  has  not  yet  mentioned  crucifixion. 

24.  save'his  life,  dec. :  bj'^  cowardice  and  self-seeking — will  have 
no  life  left  worth  having. 


1X24-28]  ST   LUKE  129 

lose  his  life :  a  fuller  expression  of  the  deny  himself  of  v.  23 ; 
real  self-abnegation  by  absorption  in  the  loyalty  of  following  Christ. 

The  raart5rr-spirit — whether  it  be  actually  called  to  martyrdom 
or  not — is  the  victorious  spirit.  He  who  gives  all,  wins  all.  Self- 
giving  is  the  Divine  law  of  life,  for  God  is  Love  (1  Jn  iv  16),  and 
therefore  of  blessedness  ;  and  by  self -surrender  we  find  our  true 
selves.    Cf.  2Timii  11-13. 

25.  what  is  a  man  profited  ?  The  Parable  of  the  Rich  Fool 
(xii  16-21)  is  a  comment  on  this  sajdng. 

26.  27.  The  announcement  of  the  Second  Advent  in  glory 
(couched  in  familiar  terms  habitually  applied  by  Jewish  apocaljrpse 
to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah)  appropriately  follows  the  Prediction 
of  the  Passion  ;  even  as  the  similar  utterance  recorded  by  St  Mat- 
thew (xxvi  64)  is  made  at  the  moment  of  His  condemnation  by  the 
Sanhedrin. 

27.  some  of  them  that  stand  here.  There  is  a  similar  saying  in  the 
great  Eschatological  Discourse  (xxi  32),  'This  generation  shall  not 
pass  away,  till  all  things  be  accomplished  '  ;  and  St  Matthew  gives 
one  of  apparently  like  import  earlier  in  the  charge  to  the  Twelve 
(x  23),  'Ye  shall  not  have  gone  through  the  cities  of  Israel,  till  the 
Son  of  man  be  come  ' — a  verse  rendered  famous  by  the  use  made 
of  it  in  Schweitzer's  Quest  of  the  Historical  Jesus.  These  sayings  are 
not  very  easy  to  justify  from  the  point  of  view  of  subsequent  historyj 
and  many  have  been  led  to  believe  that  the  limitations  of  our  Lord's 
manhood — emphasized  by  Himself,  in  this  context,  in  Mat  xxiv  36 
('  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father  only  ') — caused  in  His  mind 
a  '  foreshortening '  of  the  events  which  were  to  follow  His  Passion. 

The  three  sayings  quoted  above  (Lk  ix  27,  xxi  32,  and  Mat  x  23) 
would  all  find  a  literal,  if  partial,  fulfilment  in  that  '  Advent  for 
Judgement '  which  is  represented  by  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  a.  d.  70. 
The  saying  here  is  by  all  three  Synoptists  located  as  a  prelude  to 
the  Transfiguration.  We  may  (with  the  majority  of  the  Christian 
Fathers)  adopt  this  interpretation  ourselves,  with  the  proviso  that 
it  does  not  exhaust  the  meaning  of  the  saying. 

The  '  Exodus  '  of  Jesus,  followed  by  the  Descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  its  immediate  consequences,  certainly  constituted  a 
'  Coming  of  the  Kingdom  ' — the  Transfiguration  was,  to  the  three, 
an  earnest  and  a  foretaste  of  it.  The  passing  of  the  Old  Covenant, 
in  A.  D.  70,  represented  another  stage,  which  John,  and  doubtless 
others  (though  not  Peter  or  James),  lived  to  see. 

(e)  28-36     The  Transfiguration 

This  episode  is  given  by  all  three  Synoptists  (cf.  Mat  xvii  1-8, 
Mk  ix  2-8),  and  all  are  in  substantial  agreement  as  to  the  facts, 
though  it  is  not  easy  to  piece  together  the  resultant  picture  in  all  its 
details,  as  each  Evangelist  has  touches  of  his  own.  The  Lucan 
diction  and  phraseology  is  very  marked  in  these   verses  ;    the 


130  ST   LUKE  [IX  28-34 

substantial  contribution  of  his  account  is  (1)  that  Moses  and  Elijah 
'  appeared  in  glory,  and  spake  of  his  decease  which  he  was  about  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem  '  {v.  31),  and  (2)  that  the  disciples  were 
'  heavy  with  sleep  '  and  afterwards  '  fully  awake  '  {v.  32).  St  Mat- 
thew adds  that  it  was  (1)  a  '  luminous  '  cloud  that  overshadowed 
them  {v.  5),  that  they  were  '  sore  afraid  '  and  '  fell  on  their  faces  ' 
{v.  6),  and  that  '  Jesus  came  and  touched  them  '  {v.  1)  ;  St  Mark 
alone  emphasizes  the  whiteness  of  the  garment's  appearance  {v.  3). 

The  only  other  clear  allusion  to  the  event  is  in  2  Pet  i  17,  18. 
Either  Peter,  James,  or  John  must  have  originally  told  the  stoiy  ; 
and  if  it  was  Peter,  it  is  tempting  to  suppose  that,  if  2  Peter  as 
a  whole  be  pseudonymous,  those  verses  may  belong  to  an  original 
nucleus  of  the  (admittedly  later)  Epistle,  from  the  hand  of  the 
Apostle  himself.  If  so  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  record  of 
the  Voice  in  2  Pet  i  17  corresponds  most  closely  to  St  Matthew's 
version.     (But  see  below  on  v.  35.) 

As  to  the  significance  of  the  event ;  one  of  its  principal  lessons 
(cf.  V.  32  and  the  previous  Prediction  of  the  Passion,  w.  21  sqq.) 
would  seem  to  be  that  in  the  Cross  the  Son  of  Man  is  glorified 
(Jn  xiii  31).  Plummer  aptly  quotes  from  a  sermon  of  St  Leo. 
In  Transfiguratione  illud  principaliter  agebatur  ut  de  cordibus  disci- 
pulorum  scandalum  crucis  tolleretur.  (Serm.  xliv,  Migne,  PL. 
liv  310.) 

For  an  eloquent  and  graphic  description  of  the  scene  see 
Edersh.  L.  and  T.  (Bk  iv,  ch  1),  vol.  ii,  pp.  91  sqq.,  esp.  93-98. 
Also  Ruskin,  Modern  Painters,  Part  V,  ch  xx :  '  The  Mountain 
Glory.' 

28  And  it  came  to  pass  about  eight  days  after  these  sayings, 
he  took  with  him  Peter  and  John  and  James,  and  went  up 
into  the  mountain  to  pray.  29  And  as  he  was  praying,  the 
fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered,  and  his  raiment 
became  white  and  dazzling.  30  And  behold,  there  talked  with 
him  two  men,  which  were  Moses  and  Elijah  ;  31  who  appeared 
in  glory,  and  spake  of  his  ^decease  which  he  was  about  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  32  Now  Peter  and  they  that  were 
with  him  were  heavy  with  sleep  :  but  ^when  they  were  fully 
awake,  they  saw  his  glory,  and  the  two  men  that  stood  with 
him.  33  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were  parting  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  Elijah  :  not  knowing  what  he  said.  34  And 
while  he  said  these  things,  there  came  a  cloud,  and  over- 

*  Or,  departure  *  Or,  having  remained  awake  '  Or,  booths 


IX28-30]  ST   LUKE  131 

shadowed  them  :  and  they  feared  as  they  entered  into  the 
cloud.  35  And  a  voice  came  out  of  the  cloud,  saying,  This  is 
^my  Son,  my  chosen  :  hear  ye  him.  36  And  when  the  voice 
^came,  Jesus  was  found  alone.  And  they  held  their  peace, 
and  told  no  man  in  those  days  any  of  the  things  which  they 
had  seen. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  read  my  beloved  Son.     See  Mat  xvli  5  ;  Mk  ix  7. 
^  Or,  ivas  past 

28.  about  eight  days  :  '  six  days  '  in  Matthew  and  Mark.  Luke 
adds  in  the  extremes  (cf.  '  after  three  days  '  of  the  Resurrection — 
i.  e.  from  Friday  evening  till  Sunday  morning).  A  week's  pause  for 
meditation  on  the  teaching  of  ix  21-27,  in  the  beautiful  neighbour- 
hood of  Caesarea  Philippi,  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Hermon. 

Peter  and  John  and  James.    See  note  on  viii  51. 

into  the  mountain.  Not  Tabor,  in  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  for  it 
had  a  village  at  the  top,  which  Josephus  subsequently  fortified 
against  Vespasian  {B.J.  IV  i  8) ;  yet  the  tradition  of  Tabor  (found 
in  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  xii  16)  is  so  strong  in  the  East  that  the  Feast 
of  August  6  is  called  to  Oa^wptov.  Matthew  and  Mark  both  specify 
'  a  high  mountain.'  Hermon,  the  snowy  height  that  dominates  the 
whole  of  Palestine,  is  almost  certainly  '  the  mountain,'  though  we 
cannot  suppose  that  they  made  the  elaborate  Alpine  ascent  to  one 
of  the  highest  peaks  something  like  9,200  feet  up.  The  text  says 
'  into  '  the  mountain. 

28, 29.  to  pray . .  .ashe  was  praying.  Only  (and  characteristically) 
in  St  Luke.  Prayer  had  given  Him  the  vision  of  the  Holy  Dove, 
and  the  first  '  Voice  '  (iii  21  sq.),  prayer  was  to  give  Him  the  vision 
of  the  angel  in  Gethsemane  (xxii  43)  ;  here,  at  the  climax  and 
middle  point  of  His  Ministry,  it  is  to  give  Him  an  earnest  of  the 
post-resurrection  glory — that  which  He  declined,  as  premature,  in 
the  Temptation  (cf.  note  on  iv  9). 

the  fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered.  Matthew  and  Mark 
give  phrases  corresponding  to  '  metamorphosis,'  which  Luke  the 
Gentile  naturally  avoids,  because  of  the  pagan  associations  of  that 
word.    Matthew  adds  '  his  face  shone  as  the  sun.' 

his  raiment.  An  instance  of  the  power  of  spirit  over  matter 
familiar  to  all  spiritualists.  The  spiritual  visitants  at  the  sepulchre 
appear  as  '  two  men  in  dazzling  apparel '  (xxiv  4)  and  so  too  the 
angels  of  the  Ascension  (Ac  i  10). 

30.  two  men,  which  were  Moses  and  Elijah.  The  word  translated 
'  which  '  (otTtves)  may  mean  '  such  that  they  were  '  (i.  e.  '  who 
obviously  were  '),  or  '  who  (though  the  disciples  did  not  realize  it 
at  the  moment),  as  a  matter  of  fact,  were.' 

They  represent  respectively  the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  It  is 
perhaps  not  without  significance  that  of  each  it  should  have  been 
recorded  that  he  fasted  forty  days  in  solitude  on,  or  near,  the 

9-2 


132  ST   LUKE  [IX  30-33 

'  Mount  of  God  '  (Ex  xxiv  18,  1  Kgs  xix  8).  F.  J.  Badcock  {J.T.S., 
July  1921)  suggests  that  it  was  really  Moses  and  John  the  Baptist 
who  appeared — the  first  and  last  of  the  '  Prophets.'  Cf .  Mat  xi  13,14, 
Mk  ix  11-13. 

31.  spahe  0}  his  decease  :  His  '  exodus '  {Uoho%)  or  '  going 
forth.'  Plummer  notices  how  in  Ac  xiii  24,  in  his  record  of  St  Paul's 
sermon  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  Luke  uses  the  corresponding  word 
eio-oSos — '  coming  in  ' — of  His  first  Advent  proclaimed  by  John. 
Mystically  the  triumph  through  death  which  He  '  accomplished  at 
Jerusalem  '  is  the  antitype  of  that  '  Exodus  '  which  the  Passover 
feast  commemorated.  '  Christ  our  Passover '  is  the  burden  of  the 
Easter  Psalm. 

32.  heavy  with  sleep.  Is  this  verse  added  to  explain  what 
happened  before  the  Vision  ?  It  is  very  natural  if  we  suppose,  with 
Edersheim,  that  they  began  their  ascent  after  sunset  on  the  Friday 
and  arrived  in  full  night.  Here  there  is  no  reproach  from  Christ,  as 
to  the  three  when  '  heavy  with  sleep  in  Gethsemane  '  (Lk  xxii  46). 

when  they  were  fully  awake  :  literally  (cf.  R.V.  margin)  having 
remained  awake.  It  may  be  interpreted  that  they  fought  the  drowsi- 
ness, and  saw  the  Vision  between  sleeping  and  waking. 

they  saw  his  glory.  So  2  Pet  i  17  ;  cf .  Jn  i  14.  The  Fourth 
Evangelist  does  not  mention  this  great  event ;  but  neither  does  he 
refer  to  many  another  undisputed  episode.  Presumably  he  had 
nothing  to  add  or  to  correct.  But  there  is  an  atmosphere  of  the 
Transfiguration  pervading  his  entire  Gospel,  from  i  14  onwards. 

33.  as  they  were  parting  from  him.  Luke,  only,  explains  Peter's 
eagerness.  Papini  (p.  351)  suggests  that  this  disappearance  of 
Moses  and  Elijah  shows  them  no  longer  needed,  Cf.  the  '  hear  ye 
him  '  of  V.  35. 

Peter  said  .  .  .  Master.  The  word  (eVio-raTa)  which  seems  to  have 
been  habitual  with  him  (see  on  viii  45). 

it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here.  Words  echoed  by  the  devout  retreatant 
as  his  spiritual  exercise  draws  to  a  close. 

three  tabernacles  :  '  booths  '  of  branches  such  as  were  constructed 
for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  in  September.  For  Christ's  attendance 
at  the  Feast  this  year  see  x  38  (Jn  vii — ix).  Hermon  is  well  wooded 
on  its  slopes,  and  there  is  brushwood  quite  near  the  summit  (Edersh., 
p.  95),  though  perhaps  Peter  did  not  stay  to  consider  practical 
possibilities. 

one  for  thee  .  .  .  Moses  .  .  .  Elijah.  At  this  stage,  it  is  clear  Peter 
mast  have  realized  (see  on  v.  30)  who  the  Lord's  attendants  were, 
for  these  words  are  identical  in  all  three  accounts.  His  instinct  is 
to  be  helpful  under  the  new  conditions  :  '  his  first  thought  is  to  be 
of  service.  .  .  .  An  Alpine  guide  would  have  spoken  in  much  the 
same  way.'    Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  p.  248. 

not  knowing  what  he  said.  Mark  supports  this  with  '  he  wist  not 
what  to  answer.'  If,  with  Tertullian,  we  could  interpret  this  of  a 
'  rapt  ecstasy,'  it  would  go  far  to  provide  a  naturalistic  explanation 


1X33-36]  ST  LUKE  133 

of  the  whole  episode.  Peter — presumably  the  divulger  of  the  story 
—was  confessedly  beside  himself  at  the  time  !  But,  according  to  his 
story  (cf.  plur.  in  2  Pet  i  17,  18),  all  three  saw  and  heard  ;  and 
Luke,  who  distinguishes  the  variety  of  effect  of  the  vision  at 
St  Paul's  conversion  (Ac  ix  7),  says  nothing  of  it  here. 

Clearly  there  was  something  of  spiritual  exaltation — such  would 
be  necessary  for  the  three  to  see  what  was  there  to  be  seen — but 
not  so  much,  or  of  such  a  kind,  as  to  stamp  the  story  as  '  entirely 
subjective.'  A  God-given  vision  granted  to  all  three  at  once,  and 
helped  by  '  telepathic '  communion  with  the  spirit  of  their  Master, 
represents,  perhaps,  the  kind  of  '  subjectivity  '  that  is  permissible. 

34.  a  cloud.  In  all  three  narratives  this  cloud — Matthew 
describes  it  as  a  '  luminous  cloud  ' — interrupts  Peter's  request. 
From  the  language  of  the  other  two  we  might  have  supposed  that 
the  cloud  simply  enveloped  the  three  celestial  figures.  This  was 
not  Luke's  interpretation,  as  is  clear  from  the  next  clause. 

they  feared  as  they  entered  into  the  cloud.  Mark  puts  the  '  fear  ' 
before  the  coming  of  the  cloud ;  Matthew  after,  at  the  sound  of  the 
Voice.  Here  it  would  seem  to  denote  a  '  foreboding  of  the  super- 
natural '  such  as  might  thrill  any  imaginative  person  entering  a 
mountain-cloud  at  night ;  but  would  be  intensified  by  the  unique 
circumstances. 

35.  a  voice  :  as  at  the  Baptism  (iii  22).  The  three  records  may 
be  tabulated  as  follows  : 

(a)  Mk  (ix  6),  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son  :  hear  ye  him  '  ; 

(b)  Lk  (ix  39),  '  This  is  my  Son,  my  chosen  :  hear  ye  him  '  ; 

(c)  Mat  (xvii  5),  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 

pleased  :   hear  ye  him.' 
To  which  may  be  added  (though  its  independent  value  is  very 
doubtful)  : 

(d)  2  Pet  (i  18),  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 

pleased.' 

{d)  is  a  repetition  of  the  Voice  at  Baptism,  and  (c)  incorporates 
a  phrase  from  that  passage.  The  fact  that  the  affinity  between  the 
two  utterances  would  be  obvious  to  all  corroborates  the  divergence  of 
Mark  and  Luke  from  the  earlier  utterance.  If,  with  D  {Codex  Bezae), 
we  accept  in  iii  22  the  reading  '  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son,  this 
day  I  have  begotten  thee,'  the  divergence  becomes  still  more  marked. 

If  we  are  to  choose,  it  would  be  natural  to  regard  (a)  and  (6) 
as  representing  the  truest  record,  and  in  (c)  find  an  assimilation  to 
Mat  iii  17.  The  words  '  Hear  ye  him '  are  distinctive  of  this  occasion, 
and  fundamental.  They  mark  Jesus  out  (not  Moses,  or  Elijah)  as 
the  last  Voice  to  be  listened  to.  Had  the  confidence  of  the  disciples 
been  shaken  by  the  disclosures  of  ix  22  sqq.  ? 

36.  And  when  the  voice  came,  Jesus  was  found  alone.  R.V.  marg. 
is  probably  right  on  the  point  of  grammar — '  After  the  voice  was 
past.'  Mark  (ix  8)  is  much  more  vivid :  '  And  suddenly  looking 
round  about,  they  saw  no  one  any  more,  save  Jesus  only.'    Matthew 


134  ST   LUKE  [IX  37-43 

also  (xvii  7,  8)  adds  something — they  had  fallen  on  their  faces  for 
fear,  he  says,  when  the  Voice  came — '  And  Jesus  came  and  touched 
them  and  said.  Arise  and  be  not  afraid.  And  lifting  up  their  eyes, 
they  saw  no  one,  save  Jesus  only.' 

they  .  .  .  told  no  man.  Matthew  and  Mark  say  that  Jesus  on  the 
way  down  commanded  them  to  keep  it  secret  '  till  the  Son  of  Man 
be  risen  from  the  dead.' 

(f)  37-43     The  Epileptic  Boy  (Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  334-345) 

The  transition  from  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  to  the  depress- 
ing and  squalid  scene  below  is  one  of  the  most  dramatic  in  the 
Gospels,  and  has  been  a  favourite  subject  of  Christian  Art,  where 
the  three  Apostles  are  usually  depicted  as  fast  asleep  {v.  32).  The 
most  famous  is  Rafael's  great  picture  at  the  Vatican,  '  on  which 
his  last  working  hours  were  spent,  and  which  was  carried  at  his 
funeral  before  its  colours  were  dry  '  (Poynter,  Classic  and  Italian 
Painting,  p.  161).  He  depicts  the  Transfiguration  above,  and  the 
episode  of  the  Epileptic  Boy  below.  Plummer  aptly  suggests  that 
we  may  see  here  three  scenes  :  (a)  Christ  and  the  saints  in  glory  ; 
(6)  the  chosen  three,  blinded  by  the  light ;  (c)  the  remaining  nine 
baffled  by  the  power  of  darkness  (p.  254).  Cf.  also  Jameson,  Hist, 
of  0.  L.,  vol.  i,  pp.  342  sqq. 

The  rude  shock  of  life  below  comes  home  to  every  priest  who 
after  a  Retreat  has  had  to  make  a  sudden  plunge  into  the  more 
sordid  side  of  pastoral  work.  Happy  he  with  whom  the  Master 
descends,  as  here,  to  set  things  right ! 

37  And  it  came  to  pass,  on  the  next  day,  when  they  were 
come  down  from  the  mountain,  a  great  multitude  met  him. 
38  And  behold,  a  man  from  the  multitude  cried,  saying, 
^Master,  I  beseech  thee  to  look  upon  my  son  ;  for  he  is  mine 
only  child  :  39  and  behold,  a  spirit  taketh  him,  and  he 
suddenly  crieth  out  ;  and  it  -teareth  him  that  he  foameth, 
and  it  hardly  departeth  from  him,  bruising  him  sorely.  40  And 
I  besought  thy  disciples  to  cast  it  out  ;  and  they  could  not. 
41  And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  0  faithless  and  perverse 
generation,  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you,  and  bear  with  you  ? 
bring  hither  thy  son.  42  And  as  he  was  yet  a  coming,  the 
Mevil  Mashed  him  do^vn,  and  Hare  him  grievously.  But  Jesus 
rebuked  the  unclean  spirit,  and  healed  the  boy,  and  gave  him 
back  to  his  father.  43  And  they  were  all  astonished  at  the 
majesty  of  God. 

'  Or,  Teacher  -  Or,  convulseth  '  Gr.  demon. 

*  Or,  rent  him  *  Or,  convulsed 


IX37-40]  ST   LUKE  135 

37.  a  great  multitude.  As  Moses,  descending  from  Mt.  Sinai, 
hears  the  discordant  shouts  of  the  idolaters,  so  our  Lord  is  welcomed 
by  the  wrangling  voices  of  the  crowd  :  and  doubtless,  like  Moses, 
He  had  premonition  of  what  He  had  to  face  (cf.  Ex  xxxii  17  sqq.). 

38.  a  man  .  .  .  cried  .  .  .  Master.  Not  St  Peter's  word  {v.  33)  but 
the  usual  '  Teacher  '  {StSda-KaXe).  The  man  probably  said  '  Rabbi.' 
Mark  has  Luke's  word  ;   Matthew  '  Lord  '  {Kvpu). 

mine  only  child.  Luke  loves  these  touches  of  pathos  :  cf .  his 
account  of  the  Widow's  son  (vii  12)  and  Jairus'  daughter  (viii  42). 

39.  he  suddenly  crieth  out  .  .  .  and  it  hardly  departeth  from  him, 
bruising  him  sorely.  Hobart  {op.  cit.,  pp.  17-20)  claims  that  these 
phrases,  together  with  the  '  look  upon  '  of  the  preceding  verse — 
which  represent  St  Luke's  additions  to  the  Marcan  account  (Mk  ix 
17  sqq.),  with  the  'foaming'  common  to  both — are  medical  expres- 
sions, and  Harnack  {op.  cit.,  pp.  186  sqq.)  remarks  that  they  '  eluci- 
date the  description  of  the  disease  by  telling  of  symptoms  that  are 
characteristic  of  epilepsy.'  On  the  other  hand,  Cadbury  {Style  and 
Lit.  Method  of  St  Luke,  p.  48)  dwells  on  the  omission  of  '  such 
symptoms  as  deafness,  dumbness,  grinding  of  the  teeth,  pining 
away,  falling  and  roUing,  death-like  coma  on  the  ground,'  and 
points  out  that  Luke  has  no  reference,  here  or  in  viii  26  sqq.,  to  the 
'  self-destructive  tendency  '  indicated  in  the  parallel  passages  of 
the  second  Gospel  (Mk  v  5,  ix  22).  Nor  does  he  mention  here  the 
question  and  answer  (Mk  ix  21)  as  to  the  duration  of  the  disease. 
A  comparison,  however,  of  the  second  and  third  Gospels  here  makes 
it  almost  certain  that  Luke  had  not  seen  the  passage  in  Mark,  but 
was  drawing  on  an  independent  source.  (See  Dr  V.  Bartlet's  con- 
vincing argument  in  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  343.) 

Among  Luke's  unaccountable  omissions  (if  he  had  seen  Mk  ix 
21-27)  are  the  father's  memorable  words,  '  I  believe  ;  help  thou 
mine  unbelief.'  If  that  be  so,  we  may  perhaps  place  St  Luke's 
additions  to  his  credit  without  expecting  him  to  add  all  the  details 
of  a  source  which  (however  interesting  its  details  would  have  been 
to  him)  he  had  not  seen. 

Professor  Cadbury's  argument,  however,  suggests  caution  and 
restraint  in  the  application  of  the  '  Medical  Language  '  test. 

Hobart's  reference  to  Aretaeus  (loo.  cit.)  is  applicable  to  all  three 
accounts.  He  notes  that  that  eminent  physician,  probably  a  con- 
temporary of  St  Luke,  'in  treating  of  epilepsy,  admits  the  possi- 
bility of  this  disease  being  produced  by  demoniacal  possession.' 
Trench  {Mir.,  p.  393)  quotes  Paulus  Aegineta,  '  the  last  of  the  great 
physicians  of  the  old  world,'  on  epilepsy  (iii  13)  :  a  description 
remarkably  like  this,  in  which  the  Lucan  '  crying  out '  and  '  foaming ' 
are  prominent. 

40.  they  could  not.  They  were  deprived  of  their  Master  and  of 
their  three  leading  colleagues.  Yet  they  had  been  given  experience 
in  the  recent  Mission  (ix  1  ;  '  devils,'  however,  are  not  mentioned  in 
ix  6,  as  they  are  later  in  the  case  of  the  Seventy,  x  17).    Can  it  be 


136  ST  LUKE  [ix  41-43 

that  lack  of  confidence  bred  a  lack  of  unanimity  as  to  the  methods 
to  be  employed  ?  A  fatal  obstacle — as  modern  psychic  experience 
would  show — to  the  successful  action  of  spirit  upon  spirit. 

41.  O  faithless  and  perverse  generation.  Addressed,  clearly,  not 
to  the  disciples,  but  to  the  multitude.  Cf.  the  similar  sad  protest 
in  Jn  viii  25  (R.V.  marg.).  It  suggests  a  plot  of  Christ's  enemies  to 
strike  a  blow  at  Him  through  His  disciples  in  His  absence.  The  man 
came,  without  right  faith,  impelled  by  the  crowd ;  the  crowd  (ulti- 
mately instigated  by  the  hostile  group),  partly  out  of  curiosity,  partly 
in  the  hope  of  demonstrating  a  flaw  in  the  working  of  these  boasted 
cures.  Nothing  but  an  overwhelming  force  of  faithful  prayer  (Mk 
ix  29,  Mat  xvii  20)  could  avail  in  so  unsympathetic  an  atmosphere. 

42.  the  devil  dashed  him  down.  Mark  (ix  20)  tells  us  that  the 
boy  '  wallowed  foaming  '  on  the  ground,  and  after  the  exorcism 
'  became  as  one  dead ;  insomuch  that  the  more  part  said,  He  is 
dead,'  and  that  Jesus  '  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  raised  him  up.' 

gave  him  back  to  his  father.  Characteristic  of  St  Luke  (cf.  vii  15). 
Characteristically  again,  he  omits  (if  it  was  in  his  source)  the  rebuke 
to  the  disciples  implied  in  Mk  ix  29  and  expressed  in  Mat  xvii  20. 
So  he  omits  the  rebuke  to  Peter  after  the  Great  Confession,  and  the 
fact  that  '  all  forsook  Him  '  at  the  arrest.    See  further,  note  ix  20. 

43''^.  the  mujesty  of  God.  St  Luke  constantly  makes  note  of  the 
vivid  impression  made  on  those  who  witnessed  the  works  and 
listened  to  the  words  of  Jesus  ;  e.g.  v  9,  15,  vi  11,  xiii  17,  xviii  37, 
XX  26,  and  especially  the  way  they  '  praised  God '  for  these  works, 
vii  16,  xviii  43,  xix  37.  See  Adeney,  ad.  loc,  and  Hawkins  in  Oxf. 
Stud.,  p.  87, 

(g)  44-50    Second  Prediction  of  the  Passion  ;  Competition 
within  and  without  the  Twelve 

43^-45.    Second  Prediction  of  the  Passion.    See  note  on  v.  22. 

But  while  all  were  marvelling  at  all  the  things  which  he 
did,  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  44  Let  these  words  sink  into 
your  ears  :  for  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  up  into  the 
hands  of  men,  45  But  they  understood  not  this  saying,  and 
it  was  concealed  from  them,  that  they  should  not  perceive  it  : 
and  they  were  afraid  to  ask  him  about  this  saying. 

43^'.  But  while  all  were  marvelling.  The  other  two  Synoptists 
(Mk  ix  31,  Mat  xvii  22)  definitely  disconnect  what  follows  from  the 
preceding  incident,  prefacing  this  prediction  with  '  while  they  abode 
in  Galilee.'  With  Luke  the  connexion  is  clear  and  purposeful,  a 
desire  to  correct  in  the  disciples'  minds  the  faLse  impression  suggested 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd.  Their  human  instinct  would  be 
to  let  this  efface  the  memory  of  the  former  prediction,  with  its 
haunting  associations,  and  hark  back  to  the  sunny  days  of  unalloyed 
hopefulness. 


1X43-48]  ST   LUKE  137 

44.  Let  these  words  sink  into  your  ears.  A  Hebraism,  emphatically 
calling  for  attention.  '  Just  now  men  seem  enthusiastically  loyal ; 
but  make  no  mistake  :  it  is  into  the  hands  of  men  that  I  am  to  be 
given  up.'  The  word  for  '  delivered  up  '  is  the  identical  word  used 
of  Judas'  transaction  in  xxii  4.  It  forms  the  common  feature  in 
the  three  accounts  of  this  second  Prediction.  Matthew  and  Mark 
add  (as  in  the  first  Prediction)  reference  to  the  Death  and  Resurrec- 
tion. Perhaps  Luke  (or  his  source)  is  right,  and  the  addition  (in 
Matthew  and  Mark)  is  a  case  of  '  assimilation.' 

45.  But  they  understood  not  .  .  .  perceive  it.  An  intensely  Hebraic 
pleonasm  such  as  the  Gentile  Evangelist  would  hardly  have  invented 
for  himself.  This  again  argues  (cf.  Dr  V.  Bartlet,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  321) 
a  non-Marcan  source.  The  verse  is  almost  exactly  reproduced  in 
xviii  34  at  the  third  and  fullest  Prediction  of  the  Passion. 

it  was  concealed  from  them.  St  Luke  sees  in  their  dullness  some- 
thing providential  or  purposeful.  Compare  our  Lord's  words  in 
Jn  xvi  4  :  '  These  things  have  I  spoken  to  you,  that  when  their  hour  is 
come,  ye  may  remember  them,  how  that  I  told  you.'  The  unintelligible 
but  remembered  saying  acquired  an  evidential  value  afterwards,  and 
they  realized  the  open-eyed  and  voluntary  self-sacrifice  of  their 
Master. 

afraid :  in  Mat  xvii  23  '  were  exceeding  sorry.'  They  shrank 
from  the  possibility  of  more  unwelcome  disclosures.  Mark  has 
(as  here)  '  they  were  afraid  to  ask  him.'  Why  ?  There  may  have 
been  in  the  original  source  a  record  of  the  rebuke  to  Peter  which 
Mark  records  (Mk  ix  33)  though  Luke  does  not.  On  Luke's 
'  tendency  to  spare  the  Twelve,'  see  note  on  ix  20. 

46-50.  Competition  within  and  without  the  Twelve.  The 
strife  for  pre-eminence  {vv.  46-48),  and  the  unattached  disciple 
{vv.  49,  50). 

Here  again  St  Luke  is  following  the  Marcan  sequence  (Mk  ix 
33  sqq.),  though  in  Mark  the  second  incident  is  followed  by  a  longer 
discourse.  Matthew  interposes  the  episode  of  the  Temple-tribute 
(xvii  24-27)  before  that  of  the  'little  child,'  following  the  latter  up  by 
(a)  a  discourse  on  '  offending  the  little  ones,'  and  (6)  a  second  on 
forgiveness,  clinched  by  the  Parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Servant 
(xviii  6-35). 

46  And  there  arose  a  reasoning  among  them,  which  of 
them  should  be  ^greatest.  47  But  when  Jesus  saw  the  reason- 
ing of  their  heart,  he  took  a  little  child,  and  set  him  by  his 
side,  48  and  said  unto  them,  Whosoever  shall  receive  this 
little  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  is  great. 

'  Gr.  greater.  ^  Gr.  lesser. 


138  ST   LUKE  [1X46-50 

46.  which  of  them  should  be  greatest.  In  Mk  ix  33  sqq.  the  cir- 
cumstances are  more  vividly  narrated.  As  they  enter  Capernaum 
after  a  journey,  our  Lord  shames  them  by  asking  what  they  had  been 
reasoning  about  on  the  way.  It  was  this  dispute.  St  Luke  completes 
the  picture  when  he  says  that  Jesus 

47.  saw  the  reasoning  of  their  heart :  cf.  v  22  and  Jn  ii  25.  He 
read  then-  thoughts  from  their  flushed  and  excited  faces,  though 
the  actual  quarrel  was  over. 

The  contentious  ambition  here  described  was  intimately  con- 
nected with  their  slowness  to  take  up  the  lesson  of  the  Cross.  The 
other  Synoptists  (Mat  xx  20-28,  Mk  x  35-45)  relate  a  special 
instance  of  this  ambition  in  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  on  the  last  journey 
up  to  Jerusalem  ;  Luke  (who  omits  this :  cf .  note  on  ix  20)  alone 
tells  how  the  same  spirit  intruded  even  into  the  sacred  atmosphere 
of  the  Last  Supper  (xxii  24  sqq.),  where  he  introduces  much  of  the 
lessons  of  Mk  x  35-45. 

he  took  a  little  child.  The  youngest  and  least  imposing  of  His 
followers.  A  ninth-century  tradition  identifies  him  with  Ignatius, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Antioch,  martyred  under  Trajan,  whose 
extant  epistles  are  among  the  most  precious  documents  of  early 
Christian  literature. 

set  him  by  his  side.  Matthew  adds  that  He  '  called  him  unto  him,' 
and  Mark  says  He  '  took  him  in  his  arms.'  To  sit  beside  Him  was 
the  privilege  coveted  by  James  and  John  (Mat  xx  21)  or  by  their 
mother  for  them.  St  Luke  does  not,  like  St  Matthew,  collect 
various  sayings  about  children  here,  but  see  x  21,  xvii  2,  xviii  15. 

48.  Whosoever  shall  receive  this  little  child,  <fcc.  Matthew  gives 
the  substance  of  this  verse  earlier,  in  the  charge  to  the  Twelve,  x  42 
('  give  .  .  .  one  of  these  little  ones  ...  in  the  name  of  a  disciple  ')  and 
X  40  ('he  that  receiveth  me  .  .  .  ').  Mk  ix  37  is  more  emphatic 
and  characteristic  :    '  receiveth  not  me,  but  him  that  sent  me.' 

The  lesson  is  that  true  dignity  lies  in  humble  service  to  the 
apparently  insignificant :  and  that  to  welcome  a  little  child  for 
Christ's  sake  is  to  welcome  the  Eternal  Father. 

him  that  sent  me :  though  found  in  all  three  Synoptists,  is  more 
characteristic  of  the  fourth  Gospel  (Jn  iv  34,  v  20,  vi  38).  It 
expresses  at  once  His  union  with  the  Father,  His  humble  obedience, 
and  His  sense  of  Mission. 

49.  50.  The  Unattached  Disciple.  St  Matthew  omits  this 
incident  and  substitutes  Peter's  difficulties  with  his  brother,  and 
the  lessons  on  Forgiveness  (xviii  15  sqq.).  St  Mark  (ix  38  sqq.)  is 
parallel  to  St  Luke,  with  only  verbal  differences. 

49  And  John  answered  and  said,  Master,  we  saw  one 
casting  out  ^devils  in  thy  name  ;  and  we  forbade  him,  because 
he  foUoweth  not  with  us.  50  But  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Forbid 
Mm  not  :   for  he  that  is  not  against  you  is  for  you. 

^  Gr.  demons. 


1X49-51]  ST   LUKE  139 

49.  John  answered  and  said  :  '  answered  '  is  peculiar  to  Luke, 
and  by  it  he  seems  to  connect  this  incident  causally  with  the  fore- 
going. John  had  on  his  mind  an  incident  of  the  recent  mission, 
when  he  and  his  companion,  James,  had  '  forbidden  '  an  exorciser, 
not  of  the  band,  who  was  (it  would  seem  successfully)  using  the 
name  of  Jesus.  The  phrase  '  in  my  name '  {v.  48),  and  the  exhorta- 
tion to  receive  the  humblest  and  most  unlikely  follower,  renews  his 
disquiet  of  conscience  ;  so  he  honestly  blurts  out  his  confession, 
and  exposes  his  past  action  to  the  Master's  criticism. 

Master  {iTnardTa).    See  note  on  viii  24. 

50.  Jesus  said  unto  him.  As  in  v.  58,  there  is  no  tone  of  rebuke 
or  censure. 

Forbid  him  not.  Clearly  the  man  had  been  acting  in  a  spirit 
quite  different  from  that  of  the  Jewish  exorcists  who  presumed  to 
use  the  Name  at  Ephesus,  and  whose  discomfiture  is  described  by 
Luke  in  Ac  xix  13-16. 

he  that  is  not  against  you  is  for  you.  With  this  generous  saying, 
of  which  the  converse  and  complement  is  given  in  xi  23,  closes  the 
first  main  part  of  the  Gospel.  With  the  next  verse  our  Evangelist 
starts  as  it  were  a  pioneer  journey  without  the  companionship  of 
his  fellow  Synoptists. 


IX  51— XIX  27     ST  LUKE'S  NEW  CONTRIBUTION  TO 
THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY 

The  '  JOTJRNEYS  TOWARDS  JERUSALEM.' 

[It  is  doubtful  whether  the  section  should  not  conclude  at  xviii  14. 

See  below.] 

The  bulk  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  long  section  has  no 
parallel  in  the  other  Gospels  ;  and  it  may  be  claimed  (cf .  Hawkins, 
OxJ.  Stud.,  p.  59)  that  here  the  Evangelist  entirely  disuses  his 
Marcan  source  as  a  direct  authority,  though  minor  parallels  with 
the  first  Gospel  are  not  infrequent,  especially  in  chapters  xi  and  xii — 
passages  which  appear  in  St  Matthew  in  an  entirely  different  order, 
and  range  from  Mat  vi  to  Mat  xxv. 

These  350  verses  are  called  '  The  Great  Insertion,'  because  they 
have  the  appearance  of  being  inserted  (somewhere  about  Mk  x  1) 
between  the  two  Marcan  narratives  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  and 
the  Passion. 

Not  only  is  this  section,  as  a  whole,  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  but  some 
of  its  most  notable  items — like  the  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan 
(x  29-37)  and  the  episode  of  the  Ten  Lepers  (xvii  11-19) — are 
intensely  Lucan  in  style  and  phraseology  (see  V.  H.  Stanton,  The 
Gospels  as  Historical  Documents,  ii,  pp.  227  sqq.). 

It  is  noticeable  also  that  the  parables  here  are,  in  the  main,  not 
'  Parables  of  the  Kingdom,'  but  moral  and  spiritual  lessons  addressed 
primarily  to  the  individual :    and  that  in  their  telling  there  is  less 


140  ST   LUKE  [IX51-XIX27 

of  the  imagery  of  external  Nature,  and  more  of  '  human  emotions 
and  motives,  inner  debatings  and  actions,  which  are  vividly  de- 
scribed' {ib.  231).  The  apparent  exception  is  the  Barren  Fig-tree 
(xiii  6-9) ;  but  here  also  the  conversations  between  the  proprietor 
and  the  gardener  form  a  marked  feature  {ib-). 

The  '  Great  Insertion  '  proper  may  be  said  to  end  at  xviii  14, 
where  St  Luke  converges  once  more  on  the  synoptic  tradition  in 
the  incident  of  the  Little  Children  (cf.  Mat  xix  13-15,  Mk  x  13-16)  ; 
but  the  following  55  verses  still  contain  a  large  proportion  of  exclu- 
sively Lucan  matter,  and  are  more  conveniently  attached  to  this 
section  by  way  of  analysis. 

As  it  stands,  the  section  purports  to  be  a  record  of  the  last  part 
of  the  Saviour's  earthly  ministry  from  the  moment  when  He  finally 
'  set  His  face  towards  Jerusalem  '  to  the  time  of  His  entry  into  that 
city  on  Palm  Simday. 

Notes  of  time  appear  (xi  27,  37,  53,  xii  1,  13,  xiii  1,  31,  &c.) 
linking  one  paragraph  to  another,  and  there  are  recurrent  allusions 
to  '  journeying  '  or  '  joumeyings  '  toward  the  Holy  City  (ix  51,  57, 
X  38,  xiii  22,  xiv  25,  xvii  11). 

Many  think  that  these  allusions  are  an  arbitrary  literary  device, 
by  which  the  Evangelist  finds  room,  in  an  apparently  historical 
framework,  for  a  mass  of  undated  matter  which  he  has  collected. 
Others  (as  Wendt  si-nd  Weiszacker  ap.  V.  H.  Stanton,  op.  cit.  ii, 
p.  227,  and  V.  Bartlet  in  Oxf.  Stud.)  suppose  that  St  Luke  was 
drawing  mainly  on  a  documentary  source :  either  the  source 
common  to  him  and  St  Matthew  (Q)  or,  as  Weiszacker  conjectures, 
a  fuller  document  in  which  Q  and  another  MS  had  already  been 
combined.  Dr  Bartlet  {Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  351  sqq.,  cf.  Dr  Sanday, 
p.  xxxi)  argues  from  the  marked  '  Samaritan  '  references  (ix  52, 
X  33,  xvii  11  sqq.)  and  other  indications  that  much  may  have 
come  from  the  household  of  Philip  the  Evangelist  at  Caesarea  (see 
Introd.,  p.  xxi). 

Dr  Stanton  takes  a  middle  course,  and  suggests  (ii  230)  that 
the  references  to  joumeyings  and  the  placing  of  this  matter  where 
it  comes  involve  indeed  something  of  a  literary  '  device  ',  but  that 
'  this  manner  of  presenting  the  subject-matter  commended  itself 
to  him  as  the  true  one.' 

'  By  this  device  he  was  able,  without  greatly  altering  the  sub- 
stance and  arrangement  of  his  document,  consisting  (as  it  did) 
mainly  of  Sayings  and  Discourses,  to  transform  it  into  a  narrative 
of  Travel,  and  so  to  fit  it  for  inclusion  into  a  work  of  history.  The 
allusions  to  change  of  place  could  be,  and  in  all  probability  were, 
introduced  at  points  where  there  was  a  convenient  break  in  the 
sense,  so  that  it  was  natural  to  suppose  that  the  teaching  which 
followed  was  spoken  on  a  different  occasion  .  .  .  ' 

But  there  are  indications  that,  in  outline  at  least,  the  scheme 
which  St  Luke  here  presents  to  us  not  only  '  commended  itself  to 
him,'  but  was  also,  in  certain  ways,  truer  to  the  facts  than  he  had 


IXSI-XIX27]  ST  LUKE  141 

the  opportunity  to  demonstrate  to  us.  St  Luke  here,  as  elsewhere, 
forms  the  link  between  the  Synoptists  and  the  fourth  Gospel.  (See 
Introd.,  p.  xxiv  sq.,  and  notes  on  xxii  32  and  37.) 

We  have  attempted,  in  spite  of  Dr  Plummer's  note  {Commentary, 
p.  261),  to  bring  out  the  full  value  of  the  hints  in  Lk  x  38  and  xiii 
31  sqq.,  and  to  place  them  in  line  with  the  indications  in  St  John,  who 
records,  between  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  and  the  Passion, 
at  least  two  visits  to  Jerusalem  :  (a)  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
(Jn  vii  1 — X  21),  and  (6)  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication  (Jn  x  22-42). 
The  visit  to  Bethany  recorded  in  Jn  xi  necessarily  implies  previous 
familiarity  with  Martha  and  Mary,  and  so  corroborates  St  Luke's 
account  (x  38  sqq.)  of  an  earlier  visit  to  them. 

The  very  vagueness  of  our  Evangelist's  references  to  time  and 
place  witnesses,  as  Dr  Plummer  notes  {ad  loc),  to  his  honesty.  He 
will  not  advance  in  definiteness  beyond  what  his  authorities  justify. 
The  general  parallel  with  the  scheme  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  in 
particular  the  striking  congruity  of  his  picture  of  the  two  Sisters 
of  Bethany  (though  he  seems  not  to  know  the  name  of  their  village), 
suggests  historical  accuracy;  while  the  mass  of  important  matter 
which  he  has  collected  in  this  section  testifies  to  his  industry.  Thus 
internal  evidence  is  not  lacking  that  in  these  chapters  he  has  re- 
deemed the  promise  of  his  dedicatory  preface  (i  1-4). 

The  section  ix  51 — xix  27  may  be  analysed  as  follows  : 

(1)  ix  51 — X  42.    From  the  conclusion  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  to 

the  visit  to  Bethany  (Feast  of  Tabernacles,  Sept.  a.  d.  29  : 
Jn  vii — ix). 

(2)  xi  1 — xiii  35.    From  the  visit  to  Bethany  to  the  Lament  over 

Jerusalem  (Feast  of  Dedication,  Dec.  a.  d.  29  :   Jn  xi  22). 

(3)  xiv  1 — xvii  10.    From  the  Lament  over  Jerusalem  to  the  Pil- 

grimage up  to  the  Last  Passover. 

(4)  xvii  11 — xix  27.    The  last  Peraean  Mission  and  Journey  up  to 

the  Passover  of  the  Passion. 

(1)  First  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  ' 

(a)  ix  51-56.  James  and  John  rebuked. 

(6)  ix  57-62.  Candidates  for  Discipleship. 

(c)  X  1-20.  The  Mission  of  the  Seventy. 

{d)  X  21-24.  The  Joy  of  the  Lord. 

(c)  X  25-37.  The  Lawyer's  Question  :    Parable  of  the  Good 

Samaritan. 

(/)  X  38-^2.  Mary  and  Martha. 

(2)  Second  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  ' 

{a)  xi  1-13.  Instruction  on  Prayer. 

(6)  xi  14-26.  Exorcism  of  a  devil,  and  teaching  thereon. 

(c)  xi  27-28.  True  Blessedness. 

{d)  xi  29-36.  The  Demand  for  a  Sign. 

(e)  xi  37-54.  Denunciation  of  Pharisees  and  Lawyers, 


142  ST   LUKE  [IXS1-XIX27 

(/)  xii  1-12.      Frankness  and  Fear. 
(g)  xii  13-21.    Warning  against  Covetousness  :   Parable  of  the 

Rich  Fool. 
{h)  xii  22-34.    Warning  against  Anxiety. 
(i)  xii  35-48.    Readiness  and  Stewardship. 
(j)  xii  49-59.     The  First  Advent  and  the  Signs  of  the  Times. 
(k)  xiii  1-9.       The  Lesson  of  Calamities  :  the  Barren  Fig-tree. 
(l)  xiii  10-17.    Healing  of  the  Infirm  Woman, 
(m)  xiii  18-21.    Parables  of  the  Leaven  and  the  Mustard  Seed. 
(n)  xiii  22-30.    Who  will  be  saved  ? 
(o)  xiii  31-35.   Answer  to  the  Warning  about  Herod. 

(3)  Third  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  ' 

(a)  xiv  1-24.  Earthly  and  Heavenly  Feasts — Humility  and 
Precedence — True  Hospitality — Parable  of 
the  Great  Supper. 

(6)  xiv  25-35.   On  Counting  the  Cost. 

(c)  XV  1-32.       Seeking  the  Lost— The  Lost  Sheep  (3-7),  the 

Lost  Com  (8-10),  the  Lost  Son  (11-32). 

(d)  xvi  1-18.      Parable    of    the    Unjust    Steward :     Pharisaic 

Scoffers  rebuked. 

(e)  xvi  19 — xvii  4.    Parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  :    Responsi- 

bility for  Others. 
(/)  xvii  5-10.    Instruction  on  Faith  and  Humility. 

(4)  Fourth  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  ' 

(a)  xvii  11-19.    Healing  of  the  Ten  Lepers. 
(6)  xvii  20-37.    The  Coming  of  the  Kingdom  :  The  Days  of  the 
Son  of  Man. 

(c)  xviii  1-17.     Prayer    and     Humility  :      The     Importunate 

Widow,  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,  the 
Little  Child. 

(d)  xviii  18-30.  The  Rich  Ruler's  Question  :    Riches  and  the 

Kingdom. 

(e)  xviii  31-34.   Fuller  Prediction  of  the  Passion. 
if)  xviii  35-43.  The  Blind  Man  at  Jericho. 

(g)  xix  1-10.       The  Incident  of  Zacchaeus. 
{h)  xix  11-27.     The  Parable  of  the  Pounds. 

(1)  IX  51— X  42  First  Period  of  the  Journeyings  '  :  from 
the  conclusion  of  the  Galilean  Ministry  to  the  Visit  to 
Bethany 

This  section  includes  the  important  narrative  of  the  Mission  of 
the  Seventy,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  (cf.  Dr  Bartlet,  Oxf.  Stud., 
pp.  344-346)  that  its  facts  were  ultimately  derived  from  a  member 
or  members  of  that  band — possibly  St  Philip  (see  note  on  x  1). 


IXSI-S6]  ST  LUKE  143 

Dr  Bartlet  thinks  St  Luke  had  it  already  in  documentary  form, 
and  certainly  there  seem  to  be  traces  of  an  Aramaic  or  Hebrew 
original. 


(a)  IX  51-56      The  Churlish  Samaritans  ;    James  and  John 

rebuked 

51  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  days  ^were  well-nigh 
come  that  he  should  be  received  up,  he  stedfastly  set  his  face 
to  go  to  Jerusalem,  52  and  sent  messengers  before  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  his  face  was  as  though  he  were  going  to  Jerusalem. 
54  And  when  his  disciples  James  and  John  saw  this,  they 
said.  Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we  bid  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  consume  them  ^  ?  55  But  he  turned,  and 
rebuked  them  ^.    56  And  they  went  to  another  village. 

1  Gr.  were  being  fulfilled.         *  Many  ancient  authorities  add  even  as  Elijah  did. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  add  and  said.  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit 
ye  are  of.  Some,  but  fewer,  add  also  For  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them. 

51.  when  the  days  were  well-nigh  come  that  he  should  he  received 
up.  This  phrase  introduces  the  mass  of  new  material  which  St  Luke 
is  about  to  incorporate.  It  is  Aramaic  in  character,  and  corresponds 
to  Ac  ii  1  (eV  Tw  <TvfXTr\r]pov(T6ai).  Here,  however,  an  interval 
must  be  posited  ;  and  the  record  seems  to  demand  a  period  of  some 
months. 

received  up.  It  is  the  word  used  of  the  Ascension  in  the  appendix 
to  the  second  Gospel  {ava\ri[jL\pi<;,  cf.  Mk  xvi  19),  and  three  times 
in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts  (i  2,  11,  22).  It  is  significant  that  the 
Evangelist  (or  his  '  source  ')  looks  beyond  the  Crucifixion  and  even 
the  Resurrection. 

he  stedfastly  set  his  face.  Another  Hebraism,  frequent  in  Ezekiel 
(nine  times,  vi  2,  xx  46,  xxi  2,  &c.).    Cf .  next  verse  '  before  his  face.' 

52.  messengers :  from  among  the  disciples.  A  tentative  measure, 
leading  up  to  the  Mission  of  the  Seventy  (x  1),  who  are  also  '  sent 
before  his  face,'  to  herald  His  coming.  Possibly  it  is  a  precaution, 
in  anticipation  of  some  such  difficulty  as  is  described  in  the  next 
verse. 

a  village  of  the  Samaritans.  The  Samaritans  are  here  first  named 
by  St  Luke,  who  mentions  them  three  times  in  the  Gospel  (here, 
X  33,  and  xvii  16)  to  St  Matthew's  once  (x  5,  where  the  Twelve 
are  forbidden  to  visit  Samaritan  cities)  ;  and  also  in  Ac  viii  records 
the  conversion  of  Samaria  at  St  Philip's  preaching.  Hence  the 
conjecture  that  St  Luke  owes  his  special  knowledge  of,  and  interest 


144  ST   LUKE  [ix  53-60 

in,  Samaritans  to  St  Philip,  whose  guest  we  know  he  was  (Ac  xxi 
8-10)  '  for  many  days.' 

53.  because  his  face  was  as  tJumgh  ...  A  Hebraism,  lit.  '  His 
face  was  going.'  The  Samaritans,  to  whom  He  was  willing  to  give 
this  second  opportunity  after  the  genuine  welcome  He  had  received 
at  Sychar  (Jn  iv  40),  exhibited  the  traditional  (and  reciprocated) 
prejudice  which  made  the  average  Jew  of  Galilee  avoid  the  direct 
route  to  Jerusalem  and  journey  by  way  of  Peraea,  on  the  other 
side  of  Jordan.    Cf .  note  on  x  34. 

54.  James  and  John.  '  Boanerges,'  sons  of  thunder,  was  the 
Master's  nickname  for  the  brothers  (Mk  iii  17).  Here  the  sons 
of  thunder  wish  to  call  down  the  lightning.  The  A.V.  reads  : 
'  .  .  .  consume  them,  even  as  Elias  did  ?  But  he  turned,  and  rebuked 
them,  and  said,  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.  For  the 
Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them.  And 
they  went  to  another  village.'  The  words  italicized  are  deficient  in 
MS  authority,  and  evidently  represent  an  early  gloss.  The  first 
clause  (referring  to  Elijah's  action  in  2  Kgs  i  10,  12)  is  very  much  to 
the  point,  and  was  almost  certainly  in  the  minds  of  the  questioners. 
Was  the  analogy  of  Elijah  suggested  to  James  and  John  by  his 
appearance  in  ix  30  ? 

(b)  57  62     Candidates  for  Discipleship 

Sir  John  Hawkins  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  57)  suggests  that  these  verses 
may  represent  a  sifting  of  disciples  preparatory  to  the  appointment 
of  the  Seventy. 

Three  hesitating  disciples  :  the  first  two  {vv.  57-60)  =  Mat 
viii  19-22  ;   the  third  {vv.  61,  62)  peculiar  to  Luke. 

In  St  Matthew  these  episodes  come  quite  early,  after  the  '  Day 
of  Miracles  at  Capernaum.'  Hawkins  regards  the  two  records  as 
both  from  Q  {Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  114,  123)  in  spite  of  the  considerable 
variations.  If  so,  which  Evangelist  has  misplaced  them  ? 
St  Matthew,  who  groups,  and  is  apt  to  put  things  early  (as  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount)  ?  Or  has  St  Luke  grouped  two  earlier 
cases  with  his  own  {vv.  61,  62)  belonging  to  this  period  ? 

57  And  as  they  went  in  the  way,  a  certain  man  said  unto 
him,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.  58  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him.  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  bii'ds  of 
the  heaven  have  ^nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to 
lay  his  head.  59  And  he  said  unto  another,  Follow  me. 
But  he  said,  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father. 
60  But  he  said  unto  him,  Leave  the  dead  to  bmy  their  own 
dead  ;   but  go  thou  and  publish  abroad  the  kingdom  of  God. 

^  Gr.  lodging-places. 


Ixs7-6i]  ST   LUKE  145 

61  And  another  also  said,  I  will  follow  thee,  Lord  ;    but  first 
suffer  me  to  bid  farewell   to   them  that   are   at   my  house. 

62  But  Jesus  said  unto  him.  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 

57.  a  certain  man.    In  St  Matthew  '  a  scribe.' 

58.  Jesus  said  unto  him  :  warning  an  enthusiastic  volunteer  of 
the  hardships  incident  to  a  genuine  following  of  Christ.  Foxes  have 
earths  and  the  birds  roosts.  The  feeble  and  faint-hearted  are 
debarred  by  Deut  xx  2-9  from  taking  part  in  war. 

59.  he  said  unto  another.  Here  our  Lord  takes  the  initiative.  The 
corresponding  figure  in  Mat  viii  21  appears  to  be  a  volunteer,  or 
already  a  '  disciple.' 

to  go  and  bury  my  father.  Cf .  the  incident  of  Elisha's  call,  1  Kgs 
xix  20.  The  man  depicted  here  was  not,  like  the  first  and  third, 
a  volunteer  for  discipleship.  Jesus  called  him — knowing  his  circum- 
stances— and  he  demurred.  We  need  not  suppose  that  his  father 
was  actually  lying  dead.  He  very  likely  meant,  '  Let  me  wait  till 
my  aged  father  dies  and  is  buried.' 

60.  Leave  the  dead  .  .  .  The  proverbial  form  of  these  words 
makes  them  seem  harsher  than  they  really  are.  '  Respond  to  the 
call  of  a  new  life  and  mission.'  Like  the  High  Priest  (Lev  xxi  11) 
and  the  Nazirite  (Num  vi  6,  7)  he  must  not  '  make  himself  unclean 
for  his  father  or  his  mother.'  As  Ezekiel,  when  on  God's  business 
was  forbidden  formal  mourning  for  his  beloved  wife  (Ezek  xxiv  16), 
so  in  this  case  the  urgency  of  Christ's  claim  outweighed  the  claim 
of  filial  piety. 

61.  another  also.  A  volunteer,  like  the  first.  St  Matthew  does 
not  record  this  incident.  The  call  is  to  follow  at  once,  consistently, 
and  without  a  backward  glance.  Christ  may  have  known  that 
under  this  apparently  innocent  and  reasonable  request  lay  untold 
possibilities  of  weakening  in  the  man,  or  of  wrong  home-influence 
upon  him. 

The  second  and  third  answers  in  this  group  seem  at  first  sight 
to  demand  an  unnatural  uprooting  of  home-ties.  What  is  rather 
meant  (see  note  on  xiv  26)  is  that  '  there  are  claims  and  causes 
which  must  take  precedence  even  over  the  claims  of  home.' 


(c)  X  1-20     The  Mission  of  the  Seventy 

Critics  comparing  Lk  x  2-12  with  Mat  x  5-15  have,  rather 
superficially,  conjectured  that  St  Luke  has  here  produced  a  genuine 
'  doublet,'  and  confusedly  represented  varying  accounts  of  a  single 
episode  as  though  there  were  two  different  ones — the  Missions  of 
the  Twelve  and  of  the  Seventy.  This  is  arbitrary,  unlike  St  Luke's 
manner,  and  does  not  account  for  the  phenomena.  See  note  above 
on  ix  51  sqq, 

L.  10 


146  ST   LUKE  [X1-16 

X  Now  after  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  seventy^ 
others,  and  sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face  into  every 
city  and  place,  whither  he  himself  was  about  to  come.  2  And 
he  said  unto  them,  The  harvest  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers 
are  few  :  pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he 
send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest.  3  Go  your  ways  : 
behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  lambs  in  the  midst  of  wolves. 
4  Carry  no  purse,  no  wallet,  no  shoes  :  and  salute  no  man 
on  the  way.  5  And  into  whatsoever  house  ye  shall  ^enter, 
first  say,  Peace  be  to  this  house.  6  And  if  a  son  of  peace  be 
there,  your  peace  shall  rest  upon  ^him  :  but  if  not,  it  shall 
turn  to  you  again.  7  And  in  that  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  shall  enter,  and  they 
receive  you  not,  go  out  into  the  streets  thereof  and  say, 
11  Even  the  dust  from  your  city,  that  cleaveth  to  our  feet, 
we  do  wipe  off  against  you  :  howbeit  know  this,  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh.  12  I  say  unto  you.  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 
were  done  in  you,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago,  sitting 
in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  14  Howbeit  it  shall  be  more  tolerable 
for  Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  judgement,  than  for  you.  15  And 
thou,  Capernaum,  shalt  thou  be  exalted  unto  heaven  ?  thou 
shalt  be  brought  down  unto  Hades.  16  He  that  heareth  you 
heareth  me  ;  and  he  that  rejecteth  you  rejecteth  me  ;  and 
he  that  rejecteth  me  rejecteth  him  that  sent  me. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  add  and  two  :  and  so  in  ver.  17. 

^  Or,  enter  first,  say  *  Or,  it  *  Gr.  powers. 

1.    the  Lord.    Cf.  vii  13  and  note,  xi  39,  xii  42,  xxiv  34. 

seventy  others.  Thirty-five  pairs,  to  be  sent  forth,  as  the  Twelve 
had  been,  on  a  temporary  Mission  :  not,  as  the  appointment  of  the 
Twelve,  a  development  of  organization,  or  the  constitution  of  an 
'  order.'     (St  Luke,  uiiJiko  the  other  Synoptists,  carefully  distin- 


Xi-6]  -  ST   LUKE  147 

guishes  between  the  Call  (vi  12  sqq.)  and  the  Mission  (ix  1  sqq.)  of 
the  Twelve.)  Early  conjecture  made  St  Luke  himself  one  of  the 
Seventy,  but  the  language  of  his  preface  (i  2)  precludes  the  possibility 
of  his  having  been  an  eyewitness.  It  is  at  least  probable,  however, 
that  Philip  the  Evangelist  may  have  been  one,  and  have  been  a 
prolific  source  of  material  for  these  chapters  (see  Introd.,  p.  xxi  and 
Prelim,  note  on  ix  51  sqq.).  And  it  is  still  more  probable  that  St  Luke 
has  named  two  of  them  in  Joseph  Barsabbas  and  Matthias  who,  as 
implied  in  Ac  i  22,  23,  had  been  disciples  from  the  time  of  John's 
baptism  onwards.  In  any  case,  in  this  large  number  Luke  would 
be  sure  to  find  some  of  his  '  eye-witnesses  and  ministers  of  the 
Word  '  (cf.  Hawkins,  Ox].  Stud.,  p.  57). 

2.  The  harvest  is  plenteous.  St  Matthew  puts  this  saying  before 
the  choosing  of  the  Twelve.  The  fourth  Evangelist  has  a  saying 
of  similar  import  uttered  in  Samaria,  apparently  four  months 
before  harvest  (Jn  iv  35-38).  We  may  more  confidently  seek  a  note 
of  time  there  than  in  the  utterance  given  by  the  two  Synoptists. 
But  see  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  pp.  477,  478. 

3.  as  lambs  in  the  midst  of  wolves.  In  modern  phrase  :  '  You 
take  your  life  in  your  hand.'  That  has  been  the  case  of  many  of 
Christ's  missionaries  to  the  heathen  world  in  all  ages.  Similarly 
Mat  X  16  in  the  Charge  to  the  Twelve,  with  an  added  injunction 
to  tactfulness.  It  is  quite  likely  that  St  Luke  may  have  uncon- 
sciously transferred  some  of  the  points  of  the  earlier  charge  to  the 
later  ;  but  it  is  also  likely  that  the  Master  should  have  repeated 
Himself  on  two  such  similar  occasions.  St  Luke  evidently  thinks 
so  (cf.  X  4,  5,  and  10-11  with  ix  3,  4,  5).  But  the  long  charge  in 
Mat  X  5^2  almost  certainly  owes  something  to  '  grouping.' 

4.  no  purse,  no  wallet,  no  shoes.  On  '  wallet '  see  note  on  ix  3. 
They  are  '  flying  columns  '  of  the  Lord's  army  and  must  go  light- 
armed  and  unencumbered.  The  subject  of  this  verse  is,  strangely, 
reproduced  in  xxii  35,  in  an  intimate  talk  with  the  Twelve.  The 
difficulty  is  at  once  removed,  if,  as  Latham  suggests  (Pastor  Pastorum, 
p.  288),  the  Twelve  may  have  been  included  among  the  Seventy. 

salute  no  man  on  the  way :  because  '  the  King's  business  requireth 
haste,'  detachment,  and  concentration.  Even  so  Elisha's  servant 
was  enjoined  to  refrain  from  salutations  on  his  errand  of  mercy, 
2  Kgs  iv  29. 

5.  Peace  be  to  this  house.  Natural  courtesy  among  the  Jews, 
whose  commonest  salutation  is  '  Peace  to  thee  !  '  Christ  filled  this 
customary  greeting  with  an  intense  new  meaning  when  He  used  it 
in  the  Upper  Room  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Easter  Day  (xxiv  36). 
Here  also  (cf.  v.  6)  it  is  intended  to  be  more  than  a  mere  salutation. 
Cf .  the  first  rubric  in  the  Prayer  Book  Order  for  the  Visitation  of 
the  Sick.  It  is  possible  that  we  have  an  echo  of  the  War-Law 
of  Deut  XX  10-19  ;  cf.,  e.  g.  Deut  xx  10,  11  with  vv.  5,  6  here 
(P.  L.). 

6.  a  son  of  peace,  that  is,  Hebraistically  not  (as  usually  inter- 

10-2 


148  ST   LUKE  [X6-11 

preted)  '  a  peaceable.'  '  peace-loving  man,'  but  '  a  man  worthy  of 
salutation  '  (P.  L.). 

it  shall  turn  to  you  again.  Blessings  only  alight  where  there  is 
a  welcome  for  them  ;  but,  whether  or  no,  they  are  sure  to  rebound 
upon  him  that  blesseth.  Literally,  the  phrase  is  graphically  illus- 
trated by  an  incident  related  by  Petermann  {Reisen  im  Orient) : 
*  a  Mohammedan  Governor  of  the  province  of  Nablous  greeted  a 
Samaritan  with  the  usual  "  salam  alaik  "  (Peace  to  thee),  and  when 
he  discovered  that  the  man  was  not  a  Mohammedan,  demanded  : 
"  Give  me  back  my  greeting  !  "  The  Samaritan  answered,  "  Take 
it,"  and  the  Governor  was  satisfied.'    (P.  L.) 

7.  in  that  same  house.  So  ix  4  (where  see  note)  .  .  .  for  the 
labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  This  last  phrase  occurs  in  Mat  x  10 
(where  for  '  hire  '  is  substituted  '  food  '),  and  is  apparently  quoted 
in  1  Tim  v  18,  where  it  is  classed,  apparently,  with  a  citation  from 
Deut  XXV  4  as  '  Scripture.'  It  is  hardly  possible  that  St  Paul  should 
be  quoting  St  Luke  as  Scripture,  even  if  we  allow  the  earliest 
possible  date  for  this  Gospel  (see  Introd.,  p.  xx).  Can  he  be  quoting 
'  Q,'  the  common  source  of  Matthew  and  Luke  ?  Possibly  it  is  not 
a  quotation  after  all,  but  simply  a  current  proverbial  saying  (or  an, 
as  yet,  '  unwritten  saying  '  of  Christ  (cf .  Ac  xx  35)  cited  side  by  side 
with  the  passage  from  Deuteronomy. 

8.  eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  you.  This  is  not  in  any  of 
the  Synoptists'  Charge  to  the  Twelve.  There  was  no  likelihood  that 
technically  '  unclean  meats  '  would  be  offered,  still  less  that  the 
difficulties  of  1  Cor  viii — x  would  confront  these  messengers  ;  yet 
the  words  are  practically  identical  with  those  of  St  Paul's  advice 
to  the  Corinthians  (1  Cor  x  27),  and  the  text  is  cited  by  Sir  John 
Hawkins  {Hor.  Syn.,  p.  197)  as  one  of  six  instances  among  the 
smaller  peculiarities  of  this  Gospel  which  may  owe  their  phraseology 
to  the  Evangelist's  companionship  with  the  Apostle  (cf.  Moffatt, 
Intr.  Lit.  N.  T.,  p.  281).  The  meaning  of  the  phrase  is  simple,  and 
valid  for  all  time,  suggesting  St  Paul's  '  I  have  learned  the  secret 
both  to  be  filled  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  be  in 
want '  (Phil  iv  12).  We  may  interpret  it  for  ourselves  :  '  Do  not 
through  false  modesty  refuse  the  gifts  of  elaborate  hospitality,  nor, 
on  the  other  hand,  despise  that  simple  fare  which,  after  all,  alone 
is  "  needful  "  '  (cf.  note  on  x  42). 

9.  heal  the  sick,  die.  The  twofold  commission  to  body  and  soul 
which  was  given  also  to  the  Twelve  (cf.  ix  2). 

11.  Even  the  dust  .  .  .  we  do  wipe  off.  As  in  the  charge  to  the 
Twelve.  See  note  on  ix  5.  Curiously,  the  verb  here  (dTro/iao-o-tiv)  is 
different  from  the  '  shake  off  '  {airoTLvda-areLv)  of  ix  5,  and  may 
point  to  a  delicate  accuracy  on  St  Luke's  part :  especially  as  he 
uses  the  Marcan  verb  iKTivdo-a-tiv  (Mk  vi  11)  in  Ac  xiii  51  and  xviii  6 
(cf.  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  325).  Both  verbs  are  peculiar  to  St  Luke  and  are 
found  in  the  medical  writer  Galen — dTro/Aao-o-tiv  very  frequently 
(Hobart,  Med.  Lang.,  pp.  Ill  and  240). 


Xii-i6]  ST  LUKE  149 

the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh.  The  significant  words  of  v.  9, 
unto  you,  are  omitted.  '  It  has  come  near,  and  you  have  rejected  it, 
not  knowing  (cf.  xix  44)  the  time  of  your  visitation.' 

12.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  :  cf.  Mat  x  15.  Luke  omits  the 
Gomorrah  of  that  verse.  The  Cities  of  the  Plain  (Gen  xix  24)  were 
already  in  the  O.T.  prophets  proverbial  instances  of  well-merited 
destruction  (Isa  i  9,  xiii  19). 

13-15  are  no  longer  parallel  to  St  Matthew's  Charge  to  the 
Twelve.  He  places  these  '  Woes  '  after  the  embassy  of  John's 
disciples,  apropos  of  the  rejection  both  of  the  Forerunner  and  of 
Himself  (Mat  xi  20-24). 

13.  Ghorazin :  named  only  here  and  in  Mat  xi  21.  One  of  many 
places  visited  by  our  Lord  of  which  we  have  no  individual  record 
(cf.  the  '  cities  and  villages  '  of  viii  1).  It  is  conjecturally  identified 
with  Karazeh,  about  two  miles  due  north  of  the  Lake. 

Bethsaida :  ix  10  is  the  only  other  place  where  the  name  occurs 
in  this  Gospel.  One  '  mighty  work  '  at  least  we  know  of,  performed 
in  its  neighbourhood — the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand.  St  Mark 
relates  (in  the  section  of  Luke's  '  Great  Omission  ')  a  remarkable 
cure  of  a  Blind  Man  here  (Mk  viii  22)  just  before  the  journey  to 
Caesarea  Philippi.  It  is  probably  to  be  identified  with  Bethsaida 
Julias,  so  named  in  honour  of  Caesar's  daughter  (as  Caesarea 
Philippi  in  honour  of  Caesar  himself)  by  Herod  Philip,  who  advanced 
it  to  urban  dignity  (Jos.  Ant.  XVIII  ii  1).  It  stands  on  the  east 
bank  of  Jordan  where  the  river  enters  the  Sea  of  Galilee  (cf.  Eder- 
sheim,  L.  <fc  T.  ii  75,  88). 

13,  14.  Tyre  and  Sidon  :  like  Sodom,  in  the  O.T.  common- 
places of  Divine  judgement — Amos  ix  10,  Isa  xxiii,  Jer  xxv  22, 
Ezek  XX vi  and  xxviii  2-24. 

15.  Capernaum.  Busy  town  as  it  then  was,  on  the  trade-route 
from  Damascus,  home  of  St  Matthew  and  of  the  four  fishermen - 
apostles,  and  the  adopted  home  of  Jesus  in  so  much  of  His  early 
Galilean  Ministry  (iv  23,  31,  vii  1,  and  cf.  Jn  ii  12,  iv  46,  vi  59),  its 
very  site  is  now  disputed — Tell-Hum,  or  Khan  Miniyeh  ?  (Cf .  note 
on  iv  31.) 

Is  it  the  tender  memories  of  boyhood  that  keep  from  His  lips 
the  name  of  the  arch-rejector  (iv  28  sqq.)  Nazareth  ? 

16.  he  that  rejecteth  .  .  .  The  words  are  closely  paralleled  in 
St  Paul's  solemn  declaration,  1  Thess  iv  8,  '  He  that  rejecteth, 
rejecteth  not  man,  but  God,  who  giveth  his  Holy  Spirit  unto  you  ' 
(cf.  Moffatt,  I.L.N.T.,  p.  281).  Here  they  appear  to  establish  a 
connexion  between  the  Discourse  as  a  whole  and  vv.  13-15,  which 
may  in  fact  be  displaced  (see  note  there).  '  As  cities  like  Chorazin, 
Bethsaida,  Capernaum  have  rejected  Me,  so  you  must  expect  to  be 
rejected — but  the  responsibility  is  not  yours,  nor  does  their  responsi- 
bility cease  with  their  behaviour  towards  you.' 

The  complementary  words  '  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth 
me  '  conclude  the  long  charge  to  the  Twelve  in  Mat  x  40. 


150  ST  LUKE  [X 17-19 

17-20.  The  Return  op  the  Seventy.  There  is  the  lapse  of 
an  unknown  period  implied  between  vv.  16  and  17,  and  St  Luke 
interposes  no  literary  interlude  as  in  ix  7-9  (but  of.  v.  18). 

17  And  the  seventy  returned  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even 
the  ^devils  are  subject  unto  us  in  thy  name.  18  And  he  said 
unto  them,  I  beheld  Satan  fallen  as  lightning  from  heaven. 
19  Behold,  I  have  given  you  authority  to  tread  upon  serpents 
and  scorpions,  and  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy  :  and 
nothing  shall  in  any  wise  hurt  you.  20  Howbeit  in  this 
rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you  ;  but  rejoice 
that  yom'  names  are  written  in  heaven. 

1  Gr.  demons. 

17.  with  joy  :  of.  Introd.,  p.  xxxix.  This  is  the  Gospel  of  Joy 
par  excellence. 

even  the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  in  thy  name.  There  had  been 
no  specific  gift  of  this  power,  as  there  had  in  the  Mission  of  the 
Twelve  (ix  1).  This  fact  may  naturally  have  enhanced  their  joyful 
surprise.  Deissmann  (New  Light,  d;c.,  pp.  254,  260)  gives  a  parallel 
in  the  Magical  Papyrus  (line  3080) :  '  There  shall  be  subject  to 
thee  every  spirit  and  daemon  whatsoever.' 

18.  /  beheld  Satan  fallen  :  (better  as  A.V.  'fall ')  gives  a  hint 
of  the  Lord's  occupation  during  their  absence — His  thoughts  and 
meditations  were  with  them,  and  mirrored  in  their  successful 
exorcisms  He  was  '  continuously  beholding  '  (imperf.)  the  overthrow 
of  the  power  of  evil.  The  advance  of  the  Kingdom  is  itself  the  fall 
of  the  hostile  power. 

as  lightning  :  swiftly,  vividly. 

from  heaven.  In  mediaeval  times  this  was  referred  to  the  Fall 
of  the  Angels,  pictured  as  previous  to  the  fall  of  Man ;  and  this 
lightning  descent  of  Satan  when  he  '  fell  down  from  heaven  ' 

.  .  .  cadde  giii  dal  cielo 

plays  an  important  part  in  the  actual  formation  of  the  structure 
of  Dante's  Hell  and  Purgatory  {Inf.  xxxiv  106-126). 

Rabbinical  angelology,  on  the  contrary,  placed  the  Fall  of  the 
Angels  subsequent  to  that  of  Man  (Edersh.,  L.  cfc  T.  ii,  App.  xiii, 
p.  756). 

The  reference  here,  however,  is  clearly  not  to  any  far  past  event, 
but  to  that  which  was  happening  at  the  time.  Cf.  Jn  xii  31  in 
which  our  Lord,  after  the  '  Voice  from  heaven,'  and  in  anticipation 
of  His  proximate  Passion  exclaims,  '  Now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
world  be  cast  out.' 

19.  to  tread  upon  serpents  and  scorpions,  <i:c.  This  is  echoed  in 
the  Appendix  to  Mark  (xvi  18),  and  the  phraseology  there  favours  a 
literal  interpretation.    But  here,  and  there  also,  the  primary  meaning 


X 19-24]  ST   LUKE  151 

is  almost  certainly  spiritual  conquest  and  spiritual  immunity.  The 
key  to  the  interpretation  lies  in  the  phrase  all  the  power  of  the  enemy. 
Bodily  immunity  doubtless  often  follows — as  many  a  missionary 
could  testify  (cf .  Ac  xxviii  3-6)  ;  but  it  is  not  the  principal  signifi- 
cation.. For  the  metaphors  compare  Ps  xci  13,  Deut  viii  15,  and 
Lk  xi  1,  12.  Ultimately  it  is  not  bodily  harm  that  matters  ;  cf. 
Plummer,  who  aptly  quotes  Justin  Martyr's  brave  words  to  the 
Roman  Emperors  {Apol  12),'  You  can  kill  indeed,  but  you  cannot 
hurt  us.' 

20.  in  this  rejoice  not .  .  .  but  rejoice,  6cc.  The  form  of  expression 
is  characteristic  of  our  Lord :  forcible,  and  in  a  sense  hyperbolic. 
It  is  reproduced  in  the  address  to  the  '  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  ' 
(xxiii  28,  where  see  note),  'Weep  not  for  me  .  .  .  but  weep  .  .  .' 
In  modern  language  :  '  Though  you  may  reasonably  rejoice  at  the 
success  of  your  exorcisms,  there  is  a  far  truer  and  more  permanent 
subject  of  rejoicing.' 

that  your  names  are  written  in  heaven  :  on  the  roll  of  heaven's 
citizens.  The  metaphor  occurs  in  the  O.T.  Prophets  in  a  possibly 
eschatological  sense,  e.  g,  Isa  iv  3,  Ezek  xiii  9,  Dan  xii  1  (and  cf. 
Exod  xxxii  32).  In  the  N.T.  it  is  frequent  and  no  longer  ambiguous, 
e.  g.  Heb  xii  23,  '  the  first-born  who  are  enrolled  in  heaven,'  and 
Phil  iii  20,  '  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven.' 

Successful  exorcism,  even  in  the  Name  of  Jesus,  is  no  guarantee 
of  this  citizenship. 

(d)  21-24     The  Joy  of  the  Lord  at  the  Success  of  His  followers  : 

The  Revelation  to  Babes 

There  are  indications  that  this  section  (cf.  Mat  xi  25  sqq.)  may 
represent  more  exactly  what  passed  at  the  return  of  the  Twelve 
(cf.  Dr  V.  Bartlet,  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  343  sqq.),  and  was  derived  by 
St  Luke  from  a  source  other  than  Q,  with  its  context  not  clearly 
defined. 

21  In  that  same  hour  he  rejoiced  Hn  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
said,  I  %hank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that 
thou  didst  hide  these  things  from  the  wise  and  understanding, 
and  didst  reveal  them  unto  babes  :  yea,  Father  ;  ^for  so  it 
was  well-pleasing  in  thy  sight.  22  All  things  have  been  de- 
livered unto  me  of  my  Father  :  and  no  one  knowetb  who  the 
Son  is,  save  the  Father  ;  and  who  the  Father  is,  save  the 
Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  willeth  to  reveal  him. 
23  And  turning  to  the  disciples,  he  said  privately.  Blessed 
are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye  see  :  24  for  I  say 
*  Or,  by  2  Or,  praise  '  Or,  that 


152  ST   LUKE  [X  21-23 

unto  you,  that  many  prophets  and  kings  desired  to  see  the 
things  which  ye  see,  and  saw  them  not  ;  and  to  hear  the 
things  which  ye  hear,  and  heard  them  not. 

21.  rejoiced :  a  strong  word — '  exulted.'  On  the  '  Gospel  of 
Joy  '  see  Introd.,  p.  xxxix. 

in  the  Holy  Spirit.  This,  the  true  reading,  which  has  replaced 
the  A.V.  '  rejoiced  in  spirit,'  adds  one  more  to  the  many  Gospel 
references  to  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  writings  of  the  chronicler  of 
Pentecost.    See  note  on  i  35,  and  Introd.,  pp.  xxxvii  sqq. 

from  the  wise  and  understanding :  represented  by  '  the  worldly- 
minded  Pharisee  and  Scribe,  with  their  conceit  of  knowledge,'  and 
the  '  wealthy  and  prosperous  towns  of  Galilee  '  mentioned  above, 
vv.  13-15  (Whitham,  The  Gospel  according  to  St.  Luke,  Rivingtons 
1919,  ad  loc). 

babes.  See  the  teaching  of  such  passages  as  xviii  15-17  with  its 
parallels,  and  Jn  iii  3,  5.  Sincere  simplicity  and  teachableness  are 
marked  in  that  group  of  '  Saints  of  the  Dawn  '  to  which  St  Luke 
introduces  us  in  his  first  two  chapters.  Such  can  say  with  Simeon 
(ii  30),  '  Mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.'  The  climax  of  the 
Messianic  signs  to  be  reported  to  the  Baptist  is  that  '  the  poor  have 
the  gospel  preached  to  them  '  (vii  22  ;  cf .  iv  18).  Cf.  also  1  Cor  i  21, 
perhaps  a  conscious  reminiscence  of  this  saying. 

22.  All  things  have  been  delivered  .  .  .  Both  Luke  and  Matthew 
(xi  27)  record  this  utterance  of  Jesus,  which  is  entirely  in  the  spirit 
of  the  fourth  Gospel.  It  must  therefore  (whether  or  not  each 
derived  it  from  Q)  have  been  in  a  primitive  source,  a  fact  which 
gives  strong  support,  of  a  general  sort,  to  the  faithfulness  of 
the  Johannine  tradition  of  our  Lord's  manner  of  discourse.  Cf. 
F.  Palmer,  in  Amer.  Journ.  of  Theol.  xxiii  302  :  '  That  might  have 
come  not  from  the  S3moptists  but  from  the  fourth  Gospel,  its  tone 
is  so  like  the  profound  underlying  keynote  of  the  Johannine  writings. 
"  I  and  my  father  are  one  ".'  Prof.  Palmer  goes  on  to  quote  from 
Prof.  Ropes  that  in  the  Synoptic  portrait  '  a  certain  mystery  is  an 
integral  and  essential  element,  which  cannot  be  separated  out  as 
having  been  added  by  a  legendary  accretion.' 

In  the  first  Gospel  this  verse  is  immediately  followed  (xi  28  sqq.) 
by  the  sublime  invitation  '  Come  unto  me  .  .  .  '  It  is  extraordinary, 
as  Ramsay  points  out  {Luke  the  Physician,  p.  92),  that  Luke  should 
have  omitted  this  passage  had  it  been  in  the  common  source. 
Very  likely  (see  note  on  vv.  21-24  above)  Luke's  source  was  different 
from  Matthew's.  Still,  it  were  precarious  to  lay  too  much  stress  on 
a  single  omission,  where  the  work  of  selection  must  have  been  so 
complex  (see  p.  140). 

23-24  =  Mat  xiii  17,  16,  and  are  probably  both  from  Q.  If  we 
ask  who  has  changed  the  order,  the  answer  is,  probably  Matthew, 
for  he  very  generally  changes  the  order  when  using  IVIk  i — vi,  while 
Luke  in  general  maintains  it  (Streeter,  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  145,  146). 


X  23-25]  ST  LUKE  153 

23.  turning  to  the  disciples.  The  actual  gesture  is  not  mentioned 
elsewhere ;  but  repeatedly  in  this  section  our  Lord  is  represented 
as  turning  from  a  discourse  to  the  crowd  and  addressing  the 
disciples  as  such  (cf.  xii  22,  xvi  1,  xvii  1). 

privately :  vv.  21,  22  had  been  uttered  before  a  large  audience. 

Blessed  are  the  eyes,  dsc.  Matthew  puts  this  utterance  much 
earlier — between  the  Parable  of  the  Sower  and  its  interpretation. 
It  is  a  sa5dng  which  might  well  have  been  uttered  in  more  than  one 
connexion.  But  if  both  derived  it  from  Q,  St  Matthew  is  the  more 
likely  to  have  misplaced  it. 

24.  many  prophets  and  kings.  Matthew,  who  (as  has  been 
observed)  mentions  '  kings  '  much  oftener  than  Luke  does,  has 
'  righteous  men  '  in  the  parallel  passage.  This  is  a  small  point,  but 
may  be  considered  evidence,  of  a  kmd,  that  these  are  two  inde- 
pendent sayings,  and  from  different  sources.  The  verb  '  desired ' 
also  is  different  in  each  case.  The  Prophets  and  Kings  of  the  O.T. 
looked  forward  to  a  Christ  they  never  saw  in  life.  The  Davidic 
kings  were  themselves  imperfect  '  Messiahs  '  on  the  line  of  the  true 
and  perfect  one. 

(e)   25-37    The  Laivyer's  Question  ;    The  Good  Samaritan 

This  incident  is  often  identified  with  that  recorded  in  Mk  xii 
28-32,  and  more  fully  in  Mat  xxii  35-40,  as  occurring  later,  in  the 
Holy  Week.  In  that  case  the  question  arises,  which  account  is  the 
more  accurate  (a)  as  to  the  occasion,  and  (b)  as  to  the  details  ? 
(a)  Occasion  :  it  is  quite  in  St  Luke's  manner  (cf .  the  Miracle  of  the 
Four  Thousand  and  the  second  Storm  on  the  Lake)  to  omit  a  normal 
episode  in  the  Marcan  document  if  he  is  giving  elsewhere  an  equiva- 
lent. It  is  not  usual  with  him  to  transfer  such  an  episode  without 
good  reason.  (6)  As  to  detail :  it  wUl  be  noticed  that  here  the 
question  is  different  from  that  put  in  the  other  Synoptics — not 
'  Which  is  the  great  Commandment  ?  '  but  (as  in  another  case, 
Lk  xviii  18,  where  the  commandments  are  again  in  point)  '  What 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  '  In  both  Lucan  incidents  our 
Lord  makes  the  questioner  summarize  the  commandments,  while 
in  Matthew  and  Mark  the  summary  is  His  own.  In  Matthew  and 
Mark  the  summary  brings  the  episode  to  a  close  ;  here,  the  final 
answer  is  given  in  the  form  of  a  Parable  and  the  query  that  arises 
out  of  it  (x  36). 

The  problem  lacks  decisive  evidence  for  its  solution  ;  but  is  it 
not  the  more  likely  that  the  question  of  that  '  great  Commandment 
of  the  Law ',  which  was  every  pious  Jew's  vade-mecum,  should  have 
arisen  more  than  once,  and  have  been  handled  differently  on  different 
occasions  ?    See  next  note,  and  cf.  note  on  xi  2-4. 

25-29.  The  Lawyer's  Question.  This  is  one  of  the  three 
passages  (as  distinct  from  isolated  verses)  which  might  lead  to  the 
supposition  that  Luke  had  used  the  Marcan  document  in  the  '  Great 
Interpolation  '  :    it  is  at  first  sight  parallel  to  Mk  xii  28-32  (Mat 


154  ST   LUKE  [X  25-27 

xxii  35-40).  The  other  two  are  the  Beelzebub  passage  (xi  15, 17-23  ; 
of.  Mk  iii  22-27)  and  the  Parable  of  the  Mustard  Seed  (xiii  18,  19 ; 
of.  Mk  iv  30  sqq.).  These  are  all  discussed  by  Sir  J.  Hawkins  in 
OxJ.  Stud.,  pp.  41-53.  It  is  obvious  that  Luke  cannot  have  had 
Mark  as  it  stands  before  him  :  he  could  have  had  no  sufficient  reason 
for  altering  it  so.  He  must  therefore  have  been  working  upon  a 
source  (Q,  according  to  Streeter,  op.  cit.,  pp.  176,  192)  which  placed 
this  incident  earlier.  And  further,  it  is  quite  possible  that  this 
source  was  relating  a  different,  though  similar,  incident.  '  It  is  by 
no  means  unlikely,'  says  Hawkins  (p.  44),  '  that  the  Shema,  which 
as  an  often-repeated  formula  "  undoubtedly  belongs  to  the  time 
of  Christ  "  (Schiirer,  H.J. P.  ii  2,  p.  77  ;  cf.  p.  84),  might  more 
than  once  enter  into  His  discussions  with  the  Jewish  vofxiKoL' 

25  And  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up  and  tempted 
him,  saying,  ^Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ? 
26  And  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  live.  29  But  he, 
desiring  to  justify  himself,  said  unto  Jesus,  And  who  is  my 
neighbour  ? 

1  Or,  Teacher  -  GT.from. 

25.  a  certain  lawyer,  i.  e.  professional  interpreter  of  the  Mosaic 
Law.    Except  for  Mat  xxii  35  the  word  is  confined  to  Luke. 

stood  up.    Apparently  amid  a  seated  throng. 

tempted  him  :  rather  '  tested  Him.'  It  is  a  testing  of  His  know- 
ledge and  teaching  power  rather  than  a  sinister  attempt  to  entrap. 

to  inherit  eternal  life.  The  same  question  is  asked  by  '  a  certain 
ruler'  in  xviii  18  sqq.  There  Jesus  puts  to  him  the  second  table  of 
the  Commandments.  Eternal  in  Luke  (as  mainly  in  John)  is  always 
used  in  a  good  sense — xvi  9,  xviii  18, 30 — never  of  '  loss '  or  '  doom.' 

26.  What  is  written  in  the  law  ?  how  readest  thou  ?  A  Rabbinical 
formula.  Christ  meets  the  man  on  his  own  ground.  But  here,  as 
elsewhere  (xviii  19,  xx3),  He  answers  by  putting  another  question. 
Each  is  to  live  up  to  the  best  light  he  has  :  the  lawyer  to  keep  the 
spirit  of  the  Law. 

27.  Thou  shalt  love,  cfcc.  The  opening  of  the  Shema,  or  '  Hear, 
O  Israel'  (Deut  vi  4-9,  xi  13-21,  Num  xv  37-41),  was  written  in 
the  phylactery  which,  no  doubt,  the  laAvyer  was  wearing.  Recent 
apocalyptic  research  has  rendered  it  probable  (see  note  in  Oxf.  Stud., 
p.  44)  that  the  two  injunctions  to  love  the  Lord  and  one's  neighbour 
were  familiarly  conjoined  in  men's  minds  for  a  century  before  this  ; 
so  that  there  will  be  no  striking  originality  in  the  lawyer's  uniting 


X  27-33]  ST   LUKE  155 

Lev  xix  18  with  Deut  vi  5.  He  was  only  following  the  devout 
mystics  of  Judaism  in  recognizing  the  supreme  place  of  love. 
Cf.  PirM  Ahoth  (Oesterley,  Sayings,  i  2,  p.  2),  where  a  saying  is 
quoted  of  Simon  the  Just  (the  subject  of  the  splendid  panegyric 
in  Ecclus  1)  :  '  On  three  things  the  world  stands  :  on  the  Law,  on 
the  Temple  service,  and  on  acts  of  love.' 

with  all  thy  strength.  This  word  to-xi'?,  given  here  and  in 
Mk  xii  30,  does  not  occur  in  the  Septuagint  of  Deut ;  but  it  is  in  the 
similar  phraseology  of  the  description  of  Josiah's  character  (2  Kgs 
xxiii  25)  from  which  it  may  have  come  into  common  use  {Oxj.  Stud., 
p.  43). 

28.  this  do,  and  thou  shall  live.  The  Lawyer  has  a  plain  answer 
to  his  question  (perhaps  he  would  have  preferred  something  more 
romantic  and  less  commonplace  !).  But  one  loophole  remains — 
one  point  to  be  defined. 

29.  who  is  my  neighbour  ?  Our  Lord's  answer  gives  no  loop- 
hole for  casuistry,  but  the  very  widest  interpretation.  '  Any  one  to 
whom  you  can  show  mercy  is  your  neighbour.' 

30-37.  The  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan  (Trench, 
Parables,  pp.  311-329,  is  particularly  helpful  here).  This  Parable  is 
not  only  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  but  exceptionally  marked  by  Lucan 
style  and  vocabulary.  Dr  V.  H.  Stanton  {Gosp.  as  Hist.  Doc.  ii  229) 
points  to  it,  with  three  other  passages  (vii  36-50,  viii  1-3,  and 
xvii  11-19)  as  clearly  '  told  in  the  Evangelist's  own  words,'  and  not 
derived  from  a  written  source.  If  we  do  not  identify  vv.  25  sqq.  with 
the  supposed  parallels  in  Matthew  and  Mark  (see  two  first  notes  on 
vv.  25-37),  we  may  probably  attribute  them  to  the  same  oral  source 
as  the  Parable — conjecturally  St  Philip,  the  evangelist  of  Samaria  (see 
note  on  X  1  and  references  there).  It  adds  some  point  to  the  Parable 
if  we  conceive  it  to  have  been  uttered  in  the  neighbourhood,  on  our 
Lord's  journey  up  from  Jericho  to  visit  Mary  and  Martha  at  Bethany 
(x  38  sqq.)  for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

Among  the  Lucan  features  of  this  passage  Hobart  {M.L.,  p.  27) 
enumerates  at  least  ten  medical  words  and  phrases  all  peculiar  to 
him  in  the  N.T.  Among  these  are  half-dead,  bound  up,  wounds,  the 
use  of  oil  and  wine  (see  note  on  v.  34),  and  took  care  of  him. 

30  Jesus  made  answer  and  said,  A  certain  man  was  going 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  ;  and  he  fell  among  robbers, 
which  both  stripped  him  and  beat  him,  and  departed,  leaving 
him  half  dead.  31  And  by  chance  a  certain  priest  was  going 
down  that  way  :  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on  the 
other  side.  32  And  in  like  manner  a  Levite  also,  when  he 
came  to  the  place,  and  saw  him,  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 
33  But  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he 
was  :   and  when  he  saw  him,  he  was  moved  with  compassion, 


166  ST   LUKE  [X  30-32 

34  and  came  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  on 
them,  oil  and  wine  ;  and  he  set  him  on  his  own  beast,  and 
brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care  of  him.  35  And  on  the 
morrow  he  took  out  two  ^pence,  and  gave  them  to  the  host, 
and  said.  Take  care  of  him  ;  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest 
more,  I,  when  I  come  back  again,  will  repay  thee.  36  Which  of 
these  three,  thinkest  thou,  proved  neighbour  unto  him  that  fell 
among  the  robbers  ?  37  And  he  said.  He  that  shewed  mercy 
on  him.     And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go,  and  do  thou  likewise. 

1  See  marginal  note  on  Mat  xviii  28. 

30.  A  certain  man.  Our  Lord,  as  reported  by  St  Luke  (e.  g. 
xii  16,  xiv  16,  xv  11,  xvi  1,  19,  xviii  2,  10),  not  seldom  intro- 
duces a  parable  in  this  way.  (The  other  Gospels  have  not  this 
formula  ;  of.  Dr  Bartlet,  OxJ.  Stud.,  p.  348.)  The  story  is  true — as 
exhibiting  a  truth  of  human  nature,  or  of  Divine  government — but 
not  necessarily  fact.  It  is  impossible  to  be  certain  whether  here 
(as,  e.g.,  in  xiii  4)  Christ  is  relating  something  which  had  actually 
occurred. 

The  vivid  story  corresponds  admirably  with  topographical  con- 
ditions. The  road,  wild  and  solitary,  descends  some  3,000  feet 
towards  the  plain  of  Jordan,  flanked  by  caves  and  cliffs  which,  even 
in  modern  times,  are  haunts  of  robbers,  and  possesses  but  one  '  inn ' 
on  its  whole  20  miles  of  length.  It  was  in  ancient  times  a  by- word 
for  highway  robbery  and  murder.  See  references  in  Trench,  op.  cit., 
p.  315,  and  in  Plummer,  ad  loc. 

from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho.  This  stamps  him  as  a  Jew,  and  makes 
the  compassionate  action  of  the  Samaritan  {v.  33)  more  pointed. 

fell  among  robbers.  Deissmann  {New  Light,  p.  130)  adduces  aii 
picturesque  parallel  to  this  highway  robbery,  alike  in  tone  and  in 
expression,  in  the  complaint  of  some  pig-merchants  in  the  Fayyoum 
A.  D.  171  that  they  were  '  set  upon,  bound,  beaten,  stripped  and 
robbed.' 

31.  a  certain  priest.  Plummer  points  out  that  nowhere  else 
does  our  Lord  speak  in  derogation  of  Priests  or  Levites,  and  regards 
this  as  a  token  that  the  narrative  is  not  fiction  but  history.  As 
the  lawyer  was  probably  a  Pharisee  and  the  leading  priests  were 
Sadducees,  the  choice  was  hardly  a  direct  blow  at  him. 

passed  by.  Humanly  speaking  there  was  much  to  explain  (if  not 
to  excuse)  this.  Apart  from  the  risk  of  a  return  of  the  bandits,  if 
he  had  inadvertently  touched  a  dead  man  it  would  have  involved 
all  the  annoyance  and  delay  of  a  ceremonial  defilement. 

32.  a  Levite  also  :  who  perhaps  excused  himseK  by  the  example 
of  the  priest  (Trench,  op.  cit.,  p.  327).  There  is  a  climactic  series : 
one  passes  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  ;  the  next  stops  and  looks 
and  then  goes  on  ;  the  third  approaches  and  brings  succour. 


X  33-37]  ST   LUKE  157 

33.  a,  certain  Samaritan.  Here,  at  any  rate,  the  lawyer  would 
have  shuddered — at  the  idea  of  a  Samaritan  being  held  up  as  an 
example  to  a  Jew  ! 

34.  was  moved  with  compassion.  This  was  the  best  thing  he 
had  to  give — something  of  himself  (Gregory  the  Great,  ap.  Trench, 
loc.  cit.,  p.  327)  :  the  external  aid  inevitably  followed.  The  Samari- 
tan churlishness  recorded  in  ix  52,  if  it  occurred  shortly  before,  may 
have  led  our  Lord  to  select  this  story  and  so  speak  a  good  word  for 
those  who  had  '  despitefully  used  '  Him  (cf.  vi  28).  The  kindness 
of  the  people  of  Sychar  (Jn  iv)  and  the  signal  gratitude  of  the 
Samaritan  leper  (xvii  16)  justify  His  kindly  estimate  of  these  people 
and  suggest  that  the  incident  of  ix  52  does  not  give  a  complete  or 
fair  picture  of  their  attitude  towards  Him.  Possibly  He  has  here 
a  special  lesson  for  the  '  Sons  of  Thunder.' 

This  Parable  has  made  the  name  Samaritan  as  honourable  in 
Christian  ears  as  it  was  despicable  in  those  of  the  contemporary  Jews. 

pouring  on  them  oil  and  wine.  '  Wine  and  oil  were  usual  remedies 
for  sores,  wounds,  &c.,  and  also  used  as  internal  medicine,'  says 
Hobart  {M.L.,  p.  28).  He  cites  all  four  writers — Hippocrates, 
Aretaeus,  Dioscorides,  and  Galen — for  their  medical  use. 

brought  him  to  an  inn.  The  ruins  of  the  solitary  inn  upon  the 
20  miles  of  road  were  identified  by  Canon  Tristram  {Eastern  Customs, 
p.  220,  ap.  Plummer).  There  is  an  inn,  humble  and  rough,  now  much 
used  by  travellers,  and  called  the  '  Inn  of  the  Good  Samaritan '  (see, 
e.  g.,  R.  Hichens,  The  Holy  Land,  Hodder  &  Stoughton  1910,  p.  173). 

St  Luke  himself  may  have  professionally  attended  similar  cases, 
as  Hobart  points  out  {loc.  cit.).  For  we  have  it  on  record  in  Galen's 
writings  (what  was  antecedently  probable)  that  sick  travellers  used 
to  take  refuge  in  inns. 

35.  two  pence.  2  denarii  would  be  in  nominal  value  about 
2  francs  (Is.  8c?.)  ;  in  purchasing  power  much  more. 

Take  care  of  him.  He  is  asking  a  favour  of  '  mine  host ',  for  in 
the  Eastern  inn — more  or  less  as  in  the  resting-places  on  Indian 
roads — the  traveller  receives  shelter,  but  is  expected  to  find  his 
own  board  and  attendance. 

36.  Which  of  these  three  .  .  .  ?  '  You  enquire,  "  Who  is  my  neigh- 
bour ?  "  Behold  a  man  who  asked  quite  another  question,  "  To 
whom  can  I  be  a  neighbour  ?  "  And  then  be  yourself  the  judge, 
whether  you  or  he  have  most  of  the  mind  of  God  .  .  .  ?  '  (Trench, 
p.  328). 

37.  He  that  shewed  mercy  on  him.  The  lawyer's  lips  cannot 
frame  the  word  '  Samaritan  '  in  this  connexion.  But  his  answer  is 
the  better,  because  it  enunciates  the  principle. 

This  Parable  lends  itself  more  justifiably  than  most  to  a  '  mysti- 
cal '  interpretation,  in  which  '  He  that  shewed  mercy  '  is  Christ 
Himself  :  for  His  work  of  redemption  is  supreme  among  acts  of 
mercy.  Trench's  summary  of  patristic  and  other  interpretations 
(pp.  321  sqq.)  is  of  particular  value  in  this  case. 


158  ST   LUKE  [X  37-42 

The  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  rich  in  materials  for  artistic 
treatment,  appeals  more,  in  its  picturesqueness,  to  the  modern 
than  it  appealed  to  the  mediaeval  mind.  There  is  a  sixteenth- 
century  representation  in  the  National  Gallery  by  Bassano  (No.  277), 
typically  Venetian,  and  another  by  the  same  hand  at  Vienna  ;  and 
Rembrandt  has  a  famous  picture  in  the  Louvre,  and  Paolo  Veronese 
at  Dresden.  Cf.  Jameson,  Hist,  of  O.  L.,  vol.  i,  p.  388.  A  modern 
artist,  with  splendid  grasp  of  reality,  has  translated  it  into  terms  of 
the  Great  War.  The  desolation  of  the  road  is  that  of  a  shell-blasted 
area,  and  a  man  in  khaki  uniform  is  patiently  rendering  first  aid 
to  another  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life.  The  only  change  needed  to 
make  it  a  perfect  illustration  of  our  Lord's  teaching  is  that  one  of 
the  uniforms  should  be  the  grey  of  the  enemy. 

(f)  38-42  Mary  and  Martha  (cf .  Jn  xi  and  xii  1-8) 
This  incident  supplies  an  '  undesigned  coincidence  '  illustrative 
of  the  accuracy  of  the  two  Evangelists  who  alone  mention  the 
sisters.  St  John's  narrative  shows  them  at  Bethany,  already  very 
intimate  with  our  Lord,  and  implies  previous  visits.  St  Luke 
supplies  us  with  an  account  of  one  such  visit,  and  though  he 
(possibly)  does  not  even  know  the  name  of  their  native  village, 
he  draws  their  portraits  so  vividly  and  truly  that  we  can  at  once 
recognize  the  figures  drawn  by  St  John. 

Further,  our  Lord's  proximity  to  Jerusalem  (implied,  if  Bethany 
is  the  place)  at  this  time  fits  in  with  the  record  in  the  fourth  Gospel 
(Jn  vii — ix)  of  a  visit  to  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (Sept.  a.  d.  28). 
Jesus  went  up  late  to  that  Feast  (Jn  vii  10),  and  on  arriving  at 
Bethany  would  find  the  brother  Lazarus  ah-eady  gone  to  Jerusalem 
(women  did  not  necessarily  go),  and  this  would  accoxmt  for  St  Luke 
not  mentioning  him.    See  Edersh.,  L.  and  T.  ii  145-147. 

38  Now  as  they  went  on  their  way,  he  entered  iiito  a  cer- 
tain village  :  and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received 
him  into  her  house.  39  And  she  had  a  sister  called  Mary, 
which  also  sat  at  the  Lord's  feet,  and  heard  his  word.  40  But 
Martha  was  ^cumbered  about  much  serving  ;  and  she  came 
up  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister 
did  leave  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she  help 
me.  41  But  the  Lord  answered  and  said  unto  her,  ^Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  anxious  and  troubled  about  many  things  : 
42  3but  one  thing  is  needful  :  for  Mary  hath  chosen  the  good 
part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her. 

1  Gr.  distracted. 

2  A  few  ancient  authorities  read  Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  troubled :  Mary  hath 

chosen,  dbc. 

^  Many  ancient  autlioriticB  read  but  few  things  arc  needful,  or  one. 


X  38-42]  ST  LUKE  159 

38.  received  him  :  as,  later,  did  Zacchaeus  (xix  6)  and  as  Jason, 
at  Thessalonica,  was  reported  to  have  received  St  Paul  and  his 
companions  (Ac  xvii  7).  The  verb — which  is  practically  peculiar 
to  St  Luke  in  the  N.T.  (elsewhere  only  Jas  ii  25)  is  noted  by  Hobart 
{M.L.,  p.  156)  as  a  favourite  in  medical  writings. 

into  her  house.  In  Bethany,  a  village  pleasantly  situated  near 
the  south-east  base  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  now  known  as  El 
'Azariyeh — recording  the  name  of  Lazarus.  Cf .  Thomson,  The  Land 
and  the  Book,  p.  697. 

St  John  records  that  Mary,  shortly  before  the  Passion,  anointed 
the  Lord's  feet  with  precious  ointment  and  wiped  them  with  her 
hair  (Jn  xii  1-3)  :  this  anointing  is  not  to  be  identified  with  that  of 
the  '  Sinful  Woman  '  narrated  by  St  Luke  in  vii  37  sqq.  (which 
accounts  for  his  not  mentioning  the  later  episode).  But  the  incident 
is  evidently  the  same  as  that  given  in  Mat  xxvi  6  and  Mk  xiv  3  as 
occurring  '  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper.'  We  may  presume, 
therefore,  that  Martha  is  the  wife,  widow,  or  elder  daughter  of 
Simon  who,  as  a  leper,  could  not,  by  Jewish  law,  live  at  home. 

39.  at  the  Lord's  feet :  as  disciple  and  listener — even  as  St  Paul 
had  sat  (Ac  xxii  3)  '  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.'  On  '  the  Lord,'  see 
note  on  vii  13.  The  Apostle  perhaps  has  this  incident  in  his  mind 
when  describing  the  difference  between  the  married  and  the  un- 
married woman  in  1  Cor  vii  34. 

40.  help  me.  The  word  which  means  '  to  share  another's  interest 
in  a  matter '  is  rare  in  N.T.,  elsewhere  only  Rom  viii  36 ;  but  Deiss- 
mann  shows  that  it  was  quite  common  in  the  Mediterranean  world, 
beginning  from  an  inscription  at  Delphi  of  270  b.  c. 

41.  Martha,  Martha  .  .  .  Doubtless  a  kindly  chiding,  uttered 
with  a  smile.  Syr-Sin.  text  omits  the  chiding  altogether,  reading  : 
'  Martha,  Martha,  Mary  has  chosen  for  herself  the  good  part  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her  '  (P.  L.). 

42.  one  thing  is  needful :  considerable  MS  authority  goes  with 
the  reading  of  R.V.  marg.  but  feiv  things  are  needful,  or  one.  But 
it  may  be  conflate  of  two  readings  '  few  '  and  '  one  ' .  A  single  dish 
would  suffice.  True  hospitality  cannot  be  measured  by  the  elabo- 
rateness of  the  menu.  Mary  has  given  the  hospitality  of  the  open 
heart  and  the  attentive  ear. 

Incidentally  it  is  a  preaching  of  the  '  Simple  Life  '  :  directly,  it 
emphasizes  the  vast  superiority  of  the  spiritual  over  the  material. 

Dante,  to  whom  (as  to  so  many  before  and  since)  Martha  and 
Mary  typify  the  '  active  '  and  the  '  contemplative  '  life,  comes 
strangely  near  the  modern  interpretation  when  he  paraphrases 
[Gonv.  iv  17),  '  Assuredly  only  one  thing  is  necessary — namely, 
that  which  thou  art  doing  :  '  doe  quello  die  fai.  '  Do  as  you  are 
doing,  but  do  not  fret  about  it :  Mary  also  is  doing  the  right  thing.' 

The  sisters  of  Bethany  are  very  scantily  represented  in  Art 
(Mrs  Jameson,  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,  pp.  386,  387 ;  see  also 
Hist,  of  0.  L.,  vol.  i,  pp.  325-328).    Martha  is  usually  represented  as 


160  ST  LUKE  [XI I 

the  *  Patroness  of  female  discretion  and  good  housekeeping,'  while 
Mary  is  too  often  identified  with  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  '  Sinner  ' 
of  chapter  vii. 

(2)  XI  1— XIII  35     Second    Period  of    the  '  Journeyings  '  : 
/         from  the  Visit  to  Bethany  to  the  Lament  over  Jerusalem 

If,  with  Edersheim  {L.  <fc  T.  ii  145-147),  we  connect  the  visit  to 
Bethany  with  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  a.  d.  28,  and  the  indications 
of  xiii  31-35  with  the  Feast  of  Dedication  in  that  year,  the  events 
of  this  section  will  occupy  about  3  months,  from  about  Sept.  23  to 
about  Dec.  23,  and  will  involve  journeyings  presumably  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem.  That  neighbourhood  might  well  be 
the  scene  of  the '  Lord's  Prayer '  (see  note  on  xi  1),  of  the  Denunciation 
of  Pharisees  (xi  37-54),  of  the  Lesson  of  Calamities,  and  the  Parable 
of  the  Barren  Fig-tree  (xiii  1-9),  as  well  as  of  the  Warning  against 
Herod  (xiii  31-35).  On  the  other  hand  a  prolonged  stay  in  Jerusalem 
itself  would  (as  Godet  points  out — vol.  ii,  p.  6)  be  inconsistent  with 
the  atmosphere  of  Jn  vii.  Also  the  '  editorial '  clause  xiii  22  seems 
to  suggest  a  wider  field,  and  a  steady  movement  from  the  north 
towards  the  Holy  City. 

(a)  XI  1-13     Instruction  on  Prayer 

Prayer  (i  10,  ii  37,  iii  21,  vi  12,  ix  18,  ix  29,  xxii  32,  xxiii  34)  is 
one  of  the  prominent  themes  in  St  Luke,  and  it  is  characteristic  of 
him  to  note  that  it  was  the  example  of  the  Master  at  prayer  that 
led  the  Disciples  to  ask  for  instruction  on  the  subject.  Neither  the 
occasion  nor  the  question  is  recorded  by  St  Matthew  in  connexion 
with  the  enunciation  of  the  Pattern  Prayer  '  Our  Father  '  (Mat  vi 
9-13).  There  a  type  is  given — '  after  this  manner  pray  ye  ;  '  here 
a  definite,  but  shorter,  form  of  words — '  When  ye  pray,  say  ,  .  .  ' 
The  two  prayers  may  be  quite  independent  of  one  another  (see  note 
on  vv.  2-4)  ;  if  not,  we  should  expect  St  Luke's  to  be  the  more 
original.  The  Parable  which  follows  {vv.  5-8)  and  the  subsequent 
Discourse  {vv.  9-13)  give  encouragement  to  prayer  by  an  a  fortiori 
argument. 

XI  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  praying  in  a  certain 
place,  that  when  he  ceased,  one  of  his  disciples  said  unto  him, 
Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,  even  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples. 

1.  as  he  was  praying  in  a  certain  place.  The  phrase,  indefinite 
as  it  is,  recalls  x  38,  '  He  entered  into  a  certain  village.'  Dr  Armi- 
tage  Robinson  {Texts  &  Studies,  vol.  i,  pp.  123-125)  in  an  interesting 
note  attached  to  Dr  Chase's  Monograph  (see  below)  argues  that  from 
the  proximity  of  these  two  passages  a  reasonable  conjecture  can  be 
made  as  to  the  locality  in  which  the  Lord's  Prayer  was  given.     The 


XI 1-4]  ST  LUKE  16f 

'  certain  village  '  we  know  from  Jn  xi  1  to  have  been  Bethany  ; 
may  not  the  '  certain  place  '  have  been  Gethsemane,  on  the  Bethany 
side  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  ?  It  is  Gethsemane  which, 
with  parallel  indefiniteness,  St  Luke  introduces  by  the  words  (xxii  40) 
'  when  he  was  at  the  place  '  (though  defined  to  some  extent  in 
V.  39)  ;  while  St  John  (xviii  2)  expressly  asserts  that  our  Lord 
'  oft-times  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples.'  If  this  be  so,  we 
have  another  point  of  contact  with  the  fourth  Gospel. 

even  as  John.  This  falls  in  with  the  implication  of  v  33,  where 
our  Lord's  critics  aver  that  it  is  distinctive  of  the  Baptist's  disciples 
that  they  '  fast  often,  and  make  supplications.'  The  Rabbis  were 
very  sparing  in  drawing  up  forms  of  prayer  for  their  disciples,  who 
mainly  rested  on  traditional  forms.  St  John  seems  to  have  inno- 
vated on  this  point.  No  form  of  prayer  attributed  to  him  is  extant. 
It  must  surely  have  included  an  equivalent  to  '  Thy  kingdom  come.' 

2-4.  The  Lord's  Prayer.  Have  we,  or  have  we  not,  here,  an 
imperfect  parallel  to  the  familiar  Lord's  Prayer  in  St  Matthew 
(vi  9-13)  ?  The  question  arises  in  a  number  of  cases,  as,  e.  g.,  in  the 
Beatitudes  (vi  20-23  ;  Mat  v  3  sqq.)  and  many  of  the  supposed 
parallels  in  the  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount,'  and  the  Lawyer's  Question 
(x  25  sqq.  ;  Mat  xxii  35-40).  The  answer  may  vary  in  different 
cases  ;  but  we  remind  ourselves  that  it  is  almost  inconceivable  that 
in  the  course  of  His  Ministry  the  Lord  should  not  have  enunciated 
the  same  principles  again  and  again  in  different  contexts  and  in 
slightly  varying  phraseology.  Dr  E.  F.  Morrison  (pp.  141  sqq.,  see 
below)  argues  that  the  longer  form  in  Matthew  may  be  original, 
and  Luke  may  have  shortened  the  Prayer  in  adapting  it  to  Gentile 
readers.  Whatever  be  the  significance  of  the  fact,  it  is  worth  while 
remarking  that  the  phrases  peculiar  to  Matthew  are  largely  found 
in  the  Talmud. 

In  A.V.  the  Lucan  record  of  the  Prayer,  as  given  by  the  best 
MSS,  was  assimilated  to  the  larger  Matthaean  form.  Blass  {Philol. 
Gosp.,  pp.  177  sqq.)  argues  that  the  R.V.  text  (and  the  mass  of  MS 
evidence  behind  it)  still  preserves  an  assimilation  in  a  less  degree  ; 
and  that  the  reading  of  D,  iXOerw  e(^'  ry/xSs — '  Thy  kingdom  come 
upon  us,'  points  to  an  original  Lucan  text  preserved  by  the  minuscule 
700  and  attested  by  Gregory  of  Nyssa  and  Maximus  Confessor, 
'  Thy  Holy  Spirit  come  upon  us.'  The  Prayer  in  St  Luke  would 
then  be  still  more  independent,  and  run  thus  : 
Father, 

Thy  Holy  Ghost  come  upon  us  and  make  us  clean, 
Give  us  day  by  day  our  daily  bread,  &c.,  &c., 
where,  for  the  '  Holy  Ghost,'  cf.  below,  xi  13. 

For  practical  interpretation  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  its  fuller 
form,  see  the  companion  volume  on  St  Matthew  in  this  series, 
pp.  55-59  ;  and 

Dr  E.  F.  Morrison,  The  L.  P.  and  the  Prayers  of  Our  Lord.    S.P.C.K., 
1917. 
L.  11 


162  ST   LUKE  [Xi  5-8 

Dr  J.  W.  Thirtle,  The  L.  P.,  an  Interpretation  Critical  and  Exposi- 
tory.   Morgan  &  Scott,  1915. 

Dr  R.  L.  Ottley,  The  Rule  of  Work  and  Worship,  an  Exposition  of 
the  L.  P.    Robt.  Scott,  1915. 

Dr  Chase,  The  L.  P.  in  the  Early  Church  (Texts  &  Studies,  vol.  i, 
No.  3).    Cambridge. 

Dr  C.  Gore,  Prayer  and  the  L.  P.    Wells,  Gardner,  Darton  &  Co.,  1898. 

F.  A.  Malleson,  The  L.  P.  and  the  Church  :  Letters  to  the  Clergy  by 
John  Buskin.    Strahan,  n.  d. 

2  And  he  said  unto  them,  When  ye  pray,  say,  ^Father, 
Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.'^  3  Give  us  day 
by  day  ^our  daily  bread.  4  And  forgive  us  our  sins  ;  for  we 
ourselves  also  forgive  every  one  that  is  indebted  to  us.  And 
bring  us  not  into  temptation.* 

*■  Many  ancient  authorities  read  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven.    See  Mat  vi  9. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  add  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth.     See 
Mat  vi  10.  '  Gr.  our  bread  for  the  coming  day. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  add  but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  one  (or,  from  evil). 
See  Mat  vi  13. 

5-8.  The  Parable  of  the  Friend  at  Midnight,  or  '  The 
Importunate  Friend  '  (Trench,  Parables,  pp.  330-336).  Canon 
Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  192)  thinks  that  this  and  the  Unjust  Steward 
may  have  been  in  Q,  but  omitted  by  Matthew  because  liable  to 
misinterpretation.  To  these  Sir  John  Hawkins  {ib.,  p.  134)  would 
add  the  Importunate  Widow  ("Unjust  Judge'),  which  is,  in  any 
case,  a  companion  Parable. 

Homely  and  even  humorous  in  its  suggestions,  this  peculiarly 
Lucan  Parable  is  typical  of  '  Luke  the  Humorist,'  as  Mr  H.  McLachlan 
{St  Luke,  the  Man  and  his  Work,  1920)  dares  to  style  our  Evangelist. 
He  instances  this  Parable  and  that  of  the  '  Unwilling  Guests  ' 
(xiv  15-24)  in  the  Gospel,  and  in  the  Acts  the  accounts  of  the  Riot 
at  Ephesus,  and  of  St  Paul's  Speech  at  Athens  as  '  conspicuous 
examples  '  of  St  Luke's  gift  of  humour  {op.  cit.,  p.  148).  The  humour, 
of  course,  goes  back  to  the  Originator  of  the  Parables  ;  but  the  other 
Evangelists  have  not  succeeded  in  conveying  this  trait  as  St  Luke 
has.    Cf.  for  irony,  xiii  32,  xiv  12,  xiv  15. 

5  And  he  said  unto  them,  Which  of  you  shall  have  a  friend, 
and  shall  go  unto  him  at  midnight,  and  say  to  him,  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves  ;  6  for  a  friend  of  mine  is  come  to  me 
from  a  journey,  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.  Though  he 


xls-13]  ST   LUKE  163 

will  not  rise  and  give  him,  because  he  is  his  friend,  yet  because 
of  his  importunity  he  will  arise  and  give  him  %s  many  as  he 
needeth. 

*  Or,  whatsoever  things 

5.  Which  of  you  shall  have  a  friend.  This  beginning,  rts  ii  vfiwv, 
is  common  in  St  Luke  (xii  25,  xiv  28,  xv  4,  xvii  2)  like  '  A  certain 
man  '  (see  note  on  x  30).  Matthew  has  it  only  once,  in  vi  27.  The 
argument,  like  that  of  the  Parable  of  the  Importunate  Widow 
(xviii  1-8),  is  a  strong  a  fortiori  argument.  '  If  a  reluctant  man  will 
rise  and  give  to  importunity,  what  cannot  faithful  perseverance  win 
from  a  gracious  God  ?  '  It  is  in  the  atmosphere  of  friendship  that 
prayer  lives.  Here  '  a  friend  pleads  to  a  friend  for  a  friend.'  Cf. 
Andrew  Murray,  With  Christ  in  the  School  of  Prayer. 

7.  Trouble  me  not,  dsc.  The  whole  sleeping  family  must  be 
roused — if  not  awakened  already  by  the  insistent  knocking  !  The 
most  inconvenient  time  is  chosen  to  enforce  the  argument.  Luke 
does  not,  like  Lucian,  hold  up  to  ridicule  the  idea  of  a  Divine 
attention  to  the  numberless  and  conflicting  requests  rising  up  from 
mankind. 

God  has  no  inconvenient  times  ;  but  His  gracious  response  is 
conditioned  by  our  earnestness.  Trench  aptly  quotes  (p.  331)  from 
Dante's  Paradiso,  xx  94  sqq.  Where  human  love  and  hope  are 
said  to  '  conquer  the  Divine  Will ' — 

Not  in  such  sort 
As  man  prevails  o'er  man  ;   but  conquers  it 
Because  'tis  willing  to  be  conquered,  still, 
Tho'  conquer'd,  by  its  mercy  conquering. 

Non  a  guisa  che  1'  uomo  all'  uom  sovranza. 
Ma  vince  lei,  perche  vuol  esser  vinta, 
E,  vinta,  vince  con  sua  beninanza. 

my  children  are  with  me  in  bed.  It  has  been  suggested  that  Jesus 
gives  here  a  reminiscence  of  crowded  cottage-life  at  Nazareth.  '  The 
Leaven  '  and  the  '  Lost  Coin  '  may  also  be  reminiscences  of  His 
boyhood.     Cf .  T.  R.  Glover,  The  Jesus  of  History,  pp.  27  sqq. 

8.  importunity :  lit.  '  shamelessness,' 

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  And  of  which  of  you  that  is  a  father  shall  his  son  ask 
%  loaf,  and  he  give  him  a  stone  ?  or  a  fish,  and  he  for  a  fish 
give  him  a  serpent  ?  12  Or  ^/  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  will  he  give 
him  a  scorpion  ?      13  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to 

'  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  a  loaf,  and  he  give  him  a  stone  ?  or. 

11-2 


164  ST   LUKE  [XI 13,  h 

give  good  gifts  unto  yoiir  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him? 

9.  And  I  say  unto  you.  Both  pronouns  are  more  emphatic  than 
in  the  similar  phrase,  v.  8. 

9-13.  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you,  cfcc.  This  passage  is  found 
also  in  Mat  vii  7-11,  but  with  two  important  variations  :  (a)  Luke 
adds  the  figure  of  the  '  scorpion  '  (cf .  the  conjunction  of  '  serpents 
and  scorpions  '  in  x  19),  and  (6)  where  Matthew  has  simply  '  good 
things  '  Luke  has  '  the  Holy  Spirit ' — characteristic  of  the  Chronicler 
of  Pentecost. 

These  verses  are  the  Magna  Charta  of  Prayer.  They  not  only 
state  explicitly  that  earnest  and  persevering  prayer  shall  win  its 
blessing,  but  also  imply  that  for  the  winning  of  the  best  gifts  such 
prayer  is  a  necessary  condition.  In  the  light  of  experience  we  might 
carry  interpretation  a  step  farther,  and  assert  that  when  with 
real  devotion  and  earnestness,  but  without  knowledge,  men  pray 
for  what  would  injure  them  God  gives  a  blessing  in  answer.  When 
they  ask  for  a  stone,  a  serpent,  a  scorpion,  He  gives  instead  the  loaf, 
the  fish,  the  egg. 

13.  being  evil.  virapxovTt^,  stronger  than  the  ovt€';  of  Mat 
vii  11,  '  being  radically  evil.' 

the  Holy  Spirit.  Luke,  the  Historian  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (cf. 
Introd.,  p.  xxxviii),  thus  interprets,  we  may  believe,  and  rightly 
interprets,  the  '  good  things '  which  he  and  Matthew  found  in  the 
source  Q.  This  is  the  greatest  gift  of  all,  and  the  one  of  which  we 
may  be  quite  sure  that  the  Father  always  desires  that  we  should 
have  it. 

(b)  14-26     Exorcism  of  a  Dumb  Devil,  and   Teaching  thereon 

Parts  of  this  section  occur  in  Mk  iii,  and  almost  the  whole  of  it, 
though  with  additions  and  puzzling  changes  of  order,  in  Mat 
xii  22  sqq.  Luke  does  not  seem  to  have  drawn  from  Mark  here,  but 
(like  Matthew)  from  Q.  Matthew,  following  Mark  (though  not 
exactly),  places  it  much  earlier,  before  the  incident  of  '  The  Lord's 
Brethren.'  In  Mark  the  teaching  has  no  connexion  with  the  context, 
and  in  Matthew,  though  it  is  connected,  as  here,  with  the  exorcism,  it 
is  characteristically  brought  into  a  collection  of  anti-Pharisaic  sayings. 
We  may  believe  that  Luke  is  more  likely  to  be  right  in  placing  it 
where  he  does.  (Cf.  Sir  John  Hawkins's  note,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  45  ; 
Canon  Streeter,  ib.,  pp.  146  and  170  sqq. — he  thinks  that  Mark 
represents  a  mutilated  excerpt  from  Q — and  N.  P.  Williams,  ib., 
p.  413.) 

14  And  he  was  casting  out  a   ^devil  which  was  dumb. 

'  Gr.  demon. 

J 


XI  14,15]  ST   LUKE  165 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ^devil  was  gone  out,  the  dumb 
man  spake  ;  and  the  multitudes  marvelled.  15  But  some  of 
them  said,  "By  Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the  ^devils  casteth  he 
out  ^devils.  16  And  others,  tempting  Mm,  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  ;  %nd  a  house  divided  against  a  house  falleth. 
18  And  if  Satan  also  is  divided  against  himself,  how  shall  his 
kingdom  stand  ?  because  ye  say  that  I  cast  out  ^devils  ^by 
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  by  the  finger  of  God  cast  out  ^devils, 
then  is  the  kingdom  of  God  come  upon  you.  21  When  the 
strong  man  fully  armed  guardeth  his  own  court,  his  goods  are 
in  peace  :  22  but  when  a  stronger  than  he  shall  come  upon 
him,  and  overcome  him,  he  taketh  from  him  his  whole  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  The  unclean  spirit  when  %e  is  gone  out  of  the 
man,  passeth  through  waterless  places,  seeking  rest  ;  and 
finding  none,  %e  saith,  I  will  turn  back  unto  my  house  whence 
I  came  out.  25  And  when  %e  is  come,  %e  findeth  it  swept 
and  garnished.  26  Then  goeth  %e,  and  taketh  to  Mm  seven 
other  spirits  more  evil  than  %imself  ;  and  they  enter  in  and 
dwell  there  :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  becometh  worse 
than  the  first. 

*  Gr.  demon.  ^  Or,  In  ^  Gr.  demons. 

*  Or,  and  house  falleth  upon  house.  ^  Or,  it  ^  Or,  itself 

14.  the  multitudes  marvelled.  Cf .  note  on  v  26.  Matthew  also 
notes  their  '  amazement,'  and  adds  that  they  asked  '  Is  this  the 
son  of  David  ?  '  (cf.  note  on  xviii  39). 

15.  some  of  them.  Matthew  (who  groups  this  with  anti-Pharisaic 
matter)  says  '  Pharisees.'  As  Mark  says  still  more  definitely, '  scribes 
which  came  from  Jerusalem  '  (iii  22),  we  may  safely  define  further 
the  vague  reference  in  the  text,  and  may  perhaps  see  in  it  an  indica- 
tion of  proximity  to  the  city  (see  preliminary  note  on  xi  1 — xiii  35). 

By  Beelzebub  (properly  Beelzebul,  as  MSS)  the  prince  of  the 
devils  :  lit. '  m  B.,'  i.  e. '  in  the  power  of  B.,' '  as  one  who  is  possessed 
by  B.'  If  the  word  means  '  lord  of  dung  ' — i.  e.  of  '  abominations  ' 
=  false  gods — the  '  prince  of  the  devils '  is  a  fair  translation  :   if  it 


166  ST   LUKE  [XI 15-21 

means  '  lord  of  the  mansion  '  it  leads  up  to  the  figure  of  the  '  strong 
man  and  his  palace  '  {vv.  21  sqq.).  See  further,  Edersheim,  L.  cfc  T. 
i648. 

In  connexion  with  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (see  note  on  x  38-42) 
St  John  records  a  saying  of  '  the  Jews  '  (Jn  viii  48),  '  Thou  art  a 
Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil.'  St  Mark  closely  associates  this  incident 
with  the  anxiety  of  His  relatives  :  '  He  is  beside  himself  '  (Mk  iii  21). 

16.  tempting  him.  This  incident  recalls  the  Temptation  in  the 
Wilderness.  The  accusation  of  v.  15,  if  true,  would  have  meant  a 
yielding  to  the  second  Temptation  (iv  7)  ;  the  enticement  of  this 
verse,  if  followed,  to  the  third  (iv  9  sqq.). 

a  sign  from  heaven.  Matthew  (xii  38  sqq.)  makes  the  Pharisees 
formally  demand  such  a  sign,  and  places  the  demand  just  before 
the  discourse  on  the  '  Seven  Devils.'  Did  the  name  Beelzebul — 
connected  as  it  is  with  the  story  of  Elijah's  calling  down  fire  (2  Kgs 
i  2  sqq.) — itself  suggest  the  demand  for  a  similar  '  sign  '  (cf. 
Plummer,  ad  loc.)  ?  If  so,  we  may  note  that  this  is  precisely  the 
type  of  sign  which  Christ  had  rejected  in  answer  to  James  and  John 
(ix  54). 

17.  knowing  their  thoughts.    Cf .  v  22  and  note  there. 

18.  if  Satan  (identified  with  B.)  also  is  divided  .  .  .  An  appeal 
to  common  sense.  '  Could  Satan  be  assumed  to  act  for  his  open 
and  obvious  self-destruction  ?  The  powers  of  evil  are  still  too  strong 
to  make  it  even  plausible  ?  Incidentally  a  great  principle  is  enun- 
ciated— '  Union  is  strength.' 

19.  your  sons.  A  reference,  apparently,  to  genuine  exorcisms  ; 
but  cf .  the  incident  of  the  Sons  of  Sceva,  Ac  xix  13  sqq. 

20.  by  the  finger  of  God.  Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  p.  309)  adduces  an 
ancient '  binding  charm  '  from  an  ostrakon  with  the  words  '  I  adjure 
thee  by  the  finger  of  God.'  The  Hebraistic  tone  of  the  expression 
(cf.  Exod  viii  19)  is  in  line  with  the  indications  of  Luke's  special 
source  (cf.  notes  on  ix  51,  53).  If,  however,  it  stood  thus  in  Q, 
Matthew,  who  reads  '  by  the  spirit  of  God/  must  have  interpreted 
it  here  because  of  its  obscurity  (cf.  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  49)  as 
Luke  interpreted  the  '  good  things  '  of  v.  13  because  of  the  indefinite- 
ness. 

then  is  the  kingdom  of  God  come  upon  you.  It  is  not  civil  war  within 
the  Satanic  realm  that  works  these  cures  :  the  evil  kingdom  is  too 
strong.  But  a  stronger  has  appeared  {v.  22)  to  assail  it  from  without, 
and  these  are  the  evidences  of  His  prowess.  It  is  remarkable  that 
Matthew  has  here  '  kingdom  of  God  '  instead  of  his  usual  '  kingdom 
of  heaven.'  One  might  argue  that  it  is  he,  and  not  Luke,  that  has 
modified  the  original  phrase  throughout ;  but  kept  it  here  for  the 
parallel '  Spirit  of  God  .  .  .  kingdom  of  God.' 

For  this  idea  of  a  present  kingdom  (exhibited  side  by  side  with 
that  of  one  '  to  come  '),  cf.  vii  28,  xvi  16,  xvii  20,  and  the  Parables 
of  Mustard  Seed  and  Leaven  (xiii  18-21). 

21.  22.    The  Strong  and  the  Stronger.   Good  is  stronger  than 


XI 21-26]  ST   LUKE  167 

evil,  Christ  stronger  than  Satan,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  in  Christ 
than  the  kingdom  of  Satan. 

21.  guardeth  his  own  court.    Cf.  note  on  v.  15. 

22.  his  whole  armour  :  lit.  '  panoply,'  with  which,  in  Eph  vi  11 
is  contrasted  the  '  panoply  of  God,'  in  a  passage  which  describes  the 
same  battle  carried  on  by  Christ's  followers.  Satan's  armour  is 
there  alluded  to  (vi  16)  in  the  '  fiery  darts.'  Here  it  is  rather  pictured 
as  consisting  of  the  hosts  of  demons  at  work  in  the  world. 

divideth  his  spoils.  Cf.  Isa  liii  12,  '  He  shall  divide  the  spoil 
with  the  strong ; '  where,  however,  the  LXX  version  is  different.  Is 
it  the  forces  and  material  at  his  disposal,  or  the  souls  that  he  has 
led  captive  ?  Perhaps  we  should  not  attempt  to  interpret  this 
clause  too  minutely,  but  regard  it  as  giving  a  touch  of  completeness 
to  the  picture  of  a  victory.  Cf .  Col  ii  15,  where  Christ  is  described 
as  '  triumphing  openly  '  over  the  powers  of  evil  by  His  cross.  Cf. 
also  Eph  iv  8. 

23.  He  that  is  not  with  me.  In  the  war  just  described  the  two 
sides  are  clearly  defined  (as  against  the  '  blurred  conception  '  of 
Christ's  accusers)  and  there  is  no  neutrality.  It  is,  in  a  way,  a  com- 
plementary truth  to  that  uttered  in  ix  50. 

gathereth  .  .  .  scattereth.  Godet  carries  on  the  battle-metaphor — 
Jesus  is  rallying  troops  for  a  fresh  attack. 

24-26.  The  Seven  Evil  Spirits.  A  Parable  emphasizing  the 
teaching  of  v.  23 — the  impossibility  of  neutrality  in  the  Spiritual 
Combat.  As  the  Great  War  showed  us,  neutral  territory  is  always 
at  the  mercy  of  a  sufficiently  unscrupulous  foe — and  who  more 
unscrupulous  than  the  Prince  of  Darkness  ?  The  soul  emptied  of 
evil  and  not  filled  with  good  has  no  power  to  '  resist  the  turning  tide 
of  evil,  which  will  come  back  with  increased  force  '  (Adeney). 

24.  through  waterless  places.  This  Parable  gives  us  not  so  much 
the  true  '  Natural  History  '  of  demons  as  a  picture  of  what  was 
generally  conceived  as  natural  among  our  Lord's  audience. 

It  was  into  the  wilderness  that  the  '  Scape-goat '  was  sent  for 
the  demon  Azazel  (Lev  xvi  10).  So  in  Rev  xviii  2  desolated  and 
ruined  '  Babylon  '  is  described  as  a  '  habitation  of  demons.' 

seeking  rest :  in  some  human  soul. 

unto  my  house.  It  is  still  his,  because  unoccupied  by  Good.  The 
soul  is  vacant,  '  swept  and  garnished  '  for  any  chance  occupier. 
The  only  sure  defence  is  to  fill  it  with  '  whatsoever  things  are  true, 
honourable,  just,  pure,  lovely,  &c.'  (Phil  iv  8).  Whether  inten- 
tionally or  not,  this  Parable  suggests  the  contrast  between  Christ's 
exorcisms  and  those  of  the  Jews  :  the  latter,  a  mere  expulsion  at 
best ;  the  former,  a  conquering  and  binding  of  the  usurping  occupant 
(cf.  viii  31-33)  and  a  filling  of  the  soul  with  good  (viii  38,  39). 

26.  seven  other  spirits.  It  is  possible  that  He  is  here  describing 
in  contemporary  phraseology  the  story  of  Mary  Magdalene  (viii  2) 
before  she  felt  His  healing  power. 


168  ST   LUKE  [XI 27-29 

(c)  27,  28.  True  Blessedness.  Peculiar  to  the  '  Gospel  of 
Womanhood.'  Matthew  and  Mark  place  here  the  summary  from 
his  Mother  and  Brethren  recorded  earlier  by  Luke  (viii  19-21). 
Canon  Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  192)  holds  that  this  incident  was  in  Q 
as  used  by  Matthew,  but  that  he  omits  it  because  he  has  already 
(xii  47-50)  adopted  a  story  from  Mark  '  with  exactly  the  same 
point.' 

27  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  said  these  things,  a  certain 
woman  out  of  the  multitude  lifted  up  her  voice,  and  said  unto 
him,  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee,  and  the  breasts 
which  thou  didst  suck.  28  But  he  said,  Yea  rather,  blessed 
are  they  that  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  keep  it. 

27.  as  he  said  these  things.  This  is  one  of  the  seven  notes  of 
time  which  St  Luke  has  inserted  into  the  '  Great  Interpolation.' 
The  others  are  at  xi  37  and  53,  xii  1  and  13,  xiii  1  and  31.  Stanton 
{Oosp.  as  Hist.  Doc.  ii  227  sqq.)  remarks  that  these  notes,  vague  as 
they  are,  are  meant  to  be  taken  seriously  and  not  as  mere  conjec- 
tures. For  he  observes  that  where  Luke  parallels  Mark,  or  intro- 
duces fresh  matter  into  the  Marcan  narrative,  he  is  careful  not  to 
add  '  notes  of  temporal  connexion  '  (cf.  Mk  ii  1  =  Lk  v  17,  Mk  iii  1 
=  Lk  vi  6,  Mk  iii  13  =  Lk  vi  12). 

Blessed  is  the  womb.  A  characteristic  Jewish  utterance.  So  in 
Pirke  Ahoth  a  famous  Rabbi  said  of  one  of  his  five  disciples, 
'  Blessed  is  she  who  bore  him  !  '  (Oesterley,  Sayings,  10,  p.  22). 

Yea  rather.  Clearly  our  Lord  is  not  disparaging  His  Mother, 
but  incidentally  proclaiming  the  secret  of  her  true  blessedness.  By 
'  hearing  the  word  of  God  and  keeping  it '  (i  38)  she  had  opened  the 
door  to  man's  salvation. 

(d)  29-36     The  Demand  for  a  Sign 

29-32.  Denunciation  op  the  present  Generation.  33-36. 
Symbolism  of  the  Lamp.  There  were  apparently  incidents  of  this 
kind  both  in  Mark  and  in  Q.  Matthew  gives  this — more  or  less  as 
Luke — in  its  original  Q  context.  He  also  takes  it  from  Mk  viii  11,  12, 
and  repeats  in  Mat  xvi  1-4.  The  request  may  indeed  have  been 
repeated  more  than  once,  but  Luke  loses  nothing  of  importance 
by  his  avoidance  of  a  '  doublet.' 

29  And  when  the  multitudes  were  gathering  together  unto 
him,  he  began  to  say,  This  generation  is  an  evil  generation  : 
it  seeketh  after  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it 
but  the  sign  of  Jonah.  30  For  even  as  Jonah  became  a  sign 
unto  the  Ninevites,  so  shall  also  the  Son  of  man  be  to  this 
generation. 


1 


XI 29-32]  ST   LUKE  169 

29.  the  multitudes  were  gathering.  St  Luke  has  frequent  notices 
of  this  kind — iv  42,  v  1,  vi  17,  &c. 

seeketh  after  a  sign.  This  refers  us  back  to  the  '  tempting  '  of 
V.  16.  It  was  characteristic  of  the  unbelieving  Jews  both  during 
and  after  our  Lord's  earthly  ministry,  this  craving  for  a  dramatic 
display  of  power.  That  is  what  gave  substance  to  the  third  of  our 
Lord's  typical  Temptations  (iv  9  sqq.) ;  '  Jews  ask  for  signs '  is  still 
St  Paul's  experience  in  the  middle  of  his  missionary  career  (1  Cor 
122). 

There  is  a  saying  recorded  of  St  Hugh  of  Lincoln  when  some 
offered  to  bring  him  evidence  of  a  miracle  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
'  Let  them  keep  to  themselves  the  tokens  of  their  unbelief  !  ' 

30.  even  as  Jonah  became  a  sign  unto  the  Ninevites.  This,  and  not 
the  episode  of  the  sea  monster,  is,  according  to  our  Gospel,  the 
'  sign  of  Jonah.'  It  was  the  mission  of  Jonah  and  his  preaching 
that  converted  the  Ninevites,  and  the  mission  and  word  of  the 
'  Greater  than  Jonah  '  that  should  have  converted  '  this  generation  ' 
{v.  32). 

In  Mat  xii  40  the  '  sign  of  Jonah  '  is  interpreted  differently,  and 
made  to  refer  to  his  swallowing  and  expulsion  by  the  sea  monster, 
as  paralleled  by  the  death  and  resurrection  of  our  Lord.  There  are 
difficulties  about  that  interpretation  (see  Micklem,  St  Matthew, 
ad  loc),  though  its  interest  is  enhanced  by  the  modern  conception 
that  the  '  miracle  '  of  Jonah  is  really  a  parable  of  Israel's  captivity 
and  resurrection  to  new  life.  But  St  Luke's  meaning  is  more 
probably  the  original  (unless  they  represent  two  different  sayings) 
and  St  Matthew's  a  very  early  gloss — added  perhaps  by  the  Evan- 
gelist himself. 

31.  The  Queen  of  the  South  (1  Kgs  x  1-13).  Cf.  note  on 
iv  1-13. 

31  The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgement 
with  the  men  of  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  them  : 
for  she  came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of 
Solomon ;  and  behold,  ^a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here. 
32  The  men  of  Nineveh  shaU  stand  up  in  the  judgement  with 
this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it  :  for  they  repented  at 
the  preaching  of  Jonah  ;  and  behold,  ^a  greater  than  Jonah 
is  here. 

^  Gr.  more  than. 

31.  a  greater  than  Solomon.  This  would  have  been  a  tremendous 
assumption  in  the  ears  of  a  Jewish  audience.  It  is  worthy  of  notice 
that  Jewish  exorcists  looked  back  to  Solomon  for  their  formulae 
and  incantations  (see  Jos.  Ant.  VIII  ii  5,  and  the  picturesque  story 
by  which  he  illustrates  this). 


170  ST   LUKE  [XI 33-36 

33-36.  Symbolism  of  the  Lamp  :  the  '  Spiritual  Eye.' 
This  is  one  of  St  Luke's  rare  '  doublets  '  (see  on  viii  16-18).  He 
must  have  had  some  reason  for  the  repetition  of  practically  the 
same  discourse.  The  saying  may  have  been  habitual,  and  Mat  v  15, 
Lk  viii  16,  xi  33,  and  Jn  viii  12  may  all  represent  genuine  occasions 
of  such  teaching.    (For  this  occasion  cf.  note  on  v.  37.) 

This  saying  also  connects  itself  (see  note  on  v.  14)  with  the 
recent  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  in  which  St  John  (viii  12)  records 
the  teaching  about  '  The  Light  of  the  World.' 

It  is  the  inward  darkness  of  impenitent  self-satisfaction  that 
asks  for  a  '  sign  '  :  if  the  soul's  eye  were  normal  all  would  be  clear 
with  the  clarity  of  single-minded  sincerity. 

33  No  man,  when  he  hath  lighted  a  lamp,  putteth  it  in 
a  cellar,  neither  under  the  bushel,  but  on  the  stand,  that 
they  which  enter  in  may  see  the  light.  34  The  lamp  of  thy 
body  is  thine  eye  :  when  thine  eye  is  single,  thy  whole  body 
also  is  full  of  light  ;  but  when  it  is  evil,  thy  body  also  is  full 
of  darkness.  35  Look  therefore  whether  the  light  that  is  in 
thee  be  not  darkness.  36  If  therefore  thy  whole  body  be  full 
of  light,  having  no  part  dark,  it  shall  be  wholly  full  of  light, 
as  when  the  lamp  with  its  bright  shining  doth  give  thee  light. 

(e)  37-54    Denunciation  of  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  at  a  Break- 
fast in  a  Pharisee's  House 

This  passage  is  largely  parallel  with  the  longer  denunciation  of 
'  Scribes  and  Pharisees  '  put  by  St  Matthew  (xxiii  13-36)  into  our 
Lord's  mouth  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  shortly  before  His 
Passion.  St  Luke  records  such  a  second  denunciation  (xx  45-47) 
though  very  briefly  (cf.  Mat  xxiii  1-7).  Either  he  has  transferred 
the  bulk  of  the  common  material  (not  all  of  it  written,  see  notes  on 
vv.  39  and  44)  to  this  earlier  occasion  ;  or,  more  probably,  St  Matthew, 
in  the  manner  of  his  '  Sermon  on  the  Mount,'  has  grouped  scattered 
utterances  together. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem  (see  note  introductory  to 
ch  xi)  is  in  any  case  the  most  natural  scene  for  such  a  discourse.        2> 

It  falls  into  two  sections  :  (a)  the  occasion  {vv.  37,  38)  and  the 
denunciation  of  the  Pharisees  {vv.  39-44)  ;  {b)  the  denunciation  of 
the  Lawyers  {vv.  45-52)  and  the  resulting  hostility  of  the  Pharisaic 
party  {vv.  53,  54). 

37  Now  as  he  spake,  a  Pharisee  asketh  him  to  ^dine  with 
him  :  and  he  went  in,  and  sat  down  to  meat.    38  And  when  the 

*  Gr.  hrtakjast. 


XI 37-54]  ST   LUKE  171 

Pharisee  saw  it,  he  marvelled  that  he  had  not  first  washed 
before  ^dinner.  39  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Now  do  ye 
Pharisees  cleanse  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter  ; 
but  your  inward  part  is  full  of  extortion  and  wickedness. 
40  Ye  foolish  ones,  did  not  he  that  made  the  outside  make  the 
inside  also  ?  41  Howbeit  give  for  alms  those  things  which 
^are  within  ;  and  behold,  all  things  are  clean  unto  you. 
42  But  woe  unto  you  Pharisees  !  for  ye  tithe  mint  and 
rue  and  every  herb,  and  pass  over  judgement  and  the  love  of 
God  :  but  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave 
the  other  undone.  43  Woe  unto  you  Pharisees  !  for  ye  love 
the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the  salutations  in  the 
marketplaces.  44  Woe  unto  you  !  for  ye  are  as  the  tombs 
which  appear  not,  and  the  men  that  walk  over  them  know 
it  not.  45  And  one  of  the  lawyers  answering  saith  unto  him, 
^Master,  in  saying  this  thou  reproachest  us  also.  46  And  he 
said.  Woe  unto  you  lawyers  also  !  for  ye  lade  men  with 
bm'dens  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  ye  yourselves  touch  not  the 
burdens  with  one  of  your  fingers.  47  Woe  unto  you  !  for  ye 
build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and  your  fathers  killed  them. 

48  So  ye  are  witnesses  and  consent  unto  the  works  of  your 
fathers  :    for   they   killed   them,    and   ye   build    their   tombs. 

49  Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God,  I  will  send  unto 
them  prophets  and  apostles  ;  and  some  of  them  they  shall  kill 
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  Zachariah,  who  perished  between  the  altar  and  the 
^sanctuary  :  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  it  shall  be  required  of  this 
generation.  52  Woe  unto  you  lawyers  !  for  ye  took  away 
the  key  of  knowledge  :  ye  entered  not  in  yourselves,  and 
them  that  were  entering  in  ye  hindered.  53  And  when  he  was 
come  out  from  thence,  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  began 
to  ^ress  upon  him  vehemently,  and  to  provoke  him  to  speak 
of  ^many  things  ;  54  laying  wait  for  him,  to  catch  something 
out  of  his  mouth. 

^  Gr.  breakfast.  -  Or,  ye  can  ^  Or,  Teacher  *  Gr.  house. 

^  Or,  set  themselves  vehemently  against  him  "  Or,  more 


172  ST   LUKE  [XI 37-39 

37.  as  he  spake,  die.   The  note  of  the  occasion.    Cf .  note  on  v.  27.         I 
The  aorist  (AaA^o-at)  means  rather  '  after  He  had  spoken.' 

to  dine.  It  is  the  earlier  meal  of  '  breakfast '  (distinguished  in 
xiv  12 — where  for  '  dinner '  we  should  render  '  breakfast ' — from 
'  dinner  '  or  '  supper  ')  that  is  here  named.  This  was  taken,  on  the 
Sabbath,  after  early  morning  prayers  at  the  Synagogue.  It  is 
difficult  therefore  to  crowd  in  all  the  events  of  vv.  14-36  into  the 
previous  hours  of  the  day.  Perhaps  the  discourse  on  Light  (which 
has  nothing  corresponding  to  it  in  the  Matthaean  parallel)  may  be 
detached,  and  placed  in  the  morning  following  the  case  of  v.  14  sqq. 

38.  he  marvelled.  This  is  a  sure  token  that  it  was  not  in  any 
unfriendly  spirit  that  the  Pharisee  had  invited  our  Lord.  He  had 
apparently  expected  normal  Pharisaical  behaviour  of  the  young 
Prophet.  There  may,  however,  have  been  malice  seething  already 
in  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  guests  (cf.  v.  53). 

that  he  had  not  first  washed.  The  Pharisaic  washings — whether 
of  vessels,  &c.,  or  of  their  own  hands — originally  based  on  the 
Levitical  ordinances  which  themselves  had  a  large  element  of 
primitive  hygiene,  had  become  complicated  and  formal.  They 
washed  their  hands,  e.  g.  not  only  before  a  meal,  but  between  the 
courses. 

A  fuller  description  of  these  ablutions  is  given  in  Mk  vii  3,  4, 
part  of  St  Luke's  '  Great  Omission.' 

If  our  Lord  had  come  in  straight  from  contact  with  a  demoniac 
this  would  be  the  more  shocking  to  the  Pharisee.  But  it  is  not 
certain  that  He  had  (see  note  on  v.  37). 

39-44.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  The  first  verses  here  (39-41 ) 
are  an  exposure  of  Pharisaic  shortcomings  ;  the  next  three  record 
three  *  Woes  '  upon  the  Pharisees ;  cf .  the  four  Woes  of  the  Great 
Sermon,  vi  24-26.  On  the  use  of  the  title  '  Lord,'  see  note  on  vii  13. 
The  three  '  distinctions  '  of  the  Pharisees  were  {a)  to  use  nothing 
that  had  not  been  tithed,  (6)  to  observe  the  laws  of  purification,  and 
(c)  to  avoid  familiar  intercourse  with  non-Pharisees.  We  may 
suppose  (cf.  Edersheim,  L.  cfc  T.  ii  212)  that  the  conversation  at 
table  had  been  turned  upon  these  subjects,  probably  as  a  method 
of  covert  attack  upon  the  Guest,  whose  presence  involved  a  breach 
of(c). 

39.  Now  do  ye  Pharisees :  '  Now  '  is  apparently  emphatic.  '  The 
original  Levitical  ordinances  have  been  elaborated  to  such  an  extent 
that  .  .  .  ' 

your  inward  part.  The  interpretation  of  this  argument  is  a  little 
difficult,  because  '  the  inward  '  (ro  ea-utOev)  seems  to  be  used  in 
different  senses  here  and  in  the  following  verse.  (In  Mat  xxiii  25 
it  is  the  cup  and  platter  that  are  '  full  of  extortion  and  excess.') 
There  seems  to  be  no  true  analogy  between  the  '  outside  '  (material) 
of  the  cup,  &c.,  and  the  '  inside  '  (moral)  of  the  man  ;  nor  a  true 
parallel  between  the  '  inside  '  (moral)  of  the  man,  and  the  '  contents  ' 
Tu  iv'uvra  (material)  of  which  presumably  {v.  41)  alms  are  to  be  given. 


XI 39-45]  ST   LUKE  173 

We  must,  however,  interpret  either  :  (a)  '  What  is  the  good  of 
scrupulous  external  cleansing  of  your  vessels  when  your  own  internal 
life  is  so  corrupt  ?  Both  you  and  your  possessions  are  ultimately 
God's,  and  the  true  cleansing  is  to  give  your  own  inner  life  in  alms.' 
Or  (6)  '  Instead  of  meticulous  cleansing  of  external  things  (while 
your  inner  life  is  corrupt  with  self-seeking),  turn  to  a  life  of  generosity 
and  cleanse  your  vessels  by  giving  away  their  contents  in  alms.' 

This  corresponds  to,  and  spiritualizes,  Mat  xxiii  26,  '  cleanse  first 
the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter.'  The  puzzling  phenomena  of 
the  two  traditions  here  suggest  oral  transmission.  Cf.  note  on  v.  44 
and  on  xxiv  7. 

42-44.  Three  Woes  on  the  Pharisees  in  general,  balancing  the 
three  Woes  {vv.  46,  47,  52)  on  the  Lawyers.  Their  petty  scrupulous- 
ness, their  pretensions,  their  hypocrisy. 

42.  mint  and  rue  and  every  herb.  Cf.  Mat  xxiii  23,  'ye  tithe 
mint  and  anise  (or  dill)  and  cummin.'  They  interpret  tiny  herbs  as 
'  harvest '  to  be  tithed,  and  meanwhile  neglect  great  fundamental 
principles.  In  modern  parlance,  '  They  cannot  see  the  wood  for  the 
trees  ' — nor  the  trees  for  the  luxuriant  undergrowth  ! 

judgement  and  the  love  of  God  (Matthew  :  '  judgement  and  mercy 
and  faith  ')  :  judgement  in  Hebraistic  language  stands  for  rectitude — 
true  discrimination  between  right  and  wrong. 

these  ought  ye  to  Imve  done,  d;c.  A  very  far-reaching  principle. 
Carefulness  about  trifles  is  useless  and  dangerous  if  accompanied 
by  neglect  of  principles.  The  latter  come  first  and  should  be  the 
motive  and  raison  d'etre  of  the  former. 

43.  ye  love.  The  word  used  suggests  that  the  love  they  owe  to 
God  they  divert  to  their  own  self-glorification.    Cf.  Jn  xii  43. 

the  chief  seats  .  .  .  salutations.  Matthew  (xxiii  6)  adds  '  the  chief 
place  at  feasts,'  a  point  which  Luke  reserves  for  another  occasion 
when  our  Lord  was  guest  of  a  Pharisee  (xiv  7  sqq.).  The  chief 
seats  in  the  Synagogue  are  a  semicircular  bench  on  a  dais  facing 
the  congregation,  answering  more  or  less  to  the  presbytery  in  the 
apse  of  an  early  Christian  Church. 

44.  tombs  which  appear  not.  Their  hypocrisy  causes  their  true 
character  to  be  entirely  hidden  from  the  popular  view.  Here  is  a 
most  interesting  variation  from  St  Matthew,  which  suggests  that 
the  respective  sources  drawn  on  by  each  Evangelist  may  have  come 
from  an  oral  '  logion '  in  which  Pharisees  were  compared  to  tombs, 
which  acquired  two  different  forms  and  meanings  in  the  course 
of  transmission  (cf.  note  on  xxiv  7).  In  Mat  xxiii  27  we  have  the 
same  theme — hypocrisy,  which  deceives  men  as  to  the  inner  reality — 
but  there  they  are  compared  not  to  unseen  tombs,  but  to  tombs 
outwardly  whitened,  inwardly  '  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all 
uncleanness.' 

45.  one  of  the  lawyers.  A  Pharisee  himself  perhaps,  but  a 
specialized  type — scribe  of  the  Law.  These,  says  Edersheim 
{L.  <fc  T.  ii  212  sq.),  were  apt  to  look  down  on  the  narrowness  and 


174  ST   LUKE  [XI 45-49 

bigotry  of  the  less  learned  Pharisees.  St  Matthew  (xxiii  13  sqq. 
classes  Scribes  and  Pharisees  together  throughout. 

thou  reproachest  us  also.  Rather  '  insultest  even  us  ' — the  very 
cream  of  Pharisaism.  The  verb  (v^pt^cii)  is  the  '  shamefully 
entreating  '  of  xviii  32. 

46.  ye  lade  men  with  burdens,  <i;c.  Matthew  (xxiii  4)  makes 
this,  like  the  reference  to  '  chief  seats  '  part,  not  of  the  formal 
denunciation,  but  of  a  discourse  to  the  disciples  introducing  it. 
They  make  the  Law,  in  itself  rigorous,  intolerable  by  their  more 
rigorous  interpretations.  Their  whole  tendency  is  to  tighten,  and 
they  Avill  not  raise  a  finger  in  the  direction  of  reasonable  relaxation. 
Some  would  see  here  a  reference  to  scribal  evasion  of  the  Law.  That 
seems  doubtful :  but  cf.  the  '  Corban  '  passage  in  Mk  vii  11.  Cf. 
St  Peter's  reference  in  the  Council  at  Jerusalem  (Ac  xv  10)  to  the 
'  yoke  upon  the  neck,'  which  '  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able 
to  bear.' 

grievous  to  he  borne  :  not  elsewhere  in  N.T.,  but  occurs  in  LXX 
of  Prov  xxvii  3.  Godet  points  out  that  this  corresponds  to  the  first 
Woe  of  the  Pharisees,  v.  42,  for  '  literalism  is  twin  brother  of 
formalism.' 

47-51.  ye  build  .  .  .  your  fathers  killed.  The  next  count  in  the 
indictment  is  that  of  '  persecuting  orthodoxy.'  They  carry  on 
and  complete  the  work  of  their  fathers,  who  were  murderers  of 
prophets.  Whether  our  Lord  is  referring  to  actual  building  of 
tombs,  such  as  the  '  Tombs  of  the  Prophets  '  now  shown  outside 
Jerusalem  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  is  doubtful.  In  Mat  xxiii  29 
that  is  the  natural  interpretation  ;  here  it  might  be  pure  metaphor. 
Their  spirit  and  temper  was  precisely  that  of  their  ancestors  who  in 
old  days  tried  to  stamp  out  the  prophetic  movement  because  it  did 
not  square  with  the  orthodoxy  of  their  day.  Eventually  it  declared 
itself  in  the  judicial  murder  of  One  greater  than  the  prophets. 

49.  Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God.  Mat  xxiii  34  intro- 
duces a  like  passage  with  '  Therefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  .  .  .' 
direct  from  the  mouth  of  Jesus.  There  is,  however,  no  parallel  for 
the  Lord  describing  Himself  as  '  the  wisdom  of  God  '  though 
St  Paul  so  describes  Him  (1  Cor  i  24,  30).  The  phrase  is  very  puzzling, 
and  the  best  interpretation  seems  to  make  it  stand  for  '  the  witness 
of  Providence  in  history  and  prophecy.'  As  we  might  say  :  '  History 
shows  as  plainly  as  Prophecy  has  foretold  how  God  has  sent  you 
His  messengers,  and  how  you  have  treated  them.'  The  nearest 
approach  to  an  apposite  O.T.  quotation  is  perhaps  that  adduced 
by  Godet  from  Prov  i  20-31.  It  is  the  voice  of  the  personified 
Wisdom.    See  further,  note  on  xiii  35. 

prophets  and  apostles.  Matthew  has  '  prophets,  wise  men,  and 
scribes,'  which  might  almost  stand  for  the  entire  O.T.  (Prophetic 
Books,  Wisdom-Literature  and  Law).  It  is  not  clear  whether 
'  apostles  '  is  here  to  be  taken  in  the  definitely  N.T.  sense,  or  as 
'  messengers,'  envoys  '  :   probably  the  latter. 


XI  so-xii  I-I2]  ST   LUKE  175 

50.  that  the  blood  .  .  .  may  be  required.  They  were  (Mat  xxiii  32) 
'  filling  up  the  measure  of  their  fathers,'  and  in  the  phrase  '  His 
blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children  '  (Mat  xxvii  25)  they  were, 
in  a  few  months'  time,  to  accept  the  blood-guiltiness  of  the  ages. 
'  That  generation  '  was  to  pay  its  debt  forty  years  after  in  the 
horrors  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  with  which  the  pages  of  Josephus 
have  made  us  familiar. 

51.  from  the  blood  of  Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zachariah,  i.  e.  all  the 
blood-guiltiness  recorded  in  the  O.T.  from  the  first  pages  of  Genesis 
(Gen  iv  8  sqq.)  to  the  last  book  of  the  Hagiographa  (2  Chron  xxiv 
20-22) :  point  is  added  to  our  Lord's  words  in  v.  50  when  we  recall 
Zachariah's  dying  utterance—'  The  Lord  look  upon  it  and  require  it.' 

52.  ye  took  away  the  key  of  knowledge.  The  third  Woe  is  pro- 
nounced upon  their  '  Monopoly  of  Theology  '  (Godet).  The  people 
they  kept  at  arm's  length,  calling  them  'am  ha-aretz — '  men  of  the 
earth '  (cf .  Jn  vii  49,  '  This  multitude  which  knoweth  not  the  law 
are  accursed,'  and  contrast  our  Lord's  attitude  :  '  to  Him  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  a  rabble,'  Latham,  Pastor  Pastorum,  p.  204) ;  and 
their  false  interpretations  shut  off  the  Law  as  a  salutary  influence 
from  themselves  as  well  as  from  others.  It  is  as  if  a  man  should 
lock  up  that  which  himself  and  others  needed,  and  then  throw  away 
or  lose  the  key.  '  Key  '  has  become  a  familiar  figure  in  educational 
contexts.    '  The  Key  '  to  an  exercise,  to  a  problem,  and  so  forth. 

53.  when  he  was  come  out,  dsc.  This  description  of  Pharisaic 
hostility  is  purely  Lucan.    It  leads  up  to  our  Lord's  counsel  of  xii  1. 

press  upon  him  vehemently.  In  Mk  vi  19  the  same  verb  (ei/e'xetv), 
used  of  Herodias'  attitude  to  the  Baptist,  is  translated  '  she  set 
herself  against  him  '  ;  and  the  marg.  is  probably  better  here  :  '  set 
themselves  vehemently  against  him,'  or  we  might  render  '  kept 
themselves  intently  on  the  alert  against  him.' 

provoke  him  to  speak.  The  verb  is  used  of  a  teacher  prompting 
a  pupil  to  recite.  '  They  plied  Him,'  we  might  say,  '  with  leading 
questions.' 

of  many  things  :  lit.  '  concerning  more  things.'  They  widened 
the  scope  of  their  questionings  as  one  might  spread  out  a  net. 

54.  laying  wait  .  .  .  to  catch.    Vivid  hunting  metaphors. 

(f )  XII  1-12     Frankness  and  Fear 

The  greater  part  of  the  utterances  in  this  chapter  are  found  also 
in  St  Matthew,  either  {a)  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  {vv.  5-7),  or 
(6)  in  the  Charge  to  the  Twelve  (x  5-42),  or  (c)  in  the  Eschatological 
Discourse  (xxiv  4-51).  The  introductory  verse  (xii  1)  seems  to  link 
them  here  both  to  one  another  and  to  what  precedes.  The  proba- 
bility is  that  Luke  found  them  together  in  Q,  and  Matthew  dispersed 
them  (see  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  123-124). 

In  this  first  paragraph  frank  sincerity  is  inculcated  as  against 
the  hypocrisy  of  the  Pharisees,  and  fear  of  God  to  the  exclusion  of 
all  other  fears. 


176  ST   LUKE  [Xili-12 

XII    In  the  mean  time,  when  Hhe  many  thousands  of  the 
multitude  were  gathered  together,  insomuch  that  they  trode 
one  upon  another,  he  began  to  ^say  unto  his  disciples  first  of 
all,  Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is  hypocrisy. 
2  But  there  is  nothing  covered  up,  that  shall  not  be  revealed  : 
and  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.    3  Wherefore  whatsoever  ye 
have  said  in  the  darkness  shall  be  heard  in  the  light ;    and 
what  ye  have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  the  inner  chambers  shall  be 
proclaimed  upon  the  housetops.     4  And  I  say  unto  you  my 
friends.  Be  not  afraid  of  them  which  kill  the  body,  and  after 
that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do.     5  But  I  will  warn  you 
whom  ye  shall  fear  :    Fear  him,  which  after  he  hath  killed 
hath  3power  to  cast  into  %ell  ;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  Fear  him. 
6  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings  ?    and  not 
one  of  them  is  forgotten  in  the  sight  of  God.    7  But  the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.     Fear  not  :    ye  are  of 
more  value  than  many  sparrows.     8  And  I  say  unto  you, 
Every  one  who  shall  confess  ^me  before  men,  %im  shall  the 
Son  of  man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God  :    9  but  he 
that  denieth  me  in  the  presence  of  men  shall  be  denied  in  the 
presence  of  the  angels  of  God.     10  And  every  one  who  shall 
speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him  : 
but  unto  him  that  blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Spirit  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven.    11  And  when  they  bring  you  before  the 
synagogues,    and   the   rulers,    and   the    authorities,    be    not 
anxious  how  or  what  ye  shall  answer,  or  what  ye  shall  say  : 
12  for  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  teach   you  in  that  very   hour 
what  ye  ought  to  say. 

>  Gr.  the  myriads  of.  *  Or,  say  unto  his  disciples,  First  of  all  heu-arc  yc 

»  Or,  authority  *  Gr.  Gehenna.  ^  Gr.  in  me.  *  Gr.  in  him.. 

1.  the  many  thousatids  :  lit. '  the  myriads,'  an  obvious  hyperbole. 
But  it  clearly  represents  a  critical  moment  in  this  later  ministry 
as  St  Luke  conceived  it.  The  '  scene  '  at  the  end  of  the  breakfast 
had  developed  itself  out  in  the  street,  and  a  vast  crowd  had  collected 
to  hear  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  denounced. 

Beware  ye  of  the  leaven.  So  in  Mat  xvi  6  '  of  the  leaven  of  the 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees,'  which  is  explained  in  xvi  12  as  '  the 
teaching'  of  the  Pharisees,  &c.  (cf.  Mk  viii  16-21).  Here,  however, 
the  '  leaven  '  is  clearly  not  their  teaching,  but  their  example  of 
hypocrisy.    This  phrase  is  the  only  apparent  excerpt  in  Luke  from 


Xlli-io]  ST   LUKE  177 

the  chapters  of  the  '  Great  Omission  '  (Mk  vi — viii).  It  is  probably 
only  apparent  (of.  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  71),  and  most  likely  repre- 
sents an  actual  repetition  by  our  Lord  of  the  same  phrase  on  an 
entirely  different  occasion,  and  with  a  quite  different  application. 

2-9.  there  is  nothing  covered  up,  <fcc.  These  verses  are  parallel 
to  Mat  X  26-33.  The  idea  is  the  same  as  that  of  Lk  viii  17,  but  the 
application  is  not  the  same.  There  it  was  the  necessity  of  spreading 
and  passing  on  the  light ;  here  it  is  the  warning  that  hypocrisy  will 
not  be  hid.  In  Matthew  it  is  a  call  to  the  Twelve  on  their  Mission  to 
boldness  and  fearlessness  of  speech  :  and  his  parallels  with  what 
follows  are  such  as  to  suggest  a  double  form  of  Q  or  possibly  an 
independent  tradition. 

4.  my  friends.  This  intimate  address  to  inspire  courage  and 
loyalty  in  face  of  the  growing  hostility  indicated  in  xi  53,  54.  Cf . 
the  still  more  touching  intimacy  of  Jn  xv  13-15,  on  the  eve  of  the 
supreme  struggle. 

5.  Fear  him,  which  .  .  .  Jmth  power.  The  'power,'  or  rather 
'  authority,'  named  marks  this  object  of  '  fear  '  as  none  other  than 
God  Himself.  And  though  the  interpretation  involves  a  double 
use  of  the  word  '  fear  '  (which  is  involved  indeed  in  the  apparently 
contradictory  '  fear  not '  of  v.  7),  it  is  true  that  the  '  fear  of  God  ' 
(1  Pet  ii  17)  is  inculcated  in  the  N.T.  as  in  the  O.T.  In  the  latter, 
however,  it  becomes  the  reverence  inseparable  from  love — a  love 
which,  when  perfected,  banishes  all  unworthy  fear  (1  Jn  iv  18). 

Fear  Him  ye  saints,  and  ye  will  then 
Have  nothing  else  to  fear. 

6.  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings  ?  The  God  whom 
alone  you  need  to  fear  cares  for  the  tiniest  of  His  creatures,  and  for 
every  small  detail  of  your  life.  The  '  farthing  '  is  more  nearly  a 
'  penny.'  In  Mat  x  29  the  price  is  put  at  two  sparrows  for  1  assarion. 
Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  pp.  270-273)  adduces  evidence  from  the  reign  of 
Diocletian  that  sparrows  were  then,  as  in  the  first  century,  the 
cheapest  birds  on  the  market.  Diocletian  fixed  the  maximum  price 
at  3 1  as  for  ten  birds. 

7.  the  very  hairs  of  your  head.  In  modern  phraseology,  '  God'a 
loving  and  wise  care  is  evidenced  not  only  by  the  telescope  but  by 
the  microscope.'  This  is  the  Charter  of  a  detailed  Providence ; 
cf.  Mat  vi  25  sqq. 

ye  are  of  more  value  .  .  .  :  here  the  submerged  a  fortiori  argument 
comes  to  the  surface. 

8.  9.  Every  one  who  shall  confess  me.  This  saying  follows  also 
in  Mat  x  32,  33,  and  was  therefore  almost  certainly  in  the  common 
source  Q,  especially  as  the  connexion  of  thought  is  not  obvious. 
The  converse  '  whosoever  shall  be  ashamed,'  &c.,  occurred  in  Lk 
ix  26,  in  connexion  with  the  first  Prediction  of  the  Passion. 

10.  blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  may  have  been 
here  in  the  source.  Matthew,  following  Mark,  associates  it  with 
the  Beelzebul  incident  (Mat  xii  31  sqq.,  Mk  iii  28-30)  and  the 

L.  12 


178  ST   LUKE  [Xllii-13 

imputation  to  Jesus  of  alliance  with  evil  spirits.  The  other  Sjmop- 
tists  also  emphasize  the  peril,  carrying  on  the  impossibility  of  forgive- 
ness into  the  world  to  come. 

The  best  explanation  of  this  much-discussed  doctrine  seems  to 
be  that  persistent  preference  for  evil  over  good,  for  darkness  over 
light,  leads  to  the  atrophy  of  the  soul's  power  to  assimilate  Divine 
grace.  The  principle  which  underlies  Dante's  Inferno  is  ultimately 
this.  The  doomed  souls  there  '  dreeing  their  weird  '  have  attained 
that  towards  which  they  deliberately  set  themselves  in  this  life. 
It  is  like  the  inexorable  working  of  a  natural  law.  Cf.  Heb  vi  4, 
1  Jn  V  16. 

11,  12.  bring  you  before  the  synagogues.  The  same  thought,  in 
different  words,  occurs  in  the  great  Eschatological  Discourse  in 
xxi  14,  15.  There  it  comes  as  counsel  in  face  of  proximate  diffi- 
culties ;  here  as  reassurance  in  view  of  the  warning  of  v.  10,  '  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  being  betrayed  into  such  blasphemy  when  under  hostile 
cross-questioning.  Your  own  loyalty  will  guarantee  you  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  Himself.'  This,  the  only  definite 
function  assigned  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Synoptic  Gospels, 
exactly  illustrates  the  title  and  work  of  the  Comforter  in  Jn  xvi  8-12. 
Doubtless  this  '  doublet '  represents  two  different  sayings,  the  latter 
perhaps  uttered  with  tacit  reference  to  the  former.  On  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Synagogue,  see  note  on  vi  22. 

(g)  13-21       Warning  against  Covetousness  ;     The  Rich  Fool 

Peculiar  to  St  Luke.  An  incident  is  made  the  text  of  a  parabolic 
Sermon,  vv.  13-15  are  found  in  two  ostraca  (inscribed  tiles  or 
potsherds)  ascribed  to  the  seventh  century.  Deissmann,  op.  cit., 
p.  50 ;  cf.  note  on  xxii  41  sqq.  For  St  Luke's  special  interest  in 
the  use  and  responsibilities  of  Wealth,  see  Introd.,  p.  xli. 

13  And  one  out  of  the  multitude  said  unto  him,  ^Master, 
bid  my  brother  divide  the  inheritance  with  me.  14  But  he 
said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider  over 
you  ?  15  And  he  said  unto  them,  Take  heed,  and  keep  yom-- 
selves  from  all  covetousness  :  ^for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not 
in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth. 

•  Or,  Teacher 

*  Gr.  for  not  in  a  man's  abundance  consisteth  his  life,  from  the  things  which  he 
possesseth. 

13.  Master,  bid  my  brother.  On  the  Law  of  Inheritance  see 
Edersheim,  L.  cfc  T.  ii  243,  and  note.  There  is  no  hint  as  to  how  far 
the  claim  was  justified  or  whether  the  brother  was  prepared  to 
accept  arbitration.  The  request,  though  misguided,  implies  at  any 
rate  that  the  man  looked  up  to  our  Lord.  Its  motive,  however,  is 
laid  bare  in  v.  15,  and  that  itself  is  enough  to  account  for  Christ's 


XIII4-20]  ST  LUKE  179 

refusal  to  arbitrate.     It  was  more  than  covetousness  if  a  younger 
brother  aimed  at  getting  a  share  of  the  first-born's  '  double  portion.' 

14.  who  made  me  a  judge,  cfec.  '  Go  to  the  constituted  authority  ' 
is  the  implication  :  our  Lord  is  '  rendering  unto  Caesar  '  (xx  25). 
His  '  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  '  (Jn  xviii  36).  He  repudiated 
such  an  office  definitely  at  the  Temptation  (iv  5-8).  In  a  wider  and 
sublimer  sense,  His  mission  is  to  judge  (Jn  v  22,  ix  39).  Nor  is  He 
condemning  the  institution  of  human  law  and  justice.  The  dis- 
claimer is  personal  to  Himself  and  to  the  occasion  and  does  not 
clash,  e.  g.,  with  1  Cor  vi  1  sqq. 

15.  Take  heed,  and  keep  yourselves  from  all  covetousness.  '  Covet- 
ousness '  here  means  all  desire  for  selfish  ownership. 

for  a  man's  life,  cfcc.  The  Greek  is  a  little  intricate  (see  R.V. 
marg.).  Plummer  well  paraphrases  :  '  it  does  not  follow,  because 
a  man  has  abundance,  that  his  life  consists  in  wealth.' 

16-21.  Parable  of  the  Rich  Fool.  This  Lucan  Parable 
may  be  classed  among  those  (cf .  xiv  15-24,  xviii  1-8)  which  imply 
a  sense  of  humour  ;  though  the  humour  of  the  situation,  with  its 
dramatic  irony,  is  of  a  very  terrible  kind.  See  Trench,  Parables, 
pp.  337-347. 

16  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The  ground 
of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully  :  17  and  he 
reasoned  within  himself,  saying,  What  shall  I  do,  because 
I  have  not  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  corn  and  my  goods.  19  And 
I  will  say  to  my  ^soul,  ^Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years  ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  be  merry.  20  But 
God  said  unto  him.  Thou  foolish  one,  this  night  ^is  thy  ^soul 
required  of  thee  ;  and  the  things  which  thou  hast  prepared, 
whose  shall  they  be  ?  21  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for 
himself,  and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 

*  Or,  life  *  Gr.  they  require  thy  soul. 

17.  my  fruits,  &c.  Part  of  the  humour  of  the  parable  consists 
in  the  picture  of  the  complacent  egoist :  '  my  '  .  .  .  '  my  '  .  .  .  '  my  ' 
.  .  .  '  my ',  repeated  four  times  in  these  verses.  It  recalls  the  words 
of  the  historic  fool  Nabal  (whose  name  means  '  fool ')  in  1  Sam 
XXV  11  :  '  Shall  I  then  take  my  bread,  and  my  water,  and  my  flesh 
that  I  have  killed  for  my  shearers  .  .  .  ?  ' 

19.  /  will  say  to  my  soul,  <fcc.  The  materialists'  paradise,  involv- 
ing no  education  of  soul,  except  a  certain  elementary  management 
of  finance  with  a  view  to  enjoyment  of  the  grosser  luxuries. 

20.  is  thy  soul  required  :    lit.  '  They  are  demanding  thy  life.' 

12-2 


180  ST   LUKE  [XII 21-32 

For  this  common  Rabbinical  paraphrase  for  '  God,'  see  xii  48  and 
note  on  xvi  9.  It  might,  however,  refer  to  the  angels  as  God's 
messengers. 

21.  rich  toward  God  :  cf.  xvi  9  and  Mat  vi  19,  20,  '  Treasure  in 
heaven.'  Outward  enrichment,  as  Trench  observes  {op.  cit.,  p.  346), 
if  made  one's  purpose  of  existence,  is  itself  an  inward  impoverishment ; 
'  for  there  is  a  continual  draining  off  to  worldly  objects  of  those 
affections  which  should  have  found  their  only  satisfying  object  in 
God.'  There  seems  to  be  a  conscious  reminiscence  of  this  parable 
in  1  Tim  vi  17-19. 

(h)  22-34     Warning  against  Anxiety 

Instruction  on  trustful  reliance  upon  God's  providence,  in  the 
spirit  of  Mat  vi  25-34,  19-21.  The  right  confidence,  as  opposed  to 
the  wrong  confidence  of  the  '  Rich  fool.' 

The  following  sections,  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  are  found  in 
St  Matthew :  (a)  Sermon  on  Mount,  (6)  Eschatological  Discourse, 
(c)  Charge  to  the  Twelve,  and  (d)  Sermon  on  Mount  again.  There 
is  nothing  Marcan  here. 

Most  probably  Luke  found  them  together  in  his  source  Q,  and 
Matthew  distributed  them,  after  his  manner. 

22  And  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  Therefore  I  say  unto  you, 
Be  not  anxious  for  your  Hife,  what  ye  shall  eat  ;  nor  yet  for 
your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  23  For  the  ^life  is  more  than 
the  food,  and  the  body  than  the  raiment.  24  Consider  the 
ravens,  that  they  sow  not,  neither  reap  ;  which  have  no  store- 
chamber  nor  barn  ;  and  God  feedeth  them  :  of  how  much 
more  value  are  ye  than  the  birds  !  25  And  which  of  you  by 
being  anxious  can  add  a  cubit  unto  his  ^stature  ?  26  If  then 
ye  are  not  able  to  do  even  that  which  is  least,  why  are  ye 
anxious  concerning  the  rest  ?  27  Consider  the  lilies,  how  they 
grow  :  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin  ;  yet  I  say  unto  you, 
Even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 
28  But  if  God  doth  so  clothe  the  grass  in  the  field,  which 
to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven  ;  how  much 
more  shall  he  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  29  And  seek 
not  ye  what  ye  shall  eat,  and  what  ye  shall  drink,  neither  be 
ye  of  doubtful  mind.  30  For  all  these  things  do  the  nations 
of  the  world  seek  after  :  but  your  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  these  things.  31  HoAvbeit  seek  ye  ^his  kingdom, 
and  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.    32  Fear  not,  little 

*  Or,  soul  '  Or,  age  ^  Many  ancient  authorities  read  the  kingdom  of  God. 


XII 22-28]  ST   LUKE  181 

flock  ;  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the 
kingdom.  33  Sell  that  ye  have,  and  give  alms  ;  make  for 
yourselves  purses  which  wax  not  old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens 
that  faileth  not,  where  no  thief  draweth  near,  neither  moth 
destroyeth.  34  For  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your 
heart  be  also. 

22.  unto  his  disciples.  The  parable  had  been  addressed  to  the 
crowd. 

for  your  life.  The  word  (if/vxri)  is  often  rendered  '  soul,'  as  it 
was  in  v.  19.  Here  (as  there)  it  means  the  human  life — not  especially 
the  immortal,  spiritual  part  of  man. 

24.  Consider  the  ravens.  So  Job  xxxviii  41,  '  Who  provideth 
for  the  raven  his  food,  when  his  young  ones  cry  unto  God,  and 
wander  for  lack  of  meat  ?  '  As  a  matter  of  fact  one  of  the  marvels 
of  bird-life  is  the  feeding  of  the  young  ravens  (cf.  Ps  cxlvii  9)  who 
do  nothing  to  supply  their  own  voracious  appetites  till  they  are 
old  enough  to  pair. 

they  sow  not,  <fcc.  This  cannot  be  intended  as  a  counsel  of  im- 
providence. It  is  rather  a  warning  against  that  over-reliance  upon 
dividends,  and  that  degeneration  of  thrift  into  grasping  greed  which 
are  characteristic  of  our  time. 

25.  which  of  you  .  .  .  stature  ?  The  word,  rjXiKLa,  in  ii  52  and 
xix  3  means  '  stature  '  ;  here  probably,  as  in  Jn  ix  21,  23,  '  age,* 
length  of  life.  A  cubit  (about  18  inches)  would  not  be  a  small  thing 
{v.  26)  in  a  man's  height !  Yet  it  seems  almost  as  strange  to  apply 
it  to  '  length  of  days.' 

26.  even  that  which  is  least.  Omitted  by  Codex  Bezae  (D),  and 
also  from  the  parallel  passage  in  Mat  vi  25  sqq.  If  the  words  are 
an  early  gloss,  they  still  show  a  primitive  scribe's  interpretation  of 
TjXLKLa  in  the  previous  verse. 

27.  Consider  the  lilies.  Probably  the  scarlet  anemones  of  the 
Palestinian  spring.  It  was  a  part  of  our  Lord's  human  perfection 
that  He  so  obviously  delighted  in  the  beauties  of  Nature.  Our 
modern  appreciation  of  landscape  comes  to  us  not  from  the  Graeco- 
Roman  civilization,  but  rather  through  Christianity  from  the  O.T., 
which  (especially  in  the  Psalms)  gloried  in  the  wonders  of  the  visible 
world  not  so  much  for  their  own  sake  as  for  their  revelation  of  the 
Creator.  This  utterance  of  our  Lord,  while  illustrating  a  religious 
principle,  has  in  it  more  of  the  modern  delight  in  natural  beauty 
as  such. 

Solomon.  The  acme,  for  Judaism,  both  of  wisdom  and  of  material 
splendour.     1  Kgs  iii  11-13,  28  ;  iv  29-34 ;  x  1-13  :   cf.  Lk  xi  31. 

28.  so  clothe  the  grass  in  the  field.  Either  the  lilies  are  identified 
with  the  grass  (as  in  Swiss  meadows  the  hay  is  more  than  half 
flowers)  or  they  are  regarded  as  adorning  it.  The  '  field  '  in  Hebrew 
usage  means  the  open  moor. 


182  ST  LUKE  [Xll  28-37 

cast  into  the  oven,  i.  e.  used  as  fuel. 

ye  of  little  faith  :   uttered,  surely,  not  sternly  but  kindly. 

29.  of  doubtful  mind.  This  explains  the  foregoing  counsel.  It 
is  not  that  we  arc  forbidden  to  seek  and  earn  our  daily  bread,  but 
that  we  are  not  to  do  this  '  tossed  on  the  waves  of  a  sordid  anxiety  ' 
(the  metaphor  seems  to  be  a  nautical  one).  Edersheim  (ii  217) 
urges  that,  in  view  of  the  invariable  usage  of  LXX,  we  should  render, 
'  neither  be  ye  uplifted  with  earthly  ambition.' 

30.  the  nations  of  the  world.  A  Rabbinical  rather  than  a  Scrip- 
tural expression.  They  seek  with  undue  anxiety,  not  sure  (as  His 
children  are — cf.  *  Your  Father  ')  of  God's  providence. 

31.  seek  ye  his  kingdom.  Matthew  (vi  33)  adds  '  and  his 
righteousness.'  The  '  cares  of  this  world  '  (Lk  viii  14)  are  among 
the  chief  obstacles  to  the  cultivation  of  the  religious  life,  and  the 
religious  life  (we  are  told  here)  is  the  best  antidote  to  such  cares. 

32.  Fear  not,  little  flock  .  .  .  Preserved  by  Luke  alone.  An 
encouragement  to  that  small  group  among  the  multitudes  (xii  1) 
who  know  the  Shepherd  and  are  known  of  Him  (Jn  x  14).  It  adds 
point  to  the  teaching  on  the  '  Good  Shepherd  '  delivered  not  long 
before  (Edersheim,  L.  dk  T.  ii  217). 

33.  Sell  that  ye  have,  cfcc.  Is  this  a  precept  demanding  literal 
and  universal  observance  on  the  part  of  Christ's  disciples  ?  It  is 
easy  to  '  water  down  '  the  Gospel  precepts  and  accommodate  them 
to  our  own  taste  and  habit.  But  while  guarding  against  this 
tendency  in  ourselves,  we  must  not  neglect  the  evidence,  e.  g.  of 
viii  3,  that  Christ  numbered  wealthy  people  among  His  followers, 
and  made  use  of  their  wealth. 

(i)  35-48     Readiness  aiid  Stewardship 

The  next  four  verses  have  no  parallel  in  Matthew,  though  the 
same  lesson  is  given,  at  greater  length,  in  the  Parable  of  the  Ten 
Virgins  (Mat  xxv  1-13).  There  is  similar  teaching  also  in  Mk  xiii 
34-37,  where,  however,  no  Marriage  Feast  comes  in.  In  Matthew 
the  '  lord '  is  the  bridegroom,  in  Luke  a  guest  returning  home  after 
the  festivities.  In  Matthew  it  is  the  lord  who  '  opens  '  to  the 
Virgins  ;  in  Luke  the  servants  to  their  lord.  vv.  39-46  =  Mat 
xxiv  43-51. 

35  Let  your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lamps  burning  ; 

36  and  be  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  looking  for  their  lord, 
when  he  shall  return  from  the  marriage  feast  ;  that,  when  he 
cometh  and  knocketh,  they  may  straightway  open  unto  him, 

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  sit  down  to  meat,  and  shall  come  and 

'  Gr.  bondservants. 


XII 35-41]  ST   LUKE  183 

serve  them.  38  And  if  he  shall  come  m  the  second  watch, 
and  if  in  the  third,  and  find  them  so,  blessed  are  those  servants. 
39  ^But  know  this,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had  known 
in  what  hour  the  thief  was  coming,  he  would  have  watched, 
and  not  have  left  his  house  to  be  ^broken  through.  40  Be  ye 
also  ready  :  for  in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh. 

*  Or,  Bui  this  ye  know  *  Gr.  digged  through. 

35.  Let  your  loins  be  girded,  dhc.  Familiar  to  us  English  Church- 
men as  the  Gospel  for  the  Ordination  of  Deacons. 

37.  watching.  Awake,  alert.  On  the  duty  of  watchfulness,  cf. 
Mk  xiii  37. 

he  shall  gird  himself,  <&;c.  As  Jn  xiii  1-11  records  our  Lord  Him- 
self did,  to  wash  His  disciples'  feet  at  the  Last  Supper.  These 
sayings  hover  between  parable,  allegory,  and  plain  injunction.  The 
parable  proper  gives  a  more  normal  picture  of  life,  and  draws 
analogies  :  e.  g.  in  xvii  7-10  (where  the  lesson  is  a  different  one)  He 
gives  the  normal  picture  of  tired  servants  having  to  wait  on  their 
master  before  taking  their  own  supper. 

38.  the  second  watch  .  .  .  third  :  probably  by  the  Jewish  reckon- 
ing, i.  e.  the  '  2nd  '  from  midnight  to  3  a.m.  and  the  '  3rd  '  from 
3  to  6  a.m.  (The  2nd  will  be  the  '  middle  watch  '  of  Judg  vii  19.) 
Edersheim,  however  (ii  218),  thinks  the  Jews  had  already  adopted, 
in  the  time  of  Christ,  the  Roman  reckoning  by  four  watches. 

39.  40.  The  'Parable,'  as  Peter  calls  it  {v.  41),  of  the  House 
Breaking.  A  parabolic  utterance  reproduced  also  by  Matthew 
(xxiv  43),  and  therefore  probably  drawn  from  Q. 

39.  the  thief :  the  '  burglar '  as  we  should  say.  It  may  have  been 
this  saying  of  our  Lord's — a  picturesque  way  of  describing  a  sudden 
and  unexpected  arrival — 'that  gave  rise  to  the  frequent  expressions 
elsewhere  in  N.T.  in  which  His  Advent  is  compared  to  '  a  thief  in 
the  night.'    Cf.  1  Thess  v  2,  Rev  iii  3,  xvi  15. 

broken  through  :  lit.  '  dug  through,'  the  walls  being  of  dried  mud. 
Wycliffe's  '  myned  '  associates  itself  with  our  post-war  vocabulary. 

41-45.  Faithful  and  Unfaithful  Stewardship.  In  Matthew 
our  Lord's  question  of  v.  42  follows  immediately  on  v.  40.  Sir  J. 
Hawkins  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  124)  holds  that  v.  41  was  drawn  by  Luke 
from  Q,  and  omitted  by  Matthew  in  his  homiletical  grouping  of 
subjects. 

41  And  Peter  said,  Lord,  speakest  thou  this  parable  unto 
us,  or  even  unto  all  ?  42  And  the  Lord  said.  Who  then  is  Hhe 
faithful  and  wise  steward,  whom  his  lord  shall  set  over  his 
household,  to  give  them  their  portion  of  food  in  due  season  ? 

'  Or,  the  faithful  steward,  the  wise  man  whom,  <&e. 


184  ST   LUKE  [Xil  41-48 

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  set  him  over  all  that  he  hath.  45  But  if  that  ^servant 
shall  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming  ;  and  shall 
begin  to  beat  the  menservants  and  the  maidservants,  and  to 
eat  and  diink,  and  to  be  di'unken  ;  46  the  lord  of  that  ^servant 
shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  expecteth  not,  and  in  an  hour 
when  he  knoweth  not,  and  shall  ^cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint 
his  portion  with  the  unfaithful.  47  And  that  ^servant,  which 
knew  his  lord's  will,  and  made  not  ready,  nor  did  according 
to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes  ;  48  but  he 
that  knew  not,  and  did  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be 
beaten  with  few  stripes.  And  to  whomsoever  much  is  given, 
of  him  shall  much  be  required  :  and  to  whom  they  commit 
much,  of  him  will  they  ask  the  more. 

*  Gr.  hondservant.  ^  Or,  severely  scourge  him 

41.  And  Peter  said  .  .  .  The  insertion  (or  retention)  of  such 
questions  at  points  of  transition  in  subject  of  discourse  (of.  xiii  23, 
xvii  37)  is  noted  by  McLachlan  as  characteristic  of  St  Luke  (St  Luke, 
Evang.  <&  Hist.,  p.  19). 

42.  And  the  Lord  said.    For  this  title,  cf.  note  on  vii  13. 

Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise  steward  .  .  .  ?  Here  as  elsewhere 
(cf.  XX  3)  Christ  answers  one  question  by  asking  another  which 
throws  the  responsibility  back  upon  the  questioner.  All,  it  is 
implied,  have  the  responsibility  of  stewardship,  but  not  all  rise  to 
the  occasion.  The  phrase  recalls  St  Paul's  '  It  is  required  in  stewards, 
that  a  man  be  found  faithful '  (1  Cor  iv  2). 

to  give  them  their  portion  :  '  their  rations.'  This  duty  of  the 
major-domo  devolves  in  the  Church  upon  the  Apostles,  and  so  upon 
the  Ministry.    They  must  not '  lord  it  over  the  charge  '  (1  Pet  v  3). 

44.  he  will  set  him  over,  dhc.  The  reward  of  fidelity  is  further 
responsibility.  The  heavenly  Master  does  not  manumit  His  slaves, 
except  in  the  sense  of  Nunc  Dimittis,  but  promotes  them  to  higher 
service.    His  '  service  is  perfect  freedom.' 

46.  cut  him  asunder.  A  grim  word  used  in  LXX  of  cutting  a 
ram  in  pieces  in  sacrifice  (Ex  xxix  17).  But  possibly  a  wrong  turn 
has  been  given  in  the  translation  to  the  Aramaic  pasak,  which  might 
also  mean  '  cut  off,'  '  set  apart '  (P.  L.).  There  are  three  grades  of 
punishment  named  in  vv.  46-48a.  (1)  This,  for  disloyalty  and 
tyranny  ;  (2)  for  deliberate  neglect  of  duty  ;  and  (3)  for  mistakes 
committed  in  ignorance. 

48.  they  commit  much.  The  phrase  may  simply  mean  '  much  is 
committed,'  and  indeed  the  whole  context  is  so  human  that  we 


XII 49,  so]  ST   LUKE  185 

might  well  supply  '  men  '  ;   but  by  analogy  with  xii  21  and  xvi  10 
(where  see  note)  it  may  definitely  refer  to  Ood's  committal. 

(j)  49-59     The  First  Advent  and  the  Signs  of  the  Times 
Here  m.  51-53  =Mat  x  34-36,  and  57-59  =Mat  v  25-26. 

49  I  came  to  cast  fire  upon  the  earth  ;  and  what  will  I,  if 
it  is  already  kindled  ?  50  But  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  bap- 
tized with  ;  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished  ! 
51  Think  ye  that  I  am  come  to  give  peace  in  the  earth  ? 
I  tell  you,  Nay  ;  but  rather  division  :  52  for  there  shall  be 
from  henceforth  five  in  one  house  divided,  three  against  two, 
and  two  against  three.  53  They  shall  be  divided,  father 
against  son,  and  son  against  father  ;  mother  against  daughter, 
and  daughter  against  her  mother  ;  mother  in  law  against  her 
daughter  in  law,  and  daughter  in  law  against  her  mother  in 
law. 

49.  /  came  to  cast  fire  upon  the  earth  :  more  emphatic — '  Fire  is 
what  I  came  to  cast . .  .'  Cf .  the  saying  preserved  by  Origen  {Horn. 
in  Jer.  xx  3),  '  Near  Me,  near  the  fire.'  The  next  two  verses  have  no 
real  parallel  in  Matthew  or  Mark,  though  Matthew  has  in  x  34  a  saying 
of  similar  import :  '  I  came  not  to  cast  peace  (on  the  earth),  but  a 
sword ' — the  sword,  i.  e.  of  strife  and  division.  That  (see  vv.  51  sqq.) 
is  the  ultimate  effect  of  this  '  fire  '  ;  but  though  '  fire  and  sword '  are 
familiarly  coupled  as  instruments  of  war,  the  fire  here  would  seem 
to  be  more  than  a  merely  destructive  agency.  The  Baptism  of  Fire 
predicted  by  St  John  (iii  16)  may  not  be  identical  with  this  '  flame  '  ; 
but  it  is  the  searching,  testing  quality  of  Christ's  teaching  that  makes 
it  like  fire  (cf .  Mai  iii  2, 3) ;  that  which,  in  the  fourth  Gospel  ( Jn  ix  39), 
He  expresses  in  the  words,  '  For  judgement  came  I  into  this  world.' 
The  '  tongues  of  fire  '  of  Ac  ii  mark  the  descent  of  that  spirit  Who 
is  to  '  convict  the  world  ...  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgement '  (Jn  xvi  8-11). 

what  will  I,  if  it  is  already  kindled  ?  '  What  have  I  left  to  wish 
for  ?  '  Or  possibly,  with  a  different  punctuation,  '  What  will  I  ?  ' 
Would  that  it  were  already  kindled  !  (as  Origen,  ap.  Plummer). 

50.  But  I  have  a  baptism,  6cc.  The  adversative  form  of  the 
sentence  favours  the  first  interpretation  of  v.  49.  '  After  all,  there 
is  something  left  to  wish  for — the  completion  of  what  lies  before  me 
in  the  Passion.'  He  looks  forward,  in  the  Passion,  to  a  fresh  act  of 
self-consecration  (cf.  Jn  xvii  19).  He  is  faced  by  this  '  baptism  of 
blood,'  and  longs  to  get  it  over.  Matthew  and  Mark  have  a  similar 
reference  to  baptism  in  the  answer  to  James  and  John  (which  Luke 
omits),  '  Are  ye  able  to  drink  the  cup  that  I  drink  ?  or  to  be 
baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with  ? '  (Mk  x  38)  : 


186  ST   LUKE  [Xll  50-58 

where  the  '  cup  '  is  evidently  that  of  the  Agony  (Mk  xiv  36,  Lk 
xxii  42).  The  metaphor  of  the  '  baptism  '  is  probably  akin  to  the 
O.T.  metaphor  of  drowning  in  a  '  sea  of  troubles,'  typically  expressed, 
e.g.  in  Ps  Ixix  and  Jonah  ii. 

51.  Think  ye  that  1  am  come  to  give  peace  in  the  earth  ?  '  Peace  on 
earth  to  men  of  God's  good  will '  had  been  proclaimed  at  His  birth, 
as  St  Luke  himself  records  (ii  14).  Inward  peace  is  what  He  ofifers 
to  His  disciples  in  fullest  measure  (Jn  xiv  27),  but  it  is  a  peace  con- 
sistent with  '  tribulation  in  the  world  '  (Jn  xvi  33).  The  testing  fire 
of  V.  49  must  inevitably  create  first  of  all  divisions  and  discord. 
So  our  Lord,  though  He  has  a  peace  to  offer  such  as  '  the  world 
cannot  give,'  boldly  disillusions  those  who,  following  the  popular 
Jewish  tradition,  expect  the  reign  of  Messiah  to  usher  in  immediate, 
universal  peace. 

division.  Such  division  takes  place  now  as  often  as  a  Jew 
or  a  Moslem  is  converted  to  Christianity.  A  more  frequent  and 
equally  striking  example  is  the  Hindu  convert,  who  is  boycotted 
by  all  his  former  circle. 

53.  They  shall  he  divided.  Father,  mother,  son  and  son's  wife, 
and  daughter.  The  two  elders  are  pictured  as  unconverted,  and 
bitter  against  the  younger  members.  No  doubt  a  very  typical  case 
in  all  ages  and  not  least  in  the  first  years  of  Christendom.  The 
father  is  constantly  at  strife  with  his  son,  the  mother  with  both 
daughter  and  daughter-in-law.  In  the  women's  case  there  is  a 
change  from  dative  to  accusative,  which  has  been  thought  to 
indicate  a  more  active  rancour.  It  may,  however,  be  simply  a  case 
of  variation  in  style. 

54-59.  The  Signs  of  the  Times.  Here  our  Lord  reverts  again 
(cf .  V.  15)  from  the  Disciples  to  the  Multitude.  In  Mat  xvi  2,  3  there 
is  a  sentence  of  the  same  import,  but  differently  worded.  Our  Lord 
may  very  well  have  used  this  analogy  of  '  the  weather-wise  '  more 
than  once. 

54  And  he  said  to  the  multitudes  also,  When  ye  see  a  cloud 
rising  in  the  west,  straightway  ye  say,  There  cometh  a  shower  ; 
and  so  it  cometh  to  pass.  55  And  when  ye  see  a  south  wind 
blowing,  ye  say,  There  will  be  a  ^scorching  heat ;  and  it  cometh 
to  pass.  56  Ye  hypocrites,  ye  know  how  to  -interpret  the 
face  of  the  earth  and  the  heaven  ;  but  how  is  it  that  ye  know 
not  how  to  ^interpret  this  time  ?  57  And  why  even  of  your- 
selves judge  ye  not  what  is  right  ?  58  For  as  thou  art  going 
with  thine  adversary  before  the  magistrate,  on  the  way  give 
diligence  to  be  quit  of  him  ;  lest  haply  he  hale  thee  unto  the 
judge,  and  the  judge  shall  deliver  thee  to  the  ^officer,  and 
'  Or,  hot  wind  "  Gr.  prove.  *  Gr.  exactor. 


XII54-XIIII]  ST   LUKE  187 

the  ^officer  shall  cast  thee  into  prison.  59  I  say  unto  thee, 
Thou  shalt  by  no  means  come  out  thence,  till  thou  have  paid 
the  very  last  mite. 

*  Gr.  exactor. 

54.  in  the  west :  bringing  heavy  rain  from  the  Mediterranean, 
like  the  cloud  so  anxiously  looked  for  by  Elijah's  servant  (1  Kgs 
xviii  44). 

55.  a  south  wind.  The  word  is  used  by  St  Luke  alone  in  N.T. 
for  south  wind.  In  Ac  xxvii  13  it  is  the  breeze  that  deceived  the 
crew  of  St  Paul's  boat  into  putting  to  sea  from  Fair  Havens  ;  in 
Ac  xxviii  13,  the  wind  that  wafts  him  safely  from  Rhegium  to 
Puteoli. 

a  scorching  heat.  The  Kausdn  from  the  Arabian  Desert,  answer- 
ing to  the  scirocco  in  Italy  and  the  south  of  France.  If,  as  Eder- 
sheim  remarks  {L.  cfc  T.  ii  220  n.),  the  scirocco  blows  not  in  Galilee 
but  in  Peraea,  this  little  touch  may  strengthen  our  view  as  to  the 
locality  of  these  sayings. 

66.    this  time.    This  (Messianic)  season. 

57-59.  In  view  of  inevitable  divisions,  charity  and  reconciliation 
are  all  the  more  to  be  cultivated. 

57.  judge  ye  not  what  is  right.  Cf .  Jn  vii  24.  This  phrase  and 
the  give  diligence  of  next  verse,  at  one  time  thought  solecisms,  are 
now  proved  to  belong  to  the  common  speech  of  the  time.  Deissmann, 
op.  cit.,  pp.  117,  118. 

58.  For  as  thou  art  going,  d:c.  The  connexion  is  not  very  clear. 
Perhaps,  '  If  you  could  discern  the  significance  of  what  is  going  on 
in  human  life  as  you  can  discern  the  weather,  you  would  see  the 
necessity  of  immediate  reconciliation  with  your  fellows.'  In  the 
first  Gospel  it  has  clearly  this  individual  reference  coming  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  after  the  interpretation  of  the  Sixth  Com- 
mandment, and  the  reconciliation  is  urged  before  offering  a  gift  at 
the  Altar  (Mat  v  22,  23).  But  it  may  be  best  to  interpret  it  here 
with  a  national  reference.  Christ  is  the  '  Adversary,'  claiming  His 
due  (cf .  XX  10) ;  God  is  the  Judge,  His  praetor  or  agent  is  the  force 
that  shall  overthrow  Jerusalem.  Now  is  the  moment  to  make  peace 
with  the  Messiah.  For  the  '  judge  '  both  Matthew  and  Luke  have 
Kpirr;?,  for  the  inferior  officer  Matthew  has  the  colourless  virrjpiTiq'i, 
while  Luke  has  TrpctKTwp,  which  technically  denotes  an  officer  who 
keeps  record  of  the  fines  ordered  by  the  Judge  to  be  paid. 

59.  the  very  last  mite  :  AeTrrov  representing  half  the  value  of  the 
coin  mentioned  by  Matthew  (/coSpavTT^s  =  quadrans)  and  one-eighth 
of  the  as  or  daa-dpLov  oi  V.  Q. 

(k)  XIII 1-9     The  Lesson  of  Calamities  ;    The  Barren  Fig-tree     l^" 

There  is  a  special  interest  about  such  '  detailed  allusions  to 
unimportant  local  events,'  in  that  we  can  be  sure  that  they  must 
have  been  put  into  writing  very  early  to  be  preserved  (cf .  Streeter, 


188  ST  LUKE  [Xini,2 

OxJ.  Stud.,  p.  206).  The  most  natural  background  for  this  discourse 
is  the  near  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem  (cf.  rof.  to  '  Siloam,'  v.  4). 
The  whole  section  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  and  depicts  our  Lord's 
mind  as  full  of  foreboding  of  the  approaching  ruin  of  the  Holy  City. 

XIII  Now  there  were  some  present  at  that  very  season 
which  told  him  of  the  Galilseans,  whose  blood  Pilate  had 
mingled  with  their  sacrifices.  2  And  he  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Think  ye  that  these  Galilseans  were  sinners  above 
all  the  Galilseans,  because  they  have  suffered  these  things  ? 
3  I  tell  you,  Nay  :  but,  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  in  like 
manner  perish.  4  Or  those  eighteen,  upon  whom  the  tower 
in  Siloam  fell,  and  killed  them,  think  ye  that  they  were 
^offenders  above  all  the  men  that  dwell  in  Jerusalem  ?  5  I  tell 
you,  Nay  :  but,  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 
6  And  he  spake  this  parable  ;  A  certain  man  had  a  fig 
tree  planted  in  his  vineyard  ;  and  he  came  seeking  fruit 
thereon,  and  found  none.  7  And  he  said  unto  the  vine- 
dresser, Behold,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit  on 
this  fig  tree,  and  find  none  :  cut  it  down  ;  why  doth  it  also 
cumber  the  ground  ?  8  And  he  answering  saith  unto  him. 
Lord,  let  it  alone  this  year  also,  till  I  shall  dig  about  it,  and 
dung  it  :  9  and  if  it  bear  fruit  thenceforth,  well ;  but  if  not, 
thou  shalt  cut  it  down. 

*  Gr.  debtors. 

1.  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with  their  sacrifices.  Though 
we  have  no  other  record  of  this  particular  outrage,  such  massacres 
were  all  too  common,  as  Josephus  testifies  (cf .,  e.  g.,  that  by  Arche- 
laus  at  Passover  time.  Ant.  XVII  ix  3). 

The  peculiar  interest  of  the  record  is  that,  though  St  Luke  gives 
no  '  cross-reference,'  this  incident  satisfactorily  explains  the 
'  enmity  '  of  Pilate  and  Herod  alluded  to  in  xxiii  12,  and  the  way 
in  which  that  enmity  was  reconciled  (see  note  on  xxiii  8-12). 

2.  Think  ye,  dsc.  Our  Lord  Himself  rebuts,  in  the  case  of  the 
man  born  blind  (Jn  ix  2),  this  popular  idea  that  individual  trouble 
in  this  life  is  proportioned  to  the  individual's  wickedness,  and  that 
exceptional  suffering  indicates  exceptional  sin  in  the  sufferer.  The 
Book  of  Job  had  been  written  centuries  before  with  the  same  object. 
Here  He  makes  it  the  starting-point  for  a  prediction  which  was 
literally  fulfilled  40  years  later  when  the  unrepentant  Jews  and 
Galileans,  gathered  for  the  Passover,  perished  by  the  sword  of  Titus. 
Josephus  {B.J.  V  i   3)  describes  how  they  were  cut  do^^^l  in  the 


XIII 4-8]  ST   LUKE  189 

Temple  and  '  sprinkled  the  holy  altar  with  their  blood  '  (cf .  also 
ib.  VI  iv  6). 

4.  those  eighteen.  This  recent  example  our  Lord  adduces  Him- 
self.   It  concerns  not  Galileans  but  Judaeans. 

offenders  :  lit.  '  debtors.'  For  sin  as  a  '  debt  to  God  '  cf.  xi  4. 
They  may  have  been  popularly  detested  as  serving  the  Roman 
Conqueror — the  more  so  if  Pilate  was  paying  their  wages  out  of  the 
Temple  treasury.  Josephus  {B.J.  II  ix  4)  says  Pilate  raised  a 
tumult  by  spending  '  Corban  '  money  upon  aqueducts. 

5.  except  ye  repent.  Here  again  is  a  prediction  literally  fulfilled 
in  the  overthrow  of  the  buildings  of  the  Holy  City. 

6-9.  Parable  of  the  Barren  Fig-tree  (Trench,  Par.,  pp.  348- 
360).  St  Luke  alone  records  this  Parable,  and  he  omits  the  narrative  of 
the  withering  of  the  fig-tree  in  Holy  Week,  given  by  Matthew  (xxi  18) 
and  Mark  (xi  12).  Has  he  transformed  an  '  acted  parable '  into  a 
spoken  one  ?  Or  does  he  preserve  the  original  of  which  the  '  cursing ' 
of  the  tree  is  a  very  early  variant  (cf.  Streeter,  OxJ.  Stud.,  p.  206)  ? 
Or  are  all  three  Synoptists  correct  in  their  chronology  and  the  facts, 
St  Luke  having  omitted  the  later  incident  because  he  had  already 
given  here  the  substance  of  its  teaching  (cf.  Hawkins,  Oxj.  Stud.^ 
p.  69)  ? 

Certainly  the  incident  in  Matthew  and  Mark  becomes  much 
more  intelligible  and  significant  if  regarded  as  a  deliberate  sequel 
to  this  Parable. 

In  any  case,  the  scene  will  probably  be  near  Jerusalem.  Cf. 
note  on  xi  37-54.  Trench  {op.  cit.,  p.  360,  note)  quotes  an  extra- 
ordinarily close  parallel  to  this  Parable  in  an  Arab  recipe  for  curing 
a  palm-tree  of  barrenness. 

6.  A  certain  man.  For  the  opening,  cf .  note  on  x  30.  The  lord 
of  the  vineyard  is  the  Almighty,  and  the  fig-tree  (as  in  the  *  acted 
parable  '  of  Mat  xxi,  Mk  xi)  is  the  Chosen  People,  or  Jerusalem,  The 
three  years  (sometimes  interpreted  of  the  length  of  our  Lord's 
Ministry)  probably  represent  the  past  forbearance  of  God,  and  the 
extra  year  the  forty  years'  interval  before  a.  d.  70,  in  which  He 
left  space  for  repentance,  and  won  over  thousands  of  individuals, 
though  the  nation  remained  obdurate.  The  '  cutting  down  '  is  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  The  vine-dresser  who  pleads  with  the 
owner  may  be  our  Lord  Himself,  or  may  be  simply  put  in  to 
complete  the  picture.  In  the  nation's  life  the  individual's  is  writ 
large,  and  so  this  parable  is  directly  applicable  to  the  individual  soul. 

a  fig  tree  .  .  .  in  his  vineyard.  As  in  Tuscan  vineyards  olives  grow 
freely,  and  '  com,  wine  and  oil '  are  mingled  together,  so  in  Palestine, 
fig-trees  and  other  trees.  Perhaps  a  normal  vineyard  is  described 
in  xxi  29. 

7.  why  doth  it  also  cumber  the  ground  ?  Besides  failing  to  fulfil 
its  purpose,  it  takes  up  room,  and  impoverishes  the  surrounding  soil. 

8.  let  it  alone.  We  may  think  of  our  Lord  as  the  intercessor,  like 
Abraham  of  old  (Gen  xviii  23  sqq.),  winning  for  Jerusalem  forty 
years  of  grace  (xxiii  34).    (Cf.  Trench,  Par.,  p.  353.) 


190  ST   LUKE  [XIII 9-17 

9.  thou  shall  cut  it  down.  Two  years  before  the  Baptist  had 
seen  '  the  axe  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees  '  (iii  9)  and  had  used 
the  same  word  for  the  '  hewing  down  '  of  the  fruitless. 

(1)  10-17    Healing  of  the  Infirm  Woman  (Trench,  Mir., 

pp.  346-351) 

A  graphic  description  in  Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  ii,  pp.  224,  225. 

This  is  the  only  instance  recorded  of  our  Lord's  attendance  in  a 
Synagogue  in  the  latter  part  of  His  Ministry,  though  earlier  references 
are  frequent  in  all  Synoptists.  It  has  been  argued  that  growing 
hostility  made  His  attendance  difficult,  and  that  St  Luke,  receiving 
this  narrative  without  note  of  chronological  order,  has  misplaced  it. 
St  John,  however,  makes  Jesus  protest  before  Annas  (xviii  20) 
'  I  ever  taught  in  synagogues  '  (cf.  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  58). 
The  tone  and  manner  of  the  narrative  is  very  characteristic  of  Luke 
and  seem  to  show  his  '  editorial  hand  '  (Streeter,  op.  cit.,  p.  206). 

10  And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the 
sabbath  day.  11  And  behold,  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit 
of  infirmity  eighteen  years  ;  and  she  was  bowed  together,  and 
could  in  no  wise  lift  herself  up.  12  And  when  Jesus  saw  her, 
he  called  her,  and  said  to  her,  Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from 
thine  infirmity.  13  And  he  laid  his  hands  upon  her  :  and 
immediately  she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified  God.  14  And 
the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  being  moved  with  indignation 
because  Jesus  had  healed  on  the  sabbath,  answered  and  said 
to  the  multitude.  There  are  six  days  in  which  men  ought  to 
work  :  in  them  therefore  come  and  be  healed,  and  not  on  the 
day  of  the  sabbath.  15  But  the  Lord  answered  him,  and  said, 
Ye  hypocrites,  doth  not  each  one  of  you  on  the  sabbath  loose 
his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  ^stall,  and  lead  him  away  to  watering  ? 
16  And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a  daughter  of  Abraham, 
whom  Satan  had  bound,  lo,  these  eighteen  years,  to  have  been 
loosed  from  this  bond  on  the  day  of  the  sabbath  ?  17  And  as 
he  said  these  things,  all  his  adversaries  were  put  to  shame  : 
and  all  the  multitude  rejoiced  for  all  the  glorious  things  that 
were  done  by  him. 

•  Gr.  manger. 

10.  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues.  He  would  only  do 
so  at  the  invitation  of  the  elders  (cf.  Edersheim,  L.  &  T.  i  438, 446); 
hence  the  rarity  of  this  occurrence  since  hostility  had  grown  (xi  53, 54). 


xiiiio-14]  ST  LUKE  191 

Perhaps  permission  was  given  in  this  case  as  a  concession  to  the 
multitude. 

11.  a  spirit  of  infirmity.  Perhaps  curvature  of  the  spine.  The 
case  reads  unlike  an  exorcism.  There  is  not  even  a  '  rebuke  '  to 
the  spirit,  as  to  the  fever  in  iv  39.  Hence  it  has  been  suggested  that 
the  '  spirit '  here  is  due  to  the  Evangelist's  interpretation  of  '  bound 
by  Satan  '  in  v.  16.  It  is,  however,  quite  in  accordance  with  modern 
thought  to  attribute  such  a  malady  to  malign  influences  and  to 
effect  its  cure  by  a  laying  on  of  hands.  Cf.  note  on  Spiritual 
Healing,  p.  64  sq. 

could  in  no  wise.    Rather  '  could  not  altogether,'  '  entirely.' 

12.  he  called  her.  The  only  such  case  in  which  He  is  recorded 
to  have  taken  the  initiative.  He  must  have  seen  the  requisite  faith 
and  penitence  in  her  heart.  Trench  suggests  (p.  347)  that '  possibly 
her  presence  may  have  been  a  tacit  seeking  of  His  aid.' 

thou  art  loosed.  Suggestion,  followed  by  the  completion  of  the 
cure  by  touch.  Godet  {ad  loc.)  recognizes  two  stages :  (1)  the  psychic 
cure,  emancipating  the  will ;  (2)  the  physical,  restoring,  by  a  touch, 
the  bodily  organization  to  the  control  of  the  emancipated  will.  It 
is  clear  in  the  case  of  the  man  at  Bethesda  that  the  will  had  to  be 
brought  to  bear.  As  a  preliminary  Jesus  asks  him  (Jn  v  6),  '  Have 
you  the  will  to  be  healed  ?  ' 

13.  made  straight.  A  verb  used  only  three  times  in  N.T. — two 
of  them  by  St  Luke,  here  and  in  Ac  xv  16.  Hobart  {M.L.,  p.  22) 
names  it  as  a  technical  term. 

glorified  God.  This  action  on  her  part  implies  that  she  had  been 
spiritually  in  a  condition  to  be  healed. 

14.  ruler  of  the  synagogue.  The  last  named  was  Jairus  (viii  41) 
and  he  was  in  Galilee.  This  man  was  probably  much  nearer  Jeru- 
salem. But  the  contrast  of  attitude  typifies  not  only  difference  of 
locality,  but  also  the  growing  hostility  of  official  religion.  '  We  can 
almost  see  him  :  contused,  irresolute,  perplexed,  and  very  angry, 
bustling  forward  and  scolding  the  people  who  had  done  nothing,  yet 
not  venturing  to  silence  the  woman  .  .  .  far  less  to  reprove  the  great 
Rabbi  .  .  .  but  speaking  at  Him  through  those  who  had  been  the 
astounded  eye-witnesses.'    (Edersheim,  L.  S  T.  ii  225.) 

moved  with  indignation  :  in  which,  no  doubt,  his  fellow-elders 
joined.    Jesus  addresses  them  in  the  plural  {v.  16). 

answered  and  said  to  the  multitude.  He  answered  the  Lord's  act 
(and  the  crowd's  feeling),  as  in  vii  40  Jesus  had  answered  Simon's 
thought.  But  he  is  afraid  to  address  our  Lord,  so  he  attacks  Him 
through  the  multitude. 

come  and  be  healed.  An  incidental  attack  on  the  innocent 
woman,  who  had  apparently  taken  no  overt  initiative  in  the  matter. 

not  on  the  day  of  the  sabbath.  This  is  the  third  instance  given  by 
St  Luke  of  the  accusation  of  sabbath-breaking ;  cf .  vi  1-5  and  vi  6-1 1 . 
In  the  first,  as  here,  He  is  attacked  through  others.  The  second  is  a 
deliberate  trap  (vi  7),  but  they  dare  not  attack  Him  openly.    St  John 


192  ST   LUKE  [XIII 14-19 

(v)  records  another  instance,  the  Bethesda  miracle,  whore  the  Jews 
obj  ect  to  the  man  carrying  his  pallet  on  the  Sabbath .  Cf .  Edersheim , 
L.  cfc  T.  ii  784. 

15.  Ye  hypocrites.  Our  Lord  recognizes  in  the  pompous  ruler 
the  spokesman  of  an  entire  group. 

doth  not  each  one  of  you,  <fec.  This  leading  of  animals  to  water  was 
expressly  allowed  by  Talmudic  Law  (Edersheim,  L.  <fc  T.  ii  225), 
though  the  water  might  not  be  carried  to  them  except  by  a  Gentile 
— under  the  fiction  that  he  was  doing  it  for  himself,  and  not  for  the 
Jewish  owner  (0^9.  cit.,  p.  785)  !  '  If  you  can  "  loose  "  your  cattle 
sabbath  by  sabbath,  may  not  I  "  loose  "  this  daughter  of  Abraham 
from  the  18  years'  bondage  to  Satan  ?  ' 

16.  ought  not.  The  obligation  lay  in  the  opposite  direction  to 
that  of  the  meticulous  negatives  of  Rabbinic  Law. 

whom  Satan  had  bound.  To  contemporary  Jewish  thought  sick- 
ness was  a  visitation  not  of  God  but  of  Satan  :  cf .  St  Paul's  descrip- 
tion of  his  own  infirmity  in  2  Cor  xii  7,  and  the  words  ascribed  by 
St  Luke  to  Peter  (Ac  x  38)  describing  our  Lord  as  '  healing  all  that 
were  oppressed  of  the  devil.'  This  doctrine — that  disease  is  always 
the  result  of  evil  agency — finds  a  good  deal  of  favour  to-day,  e.  g. 
among  those  who  are  anxious  to  reform  the  oifice  for  Visitation  of 
the  Sick  (cf.  Hickson,  The  Healing  of  Christ  in  His  Church). 

Trench  argues  (p.  347)  that  it  can  hardly  have  been  a  recognizable 
case  of  '  possession,'  else  she  would  not  have  been  allowed  in  the 
Synagogue.  But  there  was  a  clear  case  in  the  Synagogue  of  Caper- 
naum early  in  the  Ministry  (iv  33). 

these  eighteen  years.  It  is  characteristic  of  St  Luke  (though  not 
peculiar  to  him)  to  take  note  of  such  dates  (cf.  ii  36). 

17.  as  he  said  these  things.  The  contrast  between  the  discomfi- 
ture of  the  Synagogue  officials  and  the  joyful  enthusiasm  of  the 
crowd  is  in  the  manner  of  '  Luke  the  Artist,'  cf.  Introd.,  p.  xxviii, 
and  notes  on  v  26,  vii  16. 

(m)  18-21      Parables  of  the  Mustard  Seed  and  the  Leaven 
(Trench,  Par.,  pp.  107-121) 

The  first  of  these  Parables  is  in  Mk  iv  30-32,  but  they  occur  both 
together  (as  here)  in  Mat  xiii  31-33,  where  they  are  attached  to  a 
string  of  other  Parables  of  similar  import.  They  probably  represent 
a  '  block  '  of  Q,  which  Luke  may  have  preserved  in  its  original  place, 
or  may  have  placed  here  as  a  natural  sequel  to  the  enthusiasm  of 
V.  17.  Among  these  rejoicing  crowds  were  doubtless  not  a  few  who 
would  be  gathered  in  to  swell  the  Church  after  Pentecost.  Cf. 
Streeter,  in  Hibbert  Journal,  Oct.  1921,  pp.  105  sqq. 

18  He  said  therefore,  Unto  what  is  the  kingdom  of  God 
like  ?  and  whereunto  shall  I  liken  it  ?  19  It  is  like  unto 
a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which  a  man  took,  and  cast  into  his 


xm  18-25]  ST  LUKE  193 

own  garden  ;  and  it  grew,  and  became  a  tree  ;  and  the  birds 
of  the  heaven  lodged  in  the  branches  thereof.  20  And  again 
he  said,  Whereunto  shall  I  liken  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  21  It 
is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three 
^measures  of  meal,  till  it  was  all  leavened. 

*  See  marginal  note  on  Mat  xlii  33. 

18.  Unto  what  is  .  .  .  like  ?  One  of  the  regular  Rabbinical 
formulae  for  introducing  a  comparison.  (Oesterley,  Sayings,  25, 
p.  46.)    The  phrase  aptly  pictures  one  '  thinking  aloud.' 

19.  The  Mustard  Seed  describes  the  external  growth  of  the 
Kingdom  (as  the  Leaven  the  internal),  which  St  Luke  in  his  second 
volume  pauses  now  and  again  to  record  (Ac  ii41,  47,  iv  33  sqq., 
V  14,  vi  7,  ix31,  &c.).  In  this  parable  (though  not  in  all)  the 
Kingdom  may  be  practically  identified  with  the  Church.  In  the 
next,  e.  g.,  it  is  rather  the  '  influence  of  Christianity.' 

a  grain  of  mustard  seed  :  probably  either  Sinapis  nigra,  which 
will  grow  to  12  ft.  or  more,  or  Salvadora  persica  which,  round  the 
Lake  of  Galilee,  is  said  to  grow  twice  as  high. 

21.  The  Leaven.  Probably  the  only  case  in  N.T.  in  which 
leaven  symbolizes  a  good  influence.  The  internal  growth  of  the 
Kingdom,  permeating  and  transforming  human  society. 

which  a  woman  took.  Cf .  the  '  woman  '  of  xv  8  sqq.  Charac- 
teristic of  the  '  Gospel  of  Womanhood.'  As  spoken  by  Christ,  it 
may  well  be  a  reminiscence  of  His  own  boyhood.    Cf.  note  on  xi  1-8. 

three  measures  of  meal  represent  a  '  baking.'  Cf.  Gen  xviii  6 
(Sarah's  breadmaking). 

'    (n)  22-30     Who  will  be  saved  ? 

This  is  one  of  the  deeper  questions  habitually  put  by  disciples 
of  the  Rabbinical  Schools  ('  House  of  the  Midrash  ')  to  their  Rabbis. 
See  ref .  in  Hastings'  D.B.,  art.  '  Education.'  For  St  Luke's  use 
of  questions  as  transition-points,  see  note  on  xii  41. 

22  And  he  went  on  his  way  through  cities  and  villages, 
teaching,  and  journeying  on  unto  Jerusalem.  23  And  one 
said  unto  him.  Lord,  are  they  few  that  be  saved  ?  And  he 
said  unto  them,  24  Strive  to  enter  in  by  the  narrow  door  : 
for  many,  I  say  unto  you,  shall  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not 
be  ^able.  25  When  once  the  master  of  the  house  is  risen  up, 
and  hath  shut  to  the  door,  and  ye  begin  to  stand  without,  and 
to  knock  at  the  door,  saying.  Lord,  open  to  us  ;  and  he  shall 
answer  and  say  to  you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are ;  26  then 

*  Or,  able,  when  once 
L.  13 


194  ST   LUKE  [Xlll  22-25 

shall  ye  begin  to  say,  We  did  eat  and  drink  in  thy  presence, 
and  thou  didst  teach  in  our  streets  ;  27  and  he  shall  say, 
I  tell  you,  I  know  not  whence  ye  are  ;  depart  from  me,  all  ye 
workers  of  iniquity.  28  There  shall  be  the  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth,  when  ye  shall  see  Abraham,  and  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
yourselves  cast  forth  without.  29  And  they  shall  come  from 
the  east  and  west,  and  from  the  north  and  south,  and  shall 
^sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  30  And  behold,  there  are 
last  which  shall  be  first,  and  there  are  first  which  shall  be  last. 

'  Gr.  recline. 

Here  is  a  break  in  the  narrative.  St  Luke  is  not  sure  of  the 
exact  context  of  the  next  episode,  and  will  not  fabricate  a  connexion. 
Cf.  note  on  ix  51  sqq.,  p.  41. 

22.  journeying  on  unto  Jerusalem.  The  more  obvious  meaning  of 
this  recurring  refrain  (ix  51,  xvii  11,  xviii  31,  xix  11)  is  that  it  should 
refer  to  a  single  slow  and  deliberate  progress  toward  the  Holy  City  ; 
but  we  have  seen  reason  to  believe  that  the  period  embraced  at 
least  two  visits  to  Jerusalem  (Sept.  and  Dec,  a.  d.  28),  and  Luke's 
arrangement  lends  itself  to  this,  though  it  does  not  foUow  that  he 
was  conscious  of  such  visits.    See  notes  on  x  38-40  and  xiii  31-35. 

23.  are  they  few  that  be  saved  ?  The  question  naturally  follows 
from  the  parables  of  increase  and  expansion  {vv.  19-21),  but  St  Luke 
deliberately  disconnects  (see  note  on  v.  22).  Perhaps  we  should  be 
thrown  back  farther  still,  e.  g.  to  the  Parable  of  the  Barren  Fig-tree 
{vv.  6-9)  suggesting  'few',  as  the  last-uttered  parables  suggest 
'  many.'  The  questioner  is  not  named  or  described.  Edersheim 
{L.  dc  T.  ii  299)  regards  it  as  a  Pharisaic  question,  and  quotes  a 
Rabbinical  sa5dng  that  the  Kingdom  of  the  Messiah  would  be,  to 
that  generation,  like  the  entrance  into  Canaan,  when  only  two — 
Joshua  and  Caleb — were  allowed  to  set  foot  in  it. 

24.  Strive  to  enter  in  :  '  strain  every  nerve  '  (Plummer).  The 
question  is  idle  and  speculative.  Our  Lord  diverts  the  questioner 
(cf.  xii  15,  42)  to  the  serious  and  personal  point  of  view.  Yet,  in 
a  sense.  He  answers  his  query  :  '  The  number,  few  or  many,  who  will 
have  part  in  the  Messianic  Kingdom  depends  on  the  number  who 
are  earnest  enough  about  it.' 

the  narrow  door  :  here  a  house  door  ;  in  Mat  vii  13,  a  wicket, 
leading  to  a  narrow  path. 

many  .  .  .  shall  seek  to  enter  :  e.  g.  those  who,  like  the  Pharisee, 
regard  their  own  place  therein  as  assured,  and  speculate  only  on  the 
chances  of  others. 

25  sqq.  A  Parabolic  utterance,  introducing  teaching  parallel 
to  that  in  Mat  vii  22,  23.  There,  however,  our  Lord  is  speaking 
directly  :  '  Many  will  say  unto  me  in  that  day  .  .  .  ' 


XIII 25-31]  ST   LUKE  195 

25.  the  master  of  the  house  is  risen  up  :  to  close  the  door,  when 
the  guests  are  all  assembled.  This  adds  the  idea  of  '  too  late  '  to 
the  primary  thought  that  the  would-be  guests  are  not  of  the  right 
sort. 

26.  then  shall  ye  begin  to  say.  Their  plea  is  more  preposterous 
than  that  of  the  rejected  of  Mat  vii  22,  who  could  at  least  claim  to 
have  done  something  in  His  name,  not  merely  to  have  been  near 
Him  '  after  the  flesh.'  It  is  as  though  one  of  us  should  be  content 
to  plead  that  he  had  been  brought  up  in  a  Christian  atmosphere. 

27.  /  know  not  whence  ye  are.  Their  disloyal  negligence  merits 
the  fate  of  those  who  have  '  denied  '  Him  '  before  men  '  (xii  9). 
Cf.  Mat  sxv  12  (Ten  Virgins). 

depart  from  me.  As  to  those  who  have  neglected  '  works  of 
mercy  '  in  Mat  xxv  41. 

ye  workers  of  iniquity.  As  Mat  vii  23,  the  whole  phrase  is  a  loose 
quotation  from  Ps  vi  8.  It  shows  that  outward  respectability  and 
self-respect  may  be  consonant  with  utter  moral  failure  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

28.  This  verse  is  reproduced  with  verbal  variations  and  trans- 
positions in  Mat  viii  11  sqq.  (the  story  of  the  Healing  of  the 
Centurion's  Servant).  If  both  Evangelists  draw  it  from  the  same 
source,  it  is  more  probably  Matthew  who  has  displaced  it,  though 
(apart  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the  Charge  to  the  Twelve) 
he  rarely  anticipates  sayings  of  our  Lord.  The  only  instances  noted  by 
Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  158  sqq.)  are  this,  the  Mustard  Seed  and 
associated  sayings  (Mat  xiii  31  sqq.,  Lk  xiii  18),  and  '  the  Eongdom 
of  heaven  suffereth  violence  '  (Mat  xi  12,  Lk  xvi  16). 

weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth  :  impotent  rage  and  hopeless  regret. 
The  phrase  may  have  been  habitual  in  our  Lord's  mouth.  It  occurs 
frequently  in  St  Matthew  (viii  12,  xiii  42,  50,  xxii  13,  xxiv  51, 
xxv  30). 

Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob.  Omitted  or  paraphrased  by 
Marcion  (who  rejected  the  O.T.)  but  retained  by  the  Gentile  Evange- 
list, who  even  adds  to  the  Matthaean  parallel,  all  the  prophets. 

30.  there  are  last  which  shall  be  first.  This  proverbial  utterance 
also  occurs  twice  in  Matthew — in  neither  case  parallel  to  the  text 
here — and  may  have  been  a  favourite  expression  of  our  Lord's. 
It  is  found  also  in  a  saying  attributed  to  him  in  the  Oxyrhynchus 
Papyri.    See  note  on  xiv  7. 

(o)  31-35     The  Warning  about  Herod  and  ike  Answer  cf  Jesus 

St  Luke  (see  preliminary  note  on  ix  51  sqq.)  does  not  record 
our  Lord's  presence  at  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  in  Jerusalem 
(Jn  ix,  x).  But  we  find  Him  here  in  Herod's  Jurisdiction  {v.  31), 
with  harrowing  memories  of  Jerusalem  in  His  mind  {vv.  34,  35)  such 
as  St  John's  account  of  that  occasion — when  the  Jews  attempted  to 
stone  Him  (Jn  x  31) — would  suggest.    St  John  says  He  evaded  their 

13-2 


196  ST   LUKE  LXiii  31-35 

violence  (x  39)  and  went  away  beyond  Jordan  (x  40).  In  Peraea 
He  would  be,  as  St  Luke  places  Him  here,  in  the  power  of  Herod. 
It  looks  as  though  His  enemies  had  tried  upon  Him  the  trick  that 
was  attempted  upon  Nehemiah  (Neh  vi  10-14),  to  frighten  Him  into 
an  ambush,  and  so  entrap  Him.  Like  Nehemiah,  He  scornfully 
refuses  to  be  frightened.  His  time  is  '  not  yet  come.'  In  a  few 
months'  time  He  will  re-enter  Jerusalem,  conscious  of  the  death 
awaiting  Him  ;  but  now  He  moves  up  northwards,  and  in  xvii  11 
we  find  Him  on  the  frontier-line  between  Samaria  and  Galilee. 

31  In  that  very  hour  there  came  certain  Pharisees,  saying 
to  him,  Get  thee  out,  and  go  hence  :  for  Herod  would  fain 
kill  thee.  32  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  and  say  to  that  fox, 
Behold,  I  cast  out  ^devils  and  perform  cm-es  to-day  and  to- 
morrow, and  the  third  day  I  am  perfected.  33  Howbeit 
I  must  go  on  my  way  to-day  and  to-morrow  and  the  day 
following  :  for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of 
Jerusalem. 

•  Gr.  deinons. 

32.  say  to  that  fox  :  with,  perhaps,  an  ironical  implication  of  the 
fox-like  cruelty  and  craftiness  of  these  seeming  well-wishers  who 
were  trying  to  entrap  Him.  (For  irony,  cf.  notes  on  xi  5-8  and 
xiv  15  sqq.)  He  seems  to  class  them  as  emissaries  of  the  man  against 
whom  they  pretend  to  warn  Him.  It  is  noticeable  that  early  in  the 
Galilean  Ministry  St  Mark  (iii  6)  presents  a  combination  of  Pharisees 
and  Herodians  against  Jesus.  St  Luke  nowhere  names  the  Herodians 
(but  cf.  note  on  Lk  vi  7). 

to-day  and  to-morrow,  dsc.  :  proverbial  expression  for  '  a  short 
time.'  Neither  this  nor  the  similar  expression  in  v.  33  to-tnorrow  and 
the  day  following  can,  of  course,  be  taken  literally.  Irony  again. 
'  Herod  .  .  .  and  you  .  .  .  may  be  patient  :  it  will  not  be  for  long.' 

perfected.    When  He  can  say  on  the  Cross  '  It  is  finished.' 

33.  for  it  cannot  he,  cfec.  The  irony  of  v.  32  is  taken  up  here  more 
grimly.  Jerusalem  has  a  monopoly  as  murderess  of  God's  Prophets. 
Cf .  Jer  XX vi,  2  Chron  xxiv  20  sqq.  (the  case  referred  to  in  the  passage 
Mat  xxiii  34-36,  which  precedes  the  similar  lament  over  Jerusalem). 
The  conjunction  of  this  grim  irony  with  the  lament  of  the  next  verse 
has  actually  been  alleged  as  involving  a  lack  of  a  sense  of  humour  in 
the  Evangelist !  (J.  H.  Michael,  Amer.  Journ.  Theol.  xxii  105, 
Jan.  1918.)  Is  it  not  rather  a  testimony  to  his  delicate  sense  of 
the  dramatic,  and  of  the  play  of  human  feeling  ? 

34.  35.  The  Lament  over  Jerusalem.  In  Mat  xxiii  37-39  we 
have  an  almost  precisely  similar  utterance,  in  a  different  context, 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  Day  of  Questions  in  Holy  Week  and  before 
the  great  Eschatological  Discourse — cf.  Lk  xx.     Either  one  of  the 


XIII 34.35]  ST   LUKE  197 

Evangelists  has  misplaced  the  passage,  or  we  have  here  one  of  the 
cases  in  which  Jesus  repeated  similar  words  on  different  occasions 
(cf.  notes  on  xii  1, 11, 12).  It  is  surely  probable,  aj'^ion,  that  His  pent- 
up  feelings  of  outraged  love  should  vent  themselves  more  than  once  : 
though  the  recurrence  of  the  phrase  /  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see 
me,  &c.,  in  Lk  xiii  35  and  Mat  xxiii  39  seems  to  suggest  a  written 
document.  In  any  case,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  St  Luke,  who  tends 
to  confine  himself  to  typical  examples  (see  Rackham,  Acts,  p.  xlix  sq.), 
gives  us  another  and  later  lament  over  the  Holy  City  (xix  41  sqq.), 
though  it  is  not  couched  in  the  same  words. 

34  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killeth  the  prophets, 
and  stoneth  them  that  are  sent  unto  her  !  how  often  would 
I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth 
her  own  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not  !  35  Behold, 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate  :  and  I  say  unto  you,  Ye 
shall  not  see  me,  until  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

34.  how  often  :  so  Mat  xxiii  37.  The  significance  of  this  phrase 
is  of  great  importance  ;  for  whether  we  put  it  historically  where 
St  Luke  has  it,  or  some  months  later  (as  St  Matthew),  it  equally 
implies  several  unrecorded  previous  visits  to  Jerusalem  ;  and 
so  corroborates  the  account  of  the  fourth  Evangelist.  See  prelimi- 
nary note  on  ix  51 — xix  27,  and  Introd.,  p.  xxiv  sq. 

The  only  alternative,  short  of  discounting  the  whole  passage 
(see  below),  is  one  which  critics  would  probably  vote  still  more 
'  Johannine'  — viz.  that  Christ  is  here  referring  to  His  pre-incamate 
dealings  (as  Logos)  with  the  Chosen  People. 

35.  and  I  say  unto  you,  d:c.  The  connexion  of  this  saying 
with  the  Lament  is  different  in  the  parallel  passage  in  St  Matthew  ; 
but  in  both  Gospels  it  is  a  little  obscure.  In  Mat  xxiii  38  it  comes 
on  the  Tuesday  or  Wednesday  in  Holy  Week,  and  might  involve  a 
reference  (see  Plummer,  ad  loc.)  to  the  Palm  Sunday  utterances  of 
the  pilgrims.  It  looks  back  to  xxi  9.  '  He  assures  them  here  that, 
until  they  can  themselves  take  up  this  welcome  to  Him,  they  will 
never  see  Him  again  as  their  Messiah.  His  Mission  to  them  as  their 
Saviour  is  closed.  If  that  relation  to  them  is  ever  to  be  renewed,  the 
initiative  must  come  from  them.' 

Here,  on  the  contrary,  it  might  well  stand  as  a  prediction  of  the 
Palm  Sunday  cries  (Lk  xix  38).  Yet  it  seems  unlikely  that  our 
Lord  would  have  appended  to  two  separate  laments  the  same  rather 
obscure  phrase  in  such  different  senses. 

One  suggested  explanation  is  that  in  the  common  source  (Q) 
Matthew  and  Luke  both  found  the  saying  of  v.  35  in  juxtaposition 
to  what  precedes,  and  each  treated  it  as  a  conclusion  of  the  Lament, 
whereas  in  reality  it  formed  the  beginning  of  a  new  section. 


198  ST   LUKE  [Xili  35-Xlv  i 

In  Matthew  the  Lament  is  immediately  preceded  (xxiii  34—36) 
by  a  denunciation  of  Jerusalem  as  murderess  of  prophets  given  by 
Luke  in  an  earlier  context  (xi  49-51)  and  introduced  by  the  phrase 
'  Therefore  also  said  the  Wisdom  of  Ood  '  (see  note  there).  Hamack, 
following  Strauss  and  Schmiedel,  holds  that  our  Lord  is  quoting 
from  a  lost  Apocryphal  book,  and  that  St  Matthew,  from  his  own 
point  of  view,  '  erased  the  quotation  formula,'  but  kept  the  quota- 
tion intact  (Mat  xxiii  34^38),  while  St  Luke  split  up  the  passage 
(xi  49-51,  xiii  34,  35)  but  attached  the  quotation  to  the  first  part, 
Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  162-163)  holds  that  Luke  is  right  in  regarding 
the  Lament  as  a  separate  utterance. 

If  this  be  accepted,  it  still  remains  doubtful  whether  or  no  v.  35 
was  originally  part  of  the  quotation  :  though  both  Evangelists 
seem  to  take  it  as  an  original  utterance  of  the  Lord. 

For  a  discussion  of  the  whole  passage  see  J.  H.  Michael,  Amer. 
Journ.  TheoL,  as  above. 

(3)  XIV  1— XVII  10  Third  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  '  : 
from  the  Lament  over  Jerusalem  to  the  Pilgrimage  of  the 
Last  Passover 

This  section  (if  the  scheme  suggested  in  the  notes  on  ix  51  sqq. 
and  xi  1  sqq.  is  to  be  followed)  will  cover  the  period  from  the  end 
of  December,  a.  d.  28,  to  the  end  of  February  or  the  beginning  of 
March,  a.d.  29  (cf.  Edersheim  ii  248).  This  period  will  be  then 
briefly  summarized  in  Jn  x  40-42  and  its  scene  will  be  beyond 
Jordan,  near  '  the  place  where  John  at  first  was  baptizing  ' — either 
Bethabara,  where  Peraea,  Samaria,  and  Galilee  meet,  or  some 
unknown  site  named  '  Bethany  '  (Jn  i  28,  R.V.  and  Marg.). 

The  section  as  a  whole  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke.  There  is  a  trace 
of  '  Q  '  in  v.  5. 

(a)  1-24  Earthly  and  Heavenly  Feasts  :  Precedence  and 
Humility  (1-11),  True  Hospitality  (12-14),  Parable  of  the 
Great  Supper  (15-24) 

XIV  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  went  into  the  house  of 
one  of  the  rulers  of  the  Pharisees  on  a  sabbath  to  eat  bread, 
that  they  were  watching  him. 

1.  into  the  house,  dkc.  This  is  the  third  time  (cf .  vii  36  sqq.  and 
xi  37  sqq.)  that  St  Luke  records  our  Lord's  acceptance  of  a  Pharisee's 
hospitality.  He  will  be  the  guest  of  such,  even  as  He  invites  Himself 
to  the  house  of  Zacchaeus  the  taxgatherer  (xix  5)  and  begs  water 
of  the  Samaritan  woman  (Jn  iv  7),  with  the  hope  of  entering  into 
their  hearts  (cf.  Trench,  Mir.,  p.  352).  Even  at  this  late  period  of 
His  ministry  He  would  not  treat  the  Pharisees  as  wholly  and  finally 
hardened  against  the  truth. 


XIV 1-6]  ST  LUKE  199 

o/  the  rulers.  Plummer  notes  {ad  loc.)  that  the  chief  of  the 
Pharisees  mostly  lived  at  Jerusalem.  Is  this  an  indication  that  He 
was  still  in  the  neighbourhood  ? 

on  a  sabbath.  Pursuing  a  definite  policy,  clear  in  this  Gospel 
(cf.  iv  33  sqq.,  vi  1  sqq.,  vi  6  sqq.,  xiii  10  sqq.),  but  still  more 
emphasized  in  the  fourfold  record,  Christ  '  goes  out  of  His  way  '  to 
work  deeds  of  mercy  on  Sabbath  days,  with  a  view  to  shocking  the 
Pharisees  out  of  their  false,  narrow,  negative  Sabbatarianism. 
What  this  amounted  to  may  be  seen  from  Edersheim's  selections  from 
the  Jerusalem  Talmud  {L.  &  T.  ii  777  sqq.,  Append.  XVII). 

2-6.  The  Dkopsical  IVIan  (Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  552-554).  This  is 
the  first  lesson  on  precedence :  charity  and  mercy  take  precedence 
of  Sabbath  strictness.  It  is  strange  to  think  how  violently  many 
earnest  '  Christians  '  have  taken  the  opposite  line.  There  is  a  kind 
of  Puritanism,  which  is  of  the  Old  Testament  rather  than  of  the  New. 

2  And  behold,  there  was  before  him  a  certain  man  which 
had  the  dropsy.  3  And  Jesus  answering  spake  unto  the 
lawyers  and  Pharisees,  saying,  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the 
sabbath,  or  not  ?  4  But  they  held  their  peace.  And  he  took 
him,  and  healed  him,  and  let  him  go.  5  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Which  of  you  shall  have  ^an  ass  or  an  ox  fallen  into 
a  well,  and  will  not  straightway  draw  him  up  on  a  sabbath 
day  ?    6  And  they  could  not  answer  again  unto  these  things. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  read  a  son.     See  ch.  xiii  15. 

2.  which  had  the  dropsy.  St  Luke  alone  of  N.T.  writers  uses 
this  word  vSpoi-n-LKo^,  which  is  the  technical  medical  term  (Hobart, 
M.L.,  p.  24). 

3.  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  .  .  .  ?  According  to  Rabbinical  sabbath 
rules  bones  might  not  be  set,  nor  emetics  given,  nor  any  medical  or 
surgical  aid,  except  in  cases  of  child-birth  or  immediate  danger  to 
life  (Edersheim,  loc.  cit.,  pp.  786  sqq.). 

4.  But  they  held  their  peace  :  cf .  v.  6.  We  may  note  a  develop- 
ment in  our  Lord's  campaign  against  Sabbatarian  hypocrisy.  Its 
success  is  matched  and  indicated  by  the  modification  of  the  opposi- 
tion. In  the  first  stage  they  openly  rebuke  His  disciples  (vi  1),  or 
show  undisguised  hostility  to  His  attitude  (vi  7,  11)  ;  in  the  next 
(xiii  11-17),  when  our  Lord  takes  the  initiative,  they  vent  their 
remarks  on  '  the  multitude '  ;  in  the  third  stage  (here)  He  has 
temporarily  silenced  them. 

he  took  him :  '  took  hold  of  him.'  Here  again,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Infirm  Woman  (xiii  12),  our  Lord  takes  the  initiative.  He  has 
seen  faith  in  the  man. 

5.  an  ass  or  an  ox.  The  MS  authority  is  divided  between  '  ass  ' 
and  '  son  '  ;  and  the  latter  may  be  the  true  reading,  quickly  assimi- 


200  .  ST   LUKE  [XIV  6-8 

lated  to  xiii  15.  Deut  xxii  4  had  enjoined  help  to  a  neighbour's 
fallen  beast.  Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  193)  is  confident  that  this  was 
in  Q  ;   Hawkins  {ib.,  pp.  118,  127)  more  doubtful. 

draw  him  up.  This  was  a  disputed  point  among  the  Rabbis. 
Strictly,  a  practising  Jew  might  not  do  it,  though  a  Gentile  might 
do  it  for  him. 

6.  they  could  not  answer.  The  silence  of  v.  3  means  that  they 
would  not  commit  themselves  by  speech  :  now  they  are  effectively 
silenced  by  His  argument. 

7  sqq.  Injunction  against  Choosing  Places  of  Dignity 
(peculiar  to  St  Luke).  The  guests  are  now  taking  their  places  at 
table,  or  have  just  taken  them  ;  their  conduct  provides  a  moral  for 
a  discourse  which,  though  not  couched  in  the  usual  parabolic  form, 
has  all  the  effect  of  a  vivid  narrative  :  and  is  followed  by  its  moral 
{v.  11),  as  a  parable  by  its  appropriate  teaching. 

There  is  an  interesting  parallel  to  the  thought  and  colour  of 
this  scene  in  one  of  the  '  Sayings  of  Jesus  '  unearthed  among  the 
Oxyrhynchus  Papyri,  attributed  to  the  third  century  a.  d.  Deiss- 
mann  (p.  440)  translates  thus  :  '  Jesus  saith  :  A  man  that  is  bidden 
will  not  delay,  if  he  is  prudent,  by  all  means  to  ask  one  of  them  that 
did  the  bidding,  concerning  his  place  at  the  feast,  where  he  shall  sit. 
For  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last,  and  the  last  first,  and  find 
worship  .  .  .  ' 

7  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  those  which  were  bidden, 
when  he  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  seats  ;  saying 
unto  them,  8  When  thou  art  bidden  of  any  man  to  a  marriage 
feast,  %it  not  down  in  the  chief  seat  ;  lest  haply  a  more 
honourable  man  than  thou  be  bidden  of  him,  9  and  he  that 
bade  thee  and  him  shall  come  and  say  to  thee,  Give  this  man 
place  ;  and  then  thou  shalt  begin  with  shame  to  take  the 
lowest  place.  10  But  when  thou  art  bidden,  go  and  sit  down 
in  the  lowest  place  ;  that  when  he  that  hath  bidden  thee 
cometh,  he  may  say  to  thee,  Friend,  go  up  higher  :  then  shalt 
thou  have  glory  in  the  presence  of  all  that  sit  at  meat  with 
thee.  1 1  For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled  ; 
and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

*  Gr.  recline  not. 

1,  chose  out  the  chief  seats.  It  is  possible  (see  Edersheim,  L.  <fc  T. 
ii  494)  that  the  '  contention  '  of  the  disciples  at  the  Last  Supper 
(xxii  24)  was  on  this  point.  The  chief  seats  were  (Edersheim,  p.  207) 
on  the  left  and  right  of  the  host,  respectively.  But  some  further 
distinctions  in  grading  the  places  seem  to  be  referred  to  here. 

8.    a  marriage  feast :   '  to  eat  bread  '  {v.  1)  is  the  ordinary  O.T. 


XIV  9-14]  ST  LUKE  201 

and  Rabbinical  expression  for  an  ordinary  meal.    The  wedding-feast 
is  chosen  as  a  meal  of  typical  formality. 

9.  the  lowest  place.  The  same  word  (toVo?)  used  in  the  previous 
clause.  '  Room,'  which  the  A.V.  took  from  Tyndale  and  Coverdale, 
had  the  same  meaning  ;    '  place  '  was  already  in  Wycliffe. 

10.  Friend,  go  up  higher :  cf .  Prov  xxv  7,  '  come  up  hither.' 
That  passage  may  well  have  been  in  our  Lord's  mind  as  He  spoke. 

11.  every  one  that  exalteth  himself,  <fcc.  A  favourite  maxim  of 
our  Lord's,  which  recurs  as  the  moral  of  the  Pharisee  and  Publican 
(xviii  14),  and  is  given  by  St  Matthew  a  place  in  one  of  the  Holy 
Week  discourses  (Mat  xxiii  12).  The  thought  is  frequent  in  O.T., 
notably  in  Proverbs  ;  cf.  Prov  xviii  12,  xxix  23. 

12-14.  True  Hospitality  :  to  entertain  the  poor  and  afflicted. 
This  is  peculiar  to  the  third  Evangelist,  and  characteristic  of  him. 
(Cf.  Introd.,  p.  xxxix.) 

12  And  he  said  to  him  also  that  had  bidden  him,  When 
thou  makest  a  dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor 
thy  brethren,  nor  thy  kinsmen,  nor  rich  neighbours  ;  lest 
haply  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompense  be  made 
thee.  13  But  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  bid  the  poor,  the 
maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind  :  14  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed  ; 
because  they  have  not  wherewith  to  recompense  thee  :  for  thou 
shalt  be  recompensed  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

12.  lest  haply  they  also  bid  thee  again.  Godet  and  other  commen- 
tators after  him  discern  '  a  gentle  irony  '  here.  Counter-invitation 
is  suggested  as  a  calamity,  of  which  the  inviter  runs  some  risk.  If 
the  humour  is  (as  no  doubt  it  is)  originally  our  Lord's,  it  is  shared 
by  the  reporting  Evangelist.  See  note  on  xi  15-29,  and  Introd., 
p.  xxix. 

13.  bid  the  poor.  We  may  compare  the  saying  of  Jose  ben 
Jochanan  of  Jerusalem  (a  pre-Christian  Rabbi)  :  '  Let  thy  house 
be  opened  wide  '  and  '  let  the  needy  be  thy  family  '  (Oesterley, 
Sayings,  i  5,  p.  4). 

the  maimed :  avaTri] povs,  a  medical  word,  peculiar  to  St  Luke  in 
N.T.  (Hobart,  M.L.,  p.  148). 

14.  thou  shalt  be  blessed.  Here  is  a  fifth  Beatitude  to  add  to  the 
four  of  vi  20-22.  It  is  characteristic  of  God,  the  eternally  Blessed, 
to  give  freely,  without  thought  of  return  (cf.  the  repetition  of  v.  13 
in  the  Parable  ensuing,  v.  21),  descending  to  lift  up  the  humble  ; 
not  condescending  to  win  a  glow  of  self-congratulation. 

recompensed.  The  Pharisee  cannot  be  touched  with  an  entirely 
unselfish  motive  :  so  our  Lord  spiritualizes  the  reward,  lifting  it  to 
a  higher  and  more  distant  plane.  The  heavenly  reward  turns  out 
in  the  end  to  be  simply  a  position  of  higher  service  (xix  17). 


202  ST   LUKE  [XI V 14-21 

the  resurrection  of  the  just.  Here,  as  in  xx  34,  our  Lord  speaks 
apparently,  of  a  resurrection  exclusively  for  those  '  worthy  '  of  it ; 
and  most  of  the  N.T.  references  are  to  a  resurrection  to  eternal  life. 
This  was  the  prevalent  view  among  the  Pharisees.  '  How  should 
the  wicked  come  to  life  again  (Beresh.  R.  xiii)  ?  Were  they  not 
dead  even  when  they  were  alive  ? '  Cf.  also  Jos.  Ant.  XVIII  i  3. 
Among  the  mystical  groups,  however — the  Chasidim — the  hope  of 
a  general  resurrection  at  the  Messiah's  coming  was  very  strong  (P.  L.). 

Our  Lord  also,  as  reported  in  Jn  v  29,  and  St  Paul,  in  Ac  xxiv  15, 
are  explicit  as  to  a  resurrection  '  both  of  the  just  and  of  the  unjust.' 

15-24.  Parable  of  the  Great  Supper,  or  The  Unwilling 
Guests  (Trench,  Par.,  pp.  361-372).  This  Parable  is  cited  by 
McLachlan  {St  Luke,  the  Man,  d;c.,  pp.  148  sqq.)  as  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  expressions  of  that  humorous  gift  which  could  hardly 
be  lacking  from  a  nature  so  versatile  and  so  sympathetic  as  St  Luke's 
clearly  was  (see  note  on  xi  5-8).  He  thinks  {ib.,  p.  149)  that  '  the 
precise  form  '  of  the  '  excuses  of  the  guests  .  .  .  must  be  attributed 
to  the  Evangelist  rather  than  to  our  Lord.'  Certainly  the  irony  of 
the  Parable  as  a  whole  is  apparent.  The  mention  of  the  resurrection 
{v.  14)  called  forth  a  self -complacent  remark  from  one  of  the  fellow 
guests  about  '  eating  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God.'  Christ  retorts 
with  a  pictorial  sketch  of  the  Divine  calling  of  Israel,  to  which  these 
very  Pharisees  were  so  foolishly  and  fatally  refusing  their  response. 

This  Parable  bears  a  strong  superficial  resemblance  to  St 
Matthew's  '  Wedding-guests,'  even  as  St  Luke's  '  Pounds  '  to  his 
'  Talents  '  ;  but  the  differences  are  still  greater  and  more  funda- 
mental than  the  resemblances  and  there  is  strong  probability  that 
each  Evangelist  is  recording  a  genuine,  independent  Parable.  Cf. 
Trench,  p.  372  ;  Hawkins,  Oxj.  Stud.,  p.  127. 

15  And  when  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  heard 
these  things,  he  said  unto  him,  Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat 
bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  16  But  be  said  unto  him, 
A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper  ;    and  he  bade  many  : 

17  and  he  sent  forth  his  ^servant  at  supper  time  to  say  to 
them  that  were  bidden,  Come  ;   for  all  things  are  now  ready. 

18  And  they  all  with  one  consent  began  to  make  excuse. 
The  jBrst  said  unto  him,  I  have  bought  a  field,  and  I  must 
needs  go  out  and  see  it  :    I  pray  thee  have  me  excused. 

19  And  another  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
I  go  to  prove  them  :  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused.  20  And 
another  said,  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I  cannot 
come.  21  And  the  Servant  came,  and  told  his  lord  these 
things.    Then  the  master  of  the  house  being  angiy  said  to  his 

*  Gr.  bondservant. 


xiVis-18]  ST   LUKE  203 

^servant,  Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the 
city,  and  bring  in  hither  the  poor  and  maimed  and  blind  and 
lame.  22  And  the  ^servant  said,  Lord,  what  thou  didst  com- 
mand is  done,  and  yet  there  is  room.  23  And  the  lord  said 
unto  the  Servant,  Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and 
constrain  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled. 
24  For  I  say  unto  you,  that  none  of  those  men  which  were 
bidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper. 

>  Gr.  bondservant. 

15.  Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread.  A  banquet  is  a  very  common 
figure,  in  Rabbinic  writings,  for  the  bliss  of  the  world  to  come.  '  The 
origin  of  the  idea,'  says  Dr  Oesterley,  '  is  probably  to  be  found  in 
such  passages  as  Zeph  i  7,  Isa  xxv  6  :  it  is  greatly  developed  in  the 
Apocalyptic  Literature  '  {Sayings,  <fcc.,  p.  45,  note  3).  The  man 
sejDarated  our  Lord's  beatitude  from  the  condition  attached  to  it, 
of  unselfish  generosity  ;  obviously  regarding  it  as  a  prerogative  of 
the  Pharisee.  His  utterance  may  have  been  impulsive,  or  deliberate. 
If  the  latter,  it  may  have  been  simply  interjected  to  '  change  the 
subject,'  or  with  a  more  malignant  motive,  to  entrap  Christ  (cf. 
'  they  were  watching  him  '  :  xiv  1  and  xi  53,  54).  Just  possibly, 
however,  it  may  be  a  sympathetic  approach  to  our  Lord,  echoing 
the  sense  of  what  He  has  just  been  saying. 

Our  Lord  takes  up  the  metaphor  of  the  guest's  exclamation,  but 
gives  it  an  unexpected  turn. 

16.  A  certain  man.  See  note  on  x  30.  Here  the  host  is"either 
God,  holding  the  Messianic  Feast  in  His  City,  or  the  Messiah — Christ 
Himself — (cf .  v.  24)  inviting  to  His  own  Feast. 

made  a  great  supper :  rather  was  about  to  make  (imperf.)  ; 
important  for  the  understanding  of  the  story. 

he  bade  many:  of  whom  the  three  specified  in  vv.  18-20  are 
typical.  They  are  the  leading  citizens — symbolically,  the  religious 
leaders  of  the  Chosen  People. 

17.  he  sent  forth  his  servant.  The  vocator  or  '  summoner  '  was 
sent  round  at  the  last  moment  to  announce  the  completed  prepara- 
tions to  the  guests  who  had  already  received  (and  presumably 
accepted)  the  invitation.  So  God  had  invited  through  all  the  ages 
'  by  His  servants  the  prophets,'  and  now  summoned  by  John  the 
Baptist  and  Christ  Himself — '  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  ' 
(iv  43,  cf.  Mk  i  15) — and  His  twelve  Messengers  (ix  2)  and  the 
Seventy  (x  9). 

18.  And  they  all .  .  .  Not  only  the  three  cited  below  as  examples. 
The  '  and  '  (not  '  but ')  adds  to  the  irony  of  the  situation.  One 
expects  an  enthusiastic  response. 

with  one  [consent].  The  expression  a-n-o  /uas  has  not  yet  been 
found  elsewhere :    yviJjfj.7]s  =  '  consent '  is  certainly  the  most  likely 


204  ST   LUKE  [XI V 18-24 

word  to  be  supplied.  It  is  a  conspiracy  of  studied  insult  to  the 
Host,  such  as  seems  to  have  greeted  our  Lord  from  the  side  of 
official  Judaism.  Among  Arab  tribes,  says  Tristram  {Eastern 
Customs,  p.  82),  to  refuse  such  a  second  summons  would  bo  '  equiva- 
lent to  a  declaration  of  war.' 

began  to  make  excuse.  A  long  and  tedious  affair,  summarized  in 
these  three  verses.  The  excuses  are  plausible  but  inadequate,  like 
our  own  habitual  ones  for  the  neglect  of  religion.  The  teaching  is 
that  the  acceptance  of  the  Divine  invitation  is  not  so  simple  a  thing 
as  might  be  supposed  ;  for  it  always  involves  the  giving  up  of  some- 
thing else  that  seems  reasonable  and  important. 

I  have  bought  a  field.  A  natural  eagerness  (we  all  share  it)  to 
feast  the  eyes  on  newly  acquired  property.  But  the  field  would  not 
run  away  :   it  could  wait  till  the  morrow. 

19.  five  yoke  of  oxen.  He  was  evidently  a  rich  man.  The  excuse 
has  more  force  than  the  first,  for  the  oxen,  as  living  things,  were 
subject  to  change  and  accident  from  day  to  day.  But  it  is  still 
inadequate. 

/  go :  rather  '  I  have  started,'  '  am  on  ray  way  to  test  them.' 

20.  /  have  married  a  wife.  If  this  was  his  actual  wedding-day 
the  excuse  is  more  plausible  still :  the  Levitical  Law  (Deut  xxiv  5) 
allowed  a  year's  freedom  from  civil  or  military  service  for  a  newly 
married  man — but  not  immunity  from  social  courtesy.  It  is  not 
a  case  of  '  war  '  unless  he  chooses  to  make  it  so  !  He  should  have 
thought  of  this  when  he  originally  accepted. 

/  cannot  come.  The  others  phrased  their  insults  at  least  in  the 
language  of  politeness.  With  those  whom  this  third  man  typifies 
the  form  is  as  brusque  and  rude  as  the  meaning. 

21.  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city.  Still  within  the  city, 
i.  e.  Judaism.  The  Divine  invitation  now  comes  through  our  Lord 
to  the  '  publicans  and  sinners,'  the  '  lost  sheep  of  the  House  of 
Israel,'  despised  of  the  originally  invited.    Cf.  v  30  sqq.  and  xv  L 

the  poor  and  maimed,  <fcc. :  with  a  reference  to  v.  13.  God  is  the 
example  of  the  '  true  hospitality.' 

22.  And  the  servant  said.  Obviously  after  a  considerable 
interval. 

23.  Go  out,  Sc.  Here  the  invitation  overleaps  the  bounds  of 
the  Covenanted  People.  Outside  the  '  city  '  are  the  Grentiles,  whom 
God  will  invite  (Ac  xi  1 8) .  Though  this  is  part  of  God's  original  inten- 
tion, it  has  yet  a  definite  relation  to  the  apostasy  of  the  Jews.  Cf . 
Rom  xi  12. 

constrain  them.  A.V.  '  compel '  :  a  text  famous  for  its  historic 
misuse.  St  Augustine's  unfortunate  citation  of  it  as  a  justification 
of  State  aid  against  the  Donatists  set  an  example  of  appeal  to  '  the 
secular  arm  '  which  became  a  precedent  for  centuiies  of  religious 
persecution  (Aug.  Ep.  clxxxv  25). 

24.  /  say  unto  you.  Edersheim  {L.  <t-  T.  ii  252)  says  these  are 
'  words  of  our  Lord,  in  explanation  and  application  '  of  the  Parable 


XIV  24-35]  ST   LUKE  205 

'  to  the  company  then  present.'  If  so,  it  is  an  almost  unconscious 
identification  of  Himself  with  the  Host  of  the  story.  For  a  similar 
strange  break  from  story  to  direct  speech,  cf.  the  Parable  of  the 
Pounds  (xix  25,  26).  The  pronoun  '  you  '  is  emphatic,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  explain  it  otherwise. 

none  of  those  men  which  were  bidden.  Leaves  no  place  for  repen- 
tance for  the  first  when  he  has  viewed  his  field  or  the  second  when 
he  has  tested  his  oxen. 

(b)  25-35     Counting  the  Cost ;    Conditions  of  Discipleship 

vv.  26-27  appear  in  the  Matthaean  Charge  to  the  Twelve  (Mat 
x)  and  were  therefore  in  Q ;  vv.  28-33  were  either  in  Q,  but 
omitted  by  Matthew,  or  else  added  by  Luke  from  a  special  source 
as  appropriate  here.  vv.  34-35  (being  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount) 
were  probably  also  in  Q.    (Cf.  Streeter,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  194.) 

25  Now  there  went  with  him  great  multitudes  :  and  he 
tm-ned,  and  said  unto  them,  26  If  any  man  cometh  unto 
me,  and  hateth  not  his  own  father,  and  mother,  and  wife, 
and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own 
life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  27  Whosoever  doth  not 
bear  his  own  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple. 
28  For  which  of  you,  desiring  to  build  a  tower,  doth  not  fii'st 
sit  down  and  count  the  cost,  whether  he  have  wherewith  to 
complete  it  ?  29  Lest  haply,  when  he  hath  laid  a  foundation, 
and  is  not  able  to  finish,  all  that  behold  begin  to  mock  him, 

30  saying,  This  man  began  to  build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish. 

31  Or  what  king,  as  he  goeth  to  encounter  another  king  in 
war,  wiU  not  sit  down  first  and  take  counsel  whether  he  is 
able  with  ten  thousand  to  meet  him  that  cometh  against  him 
with  twenty  thousand  ?  32  Or  else,  while  the  other  is  yet 
a  great  way  oS,  he  sendeth  an  ambassage,  and  asketh  con- 
ditions of  peace.  33  So  therefore  whosoever  he  be  of  you  that 
renounceth  not  aU  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. 
34  Salt  therefore  is  good  :  but  if  even  the  salt  have  lost  its 
savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  seasoned  ?  35  It  is  fit  neither 
for  the  land  nor  for  the  dunghill  :  men  cast  it  out.  He  that 
hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

25.  there  went  with  him  great  multitudes  :  implying  that  He  is 
again  in  motion.  Perhaps  towards  Bethabara  (cf.  prelim,  note  on 
xiv  1)  in  the  neighbourhood  of  which  we  find  him  at  the  next  notice 


206  ST   LUKE  [Xiv  26-35 

of  '  journeying,'  xvii  11  (but  see  prelim,  note  there).    The  interval 
is  occupied  almost  entirely  with  Parables  peculiar  to  St  Luke. 

26.  hateth  not  his  own  father,  dsc.  Cf .  notes  on  ix  61  and  xii  52. 
Our  Lord's  filial  conduct,  from  boyhood  (ii  51,  52)  even  to  His  dying 
moments  (Jn  xix  25-27),  and  the  record  (Mk  vii  8-13)  of  His  denun- 
ciation of  unfilial  conduct  give  the  lie  at  once  to  any  literalist  inter- 
pretation of  this  saying  :  '  Did  the  Lord  really  mean  that  in  order 
to  be  a  Christian  a  man  must  uproot  the  natural  affections  and 
replace  them  by  an  unnatural  hatred  of  his  nearest  ?  '  Rather 
He  is  emphasizing  '  the  fact  that  there  are  claims  and  causes  which 
must  take  precedence  even  over  the  claims  of  home  '  (J.  Warschauer, 
Amer.  Jourti.  Theol.  xxiii  157,  Apr.  1919).  In  the  conflict  of  claims, 
Christ's  is  supreme,  and  takes  precedence  not  only  over  home-love 
but  even  over  the  elemental  instinct  of  self-preservation  ('  his 
own  life  '). 

27.  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  own  cross.  The  second  reference 
to  the  necessity  of  '  bearing  the  cross.'  The  first  and  fuller  call  to 
the  martyr  spirit  was  given  after  the  first  Prediction  of  the  Passion 
(see  note  on  ix  23). 

28.  which  of  you  ?  (cf .  v.  31  what  king  ?).  These  short  parabolic 
sayings  beginning  with  a  query  are  characteristic  of  St  Luke  (or  his 
source,  cf .  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  136,  194  ;  cf .  xv  4,  8.  These,  in 
particular,  are  appeals  for  common  sense  and  for  deliberation  before 
pledging  oneself  to  lifelong  discipleship. 

to  build  a  tower.    Cf.  Mat  xxi  33. 

30.  This  man :  contemptuous.  Christ  appeals  to  our  sense  of 
shame  and  of  the  ridiculous.  Pilate  is  said  to  have  begun  building  an 
aqueduct  and  to  have  left  it  incomplete  for  lack  of  means.  Cf. 
xiii  4  note. 

31.  what  king,  dsc.  Thought  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
ill  fortune  of  the  Arabian  king  Aretas,  who  declared  war  on  Herod 
Antipas  (Jos.  A7it.  XVIII  v  1)  to  avenge  his  daughter,  supplanted 
by  Herodias  (cf .  iii  19)  ;  again,  it  is  an  appeal  to  serious  calculation 
and  common  sense  against  rashness. 

33.  renounceth  not  all  that  he  hath.  The  most  '  Ebionite  '  verse 
in  St  Luke  :  but  if  we  take  it  as  parallel  with  v.  26  (q.v.)  we  see  at 
once  that  it  is  not  a  precept  but  a  principle.  On  our  Lord's  teaching 
on  riches  and  property  see  also  note  on  xii  33.  It  is,  however, 
literally  true  that  loyalty  to  our  Lord  demands  (a)  a  temper  of 
detachment  that  is  ready  to  give  up  all  things  material,  if  the  call 
comes  to  do  so,  and  (6)  a  recognition  that  all  we  have  is  a  trust  or 
stewardship. 

34,  35.  Salt  therefore  is  good,  <fcc.  This  saying  is  a  popular  one. 
A  '  pithy  Jewish  proverb  '  Edersheim  calls  it  {L.  db  T.  ii  305).  The 
metaphor  of  '  salt '  suggests  preservation  from  corruption,  which  is 
certainly  one  of  the  functions  of  Christ's  disciples.  St  Matthew  (v  13) 
introduces  the  saying  with  '  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.'  St  Mark 
gives  a  later  utterance  of  the  saying — apparently  a  little  earlier 


XV 1-32]  ST   LUKE  207 

than  Luke's  (Mk  ix  50).  The  '  savour  ' — i.  e.  distinctive  temper — 
of  a  disciple  is  this  '  salt,'  which  Mark's  reference  helps  to  explain  : 
'  Have  salt  in  yourselves,  and  be  at  peace  one  with  another.'  The 
spirit  of  renunciation  (see  last  verse)  is  the  spirit  that  breeds  peace  : 
strife  is  almost  always  engendered  by  the  spirit  of  self-assertion  and 
acquisitiveness. 

He  that  hath  ears  :  cf .  viii  8. 


(c)  XV  1-32      Seeking  the  Lost :     The  Lost  Sheep  (3-7),  the 
Lost  Coin  (8-10),  the  Lost  Son  (11-32) 

This  chapter,  which  forms  an  artistic  whole,  is,  in  a  sense,  the 
central  chapter  of  the  Gospel.  It  conveys  with  unparalleled  force 
and  beauty  the  central  message — the  favourite  redemptive  teaching 
of  St  Luke  and  his  master  St  Paul. 

The  three  Episodes  form  a  climax  :  the  Pasture — the  House — 
the  Home  ;  the  Herdsman — the  Housewife — the  Father  ;  the 
Sheep — the  Treasure — the  Beloved  Son.  Some  would  go  farther 
and  see  the  Blessed  Trinity  shadowed  here  :  the  Eternal  Father 
in  the  third  Parable  ;  the  Son  in  the  first  (the  '  Good  Shepherd  '  of 
Jn  x)  ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  (working  through  the  Church)  in  the 
second. 

Li  the  first  the  emphasis  is  on  '  the  lost '  ;  in  the  second,  on 
the  '  search  '  ;  in  the  third  on  the  '  restored.'  The  third  is  dififeren- 
tiated  from  the  other  two  in  that  it  sets  forth  not  only  God's  action 
but  the  sinner's  also.  Throughout  rings  the  characteristically  Lucan 
note  of  Joy,  vv.  6,  7,  9,  10,  23,  32,  and  the  characteristically  Christian 
note  of  a  seeking  love  (cf.  note  on  vi  31). 

The  chapter  is  exclusively  Lucan  except  for  the  loose  parallel 
with  Matthew  afforded  by  the  first  Parable.  Streeter  observes  {Oxf. 
Stud.,  p.  194)  that  the  first  and  second  Parables  are  a  pair — and 
were  therefore  probably  both  in  Q,  from  which  St  Matthew  will  have 
omitted  the  second.    The  third,  he  thinks,  was  added  by  St  Luke. 

XV  Now  all  the  publicans  and  sinners  were  drawing  near 
unto  him  for  to  hear  him.  2  And  both  the  Pharisees  and 
the  scribes  murmured,  saying,  This  man  receiveth  sinners, 
and  eateth  with  them. 

1-2.  Occasion  of  the  Teaching  (cf.  v  17  for  the  elaborate 
introduction).  More  and  more  the  outcast  classes,  for  whom  Rabbi- 
nism  had  no  Gospel,  became  attracted  to  Him,  since  the  scene  at 
the  Call  of  Levi  (v  29).  It  is  to  these  primarily  that  He  addresses 
these  Parables  of  encouragement ;  not,  however,  without  a  keen 
desire  at  the  same  time  to  enlighten  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  See 
next  note  but  one. 

2.    the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  murmured :  as  later,  when  our  Lord 


208  ST   LUKE  [XV  2-7 

went  to  lodge  with  Zacchaeus  (xix  7),  and  earlier  (v  30)  at  Levi's 
feast. 

receiveth  :  '  welcomes  '  them.  It  was  just  that  which  attracted 
them.  The  first  Parable  is  a  comment  on  His  teaching  at  the  first 
murmuring  (v  31,  32).  '  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous  but 
sinners  to  repentance.'  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  our  Lord,  wishing 
to  teach  the  Pharisees,  starts  from  their  own  premisses,  assuming 
that  there  are  '  righteous  persons,  which  need  no  repentance '  {v.  7). 
The  Pharisees  are  the  99  sheep,  the  9  coins,  and — most  significantly 
— the  '  elder  son.' 

eateth  with  them  :  cf .  Gal  ii  12. 

3-7.  The  Parable  of  the  Lost  Sheep  (Trench,  Par.,  pp.  373- 
385)  ;  cf.  Mat  xviii  12,  13.  In  Matthew  it  has  less  of  the  form  of  a 
parable,  and  is  almost  certainly  taken  out  of  its  Q  context  by  the 
first  Evangelist,  whose  '  homiletical  tendency  ...  to  group  sayings 
according  to  their  subjects  and  so  according  to  their  convenience 
for  teachers  '  Sir  John  Hawkins  thinks  much  stronger  than  St  Luke's 
'  chronological  tendency  '  (Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  124).  St  Luke  here,  while 
retaining  the  parable  in  its  place  in  Q,  will  have  surpassed  even  the 
homiletical  genius  of  St  Matthew  in  attaching  the  third  Parable  to 
the  first  two. 

Edersheim  {L.  ds  T.  ii  257)  adduces  a  story  from  the  Midrash  on 
Ex  iii  1,  of  Moses  seeking  a  lost  kid  of  Jethro's  flock  and  laying  it 
on  his  shoulder  to  bring  it  back. 

3  And  he  spake  unto  them  this  parable,  saying,  4  What 
man  of  you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  and  having  lost  one  of 
them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness, 
and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ?  5  And  when 
he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  rejoicing. 
6  And  when  he  cometh  home,  he  calleth  together  his  friends 
and  his  neighbours,  saying  unto  them,  Rejoice  with  me,  for 
I  have  found  my  sheep  which  was  lost.  7  I  say  unto  you, 
that  even  so  there  shall  be  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  righteous  persons, 
which  need  no  repentance. 

4.  What  man  of  you  ?  It  is  primarily  an  appeal  to  the  average 
sheep-owner.  Spiritually  it  is  impossible  not  to  associate  it  with 
the  '  Good  Shepherd  '  of  Jn  x, 

until  he  find  it.    The  inexhaustible  perseverance  of  the  Redeemer. 

7.  joy  in  heaven :  cf .  v.  10.  Edersheim  {L.  <fe  T.  ii,  p.  256)  quotes 
a  Pharisaic  saying  which  brings  out  the  contrast  between  their 
teaching  and  our  Lord's.  '  There  is  joy  before  God  when  those 
who  provoke  Him  perish  from  the  world  !  ' 


XV  7-8]  ST   LUKE  209 

over  one  sinner.  St  Matthew  (xviii  13)  has  as  the  moral,  '  it  is 
not  willed  in  the  presence  of  your  heavenly  Father  that  one  of  these 
little  ones  should  perish.'  The  difference  between  that  and  the 
exultation  of  this  verse  marks  our  Gospel  as  the  '  Gospel  of  Joy  ' — 
cf.  Introd.,  p.  xxxix. 

ninety  and  nine  righteous  persons,  cfcc. :  accepting  for  argument  the 
Pharisees'  premisses  (see  note  on  v.  2). 

The  Shepherd  has  been  one  of  the  favourite  images  of  Christ  in 
Art  from  the  earliest  times  (cf .  Trench,  Par.,  p.  385),  though  curiously 
not  so  in  early  and  Renaissance  Italian  painting.  The  catacombs, 
early  sarcophagi,  and  the  fourth-  and  fifth-century  mosaics  at 
Ravenna,  bear  abundant  witness  to  a  feeling  which  has  revived 
again  in  our  own  generation.     Cf.  Jenner,  Christ  in  Art,  pp.  7,  41. 

8-10.  The  Lost  Coin  (Trench,  Par.,  pp.  386-391).  The  Parable 
holds  a  middle  place  :  the  coin  is  one  of  ten,  not  a  hundred  ;  it  is 
mislaid  in  the  house,  not  strayed  far  afield.  As  with  the  sheep, 
there  is  no  responsive  movement  of  the  lost.  The  emphasis  is  on 
the  search. 

8  Or  what  woman  having  ten  ^pieces  of  silver,  if  she  lose 
one  piece,  doth  not  light  a  lamp,  and  sweep  the  house,  and 
seek  diligently  until  she  find  it  ?  9  And  when  she  hath  found 
it,  she  calleth  together  her  friends  and  neighbours,  saying, 
Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost. 
10  Even  so,  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. 

*  Gr.  drachma,  a  coin  worth  about  eight  pence. 

8.  what  woman  .  .  .  ?  Here  again  we  may  have  a  reminiscence 
of  our  Lord's  boyhood  at  Nazareth.    Cf.  note  on  xi  5-8. 

ten  pieces  of  silver.  The  SpaxM  (Greek  equivalent  to  the  Roman 
denarius  and  representing,  roughly,  a  franc  or  a  lira),  like  the 
fjLva  =  '  pound  '  in  xix  13,  is  named  by  St  Luke  alone  in  N.T.,  and 
has  been  mentioned  as  one  of  the  physician's  medical  words,  though 
of  course  it  was  in  common  currency.  '  He  was  accustomed  to  the 
use  of  them,'  says  Hobart,  '  in  his  medical  practice,  as  they  were  the 
common  weights  employed  in  dispensing  medicines  '  {Med.  Lang., 
p.  150).  The  word  diligently  (eTrt/AtAws)  falls  under  the  same 
category  {ib.,  p.  270). 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  ten  drachmas  had  been  strung 
together  as  a  necklace  or  head-ornament,  after  oriental  fashion, 
so  that  the  loss  of  one  would  spoil  the  whole. 

The  obvious  symbolism  of  the  '  Child  of  God,'  bearing  (Gen  i  26) 
the  father's  '  image  and  superscription,'  if  it  was  not  part  of  the 
original  meaning  of  the  Parable,  is  surely  legitimate,  for  it  only 
intensifies  its  central  teaching. 

L.  14 


210  ST  LUKE  [XV  8-1 1 

if  she  lose  one.  The  coin  could  not '  stray  '  like  a  sheep,  or  a  son. 
God  Himself  would  not '  mislay  '  a  soul.  It  is  therefore  more  appro- 
priate to  identify  the  woman  with  the  Church. 

light  a  lamp.    The  illumination  of  Divine  Grace. 

sweep  the  house,  and  seek  diligently.  Here  the  active  ministrations 
of  grace  come  in.    The  spiritual  counterpart  is  a  '  Parochial  Mission.' 

9.  her  friends  and  neighbours  :  the  '  company  of  heaven.' 

10.  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels.  So  St  Paul  (Eph  iii  10) 
speaks  of  the  Church  revealing  to  the  heavenly  hosts  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God.  '  In  the  presence,'  i.  e.  the  joy  of  God  Himself 
(cf.  '  in  heaven,'  v.  7)  witnessed  and  shared  by  the  Angels. 

Christian  Art  seems,  in  general,  to  have  neglected  this  picture, 
though  Millais,  in  the  last  century,  produced  a  striking  representa- 
tion of  the  Woman. 

11-32.  The  Lost  Son  ('  Peodigal  Son  ').  Trench,  Par., 
pp.  392-428.  This  shares  with  another  Lucan  Parable  (The  Good 
Samaritan,  x  30  sqq.)  the  honour  of  the  highest  place  in  the  affections 
of  Christendom.  It  wonderfully  concentrates  the  whole  drama  of 
Redemption  ;  '  containing  within  itself,'  as  Archbishop  Trench 
observes  (p.  392),  '  such  a  circle  of  blessed  truths  as  to  justify  the 
title  Evangelium  in  evangelio  which  it  has  sometimes  borne.' 

The  Parables,  as  Mrs  Jameson  notices,  were  hardly  touched  in 
the  best  period  of  Christian  Art — perhaps  lest  the  simple  should 
mistake  them  for  historical  fact.  We  owe  their  representation  to 
the  Reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century  and  the  Jesuits  of  the 
seventeenth  {Hist,  of  O.L.,  vol.  i,  pp.  375-378).  The  '  Prodigal  Son  ' 
is  something  of  an  exception.  Mrs  Jameson  {op.  cit.,  pp.  382-387) 
gives  a  woodcut  of  a  fourteenth -century  miniature  of  this  subject, 
and  names  pictures  by  Bassano,  Annibale  Caracci,  Guercino, 
Murillo,  Albrecht  Diirer,  Salvator  Rosa,  and  Rubens.  Rembrandt 
also  painted  it  in  a  picture  now  (or  lately)  at  Petrograd,  and  there 
is  a  moving  representation  by  Battoni  at  Vienna.  G.  F.  Watts's 
picture  is  well  known. 

11  And  he  said,  A  certain  man  had  two  sons  :  12  and  the 
younger  of  them  said  to  his  father.  Father,  give  me  the  portion 
of  Hhy  substance  that  falleth  to  me.  And  he  divided  unto 
them  his  living.  13  And  not  many  days  after  the  younger 
son  gathered  all  together,  and  took  his  journey  into  a  far 
country  ;  and  there  he  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous 
living.  14  And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty 
famine  in  that  country  ;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want.  15  And 
he  went  and  joined  himself  to  one  of  the  citizens  of  that 
country  ;  and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine,    16  And 

>  Gr.  the. 


XV  1 1 -14]  ST   LUKE  211 

he  would  fain  have  been  filled  with  Hhe  husks  that  the  swine 
did  eat  :  and  no  man  gave  unto  him.  17  But  when  he  came 
to  himself  he  said,  How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father's 
have  bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  here  with  hunger  ! 

18  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him, 
Father,   I   have   sinned   against   heaven,   and  in  thy  sight  : 

19  I  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son  :  make  me  as 
one  of  thy  hired  servants.  20  And  he  arose,  and  came  to 
his  father.  But  while  he  was  yet  afar  off,  his  father  saw  him 
and  was  moved  with  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his 
neck,  and  ^kissed  him.  21  And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Father, 
I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  in  thy  sight  :  I  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son^.  22  But  the  father  said  to  his 
^servants,  Bring  forth  quickly  the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on 
him  ;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet  : 
23  and  bring  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat,  and 
make  merry  :  24  for  this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ; 
he  was  lost,  and  is  found.    And  they  began  to  be  merry. 

'  Gr.  the  pods  of  the  carob  tree.  ^  Gr.  kissed  him  much. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  add  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants.   See  ver.  19. 

*  Gr.  bondservants. 

11.  two  sons.  These  typify — the  younger,  the  '  sinner  '  (despised 
publicans,  &c.)  ;   the  elder,  the  '  righteous  '  (respectable  Pharisees). 

12.  that  falleth  to  me.  Edersheim  {L.  &  T.  ii  258-260)  shows 
that  by  the  law  of  inheritance  the  younger  son  would  have  one-third 
of  the  movable  property,  the  elder  two-thirds  (the  '  double  portion  '). 

The  father  could  not  have  disinherited  even  a  younger  son  at 
his  own  death  ;  but  he  could  have  replied  to  the  son's  unreasonable 
request  by  disposing  otherwise  of  the  property  while  yet  alive, 
instead  of  which  (it  would  seem)  he  takes  the  hint,  and  abdicates 
in  favour  of  his  children. 

This  very  human  parable  here  depicts  the  impatience  of  home 
restraints  and  the  optimistic  ambition  of  youth. 

13.  gathered  all  together.  Cutting  himself  off  completely  from 
the  home.    Very  quickly  was  he  to  '  scatter  '  all  that  he  had  gathered. 

a  far  country.  Away  from  the  presence  of  the  father  and  the 
wholesome  restraints  of  home-life. 

with  riotous  living.  No  details  are  given  such  as  the  elder  son 
supplies  (v.  30). 

14.  a  mighty  famine.  It  was  Providence,  by  circumstances 
outside  his  own  control  and  responsibility,  that  brought  home  to 
him  the  folly  of  his  recklessness. 

14-2 


212  ST   LUKE  [XV 15-21 

15.  he  v)ent  and  joined  himself  to  one  of  the  citizens  of  that 
country.  Vain  effort  of  the  soul  to  recover  its  equilibrium  apart  from 
God.  There  is  probably  no  reference  to  the  publicans  taking  service 
under  the  Romans.  Edersheim  sees  in  the  verb  the  idea  of  the 
wastrel  '  clinging '  to  a  reluctant  patron.  Certainly  he  had  made 
no  true  friends  by  his  lavish  expenditure  {v.  16,  'no  man  gave 
unto  him  '). 

to  feed  swine.  To  a  Jew,  the  last  point  of  degradation,  involving 
a  '  curse.'    Edersheim,  L.  cfe  T.  ii  260. 

16.  he  would  fain  have  been  filled  :  the  simpler  phrase  (xopra- 
a-Orjvai)  is  probably  the  true  reading — not  the  coarser  one  of  A.V. 

with  the  husks.  Rather,  as  R.V.  marg.,  '  the  pods  of  the  carob 
tree.'  Edersheim  {loc.  cit.,  p.  261)  aptly  quotes  a  Jewish  saying  : 
'  When  Israel  is  reduced  to  the  carob  tree,  they  become  repentant.' 

17.  when  he  came  to  himself.  The  same  phrase  is  used  of 
St  Peter  after  his  midnight  release  from  prison  (Ac  xii  11).  Here 
it  implies  that  reckless  sin  is  a  dementia.  Hunger  and  desperation 
bring  the  thought  of  home  and  the  longing  for  it — and  that  '  brings 
him  to  his  senses.'  Repentance  is  a  return  not  to  God  only,  but 
also  to  one's  true  self. 

hired  servants.  The  mention  of  these,  as  of  the  robe,  the  ring, 
and  the  fatted  calf  {v.  22),  suggests  a  wealthy  and  luxurious  home. 

and  I  perish  here  with  hunger.  Not  resentment,  but  a  recognition 
of  his  own  folly. 

18.  /  will  arise,  &c.  This  has  become  for  us  the  classic 
utterance  of  repentance :  partly  because  of  its  use  in  the  introduction 
to  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer. 

19.  /  am  no  more  worthy.  In  this  utterance  (or  rather  spoken 
thought)  he  proves  himself  ready  to  receive  Divine  grace  and 
capable  of  receiving  it. 

make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants.  He  is  ashamed  to  claim 
his  sonship  :  but  when  he  realizes  the  father's  love  {v.  21)  he  omits 
this  clause — or  is  it  the  father  who  interposes  and  gives  him  no 
chance  of  voicing  it  ? 

20.  he  arose.    His  penitence  advanced  from  thought  to  act. 
while  he  was  yet  afar  off :  implies  a  constant  looking  out  on  the 

father's  part.  He  never  really  lost  sight  of  his  son,  though  the 
son  put  the  father  out  of  his  mind. 

was  moved  .  .  .  and  ran.  The  movement  of  God's  grace  and 
mercy  towards  the  penitent  sinner.  The  All-merciful  '  meets  us 
half-way.' 

fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him.  KarecfiLXrjnrev,  'covered  him 
with  kisses,'  as  the  penitent  woman  had  done  to  Jesus  (vii  38).  In 
Ac  XX  37  the  whole  phrase  is  repeated  word  for  word  in  the  moving 
scene  where  the  Ephesian  elders  say  farewell  to  St  Paul. 

This  embrace,  be  it  noted,  comes  before  the  son  has  spoken  a  word. 

21.  MS  authority  is  divided  as  to  the  addition  of  the  phrase 
make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants.    The  probability  is  therefore 


XV  21-2  5]  ST  LUKE  213 

that  it  was  added  to  match  v.  19  (which  see)  and  is  no  part  of  the 
original  text. 

22.  said  to  his  servants.  He  is  anxious  to  rehabilitate  the 
returned  prodigal  before  the  entire  household. 

the  best  robe  .  .  .  ring  .  .  .  shoes.  The  father  loads  him  at  once 
with  honour  and  dignity.  The  most  stately  ceremonial  robe  the 
family  possesses,  a  signet  ring  (symbol  of  authority)  for  his  finger, 
and  sandals  to  mark  him  off  from  the  bare-footed  bondservants. 
All  of  these  are  luxuries.  And  to  crown  all,  the  servants  are  to  put 
on  the  robe,  thereby  owning  his  mastership  (Edersheim). 

23.  the  fatted  calf.  '  The  calf — the  fatted  one  '  :  apparently 
specially  fatted  against  his  hoped-for  return. 

24.  this  my  son.  He  claims  him  as  '  son  '  :  '  confesses  '  him 
before  the  servants  even  as  Christ  will  confess  His  loyal  ones  before 
the  angels  in  heaven  (xii  8).  The  son  had  claimed  him  for  father 
{v.  21). 

was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  he  was  lost,  and  is  found.  A  Hebraistic 
'  tautological  parallelism.'  In  his  joy  the  father  bursts  into  poetry, 
as  Mary  in  her  Magnificat,  Zacharias  in  Benedictus,  and  Simeon  in 
Nunc  Dimittis.  It  is  pure  joy  and  relief — no  hint  of  reproach  to 
his  son  before  the  servants.  In  our  own  interpretation,  however, 
we  can  see — as  the  insight  of  penitent  love  would  have  enabled 
the  prodigal  to  see — the  underlying  sense  of  a  moral  and  spiritual 
death  and  resurrection. 

Here,  at  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  the  Parable,  we  have  the 
completed  story  of  a  sinner's  repentance  and  restoration  to  the 
full  life  of  grace. 

25-32.  The  Elder  Son.  This  second  half  of  the  Parable  deals 
not  with  '  Publicans  and  Sinners,'  but  with  the  self-styled  '  Righte- 
ous.' The  attitude  of  the  elder  son  typifies  exactly  that  of  the 
Pharisaism  with  which  our  Lord  found  himseU  at  issue :  (1)  self- 
satisfied  consciousness  of  merit,  and  belief  that  Divine  grace  is  the 
reward  thereof,  (2)  entire  lack  of  sympathy  with  the  outcast, 
developing  into  malignant  jealousy. 

25  Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field  :  and  as  he  came  and 
drew  nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing.  26  And 
he  called  to  him  one  of  the  servants,  and  inquired  what  these 
things  might  be.  27  And  he  said  unto  him,  Thy  brother  is 
come  ;  and  thy  father  hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he 
hath  received  him  safe  and  sound.  28  But  he  was  angry,  and 
would  not  go  in  :  and  his  father  came  out,  and  intrcated  him. 
29  But  he  answered  and  said  to  his  father,  Lo,  these  many 
years  do  I  serve  thee,  and  I  never  transgressed  a  command- 
ment of  thine  :    and  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that 


214  ST   LUKE  [XV  25-31 

I  might  make  merry  with  my  friends  :    30  but  when  this  thy 

son  came,  which  hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou 

killedst  for  him  the  fatted  calf.     31  And  he  said  unto  him, 

^Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  is  mine  is  thine. 

32  But  it  was  meet  to  make  merry  and  be  glad  :   for  this  thy 

brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;    and  was  lost,  and  is 

found, 

»  Gr.  Child. 

25.  was  in  the  field.  Returned  home  from  work,  tired  and  irri- 
table, and  was  offended  at  not  having  been  consulted. 

26.  called  .  .  .  one  of  the  servants.  He  is  already  sulky  and  sus- 
picious, and  will  not  commit  himself  by  addressing  his  father. 

28.  he  was  angry :  even  as  Jonah — the  personification  of  Israel's 
perennial  failure  in  generosity — is  angry  at  God's  compassion  shown 
to  the  Ninevites. 

came  out,  and  intreated  him.  The  father  (cf.  v.  31)  is  tender  and 
considerate  to  both  sons,  to  the  elder  as  to  the  younger. 

29.  /  serve  thee  :  lit.  '  I  slave  for  thee.'  His  true  spirit  is  here 
displayed.    It  is  a  calculating  and  mercenary  spirit,  not  really  filial. 

/  never  transgressed.  Self-righteousness,  typical  of  the  Pharisee. 
Cf .  xviii  9. 

thou  never  gavesf  me  a  kid.  A  grievance  perhaps  cherished,  but 
unuttered,  for  many  years.  The  picture  is  not  a  caricature,  but  a 
portrait.  We  can  see  the  elder  son's  point  of  view,  and  it  is  a  very 
human  one. 

m,y  friends,  in  an  oriental  house,  may  mean  that  he  had  become 
alienated,  having  friends  of  his  own  who  were  not  his  father's 
friends. 

30.  this  thy  son.  He  contemptuously  declines  to  call  him  '  my 
brother.'    His  father  gently  reminds  him  of  the  relationship  in  v.  32. 

31.  Son :  or  '  my  child  '  (reKvov),  more  affectionate  than  the 
vl6s  of  V.  30. 

all  that  is  mine.  According  to  one  interpretation  (see  note  on  v.  12) 
the  father  had  actually  given  over  the  two-thirds  to  the  elder  son 
when  he  gave  one-third  to  the  younger.  The  elder  son — Jew-like — 
had  not  realized  his  privileges,  though  always  ready  to  contest  them 
with  others. 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  effect  of  the  father's  remonstrance  on 
the  elder  son  is  not  recorded.  Perhaps  the  Parable  breaks  off  where 
it  does  because  it  lies  with  the  listening  Pharisees  to  determine  what 
that  effect  shall  be.  '  For  all  Ms  none  can  read  the  Parable  without 
an  ominous  presentiment  that  the  elder  brother  does  refuse  to  the 
end  to  go  in  '  (Trench,  p.  426). 


XVI 1-9]  ST   LUKE  215 

(d)  XVI  1-18      The  Unrighteous  Steward  ;    Pharisaic  Scojfers 

Rebuked 

The  chain  of  Parables  continues  to  xvii  10,  with  short  interludes 
of  direct  discourse  (xvi  14-18,  xvii  1-6).  The  matter  is  still  almost 
entirely  peculiar  to  St  Luke. 

1-13.  Parable  of  the  Unrighteous  Steward  (Trench,  Par., 
pp.  429-454).  Sir  John  Hawkins  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  134)  thinks  that 
this  Parable  may  have  been  in  Q,  but  deliberately  omitted  by 
St  Matthew  as  liable  to  misinterpretation. 

It  is  one  of  the  distinctively  Lucan  passages  concerned  with  the 
right  use  of  wealth.  Cf.  the  following  Parable  (xvi  19-31)  and 
xviii  18-30.  Edersheim  {L.  c&  T.  ii  264  sqq.)  shows  how  this  and 
the  following  Parables  up  to  xviii  14  are  linked  together  by  the 
thought  of  Righteousness — unrighteous,  self-righteous,  &c. — but 
more  especially  he  links  this  and  the  next  one  (Dives  and  Lazarus)  : 
the  first  and  the  second  are  linked  by  the  intermediate  verses  16-18 
(see  below). 

XVI  And  he  said  also  unto  the  disciples,  There  was  a 
certain  rich  man,  which  had  a  steward  ;  and  the  same  was 
accused  unto  him  that  he  was  wasting  his  goods.  2  And  he 
called  him,  and  said  unto  him,  What  is  this  that  I  hear  of  thee  ? 
render  the  account  of  thy  stewardship  ;  for  thou  canst  be  no 
longer  steward.  3  And  the  steward  said  within  himself, 
What  shall  I  do,  seeing  that  my  lord  taketh  away  the  steward- 
ship from  me  ?  I  have  not  strength  to  dig  ;  to  beg  I  am 
ashamed.  4  I  am  resolved  what  to  do,  that,  when  I  am  put 
out  of  the  stewardship,  they  may  receive  me  into  their  houses. 
5  And  calling  to  him  each  one  of  his  lord's  debtors,  he  said  to 
the  first,  How  much  owest  thou  unto  my  lord  ?  6  And  he 
said,  A  hundred  ^measures  of  oil.  And  he  said  unto  him. 
Take  thy  %ond,  and  sit  down  quickly  and  write  fifty.  7  Then 
said  he  to  another,  And  how  much  owest  thou  ?  And  he 
said,  A  hundred  ^measures  of  wheat.  He  saith  unto  him, 
Take  thy  ^bond,  and  write  fourscore.  8  And  his  lord  com- 
mended *the  unrighteous  steward  because  he  had  done  wisely  : 
for  the  sons  of  this  ^orld  are  for  their  own  generation  wiser 
than  the  sons  of  the  light.     9  And  I  say  unto  you.  Make  to 

*  Gr.  baths,  the  bath  being  a  Hebrew  measure.    See  Ezek  xlv  10,  11,  14. 
^  Gr.  writings. 

*  Gr.  cors,  the  cor  being  a  Hebrew  measure.     See  Ezek  xlv  14. 

*  Gr.  the  steward  of  unrighteousness.  *  Or,  age. 


216  ST   LUKE  [XVI  i -8 

yourselves  friends  ^by  means  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness ;  that,  when  it  shall  fail,  they  may  receive  you  into  the 
eternal  tabernacles.  10  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  very  little  is 
faithful  also  in  much  :  and  he  that  is  unrighteous  in  a  very 
little  is  unrighteous  also  in  much.  11  If  therefore  ye  have  not 
been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  who  will  commit  to 
your  trust  the  true  riches  ?  12  And  if  ye  have  not  been 
faithful  in  that  which  is  another's,  who  will  give  you  that 
which  is  ^yom-  own  ?  13  No  ^servant  can  serve  two  masters  : 
for  either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other  ;  or  else  he 
will  hold  to  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God 
and  mammon. 

*  Gr.  out  of.  2  Some  ancient  authorities  read  our  own. 

*  Gr.  household-servant.  ji 


1.  steward.  An  estate  agent  of  a  large  (rich  man's)  property  : 
liable  to  dismissal  {v.  2),  therefore  not  a  slave  like  the  house-steward 
or  major-domo  of  xii  42-46. 

2.  thou  canst  be  no  longer  steward.  The  dismissal  is  absolute  : 
it  does  not  depend  upon  the  character  of  the  account  rendered. 

5.  calling  .  ,  .  each  one.  This  action  of  remitting  part  of  the 
debts,  as  Edersheim  points  out  {L.  &  T.  ii  267),  was  still  technically 
within  his  rights  as  his  lord's  administrator  till  the  dismissal  had 
actually  taken  effect.  It  was  unrighteous,  but  it  was  not  legally 
ultra  vires.  He  makes  effective  '  friends  '  of  them  by  implicating 
them  in  this' doubtful  proceeding. 

Vitringa,  as  quoted  by  Trench  (p.  436)  sees  here  a  picture  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Jews,  who,  though  they  had  forfeited  their  stewardship 
of  the  Divine  Law,  were  making  friends  of  the  people  by  lowering 
the  moral  standard,  with  their  doctrine  of  '  Cor  ban  '  and  Divorce. 
Cf.  V.  17. 

6.  A  hundred  measures  of  oil.  /3dTo<s  =  Heb.  Bath  =  8  to  9 
gallons.  Edersheim  (p.  269)  calculates  that  the  remittance  would 
amount  to  about  £5,  with  a  purchasing  power  of  £25. 

Take  thy  bond  :  probably  a  wax  tablet,  in  which  the  erasure  and 
alteration  would  be  comparatively  easily  affected  (Edersheim, 
p.  270). 

7.  A  hundred  measures  of  wheat.  Kopos  =  Heb.  Cor  =  about 
10  bushels  :  the  remittance  calculated  at  £20  to  £25,  with  purchasing 
power  of£100to£125.  These  two  are  only  examples .  He  sum  moned 
each  one  of  his  lord's  debtors  and  dealt  with  them  in  the  same  way. 

8.  he  had  done  wisely.  The  typical  character  of  this  wisdom  lies 
in  the  fact  that,  as  long  as  he  still  had  control  of  his  master's  posses- 
sions he  did  not  make  use  of  these  in  order  to  secure  himself  a  few 
more  days  of  enjoyment,  but  to  secure  his  future  (B.  Weiss,  ad  loc). 


'^: 


XVI 9-14]  ST   LUKE  217 

9.  the  mammon.  '  Mamon  '  (the  right  spelling)  is  used  in 
Rabbinical  literature  in  the  general  sense  of  possessions,  whether 
of  money,  cattle,  or  other  property  (Oesterley,  Sayings,  p.  25  n.). 
It  is  the  abuse  of  wealth,  so  habitual  (cf .  1  Tim  vi  10),  that  has  won 
it  the  predicate  '  unrighteous.' 

when  it  shall  fail :  not  '  when  ye  fail  '  as  A.V.  The  word 
iKkeiTreLv,  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  who  uses  it  here  and  in  xxiii  44,  is 
a  medical  one  (Hobart,  p.  120  sq.). 

they  may  receive  you,  i.  e.  (probably)  that  Ood  may  receive  you  : 
cf .  xii  20,  48.  This  periphrasis,  common  to  the  Rabbis  of  our  Lord's 
time  and  to  simple  folk  of  George  Eliot's  novels,  is  a  frequent  one 
in  Rabbinical  literature.  '  Rabbi  Jochanan  .  .  .  said  :  "  Whosoever 
profanes  the  Name  of  God  in  secret,  they  punish  him  openly."  ' 
(Oesterley,  Sayings,  iv  5,  p.  49.)  Others  take  the  plural  to  refer 
to  the  '  friends  '  :  '  each  deed  done  for  God,  in  which  wealth, 
opportunity,  capacity,  &c.,  which  are  so  habitually  used  for  "  un- 
righteousness "  [see  note  on  mammon  above]  would  become  a  friend 
to  greet  us  as  we  enter  the  eternal  world  '  (Edersheim,  L.  <£■  T.  ii, 
p.  274). 

10.  He  that  is  faithful,  dsc.  Complementary  to  the  main  thought 
of  the  Parable  :  we  pass  from  prudence  to  trustworthiness.  Eder- 
sheim (p.  274)  quotes  the  Midrash  on  Moses  and  David :  '  The 
Holy  One,  blessed  be  His  Name,  does  not  give  great  things  to  a 
man  until  he  has  been  tried  in  a  small  matter.' 

11.  the  unrighteous  mammon  .  .  .  the  true  riches,  i.  e.  '  material 
means,'  and  '  spiritual  status,'  or  '  opportunity.'  Earth,  even  on 
its  most  material  side,  is  a  school  for  heaven  :  we  develop  our  moral 
and  spiritual  faculties  by  the  way  we  use  our  wealth. 

12.  that  which  is  another's.  Earthly  wealth  is  not  '  our  own,'  in 
the  sense  in  which  our  spiritual  possessions  are — or  will  be  in  the 
shape  they  will  assume  in  heaven; 

13.  No  servant  (lit.  '  house-servant ')  can  be  at  the  absolute 
disposal  (SouAeueiv)  of  two  masters  at  the  same  time  (cf .  Plummer, 
ad  loc). 

Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.  The  ordinary  distinction 
between  the  Sacred  and  the  Secular,  if  adopted  as  a  practical  guide 
to  conduct,  is  not  only  disastrous,  but  ultimately  self-contradictory. 
God  must  have  all,  or  He  has  none.  It  is  possible  to  live  for  this 
world.  It  is  possible  to  live  for  God.  To  do  both  at  once  is  not  merely 
undesirable  but  impossible. 

This  phrase  occurs  in  Matthew's  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (vi  24) 
and  was  doubtless  in  Q.  How  many  of  the  neighbouring  verses 
may  also  have  been  in  Q  is  difficult  to  determine.  Cf.  Oxf.  Stud., 
pp.  113,  164,  201. 

14-18.  Rebuke  of  the  Scoffing  Pharisees  ;  linking  the 
two  Parables  :  see  Edersheim,  L.  <fc  T.  ii  276.  He  considers  them 
not  '  detached  sayings  '  (as,  e.  g.,  Streeter  takes  them  to  be,  Oxf. 
Stud.,  p.  201),  but  brief  notes  of  a  discourse  made  by  one  who  heard 


218  ST   LUKE  [XVI  14^6 

it,  and  handed  it  to  St  Luke  years  later.  If  we  may  take  it  as  a  single 
discourse  it  leads  up  to  a  Parable  which,  addressed  to  '  lovers  of 
money,'  depicts  with  terrible  vividness  the  attitude  of  those  who 
sneered  at  the  Publicans,  from  the  point  of  view  of  eternity.  Our 
Lord  is  anxious,  if  possible,  not  only  to  '  convict ',  but  to  '  convince  '; 
so  He  denounces  their  pleas  one  by  one.  (a)  Their  aloof  self- 
righteousness  {v.  15),  with  its  claim  to  admiration — '  an  abomina- 
tion '  before  God.  (6)  The  pretensions  they  based  {v.  16)  on  being 
the  custodians  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  while  they  flout  the 
fundamental  principles  of  the  Law,  e.  g.  in  the  scandalous  facilities 
for  divorce,  (c)  In  the  Parable  that  follows,  their  attitude  towards 
wealth,  which,  regarded  as  a  merited  reward  for  their  righteousness, 
is  fraught,  for  them,  with  no  responsibilities  or  dangers. 

14  And  the  Pharisees,  who  were  lovers  of  money,  heard 
all  these  things  ;  and  they  scoffed  at  him.  15  And  he  said  unto 
them.  Ye  are  they  that  justify  yourselves  in  the  sight  of  men  ; 
but  God  knoweth  your  hearts  :  for  that  which  is  exalted 
among  men  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God.  16  The 
law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John  :  from  that  time  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man 
entereth  violently  into  it.  17  But  it  is  easier  for  heaven  and 
earth  to  pass  away,  than  for  one  tittle  of  the  law  to  fall. 
18  Every  one  that  putteth  away  his  wife,  and  marrieth 
another,  committeth  adultery  :  and  he  that  marrieth  one  that 
is  put  away  from  a  husband  committeth  adultery. 

14.  scoffed  :  lit.  '  turned  up  their  noses.'  Their  attitude  is  one 
of  vulgar  insult,  and  brings  down  on  them  language  of  strong 
denunciation. 

15.  justify  yourselves  in  the  sight  of  men.  The  teaching  is  like 
that  of  Jn  V  44.  The  whole  outlook  of  these  '  righteous  '  people  is 
that  of  human  esteem.  Christ  appeals  to  conscience  against  the 
pretences  by  which  they  attract  such  esteem. 

an  abomination.  Pride  and  pretension,  to  use  the  O.T.  phrase, 
'  stink  in  His  nostrils.'     That  is  the  root-meaning  of  the  word 

fSSeXxiyjma. 

16.  The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John.  St  Matthew  places 
this  utterance  earlier,  in  a  passage  about  John  the  Baptist.  If 
St  Luke  had  found  it  there  in  Q  he  would  hardly  have  detached  it 
from  so  appropriate  a  context :  therefore  we  may  take  it  that  this 
represents,  more  or  less,  its  original  position.  Cf.  Hawkins,  Oxf. 
Stud.,  pp.  156,  159. 

The  converted  Pharisee  St  Paul,  in  Rom  iii  2,  felicitates  the  Jews 
on  being  '  entrusted  with  the  Oracles  of  God.'  The  Pharisees  and 
Scribes — self-constituted  guardians  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets — 


XVli6-i9]  ST   LUKE  219 

did  not  fail  to  felicitate  themselves.  Perhaps  we  may  take  '  Law 
and  Prophets  '  as  denoting  O.T.  dispensation,  and  paraphrase  thus  ; 
'  The  Dispensation  with  which  you  so  arrogantly  identify  yourselves 
ended  with  the  Mission  of  the  Baptist,  though  its  moral  principles — 
which  you  {v.  18)  so  openly,  flout — are  abiding  {v.  17).' 

every  man  enter eth  violently  ...  St  Matthew  has  (xi  12)  from 
the  days  of  John  the  Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence.  The  interpretation  is  difficult.  Does  it  refer  to  the 
unconventional  eagerness  of  outcasts  (cf.  xv  1)  '  taking  the  kingdom 
by  storm  ',  with  the  suggestion  to  Pharisees,  '  It  is  first  come,  first 
served  '  :  you  must  be  quick  with  your  repentance  if  you  are  to 
secure  a  place  ?  Cf .  Dante's  '  Regnum  celorum  violenza  pate  ' 
{Par.  XX  94,  of  which  the  context  is  quoted  above  on  xi  5-8).  Or 
does  it  refer  to  those  '  spiritual  housebreakers  '  who  scorn  to  enter 
the  fold  by  the  gate  of  humility  (cf.  Jn  x  1)  and,  like  His  Pharisaic 
hearers,  claim  the  privileges  of  the  Kingdom  on  their  own  terms  ? 

17.  one  tittle  of  the  law.  The  little  horn  by  which  one  Hebrew 
letter  was  distinguished  from  another,  3  from  r>,  and  "i  from  "i. 

18.  Every  one  that  putteth  away.  Divorce  was  a  common  question 
of  the  Rabbinic  schools.  The  School  of  Hillel  was  lax,  allowing  even 
deafness,  bad  cooking,  or  the  husband's  preference  for  another 
woman  as  grounds  of  divorce  ;  that  of  Shammai  as  strict  as  our 
Lord's  teaching  represented  here.  St  Luke's  language  is  quite 
unqualified  in  condemnation  of  divorce  :  how  far  it  has  to  be 
qualified  by  the  limitations  in  St  Matthew  v  32  and  xix  3-9  does 
not  fall  within  the  scope  of  this  commentary. 

The  teaching  of  the  indissolubility  of  marriage  is  unqualified 
also  in  St  Mark,  and  has  set  the  tone  to  the  Church's  policy  about 
marriage  and  divorce.  For  an  interesting  discussion  of  the  whole 
subject,  see  Report  of  1920  Lambeth  Conference,  No.  VI  (pp.  107  sqq.). 
In  Resolution  67  (p.  44)  the  Conference  takes  the  stricter  (Lucan 
and  Marcan)  line  as  the  standard,  yet '  admits  the  right  of  a  national 
or  regional  Church  to  deal  with  cases  which  fall  within  the  exception 
mentioned  in  the  record  of  our  Lord's  words  in  St  Matthew's  Gospel, 
under  provisions  which  such  Church  may  lay  down.' 

(e)  XVI  19— XVII  4      Dives  and  Lazarus  (xvi  19-31)  ;    Re- 
sponsibility for  Others  (xvii  1-4) 

19-31.  Parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus  (Trench, 
Par.,  pp.  455-483).  The  primary  lesson  of  this  Parable  is  not '  that 
to  be  wealthy  is  wicked,'  but  that,  while  the  inequalities  of  this  life 
will  be  rectified  in  another  {v.  25),  the  use  of  wealth  for  mere  self- 
gratification,  without  any  conscience  for  social  responsibility 
('  am  I  my  brother's  keeper  ?  ')  brings  with  it  ultimately  its  own 
condemnation.  It  is  this  note  of  social  responsibility,  the  reverse 
of  which  displayed  itseK  in  the  attitude  of  the  Pharisee  (xviii  9), 
which  naturally  leads  up  to  the  section  on  '  offences  '  (xvii  1-4). 


220  ST   LUKE  [XVI 19-31 

The  Parable  also  seems  to  disclose  to  us  great  principles  with 
regard  to  the  life  after  death.  But  its  imagery  seems  intentionally 
adapted  to  appeal  to  contemporary  Pharisaism,  and  how  far  we 
may  be  justified  in  pressing  the  details  of  its  figurative  language 
may  be  questioned.  At  any  rate,  it  implies  a  conscious  existence 
hereafter,  as  does  more  clearly  still  the  Word  from  the  Cross 
recorded  in  Lk  xxiii  43.  Hobart  {Med.  Lang.,  p.  31)  observes  how  the 
language  of  this  Parable  abounds  in  medical  terms  which  St  Luke, 
alone  of  N.T.  writers,  employs.  Such  are :  full  of  sores,  Ms  sores, 
cool  my  tongue,  /  am  in  anguish. 

The  Parable  falls  naturally  into  three  parts  :  (1)  This  Life 
{vv.  19-21)  ;  (2)  After  Death  (22-26) ;  (3)  Application  (27-31). 

19  Now  there  was  a  certain  rich  man,  and  he  was  clothed 
in  purple  and  fine  linen,  ^f  aring  sumptuously  every  dayj :  20  and 
a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus  was  laid  at  his  gate,  full  of 
sores,  21  and  desiring  to  be  fed  with  the  crumbs  that  fell  from 
the  rich  man's  table  ;  yea,  even  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his 
sores.  22  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  beggar  died,  and 
that  he  was  carried  away  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's 
bosom  :  and  the  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  bmied.  23  And 
in  Hades  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and  seeth 
Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom.  24  And  he 
cried  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send 
Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and 
cool  my  tongue  ;  for  I  am  in  anguish  in  this  flame.  25  But 
Abraham  said,  ^Son,  remember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime 
receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  Lazarus  in  like  manner  evil 
things  :  but  now  here  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  in  anguish. 
And  ^beside  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf 
fixed,  that  they  which  would  pass  from  hence  to  you  may  not 
be  able,  and  that  none  may  cross  over  from  thence  to  us. 
27  And  he  said,  I  pray  thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou 
wouldest  send  him  to  my  father's  house  ;  28  for  I  have  five 
brethren  ;  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come 
into  this  place  of  torment.  29  But  Abraham  saith.  They 
have  Moses  and  the  prophets  ;  let  them  hear  them.  30  And 
he  said.  Nay,  father  Abraham  :  but  if  one  go  to  them  from  the 
dead,  they  will  repent.     31  And  he  said  unto  him.  If  they 

1  Or,  living  in  mirth  and  splendour  every  day 

2  Gr.  Child.  ^  Or,  in  all  these  things 


XVli9,2o]  ST   LUKE  221 

hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded, 
if  one  rise  from  the  dead. 

19.  there,  was  a  certain  rich  man.  In  this  Parable,  with  its  rich 
colour  and  its  striking  contrasts — rich  and  poor — this  world  and 
the  next — Luke  is  consummately  a  painter.  Yet  the  story  has  not 
inspired  Christian  Art  as  others  have.  Art  has  not  fastened  upon 
the  scenes  in  the  World  beyond.  Bonifazio  Veronese  the  elder  has, 
however  (in  the  Venetian  Academy),  a  characteristically  Venetian 
representation  of  a  supplicating  Lazarus  in  sight  of  the  Rich  Man's 
table  ;  and  Jacopo  Bassano  has  also  depicted  the  scene.  See 
Jameson,  Hist.  ofO.L.,  vol.  ii,  p.  375. 

clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen.  Tyrian  murex-dyed  wool — very 
costly  material — for  his  outer  robe,  and  for  the  inner  tunic,  byssus — 
white  linen  or  cotton  from  Egypt  or  India  (the  former  the  more 
expensive).  Such  was  used  for  the  white  garments  of  the  High 
Priest  on  the  Day  of  Atonement,  Egyptian  for  the  morning,  costing 
£36,  Indian  for  the  afternoon,  costing  £24  (Edersheim,  L.  ds  T. 
ii  278).  The  '  virtuous  woman  '  of  Proverbs  (xxxi  22)  is  clothed  in 
'  fine  linen  and  purple.' 

faring  sumptuously.  Conviviality  and  splendour  mark  his  daily 
life  :  but  there  is  no  welcome  of  the  '  maimed,  the  lame,  and  the 
blind  '  such  as  is  inculcated  in  xiv  13,  nor  would  a  returned  prodigal 
(xv  32)  be  the  subject  or  occasion  of  such  '  merriment.' 

This  style  of  living  is  so  unlike  that  of  the  traditional  Pharisees 
of  Jos.  Ant.  XVIII  i  3,  that  some  have  considered  it  inappropriate 
here  (Trench,  Par.,  p.  456).  But  Dante  {Inj.  vii  58  and  Purg.  xxii 
49-51)  rightly  sees  how  closely  akin  are  the  avaricious  and  the 
spendthrift — '  ill  getting  and  ill  spending ' : 

mal  dare  e  mal  tener. 
Nor  is  it  clear  that  the  high-placed  Pharisees — whose  meals  St  Luke 
so  often  records — were  universally  oblivious  of  the  pleasures  of  the 
table. 

20.  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus  {Syr-Sin.  'poor  man'). 
The  rich  man  in  the  Parable  is  not  named  (the  convenient  '  Dives  ' 
is  just  the  Latin  for  '  rich  ').  The  beggar  is,  and  it  is  the  only 
instance  in  which  our  Lord  gives  a  name  to  one  of  His  characters. 
The  name  itself  (which  was  that  of  the  brother  of  Mary  and  Martha 
— Jn  xi  1 — with  whom  (cf.  on  v.  31)  many  attempts  have  been  made 
to  identify  this  character)  is  a  corruption  of  Eleazar,  and  is  significant 
of  the  role  he  plays.  '  God  help  him  !  '  He  typifies  the  '  pious  poor  ' 
— the  Chasidim — so  frequently  mentioned  in  O.T.  and  especially 
in  the  Psalms. 

was  laid.  A  chronic  invalid,  '  cast '  there  by  some  who  had  not 
the  patience  to  carry  him  farther,  in  the  hope  that  the  rich  man 
would  help  him. 

21.  desiring  to  be  fed.  We  are  not  told  that  even  this  elementary 
desire  was  satisfied. 


222  ST   LUKE  [XVI 22-26 

the  dogs  came  :  scavengers  abounding  in  oriental  streets.  This 
touch  would  give  a  different  impression  to  the  original  audience 
from  that  which  it  suggests  to  us  Western  dog-lovers.  Lazarus  was 
helpless,  and  so  could  not  avoid  what  to  him  was  a  defiling  touch. 
Cf .  the  feeling  of  horror  voiced  in  Ps  xxii  16,  '  many  dogs  have  come 
about  me.'  Yet  the  phrase  perhaps  implies  that  the  brutes  '  adopted ' 
the  outcast  human.  '  The  dogs  (who  like  him  live  on  the  offal) 
treat  him  as  one  of  their  own  kind  '  (B.  Weiss,  ad  loc). 

22-26.  Here  the  scene  suddenly  changes  and  the  second  part 
of  the  Parable  begins. 

22.  carried  away  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom.  He  uses  this 
image  of  reclining  at  a  feast  probably  because  it  would  appeal  to 
the  Pharisaic  conceptions  of  the  blessed  state,  though  the  Rabbinical 
descriptions — more  like  those  of  sensuous  Islam — lack  the  dignity 
and  restraint  of  our  Lord's  picture.  '  Abraham's  Bosom  '  actually 
occurs  in  some  extant  Jewish  writings  (Edersh.  L.  dp  T.  ii  280). 

23.  in  Hades :  the  place  of  departed  spirits  (not  Gehenna), 
answering  here  rather  to  the  Purgatory  of  mediaeval  theology  than 
to  Hell.  Lazarus  in  bliss  and  Dives  in  torment  are  in  sight  of  one 
another,  though  with  a  '  great  chasm  '  separating  them  {vv.  23,  26). 
The  teaching  of  the  imagery  must  not  be  pressed,  but  it  seems  at 
least  to  imply  (a)  that  the  soul's  destiny  for  good  or  ill  is  fixed  in 
this  life,  and  (6)  that  there  is  consciousness  and  memory  beyond 
the  grave. 

24.  Father  Abraham.  He  is  a  typical  Pharisee  in  Hades  ;  he 
claims  Abraham  as  his  father  (cf.  v.  28  and  Jn  viii  53)  though  he 
finds  himself  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  chasm  ;  and  he  looks  for 
'  signs  '  {v.  30).    Cf.  xi  16. 

send  Lazarus.  Variously  interpreted  as  the  acme  of  pride  (he 
regards  Lazarus  as  still  entirely  at  his  disposal !),  or  (more  probably) 
as  a  token  of  the  genuine  humility  induced  by  a  realization  of  the 
facts. 

that  he  may  .  .  .  cool  my  tongue  :  '  the  unquenchable  and  never- 
to-be-satisfied  thirst '  for  the  good  things  he  had  enjoyed  on  earth 
(B.  Weiss,  ad  loc).  Dante  pictures  this  most  vividly  in  the  cry  of 
Maestro  Adamo  in  Inf.  xxx  62,  63  :  '  Alive,  I  had  abundance  of  all 
that  I  wanted,  and  now,  miserable  !  I  crave  a  drop  of  water  !  ' 

lo  ebbi  vivo  assai  di  quel  ch'  i'  voUi 

Ed  ora,  lasso  !   un  goccio  d'  acqua  bramo. 

25.  26.  Abraham  said.  More  has  been  built  upon  this  utterance 
than  was  justified,  because  we  have  no  certainty  (a)  how  far  Jesus 
Himself  speaks  directly  through  the  mouth  of  '  Abraham  '  ;  (6) 
how  much  of  the  Parable  is  imagery  and  how  much  genuine  '  other- 
world  topography.'  The  principles  enunciated  as  far  as  the  Parable 
is  concerned  are  clear,  however.  (1)  Man's  use  of  this  life  fixes 
irrevocably  his  lot  there — on  one  or  other  side  of  an  impassable 
'  chasm  '  ;  (2)  that  lot  involves  a  '  redressing  of  the  balance  '  as 
regards  the  inequalities  of  earthly  life. 


XVI27-XVII4]  ST   LUKE  223 

27-31.  This  section,  although  it  carries  on  the  story,  forms 
really  a  sequel.  Incidentally  it  shows  (Edersheim,  L.  <Ss  T.  ii  282) 
how  the  '  Law  and  the  Prophets  '  cannot  fail  (cf.  v.  17),  and  how 
we  must  '  press  into  the  kingdom  '  {v.  16). 

27.  I  pray  thee  therefore,  father.  There  is  a  note  of  human  feeling  in 
this  request  just  as  there  is  in  Abraham's '  child,  remember  . .  .'  {v.  25) 
which  is  lacking  in  the  ordinary  Pharisaic  conception  of  the  relations 
between  Heaven  and  Hell.  One  cannot  but  compare  Dante's 
outbursts  of  admiration  (Farinata,  Inf.  x),  sympathy  (Francesca, 
Inf.  v),  and  even  affection  (Brunetto,  Inf.  xv)  for  those  whom  he 
meets  among  the  doomed  ;  and  again  the  eagerness  of  the  souls  in 
Purgatory  that  when  he  returns  to  earth  he  will  make  their  condition 
known  to  their  kinsfolk  {Purg.  iii  114,  v  85  sqq.,  130  sqq.,  &c.). 

28.  for  I  have  five  brethren.  Dives  here  shows  a  self-forgetfulness 
(though  its  scope  be  confined,  in  a  characteristically  Jewish  way,  to 
the  circle  of  his  own  family)  which  sheds  new  light  on  his  character, 
and  shows  what  he  might  have  become. 

31.  //  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets.  This  is  the  real 
purpose  of  this  last  section  of  the  Parable — to  teach  that  if  existing 
opportunities  are  not  used,  there  is  no  alternative.  Cf.  Jn  v  47, 
'  If  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my  words  ?  ' 

if  one  rise  from  the  dead.  There  is  an  extraordinary  corroboration 
of  this  teaching  in  Jn  xi,  where  a  dead  man  of  the  name  of  Lazarus 
is  actually  raised  from  the  dead,  and  the  Pharisees,  so  far  from  being 
convinced,  plot  to  put  him  to  death  again  (Jn  xii  10,  11). 

If,  as  Edersheim  thinks,  the  Raising  of  Lazarus  took  place  after 
the  Discourses  of  Lk  xvii  1-10,  the  identity  of  the  names  must  be 
simply  a  coincidence.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  this  group  of  Parables 
could  be  placed  shortly  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  the  irony 
would  seem  almost  too  bold. 

XVn  1-4.  Teaching  on  Responsibility  fob  Others.  The 
connexion  of  the  next  ten  verses  with  the  context,  and  of  the  four 
sajdngs  embodied  in  them  with  one  another,  is  very  obscure,  and  it 
has  been  suggested  that  the  reason  for  their  juxtaposition  is  that 
Luke  found  them,  or  some  of  them,  together  in  his  source,  Q.  (Cf . 
Sir  John  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  124.)  Oivv.\-4t  this  may  very  well 
be  true,  because  these  sayings  occur  practically  in  the  same  order, 
but  at  intervals,  in  Mat  xviii  7,  6,  15,  21,  22.  The  whole  group, 
bearing  on  Responsibility  for  Others,  Faith,  and  Humility,  would 
form  an  appropriate  preparation  for  the  teaching  on  the  Second 
Coming,  which  is  narrated  after  the  Miracle  of  the  Ten  Lepers  ; 
and  this  first  section  may  be  said  to  attach  itself  in  thought  to  the 
lessons  of  the  Parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus. 

XVII  And  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  It  is  impossible  but 
that  occasions  of  stumbling  should  come  :  but  woe  unto  him, 
through  whom  they  come  !     2  It  were  well  for  him  if  a  mill- 


224  ST   LUKE  [XVII 1-5 

stone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  were  thrown  into 
the  sea,  rather  than  that  he  should  cause  one  of  these  little 
ones  to  stumble.  3  Take  heed  to  yourselves  :  if  thy  brother 
sin,  rebuke  him  ;  and  if  he  repent,  forgive  him.  4  And  if  he 
sin  against  thee  seven  times  in  the  day,  and  seven  times  turn 
again  to  thee,  saying,  I  repent  ;   thou  shalt  forgive  him. 

1,  2.    Offences. 

1.  It  is  impossible,  &c.  The  occurrence  of  hindrances,  obstacles, 
stumbling-blocks  is  a  necessary  part  of  our  life  here — and  is  over- 
ruled by  God  for  the  useful  purpose  of  testing  and  strengthening 
character — but  that  does  not  affect  the  responsibility  of  those  who 
introduce  them.  The  references,  here  and  elsewhere  (Mat  xviii  6  sqq. 
and  Mk  ix  42),  imply  that  the  plight  of  the  '  offender '  is  unimagin- 
ably miserable. 

2.  It  were  well  for  him.  The  striking  metaphor  is  more  striking 
still  in  Mat  xviii  6  and  Mk  ix  42  where  it  is  not  the  ordinajy  hand- 
turned  millstone  (At^os  fivXiKos)  as  here,  but  the  '  great  mill- 
stone,' turned  by  an  ass  (/auAos  6vik6s)  that  is  named. 

one  of  these  little  ones  :  cf .  vii  28.  In  both  Matthew  and  Mark  this 
teaching  is  attached  to  the  incident  of  the  '  Little  Child  '  which  Luke 
gives  later  (xviii  15  sqq.).  The  probability  is  that  the  words  were 
in  both  Mark  and  Q  ;  that  Luke  is  here  (as  elsewhere  in  the  '  Great 
Insertion  ')  independent  of  Mark,  while  Matthew,  after  his  manner 
'  conflates,'  combining  points  from  both  sources. 

3.  4.  Forgiveness.  St  Matthew  (xviii  15-35)  has  a  long  para- 
graph of  similar  teachings,  in  which  vv.  21,  22  correspond  to  this. 
It  follows  his  version  of  '  The  Lost  Sheep,'  and  includes  a  question 
of  St  Peter's  as  to  forgiveness  of  his  own  brother,  and  concludes 
with  the  Parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Servant.  St  Matthew  may  very 
likely  have  collected  scattered  sayings  on  the  same  subject.  It  is 
one  on  which  our  Lord  may  have  repeated  Himself  more  than  once. 

3.  if  he  repent :  a  necessary  preliminary  not  to  the  willingness 
to  forgive  on  the  part  of  the  injured,  but  to  the  capacity  to  be 
forgiven  on  the  sinner's  part. 

4.  seven  times,  i.  e.  in  Jewish  symbolism,  a  '  complete  '  number 
of  times.  We  may  suppose  that  it  was  on  a  later  occasion  that 
St  Peter,  brooding  on  this  utterance,  and  taking  it  literally,  asked 
our  Lord  the  question  which  (Mat  xviii  21)  elicited  the  extension  of 
this  utterance,  viz.  '  until  seventy  times  seven  ' — i.  e.  forgiveness 
has  no  limit  whatever  except  that  imposed  by  an  unforgivable 
heart. 

(f )  XVII  5-10     Instruction  on  Faith  and  Humility 

(a)  5,  6.  Faith.  A  similar  saying  is  given  in  Mat  xvii  19  in 
answer  to  the  question  '  Why  could  not  we  cast  it  out  ?  '  and  again 


XVII  s-io]  ST  LUKE  225 

(without  the  Mustard  Seed  simile)  by  St  Mark  after  they  had  noted 
the  withering  of  the  fig-tree  (Mk  xi  23).  The  '  Mustard  Seed  '  is 
clearly  proverbial  for  a  tiny  nucleus  (cf.  xiii  19)  and  was  doubtless 
repeated  on  various  occasions.  And  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  '  Mulberry  Tree  '  of  Luke  and  the  '  Mountain  '  of  Matthew 
and  Mark  are  inconsistent  reports  of  a  single  utterance. 

5  And  the  apostles  said  unto  the  Lord,  Increase  our  faith. 
6  And  the  Lord  said,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  ye  would  say  unto  this  sycamine  tree,  Be  thou  rooted 
up,  and  be  thou  planted  in  the  sea  ;  and  it  would  have  obeyed 
you. 

6.  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed.  A  nucleus  is  all  that  is  needed. 
If  it  is  genuine  faith,  Divine  Grace  will  do  the  rest,  and  there  can 
be  no  limit  to  the  reach  of  its  power, 

sycamine.  The  mulberry  tree,  which  St  Luke  (xix  4)  distin- 
guishes from  the  ' fig- mulberry '  or  'sycamore.'  This  distinction 
is  not  observed  in  the  LXX,  and  Hobart  (p.  152)  points  out  that 
the  popular  confusion  on  the  subject  is  adverted  to  by  Dioscorides, 
Mat.  Med.  i  I8L  '  A  physician  would  readily  make  the  distinction, 
as  both  were  used  medicinally  and  are  frequently  prescribed  in  the 
medical  writers.' 

(/5)  7-10.  Humility.  The  Unprofitable  Servants  :  numbered 
by  Trench  (pp.  484  sqq.)  among  the  '  Parables.'  It  is  certainly  a 
striking  analogy  drawn  from  life  and  arguing  from  the  human  to 
the  Divine,  and  has  the  familiar  a  fortiori  suggestion  :  How  much 
greater  is  God's  claim  on  you,  than  an  earthly  master's  claim  upon 
his  slaves  ? 

Its  teaching  is  complementary  rather  than  contradictory  to  the 
gracious  utterance  of  xii  37.  There  is  depicted  the  actual  movement 
of  Divine  Love  in  the  condescension  of  Jesus  Christ :  here  the  bare 
facts  of  our  primary  relation  as  creatures  to  the  Creator,  which 
should  breed  in  us  an  utter  humility  far  removed  from  the  spirit 
of  the  elder  son  in  xv  25  sqq.  and  the  mercenary  temper  of  many 
of  the  strict  observers  of  the  Law. 

7  But  who  is  there  of  you,  having  a  Servant  plowing  or 
keeping  sheep,  that  will  say  unto  him,  when  he  is  come  in 
from  ■  the  field,  Come  straightway  and  sit  down  to  meat  ; 
8  and  will  not  rather  say  unto  him.  Make  ready  wherewith 
I  may  sup,  and  gird  thyself,  and  serve  me,  till  I  have  eaten  and 
drunken  ;  and  afterward  thou  shalt  eat  and  drink  ?  9  Doth 
he  thank  the  Servant  because  he  did  the  things  that  were 
commanded  ?     10  Even  so  ye  also,  when  ye  shall  have  done 

*  Gr.  bondservant. 
L.  15 


\ 


226  ST   LUKE  [XVII7-XIX27 

all  the  things  that  are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are  unprofit- 
able ^servants  ;  we  have  done  that  which  it  was  our  duty  to  do. 

*  Gr.  bondservants. 

7.  who  is  there  of  you  .  .  .?  For  this  favourite  form  of  intro- 
duction cf.  XV  4.  The  two  Discourses  are  linked  only  by  their 
subject-matter — the  abandon  of  faith  and  of  humility. 

8.  Make  ready,  &c.  A  churlish  master,  according  to  our 
democratic  standards,  yet  the  picture  is  obviously  drawn  from  the 
life,  and  represents  the  norm  where  slavery  exists.  It  could  be 
matched  by  memories  of  not  a  few  '  Christian  '  households  where 
those  who  serve  are  not  technically  slaves. 

9.  Doth  he  thank  the  servant  .  .  .  ?  This  does  not  of  course 
represent  the  actual  attitude  of  God  towards  His  creatures  ;  but  it 
does  represent  the  claim  of  the  creature  upon  the  Cre*ator's  rewarding 
gratitude.  We  sinners  are  '  unprofitable '  in  a  further  sense.  Had  we 
served  God  perfectly  since  we  first  drew  breath,  we  should  still  have 
had  no  '  surplus  '  on  which  to  base  a  claim  :  as  it  is,  we  are  hope- 
lessly in  debt  for  unrendered  service,  and  have  nothing  of  our  own 
wherewith  to  pay  ;   cf .  Article  XIV  Of  Works  of  Supererogation. 

10.  unprofitable  servants  :  in  Syr-Sin. '  unprofitable  '  is  omitted, 
and  this  reading  is  accepted  by  Wellhausen  and  Blass.  Cf .  the  say- 
ing of  Antigonus  of  Socho  (in  Oesterley,  Sayings,  3)  :  'Be  not  like 
slaves  who  minister  to  their  lord  on  condition  of  receiving  a  reward  ; 
but  be  like  unto  slaves  who  minister  to  their  lord  without  expecting 
to  receive  a  reward,  and  let  the  fear  of  Heaven  be  upon  you.'  This 
utterance  of  Rabbinism  militates  against  the  interpretation  of 
Grotius  and  others  (see  Trench,  pp.  85,  86)  who  make  the  Parable 
a  picture  of  the  Law  as  opposed  to  the  Gospel.  Yet  it  may  represent 
(as  Edersheim  suggests,  L.  cfc  T.  ii  307)  an  emphatic  protest  against 
the  fundamental  idea  of  Pharisaism — the  acquisition  of  merit  that 
can  claim  a  reward. 

Edersheim  makes  this  the  last  utterance  of  our  Lord  to  the 
Peraean  disciples  before  going  up  to  Bethany  for  the  Raising  of 
Lazarus  (Jn  xi),  which  he  places  between  this  and  the  next  verse 
(xvii  10  and  11). 


(4)  XVII  11— XIX  27  Fourth  Period  of  the  '  Journeyings  '  : 
The  Last  Peraean  Mission  and  Journey  up  to  the  Passover 
of  the  Passion 

Edersheim  {L.  &  T.  ii  327  ;  cf.  p.  307)  places  the  first  incident 
of  this  Period  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  St  John  (xi  54)  tells  us 
how,  after  the  stir  which  that  miracle  created,  Christ  retired  with 
His  disciples  to  an  obscure  place  called  Ephraim  (not  now  identi- 
fiable), and  records  no  more  of  His  movements  till  the  eve  of  Palm 
Sunday,  when  He  is  again  in  Bethany. 


XVII 1 1 -1 8]  ST   LUKE  227 

Lk  xvii  11  finds  Him  again  up  in  the  North,  on  the  frontier  of 
Galilee  and  Samaria,  in  the  latitude  of  Scythopolis  (Bethshean)  and 
of  Bethabara  (cf.  notes  on  xiv  1,  25).  Edersheim  conjectures  that 
He  had  travelled  back  so  far  to  meet  His  friends  of  the  North, 
including  the  many  women  whom  Mark  (xv  40,  41)  records  to  have 
'  come  up  with  Him  to  Jerusalem.' 

If  it  were  possible  to  place  the  Raising  of  Lazarus  between 
chapters  xiii  and  xiv,  and  treat  all  the  Discourses  of  xiv  1 — xix  27  as 
belonging  to  the  period  of  Jn  x  40-42,  between  that  Miracle  and  the 
Passion,  the  probable  locality  of  chapter  xiv  would  be  close  to  that 
of  xvii  11.  Plummer  places  it  later,  just  before  the  last  Prediction 
of  the  Passion  (xviii  31).  This  arrangement  also  would  obviate  a 
journey  south  between  xiv  1  and  xvii  11. 

The  '  Great  Interpolation  '  continues  as  far  as  xviii  14,  and  up 
to  that  point  the  matter  is  exclusively  Lucan  except  for  the  Eschato- 
logical  Discourse,  xvii  20-37.  At  xviii  15  we  join  again  the  '  triple 
tradition  '  in  the  incident  of  the  Children  and  those  that  follow 
(xviii  15-43),  but  Luke's  special  source  reappears  for  a  brief  space 
in  chapter  xix  (1-27)  in  the  story  of  Zacchaeus  and  the  Parable  of 
the  Pounds. 

(a)  11-19     The  Ten  Lepers  (Trench,  Mir.,  pp.  355-362) 

This  narrative  is  so  full  of  Lucan  marks  of  style  and  phraseology 
that  Dr  Stanton  has  singled  it  out,  with  three  other  passages 
(including  the  '  Good  Samaritan,'  x  29-37)  as  certainly  told  in 
St  Luke's  '  own  words  '  {Gosp.  as  Hist.  Doc.  ii  229).  The  incident 
is  among  the  most  significant  and  full  of  teaching  that  the  Gospel 
contains.    It  tells  its  own  story. 

11  And  it  came  to  pass,  %s  they  were  on  the  way  to  Jeru- 
salem, that  he  was  passing  through  the  midst  of  Samaria  and 
Galilee.  12  And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there 
met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers,  which  stood  afar  o£E : 
13  and  they  lifted  up  their  voices,  saying,  Jesus,  Master, 
have  mercy  on  us.  14  And  when  he  saw  them,  he  said  unto 
them,  Go  and  shew  yourselves  unto  the  priests.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  as  they  went,  they  were  cleansed.  15  And  one  of 
them,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned  back,  with 
a  loud  voice  glorifying  God  ;  16  and  he  fell  upon  his  face  at 
his  feet,  giving  him  thanks  :  and  he  was  a  Samaritan.  17  And 
Jesus  answering  said.  Were  not  the  ten  cleansed  ?  but  where 
are  the  nine  ?     18  ^Were  there  none  found  that  returned  to 

*   Or,  as  he  was  ^  Or,  between 

^  Or,  There  were  none  found .  . .  save  this  stranger. 

15-2 


228  ST   LUKE  [XVII  n-19 

give  glory  to  God,  save  this  ^stranger  ?     19  And  he  said  unto 
him,  Arise,  and  go  thy  way  :  thy  faith  hath  ^made  thee  whole. 

*  Or,  alien  ^  Or,  saved  thee 

11.  through  the  midst  (Sia  /xea-ov)  means  between  the  two.  He 
had  met  His  friends  from  Galilee  (of.  notes  on  xiv  1,  25)  and  was 
now  starting  eastward  along  the  frontier,  probably  near  Bethshean. 

12.  ten  men  that  were  lepers.  The  healing  of  a  leper  is  given  in 
V  12-16  (q.  V.) :  but  the  significance  of  this  second  instance  recorded 
by  St  Luke  alone  is  so  obvious,  and  its  lessons  so  different,  that  it 
cannot  be  simply  described  as  a  '  doublet.' 

13.  Jesus,  Master.  The  word  is  cTrio-Tara — the  one  which 
elsewhere  St  Luke  puts  into  the  mouths  of  the  intimate  disciples 
(viii  24),  and  especially  Peter  (v  5,  viii  24,  ix  33)  and  John  (ix  49). 
It  seems  to  be  a  loose  equivalent  for  Rabbi  (which  Luke  never  uses) 
with  something  more  of  the  idea  of  '  one  who  has  a  right  to  command.* 

14.  Go  and  shew  yourselves  unto  the  priests.  See  on  v  14.  They 
would  probably  find  a  priest  at  the  nearest  Jewish  town. 

15.  turned  back.  He  broke  the  letter  of  the  Lord's  command, 
only  to  fulfil  its  spirit  the  better  :  interrupting  his  journey  to  the 
Levitical  priest,  he  '  shewed  himself  '  to  his  healer,  who  was  the 
Eternal  Priest  '  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.' 

As  one  of  the  ten  he  needed  moral  courage  to  take  a  line  of  his 
own  ;  as  a  Samaritan,  to  humiliate  himself  before  a  Jew.  And 
moral  courage  won  its  reward.  On  the  other  hand,  as  a  Samaritan 
he  might  naturally  feel  an  even  deeper  gratitude  to  a  '  Jew  '  who 
had  healed  him.    Cf.  Jn  iv  9. 

16.  and  he  was  a  Samaritan.  The  misery  of  leprosy  so  '  levels  ' 
and  obliterates  distinctions  that  (as  Plummer  observes  ad  loc.)  '  in 
the  leper-houses  at  Jerusalem  Jews  and  Moslems  will  live  together 
at  the  present  time.' 

St  Luke  here  shows  that  special  interest  in  Samaria,  which  seems 
to  indicate  St  Philip,  Samaria's  Evangelist  (Ac  viii),  as  one  of  his 
special  sources.    See  Introd.,  p.  xxi,  and  note  on  ix  52. 

18.  stranger  :  rather  '  foreigner,'  '  alien  '  {dXXoyevris).  Deiss- 
mann  (op.  cit.,  pp.  74,  75)  points  out  that  this  word  is  used  in  the 
inscription  on  the  barrier  of  the  Temple  Court  of  Gentiles,  ixrjOeva 

aXXoyevr]  eto-TropevecrOaL  ktX.,  cf.  Eph.  ii  14;   JoS.  B.J.  V  V  2. 

The  Samaritans  (see  the  interesting  account  of  their  origin  in 
2  Kgs  xvii  24  sqq.)  were  descended  in  part  from  the  various  foreign 
immigrants  introduced  by  the  Assyrians  after  the  captivity  of 
Northern  Israel  in  the  eighth  century  b.  c.  The  restored  Jews  of 
the  sixth  century  found  these  people  hostile  to  them,  Ez  iv  (esp. 
7-10),  V  3  sqq.,  cf.  Neh  iv,  vi  1-14,  and  steadily  repudiated  kinship 
with  them. 

19.  thy  faith.  This  is  our  Lord's  usual  formula  (cf.  vii  50,  viii  48). 
Is  it  used  here  in  quite  the  usual  sense  ?  Is  he  commending  in  the 
tenth  what  was  equally  true  of  the  nine  V     It  seems  difl&cult  to 


XVII20-3I]  ST   LUKE  229 

believe  that  the  '  wholeness  '  here  is  not  something  more  than  mere 
physical  healing  and  implies  a  sound  spiritual  state,  even  as  the 
faith  that  issues  in  self -forgetful  gratitude  is  more  than  that  which 
does  not. 


(b)  20-37     The  Coming  of  the  Kingdom  (20,  21)  ;     The  Days 

of  the  Son  of  Man  (22-37) 

The  first  brief  Discourse  is  addressed  to  the  Pharisees  ;  the 
second,  longer  one,  to  the  Disciples.  So  in  xv — xvi  He  had  spoken 
to  the  Pharisees  (xv  3),  then  to  the  Disciples  (xvi  1),  and  then 
turned  again  to  the  Pharisees  (xvi  15). 

The  Coming  is  spoken  of  in  two  senses  :  (a)  vv.  20,  21,  that 
Coming  which  had  already  been  accomplished,  silent  and  unobserved 
in  the  advent  of  Christ  and  His  disciples  ;  and  (6)  vv.  22-37,  the 
Second  Coming  which,  though  unexpected  could  not  be  unobserved. 

20  And  being  asked  by  the  Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom 
of  God  cometh,  he  answered  them  and  said,  The  kingdom  of 
God  cometh  not  with  observation  :  21  neither  shall  they  say, 
Lo,  here  !  or,  There  !  for  lo,  the  kingdom  of  God  is  ^within 
you. 

22  And  he  said  unto  the  disciples,  The  days  will  come, 
when  ye  shall  desire  to  see  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man, 
and  ye  shall  not  see  it.  23  And  they  shall  say  to  you,  Lo, 
there  !  Lo,  here  !  go  not  away,  nor  follow  after  them  :  24  for 
as  the  lightning,  when  it  lighteneth  out  of  the  one  part  under 
the  heaven,  shineth  unto  the  other  part  under  heaven  ;  so 
shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ^in  his  day.  25  But  first  must  he 
suffer  many  things  and  be  rejected  of  this  generation.  26  And 
as  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Noah,  even  so  shall  it  be  also 
in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  27  They  ate,  they  drank,  they 
married,  they  were  given  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that 
Noah  entered  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood  came,  and  destroyed 
them  all.  28  Likewise  even  as  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of 
Lot ;  they  ate,  they  di-ank,  they  bought,  they  sold,  they 
planted,  they  builded  ;  29  but  in  the  day  that  Lot  went  out 
from  Sodom  it  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven,  and 
destroyed  them  all  :  30  after  the  same  manner  shall  it  be 
in  the  day  that  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed.    31  In  that  day, 

•  Or,  in  the  midst  of  you  ^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  in  his  dap. 


230  ST   LUKE  [XVii  20-23 

he  which  shall  be  on  the  housetop,  and  his  goods  in  the  house, 
let  him  not  go  down  to  take  them  away  :  and  let  him  that  is 
in  the  field  likewise  not  return  back.  32  Remember  Lot's 
wife.  33  Whosoever  shall  seek  to  gain  his  ^life  shall  lose  it-: 
but  whosoever  shall  lose  his  Hife  shall  -preserve  it.  34  I  say 
unto  you,  In  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men  on  one  bed  ; 
the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be  left.  35  There 
shall  be  two  women  grinding  together  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken, 
and  the  other  shall  be  left.^  37  And  they  answering  say 
unto  him,  Where,  Lord  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Where  the 
body  is,  thither  will  the  %agles  also  be  gathered  together. 

'  Or,  soul  ^  Gt.  save  it  alive. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  add  ver.  36  There  shall  be  two  men  in  the  field  ;  the 
one  shall  he  taken,  and  the  other  shall  he  left.  *■  Or,  vultures 

20.  not  with  observation,  i.  e.  invisibly  or  unobtrusively.  The 
word  used  is  one  of  St  Luke's  medical  terms,  and  is  frequent  in 
Galen  (Hobart,  M.L.,  p.  153). 

21.  Lo,  here!  or,  There!  Drawing  attention  to  a  sudden,  startling 
appearance.  Cf .  Mat  xxiv  23,  which,  however,  is  not  a  strict  parallel 
— see  note  on  v.  23. 

is  within  you  (eVros  vfiuiv).  Probably  in  the  sense  of  '  in  your 
midst,'  '  among  you.'  It  is  indeed  a  Kingdom  Spiritual,  within 
the  hearts  of  men  (cf.  Parable  of  Leaven,  xiii  21)  :  but  hardly 
within  the  Pharisees'  hearts  !  Cf .  xi  20,  '  Then  is  the  kingdom  of 
God  come  upon  you  '  (e^^ao-ev  =  '  come  before  you  are  aware  '). 
Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  p.  438)  finds  '  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you  '  in  the  so-called  Cairo  Gospel  Fragment,  ascribed  to  the 
third  century. 

22-37.  The  subject  of  this  Discourse  to  the  Disciples  is  different 
from,  but  suggested  by,  our  Lord's  answer  to  the  question  of  the 
Pharisees.  Canon  Streeter  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  201)  styles  this  '  The 
Apocalypse  of  Q.'    Much  of  it  (cf .  on  v.  20)  is  found  in  Mat  xxiv. 

22.  The  days  will  come  :  rather  '  There  will  come  days.'  This 
verse  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke. 

one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  The  days  when  '  the  bride- 
groom is  taken  away  '  (v  35)  and  they  are  longing  for  the  Second 
Advent.  The  language  has  the  ring  of  Jn  xvi  16,  but  that  refers 
more  particularly  to  the  short  period  between  the  Crucifixion  and 
the  Resurrection. 

They  were  still  looking  forward  to  the  full  manifestation  of  the 
Messianic  Kingdom  without  a  break,  in  spite  of  our  Lord's  prediction 
of  His  Passion  (ix  22,  &c.),  as  the  incident  of  James  and  John 
recorded  in  Mat  xx  21  sqq.  shows. 

23.  Lo,  there  !  Lo,  here  !  takes  up  the  phrase  of  v.  21,  but  refers 
(as  in  Mat  xxiv  23  and  Mk  xiii  21,  22)  to  false  Christs  and  false 


XVII 23-32]  ST   LUKE  231 

rumours  of  the  Second  Advent.  This  apparent  parallel  in  Mk  xiii  21 
is  one  of  the  nine  cases  investigated  by  Sir  J.  Hawkins  {Oxf.  Stud., 
pp.  38  sqq.)  and  adjudged  by  him  to  be,  in  Luke,  actually  inde- 
pendent of  the  Marcan  source.  In  all  these  nine  cases  Matthew  and 
Mark  agree  together,  and  differ  from  Luke,  as  to  the  occasion.  The 
only  question  remaining  is  whether  Luke  has  kept  the  phrase  in  the 
place  it  occupied  in  Q,  while  Matthew  has  accommodated  it  to  a 
similar  Marcan  utterance,  or  whether  Luke  has  drawn  from  another 
source  than  Q,  an  utterance  similar  to  that  found  in  Mark  and 
adopted  by  Matthew. 

24.  as  the  lightning.  Elsewhere  our  Lord's  Advent  is  described 
as  sudden  and  unexpected  (cf.  xii  40,  xxi  34),  and  there  may  be 
something  of  the  kind  implied  here  :  the  Coming  is  as  unpredictable 
as  a  flash  of  lightning.  But  the  main  thought  seems  to  be  the 
unmistakable  visibility  of  the  Coming  of  the  King,  in  contrast  to 
the  invisible  introduction  of  the  Kingdom  {v.  20). 

25.  But  first  must  he  suffer  .  .  .  and  be  rejected.  This  is  the  third 
of  the  Predictions  of  the  Passion  recorded  by  St  Luke  (cf .  ix  23  and 
44).  The  fourth  and  fullest  comes  in  xviii  31,  shortly  before  the 
Passion  itself.  The  terms  here  most  closely  resemble  those  of  the 
first,  delivered  at  the  time  of  St  Peter's  Confession  of  the  Christhood, 
but  are  less  explicit. 

26-32.  These  illustrations  from  Gen  vii,  xviii,  and  xix  are 
among  the  references  of  our  Lord  to  the  O.T.  recorded  exclusively 
by  St  Luke.    Cf .  iv  25-27  from  Kgs. 

26.  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man,  i.  e.  at  His  Second  Coming. 
V.  22  refers  to  a  wistful  longing  for  one  of  the  well-remembered  days 
of  earthly  companionship.  These  later  '  days  ' — after  the  Passion 
and  entering  into  His  glory — are  called  by  the  same  name,  though 
the  intercourse  with  Him  will  then  be  no  longer  '  after  the  flesh.' 

27.  They  ate,  they  drank,  <fcc.  :  lit.  (imperf.)  '  were  eating,  were 
drinking.'  A  generation  wholly  given  up  to  material  interests  : 
not  guilty  because  they  make  use  of  this  world,  but  because,  wholly 
absorbed  in  it,  they  take  no  thought  for  anything  beyond. 

30.  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed.  This  implies  perhaps  His  presence 
all  along.  Cf.  Mat  xxviii  20 — a  hidden  presence  till  that  moment 
shall  come. 

31.  he  which  shall  be  on  the  housetop.  Assigned  by  Mat  (xxiv 
17,  18)  to  the  later  Discourse  in  Holy  Week,  to  which  the  Lucan 
parallel  is  Lk  xxi.  Our  Lord  may  well  have  uttered  the  saying  more 
than  once — here  in  a  spiritual  sense  ;  later  with  literal  reference  to 
the  sudden  flight  from  a  doomed  Jerusalem — but  it  is  perhaps  more 
probable  that  St  Matthew  has  been  collecting  scattered  sayings  out 
of  Q,  after  his  manner. 

32.  Remember  Lot's  wife.  The  typical  instance  (Gen  xix  26)  of 
one  who  bartered  personal  safety  out  of  a  desire  to  '  salve  '  worldly 
possessions.  Many  a  fire  and  shipwreck  would  supply  similar 
examples. 


232  ST   LUKE 


[XVII33-XVIII17 


33.  Whosoever  shall  seek  to  gain,  dhc.  This  is  one  of  St  Luke's 
so-called  '  doublets.'  It  has  already  appeared,  in  substance  at 
ix  24  (see  note  there),  in  that  enunciation  of  the  principles  of 
discipleship  after  the  first  Prediction  of  the  Passion  which  is  strictly 
parallel  to  Mk  viii  35.  St  Matthew  gives  the  same  saying  on  the 
same  occasion,  and  also  (x  39)  after  the  long  charge  to  the  Twelve, 
at  their  Mission.  St  Matthew  may  have  found  it  in  Q  and  '  grouped  ' 
it  in  the  Charge  (cf.  note  on  v.  32)  or  our  Lord  may  have  uttered  it 
on  all  three  occasions. 

preserve  it.  R.V.  marg.  '  Gr.  save  it  alive.'  The  word  ^ojoyoveZv 
is  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  and  is  a  remarkable  one.  Medically  (frequent 
in  Galen)  it  technically  signifies  '  producing  alive,'  '  enduing  with 
life,'  and  it  may  be  regarded  as  an  item  in  the  Evangelist's  medical 
vocabulary,  though  the  signification  here  is  rather  different  (Hobart, 
M.L.,  p.  155). 

34.  two  men.  The  masculine  would  serve  also  to  indicate  '  man 
and  wife,'  which  is  perhaps  the  more  natural  interpretation. 

the  one  shall  be  taken :  as  was  Lot,  into  safety. 
the  other  .  .  .  left :   like  Lot's  wife. 

35.  two  women.  This  verse  (though  not  the  similar  v.  34)  is 
found,  like  vv.  31,  32  (where  see  note)  in  Mat  xxiv. 

36.  [There  shall  be  two  men  in  the  field ;  the  one  shall  be  taken, 
and  the  other  shall  be  left.]  Omitted  by  the  best  MSS,  and  so  ex- 
punged from  R.V.  Codex  Bezae  (D)  and  other  ancient  MSS  have 
it :  probably  an  insertion  from  Mat  xxiv  40. 

37.  Where,  Lord  ?  Where  shall  this  '  taking  and  leaving  ' 
happen  ?  Our  Lord  replies  :  '  Wherever  the  conditions  are  ful- 
filled.' There  can  be  no  prediction  of  time  or  place.  (On  the  intro- 
duction of  the  question,  see  note  on  xii  41.) 

Where  the  body  is,  dbc.  Cf .  Job  xxxix  29,  30.  Luke's  word  o-w/xa 
(cf.  Ac  ix  40)  is  here  marked  by  the  context  as  equivalent  to  the 
iTTw/Att  ('  carcass  ')  of  Mat  xxiv  28.  Luke's  use  is  quite  classical, 
however  (see  Plummer,  ad  loc).  The  destruction  of  the  corrupt 
(cf.  allusion  to  Sodom,  v.  29)  shall  take  place  'on  the  spot,'  even  as 
a  carcass  is  speedily  devoured  where  it  lies,  by  assembling  vultures. 


(c)  XVIII  1-17  Prayer  and  Humility.  The  Importunate 
Widow  (1-8),  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican  (9-14),  The 
Little  Child  (15-17) 

Two  parables  and  an  incident  which,  as  they  stand,  form  a 
group  on  Prayer  and  Humility.  (1)  The  deadly  earnestness  neces- 
sary for  effectual  Prayer  ;  (2)  the  spirit  in  which  Prayer  is  to  be 
offered,  which,  fundamentally,  is  that  of  (3),  the  Little  Child's 
Humility. 

At  xviii  14  we  emerge  for  a  moment  on  to  the  common  ground 
of  all  three  Synoptists  ;   after  which  St  Luke  reverts  again  to  his 


XVIII  I]  ST  LUKE  233 

special  source  or  sources  for  the  Incident  of  Zacchaeus  and  the 
Parable  of  the  Pounds  (xix  1-27). 

1-8.  The  Parable  of  the  Impoetunate  Widow  (the  Unright- 
eous Judge).  Cf.  Trench,  Par.,  pp.  491-501.  This  is  a  typical  instance 
of  what  Mr  Chesterton  {Orthodoxy,  p.  269)  calls  our  Lord's  '  almost 
furious  use  of  the  a  fortiori '  :  a  form  of  argument  which  the  Rabbis 
called  '  Light  and  Heavy,'  and  claimed  to  find  ten  instances  of  it  in 
the  O.T.  (see  Edersheim,  L.  cfc  T.  ii,  pp.  285-286).  Like  the  Parable 
of  the  Friend  at  Midnight  (xi  5-8),  it  readily  lends  itself  to  misinter- 
pretation :  as,  e.  g.,  that '  God  is  not  anxious  to  answer  prayer,  but  can 
be  worried  into  it.'  For  this  reason  it  has  been  supposed  that,  though 
these  two  Parables  formed  a  part  of  the  common  Q  source,  St 
Matthew  omitted  them  both  (cf.  Streeter,  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  192,  202  ; 
also  Hawkins,  ib.  134),  having  a  tendency  to  '  treat  the  Parables  as 
allegories  '  wherein  '  every  detail  has  its  exact  spiritual  counterpart.' 
Canon  Streeter  thinks  that  v.  1  is  a  Lucan  gloss  and  that  the  sense 
of  the  Parable  was  originally  Apocalyptic  (cf.  vv.  7  and  8),  and 
conjectures  that  it  stood  in  Q  between  xvii  37  and  the  Parable  of 
the  Pounds. 

XVIII  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  the  end  that 
they  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint ;  2  saying,  There 
was  in  a  city  a  judge,  which  feared  not  God,  and  regarded  not 
man  :  3  and  there  was  a  widow  in  that  city  ;  and  she  came 
oft  unto  him,  saying,  ^Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary.  4  And 
he  would  not  for  a  while  :  but  afterward  he  said  within  him- 
self, Though  I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man  ;  5  yet  because 
this  widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  she  Vear  me 
out  by  her  continual  coming.  6  And  the  Lord  said,  Hear 
what  ^the  unrighteous  judge  saith.  7  And  shall  not  God 
avenge  his  elect,  which  cry  to  him  day  and  night,  and  he  is 
longsuffering  over  them  ?  8  1  say  unto  you,  that  he  will 
avenge  them  speedily.  Howbeit  when  the  Son  of  man  cometh, 
shall  he  find  ^faith  on  the  earth  ? 

*  Or,  Do  me  justice  of :  and  so  in  ver.  5,  7,  8.  °  Gr.  bruise. 

3  Gr.  the  judge  of  unrighteousness.  *  Or,  the  faith 

1.  St  Luke's  preface  to  the  Parable.  Here  only  and  in  xix  11 
has  the  Evangelist  presented  the  moral  clearly  and  explicitly  at  the 
beginning.  In  v.  9  he  indicates  the  occasion,  with  a  suggestion  of 
the  moral.    Cf.  xiv  15. 

always  to  pray.  Here  we  have  one  of  St  Luke's  most  marked 
characteristics  (i  10,  ii  37,  iii  21,  v  16,  vi  12,  ix  18,  ix  28,  29,  xi  1, 
xi  5  sqq.).  The  phrase  here  is  strongly  reminiscent  of  St  iPaul's 
'  Pray  without  ceasing  '  in  1  Thess  v  17,  and  is  enumerated  by 


234  ST   LUKE  [xviii  1-9 

Sir  J.  Hawkins  among  the  probable  reflections  of  St  Luke's  intimacy 
with  the  Apostle  {Hor.  Syn.,  p.  197). 

2.  which  feared  not  Ood  and  regarded  not  man.  An  absolute 
cynic  ;  for  this  is  his  own  estimate  of  himself  (v.  4).  Obviously  not 
to  be  pressed  as  in  any  way  symbolical  of  the  Almighty.  True  to 
life,  probably,  then,  as  in  more  recent  times  in  the  Orient. 

5.  lest  she  wear  me  out :  lit.  '  give  me  a  black  eye.'  A  quasi- 
humorous  metaphor,  found  in  Aristophanes.  The  judge  was  afraid 
that  the  Widow  would,  in  modern  phrase, '  get  on  his  nerves.'  There 
may  be  a  further  touch  of  irony  in  this  picture  ;  for  Rabbinism 
taught  that  God  '  must  not  be  wearied  with  incessant  prayer  ' 
(Plummer).    Three  times  a  day  was  enough  ! 

6.  Hear  what  the  unrighteous  judge  saith.  Here  comes  in  the 
familiar  a  fortiori  argument.  '  If  a  cynic,  with  no  idea  of  justice  in 
him,  can  be  worried  into  performing  an  act  of  justice — what  may 
not  be  won  by  persevering  prayer  from  One  who  is  eternal  Justice 
and  Mercy,  and  loves  to  be  asked  ?  ' 

'  The  unrighteous  Judge  '  in  the  original  is  a  Hebraistic  expres- 
sion, '  the  Judge  of  Unrighteousness  '  :  cf . '  Steward  of  Unrighteous- 
ness,' '  Mammon  of  Unrighteousness  '  (xvi  8,  9). 

7.  is  longsuffering  over  them.  This  is  very  obscure.  It  wiU 
mean  either  (a)  that  God  is  not  impatient  with  His  suppliants  as 
the  Judge  with  the  Widow  ;  or  (6)  that  though  He  delays  His 
avenging  action,  the  delay  must  not  be  interpreted  as  implying 
uncertainty  (cf.  2  Pet  iii  1-10). 

8.  will  avenge  them  speedily.  The  tone  of  this  verse  (which,  in 
a  sense,  gives  the  lesson  of  the  Parable)  is  decidedly  Apocalyptic. 
See  note  on  vv.  1-8.  It  reminds  us  of  the  '  How  long  ?  '  of  Rev 
vi  9-11.  The  '  Vindication  '  is  perhaps  to  be  identified  with  the 
'  revelation  of  the  Son  of  man  '  in  xvii  30.  If  so  it  links  this  section 
with  the  preceding  one. 

Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  pp.  425  and  432)  quotes,  in  connexion  with 
Lk  xi  50,  a  Jewish  prayer  for  vengeance  for  a  murdered  girl  on  a  stele 
of  the  second  century  B.  c.  which  ends  "va  iySiK7j(rr]<:  to  al/Aa  to 
dvaLTLov  Kal  rrjv  raxio-T-qv.  But  the  verb  is  also  used  in  the  wider 
sense — 'to  do  right  to' — 'to  protect'  (cf.  Moulton  &  Milligan,  s.v.). 

9-14,  The  Parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican 
(Trench,  Par.,  pp.  502-512).  The  previous  Parable  was  spoken  to 
the  Disciples  :  this,  apparently,  to  the  Pharisees  or  their  followers 
{v.  9),  though  not  necessarily  on  the  same  occasion.  It  forms  a 
natural  link  between  vv.  1-8  and  15-17,  inculcating  deepest  humility 
as  the  spirit  of  prevailing  prayer. 

9  And  he  spake  also  this  parable  unto  certain  which 
trusted  in  themselves  that  they  were  righteous,  and  set  %11 
others  at  nought  :    10  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to 

*  Gr.  tlie  rest. 


XVIII 9-12]  ST   LUKE  235 

pray  ;  the  one  a  Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  publican.  11  The 
Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank 
thee,  that  I  am  not  as  the  rest  of  men,  extortioners,  unjust, 
adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican.  12  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week  ;  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  get.  13  But  the  publican, 
standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  unto 
heaven,  but  smote  his  breast,  saying,  God,  ^be  merciful  to  me 
^a  sinner.  14  I  say  unto  you,  This  man  went  down  to  his 
house  justified  rather  than  the  other  :  for  every  one  that 
exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled  ;  but  he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted. 

*  Or,  be  propitiated  ^  Or,  tJie  sinner 

9.  unto  certain,  &c.  This  exactly  describes  the  typical  Pharisee 
of  the  Gospels.  Edersheim  remarks  (cf.  Plummer,  ad  loc.)  that  the 
insertion  of  this  '  introduction  '  shows  that  there  is  no  chronological 
connexion  with  what  precedes,  '  though  the  interval  .  .  .  may  of 
course  have  been  very  short.' 

10.  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray.  Considering  (Edersheim) 
that  the  Temple- worship  was  practically  all  sacrificial,  it  is  good  to 
know  that  God's  House  was  thus  used  for  private  prayer  (cf .  xix  46). 
St  Luke  has  already  given  us  a  beautiful  instance  in  Simeon  and 
Anna  (ii  27,  37)  of  that  fervent  spirit  of  devotion,  sublimely  expressed 
in  Ps  Ixxxiv,  which  represents  the  brighter  side  of  Jewish  personal 
religion,  and  was  not  entirely  absent  from  Rabbinism.  The  enthusi- 
astic description  of  worship  in  Ecclus  1  reflects  the  dawn  of  Phari- 
saism. The  same  devotional  use  of  the  Temple  by  the  early  Church 
after  Pentecost  is  noted  in  Ac  ii  46,  v  12,  42  ;  and  before  Pentecost 
in  Lk  xxiv  53. 

11.  prayed  thus.  It  is  not  really  prayer  at  all,  but  seK-congratu- 
lation,  and  in  v.  12  the  very  form  of  prayer  is  dropped.  He  almost 
patronizes  the  Almighty  with  pity  that  He  has  such  poor  worshippers 
in  general  at  His  command. 

extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers.  Here  he  is  doubtless  quite  honest 
in  general,  though  perhaps  self-deceived  on  the  first  two  counts. 
Self-respect  and  Pharisaic  public  opinion  had  kept  him  from  overt 
crime  and  gross  bodily  sin.    He  was  '  eminently  respectable.' 

or  even  as  this  publican  :  an  arrogant  comparison  (not  uncommon 
among  Christians)  which  '  fills  up  the  cup  '  of  his  self -righteousness. 

12.  fast  twice,  <fcc.  Not  dishonest  or  exaggerated.  His  descrip- 
tion of  his  fasts  and  tithe-giving  is  doubtless  quite  correct.  The 
Penteteuchal  Law  prescribed  one  Fast  only  in  the  year — the  Day 
of  Atonement  in  September  (still  alluded  to  as  '  The  Fast '  in 
Ac  xxvii  9).  Later  on,  in  commemoration  of  national  calamities, 
various  other  fasts  were  instituted  (Zech  viii  19),  in  the  fourth, 


236  ST   LUKE  [XVlli  12-15 

fifth,  seventh,  and  tenth  months.  It  was  a  comparatively  late 
Pharisaic  custom,  and  a  mark  of  great  strictness  to  fast  on  Mondays 
and  Thursdays  as  this  man  did.  Edersheim  notes  that  these  were 
market-days,  so  giving  opportunity  for  display.  But  traditionally 
Monday  was  the  day  Moses  ascended  Mount  Sinai,  and  Thursday 
the  day  he  came  down.  The  early  Christians  (see  Didache,  ch  viii) 
avoided  these  days,  and  fasted  on  the  '  fourth  day  '  (Wednesday) — 
presumably  as  the  day  of  our  Lord's  Betrayal — and  Friday,  the 
day  of  the  Crucifixion. 

/  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  get.  Supererogation  in  tithes  as  in  fasts. 
The  tithing,  e.  g.  of  minute  herbs,  as  '  harvest '  (cf.  note  on  xi  42) 
was  evidently  a  '  counsel  of  perfection.'  Edersheim  {L.  and  T.  ii  291) 
quotes  the  Mishna's  picture  of  an  ideal  Pharisee  :  '  He  tithes  all 
that  he  eats,  all  that  he  sells,  all  that  he  buys,  and  is  not  a  guest 
with  an  unlearned  person.' 

13.  smote  his  breast.  The  bowed  head  and  smitten  breast  of 
this  Publican  have  left  their  mark  on  Christian  ritual,  and  are  still 
repeated,  e.  g.  in  the  confiteor  of  priest  and  server  at  the  Altar. 
Again  and  again  in  Dante's  Divine  Comedy  they  symbolize  deep 
penitence.    Purg.  ix  111,  x  120,  Par.  xxii  107. 

For  the  which  I,  many  a  time 
Bewail  my  sins,  and  smite  upon  my  breast.  .  .  . 

Per  lo  quale  io  piango  spesso 
Le  mie  peccata,  e  il  petto  mi  percuoto. 

The  Christian  Priest  needs  to  look  into  his  heart,  lest  he  use  the 
Publican's  gesture  as  a  Pharisaic  form. 

Ood,  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.  Rather,  '  the  sinner.'  Like  the 
Pharisee,  he  puts  himself  in  a  class  by  himself — but  how  diiferently  ! 
A  converted  Pharisee,  later,  expressed  exactly  the  same  point  of 
view  in  1  Tim  i  15  (cf.  1  Cor  xv  9). 

14.  justified.  This  '  Pauline  '  word  occurs  five  times  in  St  Luke's 
Gospel :  in  the  other  Gospels  only  twice  (St  Matthew).  Plummer 
{ad  loc.)  aptly  quotes  from  the  Talmud  :  '  So  long  as  the  Temple 
stood,  no  Israelite  was  in  distress ;  for  as  often  as  he  came  to  it 
full  of  sin  and  offered  sacrifice,  then  his  sin  was  forgiven  and  he 
departed  a  just  man.'  This  means  reliance  on  the  terms  of  Solomon's 
original  consecration  prayer,  1  Kgs  viii  38,  39.  The  PubUcan  at 
any  rate  was  a  clear  case  for  acceptance  on  those  terms,  as  inter- 
preted by  Isa  i  11-17. 

15-17.  The  Blessing  of  Little  Children  :  The  Child's 
Heart.  This  episode  is  found,  in  a  similar  position,  in  Mat  xix  13-15, 
Mk  X  13-16.  The  three  accounts  are  substantially  identical.  In 
phraseology  Luke,  who  has  a  few  turns  of  his  own,  is  nearer  to 
Mark  than  Matthew. 

15  And  they  brought  unto  him  also  their  babes,  that  he 
should  touch  them  :  but  when  the  disciples  saw  it,  they  re- 
buked them.     16  But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  saying, 


XViil  15-17]  ST   LUKE  237 

Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not  :  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  17  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as 
a  little  child,  he  shall  in  no  wise  enter  therein. 

15.  also  their  babes.  Rather  '  even  their  babes.'  I^p^fftv  not 
merely  '  young  children  '  (TraiSta)  as  Matthew  and  Mark.  Perhaps 
they  are  children  of  one  year  old,  who  were  sometimes  brought  to 
the  Rabbis  for  a  blessing  (Plummer,  ad  loc). 

touch  them  :  to  convey  a  blessing.  This  incident  (cf .  Prayer  Book 
OiSce  for  Public  Baptism  of  Infants)  forms  the  Magna  Charta 
of  Infant  Baptism.  St  Luke's  '  babes  '  would  make  his  Gospel 
ideally  better  for  use  there  than  St  Mark's. 

rebuked  them.  On  the  ground  that  the  infants  were  too  insignifi- 
cant, would  waste  His  precious  time. 

16.  called  them  unto  him.  The  middle  voice  {Trpoa-tKaXia-aTo) 
perhaps  implying  that  it  was  a  pleasure  and  a  rehef  to  Him  to  have 
children  near  Him. 

Suffer  the  little  children  {to.  TraiSca).  Jesus,  true  image  of  God, 
is  not  overburdened  or  annoyed  by  spiritual  importunity  (cf. 
Jn  vi  37,  and  the  lesson  of  Lk  xviii  1-8  above).  The  verbs  suggest 
that  it  was  a  natural  instinct  of  children  to  come  to  Him,  unless 
hindered  by  others. 

of  such.  Not  of  children  merely,  but  of  childlike  persons — 
humble,  trustful,  receptive  (cf.  next  verse).  This  saying  gathers  up 
the  teaching  of  the  two  preceding  Parables. 

17.  Whosoever  shall  not  receive,  <i;c.  Cf.  the  parallel  Mk  x  15, 
and  the  saying  recorded  by  St  Matthew  in  another  context  (xviii  3), 
'  Except  ye  turn,  and  become  as  little  children  .  .  .  '  There  is  only 
one  attitude  and  temper  for  would-be  entrants — a  humble,  trustful, 
childlike  receptivity.  This  verse  has  a  significance  for  education 
that  is  not  often  realized.  Growth  in  reHgious  education,  even  for 
adults,  demands  a  receptive  temper,  and  a  mental  and  moral 
elasticity  which  belong  to  the  normal  child  by  nature,  to  the  mature 
and  more  '  fixed  '  character  only  by  grace.  The  subject  is  quaintly 
and  beautifully  treated  by  Francis  Thompson,  Shelley,  p.  28. 
'  Know  you  what  it  is  to  be  a  child  ?  It  is  something  very  different 
from  the  man  of  to-day.  It  is  to  have  a  spirit  yet  streaming  from 
the  waters  of  baptism  ;  it  is  to  believe  in  love,  to  believe  in  loveliness, 
to  believe  in  belief  ;  it  is  to  be  so  little  that  the  elves  can  reach  to 
whisper  in  your  ear  ;  it  is  to  turn  pumpkins  into  coaches  and  mice 
into  horses,  lowness  into  loftiness  and  nothing  into  everything,  for 
each  child  has  its  fairy  godmother  in  its  own  soul ;  it  is  to  live  in  a 
nutshell  and  count  yourself  the  king  of  infinite  space  ;  it  is 

To  see  a  world  in  a  grain  of  sand. 

And  a  heaven  in  a  wild  flower, 
Hold  infinity  in  the  palm  of  your  hand. 

And  eternity  in  an  hour.  .  .  .' 


238  ST   LUKE  [XVili  18-30 

(d)  18-30       The  Rich  Ruler's  Question  {vv.   18-23) ;     Riches 
and  the  Kingdom  {vv.  19-30) 

This  follows  the  Incident  of  the  Children  in  all  three  Synoptists. 
In  chapter  xvi  St  Luke  gives  us  special  material  on  the  use  of 
Wealth  ;  here  he  reproduces  the  common  (Marcan)  tradition.  Here 
again  his  report  is  closer  to  Mark  than  Matthew's. 

18  And  a  certain  ruler  asked  him,  saying,  Good  ^Master, 
what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  19  And  Jesus  said 
unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  me  good  ?  none  is  good,  save  one, 
even  God.  20  Thou  knowest  the  commandments,  Do  not 
commit  adultery,  Do  not  kill.  Do  not  steal.  Do  not  bear  false 
witness,  Honour  thy  father  and  mother.  21  And  he  said. 
All  these  things  have  I  observed  from  my  youth  up.  22  And 
when  Jesus  heard  it,  he  said  unto  him.  One  thing  thou  lackest 
yet  :  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  distribute  unto  the  poor, 
and  thou  shalt  have  treasm-e  in  heaven  :  and  come,  follow  me. 
23  But  when  he  heard  these  things,  he  became  exceeding 
sorrowful  ;  for  he  was  very  rich.  24  And  Jesus  seeing  him 
said,  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  !  25  For  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  enter  in 
through  a  needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.  26  And  they  that  heard  it  said.  Then  who 
can  be  saved  ?  27  But  he  said.  The  things  which  are  impos- 
sible with  men  are  possible  with  God.  28  And  Peter  said, 
Lo,  we  have  left  ^om-  own,  and  followed  thee.  29  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  There  is  no  man  that  hath 
left  house,  or  wife,  or  brethi'en,  or  parents,  or  children,  for  the 
kingdom  of  God's  sake,  30  who  shall  not  receive  manifold 
more  in  this  time,  and  in  the  ^ world  to  come  eternal  life. 
*  Or,  Teacher  *  Or,  our  ovon  homes  ^  Or,  age 

18.  ruler,  i.  e.  of  the  local  Synagogue  (Edersheim,  L.  <£•  T.  ii 
338).  St  Luke  alone  mentions  this.  If  it  is  correct,  he  cannot  be 
a  very  '  young  man  '  (Mat  xix  20),  though  his  spiritual  immaturity 
and  his  enthusiastic  eagerness  ('  he  came  running,  and  knelt 
.  .  .  ',  Mk  X  17)  evince  a  youthful  spirit. 

Good  Master.  Matthew  has  '  Master,  what  good  thing  .  .  .  ' 
and  in  the  reply,  '  Why  askest  thou  me  concerning  good  ?  '  a 
variation  which  (like  that  of  xxiv  6,  q.v.)  suggests  the  phenomena 
of  oral  transmission.    But  the  change  in  Matthew  (whether  due  to 


XVIII 19-24]  ST   LUKE  239 

oral  transmission  or  not)  may  be  due  to  a  wish  to  avoid  the  very- 
real  difficulty  of  the  Marcan  answer  (Mk  x  18,  and  v.  19  here). 

19.  Why  cdllest  thou  me  good  ?  '  Good  Master  ' — innocent 
and  commonplace  as  it  sounds  to  our  ears — was  an  unusual  form 
of  address  to  a  Rabbi.  Edersheim  says  there  is  no  recorded  instance 
of  it.  Our  Lord's  answer  is  designed  to  make  the  man  think  and 
measure  his  words.  Though  probably  not  claiming  here  the  '  Good- 
ness '  of  Deity,  Christ  cannot  be  denying  His  own  right  to  the 
epithet  (contrast  Jn  viii  46)  ;  rather,  He  is  throwing  this  interlo- 
cutor back  on  the  sole  underived  goodness  of  the  Father,  from  whom 
the  Son — whether  as  God  or  as  Man — receives  all  that  He  has 
(Jn  V  19  sqq.).  Jewish  writings  describe  the  Almighty  as  '  The 
Good  One  of  the  World  '  (Edersheim,  L.  and  T.  ii  339). 

20.  Thou  knowest  the  commandments.  He  takes  the  man  at  his 
own  level.  There  is  no  need  to  mention  the  first  (Godward)  Table, 
to  which  the  answer  would  have  been  a  prompt  and  sincere  '  Yes.' 
The  position  of  the  fifth  commandment  (as  in  Mk)  is  curious,  and 
the  omission  of  the  tenth.  Mark  has  it  in  the  form  '  Do  not  defraud  ' 
(Mk  X  19)  and  Matthew  (possibly)  in  '  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour 
as  thyself  '  (Mat  xix  19).    Cf.  Edersheim,  ut  supra. 

21.  All  these  things  have  I  observed  from,  m,yyouth  up.  The  answer 
is  glib,  and  perhaps  superficial,  but  sincere.  Even  St  Paul,  who  in 
Rom  (especially  ch  vii)  shows  how  desperately  inadequate  a  good 
Pharisee's  attempt  to  keep  the  Law  might  be,  can  assert  before  the 
Sanhedrin  (Ac  xxiii  1), '  I  have  lived  before  God  in  all  good  conscience 
until  this  day.'    Mark  adds  (x  21)  Jesus  looking  upon  him,  loved  him. 

22.  One  thing  thou  lackest.  In  one  sense  a  general  counsel  to 
all  Christians  :  material  wealth  is  always  to  be  at  Christ's  disposal, 
and  never  to  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  '  following  Him  '  :  in 
another  sense  special  to  the  man  (He  did  not  demand  it,  e.g.  of 
the  ladies  of  viii  3),  into  whose  heart  he  sees,  and  sees  there  that 
for  him  absolute  and  immediate  renunciation  is  the  only  way. 

It  is  renunciation,  not  poverty  as  such,  that  discipleship  demands. 

23.  he  became  exceeding/  sorrowful.  Many  will  recall  G.  F.  Watts's 
striking  picture  in  the  Tate  Gallery.  The  subject  was  probably  too 
'  subjective  '  to  attract  early  painters. 

It  has  been  customary  with  commentators  to  identify  this  man 
with  the  subject  of  Dante's  '  great  refusal '  : 

. .  .  colui 
Che  fece  per  vilta  lo  gran  rifiuto  (Inf.  iii  59). 

But  (a)  it  is  practically  certain  that  Dante  refers  to  Pope  Celestine  V, 
and  (6)  the  Gospel  record  breaks  off  indecisively,  leaving  us  ground 
to  hope  that  eventually  the  beloved  of  Jesus  became  a  disciple. 

24.  How  hardly  .  .  .  !  '  What  an  obstacle  material  wealth  is  to 
discipleship ! '  All  three  Synoptists  record  this  teaching  here.  A 
very  early  gloss  in  Mark  interprets  it — not  wrongly — '  How  hardly 
shall  they  that  truest  in  riches  .  .  .' 

This  obstacle  was  felt  by  St  Francis  of  Assisi  and  his  companions, 


240  ST   LUKE  [XVIII 25-31 

and  joyous  freedom  secured  by  embracing  '  holy  poverty  '  in  a 
literal  sense.    Gf .  note  on  vi  20. 

25.  a  needle's  eye.  An  obvious  hyperbole.  The  Rabbinic  equiva- 
lent is  '  an  elephant  through  a  needle's  eye.'  Cf.  Mat  xxiii  24, 
'  swallow  the  camel.'  Here  St  Luke  characteristically  alters  the 
Marcan  phrase,  using  entirely  dififerent  words  to  express  the  same 
meaning.  His  phrase  8ta  rpry/xaros  /ScXo'vtjs  (both  words  peculiar 
to  him)  is  one  of  the  strongest  instances  of  '  medical  language.' 
Each  of  the  two  words  is  a  medical  technical  term  of  very  frequent 
occurrence  :  T/3^/i.a  =  any  perforation,  (SeXovr]  always  =  the  surgical 
needle.  The  whole  phrase  occurs  in  Galen  (Hobart,  M.L., 
pp.  60,  61).  This  is  not  seriously  affected  by  Cadbury's  contention 
{Style  and  Method,  p.  45)  that  the  two  words  occur  separately  in 
non-medical  writers  :  rp^/xa  in  Polybius,  Josephus,  and  Plutarch  ; 
and  fiiXovr)  in  Plutarch  and  Lucian. 

26.  Then  who  can  be  saved  ?  '  Wealthy  '  is  after  all  a  relative 
term,  and  any  one  who  possesses  anything  at  all  may  find  that  it 
stands  in  the  way  of  complete  self-renunciation. 

27.  The  things  which  are  impossible,  dec.  The  difference  between 
Nature  and  Grace.  Cf .  the  Baptismal  Service  :  '  that  of  His  boun- 
teous mercy  He  will  grant  unto  this  child  that  which  by  nature  he 
cannot  have  .  .  . '  On  the  merely  human  plane  a  man  surrounded  by 
the  lures  of  wealth  '  cannot  be  saved  '  :  but  '  I  can  do  all  things  in 
him  that  strengtheneth  me.'    Phil  iv  13,  cf.  Mk  ix  23,  and  Lk  i  37. 

28.  Peter  said.  Characteristically,  and  in  no  wrong  spirit,  else 
our  Lord  would  have  reproved  him.  Yet  he  had  not  been  called  to 
sell  his  boats  and  nets  and  give  the  proceeds  to  the  poor.  Indeed, 
after  the  Resurrection  we  find  him  and  his  partners  fishing  again  in 
the  Lake  (Jn  xxi). 

30.  manifold  more  in  this  time.  Not  in  the  very  literal  Hebraic 
sense  of  the  Book  of  Job  (xlii  10-17).  In  the  fellowship  of  the  Church 
many  a  convert  from  heathenism  has  found  untold  compensation 
for  the  terrible  sacrifice  demanded  by  confession  of  Christ. 

the  world  to  come,  or  '  age  which  is  in  process  of  being  realized  ' 
(Plummer),  is  but  the  completion  and  perfection  of  the  'eternal  life' 
which  St  John  loves  to  announce  as  a  present  possession. 

It  is  here  that  Dr  Plummer  would  insert  the  Raising  of  Lazarus, 
See  notes  on  xvi  31  and  xvii  11 — xix  27. 

(e)  31-34      Fuller  Prediction  of  the  Passion  (cf.  ix  23,  ix  45, 

xvii  25) 

This  is  the  fourth  definite  prediction  recorded  by  St  Luke.  This 
particular  occasion  is  recorded  also  by  Matthew  (xx  17,  19)  and 
Mark  (x  33).  The  detailed  reference  is  natural  nearer  the  time  :  and 
probably  our  Lord  knew  now  that  the  Sanhedrin  had  already  decided 
upon  His  arrest  and  execution  (Jn  xi  47-53).  Fresh  details  emerge 
which  were  not  in  the  first  elaborate  prediction  (q.  v.)  after  Peter's 


XVIII 31-35]  ST   LUKE  241 

Confession.  All  three  now  record  '  delivery  to  the  Gentiles,'  and 
'  mockery.'  Matthew  omits  the  reference  to  '  spitting,'  and  alone 
specifies  '  crucifixion.'  Luke  alone  gives  reference  to  O.T.  prophecy 
and  adds  '  shamefully  entreated  '  ;  he  alone  (curiously)  does  not 
mention  the  '  spitting  '  in  his  record  of  the  fact,  xxii  63. 

31  And  he  took  unto  him  the  twelve,  and  said  unto  them, 
Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  things  that  are 
wi'itten  ^by  the  prophets  shall  be  accomplished  unto  the  Son 
of  man.  32  For  he  shall  be  delivered  up  unto  the  Gentiles, 
and  shall  be  mocked,  and  shamefully  entreated,  and  spit  upon  : 
33  and  they  shall  scourge  and  kill  him  :  and  the  third  day 
he  shall  rise  again.  34  And  they  understood  none  of  these 
things  ;  and  this  saying  was  hid  from  them,  and  they  perceived 
not  the  things  that  were  said. 

1  Or,  through 

34.  understood  none  .  .  .  was  hid  .  .  .  perceived  not.  A  typically 
Hebrew  pleonastic  triple  parallelism  (cf.  Bartlet,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  321). 
At  first  sight  St  Luke,  who  habitually  '  spares  the  Twelve  '  {ib.  72), 
seems  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  denounce  their  obtuseness.  Further 
consideration  shows  that  this  emphatic  but  general  expression  takes 
the  place  in  his  narrative  of  the  more  striking  incident  of  James's  and 
John's  ambitious  request  (Mk  x  35  sqq.,  Mat  xx  20  sqq.) — the 
permanent  lesson  of  which  Luke  reserves  for  the  Last  Supper 
(xxii  24  sqq.). 

(f )  35-43      The  Blind  Man  at  Jericho 

Recorded,  but  with  very  curious  differences  of  detail,  by  all 
three  Synoptists  (Mat  xx  29-34,  Mk  x  46-52).  Matthew  gives 
two  blind  men  ;  Mark,  '  whose  story  bears  marks  of  the  eye- 
witness Peter'  (see  esp.  vv.  49-51),  gives  the  man's  name  'Baiti- 
maeus,  son  of  Timaeus.'  Luke  places  the  miracle  before  our  Lord 
enters  Jericho — Matthew  and  Mark  as  He  is  leaving  the  city.  It 
is  one  of  the  cases  which  imply  independent  witnesses,  divergent 
in  detail  but  essentially  agreed.  It  looks  as  though  there  had  been 
oral  transmission  at  work. 

N.B. — In  all  the  Sjnoptists  the  miracle  is  significantly  placed 
after  an  incident  which  illustrates  the  blindness  of  the  disciples  to 
the  meaning  of  the  Lord's  words,  as  though  to  hint  that  a  time  would 
come  when  He  would  heal  their  spiritual  blindness. 

35  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  drew  nigh  unto  Jericho, 
a  certain  blind  man  sat  by  the  way  side  begging  :    36  and 

L.  16 


242  ST   LUKE  [XVIII  35-43 

hearing  a  multitude  going  by,  he  inquired  what  this  meant. 

37  And  they  told  him,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by. 

38  And  he  cried,  saying,  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me.  39  And  they  that  went  before  rebuked  him,  that  he 
should  hold  his  peace  :  but  he  cried  out  the  more  a  great 
deal.  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  40  And  Jesus 
stood,  and  commanded  him  to  be  brought  unto  him  :  and 
when  he  was  come  near,  he  asked  him,  41  What  wilt  thou 
that  I  should  do  unto  thee  ?  And  he  said,  Lord,  that  I  may 
receive  my  sight.  42  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Receive  thy 
sight  :  thy  faith  hath  ^made  thee  whole.  43  And  imme- 
diately he  received  his  sight,  and  followed  him,  glorifying  God  : 
and  all  the  people,  when  they  saw  it,  gave  praise  unto  God. 

Or,  saved  thee 

35.  Jericho  :  of.  on  x  30.  This  famous  city  was  opposite  the 
fords  of  Jordan,  on  the  route  by  which  pilgrims  from  Galilee  who 
would  avoid  Samaria  must  needs  take.  It  was  the  last  '  station  ' — 
some  20  miles,  or  6  hours,  distance — from  the  Holy  City. 

In  fording  the  Jordan  for  this  last  time  our  Lord  had  crossed 
His  '  Rubicon,'  and  declared  war  a  Voutrance  upon  the  powers  of 
darkness  and  their  allies. 

36.  a  multitude.  It  was  the  throng  of  Galilean  and  Peraean 
pilgrims  going  up  to  the  Passover  :  but  their  answer  shows  that 
their  interest  was  concentrated  on  Him  whom  they  accompanied 
as  much  as  upon  their  goal. 

Edersheim  {loc.  cit.)  says  that  the  inhabitants  of  cities  and  villages 
en  route  used  to  gather  in  the  streets  to  welcome  such  pilgi'ims. 

39.  son  of  David.  A  recognition  of  Messiahship  frequent  in 
St  Matthew  (who  puts  it  into  the  mouths  also  of  '  two  blind  men  ' 
at  Capernaum,  ix  27)  :  here  only  in  all  three  Synoptists  together. 
lesu,  Fili  David  miserere  was  a  frequent  petition  of  the  Church  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  and  survives  in  our  Litany  (though  some  regard  it 
there  as  a  corruption  of  the  Sarum  Fili  Dei  vivi). 

42.     Jesus  said  unto  him.     Mark  also  makes  Him  cure  with  a 
word  ;  Matthew  has  '  He  touched  '  their  eyes. 
J    43.    all  the  people  :  Luke  only.    Cf .  notes  on  v  26,  vii  16. 


(g)  XIX  1-10     The  Incident  of  ZaccJmeus 

Peculiar  to  St  Luke,  as  is  also  the  following  Parable  of  the  Pounds. 

Tliis  conspicuous  conversion  of  a  Publican  is  characteristic  of 
the  Gospel  in  which  our  Lord  appears  as  '  eating  and  drinking  '  and 
as  the  '  friend  of  Publicans  and  Sinners.'    Cf.  xv  1,  xviii  13  sq. 


XIX 1-7]  ST   LUKE  243 

XIX  And  he  entered  and  was  passing  through  Jericho. 
2  And  behold,  a  man  called  by  name  ZacchsBus  ;  and  he  was 
a  chief  publican,  and  he  was  rich.  3  And  he  sought  to  see 
Jesus  who  he  was  ;  and  could  not  for  the  crowd,  because  he 
was  little  of  stature.  4  And  he  ran  on  before,  and  climbed 
up  into  a  sycomore  tree  to  see  him  :  for  he  was  to  pass  that 
way.  5  And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up, 
and  said  unto  him,  Zacchseus,  make  haste,  and  come  down  ; 
for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house.  6  And  he  made  haste, 
and  came  down,  and  received  him  joyfully.  7  And  when 
they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured,  saying.  He  is  gone  in  to  lodge 
with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner.  8  And  Zacchseus  stood,  and 
said  unto  the  Lord,  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I 
give  to  the  poor  ;  and  if  I  have  wrongfully  exacted  aught  of 
any  man,  I  restore  fourfold.  9  And  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
To-day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house,  forasmuch  as  he  also 
is  a  son  of  Abraham.  10  For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

1.  was  passing  through  Jericho.  Presumably  He  stayed  the 
night  there.  The  scene  is  vividly  described  by  Edersheim,  L.  and  T. 
ii  351-354. 

2.  a  man  called  . .  .  ZacchoBUS.  Zakkai  =  '  just '  or  '  pure ' :  to 
his  fellow  Jews  a  mockery  of  his  life  and  calling. 

a  chief  publican  :  '  head  of  the  tax  and  customs  department ' 
(Edersheim).    An  important  official  as  well  as  a  wealthy  one. 

3.  to  see  Jesus  who  he  was.  This  seems  to  imply  that  Zacchaeus 
had  not  previously  known  Him.  But  he  had  clearly  heard  of  Him 
from  some  of  the  fraternity — perhaps  from  the  ex-publican  Matthew — 
and  of  His  gracious  kindiiess  to  publicans  in  general. 

4.  he  ran  .  .  .  and  climbed.  The  abandon  and  unseKconsciousness 
with  which  he  ignores  ridicule  is  a  sign  of  the  strength  of  his  desire 
and  of  the  potentiality  of  discipleship  within  him. 

sycomore.  See  note  on  xvii  6.  The  fig-mulberry  was  an  easy 
tree  to  climb  (cf.  Plummer,  ad  loc). 

5.  /  must  abide  at  thy  house.  Jesus  invites  Himself  to  be 
Zacchaeus'  guest  with  the  same  motive  which  had  prompted  Him 
to  beg  water  of  the  Samaritan  woman  (Jn  iv  7) — that  He  might  win 
His  way  into  the  man's  heart.  On  St  Luke's  '  Gospel  of  Hospitality,' 
see  notes  on  vii  36  and  xiv  1 . 

6.  received  him  joyfully.  A  characteristic  touch  of  the  '  Gospel 
of  Joy.' 

7.  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner.     From  this  we  may  perhaps 

16-2 


244  ST   LUKE  [XIX  7-14 

conclude(  v.  9)  that  Zacchaeus  was  not  a  heathen,  but  literally  as  well 
as — in  the  event — spiritually,  a  '  Son  of  Abraham.'  Otherwise  they 
would  surely  have  characterized  him  as  a  '  Gentile  and  a  sirmer.' 
Cf.  Gal  ii  15. 

8.  Zacclbceus  stood,  and  said  ...  '  Standing  in  Christ's  presence 
He  solemnly  makes  over  half  his  great  wealth  to  the  poor,  and  with 
the  other  half  engages  to  make  reparation  to  those  whom  he  has 
defrauded  '  (Plummer). 

/  restore  fourfold.  This  was  the  reparation  demanded  of  a  sheep- 
stealer  (Exod  xxii  1)  ;  and  what  David  regarded  as  due  from  the 
man  who  '  commandeered  '  the  poor  man's  lamb  in  Nathan's  story, 
2  Sam  xii  6.  It  is  an  implied  confession.  The  defrauder  has  become 
at  once  a  penitent,  offering  full  reparation,  and  a  liberal  almsgiver. 

10.  to  seek  and  to  save,  chc.  A  golden  saying,  preserved  only  by 
St  Luke.  Cf.  Jn  iii  17,  1  Tim  i  15.  It  describes  admirably  the 
shepherd  of  xv  3-7,  spoken  also  to  publican  listeners.  It  is  specially 
appropriate  here  if  Zacchaeus  had  been  one  of  the  '  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel '  (Mat  x  6). 

(h)  11-27    The  Parable  of  the  Pounds  (Trench,  Par.,  pp.  513-522) 

On  the  differentiation  of  this  Parable  from  that  of  the  Talents  in 
Mat  XXV  14-30,  see  Trench,  pp.  272  and  513.  The  chief  points  are 
admirably  summarized  by  Plummer  (ad  lac,  p.  437).  As  regards 
disciples,  the  fundamental  teaching  of  each  Parable  is  that  good  use 
should  be  made  of  the  gifts  entrusted  to  us  ;  but  while  the  '  Talents  ' 
refers  to  those  gifts  which  are  unequally  distributed,  the  '  Pounds  ' 
deals  with  '  those  which  all  share  alike.'  There  is  also,  in  each,  the 
suggestion  of  a  long  interval  before  the  Second  Coming,  leaving 
ample  time  for  use  or  abuse  of  responsibilities.  In  Luke's  Parable 
there  is,  in  addition,  an  interwoven  story  with  a  political  analogue 
{vv.  12,  14,  27)  and  this  is  a  warning  to  the  hostile  Jews.  It  is 
not  likely,  as  some  have  supposed,  that  St  Luke  found  two 
separate  parables  and  combined  them  into  one. 

11  And  as  they  heard  these  things,  he  added  and  spake 
a  parable,  because  he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  and  because  they 
supposed  that  the  kingdom  of  God  was  immediately  to  appear. 

12  He  said  therefore,  A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far 
country,  to  receive  for  himself  a  kingdom,   and  to  return. 

13  And  he  called  ten  Servants  of  his,  and  gave  them  ten 
^pounds,  and  said  unto  them.  Trade  ye  herewith  till  I  come. 

14  But  his  citizens  hated  him,  and  sent  an  ambassage  after 

'  Gr.  bondservants. 

*  Mina,  hero  translated  a  pound,  ie  equal  to  one  hundred  drachmas.  See 
ch.  XV  8. 


X(X  15-27]  ST   LUKE  245 

him,  saying,  We  will  not  that  this  man  reign  over  us,  15  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come  back  again,  having  received 
the  kingdom,  that  he  commanded  these  Servants,  unto 
whom  he  had  given  the  money,  to  be  called  to  him,  that  he 
might  know  what  they  had  gained  by  trading.  16  And  the 
first  came  before  him,  saying,  Lord,  thy  pound  hath  made 
ten  pounds  more.  17  And  he  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  thou 
good  ^servant  :  because  thou  wast  found  faithful  in  a  very 
little,  have  thou  authority  over  ten  cities.  18  And  the  second 
came,   saying,   Thy   pound,    Lord,    hath   made,  five   pounds. 

19  And  he  said  unto  him  also,  Be  thou  also  over  five  cities. 

20  And  Another  came,  saying.  Lord,  behold,  here  is  thy  pound, 
which  I  kept  laid  up  in  a  napkin  :  21  for  I  feared  thee,  because 
thou  art  an  austere  man  :  thou  takest  up  that  thou  layedst 
not  down,  and  reapest  that  thou  didst  not  sow.  22  He  saith 
unto  him.  Out  of  thine  own  mouth  will  I  judge  thee,  thou 
wicked  ^servant.  Thou  knewest  that  I  am  an  austere  man, 
taking  up  that  I  laid  not  down,  and  reaping  that  I  did  not 
sow  ;  23  then  wherefore  gavest  thou  not  my  money  into  the 
bank,  and  *I  at  my  coming  should  have  required  it  with 
interest  ?  24  And  he  said  unto  them  that  stood  by,  Take 
away  from  him  the  pound,  and  give  it  unto  him  that  hath  the 
ten  pounds.  25  And  they  said  unto  him.  Lord,  he  hath  ten 
pounds.  26  I  say  unto  you,  that  unto  every  one  that  hath 
shall  be  given  ;  but  from  him  that  hath  not,  even  that  which 
he  hath  shall  be  taken  away  from  him.  27  Howbeit  these 
mine  enemies,  which  would  not  that  I  should  reign  over  them, 
bring  hither,  and  slay  them  before  me. 

»  Gr.  bondservants.  2  q^  bondservant.  ^  Gr.  the  other. 

*  Or,  /  should  have  gone  and  required 

11.  as  they  heard  these  things  :  therefore,  before  He  left  Jericho. 
because  he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem  :    and  Jewish  hostility  was 

coming  to  a  crisis.  This  accounts  for  the  '  political '  or  '  warning  ' 
element  in  the  parable. 

because  they  supposed.  This  accounts  for  the  main  body  of  the 
parable,  and,  in  particular,  the  lesson  of  patient  waiting  for  the 
Return,  and  active,  responsible  service  in  the  interval. 

12.  A  certain  nobleman.  The  details  would  be  unaccountable 
had  we  not  the  key  in  Josephus,  Ant.  XVII  viii  1,  ix  1-3,  xi  1-4  ; 
B.J.    II   ii   4-7.      Archelaus   (like   his  father,  Herod   the   Great) 


246  ST   LUKE  [XIX  12-26 

journeyed  to  Rome  to  '  receive  '  from  Augustus  the  '  kingdom ' 
left  him  by  that  father's  will.  His  subjects,  meanwhile,  revolted, 
and  sent  an  embassy  to  Rome  to  oppose  his  claims.  The  embassy 
was  only  successful  in  so  far  as  Archelaus  was  given  the  lower  title 
of  '  Ethnarch  '  and  put  on  probation.  This  happened  in  4  b.  c, 
some  30  years  before  our  Lord  speaks. 

13.  gave  them  ten  'pounds.  See  note  on  xv  8.  Here  the  /xvu 
represents  a  sum  equal  to  100  drachmae,  rather  less  than  £4  of  our 
money,  but  with  a  much  larger  purchasing  power. 

This  is  one  of  the  decisive  points  of  difference  between  this 
Parable  and  the  Talents.  Here  the  lord  gives  a  comparatively 
small  (and  equal)  sum  to  each  of  his  household  slaves,  as  a  test  of 
faithfulness  and  capacity  :  there  he  divides  up  his  whole  property 
and  distributes  vast  sums  (the  talent  =  at  least  60  '  pounds  ')  in 
different  proportions  to  each  of  three,  '  according  to  his  several 
ability.' 

Trade  ye.  '  Carry  on  business  ' — make  the  fullest  possible  use 
of  the  resources  entrusted  to  you,  and  develop  them  to  the  utmost. 

14.  But  his  citizens.  Here  comes  in  the  '  political '  strain  in  the 
parable.  The  facts  of  Archelaus' s  life  are  used  to  symbolize  the 
hostility  of  the  Jews  to  their  rightful  spiritual  king,  Messiah.  The 
'  citizens '  (in  v.  27  '  enemies  ')  represent  the  hostile  Jews  ;  the 
'  slaves  '  the  disciples. 

15.  received  the  kingdom.  Augustus  confirmed  Archelaus  in  his 
rule,  and  he  returned  to  take  it  up  :  even  so  shall  the  '  Son  of  David  ' 
be  confirmed  in  His  kingdom. 

17.  have  thou  authority  over  ten  cities.  This  reward,  consisting 
in  higher  responsibilities,  is  only  hinted  at  in  the  '  Talents.' 

20.  another  came.  Only  three  are  instanced  as  examples  of 
the  ten. 

Lord,  behold,  here  is  thy  pound.  This  is  the  point  which  supplies 
the  strongest  argument  for  the  original  identity  of  the  two  parables. 
The  whole  of  vv.  20-25  (with  the  exception  of  the  '  interrupting 
verse  '  25)  is  in  detailed  correspondence  with  Mat  xxv  24  sqq. 

24.  Take  away  from  him.  This  judgement  represents,  or  is 
based  on,  a  law  governing  all  life.  Those  powers  and  faculties  which 
we  fail  to  use  and  develop  gradually  disappear — become  '  atrophied.' 

give  it  unto  him.  Again  symbolizing  a  '  natural  law.'  See  on  v.  26. 

25.  they  said  unto  him.  '  They  '  are  probably  the  eager  listeners, 
who  here  interrupt  our  Lord.    A  striking  and  graphic  touch. 

26.  /  say  unto  you,  will  be  our  Lord's  answer  to  v.  25  ;  in  which 
case  the  person  changes  again  in  v.  27,  for  there  the  '  King  '  of  the 
Parable  is  certainly  speaking. 

unto  every  one  that  hath,  d;c.  This  is  one  of  St  Luke's  '  doublets  ' 
(Hawkins,  OxJ.  Stud.,  p.  34).  He  has  given  it  already  at  viii  18 
(parallel  to  Mk  iv  25  and  almost  to  Mat  xiii  12).  St  Matthew  has  it 
also  at  the  end  of  the  Parable  of  the  Talents.  We  may  take  it  as 
certain  that  this  was  a  characteristic  utterance  of  Christ  often 


XIX  27-XXill  56]  ST   LUKE  247 

repeated.    It  expresses  in  pithy  form  a  '  natural  law  '  which  holds 
good  '  in  the  spiritual  world.' 

27.  these  mine  enemies,  ^c.  :  cf.  Josephus,  B.J .  II  vii  3.  '  And 
now  Archelaus  took  possession  of  his  ethnarchy,  and  used  not  the 
Jews  only,  but  the  Samaritans  also,  barbarously  ;  and  this  out  of 
his  resentment  of  their  old  quarrels  with  him.'  A  part  of  the 
'  historical  setting '  of  the  Parable  ;  but  containing  a  terrible 
warning  to  the  Jews  (by  way  of  spiritual  analogy)  to  make  peace 
with  the  Messiah  ere  it  be  too  late  to  plead  for  mercy. 

28.  he  went  on  before.  The  announcement  of  this  departure  from 
Jericho  (anticipated  by  the  '  refrain  '  in  ix  52,  &c.)  ushers  in  the 
Story  of  the  Passion. 

XIX   28— XXIII    56      THE    STORY    OF    THE    PASSION 
(cf.  Mat  xxi  1— xxvii  66,  Mk  xi  1— xv  47,  Jn  xii  12— xix  42) 

Here  all  four  Gospels  draw  together,  and  the  fourth  has  more 
parallels  with  the  Synoptists  than  elsewhere.  Of  the  Synoptists 
St  Luke  is  decidedly  the  most  distinctive.  Some  of  the  most 
precious  features  of  the  Passion  Story  are  due  to  him  :  the  Lament 
over  Jerusalem  on  Palm  Sunday  (xix  43  and  44),  the  Teaching  on 
Humility  at  the  Last  Supper  (xxii  24  sqq.),  the  Angel  in  the  Garden 
and  the  Bloody  Sweat  (if  genuine,  xxii  43,  44,  see  notes),  the  Episode 
of  the  '  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  '  (xxiii  27  sqq.),  and  the  First, 
Second,  and  Seventh  of  the  Seven  Words  from  the  Cross  (xxiii  34, 
43,  46). 

St  Luke's  practical  independence  of  Mark  and  apparently  com- 
plete independence  of  Q  in  this  part  of  his  Gospel  is  claimed  by 
Sir  John  Hawkins  after  a  minute  study  of  the  nucleus  of  the  Passion 
narrative,  Lk  xxii  14 — xxiv  10  (OxJ.  Stud.,  pp.  76-94),  comparing 
these  123  verses  with  the  346  earlier  in  the  Gospel  which  are 
'  founded  in  some  sense  on  the  Marcan  basis,'  as  regards  {a)  changes 
in  phraseology,  (6)  introduction  of  new  matter,  (c)  transpositions 
and  inversions.  All  these,  he  finds,  point  to  the  conclusion  of  an 
oral  Gospel — probably  the  oral  teaching  of  Luke  the  '  fellow- 
worker  '  of  St  Paul  (cf .  Philem  24),  founded  originally  on  the  Marcan 
outline.  The  Passion  was  clearly  the  central  subject  of  St  Paul's 
preaching  (1  Cor  i  17,  23,  ii  2,  xv  3).  There  is  in  St  Paul's  speeches 
in  Acts  no  parallel  to  Ac  ii  22,  x  38.  Finally,  any  preacher  of  to-day 
will  find  himself  using  St  Luke's  additions  to  the  Passion  narrative 
far  more  often  than  the  Matthaean  additions. 

Dr  Vernon  Bartlet  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  336)  thinks  that  the  first  place 
here  was  given  to  a  vivid  narrative  supplied  by  Philip  the  Evangelist. 

Professor  C.  H.  Turner  (see  notes  on  xxiii  50,  53)  thinks  that  the 
phenomena  of  the  narrative  of  the  Entombment  were  derived  at  first- 
hand from  Joanna,  but  that  St  Luke  had  seen  the  first  Gospel  when 
his  own  was  very  near  completion,  and  borrowed  from  it  '  just 
a  touch  here  and  there.' 


248  ST   LUKE  [XIX  28-XXlll  56 

We  may  divide  this  section  of  the  Gospel  into  four  parts  : 

(1)  xix  28 — xxi  38.      From  the  Triumphal  Entry  to  the  Betrayal. 

(2)  xxii  1-53.  From  the  Betrayal  to  the  Arrest. 

(3)  xxii  54— xxiii  32.  The  Trials— The  Way  of  the  Cross. 

(4)  xxiii  33-56.  The  Crucifixion  and  Entombment. 


(1)  XIX  28— XXI  38    The  Triumphal  Entry  to  the  Betrayal 

(a)  Palm  Sunday  (xix  28-48)  :  the  Triumphal  Entry  (xix  28-44) ; 
the  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  and  Teaching  therein  (xix  45-48). 

(6)  Last  Days  of  Public  Teaching  (xx  1 — xxi  4)  :  the  Question  of 
Authority  (xx  1-8)  ;  the  Parable  of  the  Vineyard  (xx  9-18)  ;  the 
Question  of  Tribute  (xx  19-26)  ;  the  Question  of  the  Resurrection 
(xx  27-40)  ;  Christ's  own  Question  (xx  41-44) ;  Warning  against  the 
Scribes  (xx  45-47)  ;  the  Widow's  Offering  (xxi  1-4). 

(c)  The  Great  Prophecy  of  the  End  (xxi  5-38)  :  the  Doom  of  the 
Temple — False  Signs  (xxi  5-9)  ;  Troubles  to  Come  (xxi  10-19)  ; 
the  Doom  of  the  Holy  City  (xxi  20-24)  ;  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man  (xxi  25-27)  ;  Practical  Application — Lesson  of  the  Fig-tree 
(xxi  28-33)  ;  Warning  to  be  Ready  (xxi  34-36). 

{d)  Farewell  to  the  Temple  (xxi  37,  38). 

(2)  XXII  1-53    From  the  Betrayal  to  the  Arrest 

(a)  The  Betrayal  (xxii  1-6). 

(6)  The  Last  Supper  (xxii  7-38)  :  the  Preparation  (xxii  7-13)  ; 
the  Supper — Institution  of  the  Eucharist  (xxii  14-23)  ;  the  Lesson 
of  Humility  (xxii  24-30)  ;  Warnings  after  Supper  (xxii  31-38). 

(c)  Gethsemane :  [The  Agony  and  Bloody  Sweat  (xxii  39-46)]. 

{d)  The  Arrest :  Healing  of  Malchus's  Ear  (xxii  47-53). 

(3)  XXII  54— XXIII  32      The  Trials— The  Way  of  the  Cross 

(a)  First  Jewish  Trial — St  Peter's  Denial  (xxii  54-65). 
(6)  Second  Jewish  Trial — the  Great  Confession  (xxii  66-71). 
(c)  Roman  Trial,  before  Pilate  (xxiii  1-7). 
(rf)  Christ  Before  Herod  (xxiii  8-12). 

(e)  Roman  Trial  Resumed — Pilate's  Condemnation  (xxiii  13-25). 
(/)  The  Way  to  Calvary  (xxiii  26-32) :  Simon  of  Cyrene  (xxiii  26) ; 
Daughters  of  Jerusalem  (xxiii  27-31)  ;  Two  Malefactors  (xxiii  32). 

(4)  XXIII  33-56    The  Death  and  Burial 

(a)  The  Crucifixion  and  Death  (xxiii  33-49)  ;  Christ  Crucified 
(xxiii  33-38)  ;  the  Penitent  Robber  (xxiii  39-43)  ;  the  Darkness 
(xxiii  44,  45)  ;  the  End  (xxiii  46-49). 

(6)  Tlie  Entombment  (xxiii  50-56). 


XIX  28, 29]  ST   LUKE  249 

(1 )  XIX  28— XXI 38   From  the  Triumphal  Entry  to  the  Betrayal 

(a)  XIX  28-48    Palm  Sunday 

Contrary  to  the  other  two  Synoptists  St  Luke  seems  to  put  the 
entry  into  Jerusalem  and  the  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  on  the  same 
day.    The  cleansing  probably  belongs  to  the  following  day. 

28  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  went  on  before, 
going  up  to  Jerusalem. 

29  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  drew  nigh  unto  Beth 
phage  and  Bethany,  at  the  mount  that  is  called  the  mount  of 
Olives,  he  sent  two  of  the  disciples,  30  saying,  Go  your  way 
into  the  village  over  against  you  ;  in  the  which  as  ye  enter  ye 
shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  no  man  ever  yet  sat  :  loose  him, 
and  bring  him.  31  And  if  any  one  ask  you,  Why  do  ye  loose 
him  ?  thus  shall  ye  say.  The  Lord  hath  need  of  him.  32  And 
they  that  were  sent  went  away,  and  found  even  as  he  had 
said  unto  them.  33  And  as  they  were  loosing  the  colt,  the 
owners  thereof  said  unto  them,  Why  loose  ye  the  colt  ?  34  And 
they  said,  The  Lord  hath  need  of  him.  35  And  they  brought 
him  to  Jesus  :  and  they  threw  their  garments  upon  the  colt, 
and  set  Jesus  thereon.  36  And  as  he  went,  they  spread  their 
garments  in  the  way.  37  And  as  he  was  now  drawing  nigh, 
even  at  the  descent  of  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  whole  multitude 
of  the  disciples  began  to  rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a  loud 
voice  for  all  the  ^mighty  works  which  they  had  seen  ;  38  saying, 
Blessed  is  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the  highest.  39  And  some  of 
the  Pharisees  from  the  multitude  said  unto  him,  ^Master, 
rebuke  thy  disciples.  40  And  he  answered  and  said,  I  tell 
you  that,  if  these  shall  hold  their  peace,  the  stones  will  cry  out. 

*  Gr.  powers  *  Or,  Teacher 

28.  going  up  to  Jerusalem :  from  Jericho.  Here  He  traverses 
the  scene  of  the  '  Good  Samaritan  '  (x  30  sqq.),  on  His  way  to  con- 
summate the  rescue  of  forlorn  humanity  at  the  price  of  His  own 
death. 

29.  Bethphage  and  Bethany.  On  Bethany  see  note  on  x  38.  It 
is  remarkable  that  while  the  visit  to  Mary  and  Martha  in  an  un- 
named village  follows  immediately  on  the  story  about  the  Jerusalem- 
Jericho  road,  St  Luke's  first  mention  of  Bethany  follows  the  mention 


250  ST   LUKE  [Xix  30-41 

of  His  journey  from  Jericho  towards  Jerusalem.    Beihphage  is,  so  far, 
unidentified. 

30.  a  colt . .  .  whereon  no  man  ever  yet  sat.  Evidently  a  deliberate 
intention  on  our  Lord's  part  to  fulfil  literally  Zech  ix  9  (which  is 
cited  at  this  point  in  Mat  xxi  6)  .  .  .  '  riding  upon  an  ass,  even  upon 
a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass ' ;  cf.  also  Genxlix  11.  Papini  (p.  358)  con- 
siders that  the  unbroken  colt  recalls  the  spirit  and  dignity  of  the 
'  wild-ass  '  of  the  O.T.,  and  contributes  to  the  triumphal  rather 
than  to  the  humble  character  of  the  procession.  There  is,  in  any 
case,  a  sort  of  virginal  appropriateness  in  the  first  use  of  the  animal, 
like  that  of  the  cattle  '  on  which '  had  '  come  no  yoke,'  to  draw  the 
Ark  of  God  (1  Sam  vi  7). 

31.  thus  shall  ye  say,  The  Lord  hath  need  of  him.  It  is  impossible 
to  say  whether  this  implies  more  than  human  insight  into  the  facts 
of  the  situation,  or  simply  a  previous  private  arrangement  with  the 
owner.    So  too  with  the  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  in  xxii  10. 

33.  the  owners,  i.  e.  the  owner  and  his  friends  (?).  Mark  has 
'  certain  of  them  that  stood  by.' 

36.  spread  their  garments.  All  three  Synoptists  mention  this 
mark  of  homage.  Luke  says  nothing  of  the  '  palm  branches  '  which 
have  given  the  name  to  the  day  (Mat,  Mk).  John  (xii  13)  speaks 
of  a  crowd  with  palm-branches  coming  out  of  the  city  to  meet  Him. 

37.  to  rejoice  and  to  praise  God.  The  description  of  the  en- 
thusiasm characteristic  of  St  Luke  (cf .  xiii  17,  xviii  43)  ;  Matthew 
and  Mark  only  mention  the  formal  utterance.  Among  the  '  mighty 
works  '  will  be  the  healing  of  Bartimaeus  (Lk)  and  the  Raising  of 
Lazarus  (Jn  xii  18). 

38.  peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the  highest :  cf .  the  '  glory '  and 
'  peace  '  of  the  angel  choir  (ii  14),  to  the  accomplishment  of  which 
the  Evangelist  sees  Him  moving.  The  cries  are  thus  reported  by  the 
other  two  Synoptists. 


Mk  xi  9, 10 
Hosanna ;  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh 

in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
Blessed  is  the  kingdom  that  cometh, 

the  kingdom  of  our  father  David  : 
Hosanna  in  the  highest. 


Mat  xxi  9 
Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David  : 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the 

name  of  the  Lord  ; 
Hosanna  in  the  highest. 


39.  some  of  the  Pharisees.  St  Matthew  puts  this  protest  later, 
ascribing  it  to  the  '  Chief  Priests  and  Scribes  '  when  the  children 
were  singing  in  the  Temple  (xxi  15)  in  the  same  strain. 

40.  the  stones  will  cry  out :  a  proverbial  expression.  Cf .  Hab  ii  1 1 
'  the  stone  shall  cry  out  of  the  wall,  and  the  beam  out  of  the  timber 
shall  answer  it.' 

41-44.  Lamentation  over  Jerusalem.  This  is  one  of  St 
Luke's  additions  to  our  knowledge  of  the  Passion  Story.  There  is 
nothing  corresponding  to  it  in  Mat  xxi,  Mk  xi,  or  Jn  xii.  Apart 
from  the  unmatched  pathos  of  the  picture  and  what  it  involves, 
there  are  two  special  points  of  interest  to  be  observed  :    (a)  the 


XIX  41 -44]  ST   LUKE  251 

apparent  '  doublet.'  The  previous  lament,  xiii  34,  35,  is  the  true 
parallel  to  Mat  xxiii  37-39,  though  differently  placed.  We  may 
trust  St  Luke's  accuracy  here.  (6)  There  are  the  details  of  the 
prediction,  which  have  been  arraigned  again  and  again  as  too  near 
the  facts  of  a.  d.  70  to  be  anything  but  a  vaticinium  post  eventum. 
Cf.  note  on  xxi  2L 

41  And  when  he  drew  nigh,  he  saw  the  city  and  wept  over 
it,  42  saying,  ^If  thou  hadst  known  in  this  day,  even  thou, 
the  things  which  belong  unto  peace  !  but  now  they  are  hid 
from  thine  eyes.  43  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  when 
thine  enemies  shall  cast  up  a  ^bank  about  thee,  and  compass 
thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  44  and  shall  dash 
thee  to  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee  ;  and  they 
shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another  ;  because  thou 
knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation. 

*  Or,  0  that  thou  hadst  known  *  Gr.  palisade. 

43.  For  the  days  shall  come,  d;c.  :  better,  '  There  shall  come 
days.'  The  phraseology  of  this  passage  has  been  regarded  by  some 
as  so  substantially  true  to  the  facts  of  the  Roman  siege  as  to  proclaim 
the  utterance  a  '  prophecy  after  the  event,'  and  so  a  sign  that  the 
whole  Gospel  is  to  be  dated  after  a.  d.  70  (cf.  note  on  xxi  20). 

Dr  Nairne  {Epistle  of  Priesthood,  p.  108)  judges  otherwise.  '  The 
foreseeing  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  .  .  .  was  but  a  part  of  the  common 
sense  of  all  shrewd  observers  of  those  times.'  As  for  the  details,  a 
glance  at  references  to  sieges  in  the  O.T,,  e.  g,  2  Kgs  xxv  1,  Eccl 
ix  14,  Isa  xxix  3,  xxxvii  33,  Ezek  iv  2,  xvii  17,  xxvi  8,  Hos  xiv  1, 
will  show  what  a  large  proportion  of  St  Luke's  phraseology  is  found 
in  the  LXX  with  which  he  was  familiar.  One  passage  presents  so 
remarkable  a  parallel  that  we  exhibit  it  here  side  by  side  with  the 
text  of  St  Luke. 

Lk  xix  43.  Ezek  iv  2, 

TrapffipaXovrnv  ol  ex^P"'  "'Of  xo/"*«a  coi  7rfpi0a\(ti  kit'  avr^v  xapana  Koi  Swaeis 

itai  vepiKVK\6jaova'iv  cre  .  .  .  itAvroOtv.  in*  avr^v  -naptn^oXas. 

Cf.  Ezek  xxvi  8. 
Koi  noiTjfffi  ini  ae  Kii/c\a>  x^po-i^^^- 

Isa  xxix  3  is  also  strikingly  parallel. 

44.  and  shall  dash  thee  .  .  .  and  thy  children  :  cf .  Ps  cxxxvii  9 
where  the  same  verb  eSa^t^ttv  is  used.  Is  it  a  conscious  reference  : 
'  Thou  shalt  be  treated  like  Babylon  '  ? 

shall  not  leave  .  .  .  one  stone,  <fec.  So  all  three  Synoptists.  The 
phrase  is  naturally  repeated  in  xxi  6. 

the  time  of  thy  visitation.  The  visitation  already  referred  to  by 
Zacharias  in  his  Benedictus  (i  68).  It  includes  the  whole  period  since 
the  Nativity  of  Christ ;    more  especially  since  the  Baptist's  call. 


252  ST   LUKE  [XIX  44-46 

and  most  particularly,  within  the  Ministry,  the  visits  to  Jerusalem 
recorded  by  St  John  and  possibly  reflected  in  St  Luke's  narrative. 
Cf .  xiii  34  and  note. 

On  the  Triumphal  Entry  in  Art  see  Jameson,  Hist,  of  O.  L., 
vol.  ii,  pp.  6-10.  Mrs  Jameson  reproduces  a  representation  from 
an  ancient  sarcophagus,  another  from  an  early  miniature,  and  a 
drawing  by  Taddeo  Gaddi,  which  Mrs  Jenner,  Christ  in  Art,  p.  88, 
describes  as  *  one  of  the  most  adequate  and  beautiful  renderings 
of  the  subject.'     P.  L.  W.  {Passion)  gives  Era  Angelico. 

45-48.  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  and  Teaching  therein. 
According  to  Jn  ii  14-22  He  had  '  cleansed  the  Temple  '  once  before, 
in  that  early  Judaean  Ministry  which  lies  outside  the  Synoptic  record. 
If  so,  the  effect  of  that  first  cleansing  had  worn  off,  and  the  old 
trafficking  had  been  resumed.  With  added  indignation  He  repeats 
act  of  two  and  a  half  years  before. 

Matthew  and  Mark  are  probably  right  in  postponing  this  episode 
till  the  Monday  in  Holy  Week. 

The  boldness  of  the  Triumphal  Entry  is  only  exceeded  by  this 
action,  within  the  Temple  precincts,  of  one  whom  the  members 
of  the  Sanhedrin  had  already  devoted  to  death.  In  the  procession 
He  was  conducted  ;  here  He  conducts,  and  leads  the  assault  upon 
the  citadel  of  Mammon  (cf .  Papini,  p.  364).  It  is  left  to  Titus,  says 
Papini  (p.  363),  to  dismantle,  burn,  and  loot :  but  this  is  the  true 
'  destruction  of  the  Temple.'  By  this  act  He  wounds  20,000  priests, 
and  scatters  their  commercial  associates.  Faced  by  a  common  ruin 
they  unite  to  purchase — a  traitor  and  a  cross  {ib.,  p.  368). 

45  And  he  entered  into  the  temple,  and  began  to  cast 
out  them  that  sold,  46  saying  unto  them,  It  is  written,  And 
my  house  shall  be  a  house  of  prayer  :  but  ye  have  made  it 
a  den  of  robbers. 

47  And  he  was  teaching  daily  in  the  temple.  But  the 
chief  priests  and  the  scribes  and  the  principal  men  of  the 
people  sought  to  destroy  him  :  48  and  they  could  not  find 
what  they  might  do  ;  for  the  people  all  hung  upon  him, 
listening. 

45.  And  he  entered  into  the  temple,  tfcc.  St  Luke's  omission  here — 
of  details  such  as  buyers,  money-changers,  dove-sellers,  and  the 
carrying  of  vessels  (Mk  xi  15,  16) — is  strong  evidence  that  he  is  not 
using  the  Marcan  source  as  his  basis.  Cf.  initial  note  on  xix  28 — 
xxiii  56. 

46.  //  is  written.    Isa  Ivi  7  ;  cf.  Jer  vii  11, 

den  of  robbers.  The  phrase  is  in  all  three  Synoptists  here,  and  when 
compared  with  the  phrase  of  Jn  ii  16 — '  a  house  of  merchandise  ' — 
shows  the  '  added  indignation  '  spoken  of  above. 


XIX47-XXI4]  ST   LUKE  253 

47,  48.  Compare  xxi  37,  38.  The  two  passages  mark  the 
beginning  and  end  of  the  last  days  of  public  teaching.  Mk  xi  18,  19 
gives  substantially  the  same  record,  though  there  is  great  difference 
of  phraseology.  Mark  says  that  every  evening  He  went  forth  out 
of  the  city,  and  Matthew  specifies  to  Bethany,  while  Luke  (xxi  37) 
speaks  as  though  He  bivouacked  on  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

47.  was  teaching  daily,  i.  e.  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  possibly 
Wednesday  (see  note  on  xxi  37).  The  popularity  of  this  teaching 
is  brought  out  here  :  '  the  people  all  hung  upon  him,  listening,'  and 
in  xxi  38  '  all  the  people  came  early  in  the  morning  .  .  .' 

(b)  XX  1 — XXI  4    Last  Days  of  Public  Teaching  (Tuesday  and 

Wednesday  (?)) 

Matthew  and  Mark  give  at  this  point  the  story  of  the  Withering 
of  the  Fig-tree,  an  '  acted  parable,'  which  perhaps  consciously 
looks  back  to  the  spoken  parable  of  Lk  xiii  6-9.  St  Luke,  who 
alone  records  that,  has  no  need  here  to  repeat  an  episode  with 
precisely  the  same  lesson.  Cf.  Luke's  omission  of  the  Feast  in 
Simon's  House  (Mat  xxvi  6  sqq.,  Mk  xiv  3  sqq.).  See  note  on 
xxii  1-53,  and  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  69. 

1-8.  The  Question  op  Authority  :  Mat  xxi  23-27,  Mk  xi 
27-33.  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week  is  '  The  Day  of  Questions.'  The 
first  of  these  is  put  by  the  '  Chief  Priests,  Scribes  and  Elders,' 
doubtless  after  an  informal  meeting  of  the  authorities  in  the  early 
morning  (Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  381-383),  their  object  being  to  con- 
front Jesus  when  He  had  a  fresh  audience  about  Him,  before  they 
had  become  too  much  attracted  by  the  spell  of  His  teaching. 

XX  And  it  came  to  pass,  on  one  of  the  days,  as  he  was 
teaching  the  people  in  the  temple,  and  preaching  the  gospel, 
there  came  upon  him  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  with 
the  elders  ;  2  and  they  spake,  saying  unto  him,  Tell  us  : 
By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  ?  or  who  is  he  that 
gave  thee  this  authority  ?  3  And  he  answered  and  said  unto 
them,  I  also  will  ask  you  a  ^question  ;  and  tell  me  :  4  The 
baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven,  or  from  men  ?  5  And 
they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall  say,  From 
heaven ;  he  will  say,  Why  did  ye  not  believe  him  ?  6  But 
if  we  shall  say,  From  men  ;  all  the  people  will  stone  us  :  for 
they  be  persuaded  that  John  was  a  prophet.  7  And  they 
answered,  that  they  knew  not  whence  it  was.  8  And  Jesus 
said  unto  them.  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these 
things. 

*  Gr.  word. 


254  ST   LUKE  [XX2-12 

2.  Tell  us  :  By  what  auifwrity  doest  thou  these  things  ?  Referring 
probably  (a)  to  the  cleansing  of  the  Temple,  and  certainly  (6)  to 
His  daily  systematic  instruction  within  the  precincts.  His  Triumphal 
Entry  and  expulsion  of  the  traffickers  had  made  Him  the  central 
figure  in  Jerusalem.  The  crowds  that  assembled  to  listen  to  Him 
first  thing  each  morning  constituted  Him  a  public  Teacher.  He 
could  no  longer  pose  as  an  occasional  and  unconventional  instructor, 
a  '  Haggadist,  or  teller  of  legends  '  :  and  a  Rabbi  must  qualify,  be 
chosen,  and  be  '  ordained  '  (Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  382). 

3.  I  also  will  ask  you,  <fcc.  Here,  as  often  (cf .,  e.  g.,  x  26),  our  Lord 
throws  back  the  questioners  on  themselves  by  putting  a  counter- 
question.  This  time  the  object  is  not  only  to  make  them  think, 
but  to  silence  them.  In  naming  John  the  Baptist  He  gives  His 
credentials  and  names  the  Source  from  which  His  authority  is 
derived.  If  John's  commission  was  '  from  Heaven,'  then  clearly 
the  '  Coming  One  '  whom  He  announced  drew  His  authority  from 
Heaven  too. 

6.  all  the  people  will  stone  us.  They  had  come  up  thus  early 
hoping  to  infuriate  the  mob  against  Jesus  as  their  brethren  after- 
wards did  against  Paul  (Ac  xxi  27)  and  get  them  to  stone  Him ; 
cf .  Jn  viii  59.  But  now  they  feared  for  themselves  :  the  crowd  was 
already  showing  signs  of  taking  sides  against  them. 

7.  they  knew  not  whence  it  was.  The  religious  leaders  of  Judaism 
confessed  that  they  had  not  made  up  their  minds  on  the  most 
burning  religious  question  not  only  of  the  last  three  years  but  of 
countless  centuries.  Their  cowardly  answer  may  have  been  grossly 
dishonest :   but,  true  or  false,  it  efEectually  put  them  in  the  ^v^ong. 

9-18.  The  Pabable  of  the  Vineyard,  or  The  Wicked 
Husbandmen  :  Mat  xxi  33-46,  Mk  xii  1-12.  Trench,  Par.,  pp.  199- 
218.  The  variations  in  Matthew  and  Luke  point  to  a  non-Marcan 
source ;  but  there  is  substantial  identity,  and  the  interweaving  of  the 
quotation  from  Ps  cxviii  22  appears  in  the  same  place  in  each.  The 
hearers — especially  with  the  details  of  hedge  and  wine-press  and 
tower  which  appear  in  Matthew  and  Mark — would  at  once  recall 
the  Vineyard  of  Isa  v  1-7,  and  mark  out  the  subject  of  the  story  as 
*  the  House  of  Israel '  and  '  the  Men  of  Judah  '  (Isa  v  7). 

9  And  he  began  to  speak  unto  the  people  this  parable  : 
A  man  planted  a  vineyard,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and 
went  into  another  country  for  a  long  time.  10  And  at  the 
season  he  sent  unto  the  husbandmen  a  ^servant,  that  they 
should  give  him  of  the  fruit  of  the  vineyard  :  but  the  husband- 
men beat  him,  and  sent  him  away  empty.  11  And  he  sent 
yet  another  Servant  :  and  him  also  they  beat,  and  handled 
him  shamefully,  and  sent  him  away  cmpt3\     12  And  he  sent 

'  Gr.  bondservant. 


XX  9-13]  ST   LUKE  255 

yet  a  third  :   and  him  also  they  wounded,  and  cast  him  forth. 

13  And  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  said,  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  will 
send  my  beloved  son  :    it  may  be  they  will  reverence  him. 

14  But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  him,  they  reasoned  one 
with  another,  saying,  This  is  the  heir  :  let  us  kill  him,  that 
the  inheritance  may  be  ours.  15  And  they  cast  him  forth 
out  of  the  vineyard,  and  killed  him.  What  therefore  will  the 
lord  of  the  vineyard  do  unto  them  ?  16  He  will  come  and 
destroy  these  husbandmen,  and  wiU  give  the  vineyard  unto 
others.     And  when  they  heard  it,  they  said,  ^God  forbid. 

17  But  he  looked  upon  them,  and  said,  What  then  is  this  that 
is  written. 

The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected, 

The  same  was  made  the  head  of  the  corner  ? 

18  Every  one  that  falleth  on  that  stone  shall  be  broken  to 
pieces  ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  scatter  him  as 
dust. 

*  Gr.  Be  it  not  so. 

9.  A  man  planted  a  vineyard,  Cf .  the  '  certain  man  '  of  many 
parables  (e.  g.  xv  11).    The  planter  is  the  Almighty  ;  cf.  Ps  Ixxx  8  : 

Thou  broughtest  a  vine  out  of  Egypt: 

Thou  didst  drive  out  the  nations,  and  plantedst  it. 

10.  at  the  season.  The  vintage  season  of  the  fifth  year  after 
planting  according  to  the  rule  of  Lev  xix  23-25.  This  would  leave 
time  for  the  tenants  to  develop  a  sense  of  absolute  ownership. 

sent . .  .  a  servant.  In  Matthew  and  Mark  the  servants  are  sent  in 
groups  and  are  treated  variously,  some  of  them  killed :  in  Luke 
{vv.  10-12),  three  are  sent  in  succession,  and  each  is  treated  with 
greater  brutality  :  but  the  climax  of  murder  is  reserved  for  the  son. 
The  servants  are,  of  course,  the  prophets ;  cf.  xi  49-51,  xiii  33,  34. 

that  they  should  give  him  of  the  fruit :  according  to  the  metayer 
system  still  in  vogue  in  parts  of  France  and  Italy  (though  gradually 
dying  out  in  the  latter),  by  which,  instead  of  rent,  the  tenant  pays 
the  owner  a  proportion  of  the  produce. 

13.  my  beloved  son.  That  He  meant  Himself  would  probably 
be  clear  to  not  a  few  of  the  listeners  :  certainly  to  Peter,  John,  and 
James  (cf .  ix  35).  He  had  been  so  designated  at  His  baptism  (iii  22), 
but  not  to  the  world  in  general.  If  we  may  trust  as  historical  the 
impression  left  on  us  by  the  fourth  Gospel,  the  leaders  of  the  Jews 
also  would  be  familiar  with  His  claim,  and  recognize  that  He  was 
speaking  of  Himself. 

it  may  be  they  will  reverence  him.  Our  Lord  thus  puts  Himself 
on  a  different  level  from  the  prophets. 


256  ST   LUKE  [XX 14-26 

15.  cast  him  forth.  So  Jesus  suffered  '  without  the  gate,' 
Heb  xiii  12  ;  of .  Jn  xix  17.  Incidentally  a  great  deal  of  controversy 
as  to  the  exact  site  of  the  Crucifixion  has  turned  on  the  position  of 
the  wall  of  Jerusalem  at  that  date. 

16.  He  will  come  and  destroy  .  .  .  Matthew  has  a  more  dramatic 
point  here.  The  question  is  answered  not  by  our  Lord  Himself,  but 
by  the  crowd.    '  They  say  unto  him  :  He  will  miserably  destroy,  &c.' 

God  forbid,  /if]  ycVotro — expression  of  incredulous  dismay.  This 
is  a  characteristic  phrase  of  St  Paul's  and  may  be  a  reflection 
of  St  Luke's  companionship  with  him  (Hawkins,  Hor.  Syn.,  p.  197). 
Here  it  represents  an  interruption  on  the  part  of  the  listeners  like 
the  '  Lord,  he  hath  ten  pounds  '  of  xix  25.  St  Matthew  (xxi  41) 
brings  in  the  listeners  earlier  (see  preceding  note).  Is  it  not  possible 
that  we  have  here  two  actual  utterances  of  the  audience  ?  One  is 
an  answer  to  our  Lord's  question  as  phrased  in  St  Matthew,  by 
those  whose  whole  attention  is  absorbed  in  the  development  of  the 
story  ;  the  other  a  counter-cry  from  those  who  are  more  interested 
in  the  (to  them)  obvious  application  of  the  story,  and  realize  at  once 
what  an  appalling  catastrophe  to  Judaism  the  glib  answer  of  their 
fellows  forebodes. 

19-26.  The  Question  op  Tribute  :  Mat  xxii  15-22,  Mk  xii 
13-17.  See  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  383-386.  Verse  19  connects  it 
closely  with  the  preceding  parable ;  which  it  also  follows  immediately 
in  Mark,  with  a  similar  but  shorter  link. 


19  And  the  scribes  and  the  chief  priests  sought  to  lay 
hands  on  him  in  that  very  hour  ;  and  they  feared  the  people  : 
for  they  perceived  that  he  spake  this  parable  against  them. 
20  And  they  watched  him,  and  sent  forth  spies,  which  feigned 
themselves  to  be  righteous,  that  they  might  take  hold  of  his 
speech,  so  as  to  deliver  him  up  to  the  rule  and  to  the  authority 
of  the  governor.  21  And  they  asked  him,  saying,  ^Master, 
we  know  that  thou  sayest  and  teachest  rightly,  and  acceptest 
not  the  person  of  any,  but  of  a  truth  teachest  the  way  of  God  : 

22  Is  it  lawful  for  us  to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar,  or  not  ? 

23  But  he  perceived  their  craftiness,  and  said  unto  them, 

24  Shew  me  a  ^penny.  Whose  image  and  superscription  hath 
it  ?  And  they  said,  Caesar's.  25  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Then  render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's.  26  And  they  were  not  able  to 
take  hold  of  the  saying  before  the  people  :  and  they  marvelled 
at  his  answer,  and  held  their  peace. 

'  Or,  Teacher  "  See  marginal  note  on  Mat  xviii  28. 


XX 19-29]  ST   LUKE  257 

19.  the  scribes  and  the  chief  priests  :  as  in  xix  47, 48.  The  Scribes 
would  be  Pharisees  and  the  Chief  Priests  Sadducees.  Matthew  and 
Mark  introduce  also  the  Herodians,  whom  St  Luke  never  mentions, 
St  Mark  records  an  earlier  alliance  between  Pharisees  and  Herodians 
(Mk  iii  6),  people  whose  views  and  principles  were  poles  apart,  but 
who  yet  could  combine  in  a  common  hatred. 

feared  the  people.  St  Luke  uses  here  his  special  word  Aao's,  which 
occurs  (from  xviii  43  onwards)  fifteen  times,  of  the  people  '  as 
a  prime  factor  in  the  situation  at  Jerusalem.'  Dr  V.  Bartlet 
regards  this  as  indicating  a  special  source  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  338). 

20.  they  watched  (him).  Perhaps  better  '  They  watched  '  (their 
opportunity). 

spies,  which  feigned  themselves  to  be  righteous.  Cf.  the  expression 
in  Gen  xlii  11,  31,  '  We  are  true  men;  we  are  no  spies.'  The  fear 
bred  of  His  enhanced  popularity  reduced  them  to  methods  of  low 
cunning. 

the  governor :  Pontius  Pilate,  before  whom  they  had  the  effrontery 
three  days  later  to  charge  Him  with  '  forbidding  to  give  tribute  to 
Caesar  '  (xxiii  2).  The  question  of  tribute  was  one  of  lurid  interest 
for  the  Roman  Procurator,  for  it  was  this  that  had  excited  the 
revolt  of  Judas  of  Galilee  in  a.  d.  6  (Jos.  Ant.  XVIII  i  1  ;   Ac  v  37). 

24.  Shew  me  a  penny :  a  denarius  (see  on  vii  41),  the  money  in 
which  the  poll-tax  must  be  paid. 

Whose  image  and  superscription.  It  was  a  principle  accepted 
by  later  Judaism,  and  probably  by  the  Judaism  of  that  day,  that 
the  right  of  coinage  implies  the  right  of  levying  taxes.  See  Edersh. 
L.  and  T.  ii  385,  and  Maimonides,  quoted  by  Plummer  ad  loc. 

25.  Then  render,  <i;c.  The  claims  of  God  and  of  Caesar  are  not 
mutually  contradictory.  St  Paul  (Rom  xiii  1-7)  and  St  Peter  (1  Pet 
ii  13-17)  counsel  obedience  to  constituted  authority.  St  Peter  says 
'  Honour  the  King,'  when  the  king  is  Nero.  Out  of  this  may  be  said 
to  have  grown  the  noble  structure  of  Dante's  De  Monarchia, 
and  the  doctrine  of  the  parallel  Divine  authority  of  Church  and 
Empire  which  underlies  the  Divina  Commedia.  The  episode  has 
been  depicted  by  Titian  in  his  well-known  painting  at  Dresden. 
Cf.  Jenner,  Christ  in  Art,  p.  130. 

27-40.  The  Question  of  the  Resurrection  :  Mat  xxii  23-33, 
Mk  xii  18-27.  See  the  article  of  H.  J.  Wotherspoon  in  Hastings' 
D.C.G.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  514  sqq.,  and  that  of  E.  R.  Bernard  in  Hastings' 
D.B.,  vol.  iv,  pp.  231  sqq. 

27  And  there  came  to  him  certain  of  the  Sadducees,  they 
which  say  that  there  is  no  resurrection  ;  and  they  asked  him, 
28  saying,  ^Master,  Moses  wrote  unto  us,  that  if  a  man's  brother 
die,  having  a  wife,  and  he  be  childless,  his  brother  should 
take  the  wife,  and  raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother,     29  There 

'  Or,  Teacher 
L.  17 


258  ST   LUKE  [XX  27, 28 

were  therefore  seven  brethren  :  and  the  first  took  a  wife,  and 
died  childless  ;  30  and  the  second  ;  31  and  the  third  took 
her  ;  and  likewise  the  seven  also  left  no  children,  and  died. 
32  Afterward  the  woman  also  died.  33  In  the  resurrection 
therefore  whose  wife  of  them  shall  she  be  ?  for  the  seven  had 
her  to  wife.  34  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  The  sons  of  this 
^world  marry,  and  are  given  in  marriage  :  35  but  they  that 
are  accounted  worthy  to  attain  to  that  ^world,  and  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage :  36  for  neither  can  they  die  any  more  :  for  they  are 
equal  unto  the  angels  ;  and  are  sons  of  God,  being  sons  of  the 
resurrection.  37  But  that  the  dead  are  raised,  even  Moses 
shewed,  in  the  -place  concerning  the  Bush,  when  he  calleth  the 
Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob.  38  Now  he  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of 
the  living  :  for  all  live  unto  him.  39  And  certain  of  the  scribes 
answering  said,  ^Master,  thou  hast  well  said.  40  For  they 
durst  not  any  more  ask  him  any  question. 

*  Or,  age  ^  Or,  Teacher 

27.  the  Sadducees  :  who  say  that  '  there  is  no  resurrection, 
neither  angel,  nor  spirit '  (Ac  xxiii  8).  There  is  only  one  hint  of 
a  previous  clash  with  the  Sadducees,  and  that  in  St  Matthew  alone 
(xvi  1),  where  they  unite  with  the  Pharisees  in  '  seeking  a  sign.' 
'  The  meaning  of  the  word  in  the  Hebrew  is  not  absolutely  certain. 
The  early  Christian  Fathers  connected  it  with  Tsaddiq  =  "righteous," 
which  is  wrong.  It  is  most  probably  derived  from  the  name  of  the 
High  Priest  Zadok,  a  contemporary  of  David,  whose  descendants  in 
Ezek  xl  46  "come  near  to  the  Lord  to  minister  to  him."  It  was 
probably  a  nickname  given  by  the  Pharisees  to  the  high  priestly 
aristocracy  and  other  wealthy  Jews  of  high  rank  who  preferred 
Hellenism  to  the  study  of  the  Law  and  the  "  Tradition  of  the 
Elders,"  a  worldly  ambition  to  "  the  Hope  of  Israel."  Politically 
they  were  pro -Roman  ;  and  though  they  claimed  to  keep  to  the 
letter  of  the  Law,  they  sometimes  preferred  to  apply  the  Roman 
Law  rather  than  the  Mosaic.  Although  they  did  not  reject  the 
Prophetic  Avritings,  they  did  not  consider  them  important  from  the 
doctrinal  point  of  view.  That  led  them  to  reject  the  Messianic 
Hope  and  the  eschatological  ideas  connected  with  it.  In  contem- 
porary Jewish  writings  as  well  as  in  the  Talmud  they  are  therefore 
described  as  freethinkers  and  materialists.'  (Cf.  Assumption  of 
Moses,  §  7  ;  Psalms  of  Solomon  iv  7,  8,  22,  vii  13.)    (P.  L.) 

28.  Moses  wrote.  With  the  Sadducees  more  than  with  the 
Pharisees  the  Prophets  and  Writings  came  second  to  t-he  Law.    The 


XX  28-38]  ST   LUKE  259 

Law  of  Levirate  which  they  here  adduce  (Deut  xxv  5,  6)  was  one 
of  the  cases  in  which  the  Mosaic  legislation  was  transitional — 
regulating  and  restraining  instead  of  abolishing  a  primitive  pagan 
tradition.  The  Jewish  consciousness  gradually  became  aware  of 
its  unideal  character.  Rabbinism  restricted  its  scope  ;  and  by 
some  Rabbis  it  was  denounced  as  incestuous  in  its  crude  form  of 
marriage  with  a  brother's  widow,  and  approved  only  when  the 
former  union  had  been  nothing  more  than  betrothal.  Cf.  Edersh. 
L.  and  T.  ii  400. 

29.  There  were  therefore  seven  brethren.  An  extreme  case  is 
intentionally  chosen,  in  order  to  create  an  absurd  situation.  It  is, 
however,  not  impossible  that  it  may  have  occurred.  Cf .  the  Jewish 
story  of  a  man  who  married  twelve  widows,  cited  by  Edersh.,  loc.  cit., 
p.  400  note. 

33.  In  the  resurrection  therefore  whose  wife  .  .  .  ?  It  is  a  carnal 
relationship  that  is  suggested,  and  the  argument  is  so  far  valid  that 
the  Pharisaic  ideas  of  the  resurrection  were  largely  carnal. 

34.  Jesus  said  unto  them.  The  other  Synoptists  make  our  Lord 
summarize  this  argument  at  the  outset  (Mk  xii  24,  Mat  xxii  29)  : 
meeting  successively  their  ignorance  (a)  of  Scripture  and  (6)  of 
Divine  Power. 

35.  they  that  are  accounted  worthy.  The  argument  here  is 
directed  against  the  second  aspect  of  the  Sadducees'  error — their 
ignorance  of  the  '  power  of  God,'  and  of  the  consequent  possibilities 
of  human  nature  under  the  action  of  glorifying  grace.  Their 
argument  is  based  on  a  misconception  of  the  future  life  due  to  an 
impoverished  idea  of  what  God  can  do.  At  first  sight  this  utterance 
seems  to  deny  a  universal  resurrection  (to  '  life  '  or  to  '  judgement,' 
Jn  V  29),  but  (a)  the  '  worthiness  '  is  relative  to  '  that  world  ' — 
the  new,  Messianic  Age — and  (6)  the  resurrection  spoken  of  here  is 
€K  v€KpG)v  =  from  the  dead  (cf .  Mk  xii  25),  not  merely  ve^pwv  =  of  the 
dead.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  St  Paul  expresses  a  humble  hope  that 
he  may  '  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from  the  dead '  (Phil  iii  II). 

36.  neither  can  they  die  any  more.  Hence  there  is  no  need  for 
procreation. 

equal  unto  the  angels :  in  immortality  and  in  spirituality. 

37.  even  Moses  shewed,  (kc.  Ex  iii  6.  The  whole  passage  was 
familiarly  called  '  The  Bush.'  That  there  is  a  life  beyond — at  least 
for  those  who  have  fellowship  with  God  in  this  life — is  the  teaching 
of  the  entire  Old  Testament. 

38.  for  all  live  unto  him.  (Does  the  dative  mean  '  for  service 
to  Him,'  or  simply  '  in  relation  to  Him  '  ?)  The  same  thought  in 
a  more  expanded  form  appears  in  Rom  xiv  8  :  '  For  whether  we 
live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord  ;  or  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the 
Lord  :  whether  we  live  therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord's.'  To  die 
as  '  the  Lord's '  is,  as  the  instinct  of  the  Psalmists  realized  (Pss  xvi, 
xvii),  to  live— and  to  live  fully  and  joyously. 

Our  Lord  might  have  quoted  here  Ps  xvi  (as  St  Peter  applies  it, 

17-2 


260  ST   LUKE  [XX  38-42 

in  Ac  ii  25  sqq.,  to  His  resurrection),  but  He  deliberately  confines 
Himself  to  the  Pentateuch,  which  had  the  greater  appeal  to  His 
questioners  (see  note  on  v.  28). 

The  same  argument  is  found  in  4  Mace  vii  19,  xvi  25.  The 
relation  of  those  passages  is  difficult  to  determine,  since  the  date 
of  4  Maccabees  is  uncertain.  They  may  be  simply  echoes  of  our 
Lord's  teaching  here,  or  may  represent  a  high-water  mark  of 
Rabbinic  teaching. 

39.  Master,  thou  hast  well  said :  rather  (with  Edersheim) 
'  Beautifully  said,  Teacher.'  The  exclamation  of  a  Pharisaic  Scribe, 
zealous  for  the  Resurrection.  On  the  Rabbinic  arguments  for  the 
Resurrection,  see  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  398-403.  Some  of  these 
seem  to  reflect  our  Lord's  teaching  ;  e.  g.  those  of  Gamaliel  II,  son 
of  St  Paul's  preceptor,  and  co-disciple  of  the  future  Apostle  {loc.  cit., 
p.  403  and  note). 

40.  durst  not.  Matthew  (xxii  34)  picturesquely  says  He  '  gagged  ' 
or  '  muzzled  '  them. 

41-44.  Christ's  own  Question  :  Mat  xxii  41-46,  Mk  xii 
35-37,  cf.  Edersh.  ii  405,  406.  Here  comes,  in  the  other  Synoptists' 
narratives  (Mat  xxii  34-40,  Mk  xii  28-34),  the  Scribe's  question  on 
the  '  greatest  commandment '  (put — so  Edersheim  suggests — by  the 
same  Scribe  who  uttered  the  exclamation  of  v.  39).  Luke  omits 
this  because  he  has  recorded  a  similar  incident  in  x  35  sqq.  (see 
notes  there). 

The  sequence  in  St  Luke's  narrative  is  simple.  The  atmosphere 
has  been  charged  with  approbation  and  good  humour  {v.  39)  ;  our 
Lord  seizes  the  opportunity  to  put  a  question  not  so  much  to  convict 
as  to  convince.  Perchance  He  can  win  the  Scribes  even  now  to 
a  deeper  view  of  Himself. 

41  And  he  said  unto  them,  How  say  they  that  the  Christ 
is  David's  son  ?  42  For  David  himself  saith  in  the  book  of 
Psalms, 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord, 
Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 
43  Till  I  make  thine  enemies  the  footstool  of  thy  feet. 
44  David  therefore  calleth  him  Lord,  and  how  is  he  his  son  ? 

41.  How  say  they  (Matthew,  '  say  the  scribes  ').  In  what  sense, 
and  with  what  justification,  is  the  Messiah  traditionally  styled  '  son 
of  David  '  ?  The  title  had  been  applied  to  Jesus  Himself  a  few  days 
before,  xviii  39,  at  Jericho  :  and  cf.  Mat  xxi  9,  '  Hosanna  to  the 
son  of  David  !  '  on  Palm  Sunday. 

42.  for  David  himself  saith.  Controversy  has  been  bitter  on 
this  point ;  as  to  whether  our  Lord  here  finally  decides  the  question 
of  the  authorship  of  Ps  ex.  Most  devout  and  intelligent  readers 
would  now  answer  in  the  negative.    He  is  arguing  on  the  premisses 


XX  43-47]  ST   LUKE  261 

generally  accepted  by  His  audience.  His  aim  being  to  make  His 
immediate  hearers  think. 

in  the  book  of  Psalms:  Ps  ex  1.  Matthew  and  Mark  do  not 
indicate  the  book,  but  imply  that  it  is  '  inspired  '  Scripture.  (Mat 
xxii  41,  Mk  xii  35.) 

44.  David  therefore  calleth  him  Lord.  If  David  gives  the  Messiah 
such  extraordinary  honour  as  the  Psalmist's  language  implies,  in 
what  sense  can  He  be  David's  son  ?  The  fact  that  the  Psalm  was 
ascribed  to  David  gives  extra  emphasis  to  the  question  :  but  the 
phrase  in  any  Psalmist's  mouth  might  reasonably  give  rise  to  the 
problem.  The  argument  does  not  lose  all  its  point  if  David  is  not 
the  author  ;  it  does,  however,  if  the  Psalm  is  not  Messianic. 

45-47.  Warning  against  the  Scribes.  Here  Luke  is  corro- 
borated by  Mark  (xii  38-40),  who  devotes  but  three  verses  to  this 
warning.  Matthew  has  an  entire  chapter,  in  which  he  collects  more 
items  of  warning  against  '  Scribes  and  Pharisees  '  (xxiii  1-12), 
follows  them  up  by  a  series  of  '  Woes  '  denounced  on  '  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites  '  (xxiii  13-33),  and  rounds  all  off  (xxiii  34-39) 
with  the  prediction  of  vengeance  and  the  lament  over  Jerusalem 
given  by  Luke  in  chs  xi  and  xiii.  Though  an  open  denunciation 
seems  very  appropriate  and  dramatic  at  this  point,  just  as  our  Lord 
is  bidding  farewell  to  the  Temple  for  ever,  yet  the  phenomena  of 
the  first  Gospel  make  it  practically  certain  that  Matthew  has  here 
grouped  a  number  of  scattered  sayings,  truly  associated  in  idea  if 
not  in  chronology.  In  doing  so  he  has  emphasized  many  important 
points. 

Evidently  Luke  knew  that  there  was  a  denunciation  here — else 
the  passage  would  be  an  '  idle  doublet.'  But,  with  Mark,  he  believed 
it  to  have  been  addressed  primarily  to  the  disciples,  though  (like 
Matthew)  in  the  hearing  of  the  crowd  {v.  45). 

45  And  in  the  hearing  of  all  the  people  he  said  unto  his 
disciples,  46  Beware  of  the  scribes,  which  desire  to  walk  in 
long  robes,  and  love  salutations  in  the  marketplaces,  and 
chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  chief  places  at  feasts  ; 
47  which  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pretence  make 
long  prayers  :  these  shall  receive  greater  condemnation. 

46.  Beware  of  the  scribes,  &c.  This  is,  in  the  main,  a  repetition 
of  the  '  Woe  '  upon  the  Pharisees  of  Lk  xi  43.  The  new  element 
is  the  '  desire  to  walk  in  long  robes,'  from  Mk  xii  38. 

47.  which  devour  widows'  houses.  Again  from  the  Marcan  source 
(Mk  xii  40).    Not  in  Matthew  nor  in  Lk  xi. 

for  a  pretence  make  long  prayers.  So  Mark  here.  Matthew  (xxiii  5) 
has  '  all  their  works  they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men.'  The  real  parallel 
to  this  he  has  relegated  to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (Mat  vi  5,  7). 


262  ST   LUKE  [XXI 1-38 

XXI  1-4.  The  Widow's  Offering  (Mk  xii  41-44).  This  last 
incident  in  the  Temple  (not  recorded  by  Matthew)  forms  a  significant 
contrast  to  the  preceding  paragraph  :  the  poor  widow — typo  of  the 
victims  of  scribal  rapacity — {v.  47),  in  her  humility  (contr.  v.  46), 
the  unobtrusiveness  of  her  devotions  (contr.  v.  47),  and  the  genero- 
sity of  her  almsgiving.  For  the  scene,  see  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii 
387-389.  In  Luke  it  follows  immediately  ;  in  Mark,  apparently, 
after  an  interval. 

XXI  And  he  looked  up,  ^and  saw  the  rich  men  that  were 
casting  their  gifts  into  the  treasury.  2  And  he  saw  a  certain 
poor  widow  casting  in  thither  two  mites.  3  And  he  said.  Of 
a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  This  poor  widow  cast  in  more  than  they 
all  :  4  for  all  these  did  of  their  superfluity  cast  in  unto  the 
gifts  :  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  the  living  that  she 
had. 

'  Or,  and  saw  them  that  .   .   .   treasure/,  and  they  were  rich. 

1.  looked  up  :  explained  by  Mk  xii  41,  'He  sat  down  over 
against  the  treasury.'  Wearied  out  with  a  long  day's  controversy, 
He  finds  rest  and  refreshment  in  this  sight  during  His  last  moments 
within  the  precincts. 

2.  two  mites :  XcTTTu. — cf.  xii59 — the  very  smallest  coin.  Together, 
says  Mark,  they  make  up  a  quadrans  (the  fourth  part  of  a  Roman  as). 
This  was  the  smallest  sum  allowed  :  it  was  at  the  same  time  the 
largest  the  widow  could  offer.  And  she  had  absolutely  nothing  left 
till  she  should  have  earned  more.  C.  G.  Montefiore  quotes  a  Jewish 
Targum  on  Lev  iii  5,  'A  woman  brought  a  handful  of  meal  to  the 
altar  as  her  sacrifice.  The  priest  sneered  at  it.  But  in  a  dream  it 
was  said  to  him.  Account  not  her  gift  as  small :  account  it  rather 
as  if  she  had  offered  herself.'    (Beginnings  of  Christianity,  p.  76.) 

4.  0/  her  want :  va-ripr]fj.a — like  the  word  for  '  superfluity  ' — 
a  Pauline  term,  cf .  2  Cor  viii  12,  xi  9,  and  Phil  iv  12.  For  St  Luke's 
'  Paulinisms  '  see  Introd.,  p.  xxix. 

(c)  XXI  5-38      The  Great  Prophecy  of  the   End   (Mat  xxiv, 

Mk  xiii) 

Cf .  the  excellent  article  '  Parousia '  in  Hastings'  D.  B.  This 
prophecy,  recorded  in  the  Synoptists  as  delivered  on  one  of  the  days 
in  Holy  Week  from  the  slope  of  Olivet  (Mat  xxiv  3,  Mk  xiii  3),  has 
nothing  exactly  corresponding  to  it  in  the  fourth  Gospel  ;  but  it  is 
balanced,  as  it  were,  by  the  discourse  in  the  Upper  Room  (Jn  xiv — 
xvi)  where  a  '  coming  again  '  is  spoken  of  sometimes  as  a  return  of 
Jesus  Himself  (xiv  18,  xvi  16),  sometimes  as  a  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  (xiv  16,  xv  26,  xvi  7  sqq.). 

The  records  of  the  first  and  second  Gospels  follow  very  closely 


XXIs-38]  ST   LUKE  263 

the  same  lines,  and  are  marked  by  a  number  of  figurative  and 
mysterious  expressions  derived,  as  recent  research  has  shown,  from 
current  Jewish  eschatology  (cf.,  e.  g.,  '  abomination  of  desolation,' 
Mat  xxiv  15,  Mk  xiii  14).  St  Matthew  is  the  fuller,  and  the  initial 
question  put  in  his  Gospel  (xxiv  3)  adds  to  the  subject  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  (Mark)  that  of  the  '  end  of  the  world ' :  thus 
giving  point  to  Godet's  conjecture  (Engl.  Tr.  ii  259)  that  Matthew 
may,  here  as  elsewhere,  have  combined  two  different  discourses. 
St  Luke's  account,  while  it  has  close  enough  resemblances  to  the 
other  two  to  justify  us  in  regarding  it  as  the  same  discourse,  diverges 
in  certain  important  details,  and  is  generally  clearer  and  more 
intelligible  to  the  Gentile  mind. 

For  '  the  abomination  of  desolation  '  he  substitutes  '  Jerusalem 
compassed  with  armies  '  (cf .  xix  43)  ;  and  the  two  subjects  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Second  Advent  (which  seem 
inextricably  mingled  in  the  first  and  second)  are  in  the  third  Gospel 
clearly  distinguished  by  the  period  {v.  24)  described  as  '  the  seasons 
of  the  Gentiles,'  while  the  Parousia  or  Advent  itself  receives  but 
a  passing  mention,  because  a  discourse  on  it  has  already  been  given 
in  Lk  xvii. 

Matthew  (and  to  a  less  degree  Mark)  had  over-combined  two 
themes  which  come  close  in  the  perspective  of  prophecy — judgement 
on  the  Jews  and  judgement  of  the  whole  world  :  Luke,  either  by 
inspired  good  sense,  or  with  the  help  of  other  sources,  more  or  less 
disentangles  these  two  themes,  but  leaves  the  association  still  close. 

The  criticism  of  this  chapter  has  an  important  bearing  on  the 
date  of  the  third  Gospel.  For  the  clear  and  explicit  references  to  the 
overthrow  of  the  city,  corresponding  so  accurately  with  the  facts 
of  A.  D.  70,  are  held  by  some  to  be  evidence  of  a  praedictio  post 
eventum,  justifying  the  inference  that  the  Gospel  took  shape  after 

A.  D.  70. 

St  Luke  (it  is  said)  obviously  paraphrases  the  obscure  ex- 
pressions found  in  the  earlier  authority  represented  by  Mark,  and 
interprets  them  in  terms  of  a  Roman  siege  and  capture.  The 
question,  however,  is  not  foreclosed  if  we  admit  this,  though  many 
scholars  would  so  regard  it  (see,  e.  g.,  V.  H.  Stanton,  Gospels,  ii  275). 
That  he  should  paraphrase  and  interpret  was  inevitable  from  the 
point  of  view  of  his  writing  ;  but  do  his  words  necessarily  imply 
anything  more  than  an  insight  into  the  inevitable  consequences  of 
the  Jewish  unrest  which  was  already  stirring  for  several  years 
before  the  Roman  invasion  ?  It  has  been  pointed  out  by  F.  Blass 
{Evang.  Secund.  Luc.  Praefatio,  p.  viii,  Teubner  1897  ;  Philol.  Gosp. 
pp.  42,  43,  Macmillan  1898)  that  Savonarola's  prophecy  delivered  in 
1496  of  the  coming  of  Charles  VIII  to  Florence,  which  happened  in 
1517  (an  indubitable  prediction),  is  quite  as  explicit  as  this  recorded 
by  St  Luke  ;  Dr  Bigg,  Wayside  Sketches  in  Eccles.  Hist.  (1906), 
p.  114,  has  adduced  an  equally  startling  example  in  a  prediction 
made  in  the  fourteenth  century  by  '  Piers  Plowman  '  (vi  169-190), 


264  ST   LUKE  [XXl  5-7 

fulfilled  literally  and  in  detail  by  Henry  VIII  in  the  sixteenth 
century. 

To  sum  up  :  St  Luke  (unless  we  suppose  that  Christ  Himself 
duplicated  this  prediction  in  different  terms)  interprets  the  mys- 
terious phrases  of  the  first  and  second  Gospels  as  a  definite  prediction 
of  the  siege  and  destruction  of  the  city.  The  question  is  :  was  he 
able  to  do  this  because  he  saw  Christ's  words  on  the  way  to  be  so 
fulfilled,  or  because  he  knew  that  the  fulfilment  had  already  taken 
place  ?  According  to  the  answer  given  to  this  question,  the  date 
of  the  Gospel  will  be  a.  d.  c.  60-70  or  c.  70-80. 

5-9.    The  Doom  of  the  Temple  :  False  Signs. 

5  And  as  some  spake  of  the  temple,  how  it  was  adorned 
with  goodly  stones  and  offerings,  he  said,  6  As  for  these 
things  which  ye  behold,  the  days  will  come,  in  which  there 
shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not 
be  thrown  down.  7  And  they  asked  him,  saying,  ^Master, 
when  therefore  shall  these  things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the 
sign  when  these  things  are  about  to  come  to  pass  ?  8  And  he 
said,  Take  heed  that  ye  be  not  led  astray  :  for  many  shall 
come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  i^e  ;  and,  The  time  is  at  hand  : 
go  ye  not  after  them.  9  And  when  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and 
tumults,  be  not  terrified  :  for  these  things  must  needs  come 
to  pass  first  ;   but  the  end  is  not  immediately. 

'  Or,  Teacher 

6.  one  stone  upon  another.    Cf .  xix  44. 

7.  they  asked  him.  According  to  Mk  xiii  3  it  was  the  most 
intimate  group,  Peter,  James,  and  John  (cf.  viii  51,  ix  28)  and 
Andrew.  St  Luke,  who  does  not  name  them  here,  omits  also  the 
special  place  of  the  three  in  Gethsemane  (Mat  xxvi  37,  Mk  xiv  33). 
Such  details  he  would  have  been  unlikely  to  omit  had  he  been 
reproducing  the  Marcan  source  as  in  the  earlier  chapters  of  the 
Ministry.  These  omissions  corroborate  other  indications  as  to  the 
special  character  of  St  Luke's  Passion-Narrative.  (See  prelim,  note 
on  xix  28 — xxiii  56.) 

when  .  .  .  shall  these  things  be  ?  A  simple  question  referring  to 
the  destruction  of  the  Temple.  Matthew  adds,  and  what  shall  be 
the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ?  which  suggests  an 
identification  in  the  disciples'  minds  of  that  local  catastrophe  with 
the  '  Parousia '  and  the  '  consummation  of  the  age.'  If  the  two 
events  were  inextricably  associated  in  their  minds,  we  have  in  that 
fact  a  key  to  the  confusion  of  the  two  which  is  so  puzzling  a  feature 
of  the  Matthaean  and  Marcan  accounts.  The  '  sign '  which  corre- 
sponds to  Luke's  shorter  question  is  given  clearly  and  decisively 


XXI 8-12]  ST   LUKE  265 

in  V.  20.     The  doom  of  the  Temple  is  assured  when  the  Roman 
armies  begin  to  compass  the  city. 

8.  /  am  he  ;  and,  The  time  is  at  hand.  False  Christs.  St  Paul 
in  2  Thess  ii  1-12  expects  a  striking  exhibition  of  Antichrist  (the 
'  Man  of  Sin  ')  before  the  Parousia,  which  he  perhaps  at  that  time 
regarded  as  coincident  with  the  coming  fall  of  Jerusalem.  The 
'  Antichrist '  and  '  many  deceivers  '  of  2  Jn  7  (cf.  1  Jn  iv  1,  3) 
belong  mainly  to  the  end  of  the  century  ;  though  some  of  the 
'  many  '  referred  to  may  be  earlier.  There  are  none  such  false 
Messiahs  recorded  by  Josephus  between  a.  d.  29  and  70.  It  is 
tempting  to  give  this  verse  a  longer  reach  and  make  it  refer  to  the 
whole  period  before  the  Second  Advent.  Certainly  the  world  of  the 
twentieth  century  is  full  of  delusive  '  alternatives  to  Jesus  Christ.' 

9.  wars  and  tumults :  cf .  vv.  10,  11.  Plummer  quotes  a  strikingly 
parallel  description  from  Tacitus,  Hist,  i  2,  1, 

10-19.    Troubles  to  come. 

10  Then  said  he  unto  them,  Nation  shall  rise  against 
nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom  :  11  and  there  shall 
be  great  earthquakes,  and  in  divers  places  famines  and  pesti- 
lences ;  and  there  shall  be  terrors  and  great  signs  from 
heaven.  12  But  before  all  these  things,  they  shall  lay  their 
hands  on  you,  and  shall  persecute  you,  delivering  you  up  to 
the  synagogues  and  prisons,  ^bringing  you  before  kings  and 
governors  for  my  name's  sake.  13  It  shall  turn  unto  you  for 
a  testimony.  14  Settle  it  therefore  in  your  hearts,  not  to 
meditate  beforehand  how  to  answer  :  15  for  I  will  give  you 
a  mouth  and  wisdom,  which  all  your  adversaries  shall  not  be 
able  to  withstand  or  to  gainsay.  16  But  ye  shall  be  delivered 
up  even  by  parents,  and  brethren,  and  kinsfolk,  and  friends  ; 
and  some  of  you  ^shall  they  cause  to  be  put  to  death.  17  And 
ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake.  18  And 
not  a  hair  of  your  head  shall  perish.  19  In  your  patience  ye 
shall  win  your  ^souls. 

*  Gr.  you  being  brotight.  ^  Or,  shall  they  put  to  death  ^  Or,  In^s 

10.  Nation  shall  rise  against  nation.  See  note  on  v.  9.  There 
never  was  a  period  which  so  clearly  answered  to  the  description  as 
that  ushered  in  by  the  Declaration  of  War  in  1914.  Logically  this 
section  should  refer  to  the  lifetime  of  the  disciples,  and  perhaps 
primarily  it  does  :  but  history  repeats  itself — Christ  comes  again 
and  again  for  judgement  (see  below  on  vv.  24,  28),  and  the  '  signs  ' 
of  His  coming  repeat  themselves  accordingly. 

12.    before  all  these  things,  i.  e.  in  the  near  future. 


266  ST   LUKE  [XXI 12-19 

they  shall  lay  their  Imnds  on  you,  d;c.  Abundant  fulfilment  is 
stated  and  implied  in  the  Acts — notably  where  St  Luke's  future 
companion  in  travel  and  co-evangelist  '  made  havock'  of  the 
Church.    Ac  viii  3,  ix  1,  2,  2L 

13.  unto  you,  i.  e.  either  of  the  truth  of  the  prediction,  or  (on 
your  behalf)  to  the  world  a  witness  of  your  loyalty,  or  of  the  truth 
of  your  message. 

for  a  testimony.  'Sanguis  Martyrum  semen  ecclesiae.'  These 
words  CIS  /xapTvptov  are  applied  here  with  a  different  application 
from  that  of  the  '  parallel  passages '  in  the  other  Synoptists 
(Mat  xxiv  14,  Mk  xiii  9),  when  it  is  '  unto  them,'  as  Sir  John  Hawkins 
jaoints  out  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  108).  It  is  one  of  those  passages  which 
point  either  to  the  handing  down  of  phrases  by  oral  transmission 
(cf .  note  on  xxiv  6)  or  to  '  intermittent  exactness  '  on  the  Evange- 
list's part  in  copying  what  he  had  before  him. 

At  this  point  Mk  xiii  10  (followed  by  Mat  xxi  14)  has  a  reference 
to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  all  nations  :  a  point  which  the 
universalist  Luke  could  hardly  have  omitted  if  using  Mark  as  he 
appears  to  have  done,  e.  g.  for  chs  iii-ix. 

14.  not  to  meditate  beforehand.  The  thought  has  already  occurred 
in  xii  11.    See  note  there. 

15.  shall  not  be  able  .  .  .to  gainsay.    Cf .  Ac  iv  13,  14,  vi  10,  ix  22. 

16.  even  by  parents,  and  brethren,  dkc.    Cf.  xii  53. 

17.  ye  shall  be  hated  :  and  so  win  the  blessing  of  vi  22.  The 
subject  is  more  fully  worked  out  in  Jn  xv  18-21.  In  the  well-knowTi 
passage  of  Tacitus  {Ann.  xv  44)  which  deals  with  the  Neronian 
persecution  in  which  St  Paul  was  martyred,  the  Christians  are  said 
to  be  '  hated  by  the  common  people  for  their  secret  crimes  '  (^)er 
flagitia  invisos),  and  to  have  been  '  convicted  of  hatred  of  the 
human  race  '  (m  odio  humani  generis  convicti).  The  first  statement 
is  doubtless  true  ;  the  second  a  false  deduction  from  their  inevitable 
aloofness  from  an  intercourse  saturated  with  paganism  ;  backed  by 
the  assumption  that  those  who  are  hated  will  necessarily  hate  in 
return. 

18.  not  a  hair  of  your  head.  A  proverbial  expression  :  '  there 
shall  not  the  slightest  touch  of  harm  come  to  you.'  Cf.  David's 
protest  in  1  Sam  xiv  45.  In  Dan  iii  27  the  phrase  is  used,  of  course, 
quite  literally.  This  utterance  is  supplemented  by  xii  4,  which 
spiritualizes  the  meaning  of  '  harm.'  Our  Lord  had  just  said  {v.  16), 
'  Some  of  you  shall  they  cause  to  be  put  to  death  '  ;  this  is  no  real 
contradiction,  for  even  the  killing  of  the  body  is  not  to  be  feared, 
for  it  brings  no  real  hurt. 

19.  In  your  patience.  Equivalent  to  Mat  xxiv  13,  '  He  that 
endureth  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved.'  Cf.  St  Clement  of 
Rome  on  the  martyrdom  of  St  Paul  {Ad  Cor.  v),  '  By  his  example 
he  pointed  out  the  prize  of  patient  endurance.' 

ye  shall  win.  The  true  winning  or  achieving  of  the  soul  is  a 
thing  of  the  future,  dependent  on  our  conduct.    Cf.  the  saying  of 


XXI 20, 21]  ST   LUKE  267 

Keats  that  this  life  ought  not  to  be  called  a  Vale  of  Tears,  but 
a  '  Vale  of  Soul-making.' 

20-24.    The  Doom  of  the  Holy  City. 

20  But  when  ye  see  Jerusalem  compassed  with  armies, 
then  know  that  her  desolation  is  at  hand.  21  Then  let  them 
that  are  in  Judaea  flee  unto  the  mountains  ;  and  let  them  that 
are  in  the  midst  of  her  depart  out  ;  and  let  not  them  that 
are  in  the  country  enter  therein.  22  For  these  are  days  of 
vengeance,  that  all  things  which  are  written  may  be  fulfilled. 
23  Woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child  and  to  them  that  give 
suck  in  those  days  !  for  there  shall  be  great  distress  upon  the 
^land,  and  wrath  unto  this  people.  24  And  they  shall  fall  by 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall  be  led  captive  into  all  the 
nations  :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles, 
until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled. 

*  Or,  earth 

20.  when  ye  see  Jerusalem  compassed,  due.  The  imperfect  might 
almost  be  rendered  '  beginning  to  be  compassed.'  According  to 
St  Luke  our  Lord  had  already  predicted,  before  His  triumphal 
entry  (xix  43),  the  siege  which  was  to  take  place  some  forty  years 
later.  The  language  there  is  still  more  vivid  than  here.  In  terms 
drawn  from  the  O.T.  he  had  portrayed  the  customary  Roman 
siege  earthworks  and  palisades. 

Luke  interprets  here  for  Theophilus  and  his  fellow-Gentiles  the 
obscure  phraseology  from  Dan  ix  27,  which  Matthew  and  Mark 
have  reproduced  literally,  retaining  simply  the  word  '  desolation.' 
According  to  our  view  of  the  evidence,  we  shall  say  (a)  that,  writing- 
after  A.  D.  70,  he  interprets  in  terms  of  accomplished  history,  or 
(6)  that,  writing  probably  between  a.  d.  60  and  70,  he  interprets 
in  terms  of  a  clearly  seen,  though  not  yet  completed,  movement  of 
events. 

For  a  fuller  vindication  of  Luke's  phraseology  on  this  latter 
supposition,  see  Blass,  Philol.  Gosp.  ch  iv,  esp.  p.  46.  It  is  just 
possible  that  our  Lord  enunciated  the  prediction  in  two  ways, 
'  veiled '  and  '  open,'  and  that  Luke,  finding  the  open  prediction  in 
his  source,  omitted  as  unsuitable  to  Gentile  ears  the  veiled  prophecy 
which  the  more  Palestinian  Gospels  have  preserved. 

21.  let  them  that  are  in  the  midst  of  her  depart  out.  Eusebius,  in 
the  celebrated  passage,  H.E.  iii  5,  3,  says  that  the  Christians  in 
Jerusalem  were  commanded  by  a  '  revelation,'  given  before  the  war, 
to  depart  to  a  place  called  Pella,  in  (the  north  boundary  of)  Peraea, 
which  they  did  in  a.  d.  68.  We  may,  perhaps,  with  Godet,  see  in 
'  the  mountains  '  of  this  verse  the  '  mountainous  plateau  '  of  Gilead. 


268  ST   LUKE  [XXi  21-25 

let  not  them  that  are  in  the  country  enter  therein.  Many  of  the 
rural  population,  quite  naturally,  fled  from  the  Roman  invaders 
and  sought  refuge  within  the  walls,  and  thus  increased  the  miseries 
of  the  besieged  and  shared  their  doom.  Josephus,  B.J .  IV  ix  1 
and  V  X  1,  shows  how  difficult  it  was,  just  before  and  during  the 
siege,  for  any  of  those  within  to  escape. 

22.  days  of  vengeance.  Prefigured  in  xi  51.  Eusebius  {H.E.  ii 
23,  20)  in  a  passage  which,  following  Origen  {Contra  Gelsum,  i  47), 
he  attributes  to  Josephus,  says,  '  These  things  happened  to  the  Jews 
for  vengeance '  (using  the  same  word  iKhU-qa-i^  used  by  St  Luke  here), 
because  of  their  unjust  murder  of  James  the  Just,  the  '  brother  '  of 
Christ. 

that  all  things  which  are  written,  e.  g,  in  such  passages  as  Lev  xxvi 
31-33,  and  esp.  Deut  xxviii  49-59,  where  are  specified  some  of  the 
worst  horrors  of  the  siege  as  described  by  Josephus. 

24.  led  captive  into  all  the  nations.  Deut  xxviii  64,  Lev  xxvi  33. 
This  predicted  '  scattering  '  of  the  Jewish  people  has  constituted 
them,  through  the  centuries,  a  living  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  which 
no  Zionist  movement  seems  ever  likely  to  obliterate.  Yet  the 
punishment  of  Israel  has  a  limit,  as  the  next  verses  make  clear. 

until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled.  Cf .  Mk  i  15,  Eph  i  10, 
and  St  Paul's  phrase  (Rom  xi  25),  '  Until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles 
be  come  in  '  (Moffatt,  I.L.N. T.,  p.  281).  The  plural  (Kaipot)  is  used, 
says  Godet,  because  different  Gentile  nations  are  to  be  called  in 
succession.  The  Pauline  parallel  may  help  us  to  determine  the  most 
probable  interpretation  of  the  somewhat  obscure  phrase  which  we 
regard  as  meaning  opportunities  of  grace,  and  of  becoming  '  the 
true  Israel.'  The  beginning  of  such  ' seasons  of  the  Gentiles '  is  noted 
in  Ac  xi  18  ;  the  definite  substitution  of  a  Gentile  mission  for  one 
exclusively  Jewish  in  Ac  xiii  46  sqq.  In  this  sense  the  '  seasons  ' 
would  be  already  far  advanced  in  the  year  a.  d.  70.  This  verse  is 
paralleled  in  the  other  S3aioptic  Gospels  (Mat  xxiv  14,  Mk  xiii  10) 
by  the  prediction  of  a  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  all  nations  (see 
note  on  V.  13)  which  is  apparently  preliminary  to  the  destruction  of 
the  city.  But  that  passage  and  this  have  an  obvious  reference  to  the 
subsequent  centuries  of  Christian  history.  Since  A.  D.  70  Jerusalem 
has  been  '  trampled  down '  by  Romans,  Saracens,  Turks,  and 
Christian  Crusaders,  until  in  1916  the  '  Last  Crusade  '  treated  her 
with  a  reverence  and  a  gentleness  unknown  in  more  than  thirty 
centuries  of  warfare. 

25-27.  The  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.  (This  is  subsequent 
to  the  extinction  of  the  Jewish  State.) 

25  And  there  shall  be  signs  in  sun  and  moon  and  stars  ; 
and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  in  perplexity  for  the 
roaring  of  the  sea  and  the  billows  ;    26  men  ^fainting  for  fear, 

'  Or,  expiring 


XXT  25-28]  ST   LUKE  269 

and  for  expectation  of  the  things  which  are  coming  on  hhe 
world  :  for  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken.  27  And 
then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  a  cloud  with 
power  and  great  glory. 

*  Gr.  the  inhabited  earth. 

25.  signs  in  sun  and  moon  and  stars.  The  proverbially  fixed 
and  stable  bodies  shall  fail  of  their  fixity — as  may  happen  in  the 
end  of  this  earth  by  a  clashing  with  some  other  planet.  But  the 
phrase  is  apocalyptic  current  coin,  common  in  the  prophets.  Cf. 
Is  xiii  10,  &c.  Eclipses,  comets,  and  meteoric  disturbances  have 
thus  up  to  our  own  times  been  regarded  as  typical  or  actually 
prognostic  or  symptomatic  of  startling  changes  in  the  world  of 
mankind.  The  three  hours'  darkness  at  the  Crucifixion  (xxiii  44) 
accompanied,  according  to  the  first  Gospel,  by  an  earthquake,  gives 
definitely  Christian  authority  for  the  conjunction  of  physical 
phenomena  with  spiritual  crises  in  one  case  at  least. 

the  roaring  of  the  sea.  The  Hebrews  were  not  a  nautical  nation. 
The  sea  was  not  their  friend  and  ally,  as  it  has  been  to  us.  To  the 
Seer  of  the  Apocaljrpse  '  sea  '  will  be  abolished  in  the  blessed  future 
(Rev  xxi  1).  So  in  the  O.T.  prophets,  the  sea's  roaring  is  typical 
of  that  which  inspires  terror  ;  cf .  Is  v  30. 

26.  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken.  So  Matthew  ; 
Mark  has  '  the  powers  that  are  in  the  heavens,'  which  rather  favours 
the  traditional  idea  of  the  angelic  powers  presiding  over  planets  and 
constellations  :  but  of  course  no  doctrine  can  be  drawn  from  such 
an  apocalyptic  metaphor.  The  phrase  is  an  adaptation  of  the 
eschatological  passage,  Is  xxxiv  4. 

27.  then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  man :  cf .  ix  26-27,  where  there 
is  a  puzzling  combination  of  the  near  and  far  parallel  to  that  of  this 
chapter.  The  Son  of  Man's  coming  is  there  spoken  of,  as  here,  in 
terms  borrowed  from  the  current  Jewish  apocalyptic,  and  it  is  added 
that  some  of  those  present  shall  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  before  they 
taste  of  death.  The  latter  prediction  applies  most  naturally  either 
(a)  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  as  recorded  in  the  Acts,  or  (6)  to  the 
destruction  of  the  Jewish  polity. 

It  is  noticeable  that  all  three  S5nioptists  here  pass  from  the  second 
to  the  third  person  (not  '  shall  ye  see  '),  which  may  imply  that  the 
immediate  hearers  will  not  be  alive. 

coming  in  a  cloud  :  cf .  the  angels'  saying  at  the  Ascension,  Ac  i  II. 
In  the  parallel  sa3dng  before  the  Sanhedrin  given  in  Mat  xxvi  64, 
Mk  xiv  62,  the  form  is  '  Ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man.'  ,  .  .  Not  so 
in  Lk  xxii  69  (see  note  there). 

28-36.  Practical  Application.  If  v.  28  is  attached  to  the 
preceding  paragraph  (as  in  R.V.),  it  brings  back  the  second  person, 
and  implies  that  the  hearers  will  witness  the  Parousia  before  their 
death. 


270  ST   LUKE  [XXI 28, 29 

If  it  may  be  taken  rather  as  introductory  to  vv.  29  sqq.  (though 
the  formula  '  and  he  spake,'  v.  29,  is  against  this),  we  may  take 
'  these  things '  as  referring  back  to  v.  20  and  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem — a  return,  in  fact,  to  what  Godet  calls  '  the  principal 
topic  of  the  discourse.' 

To  this  corresponds  the  first  Parable  {vv.  29-33)  illustrating  a  fixed 
event  which  can  be  recognized  beforehand  ;  while  the  second 
Parable  {vv.  34-36) — no  longer  '  these  things,'  but '  that  day ' — illus- 
trates a  sudden  and  unexpected  event.  This  sequence  and  difiference 
of  tone  is  even  clearer  in  Mat  xxiv — xxv,  (a)  xxiv  32-35,  '  these 
things  '  (with  fixed  sign),  (6)  xxiv  36 — xxv  30,  '  that  day '  (with 
unexpected  suddenness). 

28  But  when  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  look  up, 
and  lift  up  your  heads  ;  because  your  redemption  draweth 
nigh. 

28.  your  redemption  draweth  nigh.  Referring  perhaps  primarily 
to  (a)  the  stability  and  independence  of  the  Christian  Church,  when 
A.  D.  70  put  a  fmal  end  to  Jewish  persecution  ;  but  also,  more 
generally,  to  (6)  successive  '  Advents '  of  Christ  in  history.  As  often 
as  Christ  comes  throughout  the  ages,  or  in  individual  life,  Christian 
hope  can  pierce  through  the  darkness  to  the  commg  dawn.  Most 
completely  when  He  shall  come  finally  to  bring  in  the  kingdom  of 
righteousness  and  '  God  shall  be  all  in  all.' 

29-33.  The  Parable  of  the  Fig-teee  :  Mat  xxiv  32-35, 
Mk  xiii  28-32. 

29  And  he  spake  to  them  a  parable  :  Behold  the  fig  tree, 
and  all  the  trees  :  30  when  they  now  shoot  forth,  ye  see  it 
and  know  of  yom-  own  selves  that  the  summer  is  now  nigh. 
31  Even  so  ye  also,  when  ye  see  these  things  coming  to  pass, 
know  ye  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  nigh.  32  Verily  I  say 
unto  you.  This  generation  shall  not  pass  away,  till  all  things 
be  accomplished.  33  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  : 
but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away. 

29.  the  fig  tree,  and  all  the  trees.  A  miscellaneous  orchard ; 
cf .  xiii  6.  The  suggestion  that  Luke  adds  '  all  the  trees  '  for  the 
benefit  of  those  countries  where  figs  are  unknown  would  scarcely 
apply  to  the  Mediterranean  world  as  he  knew  it.  As  our  Lord 
spoke  the  fig-trees  in  general  were  showing  signs  of  fruit  (as  they 
did  from  the  middle  of  March),  but  normally  the  leaves  would  come 
later.  (Hence  the  surprise  expressed  in  Mat  xxi  18  sqq.,  Mk  xi 
12  sqq.) 


XXI 31-35]  ST   LUKE  271 

31.  these  things  (ravra),  the  nearer  events,  in  contrast  to  '  that 
day  '  (17  rjfjiipa  iK€Lvr))  of  V.  34,  cf.  preliminary  note  on  vv.  28-36. 

32.  This  generation  shall  not  pass  away.  Unless  we  make 
a  fresh  start  at  v.  28  (see  note),  St  Luke  would  seem  here  to  be 
inconsistent  with  himself  Ln  v.  24.  It  may  possibly  be  that  Luke 
originally  wrote,  as  Marcion  read.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  not  pass 
away  unless  all  be  fulfilled.  See  Blass,  Philol.  Gosp.,  p.  50.  Two 
Latin  codices  have  variants  here,  and  one  of  them,  '  i,'  reads 
caelum  istud  instead  of  '  this  generation.' 

Mk  xiii  32  and  Mat  xxiv  36  append  immediately  to  this  saying 
the  significant  limitation,  '  Of  that  day  or  that  hour  knoweth  no 
one,  not  even  the  angels  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father ' ; 
which  St  Luke  parallels  in  Ac  i  7,  the  '  times  or  seasons,  which  the 
Father  hath  set  within  his  own  authority.' j 

34-36.  Warning  to  be  ready.  This  section  differs  largely  in 
language  from  Mark  and  Matthew.  The  latter  introduces  the  refer- 
ence to  Noah  of  Lk  xvii  26,  27,  the  '  taken  and  left '  of  Lk  xvii 
35,  36,  and  the '  burglar '  and  unfaithful  steward  of  Lk  xii.  St  Luke's 
phraseology  is  strongly  Pauline — reminiscent  of  1  Thess  v  3 — and 
the  Evangelist's  choice  of  actual  words  and  phrases  may  have  been 
coloured  (like  his  Gospel  of  the  Passion  in  general)  by  his  association 
with  St  Paul  (cf.  Hawkins,  Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  87) ;  though  the  language 
of  the  Epistle  {ib.  135  sqq.)  might  on  the  other  hand,  have  been 
grounded  on  the  record  which  was  afterwards  embodied  in  the  Gospel. 

34  But  take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  haply  your  hearts  be 
overcharged  with  siu-feiting,  and  drunkenness,  and  cares  of 
this  life,  and  that  day  come  on  you  suddenly  as  a  snare  : 
35  for  so  shall  it  come  upon  all  them  that  dwell  on  the  face  of 
all  the  earth.  36  But  watch  ye  at  every  season,  making 
supplication,  that  ye  may  prevail  to  escape  all  these  things 
that  shall  come  to  pass,  and  to  stand  before  the  Son  of  man. 

34.  surfeiting,  and  drunkenness,  and  cares.  Gross  sensual 
pleasures  such  as  riches  can  easily  procure,  and  the  worldly 
anxieties  of  those  who  lack  riches — these  (viii  14)  are  the  thorns  that 
choke  the  good  seed,  so  that  it  brings  no  fruit  to  perfection.  The 
word  rendered  surfeiting  here — KpaLTrdXt],  Lat.  crapula — means  '  the 
nausea  that  follows  a  debauch.'  Here  only  in  Biblical  Greek 
(Plummer). 

that  day,  i.  e.  of  the  Parousia  or  Second  Coming.  Similar  to  the 
O.T.  apocal5rptic  expression,  '  the  Day,'  '  Day  of  the  Lord.'  So 
X  12  and  xvii  31. 

as  a  snare :  language  reminiscent  of  Is  xxiv  17. 

35.  all  them  that  dwell :  lit.  '  that  sit.'  The  figure  is  that  of  a 
net  spread  over  a  field  where  unsuspecting  birds  are  resting  (Godet). 


272  ST   LUKE  [XXl  37-XXili  53 

87-38.  Farewell  to  the  Temple.  These  words  take  up  and 
expand  xix  47,  and  form  a  farewell  summary  of  the  last  teachings 
in  the  Temple,  if  we  take  St  Luke's  Gospel  as  it  stands.  They  look 
back  on  the  Sunday,  Monday,  and  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week. 

Godet,  however,  in  his  introductory  note  to  ch  xxii  (ii,  p.  277) 
places  the  incident  of  the  Greeks  (Jn  xii  20-36)  on  the  next  day, 
Wednesday.  If  we  prefix  to  this  the  Pericope  Adulterae  (see  next 
note  below),  it  more  naturally  explains  the  words,  v.  37,  '  Every  day 
he  was  teaching  in  the  temple  '  :  which  will  then  have  a  forward 
as  well  as  a  backward  reference. 

Christ's  final  retirement  would  then  take  place  on  the  Wednesday 
evening — concomitantly  with,  or  just  before,  Judas's  compact  with 
the  priests — and  would  be  that  alluded  to  in  Jn  xii  36b,  '  These 
things  spake  Jesus,  and  he  departed  and  hid  himself  from  them.' 

37  And  every  day  he  was  teaching  in  the  temple  ;  and 
every  night  he  went  out,  and  lodged  in  the  mount  that  is 
called  the  mount  of  Olives.  38  And  all  the  people  came  early 
in  the  morning  to  him  in  the  temple,  to  hear  him. 

38.  Here  some  MSS  (the  '  Ferrar  Group  ')  insert  the  passage 
about  the  Woman  taken  in  Adultery,  which  is  by  scholars  voted 
out  of  place  in  Jn  viii,  and  is  also  omitted  there  by  all  the  earliest 
MSS.  Blass  regards  it  as  Lucan,  and  so  does  McLachlan  {St  Luke, 
Evang.  and  Hisi.,  1912).  '  The  entire  narrative,'  he  says,  '  is  in- 
disputably Lucan  in  vocabulary  and  in  spirit '  {op.  cit.,  p.  101). 
See  also  Introd.,  p.  xxv. 

If  we  insert  it  here — and  it  would  add  one  more  to  the  gems  of 
this  '  Gospel  of  Womanhood  '  and  '  Gospel  of  the  Sinner  ' — we 
should  probably  omit  Lk  xxi  38  and  Jn  vii  53 — viii  1  as  due  to 
scribal  dittography.  (So  F.  Blass,  Evangelium  Secundum  Lucam, 
Praef.,  pp.  46-50.)  It  would  then  run  :  and  every  night  he  went  out 
and  lodged  in  the  mount  of  Olives.  And  early  in  the  morning  he  came 
again  into  the  temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  him  .  .  .  neither  do 
I  condemn  thee  :   go  thy  way  ;  from  henceforth  sin  no  more. 

(2)  XXII  1-53     From  the  Betrayal  to  the  Arrest 

Here,  with  the  doings  of  the  Wednesday  in  Holy  Week,  to  which 
(see  note  on. xxi  37)  some  would  add  the  final  appearance  in  the 
Temple,  we  reach  a  further  stage  of  the  preliminaries  of  the  Passion. 

Between  the  mention  of  the  Jewish  leaders'  conspiracy  (cf. 
xxii  1,  2)  and  the  specification  of  Judas's  treachery  (xxii  3  sqq.), 
Matthew  and  Mark  place  the  record  of  the  Feast  in  Simon's  House 
and  the  Anointing  at  Bethany.  The  sight  of  the  wasted  money 
seems  for  them  to  have  been  the  final  strain  on  the  purse-bearer's 
patience.  Luke  omits  this  incident,  as  he  omitted  the  Blasting  of 
the  Fig-tree  (cf.  note  on  xx  1 — xxi  4),  because  he  has  already 


XXII 1-3]  ST   LUKE  273 

recorded  a  similar  incident  with  a  like  lesson  (see  vii  37  sqq.  and 

note). 

(a)  XXII  1-6     The  Betrayal 

XXII  Now  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  drew  nigh, 
which  is  called  the  Passover.  2  And  the  chief  priests  and  the 
scribes  sought  how  they  might  put  him  to  death  ;  for  they 
feared  the  people.  3  And  Satan  entered  into  Judas  who  was 
called  Iscariot,  being  of  the  number  of  the  twelve.  4  And 
he  went  away,  and  communed  with  the  chief  priests  and 
captains,  how  he  might  deliver  him  unto  them.  5  And  they 
were  glad,  and  covenanted  to  give  him  money.  6  And  he 
consented,  and  sought  opportunity  to  deliver  him  unto  them 
^in  the  absence  of  the  multitude. 

*  Or,  without  tumult 

2.  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes.  Mat  xxvi  3  speaks  of  a  meeting 
of  '  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  people  '  in  the  palace  of 
Caiaphas.  This  is  what  Josephus  and  the  Talmud  call  the  '  Priestly 
Council '  (Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  476). 

they  feared  the  people.  '  They  said,  Not  during  the  feast,  lest 
a  tumult  arise  among  the  people  '  (Mat  xxvi  5).  They  were  afraid 
of  a  rising,  and  of  consequent  reprisals  from  Pilate  in  which  they 
themselves  might  have  been  involved.  Cf.  the  fear  expressed  in 
Jn  xi  48.  The  verbs  '  sought,'  '  feared,'  are  in  the  imperfect  tense, 
implying  that  they  were  constantly  on  the  watch  to  find  some  way 
of  putting  Him  to  death,  and  in  constant  fear  of  the  populace. 

3.  Satan  entered  into  Judas  who  was  called  Iscariot.  Judas,  son 
of  Simon  (Jn  xiii  2),  a  man  of  Kerioth  in  Judah  (Jos  xv  25),  unique 
among  the  Twelve  as  a  southerner,  the  rest  apparently  being 
Galileans.  In  the  lists  of  Matthew  and  Mark  he  is  paired  with 
Simon  the  Cananean  or  Zealot,  and  may  have  shared  something 
of  the  latter's  patriotic  fire,  as  well  as  the  illusions  common  to  the 
Twelve  about  the  Messianic  kingdom.  That  he  should  have  been 
chosen  purser  and  almoner  implies  gifts  and  capacity,  especially 
as  there  was  an  ex-custom  house  officer  among  the  band  in  Matthew. 
Satan  entered  is  peculiar  to  Luke  here.  St  John  (xiii  2)  says,  of  the 
Last  Supper,  '  the  devil  having  already  put  into  the  heart,  &c.,'  but 
the  '  entry  of  Satan  '  he  reserves  for  a  later  moment  in  the  feast 
(xiii  27).  John  also  records  the  premonition  at  the  height  of  the 
Galilean  ministry  (vi  70)  :  '  Did  I  not  choose  you  the  twelve,  and 
one  of  you  is  a  devil  ? '  All  three  Synoptists  mention  his  treachery 
by  anticipation  when  they  give  their  lists  of  the  Twelve.  Matthew 
and  Mark  conjoin  their  account  of  the  betrayal  with  that  of  Simon's 
feast,  placing  the  latter  out  of  its  chronological  order.    John  alone 

L.  18 


274  ST   LUKE  fXXii  3-5 

names  Judas  as  voicing  the  protest  tliere,  with  the  significant 
comment  (xii  6),  '  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor ;  but  because 
he  was  a  thief,  and  having  the  bag  took  away  what  was  put  therein.' 
Edersheim  {L.  and  T.  ii  471-478)  draws  a  most  graphic  and  convincing 
picture  of  the  traitor  Apostle,  whose  alienation  from  the  Master  and 
degradation  of  character  he  dates  from  Jn  vi  70. 

4.  the  chief  priests  and  captains.  As  the  matter  concerned  an 
arrest,  the  Priestly  Council  had  summoned  the  officers  of  the  Levite 
Temple-guard. 

how  he  might  deliver  him.  This  word  '  deliver  '  is  a  pivot- word 
of  the  predictions  of  the  Passion  (cf .  xviii  32).  It  makes  the  Saviour 
as  it  were  a  mere  chattel — sold  for  the  price  of  the  '  wer-geld  '  of 
a  slave  gored  by  an  ox  (Ex  xxi  32,  Mat  xxvi  15).  As  Papini  remarks 
(pp.  414  sqq.),  dozens  of  theories  have  been  brought  forward  to 
explain  Judas's  treachery — some  of  them  exalting  him  into  a  hero — 
but  it  stiU  remains  a  mystery,  like  the  Atonement,  to  which  this 
'  mercantile  transaction  '  is  subsidiary. 

The  cause  to  which  he  had  attached  himself  was  clearly  a  losing 
cause.  Is  it  not  better  to  curry  favour  with  the  winning  side,  even 
at  the  last  moment  ?  And  if  he  can  win  a  few  pieces  of  silver  in 
addition,  so  much  the  better.  There  may  have  been  a  mixture  of 
motives,  and  it  would  be  rash  perhaps  to  exclude  altogether  the 
desire  to  force  His  Master's  hand,  and  make  Him  demonstrate  His 
Messiahship.  Cf.  the  striking  imaginative  picture  in  a  recent  book 
entitled  By  an  U'Jiknown  Disciple. 

5.  And  they  were  glad.  Judas's  ofier  gave  them  the  opportunity 
of  a  swifter  blow — before  the  Feast  instead  of  after — and  so  of 
fulfilling,  all  unwittingly,  the  decrees  of  destiny.  He  would  conduct 
them  to  the  arrest  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  risk  of  a  disturbance 
or  of  a  rescue. 

covenanted  to  give  him  money  :  lit.  '  silver.'  So  Mark  ;  Matthew 
alone  specifies  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  later  on  (xxvii  9)  quotes 
Zech  xi  12,  13,  ascribing  it  to  '  Jeremiah.'  The  sum  would  be 
between  £4  and  £5  in  our  money. 

(b)  7-38     The  Last  Supper.    Mat  xxvi  17  sqq.,  Mk  xiv  12  sqq., 
Jn  xiii  1  sqq. 
Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  479-512.    Thursday  in  Holy  Week. 

7-13.    The  Preparation. 

7  And  the  day  of  unleavened  bread  came,  on  which  the 
passover  must  be  sacrificed.  8  And  he  sent  Peter  and  John, 
saying,  Go  and  make  ready  for  us  the  passover,  that  we  may 
eat.  9  And  they  said  unto  him,  Where  wilt  thou  that  we 
make  ready  ?  10  And  he  said  unto  them,  Behold,  when  ye 
are  entered  into  the  city,  there  shall  meet  you  a  man  bearing 


XXII 7-II]  ST   LUKE  275 

a  pitcher  of  water  ;  follow  him  into  the  house  whereinto  he 
goeth.  11  And  ye  shall  say  unto  the  goodman  of  the  house. 
The  ^Master  saith  unto  thee,  Where  is  the  guest-chamber, 
where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my  disciples  ?  12  And  he 
will  shew  you  a  large  upper  room  furnished  :  there  make 
ready.  13  And  they  went,  and  found  as  he  had  said  unto 
them  :   and  they  made  ready  the  passover. 

*  Or,  Teacher 

7.  the  day  of  unleavened  bread.  The  Feast  of  Mazzoth  or  Un- 
leavened Bread  was  by  this  time  identified  with  the  Passover,  which 
it  really  followed.  The  day  mentioned  here  would  be  the  14th 
Nisan — Passover-eve,  and  probably  April  17,  a.  d.  29.  The  Jewish 
day  began  at  6  p.m.,  i.  e.  at  sunset. 

on  which  the  passover  must  be  sacrificed.  The  lamb,  set  apart 
six  days  before,  must  be  slain  (Ex  xii  6)  by  the  head  of  the  family 
or  group  that  were  to  eat  it,  in  the  Temple,  the  Priest  catching  the 
blood  in  a  bowl  and  pouring  it  out  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  It  is 
not  clear  whether  a  lamb  was  eaten  at  the  Last  Supper.  Christ  and 
His  disciples  being  '  excommunicate  '  would  hardly  have  facilities 
given  them. 

8.  Peter  and  John.  Named  by  St  Luke  only.  It  must  be  the 
two  most  intimate  as  the  preparations  must  be  kept  secret  from 
Judas,  who  must  not  intervene  before  the  '  hour  had  come.'  This 
special  mention  of  St  Peter  (cf .  his  prominence  also  in  Ac  i — xv)  and 
the  omission  of  the  great  rebuke  after  his  confession  at  Caesarea 
Philippi  (ix  20)  hardly  bear  out  the  Tiibingen  theory  that  the 
Evangelist  had  an  animosity  against  Peter. 

9.  Where  wilt  thou  .  .  .?  In  Matthew  and  Mark  this  question 
— addressed  by  the  whole  body  of  the  disciples — opens  the  episode. 

10.  a  man  bearing  a  'pitcher  of  water.  Papini  suggests  that  it  was 
to  be  the  first  chance  man.  Any  man  who  possessed  a  male  slave 
would  be  sure  to  have  also  a  large  upper  room  ;  and  none  could 
refuse  such  a  request  now  that  Jesus  was  so  prominent  and  popular 
at  Jerusalem.  Others  think  this  was  a  preconceived  signal  with 
a  friend  :  cf.  note  on  v.  12.  In  any  case  the  water-carrier  is 
distinguished  in  v.  11  from  the  master  of  the  house. 

11.  The  Master  saith  .  .  .  These  words,  and  the  statement  of  v.  12, 
surely  point  to  a  previous  arrangement  with  some  trusted  friend  of 
Jesus.  There  is  no  need  to  posit  a  miracle  where  common  pre- 
cautions would  accomplish  all  that  was  needed  ;  though  Godet  sees 
in  these  verses  '  a  new  proof  of  the  supernatural  knowledge  of  Jesus.' 

the  guest-chamber.  KaTaXvp.a — the  same  word  which  was  trans- 
lated '  inn  '  in  ii  7,  where  there  was  '  no  room  '  for  His  nativity. 
It  would  refer  more  naturally  to  a  ground-floor  room — '  a  hall 
opening  into  the  court '  (Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii  483)— more  humbly 
furnished  than  the  upper  chamber. 

18-2 


276  ST   LUKE  [XXII 11-20 

They  should  ask  the  good  man  for  '  a  room  of  some  sort,'  and 
he  would  offer  them  his  best. 

12.  a  large  upper  room.  This  room  became  famous,  not  only 
for  the  momentous  ceremony  about  to  be  performed  in  it,  but  as 
the  nursery  of  the  Church  of  Christ :  for  there  is  '  every  reason  to 
suppose  '  that  it  is  identical  with  the  '  Upper  Room  '  of  the  Acts, 
and  '  was  in  the  house  of  the  mother  of  St  Mark.' 

With  the  short  break  of  four  years  (a.d.  66-70),  when  the  Jewish 
Christians  retired  to  Pella,  it  must  have  been  in  continuous  use  up 
to  Hadrian's  time,  a.  D.  130  ;  and  Epiphanius  records  that  when 
that  emperor  razed  practically  the  whole  city  to  the  ground,  the 
'  little  Church  of  God  '  on  the  site  of  the  Upper  Room  was  among 
the  few  buildings  left  standing.  The  traditional  site — still  shown  in 
Jerusalem — may  therefore  well  be  the  real  site  (cf.  Sanday,  Sacr. 
Sites,  pp.  80-82). 

14-23.  The  Supper  :  Institution  of  the  Holy  Euchabist. 
The  Passion  proper  may  be  said  to  begm  here  ;  and  here  Sir  John 
Hawkins  {Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  76-94)  begins  his  Passion-Narrative  statis- 
tics. See  notes  on  xix  28  and  xxiii  36.  He  carries  on  the  '  Passion 
Narrative,'  however,  to  cover  the  visit  of  the  Women  to  the  Tomb ; 
altogether  xxii  14 — xxiv  10.  It  is  observable  that  the  tokens  of 
'  free  handling  '  of  the  Marcan  source  are  most  concentrated  here — 
just  where  St  Paul's  preaching  and  teaching  covers  the  ground — 
the  Last  Supper^  1  Cor  xi  17-34  ;  '  Christ  crucified,'  1  Cor  i  17,  23, 
ii  2  ;  Resurrection,  1  Cor  xv  4  sqq.,  Rom  i  4,  Eph  i  19  sqq. 

14  And  when  the  hour  was  come,  he  sat  down,  and  the 
apostles  with  him.  15  And  he  said  unto  them,  With  desire 
I  have  desired  to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer  : 
16  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  eat  it,  until  it  be  fulfilled  in 
the  kingdom  of  God.  17  And  he  received  a  cup,  and  when 
he  had  given  thanks,  he  said,  Take  this,  and  divide  it  among 
yourselves  :  18  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  from 
henceforth  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God 
shall  come.  19  And  he  took  ^bread,  and  when  he  had  given 
thanks,  he  brake  it,  and  gave  to  them,  saying,  This  is  my 
body  ^which  is  given  for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me. 
20  And  the  cup  in  like  manner  after  supper,  saying,  This  cup 
is  the  new  ^covenant  in  my  blood,  even  that  which  is  poured 
out  for  you. 

'  Or,  a  loaf 

-  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  which  is  given  for  you  .  .  .  which  is  poured 
out  for  you.  ^  Or,  testament 


xxili4-i7l  ST   LUKE  277 

14.  when  the  hour  was  come,  i.  e.  after  sunset,  when  the  new 
Jewish  day  began  '  between  the  evenings  '  (Ex  xii  6,  R.V.  marg.). 

and  the  apostles  with  him.  Mark,  '  with  the  twelve  '  :  Matthew, 
'  the  twelve  disciples.'  The  traditional  representation  of  thirteen 
at  the  table  is  therefore  the  true  one.  The  owner  of  the  house  may 
presumably  have  been  in  attendance,  and  the  son  of  the  house, 
St  Mark.  But  it  seems  as  though  not  even  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
present.  This  scene  has  been  a  favourite  subject  of  painters  from 
Duccio  and  Giotto  onwards.  '  Next  to  the  crucifixion,'  says 
Mrs  Jameson  {Sacr.  and  Leg.  Art,  p.  270),  'there  is  no  subject  so  .  .  . 
consecrated  in  Art  as  the  Last  Supper.'  The  earliest  representation 
with  which  she  is  acquainted  is  Byzantine  of  the  eighth  century. 
Era  Angelico  has  two  motifs  :  (a)  the  detection  of  Judas,  and 
(6)  the  Eucharist,  wherein  the  Apostles  kneel.  The  subject  has  been 
finely  treated  by  Rafael  and  Andrea  del  Sarto  ;  but  the  best  known 
and  probably  the  noblest  attempt  is  that  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci  in 
the  refectory  of  S.  Maria  delle  Grazie  at  Milan  (reproduced  by  P.  L.  W) 
which  seems  to  depict  the  moment  of  v.  21.  See  also  Jameson,  Hist, 
of  O.L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  18-23  ;  Jenner,  Christian  Art,  pp.  102,  119. 

15.  With  desire  I  have  desired.  This  and  the  phrase  translated 
'  before  I  suffer  '  are  intensely  Hebrew  in  form,  and  would  seem  to 
come  from  an  eyewitness.  The  sentence  itself  is  ambiguous :  it 
may  mean  '  I  longed  to  eat  this  which  is  to  be  our  passover  with 
you,  as  I  am  doing,'  or  possibly  '  I  longed  to  eat  the  normal  Jewish 
passover  with  you  ;  but  as  that  will  be  impossible  owing  to  my 
coming  arrest,  I  make  this  meal  take  its  place.'  The  second  inter- 
pretation would  bear  out  the  impression  left  by  the  fourth  Gospel, 
that  this  did  not  coincide  with  the  Jewish  Passover,  but  preceded  it. 

16.  until  it  be  fulfilled :  cf.  v.  18.  Did  their  hopes  of  a  proximate 
'  Messianic  Banquet '  (cf .  xiv  15)  revive  ?  Was  the  '  broiled  fish  ' 
of  xxiv  42  on  Easter  evening  symbolic  of  that  banquet  ? 

17.  he  received  a  cup :  cf .  v.  20.  St  Luke  alone  mentions  two 
cups,  and  there  is  some  little  doubt  as  to  which  is  the  Eucharistic 
one — if  indeed  it  is  not  the  same  cup  mentioned,  by  confusion,  twice 
over.  The  doubt  arises  because  (a)  the  '  Take  this  '  (cf.  Matthew's 
'  Drink  ye  all  of  it ')  is  attached  only  to  the  first  cup,  and  '  the  new 
covenant  in  my  blood  '  to  the  second  ;  (6)  because  in  two  places 
(1  Cor  X  16,  21)  St  Paul  mentions  the  '  cup  '  before  the  '  bread,'  as 
does  also  the  Didache  (end  of  first  century  ?)  ;  while  in  St  Paul's 
formal  account  of  the  institution  (1  Cor  xi  23)  the  '  bread  '  comes 
first.  The  question  is  further  complicated  because  there  are  four  or 
five  cups  at  different  points  in  the  Jewish  Paschal  Supper,  and  it  is 
not  certain  (a)  how  far  our  Lord  followed  the  tradition,  or  (6)  if  He 
did,  with  which  of  the  cups  the  two  of  Luke  and  the  one  of  Matthew 
and  Mark  are  to  be  identified. 

when  he  had  given  thanks :  €vxapLcrT-^ara<i — the  word  whence  our 
'  Eucharist '  comes. 

Take  this,  and  divide  it  among  yourselves.    These  words,  combined 


278  ST   LUKE  [XXll  i8, 19 

with  those  that  immediately  follow  {v.  18),  /  will  not  drink,  <fcc.,  seem 
to  imply  that  our  Lord  did  not  Himself  drink  of  the  Eucharistic 
cup  (whether  it  was  this,  or  the  cup  of  v.  20).  He  did  not  need  to 
drink  of  that  cup — His  own  Blood — as  the  celebrant-disciple  needs. 
But  Matthew  and  Mark  place  the  saying  '  I  will  not  drink,  &c.' 
after  that  consecration. 

19.  he  took  bread.  There  was  always  something  solemn  and 
quasi-eucharistic  about  the  formal  distribution  of  bread,  the  '  staff 
of  life,'  by  the  head  of  a  family.  Our  Lord  performed  this  function 
day  by  day  for  His  disciples,  and  His  gestures  in  the  act  became 
very  familiar  to  them  (cf .  xxiv  30,  35).  A  specially  solemn  instance, 
which  the  fourth  Gospel  interprets  as  a  sort  of  prefiguring  of  the 
Eucharist  (Jnvi),  occurred  in  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (ix  16). 

Ramsay  {Recent  Discovery,  p.  312)  notes  the  same  succession  of 
verbs  in  Ac  xxvii  35,  '  Paul  standing  among  the  great  multitude 
almost  all  Pagan,  treated  the  meal  as  though  it  were  a  celebration 
of  the  Eucharist.'  This  was  certainly  not  a  real  Eucharist ;  but 
it  may  be  described  as  '  one  of  a  number  of  analogies  Luke  likes  to 
draw  between  Paul  and  his  Master.' 

This  is  my  body.  Matthew,  '  Take,  eat,  this  is  my  body  '  ; 
Mark,  '  Take  ye  ;  this  is  my  body.'  The  words  which  follow,  from 
which  is  given — to  the  end  oi  v.  20,  poured  out  for  you — are  omitted 
by  Codex  Bezae  (D)  and  certain  cursive  MSS,  while  the  Curetonian 
Sjrriac  Version  omits  the  whole  of  v.  20.  On  this  ground,  and 
because  the  omitted  words  so  closely  resemble  St  Paul's  in  1  Cor  xi 
23-25,  and  might  easily  have  been  supplied  by  a  scribe  from  that 
place,  Westcott  and  Hort  marked  the  passage  as  doubtful.  The 
question,  however,  cannot  be  said  to  be  decided  ;  and  the  many 
other  Pauline  touches  in  which  this  part  of  the  Gospel  abounds 
certainly  diminish  the  argument  in  favour  of  an  interpolation.  On 
the  importance  of  Codex  Bezae  see  Introd.,  p.  xlii. 

As  to  what  our  Lord  actually  said  and  did  at  His  institution  of 
the  Holy  Eucharist,  we  do  well  to  remind  ourselves  that,  of  written 
records,  St  Paul's  is  the  earliest  we  have,  and  dates  within  thirty 
years  of  the  event. 

this  do.  The  '  sacrificial '  interpretation  of  these  words  can 
perhaps  scarcely  be  maintained,  though  Troteiv  does  certainly  bear 
sometimes  the  sense  of  '  offering  up.'  But  when  we  add  the 
'  memorial,'  and  the  '  blood  of  the  covenant '  (in  Mark  and  Matthew 
not  disputed),  and  read  these  indications  in  the  light  of  both  the 
O.T.  and  the  early  Christian  Liturgies,  the  '  sacrificial  aspect ' 
emerges  clearly. 

—  -  in  remembrance  of  me :  or  '  for  my  memorial '  as  a  '  reminder ' — 
to  your  children,  to  the  world,  the  angels,  and  God.  It  has  often 
been  pointed  out  that  di'u/xi'7?cns  in  Biblical  Greek  means  normally 
a  '  memorial  before  God  '  ;  cf .  Lev  xxiv  7,  Heb  x  3.  But  we  cannot 
rule  out  the  '  remembrance  of  Christ's  redemptive  work  among 
ourselves  '  as  part,  at  any  rate,  of  its  meaning  here. 


XXII20-2S]  ST   LUKE  279 

20.  the  cup  .  .  .  after  supper.    So  1  Cor  xi  25. 

the  new  covenant  in  my  blood  :  referring  (a)  to  the  '  blood  '  of  the 
Old  Covenant  (Ex  xxiv  8),  that  '  blood  which  is  the  life '  (Lev  xvii 
11,  14),  and  signifies  a  life  set  free  rather  than  death  as  such — and 
(6)  to  the  prophetic  promises  of  a  New  Covenant  (Jer  xxxi  31,  xxxii 
40  ;  of.  Ezek  xxxiv  25,  xxxvii  26).  This  momentous  verse  has 
given  the  name  '  New  Testament '  to  the  Christian  Scriptures. 

21-23.  Thk  Traitor:  Mat  xxvi  21-25,  Mk  xiv  18-21,  Jn  xiii 
21-30. 

21  But  behold,  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  is  with 
me  on  the  table.  22  For  the  Son  of  man  indeed  goeth,  as  it 
hath  been  determined  :  but  woe  unto  that  man  through  whom 
he  is  betrayed  !  23  And  they  began  to  question  among  them- 
selves, which  of  them  it  was  that  should  do  this  thing. 

21.  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  .  .  .  The  greater  the 
spiritual  height  attained  the  more  obvious  to  the  Lord's  unique 
insight  becomes  the  incongruity  of  the  traitor's  presence.  Christ 
sees  through  him,  but  will  not  betray  him. 

22.  woe  unto  that  man.  Cf.  xvii  1.  These  solemn  words  are  in 
all  three  S3aioptists,  and  Matthew  and  Mark  add  '  good  were  it  for 
that  man  if  he  had  not  been  born.'  The  incident  is  given  much 
more  fully  by  them,  with  the  dramatic  '  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  '  Luke  surely 
cannot  have  seen  the  second  Gospel  here  ?  The  fourth  Gospel  has 
still  more  details,  with  every  mark  of  an  eyewitness. 

24r-30.  The  Lesson  of  Humility.  Because  he  (and  he  alone) 
has  recorded  this  incident,  it  was  imnecessary  for  St  Luke  to 
narrate  the  Request  of  the  Sons  of  Zebedee  (Mat  xx).  On  the  other 
hand  it  is  noteworthy  that  this  mention  of  '  strife  '  dovetails  into 
St  John's  episode  of  the  Feet-washing  ;  which  is  just  an  acted 
edition  of  v.  27  (see  below),  and  may  have  accompanied  the  words 
given  there.  If  so,  the  section  should  probably  have  come  earlier, 
before  v.  17,  so  that  the  '  contention  '  may  have  been  about  the 
order  of  sitting  at  the  table — who  should  '  sit  on  His  right  hand 
and  His  left.' 

It  is  not  clear,  however,  where  the  Institution  should  be  inserted 
in  the  Johannine  account.  St  Luke  may  have  preserved  better  the 
sequence :  vi;.  28  sqq.  are  strangely  parallel  in  idea  with  Jn  xiv  1  sqq. 

24  And  there  arose  also  a  contention  among  them,  which 
of  them  is  accounted  to  be  ^greatest.  25  And  he  said  unto 
them.  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  have  lordship  over  them  ; 
and  they  that  have  authority  over  them  are  called  Benefactors. 

'  Gr.  greater. 


280  ST   LUKE  [XXII 25-31 

26  But  ye  shall  not  be  so  :  but  he  that  is  the  greater  among 
you,  let  him  become  as  the  younger  ;  and  he  that  is  chief, 
as  he  that  doth  serve.  27  For  whether  is  greater,  he  that 
•^sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth  ?  is  not  he  that  ^sitteth 
at  meat  ?  but  I  am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth. 
28  But  ye  are  they  which  have  continued  with  me  in  my 
temptations  ;  29  and  "I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  even 
as  my  Father  appointed  unto  me,  30  that  ye  may  eat  and 
drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom  ;  and  ye  shall  sit  on  thrones 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 

^  Gr.  reclineth. 

^  Or,  /  appoint  unto  you,  even  as  my  Father  appointed  unto  me  a  kingdom,  that  ye 
may  eat  and  drink  &c. 

25.  Benefactors.  There  are  over  100  instances  of  this  word 
in  extant  inscriptions,  applied  to  princes  and  other  eminent  men. 
Deissmann  {op.  cit.,  p.  248)  gives  as  an  instance  a  monument  to 
Gaius  Stertinius  Xenophon,  body-physician  to  the  Emperor 
Claudius,  whom  he  afterwards  poisoned  ! 

27.  he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth.  This  is  one  of  the 
instances  noticed  by  P.  W.  Schmiedel  {Encycl.  Bihl.,  art.  '  Gospels,' 
p.  1794),  in  which  the  word  in  the  third  Gospel  is  paralleled  by  an  act 
in  the  fourth  (cf.  on  xxii  32,  xxiii  46).  Jn  xiii  1-5  pictures  our 
Lord  as  girding  Himself  with  a  towel,  slave  fashion,  and  washing 
the  feet  of  His  sitting  disciples :  St  Luke  records  the  words  /  am 
in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth. 

28,  29.  Ye  are  they  .  .  .  I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom.  Cf. 
Jn  xiv  1,  2,  '  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  ...  In  my  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions  ...  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you.' 

sit  on  thrones  judging,  <fcc.    Cf .  1  Cor  vi  2. 

31-38.    Warnings  after  Supper. 

31  Simon,  Simon,  behold,  Satan  ^asked  to  have  you,  that 
he  might  sift  you  as  wheat :  32  But  I  made  supplication  for 
thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not  :  and  do  thou,  when  once  thou 
hast  turned  again,  stablish  thy  brethren.  33  And  he  said 
unto  him.  Lord,  with  thee  I  am  ready  to  go  both  to  prison 
and  to  death.  34  And  he  said,  I  tell  thee,  Peter,  the  cock 
shall  not  crow  this  day,  until  thou  shalt  thi'ice  deny  that  thou 
knowest  me. 

•  Or,  obtained  you  by  asking 

31.  Simon,  Simon :  cf.  x  41, '  Martha,  Martha.'  Peter's  question 
and  protest  in  Jn  xiii  36,  37,  explains  this  address  to  the  Apostle. 


XXII 31-36]  ST   LUKE  281 

Satan  asked  to  have  you.  Rather  '  successfully  asked  for  you  ' — 
'  obtained  you  by  asking.'  As  in  Job  i  11,  12,  Satan  is  pictured  as 
gaining  his  point,  that  he  may  test  the  soul.  They  have  one  and 
all  to  face  the  test  of  the  betrayal,  arrest,  condemnation,  crucifixion  : 
but  the  Master's  intercession  had  saved  Simon  Peter  from  summary 
and  complete  failure. 

sift  you  emphasizes  the  '  testing  '  process,  separating  the  wheat 
from  the  chaff  :  a  process  with  which,  as  the  Baptist  had  predicted 
(iii  17),  Christ  Himself  would  be  identified.  Winnowing  is  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  and  characteristic  Palestinian  activities  to-day. 

32.  /  made  supplication  for  thee.  Here,  as  in  v.  27,  St  Luke 
records  the  word,  St  John  (xvii  15)  the  act.  For  thee,  though  the 
'  you  '  is  plural.  Of  all  who  were  to  be  tempted,  St  Peter,  the 
leader,  was  in  some  ways  most  likely  to  fall,  and  his  fall  would  be 
most  disastrous.  Here  our  Lord  gives  us  an  example  of  intercession 
for  individuals  by  name. 

fail  not.  A  medical  word,  used  of  failure  of  the  pulse,  &c. 
Hobart,  M.L.,  p.  121  (cf.  note  on  xvi  9). 

"■      when  once  thou  hast  turned  again  :  our  Lord  anticipates  what 
will  happen  in  v.  62,  and  in  Jn  xxi  15  sqq. 

stablish  thy  brethren.  Peter  begins  at  once :  Ac  i  15  sqq., 
ii  14  sqq.,  iii  12  sqq.,  iv  8  sqq. ;  in  Gal  ii  9  he  is  one  of  the  three 
who  have  earned  the  reputation  of  being  '  pillars '  of  the  Church  : 

01   8oKOVVT€?  (TTvkoL   elvaL. 

33.  Lord  with  thee  I  am  ready.  Cf .  Jn  xiii  37.  All  four  Evange- 
lists record  this  boast  in  varying  phraseology.  Luke  is  perhaps 
nearest  to  John  (xiii  37).  Mark  alone  gives  the  further  protest  after 
our  Lord's  answer. 

34.  the  cock  shall  not  crow.  All  four  again  give  this  prediction, 
and  again  in  varying  phraseology.  Mark  alone  has  '  twice,'  here 
and  in  the  corresponding  narrative  (xiv  68,  72).  It  seems  strange 
that  Luke,  if  using  Mark  as  in  the  early  ministry,  should  have  omitted 
this  picturesque  detail.  But  the  same  is  true  of  Matthew  (cf .  Bartlet, 
Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  333).  There  are  touches  in  the  Marcan  Passion  story 
that  favour  the  theory  of  a  second  edition  of  Mark,  after  its  use 
by  Matthew  and  Luke. 

that  thou  knowest  me.  This  detail  is  given  by  St  Luke  only, 
though  the  other  two  S3nioptists  specify  it  also  in  the  narrative  of 
the  denial.  Luke,  like  John,  puts  the  prediction  in  the  Supper- 
room  ;  Matthew  and  Mark  on  the  way  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

35-38.  Warning  to  prepare  for  Persecution.  New  condi- 
tions require  new  precautions. 

35  And  he  said  unto  them,  When  I  sent  you  forth  without 
purse,  and  wallet,  and  shoes,  lacked  ye  anj^hing  ?  And  they 
said,  Nothing.     36  And  he  said  unto  them,  But  now,  he  that 


282  ST   LUKE  [XXII 35-38 

hath  a  purse,  let  him  take  it,  and  likewise  a  wallet  :  ^and  he 
that  hath  none,  let  him  sell  his  cloke,  and  buy  a  sword.  37  For 
I  say  unto  you,  that  this  which  is  written  must  be  fulfilled  in 
me.  And  he  was  reckoned  with  transgressors  :  for  that  which 
concerneth  me  hath  ^fulfilment.  38  And  they  said,  Lord, 
behold,  here  are  two  swords.  And  he  said  unto  them,  It  is 
enough. 

*  Or,  and  lie  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  cloke,  and  buy  one.  -  Gr.  end. 

35.  without  purse,  and  wallet,  and  shoes.  Curiously,  the  phrase 
corresponds  to  x  4 — the  charge  to  the  Seventy  (which  see)  ;  there 
is  nothing  to  match  it  in  the  charge  to  the  Twelve  as  given  by 
St  Luke  (ix  3). 

36.  But  now  .  .  .  New  conditions  demand  new  measures.  The 
disciples  of  an  executed  '  malefactor  '  will  be  in  different  case  from 
those  of  one  protected  by  His  popularity  with  the  common  people. 

There  is  to  be  the  same  reliance  on  Providence  which  the  Mission 
of  last  year  so  abundantly  justified  ;  but  now  they  will  have  to  face 
bitter  hostility  and  persecution  without  the  visible  presence, 
guidance,  and  protection  of  their  Master.  Cf.  Jn  xv  18-21,  of  which 
St  Luke  alone  thus  gives  us  an  echo. 

he  that  hath  none  (i.  e.  no  purse),  let  him  sell  his  cloke,  and  buy 
a  sword.  He  must  even  dispense  with  his  protection  against  rigours 
of  the  weather  to  procure  the  means  of  protection  against  human 
assailants.  That  the  meeting  of  force  by  force  is  not  literally 
intended  here  seems  clear  from  His  words  at  the  arrest  as  reported 
by  St  Matthew :  '  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place :  for  all  they 
that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword.'  The  counsel  to 
sell  your  cloke  and  buy  a  sword  is  a  strong  figurative  expression  : 
'  employ  all  legitimate  means  of  self-defence.' 

So  St  Paul  repeatedly  claims  the  privileges  of  his  Roman 
citizenship  (Ac  xvi  37,  xxii  25,  xxv  11),  and  so,  better  still,  the 
Pentecostal  Church  '  arms  itself  with  a  spirit  of  fearless  confidence 
that  glories  in  suffering  shame  for  His  Name '  (Ac  iv  23  sqq.,  v  41,  42). 
Then  these  words  bore  splendid  fruit ;  for  the  moment  they  were 
grossly  misunderstood.    Cf.  vv.  49,  50. 

38.  here  are  two  swords.  On  this  text  (with  the  assumption  that 
Peter  is  the  spokesman)  was  based  the  pretensions  to  supreme  govern- 
ment, civil  as  well  as  ecclesiastical,  of  the  mediaeval  popes.  The 
two  swords  are  interpreted  as  the  two  jurisdictions.  Our  Lord 
affirms  that  these  two  are  (not  '  too  much  '  but)  '  enough.'  They 
are  both  found  in  Peter's  hands,  therefore  the  control  of  government, 
alike  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  is  in  the  hands  of  '  Peter's  successor.' 
See  the  Bull  unam  sanctam  of  Boniface  VIII,  quoted  by  Plummer 
ad  loc.  The  classical  answer  to  these  claims  is  Dante's  Monarchia, 
in  which  he  argues  that  the  two  authorities  are  both  God-derived 


XXII38-40]  ST   LUKE  283 

and  independent  of  each  other.  Incidentally  he  comments  very 
sensibly  on  this  passage  in  Mon.  iii  9,  showing  that  the  text  will  not 
bear  the  weight  laid  on  it ;  that '  Peter's  '  was,  as  often,  a  superficial 
answer  such  as  had  often  called  forth  rebuke  from  the  Lord,  and  was 
mistakenly  translated  into  action  when  he  '  drew  his  sword  '  later 
{v.  49). 

It  is  enough.  Made  much  of  in  the  Bull  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
ceding note  :  '  Non  respondit  Dominus  nimis  esse,  sed  satis.'  But 
the  words  are  probably  just  a  sad,  or  sadly  ironical,  dismissal  of  the 
subject.    '  Enough,'  '  Very  well,'  '  That  will  do.' 

At  this  point,  probably,  should  come  the  word  of  Jn  xiv  31  : 
'  Arise,  let  us  go  hence.' 

(c)    39-46     The  Agony  and  Bloody  Sweat :    Mat  xxvi  36-46, 

Mk  xiv  32-42 

All  three  Synoptists  record  the  Agony  and  repeated  prayer  ; 
St  Luke  alone  the  Bloody  Sweat  and  the  Vision  of  the  Angel. 
St  John's  only  reference — but  that  a  clear  one — is  the  '  cup  '  of 
xviii  11  :  he  seems  to  concentrate  the  mental  anguish  and  struggle 
earlier,  xii  23-33. 

Christian  Art. — and  not  least  modern  Art  (cf .  Hof mann's  familiar 
picture) — has  loved  to  portray  the  pathos  of  this  scene.  Italian 
painters  mostly  follow  St  Luke,  showing  a  kneeling  Christ  {v.  41) 
and  a  succouring  angel  {v.  43),  as  in  the  Baptism  they  introduce  the 
Lucan  feature  of  the  Dove's  '  visible  form.'  P.  L.  W.  gives  a  xivth 
cent,  picture.  There  are  two  representations  side  by  side  in  the 
National  Gallery :  Giovanni  Bellini  (No.  1417)  and  Mantegna 
(No.  726).  The  former  is  described  by  Mrs  Jameson  {Hist,  of  O.L., 
vol.  ii,  p.  31),  who  also  reproduces  a  Graeco-Latin  miniature  of 
thirteenth  century  and  an  etching  of  Rembrandt  {ib.,  pp.  24-33). 

This  solemn  experience  was,  according  to  Papini  (p.  449),  the 
devil's  threatened  return  (cf.  iv  13) — the  second  '  Temptation,'  in 
a  desert  more  lonely  than  the  first.  So  also  Godet :  '  There  He 
rejected  dominion  over  us  without  God  ;  here  He  accepts  death  for 
God  and  for  us.'  The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
(v  7  sqq.)  adduces  this  rather  than  the  earlier  experience  after 
Baptism  as  type  and  example  of  His  being  '  tempted  like  as  we  are  ' 
(i6.,  iv  15).  '  The  Christ  at  the  beginning,  fresh  from  baptism,  full 
of  hope,  enflamed  with  love,  withstood  the  Tempter  unflinching  ; 
but  the  Christ  nearing  His  end,  deserted  by  His  dearest,  betrayed 
by  a  disciple,  sought  out  by  His  foes,  shall  be  conquered  (thinks  the 
Fiend)  by  fear,  though  cupidity  could  not  conquer  Him  '  (Papini, 
lac.  cit.). 

39  And  he  came  out,  and  went,  as  his  custom  was,  unto 
the  mount  of  Olives  ;  and  the  disciples  also  followed  him. 
40  And  when  he  was  at  the  place,  he  said  unto  them,  Pray 


284  ST   LUKE  [XXII 39-41 

that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation.  41  And  he  was  parted 
from  them  about  a  stone's  cast  ;  and  he  kneeled  down  and 
prayed,  42  saying,  Father,  if  thou  be  willing,  remove  this 
cup  from  me  :  nevertheless  not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done. 
43  ^And  there  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  from  heaven, 
strengthening  him.  44  And  being  in  an  agony  he  prayed 
more  earnestly  :  and  his  sweat  became  as  it  were  great  drops 
of  blood  falling  down  upon  the  ground.  45  And  when  he  rose 
up  from  his  prayer,  he  came  unto  the  disciples,  and  found  them 
sleeping  for  sorrow,  46  and  said  unto  them.  Why  sleep  ye  ? 
rise  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  omit  ver.  43,  44. 

39.  as  his  custom  was,  unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  This  perhaps 
refers  back  to  xxi  37,  to  His  '  custom  '  during  Holy  Week.  But  we 
remember  also  how  the  fourth  Evangelist  describes  this  walk  as  to 
'  a  garden  '  beyond  the  Kidron  brook  to  which  Jesus  '  oft-times 
resorted  .  .  .  with  his  disciples  '  (xviii  1).  The  site  of  this  garden 
has  been  shown  on  the  hill-side  since  the  time  of  Constantine.  It  is 
about  fifty  yards  beyond  the  Kidron  bridge,  and  on  the  east  side 
of  the  track.  Though  its  exactitude  is  incapable  of  demonstration, 
it  cannot  be  far  wrong.  The  first  and  third  Gospels  describe  it  as 
'  a  place  called  Gethsemane  '  (see  next  verse). 

40.  when  he  was  at  the  place.  So  the  scene  of  the  giving  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  (Lk  xi  1)  is  described  as  a  certain  place.  Dr  Armitage 
Robinson,  who  (see  note  on  xi  1)  conjectures  that  that  '  place  '  is 
Gethsemane  {Texts  and  Studies,  i,  No.  3,  pp.  108,  109),  detects  in 
vv.  40,  42  here  an  atmosphere,  as  it  were,  of  the  Lord's  Prayer 
lingering  over  the  spot.  '  Pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  ' 
.  .  .  '  Father  '  .  .  .  '  Thy  wiU  be  done  .  .  .' 

Pray  tlmt  ye  enter  not  into  temptation.  St  Luke  alone  mentions 
this  exhortation  to  the  Eleven,  and  (with  St  John)  omits  the 
segregation  of  the  Three  and  the  coming  to  them  after  prayer. 
Mat  xxvi  37,  40,  43,  45  ;  Mk  xiv  33,  37,  40,  41. 

41.  parted  from  them.  A  strong  word,  lit.  '  torn  from  them,' 
yet  used  of  an  ordinary  parting  in  Ac  xxi  1.  Here  perhaps  the 
word  has  more  of  its  original  force.  We  all  can  tell  something  of 
the  way  in  which  supreme  emotion  tears  us  away  from  the  company 
even  of  our  nearest.  His  emotion  was  unique,  as  He  was  taking 
upon  Him  the  burden  of  the  world's  sin — not  merely  facing  the 
appalling  events  of  the  next  twelve  hours. 

about  a  stone's  cast :  perhaps  fifty  to  ninety  yards  from  the  main 
group  ;  only  a  little  distance  (Matthew,  Mark)  from  Peter,  James, 
and  John. 

kneeled  down.  Luke  only.  The  other  Synoptists  picture  Him 
prostrate  upon  the  ground.    As  momentous  a  verse  as  v.  20.    The 


xxn  41-44]  ST  LUKE  285 

Jews  habitually  stood  up  to  pray  (Mat  vi  5,  Mk  xi  25,  Lk  xviii  11, 13), 
though  Daniel  in  O.T.  'kneeled  upon  his  knees'  (Dan  vi  10).  The 
posture  of  Christ  in  Gethsemane  was  followed,  as  St  Luke  records, 
by  the  Christians  of  the  first  generation  (Ac  vii  60,  ix  40,  xx  36, 
xxi  5).  St  Paul  tells  us  of  his  own  practice  in  Eph  iii  14.  There 
was  some  confusion  in  the  fourth  century,  and  the  Council  of  Nicaea 
ordered  that  prayer  should  be  said  standing  during  the  Easter 
Festival. 

42.  Father,  if  thou  he  willing.  Papini  boldly  says  this  prayer 
to  the  Father  was  an  '  instigation  of  the  devil '  (p.  444),  and  sees  in 
the  Bloody  Sweat  the  token  of  the  '  un-human  and  superhuman 
effort '  to  keep  back  a  repetition  of  the  prayer  and  limit  Himself  to 
a  glad  acceptance  of  the  '  cup  '  (p.  451).  The  Evangelist  records 
for  our  example  both  the  '  strong  crying  '  and  its  cancelling  or 
retraction.  The  Author  to  the  Hebrews  says  He  was  '  heard  for 
his  godly  fear  '  (Heb  v  7)  :  it  was  His  devout  and  reverent  sub- 
mission to  the  Father  that  won  the  victory — and  He  was  '  saved 
from  death,  though  not  from  dying.' 

In  Mat  xxvi  39,  42,  we  have  a  glimpse  of  the  progressive  steps 
in  that  perfect  submission  by  which  the  human  soul  of  the  Divine 
Son  fought  out  this  supreme  struggle;  showing  the  truth  of 
Heb  V  8,  9. 

When  all  has  been  said,  the  Agony,  with  the  fourth  Word  from 
the  cross  recorded  by  Matthew  and  Mark,  remains  the  most  in- 
scrutable mystery  in  the  Gospel  story,  and  only  becomes  dimly 
explicable  in  the  light  of  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Atonement. 
(Cf.  the  present  writer's  Atonement,  Rivingtons  1904,  p.  93.) 

not  my  will,  but  thine,  he  done.  It  is  remarkable  that,  while  in  his 
version  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  St  Luke  omits  the  clause  '  Thy  wiU  be 
done,'  he  inserts  it  here.  Contrast  the  Marcan  form  (Mk  xiv  36), 
'  Not  what  I  will,  but  what  thou  wilt.'  Cf.  Morrison,  The  Lord's 
Prayer,  p.  144  note. 

43,  44.  And  there  appeared  .  .  .  upon  the  ground.  The  MS 
evidence  for  the  omission  of  these  two  characteristic  verses  is 
strong,  though  not  conclusive,  and  the  Patristic  evidence  strengthens 
it  further.  Like  xxiii  34a  it  is  most  clearly  a  part  of  the  original 
Christian  tradition  even  if  it  was  not  of  the  original  Lucan  text. 
Westcott  and  Hort — who  reject  it  in  that  sense — write  {N.T.  in 
Greek,  vol.  ii,  '  Notes  on  Select  Readings,'  p.  67),  '  These  verses  and 
the  first  sentences  of  xxiii  34  may  be  safely  called  the  most  precious 
among  the  remains  of  '  the  '  evangelic  tradition  which  were  rescued 
from  oblivion  by  the  scribes  of  the  second  century.'  On  the  other 
hand  both  passages  are  intensely  Lucan  in  character  (cf.  note  on 
xxiii  34) :  the  '  angel '  (cf.  i  11,  26,  xv  10,  xvi  22,  xxiv  4  ;  Ac  i  10, 
vi  15,  viii  26,  x  3,  xii  7)  and  the  pathological  details,  interesting 
to  the  physician.  If  the  incident  were  to  be  regarded  as  a,  fiction,  it 
would  be  more  easy  to  suggest  that  St  Luke  had  invented  it  than 
any  one  else  ! 


286  ST   LUKE  [XXII 43-47 

43.  an  angel  from  heaven.  Not  to  minister  to  His  exhaustion 
after  the  Bloody  Sweat,  but  to  strengthen  Him  to  '  pray  more 
earnestly  '  to  agonize  so  intensely  as  to  produce  that  phenomenon. 

Does  St  Luke  omit  the  angelic  ministration  in  the  first  Tempta- 
tion, iv  13,  because  he  is  going  to  mention  it  in  the  second  ? 

44.  being  in  an  agony.  The  Greek  word  ayojr/a  expresses  not  so 
much  pain  as  intense  and  acute  anxiety.  '  Fear  of  an  uncertain 
future  '  was  the  Stoic  definition  of  it.  Cf .  W.  R.  Paton,  Classical 
Review,  Sept.  1913,  p.  194. 

great  drops.  This  is  indeed  a  '  cup '  and  a  '  baptism ' ;  cf .  Mat  xx 
22,  23,  Mk  X  38,  39,  and  Jn  xviii  11.  '  Theophrastus  notes  sweat 
(of  the  feet  at  least)  to  be  a  physical  accompaniment  of  dywvta  in 
its  strict  sense  of  the  anxiety  of  the  starters  in  a  race  ;  and  Luke 
no  doubt  described  here  a  physical  symptom  he  had  met  with  in 
his  practice  as  a  physician  '  (Paton,  ut  supra). 

45.  46.  he  came  unto  the  disciples.  The  account  in  Matthew 
and  Mark  is  fuller  and  more  graphic.  Three  times  He  prays,  three 
times  revisits  the  sleep-ridden  three.  They  record  the  pathetic 
appeal  :  '  Could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour,'  and  the  puzzling 
words  (ironical  ?) '  Sleep  on  now  and  take  your  rest,'  spoken  just  as 
Judas  and  his  band  were  approaching. 


(d)   47-53     The  Arrest.    Mat  xxvi  47-56,  Mk  xiv  43-50, 

Jn  xviii  3-11 

There  are  no  special  Lucan  features  in  this  incident  upon  which 
Christian  Art  could  fasten  except  the  healing  of  Malchus'  ear. 
Giotto,  in  his  Paduan  frescoes,  has  a  remarkable  picture  of  the  kiss 
of  Judas,  in  which  the  traitor  appears  as  the  personification  of 
sensual  vulgarity.  Fra  Angelico's  picture  in  the  Academy  at 
Florence  gives  Judas  a  black  halo.  Duccio's  representation  at 
Siena  shows  the  disciples  fleeing  like  frightened  sheep.  Mrs  Jameson 
{Hist,  of  O.L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  39-42)  mentions  this,  and  reproduces 
a  picture  of  Van  Dyck  at  Madrid ;  P.  L.  W.  gives  Fra  Angelico. 

This  may  be  called  the  first  incident  of  Good  Friday,  as  it 
presumably  occurred  after  midnight. 

47  While  he  yet  spake,  behold,  a  multitude,  and  he  that 
was  called  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  went  before  them  ;  and 
he  drew  near  unto  Jesus  to  kiss  him.  48  But  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss  ? 

47.  a  multitude.  Matthew,  '  a  great  multitude.'  Matthew  and 
Mark,  '  with  swords  and  staves  '  (Luke  is  content  to  mention  these 
in  V.  52).  John  (whose  account  is  much  fuller),  '  with  lanterns  and 
torches  and  weapons.' 


XXII 47-51]  ST   LUKE  287 

one  of  the  twelve  :  this  apparently  superfluous  description  is  in  all 
three  Synoptists.  Its  object  is  not  so  much  to  specify  the  traitor 
as  to  throw  his  criminality  into  tragic  relief. 

to  kiss  him.  So  all  three  Synoptists,  but  not  the  fourth  Evange- 
list. Luke,  like  John,  has  no  mention  of  the  actual  kiss  ;  and,  as 
far  as  his  narrative  is  concerned,  our  Lord's  words  in  the  next  verse 
might  be  taken  as  anticipating  and  avoiding  it.  The  kiss  was  the 
customary  form  of  greeting  between  Master  and  disciple.  Matthew 
and  Mark  say  the  kiss  was  given,  and  was  a  preconcerted  signal,  and 
was  accompanied  with  the  greeting  '  Rabbi  !  '  or  '  Hail,  Rabbi  !  ' 

48.  Judas,  betrayest  thou,  <fcc.  St  Mark  omits  this  utterance  : 
St  Matthew  has  in  its  place  :  '  Friend,  do  that  for  which  thou  art 
come  '  (cf .  the  whispered  words  in  the  Upper  Room  recorded  by 
St  John  xiii  27  :  '  That  thou  doest,  do  quickly  ').  St  John's 
account  here  is  fuller  and  different,  giving,  from  the  point  of  view 
of  another  eyewitness  a  vivid  picture  of  confusing  scenes  in  the 
torch-light.  He  sees  Christ  come  forward  as  if  to  protect  His  lambs 
from  the  wolves,  and  ask  boldly  '  Whom  seek  ye  ? ',  and  twice  hurl 
back  the  pack  by  the  terror  of  His  majesty.  He  sees  Judas  standing 
irresolute  among  his  newly- chosen  companions.  Then  his  narrative 
coalesces  with  that  of  the  Synoptists. 

49-51.  The  Healing  of  Malchus'  Ear  :  Trench,  Mir.,  pp. 
480-485. 

49  And  when  they  that  were  about  him  saw  what  would 
follow,  they  said,  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ? 
50  And  a  certain  one  of  them  smote  the  ^servant  of  the  high 
priest,  and  struck  off  his  right  ear.  51  But  Jesus  answered 
and  said,  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  And  he  touched  his  ear,  and 
healed  him. 

'  Gr.  bondservant. 

49.  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ?  The  words  of  v.  37  stiU  ring 
in  their  dazed  ears,  and  they  take  them  literally. 

50.  his  right  ear.  So  only  Luke  of  the  Synoptists  ;  John  agrees, 
and  adds  the  names  of  smiter  and  smitten,  names  which  for  obvious 
reasons  were  not  at  first  published.  It  is  from  the  narrative  of  the 
fourth  Gospel  that  the  mediaeval  canonists  draw  their  inference 
that  the  '  two  swords  '  of  v.  38  were  found  in  Peter's  hands.  St  John 
knew  some  one  in  the  High  Priest's  household,  and  saw  a  kinsman 
of  Malchus  there  that  night  (xviii  15). 

51.  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  Probably  addressed  to  the  disciples : 
'  Hold !  Let  it  go  no  further  !  '  forbidding  them  to  obstruct  His 
arrest,  which  was  predestined  {v.  53b). 

Others  take  it  as  an  '  answer  '  to  the  arresters  :  '  Excuse  this 
act  of  resistance,  it  shall  go  no  further,'  or  '  Leave  me  free  for  this 
one  act '  (the  healing  touch).    Mark  has  nothing  corresponding  to 


288  ST   LUKE  [XXII 51 -XXIII 32 

this.     Mattliew,  the  injunction  to  the  smiter,  *  Put  up  again  thy 
sword,  &c.'  and  the  '  twelve  legions  of  angels  '  (xxvi  52,  53). 

he  touched  his  ear,  and  healed  him.  It  was  a  typical  act  of  mercy 
to  an  enemy  (cf.  vi  27),  but  had  also,  no  doubt,  a  practical  bearing. 
Jesus  would  not  allow  His  assailants  justification  for  claiming  that 
He  was  leader  of  an  '  armed  band  ' ;  cf .  Jn  xviii  36.  The  incident  is 
peculiar  to  St  Luke  and  naturally  recorded  with  interest  by  the 
Beloved  Physician,  as  the  only  known  instance  of  His  curing  a 
violently  inflicted  wound.    (Cf.  Trench,  Mir.,  p.  280.) 

52  And  Jesus  said  unto  the  chief  priests,  and  captains  of 
the  temple,  and  elders,  which  were  come  against  him,  Are  ye 
come  out,  as  against  a  robber,  with  swords  and  staves  ? 
53  When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  temple,  ye  stretched 
not  forth  your  hands  against  me  :  but  this  is  your  hom^ 
and  the  power  of  darkness. 

52.  as  against  a  robber.  He  is  being  treated  as  a  robber  :  He 
has  just  shown  Himself  the  '  Good  Samaritan '  (x  30,  33). 

with  swords  and  staves.    See  note  on  v.  47. 

53.  When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  temple.  A  retort  evoked 
by  the  unnecessary  indignity  of  the  binding.  '  Cowards  !  why  did 
you  not  arrest  Me  publicly,  in  open  daylight  ?  '  He  recognizes 
among  them  some  who  had  been  listeners  on  Monday,  Tuesday,  and 
Wednesday,  and  perhaps  on  previous  occasions.  John  gives  (xviii  20) 
a  parallel  and  fuller  statement  before  the  high  priest :  '  I  ever 
taught  in  synagogues,  and  in  the  temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come 
together.' 

the  power  of  darkness.  The  phrase,  here  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  is 
identical  with  Col  i  13,  and  may  point  to  the  close  companionship 
between  the  Evangelist  and  St  Paul  (Hawkms,  Hor.  Syn.,  p.  197). 
The  same  thought  occurs  in  the  presentiment  of  Jn  xiv  30  :  '  the 
prince  of  this  world  cometh :  and  he  hath  nothing  in  me.' 

[Here  follows  the  incident  of  the  flight  of  St  Mark,  as  related  by 
himself,  Mk  xiv  51,  52.    Cf.  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii,  p.  545.] 

(3)    XXII  54— XXIII  32   The  Trials  :    The  Way  of  the  Cross 

See  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii,  pp.  546  sqq.  ;  and  for  a  vivid  and 
picturesque  presentment,  Jas.  Stalker,  The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus 
Christ,  Hodder  &  Stoughton,  2nd  Edn.  1895.  Also  B.  S.  Easton, 
critical  note  on  the  '  Trial  of  Jesus,'  in  Amer.  J.  T.  xix  (3),  July 
1915,  pp.  430^52. 

There  seem  to  have  been  three  Jewish  '  Trials,'  if  we  include 
one  before  Annas,  ex-high  priest  and  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas 
(Jn  xviii  23).  The  first  two  must  have  been  informal :  no  judge- 
ment could  beTdelivered  at  night.  The  formal  meeting  of  the 
Sanhedrin  will  be  No.  3. 


XXII 54-60]  ST   LUKE  289 

Of  the  first  it  is  not  certain  that  any  details  are  recorded  :  if 
they  are,  we  must  find  them  in  Jn  xviii  19-23. 

Of  the  second  (during  which  occurred  Peter's  denial  according 
to  all  three  Sjoioptists)  details  are  given  in  Mat  xxvi  57  sqq.,  Mk  xiv 
55-65.  Perhaps  Jn  xviii  19-23  refers  to  this  also,  unless  John's 
object  is  to  correct  the  Synoptists  and  show  that  the  Denial  took 
place  while  Jesus  was  before  Annas. 

The  third,  the  formal  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin,  is  mentioned  by 
Mat  xxvii  1  and  by  Mk  xv  1.  Luke  here  gives  a  report  of  its  pro- 
ceedings, which,  however,  closely  resembles  the  account  in  Matthew 
and  Mark  of  the  '  second  '  trial. 

(The  relation  of  these  Synoptic  narratives  to  that  of  the  fourth 
Gospel  depends  on  the  interpretation  of  the  verse  Jn  xviii  24  ; 
whether  the  aorist  there  may  be  rendered  as  a  pluperfect,  and  the 
whole  phrase  as  a  parenthesis.  See  Edersh.,  p.  548  note.)  St  John, 
writing  much  later,  may  have  unconsciously  transferred  to  Annas 
what  the  Sjnaoptists  rightly  ascribe  to  Caiaphas.  The  problem 
would  be  simpler  if  we  could  assume  (with  Godet  and  others)  that 
Annas  and  Caiaphas  lived  in  different  wings  of  the  same  palace. 
Edersheim  (p.  548)  considers  this  very  unlikely. 

Just  possibly  Luke's  vague  reference  in  v.  54  to  '  the  high  priest's 
house  '  may  mean  the  house  of  Annas  (cf .  the  ambiguous  notice  of 
iii  2)  :  if  so,  we  have  John  and  Luke  here  together  again,  as 
against  the  other  two  Evangelists. 

(a)  XXII  54-65     Jewish  Trial  at  Night ;    Peter's  Denial 

The  longest  account  of  this  is  in  Mat  xxvi  5il-15 ;  next  comes 
Mk  xiv  53-65  :  important  details  of  both  of  these  are  reproduced 
in  Lk  xxii  66-71  (the  morning  trial).  The  only  important  Lucan 
addition  is  in  v.  61. 

54  And  they  seized  him,  and  led  him  away,  and  brought 
him  into  the  high  priest's  house.  But  Peter  followed  afar  off. 
55  And  when  they  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the  midst  of  the 
court,  and  had  sat  down  together,  Peter  sat  in  the  midst  of 
them.  56  And  a  certain  maid  seeing  him  as  he  sat  in  the 
light  of  the  fire,  and  looking  stedfastly  upon  him,  said.  This 
man  also  was  with  him.  57  But  he  denied,  saying,  Woman, 
I  know  him  not.  58  And  after  a  little  while  another  saw  him, 
and  said,  Thou  also  art  one  of  them.  But  Peter  said,  Man, 
I  am  not.  59  And  after  the  space  of  about  one  hour  another 
confidently  affirmed,  saying,  Of  a  truth  this  man  also  was 
with  him  :  for  he  is  a  Galilaean.  60  But  Peter  said,  Man, 
I  know  not  what  thou  sayest.  And  immediately,  while  he 
L.  19 


290  ST   LUKE  [XXil  54-63 

yet  spake,  the  cock  crew.  61  And  the  Lord  turned,  and  looked 
upon  Peter.  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how 
that  he  said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow  this  day,  thou 
shalt  deny  me  thrice.  62  And  he  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly. 
63  And  the  men  that  held  '^ Jesus  mocked  him,  and  beat 
him.  64  And  they  blindfolded  him,  and  asked  him,  saying, 
Prophesy  :  who  is  he  that  struck  thee  ?  65  And  many 
other  things  spake  they  against  him,  reviling  him. 

'  Gr.  him. 

54.  the  high  pries fs  house,  i.  e.  palace  of  Caiaphas — or  possibly 
of  Annas  (see  last  note  but  one,  p.  289). 

Peter  followed  afar  off.  '  Love  made  him  follow  ;  fear,  afar  off.' 
This  phrase  is  in  all  three  Sjmoptists  :  the  fourth  Evangelist  omits 
'  afar  off  '  and  adds  that  he  was  accompanied  by  another  disciple 
known  to  the  High  Priest — probably  St  John  himself. 

56.  a  certain  maid.  The  details  of  St  Peter's  denial  are  vivid 
and  convincing  in  all  four  accounts,  and  afford  a  very  typical 
instance  of  the  kind  of  variation  in  detail  which  does  not  invalidate 
the  witness  on  the  main  point.  Here  St  Luke  has  (1)  a  maid, 
(2)  a  man,  (3)  a  man  :  nearest  to  him,  St  John  (I)  the  porteress, 
(2)  the  bystanders,  (3)  a  kinsman  of  Malchus.  St  Mark  (1)  a  maid, 
(2)  the  same  maid,  (3)  the  bystanders.  St  Matthew  (1)  a  maid, 
(2)  another  maid,  (3)  the  bystanders.  Matthew  and  Mark  say  that 
St  Peter  began  '  to  curse  and  to  swear.' 

61.  the  Lord  turned,  and  looked  upon  Peter.  In  this  touch,  given 
by  him  alone,  Luke  the  Artist  is  at  his  highest.  He  has  put  the 
sublimest  pathos  into  the  simplest  words. 

63.  the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked  him,  d;c.  As  foretold  by 
Himself,  xviii  32.  The  '  spitting  '  mentioned  there  is  specified  here 
by  Mat  xxvi  67,  68,  and  Mk  xiv  65.  St  Luke  alone  records  a  second 
mocking  by  Herod's  soldiers  ;  the  other  three  Evangelists  a  third, 
by  the  legionaries  of  Pilate. 

St  Peter's  denial  has  been  a  common  Passion-subject  of  Art 
from  early  Christian  times  (Mrs  Jameson,  Sacr.  and  Leg.  Art, 
pp.  201-202),  even  on  the  primitive  sarcophagi,  where  the  cock 
appears  as  symbol.  Pictures  of  it  are  rare  in  the  earlier  Italian 
schools.  His  repentance  was  a  congenial  subject  for  Guercino's 
brush  ;  and  Murillo  has  a  remarkably  symbolic  picture  in  the 
Louvre,  wherein  the  ardour  of  repentance  gives  the  Apostle  an 
insight  into  the  forthcoming  sufferings  of  the  Saviour,  and  he  finds 
himself  kneeling,  suppliant  for  forgiveness,  before  a  Christ  bound 
to  the  scourging  post  and  crowned  with  thorns. 

The  trial  scene  is  depicted  by  Giotto  in  one  of  his  Paduan  frescoes. 
P.  L.  W.  gives  one  by  Era  Angelico.  Mrs  Jameson  {Hist,  of  O.L., 
vol.  ii,  pp.  49-51)  describes  that,  and  a  picture  by  Gaudenzio  Ferrari. 


XXII 66-71]  ST   LUKE  291 

(b)  66-71     Jewish  Trial  at  Dawn  ;   the  Great  Confession 
Cf.  Edersh.  L.  and  T.  ii,  pp.  549  sqq. 

66  And  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  assembly  of  the  elders 
of  the  people  was  gathered  together,  both  chief  priests  and 
scribes  ;  and  they  led  him  away  into  their  council,  saying, 
67  If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us.  But  he  said  unto  them, 
If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  believe  :  68  and  if  I  ask  you,  ye  will 
not  answer.  69  But  from  henceforth  shall  the  Son  of  man 
be  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of  God.  70  And 
they  all  said.  Art  thou  then  the  Son  of  God  ?  And  he  said 
unto  them,  ^Ye  say  that  I  am.  71  And  they  said,  What 
further  need  have  we  of  witness  ?  for  we  ourselves  have  heard 
from  his  own  mouth. 

•  Or,  Ye  say  it,  because  I  am. 

66.  as  soon  as  it  was  day :  about  6  a.m. 

the  assembly  of  the  elders  of  the  people,  6cc.  Commonly  thought 
to  mean  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Jewish  Supreme  Council,  the 
Sanhedrin.  Edersheim  {L.  and  T.  ii,  p.  557)  denies  that  it  can  have 
been  such  a  formal  meeting,  but  not  that  its  acts  were  the  acts  of 
all  the  Sanhedrists. 

67.  //  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us.  The  Synoptists  hardly  give 
us  overt  ground  for  this  challenge  of  the  high  priest ;  but  the 
fourth  Gospel  records  the  claim  of  Messiahship  and  Divine  Sonship, 
as  again  and  again  suspected  by  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem  (Jn  v  17-47, 
viii  56-59,  x  33),  so  as  to  excite  them  to  stone  Him  for  blasphemy. 

69.  from  henceforth  shall  the  Son  of  man,  cfcc.  Cf.  Mat  xxvi 
64,  Mk  xiv  62.  This  is  a  clear  claim  to  Messiahship.  He  will  pass 
immediately  from  death  to  glory.  Indeed,  according  to  Jn  xiii  31, 
His  glorification  had  already  begun,  when  the  traitor  left  the 
Upper  Room. 

70.  the  Son  of  God.    Mk  xiv  61,  The  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed. 
Ye  say  that  I  am.    Cf.  the  answer  to  Pilate  (Jn  xviii  37),  '  Thou 

sayest  that  I  am  a  king.'     Almost,  if  not  exactly,  equivalent  to  : 
'  I  am,  as  you  say.' 

71.  What  further  need  have  we  of  witness  ?  St  Luke  implies, 
what  St  Matthew  and  St  Mark  state,  that  they  had,  so  far  as  their 
will  and  judgement  were  concerned,  condemned  Him  to  a  death 
which  they  were  powerless  to  inflict.  Matthew  makes  it  clear 
(cf.  Godet,  ad  loc.)  that  this  meeting  was  called  to  decide  on  the 
way  and  means  of  getting  Him  put  to  death.  That  was,  to  hand 
him  over  to  '  the  secular  arm  '  of  the  Roman  Procurator  on  a  charge 
that  was  likely  to  lead  to  a  capital  sentence  (rebellion  against 
Rome,  kingly  pretensions,  xxiii  2).    So  in  Mark  (xv  1)  it  looks  almost 

19-2 


292  ST   LUKE  •    [XXIII 1-7 

as  though  the  meeting  had  been  called  simply  to  bind  Him  and 
convey  Him  to  Pilate.  Edersheim  points  out  (p.  557)  that  '  when 
Pilate  bade  them  judge  Jesus  according  to  Jewish  law  (Jn  xviii  31) 
they  replied,  not :  that  they  had  done  so  already,  but,  that  they 
had  no  competence  to  try  capital  causes.' 

(c)  XXIII  1-7     Roman  Trial,  before  Pilate 

St  Luke,  like  St  Mark,  does  not  specify  the  place.  In  Mat  xxvii 
27  and  Jn  xviii  28  it  is  named  '  Praetorium,'  and  the  latter  (Jn  xix 
13)  adds  the  further  designation  of  '  the  Pavement,'  in  Aramaic 
'  Gabbatha.'  The  probable  scene  (cf.  Sanday,  Sacred  Sites,  p.  54) 
is  not  Fort  Antonia,  but  the  palace  of  Herod  the  Great,  where 
Gessius  Floras  (Jos.  B.J.  II  xiv  8,  9)  scourged  his  victims  and 
gave  them  over  to  crucifixion.  From  this  site  the  traditional  place 
of  the  Crucifixion  would  be  some  300  to  400  yards  distant,  outside 
the  gate. 

Prof.  H.  J.  Cadbury  {Expositor,  June  1921,  p.  439),  regarding 
our  Gospel  as  intended  to  be  an  '  Apology  for  Christianity ' 
addressed  to  intelligent  Gentiles,  notes  apologetic  marks  in  his 
account  of  the  Trial :  (a)  the  greater  distinctness  of  the  accusation 
{vv.  2,  5)  ;  (6)  the  fourfold  pronouncement  of  innocence  {vv.  4,  14, 
15,  22) ;  and  (c)  Pilate's  repeated  efforts  to  release  Jesus  {vv.  16, 
20,  22). 

On  '  Christ  before  Pilate  '  in  Art,  see  Jameson,  Hist,  of  O.L., 
vol.  ii,  pp.  61-70.  Tintoretto's  representation  in  the  Scuola  de 
S.  Rocco  is  one  of  the  most  deservedly  famous.  It  has  been 
reproduced  by  Mrs  Jenner  {Christ  in  Art,  p.  132),  who  sees  in  it 
a  rare  expression  of  '  the  divine  reticence.' 

XXIII  And  the  whole  company  of  them  rose  up,  and 
brought  him  before  Pilate.  2  And  they  began  to  accuse 
him,  saying,  We  found  this  man  perverting  our  nation,  and 
forbidding  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  and  saying  that  he  himself 
is  ^Christ  a  king.  3  And  Pilate  asked  him,  saying.  Art  thou 
the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  And  he  answered  him  and  said, 
Thou  sayest.  4  And  Pilate  said  unto  the  chief  priests  and  the 
multitudes,  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man.  5  But  they  w^ere  the 
more  urgent,  saying,  He  stirreth  up  the  people,  teaching 
throughout  all  Judaea,  and  beginning  from  Galilee  even  unto 
this  place.  6  But  when  Pilate  heard  it,  he  asked  whether  the 
man  were  a  Galilaean.  7  And  when  he  knew  that  he  was  of 
Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent  him  unto  Herod,  who  himself  also 
was  at  Jerusalem  in  these  days. 

•  Or,  an  anointed  king 

\ 


XXIII 1-8]  ST   LUKE  293 

1.  before  Pilate.  Pontius  Pilatus  was  appointed  by  Tiberius 
fifth  procurator  of  Judaea  in  A.  d.  26,  and  recalled  in  a.  d.  36  after 
an  ill-judged  and  provocative  measure  in  Samaria  (Jos.  Ant.  XVIII 
iv  1,  2).  Caligula  banished  him  to  Gaul,  and  he  died  in  exile.  Mount 
Pilatus,  near  Lucerne,  witnesses  to  the  tradition  of  his  death  there. 

2.  We  found  this  man,  dsc.  The  first  two  Gospels  specify  no 
accusation,  but  imply  that  it  involved  a  claim  to  be  '  King  of  the 
Jews.'  In  the  fourth  the  implication  comes  later  (xviii  33)  ;  at 
first  only  the  vague  '  evil  doer  '  (/ca/coTroto's),  extorted  by  Pilate's 
question.  Here  the  charge  is  clear  cut  and  logical :  before  Caiaphas 
Jesus  had  admitted  His  claim  to  Christhood  :  Christhood  involved 
kingship,  and  this  would  form  a  tangible  accusation  in  the  Roman 
Court — laesa  maiestas,  treason.  If  He  claimed  political  kingship 
it  would  foUow  that  He  desired  to  withhold  the  tribute.  So  they 
insolently  add  this  charge,  though  from  the  incident  of  xx  21-26 
they  must  have  known  it  to  be  untrue.  Thus  they  have  a  climax 
of  three  charges  :  (a)  seditious  teaching,  cf.  v.  5  ;  (6)  withholding 
of  tribute  ;    (c)  claim  to  sovereignty. 

3.  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  This  question  is  identically 
recorded  in  all  four  Gospels,  and  implies  the  specific  charge  of  v.  2. 
The  malignity  of  the  accusation  of  political  schemes,  which  our  Lord 
studiedly  avoided  (cf.  Jn  xviii  36),  lies  in  the  fact  that  many  of 
His  accusers  would  have  been  followers  if  He  had  consented  to  head 
a  political  insurrection. 

4.  I  find  nx)  fault :  declaration  of  innocence  repeated  em- 
phatically in  the  resumed  trial  {vv.  14,  22).  The  mere  answer  to 
his  question  could  not  have  led  to  this  conclusion.  We  must  posit 
a  further  conversation  such  as  is  given  in  Jn  xviii  33-37. 

5.  all  Judcea  suggests  something  more  than  the  few  days  at 
Jerusalem  recorded  by  the  Synoptists,  and  gives  corroboration  to 
the  fourth  Evangelist's  narrative  of  several  visits  to  Jerusalem ; 
cf.  notes  on  iv  14,  15,  and  ix  51. 

(d)  8-12     Christ  before  Herod 

The  interest  of  this  incident  lies  in  its  undesigned  consistency 
with  the  rest  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  in  a  line  with  St  Luke's  special 
interest  in  a  knowledge  of  the  Court  of  Herod  (see  note  on  viii  3)  : 
while  the  action  of  Pilate  here  described  is  explained  by  St  Luke's 
previous  allusion  (xiii  1-3)  to  a  recent  outrage  committed  by  Pilate 
on  some  of  Herod's  subjects.  Herod  doubtless  protested  at  the 
time,  and  his  protest,  if  carried  further,  might  have  compromised 
Pilate  at  Rome.  Pilate  is  therefore  on  his  guard  not  to  offend  again 
in  the  same  way.  He  sees  an  opportunity  (a)  of  shifting  his  re- 
sponsibility for  a  decision,  and  (6)  of  patching  up  his  quarrel  with 
Herod.    In  the  latter  he  succeeds,  but  not  in  the  former. 

'  The  inclusion  of  the  story  how  Herod  treated  the  Good 
Physician  with  cynical  generosity  must  be  held  to  illustrate  the 


294  ST  LUKE  [Xxm8-i3 

excellence  of  St  Luke's  historical  information  rather  than  his 
credulity  or  inventiveness  '  (Prof.  Burkitt,  The  Gospel  History  and  its 
Transmission ,  Preface ) . 

8  Now  when  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad  : 
for  he  was  of  a  long  time  desirous  to  see  him,  because  he  had 
heard  concerning  him  ;  and  he  hoped  to  see  some  ^miracle 
done  by  him.  9  And  he  questioned  him  in  many  words  ; 
but  he  answered  him  nothing.  10  And  the  chief  priests  and 
the  scribes  stood,  vehemently  accusing  him.  11  And  Herod 
with  his  soldiers  set  him  at  nought,  and  mocked  him,  and 
arraying  him  in  gorgeous  apparel  sent  him  back  to  Pilate. 
12  And  Herod  and  Pilate  became  friends  with  each  other 
that  very  day  :  for  before  they  were  at  enmity  between 
themselves. 

*  Gr.  sign. 

8.  hoped  to  see  some  miracle.  His  conception  of  Christ  was 
that  of  an  essentially  savage  nature,  that  He  was  just  what  He  had 
refused  to  be  at  the  third  temptation  (iv  9-12)  and  as  often  as  he 
had  refused  a  mere  '  sign  '  (xi  16,  29  sqq.) — viz.  '  a  thaumaturge  ' 
or  popular  miracle-worker. 

9.  answered  him  nothing.  Treating  Herod  with  the  contempt 
he  deserved. 

11.  mocked  him.  St  Luke  omits  the  subsequent  mocking  by 
Pilate's  Roman  soldiers,  narrated  by  the  other  thiee  Evangelists, 
and  the  '  purple  robe  '  with  which  they  clothed  him.  This  '  gorgeous 
apparel '  has  by  some  been  interpreted  as  the  '  white  robe  '  of  a 
'  candidate  '  for  monarchy.  The  word  tells  us  nothing  as  to  its 
colour.  The  purpose  of  the  two  robes  was  the  same,  to  make  fun 
of  His  claim  to  be  '  a  King.' 

12.  became  friends.  One  of  the  most  ironical  situations  in  the 
world's  history. 


(e)  13-25      Roman   Trial  Resumed  ;     Pilate's  Condemnation 
Mat  xxvii  15-26,  Mk  xv  6-15,  Jn  xviii  29— xix  16 

St  Luke's  account  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  the  other 
two  Synoptists,  though  it  differs  a  good  deal  in  the  telling.  St  John's 
account  is  more  circumstantial,  and  designed  to  bring  out  points 
passed  over  by  the  other  Evangelists,  e.  g.  the  distinction  between 
Pilate's  conversations  with  the  Jews  outside  and  with  the  Prisoner 
within  the  Praetorium.  St  Matthew's  important  contribution  is 
the  message  from  Pilate's  wife  (xxvii  19)  which  may  well  have 
stimulated  the  Procurator  to  further  futile  efforts  for  the  release. 


xxmi4-i8]  ST  LUKE  295 

13  And  Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests  and  the 
rulers  and  the  people,  14  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  brought 
unto  me  this  man,  as  one  that  perverteth  the  people  :  and 
behold,  I,  having  examined  him  before  you,  found  no  fault 
in  this  man  touching  those  things  whereof  ye  accuse  him  : 

15  no,  nor  yet  Herod  :  for  he  sent  him  back  unto  us  ;  and 
behold,  nothing  worthy  of  death  hath  been  done  by  him. 

16  I  will  therefore  chastise  him,  and  release  him.^  18  But 
they  cried  out  all  together,  saying.  Away  with  this  man,  and 
release  unto  us  Barabbas  :  19  one  who  for  a  certain  insur- 
rection made  in  the  city,  and  for  murder,  was  cast  into  prison. 
20  And  Pilate  spake  unto  them  again,  desiring  to  release 
Jesus  ;  21  but  they  shouted,  saying,  Crucify,  crucify  him. 
22  And  he  said  unto  them  the  third  time.  Why,  what  evil 
hath  this  man  done  ?  I  have  found  no  cause  of  death  in  him  : 
I  wdll  therefore  chastise  him  and  release  him.  23  But  they 
were  instant  with  loud  voices,  asking  that  he  might  be  crucified. 
And  theu'  voices  prevailed.  24  And  Pilate  gave  sentence 
that  what  they  asked  for  should  be  done.  25  And  he  released 
him  that  for  insurrection  and  mm-der  had  been  cast  into 
prison,  whom  they  a^ked  for  ;  but  Jesus  he  delivered  up  to 
their  will. 

*  Many  ancient  authorities  insert  ver.  17  Now  he  must  needs  release  unto  them 
at  the  feast  one  prisoner.    Others  add  the  same  words  after  ver.  19. 

14.  having  examined  him  before  you  :  implies  more  than  is  given 
us  in  vv.  2-7.  St  Luke  brings  out  very  clearly  the  verdict  of  '  not 
guilty  '  which  preceded  the  delivery  up  to  crucifixion.  Cf .  note  on 
vv.  1-7.  " 

15.  nor  yet  Herod.  This  is  a  new  factor,  by  the  introduction  of 
which  Pilate  hopes  to  gain  his  point  without  shouldering  too  much 
responsibility. 

16.  chastise  him,  and  release  him.  A  cowardly  compromise 
(repeated  later,  v.  22b)  which  Pilate's  conscience  could  surely  not 
approve.  If  He  were  innocent,  why  '  chastise  '  Him  :  if  guilty,  why 
'  release  '  Him  ?  The  proposed  scourging — a  most  cruel  chastise- 
ment— ^is  to  appease  His  would-be  murderers  with  a  sight  of  His 
blood. 

17.  [Now  he  must  needs  release  unto  them  at  the  feast  one  prisoner] 
is  relegated  to  Margin  in  R.V.    An  insertion  from  Mat  xxvii  15. 

18.  release  unto  us  Barabbas.  The  dramatic  contrast  between 
the  murderer  released  and  the  Innocent  crucified  is  well  brought  out 


296  ST   LUKE  [XXIII 21-25 

(cf.  V.  25).  But  for  the  reason  of  their  cry — the  custom  of  release 
of  a  prisoner  at  the  festival  and  the  disappointment  of  Pilate's 
hope  to  use  this  for  the  release  of  Jesus — we  have  to  look  to  the 
other  three  Gospels.  As  Papini  points  out  (pp.  514,  515)  there  was 
only  one  alternative  to  Jesus  the  Jews  would  have  accepted,  and 
that  was  Pilate  himself.  It  was  his  clear  duty  to  face  delation  to 
Tiberius.  At  the  worst  he  would  only  have  suffered  what  he  did 
suffer  at  Caligula's  hands  a  few  years  later,  and  he  would  have  had 
the  consolation  of  a  good  conscience. 

21.  they  shouted,  saying,  Crucify,  crucify  him.  St  Luke  makes 
it  abundantly  clear  that  Pilate's  cowardly  action  was  due  to  fear 
of  the  Jewish  crowd  :  cf.  v.  23.  St  John  (xix  16)  gives  us  an 
insight  into  the  reason  of  his  fear — not  so  much  the  dread  of  a 
bloody  tumult — he  had  his  methods  of  dealing  with  such — as  the 
fear  of  an  accusation  before  Tiberius.  '  If  thou  release  this  man, 
thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend.'  St  John  adds  the  hypocritical  cry  of 
the  Chief  Priests,  '  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar  '  (xix  15),  to  which 
St  Matthew  adds  Pilate's  hand- washing,  and  the  terrible  imprecation 
of  the  people  (Mat  xxvii  25), '  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children ! ' 
If  the  '  Great  Refusal '  of  Dante's  Inferno  (iii  59)  has  any  scriptural 
analogue  or  reference,  Pilate  is  surely  a  more  appropriate  subject 
than  the  '  Ruler  '  of  xviii  18  ?    See  note  there. 

(f )  26-32     The  Way  to  Calvary 

The  traditional  Via  Dolorosa  lies  on  the  line  from  the  Tower  of 
Antonia.  If  Herod's  Palace  be  the  place  of  judgement  (see  note 
on  V.  1)  the  route  will  need  revision.  The  sacred  sites  were  the 
scene  of  pilgrimages  from  at  least  circa  a.  d.  170  (Melito,  ap.  Euseb. 
H.E.  iv  26,  14)  :  but  the  fourteen  '  Stations  of  the  Cross  '  are  of 
much  later  date.  An  indulgence  was  decreed  for  them  by  Inno- 
cent XI  (1691-1700).  Four  of  these  stations— the  meeting  with 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  with  Veronica,  and  the  Second  and  Third 
Falls — have  no  ground  in  the  Gospels.  Of  the  remaining  ten 
St  Luke  records  eight  (if  a  fall  under  the  Cross  be  implied  in  v.  26) 
and  one  (see  vv.  27  sqq.)  is  peculiar  to  him.  On  the  '  Stations  in 
Art,'  see  Jameson,  Hist,  of  O.L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  120-123. 

26  And  when  they  led  him  away,  they  laid  hold  upon  one 
Simon  of  Cyrene,  coming  from  the  country,  and  laid  on  him 
the  cross,  to  bear  it  after  Jesus. 

26.  laid  hold  upon  :  they  had  the  power  to  '  commandeer '  labour 
for  such  a  task.    Matthew  and  Mark  use  the  technical  word  dyya- 

peveiv. 

Simon  of  Cyrene.  The  Cyrenians  had  a  Synagogue  of  their  own 
at  Jerusalem  (Ac  vi  9).  N.T.  references  to  this  Simon  are  all  doubt- 
ful except  that  of  Mk  xv  21,  where  he  is  described  as  '  father  of 


XXIII  a6-32]  ST   LUKE  207 

Alexander  and  Rufus,'  who  were  therefore  Christians  well  known 
to  the  first  generation.  In  Rom  xvi  13  a  Rufus  is  mentioned,  and 
his  mother — who  may  be  this  Simon's  widow — and  in  Ac  xiii  la 
'  Symeon  '  next  to  '  Lucius  of  Cyrene.' 

The  cross-bearing  forms  three  of  the  subjects  of  the  traditional 
'  Station  '  pictures :  (1)  carrying,  (2)  first  of  three  falls,  (3)  meeting 
with  B.V.M.  It  has  been  a  favourite  subject  from  Giotto  onwards. 
The  National  Gallery  has  three  Station  pictures,  by  Ribalta  (No. 
2930),  Pedrini  (3097),  and  Borgognone  (1077  b).  '  Cross-bearings ' 
by  Gaddi  (S''*'  Croce,  Florence)  and  Giorgione  (at  Boston)  are 
described  by  Mrs  Jenner,  oj>.  cit.,  pp.  89,  128. 

27-31.  The  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  :  a  very  characteristic 
incident  peciiliar  to  this  '  Gospel  of  Womanhood  '  (cf .  note  on  viii 
1-3).    This  is  St  Luke's  own  '  Station  of  the  Cross.' 

27  And  there  followed  him  a  great  multitude  of  the  people, 
and  of  women  who  bewailed  and  lamented  him.  28  But 
Jesus  turning  unto  them  said,  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep 
not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children. 
29  For  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  in  which  they  shall  say. 
Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never  bare,  and 
the  breasts  that  never  gave  suck.  30  Then  shall  they  begin 
to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us  ;  and  to  the  hills,  Cover 
us,  31  For  if  they  do  these  things  in  the  green  tree,  what 
shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ? 

28.  A  kind  of  a  fortiori.  Jesus  reciprocates,  and  more  than 
reciprocates,  their  sympathy.  '  There  wiU  be  something  to  weep 
for,  a  few  decades  hence,  for  which  I  have  wept  (xix  41) — more 
terrible  by  far  than  my  brief  sufferings  gladly  borne.'  The  more 
terrible  because  the  doom  of  sin,  invoked  by  the  Jews  themselves 
(Mat  xxvii  25). 

29.  Blessed  are  the  barren  :  '  for  they  shall  not  suffer  in  their 
children  '  :   a  final  and  grim  Beatitude  (Papini,  p.  530). 

31.  the  green  tree  .  .  .  the  dry.  Variously  interpreted  (a)  If  the 
Romans  treat  me — admittedly  innocent — thus,  how  will  they  treat 
the  guilty,  with  just  cause  of  anger  ?  (6)  If  Jerusalem  is  responsible 
for  such  deeds  in  time  of  prosperity,  what  will  she  be  capable  of  in 
the  distressful  days  to  come — when  her  cup  of  iniquity  sha]l  be  full  ? 
Cf.  Ezek  XV  1-5. 

32.  The  Two  Malefactors  :  cf .  w.  39-43. 

32  And  there  were  also  two  others,  malefactors,  led  with 
him  to  be  put  to  death. 


298  ST   LUKE  [XXill  32-34 

32.  And  there  were  also  two  others,  malefactors,  led  with  him. 
Texts  here  vary  very  much,  trying,  in  various  ways,  to  avoid 
'  numbering  '  Jesus  '  among  the  transgressors  '  (Isa  liii  12),  which 
the  original — without  any  thought  of  blasphemy — does.  These  two, 
according  to  Matthew  and  Mark,  were  XrjCTTai,  highway  robbers, 
or  bandits  :  the  word  which  our  Lord  had  used  in  indignant  scorn 
to  His  captors,  when  He  saw  the  '  swords  and  staves  '  in  the  Garden 
(xxii  52)  ;  and  His  enemies  had  probably  schemed  this  companion- 
ship in  order  to  suggest  that  He  was  a  criminal  of  like  sort.  But  see 
Plummer's  note,  ad  loc. 

(4)  33-56    The  Death  and  Burial 
(a)  33-49     The  Crucifixion  and  Death 
33-38.    Christ  Crucified. 

33  And  when  they  came  unto  the  place  which  is  called 
^The  skull,  there  they  crucified  him,  and  the  malefactors,  one 
on  the  right  hand  and  the  other  on  the  left.  34  ^And  Jesus 
said.  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do. 
And  parting  his  garments  among  them,  they  cast  lots.  35  And 
the  people  stood  beholding.  And  the  rulers  also  scoffed  at 
him,  saying.  He  saved  others  ;  let  him  save  himself,  if  this 
is  the  Christ  of  God,  his  chosen.  36  And  the  soldiers  also 
mocked  him,  coming  to  him,  offering  him  vinegar,  37  and 
saying.  If  thou  art  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  thyself.  38  And 
there  was  also  a  superscription  over  him,  this  is  the  king 

OF  THE  JEWS. 

*  According  to  the  Latin,  Calvary,  which  has  the  same  meaning. 
^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  And  Jesim  said.  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do. 

33.  the  place  which  is  called  The  skull  (A.V.  '  called  Calvary,' 
from  Vulg.  Calvaria).  The  other  three  Evangelists  give  the  Aramaic 
equivalent  '  Golgotha  ' — probably  from  some  association  attached 
to  the  place,  e.  g.  as  a  Roman  place  of  execution.  Dr  Sanday 
inclines  to  the  traditional  site  of  this  and  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre — the 
one  recovered  by  Constantino  in  a.d.  356.  A  rival  site,  supported 
by  Gen.  Gordon  and  Col.  Conder,  is  that  on  the  north  side  of  the 
city,  a  '  skull  shaped  '  hillock  above  '  Jeremiah's  grotto,'  near  the 
place  of  Jewish  execution.  But  (a)  there  is  no  reason  to  identify 
the  Roman  and  Jewish  places  of  execution,  and  (6)  it  is  not  till 
comparatively  late  that  the  place  of  crucifixion  is  pictured  as  a  '  hill ' 
(Sanday,  Sacred  Sites,  pp.  67-77  ;  Hastmgs'  D.B.,  art. '  Golgotha  '). 

34.  Father,  forgive  them  :  '  Ho  made  intercession  for  the  trans- 
gressors' (Isa  liii  12).    This  Gospel  records  three  of  the  'Seven  Words ' 


XXlil34=35]  ST   LUKE  299 

from  the  Cross  :  St  John  three  more.  St  Matthew  and  St  Mark 
unite  in  recording  only  the  most  difficult  of  the  utterances, '  My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me  ?  ' 

St  Luke's  '  Words  '  are  the  first  (here),  the  second  {v.  43),  and  the 
last  {v.  46).  It  is  worth  noting  that  the  first  and  last  are  in  substance 
reproduced  in  St  Luke's  record  of  the  last  utterances  of  the  first 
mart}^',  St  Stephen  :  '  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge  ' 
(Ac  vii  60),  and  '  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit '  (Ac  vii  59). 

This  verse  was  rejected  by  Westcott  and  Hort,  on  the  ground  of 
poor  MS  authority  (cf.  R.V.  Marg.)  :  but  it  has  early  Patristic 
attestation  (Irenaeus,  Origen),  and  the  proportional  weight  now 
given  to  that  is  greater  than  it  was. 

But  the  verse  itself  is  its  own  best  attestation.  It  has  the  ring 
of  genuineness,  and  is  undoubtedly  genuine  history,  if  not  a  part  of 
Luke's  Gospel :  just  as  is  the  Pericope  Adulterae  (see  on  xxi  28) 
even  if  it  belong  to  neither  fourth  Gospel  nor  third.  If  Codex 
Bezae  (D)  be  accepted,  these  words  will  stand,  as  also  the  record  of 
the  '  Bloody  Sweat '  and  the  Angelic  Succour  (xxii  43,  44). 

Here  also,  as  in  xxiv  43,  44,  there  is  a  second  line  of  defence  : 
because  the  sayings  have  not  only  the  ring  of  genuineness,  but  are 
characteristically  Lucan,  and  doubly  so  when  read  with  Ac  vii  59,  60. 

for  they  know  not  what  they  do  :  this  clause  limits  indeed  the  range 
of  the  forgiveness,  as  Papini  points  out ;  but  is  postulated  by  the 
impossibility  of  absolution  of  evil  openly  willed,  without  guarantee 
of  penitence  (p.  534).  Our  actions  are  called  forth — as  is  emphasized 
by  the  work  of  psycho-analysis — by  so  many  underground  move- 
ments within  our  nature  that  there  is  little  evil-doing  in  the  world 
into  which  ignorance  does  not  enter,  in  some  degree,  as  a  factor. 
No  one  save  Jesus  Himself  could  estimate  that  day's  work  in  true 
perspective.  And  because  this  is  so,  He  prays  not  only  for  the 
Roman  soldiers,  driving  the  nails  into  His  hands  and  feet,  but  for 
His  malicious  foes  among  the  Jews. 

Less  than  two  months  afterwards  Peter  will  call  some  of  these 
to  repentance  with  the  plea  :  '  And  now,  brethren,  I  wot  that  in 
ignorance  ye  did  it,  as  did  also  your  rulers.  .  .  .  Repent  ye  there- 
fore .  .  .  '  (Ac  iii  17,  19). 

they  cast  lots.  The  garments  of  one  executed  were  the  perquisites 
of  the  soldiers  on  duty.  St  John,  who  was  present,  gives  further 
details,  and  adduces  the  text  of  Ps  xxii  18  : 

They  parted  my  garments  among  them, 
And  upon  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots. 

which  the  Sjoioptists  cite,  as  it  were,  without  '  quotation  marks.' 

35.  And  the  people  stood  beholding  .  .  .  And  the  rulers  scoffed. 
In  the  Greek  text  the  two  words  beholding  and  scoffed  stand  in 
juxtaposition,  and  together  form  a  quotation  from  Ps  xxii  8  {Oewpiov 
iie/xvKTrjpLCov).  This  episode  of  the  Crucifixion  is,  in  fact,  in  all 
four  Evangelists,  a  kind  of  acted  commentary  on  that  great  Psalm. 


300  ST   LUKE  [XXIII 35-40 

let  him  save  himself.  No  doubt  He  could  have  done,  had  He 
been  AviUing  to  reject  '  the  cup  '  (xxii  42)  at  the  last  moment.  In 
the  person  of  these  Jewish  leaders  Satan  is  making  his  last  great 
assault ;  on  the  Imes  of  the  former  attacks  (iv  9,  xxii  42).  If  He 
cannot  rescue  Himself,  they  assume  it  is  for  want  of  power  ;  whereas 
it  is  the  power  of  His  redeeming  love  that  alone  has  placed  Him 
and  keeps  Him  on  the  Cross. 

if  this  is  the  Christ  of  Ood,  his  chosen.  '  This '  (oSto?)  is  contemptu- 
ous (cf.  xiv  30).  We  can  see  them  pointing  the  finger  of  scorn  at 
the  helpless-looking,  humiliated,  and  tortured  figure.  '  The  Christ 
of  God'  as  in  Peter's  confession  (ix  20),  the  '  chosen  '  as  in  the  Voice 
at  the  Transfiguration  (ix  35).  Matthew  and  Mark  prefix  to  the 
'  chief  priests'  '  mocking  that  of  the  passers-by,  and  Matthew 
adds  to  the  former  a  taunt  which  echoes  yet  another  verse  of  the 
Crucifixion  Psalm  (Ps  xxii  8)  the  opening  verse  of  which  both  he 
and  Mark  record  as  an  utterance  of  the  Crucified  (Mat  xxvii  46, 
Mk  XV  34). 

36.  the  soldiers  also  mocked  him.  St  Luke  alone  mentions  this. 
Their  mockery,  as  he  expresses  it,  was  a  milder  following  of  the 
violent  example  of  the  Jews. 

offering  him  vinegar :  recalling  another  Psalm  (Ixix  21).  Matthew 
and  Mark  record  a  later  offering  of  the  same  sour  wine  (Mat  xxvi 
48,  Mk  XV  36). 

38.  a  superscription.  It  was  written  on  a  board  which  the  con- 
demned carried  by  a  cord  round  his  neck  on  the  way  to  execution  ; 
after  which  it  was  nailed  up  over  his  head.  In  this  case  St  John 
says  it  was  inscribed  in  three  languages — Hebrew,  Greek,  and 
Latin  (Jn  xix  20).  St  Luke's  version  probably  represents  the 
Greek  form.  From  the  altercation  between  Pilate  and  the  Jewish 
leaders  which  St  John  there  records,  it  would  seem  that  Pilate 
dictated  it  as  a  deliberate  insult  to  them.  St  Luke  evidently  regards 
it  as  an  insult  to  Christ  also. 

39-43.  The  Penitent  Robber.  This  episode,  like  xxii  43,  44 
and  xxiii  34,  is  peculiar  to  St  Luke,  and  very  characteristic  of  him  : 
but — unlike  the  case  of  those  passages — there  is  no  doubt  here  of 
the  genuineness  of  the  text.  Codex  Bezae  has,  indeed,  a  somewhat 
different  reading  in  v.  39  and  an  addition  in  v.  41,  but  there  is  no 
question  as  to  the  episode  as  such. 

Here  is  exhibited  Jesus,  in  whose  ears  the  derisive  challenge, 
'  Save  !  '— '  Save  !  '— '  Save  !  '  has  been  ringing  {vv.  35,  37,  39), 
winning  His  first-fruits  as  Saviour  upon  the  Cross  itself.  Here  is 
exhibited  also  the  first  and  last  open  championship  of  the  Ci'ucified 
on  that  day  of  loneliness — for  Pilate's  pitiable  attempts  can  hardly 
be  counted  as  such. 

39  And  one  of  the  malefactors  which  were  hanged  railed 
on  him,  saying.  Art  not  thou  the  Christ  ?  save  thyself  and  us. 
40  But  the  other  answered,  and  rebuking  him  said,  Dost  thou 


xxm  39-43}  ST  LUKE  301 

not  even  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condemnation  ? 
41  And  we  indeed  justly  ;  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of 
our  deeds  :  but  this  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss.  42  And 
he  said,  Jesus,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  ^in  thy 
kingdom.  43  And  he  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee, 
To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise. 

*  Some  ancient  authorities  read  into  thy  kingdom. 

39.  one  of  the  malefactors  .  .  .  railed  on  him.  Matthew  and  Mark 
say  both  of  them  railed.  Perhaps  both  did  at  first,  and  Dysmas 
(to  call  him  by  his  traditional  name)  was  softened  by  the  bearing 
of  Christ,  and  especially  by  the  expression  of  forgiveness  in  v.  34. 
Papini  (p.  543)  surmises  that  the  two  robbers  were  jealous  because 
they  were  not,  as  He,  relieved  of  the  weight  of  their  crosses  in  the 
procession,  and  also  because  their  companion  was  so  obviously  the 
focus  of  all  attention  and  interest. 

Art  not  thou  the  Christ  ?  he  mimics  the  railing  of  the  rulers,  v.  35. 

4(1-42.  But  the  other  answered.  These  verses  are  extraordinarily 
rich  in  implications.  N.B.  (a)  his  innate  religious  sense  ('  Dost 
thou  not  even  fear  God  ?  ' — the  first  step  in  repentance)  ;  (6)  his 
admission  of  his  own  criminality,  and  of  the  justice  of  his  punish- 
ment ;  (c)  his  bold  championship  of  Jesus  and  recognition  of  His 
innocence  ;  {d)  his  acceptance  of  the  Crucified  as  Messiah,  and 
belief  in  His  kingdom  beyond  the  grave.  In  a  very  short  time  his 
spiritual  outlook  had  expanded  and  his  belief  matured,  till  he  had 
outdistanced  the  most  intimate  of  the  disciples  with  their  two  years' 
close  companionship  and  special  training. 

42.  Jesus,  remember  me.  The  true  reading  :  not  as  A.V.  The 
only  place  where  our  Lord  is  so  addressed  by  an  individual  in  the 
Gospels  :  it  sounds  '  familiar  '  ;  and  it  has  been  suggested  by 
Dr  Lock  (in  an  Address  on  the  '  Seven  Words  ')  that  the  two  com- 
panions in  crucifixion  may  have  been  companions  and  comrades 
when  young,  in  Galilee.  The  robber  might,  however,  have  read  the 
name  on  the  '  superscription  '  {v.  38),  as  also  the  word  '  King.' 

in  thy  kingdom :  or  into  thy  kingdom.  The  reading  is  doubtful ; 
the  meaning,  ultimately,  the  same. 

43.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  The  asseverative  afxr'jv,  common  in 
the  fourth  Gospel  in  reduplicated  form,  occurs  six  times  in  St  Luke, 
scattered  over  the  whole  Ministry,  in  utterances  of  solemn  import — 
iv  24,  xii  37,  xviii  17,  29,  xxi  32,  xxiii  43.  Here  it  ushers  in  one  of 
the  most  momentous  sayings  ever  uttered. 

To-day  shalt  thou  he  with  me  in  Paradise.  Since  the  imagery  of 
the  Parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  cannot  be  pressed  (cf.  note  on 
xvi  19-31)  as  a  picture  of  the  World  Beyond,  this  is  the  surest  and 
the  most  definite  revelation  that  has  been  given  us  as  to  the  life 
after  death. 

with  me   in   Paradise.     '  Paradise,'    a   word  of  ^Persian  origin 


302  ST   LUKE  [XXIII 43-45 

=  '  Park'  or  'Pleasure-garden,'  used  in  LXX  for  the  '  Garden  of 
Eden,'  is  used  here,  clearly,  as  equivalent  to  the  '  Abraham's 
bosom '  of  xvi  22  as  the  place,  or  state,  of  the  righteous  departed 
awaiting  the  resurrection.  Our  Lord's  presence  in  the  abode  of 
departed  spirits  (cf .  1  Pet  iii  19)  must  have  had,  so  to  speak,  a  special 
quality  during  the  hours  between  His  death  and  His  resurrection, 
in  which  Christian  tradition  placed  the  '  Harrowing  of  Hell.' 

But  that  Christ's  followers  from  the  first  believed  that  they,  like 
Dysmas,  would  meet  Him  there  at  death,  is  clear  from  St  Stephen's 
dying  words  (Ac  vii  59)  and  St  Paul's  confident  phrase — penned 
when  he  was  facing  a  probably  imminent  martyrdom — '  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ,'  which  '  is  very  far  better  '  (Phil  i  23).  According 
to  the  age-long  Christian  belief  and  prayer  it  is  Christ's  presence 
there  which  gives  the  faithful  departed  '  refreshment,  light,  and 
peace.' 

St  Paul,  in  one  place,  uses  '  paradise  '  for  a  region  of  Heaven 
itself  (2  Cor  xii  4),  and  it  is  possible  that  the  same  meaning  attaches 
to  it  in  Rev  ii  7.  This  confusion  of  the  name  has  persisted.  Dante 
treats  of  the  '  Earthly  Paradise  '  (Garden  of  Eden)  in  the  last 
cantos  of  the  Purgatorio  ;   of  '  Heaven  '  in  the  Paradiso. 

Our  Lord's  prompt  answer,  granting  much  more  than  was  asked, 
makes  it  perilous  for  us  to  deny  the  possibility  of  a  sincere  and 
efficacious  death-bed  repentance.  So  Conradin,  dying  excommuni- 
cate and  fighting  against  the  forces  of  the  Church,  can  say  {Purg. 
iii  122), '  The  Infinite  Goodness  hath  so  wide  embrace  that  it  receiveth 
whosoever  turneth  unto  it '  : 

...  La  bonta  infinita  ha  si  gran  braccia, 
Che  prende  cio  che  si  rivolge  a  lei. 

But  any  glib  confidence  in  its  possibility  for  ourselves  is  ruled  out 
by  the  spectacle  of  the  other  Robber,  precisely  similarly  situated, 
dpng  defiantly  out  of  touch  with  the  Saviour. 

44,  45.  The  Three  Hours'  Darkness.  This  is  noted  by  all 
three  Sjoioptists,  as  lasting  from  12  noon  to  3  p.m.  St  Mark  (xv  25) 
states  that  the  crucifixion  began  at  the  third  hour  (9  a.m.).  The 
'  Lesser  Hours  '  of  CTiristian  devotion,  Tierce,  Sext,  and  None, 
were  based  on  these  points  in  our  Lord's  Passion. 

During  the  first  three  hours  (9  a.m.  to  12)  probably  occurred  all 
that  St  Luke  has  recorded  hitherto,  including  the  first  and  second 
'  Word  from  the  Cross,'  together  with  the  farewell  Word  to  His 
Mother  and  the  Beloved  Disciple  in  Jn  xix  25,  26. 

During  the  Darkness — perhaps  near  its  end — we  must  place 
the  fourth  Word,  recorded  by  Matthew  and  Mark  alone  :  31  y  God, 
My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  The  omission  of  this  mysterious 
utterance  of  the  Sin-bearer  is  a  clear  sign  that  Luke  has  not  here 
made  systematic  use  of  the  Marcan  source.  It  is  only  partially 
compensated  by  his  unique  emphasis  on  the  Agony  in  the  Garden. 


XXIII 44-47]  ST   LUKE  303 

The  Rending  of  the  Veil  (u.  45)  is  associated  in  Matthew  and  Mark 
with  that  '  central '  or  fourth  Word. 

After  the  Darkness  we  may  place  St  John's  fifth  and  sixth  Words 
(Jn  xix  28-30)  and  St  Luke's  seventh  Word  {v.  46).  — 

44  And  it  was  now  about  the  sixth  hour,  and  a  darkness 
came  over  the  whole  ^land  until  the  ninth  houi',  45  Hhe  sun's 
light  failing  :  and  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  the 
midst. 

•  Or,  earth  ^  Gr.,  the  sun  failing.  *  Ox,  sanctuary 

44.  a  darkness.  Symbolical  of,  and  appropriate  to,  the  final 
victorious  struggle  of  the  '  Light  of  the  World  '  with  the  '  Powers 
of  Darkness.'    Cf.  Col  ii  15. 

45.  the  sun's  light  failing,  i.  e.  from  '  eclipse  '  (the  equivalent 
of  the  Greek  word),  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  could  not  be  during 
a  full  moon  ;  or  from  gross  and  extraordinary  atmospheric  dis- 
turbance. This  is  doubtless  one  of  the  grounds  on  which  mediaeval 
wTiters  based  their  belief  that  the  weather  was  affected  by  demonia- 
cal agency  (cf.  note  on  viii  24).  But  the  traditional  symbolism  of 
Art  makes  the  sun  hide  his  face  in  shame  and  sorrow  at  the  outrage 
upon  his  Creator. 

the  veil  o/  the  temple  :  the  heavy  curtain,  or  rather  curtains — for 
there  were  two,  a  cubit  apart — that  hung  between  the  Holy  Place 
and  the  Holy  of  Holies.  These  veils  (see  Edersheim,  L.  and  T. 
ii,  pp.  610-612)  were  of  enormous  size,  60  ft.  x  30  ft.,  and  were  reputed 
to  need  300  priests  to  manipulate  each.  Edersheim  sees  a  '  dis- 
torted version  '  of  this  occurrence  in  Tacitus  [Hist.  v.  13),  Josephus 
{B.J.  VI  v  3),  the  '  Gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews  '  (Jerome  on 
Mat  xxvii  51),  and  the  Talmud.  Plummer  {ad  loc.)  points  to  Ac  vi  7 
as  suggesting  the  Evangelists'  source  of  information  :  the  '  great 
company  of  the  priests  '  who  very  early  joined  the  Church.  If  we 
may  venture  to  discuss  the  symbolism  of  such  an  event,  it  might 
point  {a)  to  the  coming  destruction  of  the  Temple  (cf .  Josephus  and 
Talmud  above)  and,  beyond  that,  (6)  the  opening  of  access  to  the 
Holiest  Place  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  (Heb  x  19,  20).  All  that  the 
whole  Jewish  system  meant,  all  that  was  implied  in  the  separation 
between  God  and  man,  came  to  an  end. 

It  is  natural  to  connect  the  '  rending  '  with  the  earthquake 
mentioned  by  Mat  xxvii  51. 

46^9.    The  End. 

46  ^And  when  Jesus  had  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  he  said, 
Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spu'it  :  and  having 
said  this,  he  gave  up  the  ghost.     47  And  when  the  centurion 

'  Or,  And  Jesus,  crying  with  a  loud  voice,  said 


304  ST   LUKE  [XXIII 46-49 

saw  what  was  done,  he  glorified  God,  saying,  Certainly  this 
was  a  righteous  man.  48  And  all  the  multitudes  that  came 
together  to  this  sight,  when  they  beheld  the  things  that  were 
done,  retm-ned  smiting  their  breasts.  49  And  all  his  acquain- 
tance, and  the  women  that  followed  with  him  from  Galilee, 
stood  afar  off,  seeing  these  things. 

46.  when  Jesus  had  cried  with  a  loud  voice.  This  loud  cry  is 
mentioned  by  all  three  Synoptists,  and  may  be  identical  with  the 
'  sixth  Word  '  of  Jn  xix  30 — the  triumphal  shout :  '  It  is  finished.' 
This  shows  that  He  was  not  dying  of  mere  exhaustion.  Indeed, 
such  an  utterance  as  Jn  x  17,  18  strongly  suggests  (and  is  corrobo- 
rated by  St  Matthew's  strange  expression  '  he  yielded  up  his  spirit ') 
that  our  Lord's  will-power  was  being  intensely  exerted  in  the 
opposite  direction  from  that  of  a  normal  dying  man,  in  whom 
nature  struggles  against  dissolution.  He  gave  up  His  life,  not  let 
it  ebb  from  Him.  Oblatus  est  quia  ipse  voluit.  None  of  the  Evan- 
gelists says  simply  '  He  died.' 

Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit :  cf .  1  Pet  iv  19. 
A  voluntary  act  (see  note  above),  and  cf .  also  Jn  xix  30.  This  is  one 
of  the  instances  (cf.  notes  on  xxii  27  and  32)  in  which  St  John 
records  the  act  and  St  Luke  the  word. 

commend  {irapaTWeijai)  is  the  regular  word  for  depositing 
something  valuable  with  a  friend. 

47.  when  the  centurion  saw  what  was  done.  The  ofiicer  in  charge 
of  the  execution  and  of  the  quaternion  of  soldiers.  On  centurions 
see  note  on  vii  2.  This  man,  whose  name  in  tradition  is  Longinus, 
was  converted  by  the  manner  of  Christ's  death  (Mk,  Lk)  and  by 
the  accompanying  portents  (Mat). 

Certainly  this  was  a  righteous  man  :  cf .  v.  41 .  Matthew  and  Mark 
have  '  a  son  of  God  ' — both  may  be  true,  or  they  may  be  varying 
reports  of  an  exclamation  that  was  in  any  case  a  convinced  vindica- 
tion of  the  supposed  malefactor. 

48.  that  came  together  to  this  sight.  The  immense  Passover 
crowds  felt  a  revulsion  of  feeling,  and  showed  striking  signs  of 
remorse.  They  came  to  it  as  a  '  spectacle  '  {Oewptav),  but  were 
overwhelmed  rather  than  entertained. 

49.  stood  afar  off :  (we  should  translate  '  But '  for  '  And  ')  in 
contrast  to  the  crowds  who  surged  up  and  went  away  remorseful. 
Mk  XV  40  names  three  of  these  women,  Mary  Magdalene,  Mary 
mother  of  James,  and  Salome,  and  speaks  of  them  in  terms  which 
suggest  identification  with  the  ministering  ladies  of  viii  3.  Mary, 
wife  of  Clopas,  and  Mary  Magdalene  are  specified  by  St  John  as 
standing  '  by  the  cross '  with  the  '  disciple  whom  He  loved,'  earlier 
in  the  day. 

seeing  these  things.  Here  also,  m  the  word  used,  is  a  contrast  with 
v.  48.    To  His  friends  it  was  no  spectacle. 


XXIII  so-56]  ST   LUKE  305 

Supreme  among  subjects  of  Christian  Art  stands  the  Crucifixion  ; 
whether  we  consider  the  imaged  Christ  sculptured  (i.e.  the  Crucifix) 
or  the  painted  representation.  The  earlier  painters  viewed  it  more 
symbolically,  and  less  historically  or  dramatically.  The  celebrated 
pictures  by  Perugino,  in  Florence  and  at  Petrograd,  are  of  this  kind, 
and  the  strangely  beautiful  Antoniello  da  Messina  in  the  National 
Gallery  (No.  1166,  reprod.  by  P.  L.  W.).  Tintoretto  introduces  the 
more  dramatic  view,  and  with  later  painters  it  is  common.  The 
attitude  of  the  penitent  robber  shows  that  St  Luke  is  followed. 
There  is  a  memorable  representation  by  Luini — on  the  rood-loft  of 
S.  Maria  degli  Angioli  at  Lugano  :  vast  and  realistic  but  devotional. 
Velasquez'  celebrated  picture  representing  the  Cry  of  Desolation 
(Mk  XV  34)  has  been  described  as  '  the  climax  of  religious  art  in 
Spain  '  (Jenner,  op.  cit.,  p.  147).  In  the  pictures  of  the  Entomb- 
ment, and  the  Pietd  or  sorrow  over  the  dead  Christ,  painters 
from  Giotto  onwards  have  placed  the  climax  of  the  passionate 
sorrow  of  B.V.M.,  rather  than  during  the  crucifixion.  There  is  a 
beautiful  F.  Francia  in  the  National  Gallery,  and  a  most  striking 
'  Mourning  over  the  dead  Christ,'  by  a  French  painter  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  On  pictures  of  the  Crucifixion  see  further,  Jameson, 
Hist,  of  O.L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  136-212,  and  on  the  Crucifix,  ib.,  pp. 
325-330. 

(b)  50-56     The  Entombment 

On  the  whole  subject  of  the  Entombment  see  an  interesting 
article  by  C.  H.  Turner  in  C.Q.R.,  vol.  Ixxiv,  pp.  288-310  (July 
1912),  where  the  authenticity  and  consistency  of  the  fourfold 
account  of  our  Lord's  sepulture  are  defended  against  the  attack  of 
K.  Lake  {Historical  Evidence  for  the  Resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ : 
Williams  &  Norgate  1907). 

The  Marcan  account  would  seem  to  be  derived  from  one  eye- 
witness (Joseph),  to  which  St  John  has  added  details  from  another 
eyewitness  (Nicodemus)  (cf.  Turner,  op.  cit.,  p.  301).  Anything 
material  added  by  St  Luke  may  perhaps  be  due  to  Joanna,  whom 
he  alone  mentions  (xxiv  10). 

50  And  behold,  a  man  named  Joseph,  who  was  a  comicillor, 
a  good  man  and  a  righteous  51  (he  had  not  consented  to 
their  counsel  and  deed),  a  man  of  Arimathsea,  a  city  of  the 
Jews,  who  was  looking  for  the  kingdom  of  God  :  52  this  man 
went  to  Pilate,  and  asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus.  53  And  he 
took  it  down,  and  wrapped  it  in  a  linen  cloth,  and  laid  him  in 
a  tomb  that  was  hewn  in  stone,  where  never  man  had  yet 
Iain.  54  And  it  was  the  day  of  the  Preparation,  and  the 
sabbath  ^drew  on.    55  And  the  women,  which  had  come  with 

'  Gr.  began  to  dawn. 
L.  20 


306  ST   LUKE  [XXIII 50-53 

him  out  of  Galilee,  followed  after,  and  beheld  the  tomb,  and 
how  his  body  was  laid.  56  And  they  returned,  and  prepared 
spices  and  ointments. 

And  on  the  sabbath  they  rested  according  to  the  com- 
mandment. 

50.  a  man  mmied  Joseph,  .  .  .  (61)  of  Arimathcea.  This  is  added 
by  all  four  Evangelists  to  distinguish  him  from  the  other  persons 
of  that  name  known  to  the  early  Church,  viz.  our  Lord's  foster- 
father  (Lk  i  27)  and  His  '  brother '  (Mk  xiii  58),  Barsabbas  (Ac  i  23), 
and  Barnabas  (Ac  iv  36).  Arimathea  is  usually  identified  with 
Ramathaim  (1  Sam  i  1),  the  birth-place  of  Samuel.  A  well-known 
legend  brmgs  St  Joseph  over  to  Britain  and  to  Glastonbury  with 
the  '  Holy  Grail.' 

a  councillor,  i.  e.  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  like  Nicodemus 
(Jn  vii  50)  whom  the  fourth  Evangelist  associates  with  him  in  the 
burying  of  the  Lord.  C.  H.  Turner  thinks  that  these  two  were 
among  the  deputation  sent  by  the  Sanhedrin  to  Pilate  ( Jn  xix  31  sqq.) 
to  ask  that  the  three  crucified  ones  should  be  put  to  death  and  taken 
down  before  nightfall,  lest  the  Deuteronomic  Law  should  be  broken 
(Deut  xxi  22,  23)  by  the  victims  being  left  hanging  all  through  the 
approaching  Sabbath  :  and  that  Joseph,  on  his  own  account,  asked 
for  the  Body  of  the  Saviour  that  he  might  dispose  of  it  reverently 
(see  V.  52). 

a  good  man  and  a  righteous  .  .  .  Here  St  Luke  greatly  expounds 
the  narrative ;  St  Mark  simply  describes  Him  as  a  '  well-to-do 
(evaxrjfj-oiv)  councillor,'  using  a  word  applied  repeatedly  by  St  Luke 
to  '  gentlefolk  '  in  the  Acts  (Ac  xiii  50,  xvii  12).  Unless  St  Luke  is 
drawing  on  another  source  (?  Joanna  or  Philip),  he  expands  the 
Marcan  notice  in  a  moral  sense. 

51.  looking  for  the  kingdom  :  like  Simeon  and  Anna  (ii  25,  38). 
St  Matthew  goes  further  and  says  he  had  '  become  a  disciple  '  :  not, 
however,  presumably  one  of  the  recognized  band  (cf.  'secretly,' 
Jn  xix  38)  else  the  holy  women  would  surely  have  co-operated  with 
him  and  not  acted  separately. 

53.  he  took  it  down.  Here  the  fourth  Gospel  inserts  mention  of 
the  co-operation  of  Nicodemus,  bringing  100  lb.  weight  of  spices, 
myrrh,  and  aloes. 

wrapped  it  in  a  linen  cloth.  '  Clean  linen  '  says  St  Matthew,  and 
St  Mark  states  earlier  (xv  46)  that  Joseph  bought  it  for  the  occa- 
sion. He  uses  a  different  verb  ('  swathed  ').  This  is  one  of  the  rare 
instances  where  the  first  and  the  third  Gospel  vary  the  phraseology 
of  the  second  by  adopting  the  same  synonym  for  the  Marcan  word. 
C.  H.  Turner  thinks  it  points  to  Luke  having  seen  the  first  Gospel 
'  at  some  very  late  stage  of  the  composition  of  his  own  .  .  .  and  that 
he  borrowed  from  it  just  a  touch  here  and  there  '  {op.  cit.,  p.  302). 

in  a  tomb  that  was  hewn  in  stone.    This  is  vaguer  than  the  Marcan 


XXIII  53-XXlV]  ST   LUKE  307 

phrase,  which  makes  clear  that  it  was  '  hewn  out  of  the  rock.' 
Like  the  '  cave  '  in  which  Lazarus  had  been  buried  ( Jn  xi  38)  it  had 
a  removable  stone  laid  against  the  orifice  (i6.  xi  41).  St  Luke  may 
not  have  realized  all  the  details.  Dr  Sanday  on  the  whole  decides 
{Sacred  Sites,  pp.  76, 77)  for  the  traditional  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
The  tradition,  however,  does  not  go  back  beyond  a.  d.  356,  when 
Constantino  cleared  away  Hadrian's  Temple  of  Venus,  which  must 
have  diverted  second-century  pilgrims  from  the  spot. 

where  never  man  had  yet  lain.  St  Luke  adds  this  to  the  Marcan 
account.  St  John  adopts  it  (xix  41)  and  adds  that  it  was  '  in  a 
garden  '  '  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified.'  St  Matthew  tells 
us  that  it  was  Joseph's  own  new  tomb.  '  He  who  had  lain  in  a 
Virgin's  womb,  and  had  been  wrapped  after  death  in  virgin  linen,' 
was  fitly  '  laid  also  in  a  virgin  tomb.' 

St  Luke  characteristically  omits  mention  of  the  '  stone  '  here, 
as  he  means  to  refer  to  it  later  on  (xxiv  2). 

54.  the  day  of  the  Preparation,  i.  e.  Friday,  Trapaa-Kevrj  is  the 
name  for  Friday  in  the  early  Church  writers.  St  John  mentions 
the  day  here  (xix  42)  and  also  earlier  (xix  31),  as  the  ground  for 
the  deputation  to  Pilate. 

55.  the  women :  including,  presumably,  the  '  two  Maries  '  and 
Joanna  of  xxiv  4  ;  cf.  viii  2,  3.  Matthew  and  Mark  specify  Mary 
Magdalene  and  another  Mary  (not  the  Blessed  Virgin) :  the  text  here 
seems  to  suggest  a  larger  group.  The  fourth  Gospel  (Jn  xix  25) 
names  three  Maries  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 

beheld  the  tomb,  and  how  his  body  was  laid.  Peculiar  to  St  Luke, 
this  touch  may  have  been  derived  from  Joanna. 

XXIV    THE  TRIUMPH 

(1)  1-12      Resurrection  and  First  Appearances 

(2)  13-43    Walk  to  Emmaus,  and  Appearance  in  Upper  Room 

(3)  44-53     Summary,  to  the  Ascension 

St  Luke's  account  of  these  final  events  is  remarkably  independent 
of  the  other  three  narratives.  Of  the  53  verses  there  are  only  16 
which  are  in  any  sense  paralleled  in  any  of  the  other  Gospels,  and 
in  these  the  parallel  is  not  perfect. 

The  first  section,  xxiv  1-12,  has  most  of  these  coincidences 
{vv.  1-6  and  9,10  are  partly  paralleled).  All  four  Evangelists  agree 
{a)  in  giving  no  picture  of  the  act  or  process  of  resurrection  itself, 
and  (6)  in  making  the  first  evidence  arise  out  of  the  visit  of  the 
women  to  the  tomb  at  early  dawn,  in  which  they  found  the  great 
stone  moved,  and  (c)  in  recording  that  angels  were  seen  before  the 
Lord  Himself. 

But  there  are  bewildering  variations  in  the  accounts.  In  the 
second  section,  xxiv  13-43,  all  the  first  22  verses,  describing  the 
appearance  of  the  Lord  to  Cleopas  and  his  companion,  are  entirely 

20-2 


308  ST   LUKE  [XXIV  i -12 

peculiar  to  St  Luke,  though  the  appendix  to  St  Mark  (xvi  12,  13) 
summarizes  this  episode.  The  following  7  verses  (xxiv  36-43) 
evidently  refer  to  the  same  appearance  in  the  Upper  Room  which  is 
described  by  St  John  in  xx  19-23  and  summarized  in  the  appendix 
to  St  Mark  (xvi  14  sqq.).  But  St  Luke's  details  differ  considerably 
from  those  given  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  Finally,  Lk  xxiv  44-51 
describes  the  Ascension,  in  common  with  [Mk]  xvi  19  :  but  it  is 
possible  that  all  the  details  of  [Mk]  xvi  9-20  were  really  taken  from 
the  third  Gospel  (cf.  Bennett  and  Adeney,  Biblical  Introduction, 
pp.  302,  303). 

As  to  the  problems  of  harmonizing  which  arise  out  of  the  four 
resurrection  narratives,  the  reader  may  be  referred  to  Westcott  (on 
Jn  XX  1),  to  Plummer's  admirable  note  ad  loc.  (p.  546),  and  the 
present  writer's  Evidences  of  Christianity  (2nd  ed.,  Rivingtons  1913), 
ch  V,  esp.  pp.  95-97  ;  and  Dr  Hermitage  Day,  The  Evidence  for 
the  Resurrection  (S.P.C.K.  1906).  It  is  no  paradox  to  say  that  the 
difficulty  of  harmonizing  the  various  resurrection  narratives  is  in 
itself  a  security  for  their  general  truthfulness.  Dishonest  witnesses 
would  have  made  the  evidence  more  '  harmonious  '  (Plummer). 
Attempts  at  harmonies — which  can  never  be  more  than  conjectural 
because  of  the  gaps  in  our  knowledge — show  quite  sufficiently  that 
the  discrepancies  in  the  accounts  (which  are  most  marked  in  St  Luke) 
are  not  inconsistent  with  the  general  truth  of  the  story  :  and  one 
feature  brought  out  in  each  narrative  is  emphatically  reassuring — 
the  incredulity  of  the  earliest  witnesses.  There  is  no  suggestion  of 
'  excited  expectancy  '  such  as  might  have  induced  hallucination. 

In  two  ways  this  section  prepares  for  the  Acts :  (a)  its  general 
theme,  the  genuine  Resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  main  theme 
of  St  Peter's  early  preaching  (Ac  ii  24  sqq.,  cf .  iv  10)  ;  so  too  St  Paul 
at  Athens  preaches  '  Jesus  and  the  Resurrection,'  while  in  Ac  i  22 
(as  Lk  xxiv  48)  the  primary  function  of  the  Apostolate  is  to  be 
'  witnesses  of  the  Resurrection.'  (6)  The  Lord's  parting  injunction 
is  fraught  with  a  promise — the  promise  of  Pentecost — the  climax  to 
which  (see  Introd.,  pp.  xxvi,  xxxvii),  in  a  sense,  the  Gospel  leads  up. 
The  last  verse  of  the  Gospel,  with  its  note  of  'joy  and  praise,' 
^  breathes  intensely  the  atmosphere  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  presence 
*  indeed  broods  over  the  Gospel  from  its  opening  page,  and  over  the 
Acts,  which  Renan  called  '  un  livre  plein  de  joie.' 

(1)  1-12    The  Resurrection  and  First  Appearances 

Here  is  a  characteristic  '  transposition,'  in  which  St  Luke  differs 
in  his  order  from  Matthew  and  Mark.  They  both  (Mk  xvi  1-8, 
Mat  xxviii  1-8)  name  the  women  before  describing  their  visit.  This 
is  one  of  eleven  instances  of  transposition  of  material  noted  by 
Sir  John  Hawkins  in  Oxf.  Stud.,  pp.  81-84  (see  preliminary  note  on 
the  Passion  Narrative,  above,  p.  247  sq.).  These  transpositions — 
not  least  when,  as  here,  they  involve  nothing  of  importance — go  to 


XXIV  I]  ST   LUKE  309 

show  that  St  Luke  has  not  made  the  same  kind  of  use  of  the  Marcan 
source  in  these  later  chapters  as  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  Ministry. 

(a)  1-11     The  Women  at  the  Sepulchre  :     The  Empty  Tomb 

XXIV  But  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  at  early  dawn, 
they  came  unto  the  tomb,  bringing  the  spices  which  they  had 
prepared.  2  And  they  found  the  stone  rolled  away  from  the 
tomb.  3  And  they  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body  ^of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  4  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  they  were  per- 
plexed thereabout,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  dazzling 
apparel  :  5  and  as  they  were  afifrighted,  and  bowed  down 
their  faces  to  the  earth,  they  said  unto  them,  Why  seek  ye 
^the  living  among  the  dead  ?  6  ^He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  : 
remember  how  he  spake  unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee, 
7  saying  that  the  Son  of  man  must  be  delivered  up  into  the 
hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise 
again.  8  And  they  remembered  his  words,  9  and  returned 
%om  the  tomb,  and  told  all  these  things  to  the  eleven,  and  to 
all  the  rest.  10  Now  they  were  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Joanna, 
and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  :  and  the  other  women  with 
them  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles.  11  And  these  words 
appeared  in  their  sight  as  idle  talk  ;  and  they  disbelieved  them. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  ^  Gr.  him  that  Uveth, 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  He  is  not  here,  hut  is  risen. 
^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  from  the  tomb. 

1.  But  on  the  first  day,  <fcc.  The  previous  clause,  beginning 
'  And  on  the  Sabbath  .  .  .  '  (xxiii  56b),  is  really  part  of  the  same 
sentence,  as  is  marked  in  the  arrangement  of  paragraphs  in  R.V. 
Strictly,  the  chapter  should  have  begun  there. 

Here  again  is  a  momentous  notice  (cf.  notes  on  xxii  20,  40).  The 
'  First  Day  '  seems  to  have  been  continuously  (if  at  first  informally) 
observed  by  Christ's  disciples  (see  Ragg,  Evidences  of  Christianity, 
pp.  120,  121)  since  the  octave  of  the  Resurrection  (Jn  xx  26,  1  Cor 
xvi  2,  and  ?  Rev  i  10),  and  gradually  to  have  superseded,  even  for 
Jewish  Christians,  the  observance  of  the  Saturday-sabbath.  By  the 
time  of  Ignatius  [circa  a.  d.  110)  '  keeping  the  Sabbath  '  means 
Judaizing,  and  has  become  a  reproach  among  Christians.  Thus  we 
have  in  the  Christian  Sunday  a  piece  of  continuous  evidence  for  the 
primitive  belief  in  the  reality  of  our  Lord's  Resurrection. 

at  early  dawn.  The  variations  in  the  four  accounts  are  typical  of 
the  character  of  independent  evidence.    Mk  xvi  2  'when  the  sun 


310  ST   LUKE  [XXIV 1-6 

was  risen.'    Mat  xxviii  1,  '  as  it  began  to  dawn.'    Jn  xx  1  (of  Mary 
Magdalene  alone),  '  while  it  was  yet  dark.' 

bringing  the  spices.  So  Mark.  Matthew  has  simply  '  to  see  the 
sepulchre.' 

2.  the  sto7ie  rolled  away.  A  point  on  which  all  the  Evangelists 
agree.  Was  the  great  stone  moved  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
disciples  to  the  interior  of  the  tomb  and  the  undisturbed  linen 
wrappings  ?  Obviously  it  was  not  to  let  the  sacred  Body  issue 
forth  :  it  had  done  so  already,  even  as  some  twelve  hours  later  it 
penetrated  and  left  the  fast-closed  Upper  Room.     Cf .  note  on  v.  12. 

St  Matthew  describes  how  the  movement  of  the  stone  happened  : 
but  he  does  not  say  the  women  saw  the  angel  or  the  earthquake 
move  it  (Mat  xxviii  2-4).  According  to  St  Luke  and  St  Mark  they 
entered  before  they  saw  any  angel. 

3.  they  entered  in.  In  all  three  Synoptic  Gospels  the  Women 
inspect  the  interior  of  the  tomb  (for  Mat  xxviii  6b  implies  it). 
St  John  says  St  Mary  Magdalene  '  looked  in  '  ;  he  also  speaks  of  a 
very  careful  inspection  by  St  Peter  (see  note  on  v.  12)  and  St  John. 

two  men,  i.  e.  Angels  (cf.  Ac  i  10).  Mark  says  '  a  young  man  . .  . 
arrayed  in  a  white  robe ' ;  Matthew '  an  angel . . .'  whose  '  appearance 
was  as  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white  as  snow,'  outside  the  tomb 
(xxviii  3).  John  speaks  of  two  angels  appearing  to  Mary  Magdalene 
alone,  one  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  feet,  within  the  tomb. 

It  is  noticeable  that  Matthew  speaks  of  two  blind  men  where 
Luke  and  Mark  have  only  one  (cf.  on  xviii  35).  In  each  case  the 
spokesman  among  two,  or  the  more  prominent,  may  have  been 
remembered  and  the  other  passed  out  of  mind.  But  Matthew's 
source  here  seems  largely  independent  of  the  other  two,  and  of  the 
women's  report. 

5.  bowed  down  their  faces :  as  to  supernatural  beings ;  cf .  Josh  v  13, 
Judg  xiii  20,  Tobit  xii  16-22.  This  effect  upon  the  women  at 
once  suggests  that  the  '  men  '  were  Angels.  Angels  are  often  so 
named  in  the  O.T.,  e.  g.  Josh  v  13,  Ezek  xl  3,  Dan  ix  21,  Zech  i  8. 

Why  seek  ye  .  .  .?  Mat  xxviii  5,  6,  Mk  xvi  6  are  quite  differently 
worded,  and  independent  of  each  other  :  all  three  Synoptists  in 
substance  the  same. 

6.  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen.  This  is  one  of  the  phrases  for 
which  MS  authority  is  doubtful.  Possibly  it  may  have  been  inter- 
polated from  Mat  xxviii  6. 

when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee.  Mk  xvi  7  and  Mat  xxviii  7  have  here 
'  He  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee.'  This  is  one  of  the  instances  of 
the  use  of  the  same  word  or  phrase  with  a  different  meaning  or 
context  cited  by  Sir  John  Hawkins  as  testimony  to  the  likelihood 
of  an  oral  source  side  by  side  with  the  written  document  used  by 
our  first  and  third  Evangelists  {Hor.  Syn.,  p.  73,  cf.  p.  67).  Dr 
Bartlet  {Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  339)  sees  in  it  a  token  of  a  special  written 
source.  Godet  (Eng.  Tr.  ii,  pp.  79,  81)  finds  similar  instances  in 
Lk  xi  39-44  when  compared  with  Mat  xxiii  25-27. 


XXIV6-I03  ST  LUKE  311 

It  is  supposed  that  St  Luke,  finding  a  strange  mention  of  '  Galilee ' 
here  in  the  record  (written  or  oral),  and  not  being  aware  of  any  post- 
resurrection  appearances  except  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem, 
was  constrained  to  interpret  in  this  way.  Some  think  that,  for  a 
like  reason,  he  transferred  the  miracle  of  Jn  xxi  to  the  early  Galilean 
Ministry.    See  note  on  v  1-11. 

It  may  be  observed  that  the  fourth  Gospel  deliberately  '  redresses 
the  balance  '  of  the  Synoptists  as  to  post-resurrection  appearances 
in  Galilee,  as  with  regard  to  work  in  Judaea  and  Jerusalem  during 
the  Ministry. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  that  St  Luke  is  the  more  correct 
here.  Ail  three  Synoptists  as  a  matter  of  fact  locate  our  Lord's 
first  prediction  of  the  Passion  in  Galilee.  He  may  be  reporting  the 
women's  '  remembrance  '  of  the  words  spoken  {v.  8),  and  '  He  goeth 
before  you  into  Galilee  '  be  a  corruption  of  the  saying  he  gives  ; 
natural  in  those  who  were  aware  of  subsequent  Galilean  appearances. 

The  first  two  Gospels  actually  record  the  earliest  appearances 
at  Jerusalem,  [Mk]  xvi  9,  12,  14,  Mat  xxviii  9  (where,  however,  the 
invitation  to  Galilee  is  repeated  by  the  Lord  Himself). 

7.  saying  that  the  Son  of  man.  This  apparently  refers  back  to 
the  first  prediction  of  the  Passion  (ix  22),  though  the  actual  specifi- 
cation of  crucifixion  enters  into  none  of  the  predictions  recorded 
by  St  Luke. 

8.  they  remembered  his  words.  A  point  not  noted  by  either  of 
the  other  two  Synoptists.  It  looks  almost  as  though  St  Luke 
desired  to  emphasize  the  correctness  of  the  account  given  in  v.  6, 
on  the  testimony  of  one  of  the  women — probably  Joanna. 

9.  the  rest.  Cf.  v.  33,  '  them  that  were  with  them.'  It  is  from 
one  of  this  '  Second  Circle  '  of  the  disciples  that  Dr  Bartlet  suggests 
{Oxf.  Stud.,  p.  344)  St  Luke  may  have  derived  his  special  knowledge 
of  the  Seventy  (xi  1  sqq.). 

10.  Now  they  were,  i&c.  On  the  position  of  this  verse  cf .  note 
on  xxiv  1-12.  The  variations  in  the  enumeration  of  the  holy  women 
are  interesting.  Mary  Magdalene  is  mentioned  by  all  the  Evangelists 
and  comes  first  in  each  list ;  Mary  mother  of  James  by  all  three 
Synoptists,  Salome  in  Mark  alone,  Joanna  in  Luke  alone.  (May 
we  suppose  that  Salome,  Mark's  informant,  saw  but  one  angel  ; 
Joanna  {v.  4)  two  ?) 

mother  of  James.  So  Mark  here,  but  in  xv  40  '  of  James  the 
less  and  of  Joses  '  ;  Matthew  has  '  the  other  Mary.'  An  interesting 
situation  is  developed  if  we  identify  (as  is  not  impossible)  Clopas 
with  Alphaeus,  and  '  Mary  of  James  '  with  '  Mary  (wife)  of  Clopas  ' 
(Jn  xix  25).  This  Mary  will  then  be  the  mother  of  one  Apostle, 
'  James  son  of  Alphaeus,'  and  perhaps  of  two  ;  for  in  Mark  (ii  14) 
St  Matthew  is  called  '  Levi,  son  of  Alphaeus.'  But  neither  of  these 
identifications  is  certain. 

Joanna :  recorder  perhaps  of  xxiii  8-12,  27-31  as  well  as  of  the 
details  just  given.    Cf.  note  on  viii  3. 


312  ST   LUKE  [XXIV 12 

On  artists'  representations  of  the  Women  at  the  Sepulchre  see 
Jameson,  Hist,  of  O.L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  272-277.  Notable  is  the  early 
picture  of  Duccio  at  Siena  which  wonderfully  depicts  the  awe  of 
the  '  Three  Maries  '  at  the  sight  of  the  Angel. 


(b)   12    St  Peter  at  the  Sepulchre :    cf .  Jn  xx  3-8 

12  ^But  Peter  arose,  and  ran  unto  the  tomb  ;  and  stooping 
and  looking  in,  he  seeth  the  linen  cloths  by  themselves  ;  and 
he  ^departed  to  his  home,  wondering  at  that  which  was  come 
to  pass. 

*  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  ver.  12, 
^  Or,  departed,  wondering  with  himself 

If  this  verse  be  genuine  (see  below)  it  adds  one  point  nore  to  the 
evidence  that  the  '  empty  Tomb  '  was  carefully  inspected.  It  reads 
like  an  independent  and  imperfect  report  of  the  visit  more  fully 
described  in  the  fourth  Gospel :  but  is  thought  by  some  to  be  a 
later  interpolation  based  on  that  passage,  because  the  verse  is 
omitted  by  Codex  Bezae  (D)  and  a  certain  group  of  minor  MSS, 
and  also  by  the  old  Latin  and  old  S3nriac  versions.  The  evidence 
of  the  '  clothes  '  is  elaborated  in  Jn  xx  5-8,  and  that  of  the  empty 
Tomb  is  in  Mat  xxviii  12-15  made  the  subject  of  false  witness  and 
so  explained  away  by  our  Lord's  enemies.  Dr  Latham,  The  Risen 
Master,  pp.  36,  37,  46,  pictures  our  Lord's  Body  as  '  melting  '  out 
of  the  enwrapping  linen  in  a  spiritualized  form,  and  so  leaving  it 
precisely  in  situ  (see  Ragg,  Evid.  Christ.,  pp.  93,  94). 

The  textual  evidence  for  the  passage  places  it  in  the  class  styled 
by  Westcott  and  Hort,  '  Western  non -interpolations  '  (cases,  i.  e., 
in  which  the  Western  scribes  have  refrained  from  transmitting  an 
interpolated  addition  which  has  attained  a  very  general  acceptance 
owing  to  the  authority  of  '  Eastern  '  MSS)  ;  of  these  there  are  no 
less  than  eight  instances  in  this  chapter.  See  Pkmmer's  additional 
note,  pp.  566-569. 

It  is  held  by  Blass  (cf .  Introd.,  p.  xlii)  that  the  longer  form,  which 
contains  these  eight  passages,  and  also  xxii  19b-20  (see  note  there), 
and  the  shorter,  which  omits  these,  are  both  genuine,  representing 
two  successive  editions  of  the  work  from  St  Luke's  own  hand  :  the 
longer  for  Theophilus,  the  shorter  for  the  use  of  the  Roman  Church, 

Here,  according  to  Canon  Streeter  (Hibbert  Journal,  xx  (Oct. 
1921),  pp.  103-112)  ended  '  Proto-Luke  '—St  Luke's  first  edition 
which  began  at  ch  iii  1,  and  consisted  of  Q  +  special  Lucan  matter  ; 
composed,  he  thinks,  at  Caesarea  about  a.  d.  60  and  re-edited  and 
enlarged  to  the  present  dimensions  some  20  years  later.  In  iii  1 — 
xxii  14  the  non-Marcan  matter  is  estimated  as  671  verses  :  the 
inserted  Marcan  matter  as  346  verses  at  most. 


XXIV 13-35]  ST  LUKE  313 

(2)  13-43    The  Walk  to  Emmaus  :   The  Appearance  in  the 

Upper  Room 

13-35.  Appearance  to  the  Two  Disciples.  The  significance 
of  this  incident,  which  St  Luke  would  seem  to  have  derived  from 
a  special  source  (Cleopas,  or  Joanna,  or  Philip  ?),  and  which,  in 
Dr  Latham's  words,  is  '  strong  in  those  latent  and  minute  indica- 
tions of  verity  that  we  have  lately  learned  to  prize,'  is  well  summed 
up  in  Dr  Hermitage  Day,  op.  cit.,  pp.  17-25. 

13  And  behold,  two  of  them  were  going  that  very  day  to 
a  village  named  Emmaus,  which  was  threescore  furlongs  from 
Jerusalem.  14  And  they  communed  with  each  other  of  all 
these  things  which  had  happened.  15  And  it  came  to  pass, 
while  they  communed  and  questioned  together,  that  Jesus 
himself  drew  near,  and  went  with  them.  16  But  their  eyes 
were  holden  that  they  should  not  know  him.  17  And  he  said 
unto  them,  ^What  communications  are  these  that  ye  have  one 
with  another,  as  ye  walk  ?  And  they  stood  still,  looking  sad. 
18  And  one  of  them,  named  Cleopas,  answering  said  unto 
him,  ^Dost  thou  alone  sojourn  in  Jerusalem  and  not  know  the 
things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days  ?  19  And 
he  said  unto  them.  What  things  ?  And  they  said  unto  him, 
The  things  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  a  prophet 
mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the  people  : 
20  and  how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  him  up 
to  be  condemned  to  death,  and  crucified  him.  21  But  we 
hoped  that  it  was  he  which  should  redeem  Israel.  Yea  and 
beside  all  this,  it  is  now  the  third  day  since  these  things  came 
to  pass.  22  Moreover  certain  women  of  our  company  amazed 
us,  having  been  early  at  the  tomb  ;  23  and  when  they  found 
not  his  body,  they  came,  saying,  that  they  had  also  seen 
a  vision  of  angels,  which  said  that  he  was  alive.  24  And  cer- 
tain of  them  that  were  with  us  went  to  the  tomb,  and  found 
it  even  so  as  the  women  had  said  :   but  him  they  saw  not. 

^  Gr.  What  words  are  these  that  ye  exchange  one  with  another. 

^  Or,  Dost  thou  sojourn  alone  in  Jerusalem,  and  knowest  thou  not  the  things 

13.  And  behold,  two  of  them.  '  And  behold  '  suggests  a  Jewish 
(written)  source.  Neither  of  these  two  was  a  member  of  the  Aposto- 
lic Body  (cf .  V.  33)  :  the  name  of  one  is  given  us  as  Cleopas — possibly 
indicating  the  source  of  Luke's  information.  Dr  Sanday  thinks 
he  might  belong  to  Herod's  entourage.   That  the  unnamed  companion 


314  ST   LUKE  [XXiv  15-25 

was  St  Luke  himself  is  improbable  in  view  of  the  implications  of 
Lk  i  2,  though  it  was  an  early  conjecture. 

Emmaus.  Josephus  gives  the  name  Ammaus  to  a  village  5  miles 
west  of  Jerusalem  nowcalled  Koldnijeh ;  cf .  Sanday,  SacredSites,  p.  30. 

15.  Jesus  himself  drew  near.    Dante,  in  the  lovely  scene  where 

the  spu-it  of  Statius  joins  himself  and  Virgil  {Purg.  xxi  7-9),  uses 

this  incident  as  a  simile,  suggesting  (what  is  probably  intended)  that 

Christ  overtook  them  from  behind.     '  Lo,  even  as  Luke  describes 

that  Christ  appeared  to  the  two  upon  the  road,  after  He  had  risen 

from  the  tomb  .  .  .  ' 

Ed  ecco,  SI  come  ne  scrive  Luca 

Che  Cristo  apparve  ai  due  ch'  erano  in  via 
Gi^  surto  fuor  della  sepulcral  buca.  .  .  . 

16.  their  eyes  were  holden.  Was  it  by  His  will  ?  If  so,  we  must 
translate  the  next  phrase  '  in  order  that  they  might  not  recognize 
Him  ' — '  lest  they  should  .  .  .  '  But  if  it  was  due  to  some  inherent 
difficulty  in  recognizing  the  glorified  Christ  (and  there  are  four 
indications  of  such  difficulty  in  the  Gospels  besides  this  :  one  of 
them,  V.  37)  ;  then  we  must  render  '  so  that  they  did  not  recognize 
Him  '  ;  which  the  Greek  will  equally  bear. 

19-24.  The  conversation  (which  Cowper  treats  as  a  type  of 
what  true  conversations  should  be)  here  becomes  much  more 
natural  and  animated  if  (as  suggested  by  Dr  Lock)  we  conceive  the 
two  friends  '  tumbling  over  one  another  '  in  their  eagerness  to  tell 
the  story.  Cf.  the  picturesque  phrase  of  v.  17  avTifSdWere  Trpos 
dXX-^\ov<;,  words  '  that  ye  exchange  with  one  another,'  R.V.  marg. : 
Jesus.  What  things  do  you  mean  ? 

19  Cleopas.  Why,  about  Jesus  of  Nazareth 

Friend.   Who  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  all  the  people  was  a 
prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word 

20  C.  And  how  the  Chief  Priests  and  our  leading  men  gave  him 
up  to  be  sentenced  to  death,  and  afterwards  crucified  him 

21  F.  But  we  were  hoping  that  he  was  the  destined  deliverer  of 
Israel — — 

G.  And  besides  all  this,  it  is  now  three  days  since  these  things 

occurred 

22,  23  F.   And  what  is  more,  some  of  the  women  of  our  company 

amazed  us  .  .  .  which  said  that  he  was  alive 

24        C.  And  some  of  us  went  to  the  tomb,  and  found  it  just  as  the 

women  had  said,  but  him  they  saw  not. 

25-27.     Christ's  rebuke  and  illuminating  Discourse  (cf. 

V.  44). 

25  And  he  said  unto  them,  0  foolish  men,  and  slow  of 
heart  to  believe  Hn  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken  !  26  Be- 
hoved it  not  the  Christ  to  sufier  these  things,  and  to  enter 

'  Or,  after 


XXIV  25-273  ST   LUKE  315 

into  his  glory  ?  27  And  beginning  from  Moses  and  from  all 
the  prophets,  he  interpreted  to  them  in  all  the  scriptmes  the 
things  concerning  himself. 

25.  slow  of  heart  to  believe  in  all,  <i:c.  '  Heart '  in  Scripture 
includes  intellect  as  well  as  feeling.  On  the  side  of  feeling  the  two 
were  right.  It  was  loyalty  and  love  that  made  them  dwell  on  their 
disappointment ;  and  made  them  bold  (or  careless)  enough  to 
discuss  the  matter  with  one  they  supposed  to  be  a  stranger.  It  was 
to  such  loyalty  and  love  that  the  post-resurrection  appearances  were 
vouchsafed,  for  such  a  temper  alone  could  appreciate  the  Lord's 
resurrection-life  and  presence.  But  they  had  not  allowed  it  free 
play.  Though  vv.  19-21  showed  that  they  were  ready  to  receive 
light  from  O.T.  prophecy,  they  had  not  drawn  conclusions  for 
themselves.    '  Slow  of  heart '  on  the  intellectual  side. 

26.  Behoved  it  not  the  Christ  to  suffer  :  cf .  vv.  4:4:,  46  and  Ac  iii  18, 
1  Pet  ill.  The  predictions  of  the  Passion,  ix  22,  &c.,  were  doubtless 
based  on  our  Lord's  meditations  on  the  O.T.,  and  specifically  on 
Isa  liii  and  some  of  the  Psalms.  But  the  '  behoved  '  goes  behind 
prophecy  into  essential  conformity  with  men's  needs  :  cf .  the 
similar  phrase  '  it  became  him  '  in  Heb  ii  10. 

and  to  enter  into  his  glory :  at  the  moment  of  death  ?  or  at  His 
resurrection  ?  Or  even  (as  Jn  xiii  31  seems  to  indicate)  at  the  Last 
Supper  ? 

27.  beginning  from  Moses.  Surely  not  an  array  of  proof -texts, 
but  rather  an  interpretation  of  the  general  line  of  Messianic  Pro- 
phecy. We  have  no  right  to  '  draw  a  blank  cheque  '  on  this  com- 
prehensive reference  in  support  of  our  favourite  proof-texts  (any 
more  than  on  Ac  i  3  in  favour  of  our  best-loved  rites  and  ceremonies) ; 
but  surely  it  justifies  us,  e.  g.,  in  assuming  that  the  first  generation 
of  Christians  (cf.  Ac  viii  35)  were  not  deluded  in  applying  Isa  liii 
to  our  Lord's  atoning  sacrifice  ? 

28  And  they  drew  nigh  unto  the  village,  whither  they  were 
going  :  and  he  made  as  though  he  would  go  further.  29  And 
they  constrained  him,  saying,  Abide  with  us  :  for  it  is  toward 
evening,  and  the  day  is  now  far  spent.  And  he  went  in  to 
abide  with  them.  30  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  had  sat 
down  with  them  to  meat,  he  took  the  ^bread,  and  blessed  it, 
and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  31  And  their  eyes  were  opened, 
and  they  knew  him  ;  and  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight. 
32  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Was  not  our  heart  burniag 
within  us,  while  he  spake  to  us  in  the  way,  while  he  opened  to 
us  the  scriptures  ? 

'  Or,  loaf 


316  ST   LUKE  [XXIV  29-33 

29.  Abide  with  us.  An  instinctive  yearning.  Their  hearts  had 
already  recognized  Him  (cf .  v.  32)  though  their  minds  lagged  behind. 
The  verse  forms  the  text  and  starting-point  of  one  of  the  best  loved 
of  our  modern  hymns — Lyte's  '  Abide  with  me.' 

30.  he  took  the  bread,  and  blessed  it.  The  Middle  Ages,  following 
St  Augustine  and  Theophylact,  identified  this  act  with  the  eucharistic 
blessing  ;  but  apart  from  the  unlikelihood  of  a  celebration  between 
the  Last  Supper  and  Pentecost,  it  seems  improbable  that  these  two 
can  have  been  present  at  the  Institution  (see  note  on  xxii  14). 
More  likely  is  it  that  the  eucharistic  blessing  of  the  Great  Thursday 
was  a  sort  of  climax  giving  a  new  and  supreme  significance  to  the 
Lord's  daily  acts  of  blessing  before  distributing  food  to  His  '  family  ' 
of  disciples.  This  climax  would  be  foreshadowed  by  the  solemnity 
of  special  occasions  like  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (cf .  ix  16), 
which  in  the  fourth  Gospel  is  clearly  prophetic  of  the  Eucharist. 

Christian  Art  has  not  often  figured  this  scene  as  a  Eucharist : 
cf.  Carpaccio's  picture  in  S.  Salvadore,  Venice,  and  Rembrandt's  in 
the  Louvre,  which  Mrs  Jenner  {op.  cit.,  p.  162)  characterizes  as 
'  Rembrandt's  nearest  approach  to  a  noble  picture.'  The  National 
Gallery  has  two  pictures  of  this  episode,  both  of  the  sixteenth 
century:  No.  753,  Altobello  Melone,  portraying  the  journey  to 
Emmaus,  and  No.  172,  Caravaggio,  picturing  the  meal.  Earlier  is 
Duccio's  picture  at  Siena.  The  meeting  is  thought  to  be  'sym- 
bolized' in  Fra  Angelico's  beautiful  representation,  over  the  Guest 
Room  door  at  S.  Marco,  of  two  Dominican  pilgrims  welcoming  the 
Saviour.     See  further,  Jameson,  Hist,  of  0.  L.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  287-297. 

31.  vanished.  St  Luke  uses  a  poetical  word,  a</)ayTos,  which 
occurs  here  only  in  the  N.T.  This  '  vanishing  power  '  of  His  resur- 
rection body  is  only  here  directly  mentioned,  though  it  is  implied 
after  the  appearances  of  Jn  xx  23  and  29  (not  necessarily  in  Mat 
xxviii  10,  Jn  xx  17,  where  those  who  have  seen  Him  are  sent  away 
on  errands).  It  is  the  counterpart  of  the  power  of  suddenly  becoming 
visible  (Lk  xxiv  36,  Jn  xx  19,  26). 

32.  Was  not  our  heart  burning  ?  This  gives  the  key  to  the  self- 
revelation  of  Jesus  which  had  just  occurred.  It  was  possible 
because  their  hearts  were  '  in  tune  '  to  receive  it. 

33-35.    The  Two  Disciples  join  the  Eleven  in  Jerusalem. 

33  And  they  rose  up  that  very  hour,  and  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and  them  that 
were  with  them,  34  saying,  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and 
hath  appeared  to  Simon.  35  And  they  rehearsed  the  things 
that  happened  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was  known  of  them  in 
the  breaking  of  the  bread. 

33.  they  rose  up  that  very  hour:  for  the  expression,  cf.  xiii  31. 


XXIV  33-43]  ST  LUKE  317 

They  cannot  contain  themselves  for  joy,  and  feel  they  must  share 
it  with  the  brethren  at  Jerusalem.    Cf .  2  Kgs  vii  9. 

the  eleven.  A  loose  expression  (for  Thomas  was  absent,  Jn  xx  24) 
but  easily  intelligible. 

and  them  that  were  with  them:  cf.  'all  the  rest,'  v.  9,  and  note 
there.  The  band  would  doubtless  include  the  women,  and  perhaps 
also  some  or  all  of  the  hundred  and  twenty  of  Ac  i  15. 

34.  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  The  obvious  reference  (as  sug- 
gested above)  is  to  one  of  the  '  Eleven,'  Simon  Peter.  St  Luke, 
who  after  the  choice  of  the  Twelve  habitually  speaks  of  this  Apostle 
as  '  Peter '  (viii  45,  ix  28  sqq.,  xii  41,  xviii  28,  xxii  8,  54  sqq.,  xxiv  12), 
names  him  as  '  Simon  '  before  his  apostleship  (iv  38,  v  3  sqq.)  and 
always  in  the  mouth  of  our  Lord  (v  10,  xxii  31).  This  appearance 
to  '  Cephas '  is  named  by  St  Paul  in  1  Cor  xv  5,  and  may  perhaps 
be  numbered  among  the  Pauline  touches  of  St  Luke's  Passion  Story. 
It  is  curious  that  none  of  the  Gospels  records  a  special  appearance  to 
the  Lord's  Blessed  Mother.  That  such  was  vouchsafed  has  been 
largely  assumed  in  Church  tradition,  and  Christian  Art  has  taken 
up  the  theme. 

35.  And  they  :  adduced  their  own  piece  of  evidence  to  strengthen 
the  joyful  conviction.  [Mk]  xvi  13  strangely  says  '  Neither  believed 
they  them  '  :  a  touch  that  militates  against  the  theory  that  [Mk] 
xvi  12,  13  is  simply  a  summary  of  Lk  xxiv  13  sqq. 

in  the  breaking  of  the  bread.  The  same  phrase  in  Ac  ii  42  describes 
one  of  the  four  fundamental  points  of  Pentecostal  Church  Life. 
There  its  reference  seems  to  be  to  Eucharist  or  Agape  or  both. 
Here  the  reference  itself  is  non-eucharistic  (see  note  on  v.  30)  ;  but 
the  appearance  referred  to  and  the  pondering  on  it  may  have  helped 
the  Apostolic  Church  to  a  fuller  development  of  eucharistic  doctrine. 

36-43.    The  Appearance  in  the  Upper  Room. 

36  And  as  they  spake  these  things,  he  himself  stood  in  the 
midst  of  them,  %nd  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto  you. 
37  But  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  supposed  that 
they  beheld  a  spirit.  38  And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye 
troubled  ?  and  wherefore  do  reasonings  arise  in  your  heart  ? 
39  See  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself  :  handle  me, 
and  see  ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  behold 
me  having.  40  ^And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  shewed  them 
his  hands  and  his  feet.  41  And  while  they  still  disbelieved 
for  joy,  and  wondered,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any- 
thing to  eat  ?  42  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled 
fish.^    43  And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat  before  them. 

^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto  you. 

-  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  ver.  40. 

^  Many  ancient  authorities  add  a7id  a  honeycomb. 


318  ST   LUKE  [XXIV  36-43 

36.  he  himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  them  :  cf .  Jn  xx  19.  It  seems 
most  probable  that  these  two  passages  refer  to  the  same  Appearance, 
though  each  Evangelist  emphasizes  different  aspects  of  the  scene. 

Peace  be  unto  you.  The  ordinary  Hebrew  salutation,  but  fraught 
with  special  meaning  in  Jesus's  mouth  (Jn  xiv  27,  xvi  33),  and  with 
memories  of  that  same  Upper  Room  on  the  previous  Thursday. 
Henceforth  it  was  to  become  a  regular  factor  in  the  Apostolic  greet- 
ings (see  N.T.  Epistles,  passim),  in  combination  (if  we  may  count 
Xupd  and  xapis  as  cognates)  with  the  Gentile  '  grace  '  implied  in 
our  Lord's  other  recorded  post-resurrection  salutation  '  All  hail ' 
(xai/oerc.  Mat  xxviii  9). 

Whether  it  is  a  genuine  part  of  Luke's  original  text  is  doubtful : 
this  is  one  of  D's  omissions,  and  Westcott  and  Hort's  '  Western 
non-interpolations.'  See  note  on  «.  12.  It  may  be  an  interpolation 
from  Jn  xx  19. 

37.  terrified  and  affrighted.  Even  Peter,  and  the  two  recently 
arrived,  who  had  already  seen  Him.  There  was  nothing  alarming 
in  being  overtaken  on  the  road  :  but  the  sudden  appearance  in  a 
locked  and  bolted  room  (Jn  xx  19)  startled  them,  as  had  the  sight 
of  Him  walking  on  the  waters  in  the  storm  (Mk  vi  49).  John  has 
no  hint  of  this — only  their  joy  at  seeing  Him  :  cf.  v.  41.  Mk  xvi  8 
has  a  similar  description  of  the  alarm  of  the  women  at  finding  the 
tomb  empty. 

39.  See  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself.  Not  a  flimsy 
ghost — probably  alluding  to  those  infallible  '  identification  marks,' 
the  prints  of  the  nails.  There  is  an  apparent  contrast  here  between 
St  Luke's  description  of  our  Lord's  risen  Body  and  his  friend 
St  Paul's  description  of  the  spiritualized  resurrection- body  in 
1  Cor  XV  37,  44,  50.  See  further,  vv.  42,  43.  The  same  '  solidity,' 
amenable  to  touch  as  well  as  sight,  is  suggested  by  Jn  xx  27. 

40.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  shewed  them  his  hands  and  his 
feet.  Of  very  doubtful  MS  authority  :  possibly  an  adaptation  of 
Jn  XX  20. 

41.  disbelieved  for  joy,  and  wondered.  Here  Luke  is  the  '  psycho- 
logist.' Like  so  many  other  indications  in  the  Resurrection  docu- 
ments (cf.,  e.  g.,  vv.  5,  11,  12,  21-24)  it  cuts  across  the  argument 
that  the  Appearances  may  have  been  hallucinations  coming  upon 
minds  predisposed,  in  whom  '  the  wish  was  father  to  the  thought.' 

42.  43.  ...  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish.  And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat. 
This  trait  in  the  story,  to  those  who  witnessed  it  most  convincing, 
is  for  us  the  most  difi&cult.  We  can  only  suppose  it  an  accommoda- 
tion to  the  needs  of  their  faith.  Cf.  E.  R.  Bernard,  Hastings'  D.B., 
art.  '  Resurrection,'  p.  234. 

In  Ac  X  41  Peter  speaks  of  '  us  who  did  eat  and  drink  with  him 
after  he  rose  from  the  dead.'  But  that  might  be  satisfied  by  Jn  xxi  13 
where  He  feeds  His  disciples  with  fish  and  bread  by  the  lake-side. 
We  must  remember  that  the  narrator  is  (a)  Luke  the  physician,  the 
most  scientific  of  the  Evangelists,  and  (6)  the  companion  of  the 


XXIV  44-53]  ST   LUKE  319 

writer  of  1  Cor  xv  and  2  Cor  v  1,  and  (c)  the  only  Evangelist  who 
plainly  speaks  of  our  Lord's  resurrection-body  as  '  vanishing  '  at 
will.  We  have  not  the  data  for  judging  exactly  the  nature  of  that 
body  nor  the  degree  of  its  correspondence  with  that  which  may 
one  day  be  ours  by  His  grace  :  only  we  may  safely  conclude  that 
it  is,  like  the  '  natural  body  '  but  more  perfectly,  a  medium  of 
expression  of  the  spirit  and  personality,  and  that  it  has  gifts  and 
capacities  from  our  present  point  of  view  '  supernatural.' 

(3)  44-53    Summary  from  Easter  to  the  Ascension 

From  any  indication  in  the  Gospel  itself  all  this  might  have 
occurred  on  the  same  day,  or  rather  night.  It  was  already  late 
when  the  two  disciples  started  on  their  5-mOe  walk  back  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Then  some  time  must  be  allowed  for  the  incidents  of  vv.  33-43. 
May  Luke  have  pictured  a  repetition  of  the  nightly  walk  up  the 
slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  of  the  previous  week  ?  (xxi  37)  :  the 
disciples,  now  a  larger  band,  and  with  a  very  different  outlook, 
filing  down  and  up  in  the  moonlight,  as  on  the  fatal  Thursday,  from 
the  Upper  Room,  over  Kidron  and  past  Gethsemane  ?  (But  see 
Plummer's  note,  p.  564,  on  vv.  50-53.)  If  so,  he  acquired  much 
more  detailed  information  before  writing  Ac  i,  and  was  able  to 
correct  his  error,  realizing  that  the  '  Appearances  '  had  spread  over 
40  days.  Ac  i  1-12  is  thus  our  final  authority  for  the  Great  Forty 
Days,  representing  the  Evangelist's  more  mature  judgement. 

More  probably,  however,  he  has  simply  left  vague  what  he 
found  vague,  and  refused,  as  so  often  in  the  '  Great  Interpolation  ' 
(ix51 — xviiill),  to  define  beyond  the  point  allowed  by  his  information. 
It  will  then  be  a  summary  of  sayings  and  movements  spread  over 
an  indefinite  time.  Accepting  this  point  of  view,  it  is  natural  for 
the  harmonist  to  insert  here  (and  there  is  ample  margin  for  them 
in  Ac  i  3)  the  Galilean  incidents  of  Jn  xxi  1-23  and  Mat  xxviii  16-20. 

(a)  44-49     The  Last  Commission 

4:4:  And  he  said  unto  them,  These  are  my  words  which 
I  spake  unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with  you,  how  that  all 
things  must  needs  be  fulfiilled,  which  are  written  in  the  law 
of  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and  the  psalms,  concerning  me. 
45  Then  opened  he  their  mind,  that  they  might  understand 
the  scriptures  ;  46  and  he  said  unto  them.  Thus  it  is  written, 
that  the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  rise  again  from  the  dead  the 
third  day  ;  47  and  that  repentance  %nd  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  his  name  unto  all  the  ^nations,  beginning 

*  Some  ancient  authorities  read  unto. 

*  Or,  nations.     Beginning  from  Jerusalem,  ye  are  witnesses 


320  ST   LUKE  [XXIV  44-47 

from  Jerusalem.  48  Ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things.  49  And 
behold,  I  send  forth  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you  : 
but  tarry  ye  in  the  city,  until  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from 
on  high. 

44.  And  he  said  unto  them.  At  first  sight  a  continuation  of  the 
narrative  of  vv.  36-43.    But  see  preceding  note. 

my  words  which  I  spake  unto  you.  Like  the  angel's  message  {v.  6) 
this  refers  back  to  such  utterances  as  ix  22,  xviii  31-33,  and  doubtless 
also  many  such  sayings  unrecorded  in  our  Gospels.  To  the  two 
on  the  road  to  Emmaus  He  had  already  given  the  light  on  the  O.T. 
which  He  is  now  about  to  grant  to  the  larger  group,  expanding  His 
earlier  predictions  of  the  Passion  and  Resurrection. 

while  I  was  yet  with  you.  The  same  phrase  is  used  in  Ac  ix  39 
of  dead  Dorcas,  looking  back  to  the  time  before  her  decease.  It 
throws  light  on  the  incident  of  the  '  broiled  fish  '  {v.  43),  suggesting 
that  He  is  not  there  eating  for  need  of  material  food  as  in  the  old 
days  :  only  for  witness.  He  has  not  come  back  to  be  '  with  them  ' 
as  Dorcas  would  come  back,  as  Lazarus,  and  Jairus's  daughter,  and 
the  young  man  of  Nain — to  share  with  them  again  the  conditions 
of  the  '  life  after  the  flesh.'  He  has  passed  into  another  state.  His 
relations  with  them  are  changed  ;  His  visible  appearances  inter- 
mittent. Yet  in  a  spiritual  (and  therefore  more  real)  sense,  He  is 
to  be  '  with  them  all  the  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
age,'  Mat  xxviii  20. 

the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and  the  psalms.  '  Moses '  and 
'  the  Prophets  '  alone  were  mentioned  in  v.  27.  This  threefold 
division  (cf.  Preface  to  Ecclesiasticus)  is  probably  intended  to 
embrace  the  O.T.  canon  in  its  entirety  :  the  Law  =  Pentateuch  ; 
the  Prophets,  (a)  'Former'  =  Joshua — 2  Kings  (excluding  Ruth), 
(6)  '  Later '  =  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  the  '  Twelve  '  (Minor) 
Prophets  ;  Psalms  standing  for  the  Writings  ('  Hagiographa  ')  = 
all  the  other  books,  including  Ruth,  Chronicles,  Ezra-Nehemiah , 
and  Daniel.  The  Psalter  formed  a  leadLag  factor  of  this  last  group, 
especially  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Messianic  Hope,  and  in 
Hebrew  Bibles  usually  heads  the  third  Canon.  This  last  group, 
completing  the  circle  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  was  not,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  formally  '  canonized  '  till  about  a.  d.  90,  but  by  the  first 
century  all  those  writings  were  generally  recognized  as  '  Scriptures.' 
Our  Lord  here  sets  His  seal  on  the  belief,  so  strong  in  Christian 
thinkers  of  all  ages,  that  the  permanent  value  of  the  O.T.  as  a  whole 
lies  in  its  witness  to  Christ.  Cf.  Jn  v  39,  Ye  search  the  scriptures, 
because  ye  think  that  in  them  ye  have  eternal  life ;  and  these  are  they 
which  bear  witness  of  me. 

47.  and  that  repentance  .  .  .  should  be  preached  .  .  .  This  is  what 
we  find  St  Peter  doing  after  Pentecost :  Ac  ii  38,  iv  12.  Is  this  the 
conclusion  of  His  summary  of  O.T.  teaching  ;    or  does  a  special 


XXIV  49-5 1  j  ST   LUKE  321 

injunction  of  our  Lord's  begin  here  ?  It  is  difficult  to  find  chapter 
and  verse  in  the  O.T.  for  this  preaching  of  repentance  in  the  Messiah's 
name,  though  such  passages  as  Mai  iv  5,  6  strike  the  same  note. 

49.  And  behold,  I  send  forth,  d;c.  The  Pentecostal  Gift  of  Ac  ii. 
This  is  one  of  the  main  scriptural  grounds  for  the  famous  '  Filioque 
clause,'  which  asserts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  He  '  proceedeth  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son.' 

tarry  ye  in  the  city  :  cf .  Ac  i  4.  Apparently  inconsistent  with 
Mat  xxviii  16-20  where  '  the  Eleven,'  and  Jn  xxi  where  several 
of  the  Apostles,  meet  the  Lord  (by  appointment,  Mat)  in  Galilee. 
But  the  difficulty  vanishes  if  these  words  were  spoken  after  the 
return  from  Galilee.    See  prelim,  note  on  vv.  44-53. 

(b)  50-53     The  Ascension.     Cf.  [Mk]  xvi  19,  Ac  i  9 

50  And  he  led  them  out  until  they  were  over  against 
Bethany  :  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed  them. 
51  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  parted 
from  them,  ^and  was  carried  up  into  heaven.  52  And  they 
'■^worshipped  him,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy  : 
53  and  were  continually  in  the  temple,  blessing  God. 

•  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  and  was  carried  up  into  heaven. 
^  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  worshipped  him,  and. 

50.  over  against  Bethany.  The  actual  scene  of  the  Ascension  is 
probably  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  where  the  Church  has 
been  erected — above  Bethany  to  the  westward,  and  about  a  mile 
distant  from  it — or  else  one  of  the  lower  ridges  nearer  the  main 
road  from  Jerusalem.  It  is  not  a  priori  probable  that  He  would 
choose  a  '  public  '  place,  too  near  a  frequented  track. 

51.  while  he  blessed  them.  Beautifully  recorded  as  the  Master's 
last  visible  act.  This  is  not  repeated  in  the  Acts  account,  though 
a  blessing  is  implied  in  His  last  recorded  speech  there  :  '  Ye  shaU 
be  my  witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea  and  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  '  (Ac  i  8). 

he  parted  from  them.  The  same  phrase  is  used  as  in  Gethsemane 
(xxii  59),  which  has  led  some  who — on  MSS  authority — doubt  the 
genuineness  of  the  next  clause  to  regard  this  '  parting  '  as  just  like 
the  previous  ones  except  for  its  being  the  la^t. 

was  carried  up  into  heaven.  The  MS  evidence  against  this  clause 
is  that  of  the  '  Western  non-interpolations '  (see  note  on  v.  12) 
reinforced  by  N  ;  but  the  circumstantial  evidence  in  its  favour 
is  of  the  strongest.  Westcott  and  Hort,  who  double-bracket  it 
in  their  Text,  claim  that  the  Ascension  did  not  apparently  '  lie 
within  the  proper  scope  of  the  Gospel,'  but  St  Luke  himself;  in 
Ac  i  1-2  asserts  that  the  terminus  ad  quern  of  his  '  former  treatise  ' 
was  '  the  day  in  which  he  was  received  up.'    St  Matthew  does  not 

L.  21 


322  ST   LUKE  [XXIV  52, 53 

record  the  Ascension,  but  in  xxvi  64  he  makes  Christ  foretell  His 
session  at  '  the  right  hand  of  power.'  St  John  also  omits  to  narrate 
the  fact,  but  his  references  to  it  are  the  most  numerous  and  explicit 
of  aU  (Jn  i  51,  vi  62,  xiii  3,  33,  xiv  28,  xvi  5,  10,  18).  St  Mark's 
genuine  narrative  does  not  record  it :  but  that  is  confessedly  incom- 
plete, and  the  appendix  [Mk]  xvi  19  does.  For  the  frequent  refer- 
ences in  St  Paul,  St  Peter,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  see  the 
article  '  Ascension '  in  Hastings'  D.C.O.  i,  esp.  p.  126.  For  the 
doctrine  of  the  Ascension  see  that  and  Denney,  s.v.  in  Hastings' 
D.B.  i. 

Early  representations  of  the  Ascension  depicted  only  the  feet 
of  Christ  as  visible.  Fra  Angelico  was  the  last  to  use  this  device. 
On  the  Ascension  in  Christian  Art,  see  Jameson,  Hist,  of  0.  L., 
vol.  ii,  pp.  305-313. 

52.  they  worshipped  him.    Cf.  Mat  xxviii  17. 

53.  were  continually  in  the  temple,  blessing  God.  This,  and  the 
preceding  clause  form  a  perfect  conclusion  to  St  Luke's  book,  which 
ends,  as  it  began,  on  the  note  of  joy  and  blessing.  Cf.  Introd., 
p.  xxxix. 

DEO  GRATIAS 


INDEX 


Abilene :   44 

Ablutions,  Pharisaic  :  174 

'  Abomination  of  Desolation  '  :  263 

Abraham  :  47,  195,  222  sq.,  302 

Abyss  :  111 

Accuracy  of  St.  Luke :    xii,  xviii  sq., 

XXX   xxxiv   145 
Adeney,  Dr  W.  F.,  St  Luke  ('  Century 

Bible  ')  :   xli,  55,  78,  90,  101 
Adultery,  Woman  taken  in :  see  Perkope 
Advent :    129,  183,  229  sqq.,  262-271 
Agape  :  317 
Agony  :  186,  284  sqq. 
Ain  Karim  :  18 
Albertinelli:  17 
Alexandrinus,  Codex  (A)  :  31 
Allegory  :  75,  183 
Allen,  W.  C.  (in  Oxford  Studies,  q.v.) : 

xxiii,  52,  87 
Alphaeus:  79,311 
^Am  ha-aretz :  175 

American    Journal    of    Theology:    see 
Easton,     Michael,     Palmer,     Torry, 
Votaw,  Warechauer 
Angelico,  Fra  :  xxxiii,  12,  34,  277,  286, 

316  322 
Angels  :  xxviii,  9,  150,   209,   213,   259, 

284,  310  sq. 
Anna  :  38  sqq.,  114,  235,  306 
Annas  :  43  sqq.,  288  sq. 
Annunciation  :  xxxii,  11-16 

Antoniello  da  Messina  :  305 

'  Apocalypse  of  Q ':  230 

Apocalyptic  writings  :  24,  203,  269  sq. 

Apostles :  79, 174 

—  call  of  :  xlviiij  66,  79 

Appearances       after       Resurrection : 
313  sqq. 

Aramaisms  :   xxi,  xxxvii,  xlvi,  95,  143 

Archelaus  :  26,  188,  245  sq. 

Aretaeus  :  71,  135,  157 

Aretas :  xxxii,  206 

Argument  a  fortiori :   75,  163,  177,  233 

Art :     xxviii,    xxxii  sqq.,    12,    317,    el 
passim 

Articles,  the  Thirty-nine  :   226 

Ascension  :  xlv,  lii,  143,  321  sq. 


Asceticism  :  26,  39,  94 
Atonement,  the  :   300  sqq.,  315 

—  Day  of  :  75,  221,  235 
Augustine,  St :   50,  125,  204,  316 
Augustus  :  27,  246 

Authorship  of  third  Gospel :  xi-xvii 

Ave  Maria  :  13  sq. 

Aytoun,  R.  A. :  '  The  Ten  Hymns  of  the 
NatiAdty  in  their  original  language  ' 
(Journ.  Theol.  Studies,  1917,  vol. 
xviii) :  6,  20,  22,  31,  35 

'Azariyeh,  El  (  =  Bethany)  :  159 

Azazel :  167 

Badcock,  F.  J.  {Journ.  Tlieol.  Studies, 

July  1921) :   132 
Banquet :  see  Feast 
Baptism  :  46,  124 

—  of  infants  :   239  sq. 

—  of  Jesus  :  49 

—  symbolic  :   185,  286 
Bartholomew :  80 
Bartimaeus  :  241 

Bartlet,  Dr  J.  Vernon  (Encycl.  Brit.): 
xxiv,  XXX 

—  {Oxford  Studies,  q.v.) :  65,  104,  120, 
135,  137,  140,  143,  156,  241,  247,  257, 
281,  310 

Bassano,  Jacopo  :  158,  210,  221 

Beatitudes  :  80  sqq. 

Bebb,  LI.  J.  M.  (Hastings'  D.B.,  vol.  iii, 

art.  '  Luke,  Gospel  of  ') :  xhii 
Beelzebub  :   153,  165  sqq. 
Bellini,  Giovanni :   33,  283 
Benedictus  :   22-25,  213,  251 
'  Benefactors  '  :   280 
Bengel:  93 
Bernard,  E.  R.  (Hastings'  D.B.,   art. 

'  Resurrection  ')  :   257,  318 

—  T.  D.,  Songs  of  the  Holy  Nativity 
(Macmillan  1895) :  xlvii,  5  sqq.,  14 

Bethabara :  198,  227 

Bethany  :   158  sqq.,  161,  249,  253,  321 

—  beyond  Jordan  :   198 
Bethlehem:  28 
Bethphage:  249 
Bethsaida  :  122  sq.,  149 

21-2 


324 


INDEX 


Bothshean:  227 

Betrayal :  273  sq.,  286  sq. 

Betrothal:  29 

Bezae,  Codex  :    xiii  sq.,  xli  sq.,  44,  49, 

133,  181,  232,  278,  299,  300,  312,  318 
Bigg,  Dr  C,  Wayside  Sketches  :   263 
Blasphemy  against  Holy  Ghost :    1 77 
Blass,  F.,  Philology  of  the  Oospels  (Mac- 

millan  1898) :  xiii,  xxv,  xlui,  28,  49, 

77,  161,  226,  263,  271,  312 

—  Evangelium  Secundum  Lucam  (Teub- 
ner  1897)  :   xiii  sq.,  263,  272 

Blindness  cured  :   93,  241  sq. 
Bloody  Sweat :   xliii,  li,  286 
Boanerges :    144,  157 
Bolton,     The     Madonna    of    St  Luke 

(Putnam  1895) :   xxviii 
Boniface  VIII,  Pope  :  282 
Border  of  garment :   115 
Botticelli,  Sandro  :   32 
Box,  G.  H.,  The  Virgin  Birth  of  Jesus 

(Pitman,  1916)  :   14,  32,  106 
Boyhood  of  Christ :   40  sq.,  162,  207 
Bread,  Breaking  of  :   278,  316  sq. 
Breakfast:  172 
Brethren  of  our  Lord  :   105 
Brooke,  Prof.  A.  E.  :  20 
Burkitt,  Prof.  F.  C,  Sources  for  the  Life 

of  Jesus  :  xxiv 

—  The  Gospel  History  and  its  Trans- 
mission :  35,  294 

—  {Proceedings  of  Brit.  Academy, 
1911-12) :  42 

Byzantine  art :  277 

Cadbury,  Prof.  C.  C,  Harvard  Studies, 
No.  vi  (Oxford  Press  1920)  :  xxxi, 
110,  135,  240 

—  Expositor,  June  1921  :   xviii,  292 
Caesar,  Augustus  :   see  Augustus 

—  Julius :  xii 

Caesarea  Philippi :   125,  131,  149 

Caiaphas  :  43  sq.,  289  sq. 

Calamity,  lessons  of  :   187  sqq. 

'  Calvary  '  :  298 

Camel  and  needle's  eye  :   240 

Canon  of  the  O.T.  :   320 ;  cf .  258  sq. 

Canticles  of  the  Gospel :   5  sqq. 

Capernaum  :   62  sq.,  67,  90,  149 

Caracci :   210 

Carob  tree  :   212 

Carpaccio,  Vittore  :   34,  73,  316 

Carpenter,  S.  C,  Christianity  according 

to   St  Luke   (S.P.C.K.    1919):    xliii, 

104 
Catacombs  :   209 
Cateohist,  Catechumen  :   3,  4 
Census :  27 
Centurion:  90,304 
Charles  Vni:   263 


Chase,  Bishop,  The  Credibility  of  the  Acts 
(Macmillan  1902)  :   xxi,  xxxi 

—  The  Creed  and  the  N.T.  (Macmillan 
1920):  13 

—  Texts  and  Studies,  vol.  i,  No.  3  ('  The 
Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Early  Church  ')  : 
162 

—  The  Oospels  in  the  Light  of  Historical 
Criticism  (1914)  :  xx 

Chasidim  :   20,  70,  202,  221 

Cheyne,  T.  K.  :  42 

Child,   childhood,    children :    41,    163, 

224 
Chorazin :  149 
Christ,  the:    30,   126,  293.     See  also 

Messiah 
Chronology  of  the  Ministry  :    xlv,  44, 

141,  194,  198,  223,  226  sq.,  275 
Chrysostom,  St :   92 
Church  :   210,  219 
Church  Quarterly  Review  {see  Turner, 

C.  H.) :   305 
Chuza:  101 
Circumcision  :   21,  23 
Cities,  priestly  :    18 
Citizenship,  heavenly  :    151 

—  Roman  :   282 

Clement  of  Alexandria,  St :   xlvi 

—  of  Rome,  St:  266 
Cleopas  :  xxi,  313  sqq. 

Climax  of  Galilean  Ministry  :   118,  123 

Clopas:  304,  311 

Cobbold,  G.  A.,  Tempted  like  as  we  are 

(London  1900) :   53 
Colony,  Roman  :  xv 
'  Coming  One  '  :  92 
Commandments  :   154,  239 
Commission,  of  Twelve  :    119  sqq. 

—  of  Seventy  :    145  sqq. 

Common  Prayer,  Book  of :   24,  147,  183, 

237,  240,  242 
Competition :   87,  137 
Conder,  Colonel :   298 
'  Confession,  the  Great '  :    125  sq. 
Confiteor:  236 
'  Consolation  of  Israel '  :   35 
Constantino  the  Great :   298,  307 
Contentions  among  the  XII :    138,  278 
Converts  to  Christianity  :    186 
Corhan :   174,  189 
Com,  plucking  of  :    176  sq. 
Council,  priestly :   272 
Courses  of  priests  :   24 
'  Covenant,  the  New  '  :   279 
Coverdale  :   20 
Covetousness :    179  sq. 
Cowper :  314 
Creed,  old  Roman  :  4 
CrivolU:   12 
Cross  :    128,  206,  247,  296 


i 


INDEX 


325 


Crucifix:   305 

Crucifixion  :  li,  128,  256,  298-305 

—  Psalms  :   299  sq. 

Cubit:   181 

Cup,  symbolic  :    186,  286 

Cups  of  Passover  :   277  sqq. 

Cyrene  :  xiii,  296 

Cyril,  St,  of  Jerusalem  :   131 


Dalman  :  28 

Damien,  Fr.  :   69 

Dante  :    viii,  xxx,  16,  24,  82,  95,  108, 

150,  159,  163,  178,  219,  221  sq.,  236, 

239,  257,  282,  296,  302,  314 
Darkness,  three  hours'  :   269,  303 
Date  of  composition  :    xviii  sqq.,  251, 

263  sq. 
'  Daughters  of  Jerusalem '  :   xli,  li,  247, 

297 
David:  77 

—  House  of  :    13 

—  Son  of  :   165,  242,  246,  260  sq. 

—  Throne  of:   14 

Davidic  descent  of  Christ :   13  sqq.,  28, 

50,  106 
Day,  Dr  Hermitage,  The  Evidence  for 

the     Resurrection    (S.P.C.K.    1906)  : 

306,  313 
'  Days  of  the  Son  of  Man  '  :   229  sq. 
'  Dayspring  '  :  25 
Dead  raised  :  91,  117 
Death  of  Christ :   304 
Dedication  Festival :   xlix  sq.,  9 
Defilement,  ceremonial :    156 
Deissmann,  Light  from  the  Ancient  East  -. 

28,  111  sq.,  120,  150,  166,  178,  187, 

200,  230,  234,  280 
Demoniac  :   64,  108  sqq.,  150 
Denarius  :  98,  124,  157,  257 
Denney,   Prof.   J.,   in  Hastings'   D.B. 

(art.  'Ascension'):   322 
Departed,  condition  of  :   220  sqq. 
Deuteronomy  :   54,  145,  147 
Diatessaron  :  see  Tatian 
Didache  :  236,  277 
Dio  Cassius  :   44 
Diocletian  :  177 
Dioscorides  :   xxxi,  71,  157,  225 
Disciples  :   79,  82,  138 
Discipleship,  qualifications  for  :  82  sq., 

128  sq.,  206 
Dives:  221 

Divinity  of  Jesus  :  xxiii,  71,  152 
Divorce  :  219 

Doctors,  Christ  among  :  40  sqq. 
Dogs:  222 
Donatello  :  26 
Donatists:  204 
Dorcas:  117,320 


'Doublets':    xix,  104,   145,  178,  228, 

246,  261 
Dove:  49 
Drachma  :   246 
Dropsy:    199 

Duccio  :   12,  277,  286,  312,  316 
Diirer,  A.  :   210 
Dust,  shake  off  :    121,  148 
Dysmas  :   301  sq. 

'  Eagles  '  (vultures) :  232 

'  Ears  to  hear  '  :    102,  206 

Earthquake :   303,  310 

Easter  :   xlv,  li,  307  sqq. 

Easton,  B.  S.  (Amer.  Journal  of  Theol., 
July  1915,  'Trial  of  Jesus'):  288 
sqq. 

Ebionism  :   xli,  62,  206 

Ecclesiasticus  :   xlvi,  24 

Eclipse:  269 

Edersheim,  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the 
Messiah  (Longmans  1897,  2  vols.): 
37,  45,  57,  59,  62,  64  sqq.,  67,  73,  83, 
102,  113,  128,  130,  149,  150,  158,  166, 
172  sq.,  178,  182,  187,  190,  192,  194, 
198  sq.,  200,  206,  208,  211  sq.,  215  sq., 
222  sq.,  226,  233,  236,  238  sq., 
242  sqq.,  253  sq.,  256  sq.,  260,  262, 
274  sq.,  288  sq.,  291  sq.,  303 

Elephantiasis,  69 

Elijah  :   10,  62,  131,  144,  166 

Eliot,  George :   217 

Elisabeth :  8  sqq. 

EUsha  :  62,  124,  145,  147 

Emmaus  :  lii,  314 

Encyclopaedia  Bihlica:  see  Robinson, 
Schmiedel 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica:  see  Bartlet, 
Stanton 

Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics 
(Hastings) :  see  Reid 

Enemies,  love  to  :   84 

Enoch,  Book  of  :  72 

Enrolment :  27 

Entombment :  305  sqq. 

Ephraem  Syrus  :   50 

Epileptic :  135 

Epiphanius  :   29,  106,  276 

Eschatological  Discourse :  129,  175, 
178,  180,  262-271 

Eschatology  :   xxxvii,  269  sqq. 

'  Eternal '  :    154 

Ethnarch:  246 

Eucharist :   75,  124,  276  sqq.,  316  sq. 

Eunuch  :  xxi 

Eusebius  :   28,  44,  267,  286,  296 

Ewald,  P.  :   81 

'Exodos':    132 

Exorcism:  111,  135  sq.,  139,  150, 
164  sq.,  169  sq. ;    cf.  192 


326 


INDEX 


Extortion  :   47,  171  sq. ;    cf.  261  sq. 
Eyewitnesses  :   3 
Ezekiel :   46,  145 

Faith:   115,  224 

Fan:   48 

Farthing  :   177 

Fasting  :   54,  74  sq.,  235  sq. 

Fear  :    9,  175  sqq.,  177,  285  sq.,  318 

Feast,  Messianic  :   203,  277 

'  Ferrar  Group '   of  MSS  :    xxv,   xliii, 

272 
Ferrari,  Gaudenzio  :    12,  290 
Fig-tree:  270 

—  Barren  :  47,  189,  194 
Filial  piety:   206 

'  Finger  of  God  '  :   166 

Fire  :   48,  185 

Firstborn:  29 

Fishes,  miraculous   draught   of :    xxv, 

67,  311 
Five  Thousand,  feeding  of :    xlix,  69, 

102,  113,  118,  123-125,  278 
Forgiveness  :   71  sq.,  98,  224  sq.,  299 
'  Forty  Days ',  the  :  xlv,  319  sqq. 
Fourth  Gospel :   xxvi  et  passim. 

—  Luke's  affinity  with  :   xxvi,  xlix,  lii, 
48,  141,  158  sqq.,  161,  197,  277,  281 

—  corrects  Sjmoptics  :    xxiv,  123-125, 
289  (?) 

Francesca,  Piero  della  :   see  Piero 
Francia,  Francesco  :   305 
Francis,  St :   69,  82,  239  sq. 


Gabbatha  :  292 

Gabriel :  10 

Gadara  :  110 

Gaddi,  Taddeo  :   97,  252,  297 

Galileans:  188 

Galilee  :   25,  39  sq.,  44,  310  sq. 

—  Sea  of  :  66,  106  sqq. 
Gamaliel :   35 

—  IT:   260 
Gehenna:  222 
Genealogy :  50 

Gennesaret,  Lake  :   see  Galilee,  Sea  of 
Gentiles,  Gospel  to  :   36,  204 

—  '  times  of  '  :   268,  270 
Gerasenes  :    108  sq. 
Gessius  Florus  :   292 
Gethsemane  :   161,  284 
Ghirlandajo  :  7 
Giorgione  :  297 

Giotto:    xxxiii,   12,   17,  32,  277,  286, 

290,  297,  305 
Oloria  in  Excelsis  :   xxxix,  31,  32 
Glover,   T.   R.,   The  Jesus  of  History 

(S.C.M.  1921)  :   163 
•  Gnashing  of  Teeth  '  :   195 


Godet,  Commentary  on  St.  Luke^s 
Gospel  (T.  and  T.  Clark  1875, 
2  vols.) :  39,  44  sq.,  161,  174  sq.,  191, 
263,  267,  272,  275,  283,  291,  310 

Golgotha:  298 

'  Good  Master  '  :   238 

Goodspeed,  E.  J.,  Expositor,  May  1919 
('  The  Date  of  Acts  ')  :   xx 

Gordon,  General :   298 

Gore,  Dr  C,  Prayer  and  the  Lord's 
Prayer  (Wells,  Gardner,  1898) :  162 

Gospels,  interrelated  :  xxiii  sq.,  xxvi,  3 
et  passim 

— •  in  Art:  xxxii  et  passim.  See  also 
Jameson,  Jenner,  Lee  Warner 

Grace  :   xxix,  13,  93 

Gregory  the  Great,  St :   157 

Gregory  of  Nvssa  :   161,  210 

Guercino  :   210,  290 

Guest-chamber :  275 

Hades:  222 

Hadrian:  307 

Haemorrhage  :    113  sqq. 

Hannah :  19  sq. 

Haphtara  :  77 

Harnack,  Dr  A.,  Acts  (Eng.   Tr.)  and 

other  works  :    xiii,  xvii,  xviii,  xix, 

xxi,  19,  135,  198 
Harvest :  146  sq. 
Hastings,  Dr  J.,  Dictionary  of  Bible  : 

see  Bebb,  Denney.  Turner 

—  Dictionary  of  Christ  and  Gospels : 
see  Hitchcock,  Martin,  Wright 

—  Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and 
Ethics :  see  Reid 

Hawkins,  Sir  J.  C,  Horae  Synopticae, 
Oxford  1898  :  xviii,  xxii,  xxix,  148, 
234,  266,  310 

—  {Oxford  Studies,  q.v.)  :  xxii,  xxix, 
52,  83,  87  sq.,  91,  95,  104,  125,  135, 
139,  144,  147,  154,  162,  164,  166,  183, 
200,  202,  206,  208,  215,  218,  223,  231, 
233,  246  sq.,  256,  271,  308,  310 

Healing,   spiritual:     64  sq.,    115,    121, 

136,  191  sq. 
Heart:   315 
Hebraisms  :   xxiv.  xxvii,  xlvi,  48,  137, 

143  sq.,  166,  173,  213,  241,  277 
Hebrew  :    xxi,  xxxvii,  143 
Hebrews,  Epistle  to  :  xlvi,  283,  285 
Hegesippus  :  28 
'  Hell,  Harrowing  of  '  :   95,  301 
Hellenic  spirit :    xxxix,  258 
Hermon  :    131 
Herod  Antipas  :   .xxi,  101,  121  sq.,  188, 

206,  293  sq. 

—  the  Great :   8,  245  sq. 

—  Philip  :  44,  149 
Herodians  :  257 


INDEX 


327 


Herodias  :    175,  206 

Herodotus :   196 

Hibbert  Journal :   see  Streeter 

Hichens,  R.,  The  Holy  Land  (Hodder 

&  Stoughton  1910)  :   157 
Hickson,  The  Healing  of  Christ  in  His 

Church:   192 
Hillel :   41  sq.,  85,  219 
Hippocrates  :  xxx  sq.,  xxxiv,  2,  71,  157 
Hitchcock,  F.  R.  M.,  art.  'Dates',  in 

Hastings'  D.C.G.  :   xlv 
Hobart,  W.  K.,  The  Medical  Language 

of  St  Luke  (Longmans  1882)  :   xxx, 

2,   71,   85,   91,    102,    115,    135.    148, 

155  sq.,  199,  201,  209,  220,  225,  230, 

240,  281 
Hofmann,  283 
Holy  Ghost :    xxvi,  xxxix,  15,  48,  49, 

53,  152,  161,  164,  321 
Holv  Place:  9 
Holy  Week:  249-307 
Home-ties  :    145,  186,  206 
Honesty  of  St  Luke  :   xliv ;  of.  308  sqq. 
Hort,  Dr  J.  A.  :  31.    See  also  Westcott 
Hosanna  :  250 
Hospitality   inculcated :     xxxix,    148, 

201 sqq. 
—  of  Pharisees  to  Christ :  xxxix,  96  sqq.. 

172,  198  ;  cf.  243 
Hostility:    38,  96  sqq.,  103,  136,  148, 

245 
Hugh,  St :    169 

Humanity  of  Christ :  40,  107  ;  cf.  271 
Humility  :   182,  224 
Humour  :    xxix  sq.,   162,  202  sq.     See 

also  Irony 
Hunt,  Holman  :   42 
Hyperbole  :  87,  151,  176,  240 
Hypocrites  :  87,  173,  199 
Hyrcanus  :   8 


Ignatius  :   138,  309 

Immaculate  conception  :   14 

Importunity :   233  sqq. 

Incense :   9,  11 

Infirm  woman  :    190-192 

Inheritance,  Law  of  :   178,  211 

Inn  :   29,  157  ;    cf.  275 

'  Insertion,  the  Great '  :  xxxv,  xliv, 
139  sq.,  227,  319 

Inspiration  :   1,  2 

Institution,  words  of  :  277 

Intercession  :    71,  281 

'  Interpolation,  the  Great ' :  see  '  In- 
sertion '. 

Irenaeus  :   xvi  sq.,  299 

Irony  :   162,  196,  203,  286 

Isaiah  liii :   298,  315 

Islam:   222 


Italian  Painters  :  viii,  xxviii  xxxii  et 
passim.  See  also  Jameson,  Jenner, 
Lee  Warner 

Ituraea  :  44 

Jairus:   113-118,  320 

James,  son  of  Alphaeus  :   29,311 

—  son  of  Zebedee  :   29,  138,  144,  241 

—  Apocryphal  Book  of  :   29,  38 
Jameson,   Mrs,   Hi-storr/  of   Our    Lord 

(Longmans  1890,  2  vols.) :  xxxii,  54, 
134,  158,  210,  221,  2.52,  277,  283,  286, 
290,  296,  305,  312,  316,  322 

—  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art  (Boston  : 
Houghton  and  MiflBn  2  vols.) :  xxxii, 
12,  97,  159,  277,  290 

Jeimer,  Mrs  Henry,  Christ  in  Art 
(Methuen  1906):  xxxii,  209,  252, 
257,  277,  297,  305,  316 

Jericho  :   156,  241 

Jerome,  St :   77,  303 

Jerusalem:  lamentation  over :  196  sq., 
250  sq. 

—  siege  and  fall  predicted  :  xix,  129, 
188,  251,  263,  267 

—  spelling  of  name,  34 

—  unrecorded  visits  to  :   197,  252 
Jesus,  name  of  :   14 

Joanna  :   xxi,  101,  306,  311,  313 
Job  :   181,  240,  247 

John,  St,  son  of  Zebedee  :  29,  138,  144, 
241 

—  Gospel  of  :   see  Fourth  Gospel 
John  the  Baptist :    6,  21  sqq.,  45,  48, 

74,  92,  132,  254 
Jonah  :   169,  214 
Joseph,  foster-father  of  our  Lord  :   1 1 

sqq.,  28 sq.,  37,  39,  50 

—  of  Arimathea  :  306  sqq. 
Josephus :  Antiquities  of  the  Jews  [Ant.]: 

xix,  44,  71,  92,  149,  188,  202,  206, 
221,  245,  292 

—  Wars  of  the  Jews  [B.J.I :  41,  188  sq., 
228,  245,  247,  257,  303,  314 

Journal    of    Theological    Studies :     see 

Aytoun,  Chase,  Robinson 
Joy  :   xxxix,  10,  83,  150  sqq.,  208,  210, 

243,  250,  308,  322 
Judas  of  GalUee  :  44,  257 

—  Iscariot :   29,  278  sq.,  286  sq. 

—  Maccabaeus :   see  Maccabaeus 

—  of  James  :  79 

Judaean  ^Ministry  :   see  Ministry 
Judge,  Unrighteous  :   233  sqq. 
Judging,  judgements  :   86,  185 
Justify:   236 
Justin  Martyr  :   xvii,  29,  151 

Kardzeh  (  =  Chorazin) :    149 
Kauson  (  =  Scirocco) :   187 


328 


INDEX 


I 


Keats,  J.  :   266 

Keble,  J.,  Christian  Year  :  33 

Kerioth:  273 

'  Key  of  Knowledge  '  :   63 

Khan  Miniyeh  (  =  Capernaum  ?) :    63, 

149 
Khersa  (=  Gerasa)  :    110,  112 
King:  153 

—  Messianic :  see  Messianic  Kingdom 
Kingdom  of  God:    65,   94,   100,   103, 

229  sqq. 
Kneeling  in  prayer  :   284  sq. 
Knight,  H.  J.   C,   The  Temptation  of 

Our  Lord  (Longmans  1907)  :   53 
Kolonijeh  (  =  Emmaus  ?)  :    314 
Koran  :  11 
Kurun  Hattin,  Mount :  80 

Laesa  maiestas :  293 

Lake,  Kirsopp  :   305 

Lamb,  Paschal :   275 

Lambeth  Conference  Report :   219 

Lamp  :    104  sq.,  168 

Landscape,  appreciation  of  :    181 

Latham,  H.,  Pastor  Pastorum  (Deighton 

1891)  :   61,  66,  73,  80,  82,  84,  88,  93, 

102,  123,  132,  147 

—  The  Risen  Master  :  312  sq. 
Law :   see  Deuteronomic,  Levitical 

—  permanence  of  :   217  sqq. 
Lawyer:    155  sqq.,  172  sq. 

Lazarus  of  Bethany  :  xxv,  158  sq.,  223, 
226  sq.,  320 

—  in  Parable  :  219  sqq. 
League  of  Nations  :  24 
Leaven  :   176,  193 

Lee  Warner,  P.  [P.  L.  W.],  A  Book  of  the 
Childhood  of  Christ  (Medici  Press 
1915)  :   xxxii,  12.  17,  32,  49 

— A  Book  of  the  Passion  of  our  Lord 
(Medici  Press  1916) :  xxxii,  283,  286, 
290,  305 

Legion,  111 

Lenten  observance  :   54,  75 

Leo,  St :    130 

Leonardo  da  Vinci :   277 

Leper  :   68,  228 

Lepers,  the  Ten  :   139,  227 

Levertoff,  Paul  [P.  L.]  :  II,  18,  22,  28, 
42,  50,  65,  59,  61,  70  sq.,  72,  77,  88, 
111,  115,  148,  159,  184,  202,  258 

Levi  ( =  Matthew) :   73,  208,  273,  311 

Levirate,  Law  of  :   258 

Levites  :  156 

Levitical  Law  :    116 

Life:    181 

Light :    104,  168 

Lightfoot,  Bishop  :  4 

—  Dissertations  on  the  Apostolic  Age 
(Macmillan  1892) :    106 


Lilies  :  181 
Linen,  clean  :   306 

—  fine  :    221 
Lippi,  Filippo  :    12 
Litany,  the  :   242 

Loaves  and  Fishes  :    124  sqq 

Lock,  Dr  W.  :   vii,  301,  314 

Logia  :  2,  81,  173 

'  Longinus  '  :   304 

'  Lord  '  (o  Kvpios)  as  title  of  Jesus  :  91, 

184 
Lord's  Prayer  :   160  sqq.,  284 
Lot's  wife  :   231 

Love,  commandment  of  :   84  sq. 
Lucanus  :  xiii 
Lucian  :  xxxi,  163,  240 
Lucius  of  Gyrene  :   xii  sq. 
Luini,  Bernardino  :   42,  305 
Luke  {AovKcii)  :   xi  sqq.  et  passim 
Lummis,  Rev.  E.  W.,  How  Luke  was 

Written  (Camb.  Press  1915)  :   80 
Lysanias  :  44  sq. 

Maccabaeus,  Judas  :   9 

Maccabees,  IVth  Book  of  :  260 

'  Macedonia,  Man  of  '  :   xiv 

McLachlan,  H.,  St  Luke,  the  Man  and 
His  Work  (Longmans  1920) :  xxv, 
xxix,  xlii,  4,  35,  162,  184,  202 

—  St  Luke,  Evangelist  and  Historian 
(Sherratt  1912)  :  xxiv,  xxx,  xlii,  2, 
184,  272 

Madonna  and  Child  :   xlvii,  32  sq. 

—  del  Soccorso  :   40 

—  di  S.  Luca  :  xxviii 

—  di  S.  Sisto  :  33 

Magi :   xxviii,  xxxii,  3,  39 

Magnificat :    18-21,  213 

Maimonides  :   257 

Malachi,  Book  of  :   10 

Malchus  :   286  sq. 

Malefactor :   293,  298 

Malleson,  F.  A.,  The  Lord's  Prayer  and 

the  Church  :   162  sq. 
Malta  :   XV,  xxi 
Mammon  (Mamon)  :   217,  252 
Manaen  :   xxi,  101 
Manger  :  29 
Mantegna  :   283 
Manumission  :   36,  184 
Manuscripts,     ancient :      xli    sqq.     et 

passim 

—  difficulty  of  handling  :   57 
Marcion  :  xvii,  195 

Mark,  St :  xxii,  277 

—  Gospel  of  :   xxii  et  passim 
Marriage  :   204,  219,  259 
Martha  :   xxi,  xxiv,  158  sqq. 

Martin,  A.  S.,  in  Hastings'  D.C.G., 
(art.  '  Ascension  ')  :   322 


INDEX 


329 


Martyr-spirit :    129 

Mary,  Blessed  Virgin :  xxi,  xxvii,  11-16, 
28-33,  105  sq.,  277,  296,  317 

—  Magdalene  :  97,  100,  160,  167,  304, 
307,  310  sq. 

—  of  Bethany  :  xxi,  xxiv,  97,  158  sqq. 

—  'of  James':   101,  311 

'Master'  (fmaroTa)  addressed    to    our 

Lord  :   107,  139,  228 
Mater  Dolorosa  :  38 
Matthew,  Apostle:  see  Levi 

—  Gospel  of :  xxii  sq.,  39,  208  et 
passim 

Matthias,  Apostle  :   147 

Maximus  Confessor  :    161 

Mazzoth  :   275 

Mediaeval  art :   xxxiii 

Medical  language  :  xxx  sq.,  xxxiv,  and 

see  Hobart 
Medici  Society  :  xxxii,  12 
Melito:   296 

Memorial  {avanvTj<ns)  :    278 
Messiah,    Messiahship :      25,    53,     93, 

125  sq.,    153,    187,   242,    274,    291. 

293 
Messianic  hope  :   22,  153 

—  Kingdom  :   186,  194,  230 
Metayer  system  :   255 

Michael,  J.  H.  {Amer.  Journal  of  Theol., 

Jan.  1918) :   196,  198 
Micklem,  P.  A.,  The  Oospel  according  to 

St  Matthew  (Methuen  1917):     161, 

169 
Midrash  :  193,  208,  217 
Migne,  Patrologia  Graeca  :  xxviii 

Latina :   130 

Millais,  Sir  John  :   210 

Millstone  :   224 

Ministering  women  :   xli,  100  sq. 

Ministry  of  our  Lord  :  xliii  sqq.,  56  sqq. 

—  duration  of  :   xliv  sq. 

—  Galilean  :   xlviii  sq.,  56  sqq.,  311 

—  Judaean  :  xxv,  xlviii,  59,  66 

—  Peraean  :  1,  141,  226 

Miracles,  of  healing  :  62  sqq.,  69  sqq., 
89  sqq.,  93,  108  sqq.,  113  sqq.,  119  sq. 
134  sqq.,  151,  190  sqq.,  241  sq.,  287 

—  of  raising  the  dead  :  90  sq.,  93,  117 

—  on  Nature  :  66,  106,  124  sq.,  129  sqq. 

—  expected  by  Herod  :   294 
Mishna:  236 

Mission,  Medical :    121 

—  National :    120 

—  of  the  Seventy  :   145  sqq. 

—  of  the  Twelve  :   119  sqq. 

—  Parochial :   210 

Moffatt,  Dr,  Introduction  to  the  Litera- 
ture of  the  New  Testament  [/.L.iV.T.]  : 
xxix,  xxxi,  XXXV,  86,  148  sq.,  268 

Mohammed  :   11,  55 


Montefiore,  C.  G.,  The  Synoptic  Gospels 
(Macmillan  1909) :    15,  16,  39,  262 

—  in  The  Beginnings  of  Christianity, 
Foakes-Jackson  (Macmillan  1920)  : 
84 

Montessori :  87 

Morrison,  Dr  E.  F.,  The  Lord's  Prayer 

and  the  Prayers  of  Our  Lord  (S.P.C.K. 

1917)  :    161  sq.,  285 
Moses  :    131,  135,  223,  258,  315,  320 

—  Assumption  of:   11,  258 

Moulton  and  Milligan  :     Vocabulary  of 

N.  T.    illustrated   from    the    Papyri 

(1915) :   83,  234 
Mulberry:   225 
Muratorian  fragment :  xxx 
Murillo  :  210,  290 
Murray,  A.,  With  Christ  in  the  School  of 

Prayer :    163 
Murray's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  :     see 

Turner,  C.  H. 
Mustard  Seed  :   193 

Nabal:  179 
Nain:  56,90,320 

Naime,  Canon  A.,  The  Epistle  of  Priest- 
hood (T.  and  T.  Clark  1915)  :   6,  251 
Name,  given  at  circumcision  :  33 
Nationalists,  Jewish  :   20,  65,  80,  273 
Nature,  appreciation  of  :   171 
Nazareth  :   39,  40,  42,  61  sq.,  149 
Nazarite  :  10 
Needle's  eye  :  240 
Nehemiah  :  196 
Nero  :  257,  266 
New  Covenant :  see  Covenant 
Nicaea,  Council  of  :   285 

—  Apocr.  Gospel  of  :  35 
Nicephorus  Callistus  :   xxviii 
Nicodemus  :   69,  306 
Ninevites :   169,  214 

Nunc  Dimittis  :  xxxix,  35  sq.,  184,  213 

Oesterley,  Dr,  Sayings  of  the  Jewish 
Fathers  {Pirki  Aboth),  S.P.C.K.: 
42,  155,  168,  193,  201,  203,  217,  226 

Offences :  224 

Officials,  judicial :   187;  cf.  113 

—  of  Synagogue  :   59,  60  sq. 
Oil:   157 

Ointment:   97 

Old  Testament,  special  refs.  to  :  62, 
315,  320 

—  threefold  canon  of  :  320 

Olives,  Mount  of :   Hi,  262,  284,  321  sq. 
'Omission,  the  Great'  :    xliv,  57,  118, 

125,  172,  177 
'  Oracles  of  the  Lord  ' :  see  Logia 
Oral  transmission  :   xxi,  165,  173,  241, 

266,  310 


330 


INDEX 


Ordinal,  Anglican  :   183 
Origen  :   xM,  IL  185,  268,  299 
Ostraca  (inscribed  sherds)  :   178 
Ottley,  Dr  R.  L.,  The  Rule  of  Work  and 

Worship  (Scott  1915)  :    162 
Oxford  Studies  in  the  Synoptic  Problem 

(ed.  DrSanday  :  Oxford  Press  1911)  : 

xxiii.  58,  175,  and  see  Allen,  Bartlet. 

Hawkins,  Sanday,  Streeter,  Williams 
Oxyrhynchus  Papyri :   xli,  3,  195,  200 


Palm  Sunday  :   250  sqq. 

Palmer.    Frederic,    Amer.    Journal   of 

Theol.  (July  1919)  :   xxAri,  152 
Paolo  Veronese  :   158 
Papias  :   xvi,  xxii 
Papini,  Storia  di  Cristo  (Florence,  Val- 

lecchi  1920)  :    viii,   29,   49,  99,  132, 

250,  252.  274  sq.,  283,  285,  296,  297. 

301 
Papyri :  xli,  3,  111,  150,  195,  200 
Parable:    75,    101  sq.,   140,    194,   206, 

233,  270 
Parable  of  Barren  Fig-tree  :    47,  140, 

189  sq. 

—  Children  in  Market  Place  :  96 

—  Dives  and  Lazarus  :   xxix,  219  sq. 

—  Fig-tree  and  all  the  Trees  :  270 

—  Good  Samaritan  :    xxix,  139,  155- 
158,  249 

—  House-breaker  :    183 

—  Importunate  Friend  :   xxix.  162  sq. 

—  Importunate  Widow  (Unrighteous 
Judge)  :   233  sqq. 

—  Lamp  :   104 

—  Leaven  :   166,  193,  230 

—  Lost  Coin  :  xli,  209  sq. 

—  Lost  Sheep  :   xxxiii,  208  sq. 

—  Mote  and  Beam  :   87 

—  Mustard  Seed  :   166,  193,  225 

—  Old  Garment:   76 

—  Pharisee  and  Publican  :   xxix,  234— 
236 

—  Pounds  :    102,  205,  243 

—  Prodigal  Son  :  xxix,  xxxiii,  210-214 

—  Rich  Fool:    129,  178  sq. 

—  Sower :    102 

—  Two  Builders  :   88 

—  Two  Debtors  :   98 

—  Unprofitable  Servants  :   225 

—  Unrighteous  Steward  :   215  sqq. 

—  Unwilling  Guests  (Great  Supper)  : 
162,  202 

—  Wicked  Husbandmen  (Vineyard) : 
254  sqq. 

—  Wine-skins  :   76 
Paradise  :    .SOI ;  cf.  222 
Paralytic  :   69  sqq. 

Pa/rousia  :   262-271,  and  see  Advent 


Passion,  narrative  of  :  xxxiii,  xliv,  1,  li, 
247  sqq. 

—  predictions  of  :  127  sq.,  136  sq.,  231, 
240  sqq.,  315  ;  cf.  198 

Passover :     275  sqq.      See    alio    Cup, 

Lamb 
Paul,  St :  xi,  xlii,  9,  51,  59,  70  sq.,  101, 

113,  121,  265  sq.,  278,  302,  322 

—  companion  of  St  Luke  :  xi  sq., 
xiv-xviii,  xxix-xxxi,  41,  288,  318 

—  his  influence  on  Lucan  vocabulary  : 
xxix,  34,  41,  262,  288 

—  his  influence  on  Lucan  thought : 
xvi.  xxix,  xxxviii  sqq.,  10,  86,  276 
sqq. ;  cf.  li,  51,  64 

—  his  references  to  St  Luke  :  xii-xiv 

—  St  Luke's  independence  of  :  xvii, 
xxix,  14  sq.,  318 

Paulus  Aegineta  :   135 

Peace  :  31  sq.,   185,  250 ;    cf .  147,  318 

Peake,  A  Commentary  on  the  Bible,  ed. 

by  A.  S.  Peake,  D.D.   (Jack  1920) : 

xiii,  XX 
Pedigree  :  50 
Pella  :   267,  276 
Penny  {denarius)  :  98,  157 
Pentecost :   xxvi,  xxxvii  sq.,  15 
Peraea,  Peraean  Ministry :  see  Ministry 
Pericope  Adulterae  :  xxv,  xliii,  272,  299 
Persecution,  religious  :    204,  265  sq. 
Personality,  multiple  :   110 
Perugino  :   305 
Peter,  St :  see  Simon  Peter 

—  2nd  Epistle  of  :   130 
Pharisaism,  Pharisee  :    46,   70  sq.,  83, 

97,  152,  170,  199,  202,  208,  213  sq., 

218,  221  sqq.,  226,  235  sqq. 
Philemon,  Epistle  to  :  xii 
Philip,   Evangelist :     xv,   xxi,   1,    140, 

143  sq.,  147,  155,  228,  247,  306,  313 

—  Tetrarch :  see  Herod  Philip 
Philippi :   xv,  xxxi,  3 
Phylactery  :   154 

Physician  :   xii,  xxii,  xxx,  xxxi,  14,  61, 

74,  114  sqq.,  288,  318 
Piero  della  Francesca  :  49 
'  Piers  Plowman '  :   263 
Pietd:  305 
Pilate,  Pontius  :   43  sq.,  188,  206,  257, 

292,  296 
Pilgrims  of  National  Mission  :    121 

—  to  Palestine  :  296,  307 

—  to  Passover  :   41,  242,  304 
Plummer,  Dr  A.,  A  Critical  &  Exegetical 

Commentary  on  the  Gospel  according 
to  St  Luke  (I.C.C,  T.  and  T.  Clark 
1898) :  xi,  xix,  xxix,  4,  80,  84,  90, 
102  sq.,  107,  112.sq.,  123.  130.  132, 
141,  151,  156  sq.,  194,  197,  198,  228, 
2,32,  236.  243  sq.,  257,  303,  308,  312 


INDEX 


331 


Plutarch  :   1,  240 

Polvbius  :   3,  90,  240 

Poor,  Gospel  to  :  61,  93,  152 

—  interest  in  :   xli,  62 
Possession,  demoniacal :   64,  112 
Pounds :   243 ;  cf .  209 
Proctor:   187 

Fraefatio  Lticae.  :   xiii,  xvi 

Praetorium  :   292 

Prayer:    xl,  9,  49,  79,  126,  131,  160, 

164,  232  sq.,  235,  283  sqq. 
Preaching  :  45,  65,  100,  119  sq.,  320  sq. ; 

cf.  146 
Precedence  :  200 ;  cf .  279 
Prediction  :  262-271.    See  also  Passion, 

predictions  of 
'  Preparation '  {napacTKfvq  —  Friday) :  307 
Presentation  in  the  Temple :  xxxii,  34-39 
Pride:   218 
Priest :   8,  156,  228 

—  Chief  :  274,  296 
Psalm  xxii :    299  sq. 
Psychic  cures  :  62,  64,  191 
Publican  :   73,  207,  243 
Purgatory:   222 
Purification  :  34  sq. 

'  Q  '  (source  for  Matthew  and  Luke)  : 
xxii  aq.,  xxxv,  33,  81,  87,  91,  93-96, 
105,  148,  152  sqq.,  164,  168,  175,  177, 
180,  183,  197  sq.,  205,  207  sq.,  215, 
217  sq.,  230  sqq. 

Qnadrans  :   262 

Quakers  :  85 

Queen  of  the  South  :    169  sq. 

'  Questions,  Day  of  '  :    196,  253  sqq. 

—  in  answer  to  questions:  157,  184, 
239,  254 

—  of  lawyer  :   153 
Quirinius  :  27 

Rabbi,  status  of  :   252 

'  Rabbi ',  term  of  address  :   228 

Rabbinism,  Rabbinic  phrases :  35, 
41  sq.,  50,  59,  111,  154.  180,  182, 
192  sqq.,  201,  203,  217,  219,  226,  235, 
258,  260 

Rackham,  R.  B.,  The  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles (Methuen  1906)  :   xv,  197 

Rafael  t   33,  134,  277 

Ragg,  Lonsdale,  Evidences  of  Christianity 
(Rivingtons  1900,  2nd  edition,  1913) : 
308,  309,  312 

Ramsay,  Sir  W.  M.,  Luke  the  Physician 
(Hodder  &  Stoughton)  :  xviii,  xxvii, 
35,  71,  78,  117,  162 

—  Bearings  of  Recent  Discovery  on  the 
Trustworthiness  of  the  New  Testament 
(Hodder  &  Stoughton  1915) :  xiii,  3, 
9,  27  sq.,  43,  63,  278 


Eationarium  Imperii  :   27 

Ravenna :   209 

Ravens :    181 

Reconciliation  :    187 

Redemption  :  23,  39,  270 

Reid,     Encycl.     Bel.     &     Eth.     (art. 

'  Humour') :   xxx 
Rembrandt :   34,  158,  210,  283,  316 
Renaissance  painters  :    xxxiii,  209  sq. 
Renan  :  xi,  308 
Renunciation  :    128  sq. 
Repentance  :   45  sq.,  188,  236,  299,  320 
ResponsibiUty,  social :   223  sqq. 
Resurrection  :   202,  223,  257-260 

—  Body:  318  sq. 

—  of  our  Lord  :   307-319 
Retreats  :   134 
Reynolds,  Sir  J.  :   26 
Rich  Fool  :    179  sqq. 

—  Man  :  see  Parable  of  Dives 
Richmond,   W.   J.,   The  Gospel  of  the 

Rejection :   77 

Righteousness  :  8,  208,  215 

Robbers  :    156,  298,  300  sqq. 

Robertson,  A.  T.,  Luke  the  Historian  in 
the  Light  of  Research  (T.  and  T.  Clark 
1920)  :   3,  14,  27,  45,  49  sq.,  100,  104 

—  (Contemp.  Review,  Aug.  1919)  :  xxiii 
Robinson,  Dr  J.  A.,  Texts  and  Studies, 

vol.  i :   160,  284 

—  Encycl.  Bibl.  (art.  '  Apostles  ')  :   79 
Roman  citizenship  :   282 

Ropes,  Prof.  :    152 

Rosarv,  '  XV  Mysteries  '  of  :   xxxviii 

Rossetti,  D.  G. :   12 

Rubens,  P.  P. :  97,  210 

Rufus:   297 

Ruler    of   Synagogue   {dpxiavvdyojyo^) : 

60,  113,  191,  238 
Ruskin,  J.  :   xxxviii,  12,  73,  130,  162 

Sabbath,  Sabbatarianism:  63,  76  sq., 
191,  199,  309 

—  Law  of  Talmud  :   76,  77,  192,  199 
Sacrifice  :   9.  35,  235 

'  Sacrificial  aspect  of  Eucharist '  :   278 

Sadducees  :  257  sqq. 

Salome  :   101,  304,  311 

Salt:   206  sq. 

Salutation  :   147  sq.,  318 

Salvadora  persica  (Mustard  Seed)  :   193 

Salvation:      24,    36,    243.      See    also 

Redemption,  Save 
Samaria,  Samaritan  :   xxi,  140,  143  sq., 

167,  228 

—  the  Good  :   153  sqq.,  249 
Sanday,  Dr  W.,  Oxford  Studies  in  the 

Synoptic  Problem  (q.v.)  :  xxii,  52,  140 

—  Sacred  Sites  of  the  Gospel  (Oxford 
Press  1903) :   63,  276,  298,  307,  314 


332 


INDEX 


Sanhedrin  :   240,  288  sqq.,  306 

Sarto,  Andrea  del :   277 

Satan  :    111,  150,  166,  192,  273,  278 

Saturninus,  Sentius  :   27 

Save,  Saviour  :    20,  30,  244,  300  sq. 

Savonarola  :   263 

Sayings  of  the   Jewish  Fathers  {Pirke 

Aboth) :  see  Oesterley 
Schmiedel,  Dr  P.  W.,  Encycl.  Bill.  (art. 

'  Gospels  ') :   xx,  xxiv,  198,  280 
Schiirer  :    154 
Schweitzer:   129 

Scientific  spirit :    xxxiv  sq.,  14,  318 
Scirocco  :   187 
Scribes  :    152,  257,  261  sq. 
Scythopolis  :   227 
Seats,  chief :   200 
Seneca  :   xiii 
Septuagint    ('LXX'):      xxiv,     xxvii, 

xxxvii,  xlvi,  13,  16,  18,  35,  51,  155, 

167,  174,  182,  184,  225,  251,  299 
Sermon,  the  Great :   xlviii,  80-88,  180, 

187 
Service,  menial :    183,  225 
Seventy,  The  :   146  sqq. 
Shailer    Matthew,   Messianic  Hope  in 

the  N.T.  (Chicago  1905) :   xx 
Shakespeare  :    120 
Shammai,  Rabbi :   42,  219 
Sheep,  the  Lost :   208,  244 
Shekhina  {Shekinah)  :   50 
Shema  :    154 
Sheol  {R&dee)  :  222 
Shepherds  :   30  sq. 
Shepherd,  the  Good  :   xxxiii,  182,  208 

sq.,  244 
Shewbread  :   9,  77 
Shunem  :   91 
Sickness,  attributed    to  evil    powers : 

192 ;  cf.  64 
Sidon  :   81,  149 

Siege  :   xix  sq.,  251,  263,  265,  267 
Signs,  demand  for  :   169 
— ^ '  in  the  heavens  '  :   269 

—  '  of  the  Times  '  :   186 
Siloam,  tower  in  :    188  sq. 

Simeon,  in  Temple  :   35,  152,  213,  235, 
306 

—  sonofffillel:  35 
Simon  Peter:   64,  115,  299 

—  Apostle  :  79 

—  appearance  of  our  Lord  to  :  317 

—  at  Tomb  :   310,  312 

—  at  Transfiguration  :    131  sq. 

—  call  of:  67 

—  confesses  Christ :   125  sq. 

—  denies  Christ :   289  sq. 

—  his  wife's  mother :  64 

—  St  Luke's  attitude  to  :   275 

—  warned  :   280  sq. 


Simon  of  Cyrene  :   296  sq. 

—  the  Just :    155 

—  the  Leper :  97,  159,  273 

—  the  Pharisee  :   97 

—  the  Zealot :  80,  273 
Soldiers  :  47,  111,  300 
Solomon:    169  sq.,  181 

~  Psalms  of  :    19,  36,  258 

Son  of  God  :    13  sq.,  49,  54,  133,  291 

—  Man  :    72,  229  sq.,  291 
Soul:    181 

Souter,  Dr  A.,  Hastings'   D.G.G.  (art. 

'Luko'):   XV 
Spirit,  the  Holy :  see  Holy  Ghost 

—  evil :   64  sq.,  167 

—  of  infirmity  :    190  sq. 
Stabat  Mater,  38 

Stalker  :    The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus 

Christ  (Hodder  &  Stoughton  1895): 

288 

Stanley,  Dean,  Sinai  and  Palestiv/i  •  102 

Stanton,  Dr  V.  H.,  Ev/iyd.  Brit.  (art. 

'  Luke,  Gospel  of  ') :   xxvii  sq. 

—  The  Gospels  as  Historical  Doctiments: 
96,  100,  139  sq.,  155,  168,  227, 
263 

Stations  of  the  Cross  :    xxxiii,  183  sq., 

215  sqq.,  297 
Stephen,  St :  299,  302 
Steward,    stewardship :     183   sq.,    215 

sqq. 
Stewart.  A.  Morris,  The  Temptation  of 

Jesus  (London  1903)  :   53,  55,  56 
Stoic:   286 
Stoning  :  254 
Storm  :   106  sqq. 
Stranger  (aWoftv-qs) :   228 
Strauss:  198 
Streeter,    Canon    B.     H.     (in    Oxford 

Studies,  q.v.)  :   xxiii,  52,  56,  91,  104, 

152,  154,  162,  164,  168,  198,  200,  205, 

207,  230,  233 

—  in  Hibberl  Journal  (Oct.  1921)  : 
xxiii,  52,  57,  102,  188  sqq.,  312 

Sunday,  observance  of  :   309 
Supererogation  :  226,  236 
Superscription  :   300 
Superstition  :    115 
Supper :  172 

—  the  Great :  see  Parable 

—  the  Last:  274-281 
Susanna  :  101 
Swine  :    101,  212 
Sycamine  :  225 
Sycomore  :   243,  225 

Synagogue:  59sqq.,77  sq.,  113, 190 sq., 

265 
Synchronisms  :   xxxv,  xlvi,  43 
Synoptic  Problem :    vii,  xxii,   and   see 

Oxford  Studies 


I 


I 


-(- 


INDEX 


333 


Tabernacles  (booths)  :    132 

—  Feast  of  :  xlix  sq.,  168  sqq.,  166, 
170 

Tabor:  130 

Tacitus  :   265,  266,  303 

Talents,  Parable  ;  of.  with  '  Pounds  '  : 

244  sqq. 
Talmud  :    161,  192,  199,  202,  236,  258, 

303 
Targum:  262 
Tatian  :  xvii 
Tell-Hum  (  =  Capernaum  ?)  :     63,    90, 

149 
Temple  :  9,  235 

—  Christ  in  :  40-42,  252-272 

—  cleansing  of  :  249,  254 

—  doom  of  :  264  sqq. 
Temptation  :   51-56,  166,  169,  283 
TertuUian  :   xvii,  132 

Testaments  of  the  XII  Patriarchs  :   50 
Text :   xli  sqq. 

—  '  Western  '  :  xlii,  and  see  Bezae, 
Codex 

Texts  and  Studies :  see  Chase,  Robinson 

Theodorus  Lector  :   xxviii 

Theophilus  :  xiv,  xviii,  3,  4 

Theophrastus  :  286 

Theophylact:   316 

Theudas  :   xix,  44 

Thirtle.  Dr  J.  W.,  The   Lord's  Prayer 

(Morgan  and  Scott  1915)  :   162 
Thompson,  Francis  :   237 
Thomson.   Canon,   The   Land  and  the 

Book :    107,  159 
Tiberius  :   43,  296 
Tintoretto  :   17,  32,  54,  292,  305 
Tithe :   173,  236 
Titian  :   xxxiii 
Tittle:   219 
Titus:  252 
Tomb,  as  metaphor  :    173 

—  of  our  Lord  :   305-312 

—  of  Prophets  :   174  sq. 

Torry,  Prof.  C.  C,  Amer.  Journal  of 
Theol.  (Jan.  1919)  :   xx,  xxxvii 

Trachonitis  :  44 

Transfiguration  :  xlv,  129,  134 

Trench,  Archbishop,  Studies  in  the 
Gospels  (London  1867) :   53 

—  The  Miracles  ofOtir  Lord  (Pop.  Edn., 
1886):  64,  67,  106,  113  sqq.,  117, 
123,  135,  190,  198,  288 

—  The  Parables  of  Our  Lord  (Pop.  Edn., 
1886):  98,  101  sq.,  155  sq.,  162, 
179  sq.,  189  sq.,  202,  208,  209  sq., 
215  sqq.,  221,  225,  233,  235,  243 

Trials  of  our  Lord  :   288  sqq. 
Tribute  to  Caesar  :   256  sq.,  293 
Tristram,  Canon,  Eastern  Customs :  157, 
204 


Trustworthiness   of  St   Luke  :    xxxvi, 

241,  290 
Turner,    Prof.   C.    H.,   Murray's   Diet. 

Bible  (art.  '  N.T.,  Text  of  ')  :  xlii  sq. 

—  Hastings'  Diet.  Bible  (art.  'Chrono- 
logy ')  :   xiv 

—  Church  Quarterly  Review  (July  1912) : 
247  sq.,  305  sq. 

Um  Keis  (Gadara)  :   110 
Uncleanness,  Levitical :    116,  145,  156 
Universalism  :   xxix,  xl  sq.,  36,  46,  62 
Upper  Room  :  276,  310,  319 

Van  Dyck  :   286 

Veil  of  Temple  :   303 

Velasquez  :  305 

Veronese,  P. :  see  Paolo  Veronese 

Veronica  :   296 

Via  Dolorosa  :   296 

Vinci,  da  :  see  Leonardo 

Vineyard,  Parable  of  :   254  sqq. 

Vintage,  Levit.  Law  of  :   255 

'  Violence  '  entering  Kingdom  :   219 

'  Vipei-s,  offspring  of  '  :   46 

Virgin  Birth  :   5,  13  sqq.,  49 

Visitation  :    17  sqq. 

'  —  time  of:   251 

Vocabulary,   Lucan :     xxv,   xxvii,   96, 

100,  155,  272 
Voice  from  Heaven  :  49,  133  sq.,  150 
Votaw,  Dr  C.  W.,   Amer.   Journal  of 

Theol.  (Jan.  1915) :   xxvi  sq.,  xxxv 
Vultures:   232 

Wallet :   120,  147,  282 

Walsh,  Bishop  H.  Pakenham  :    Divine 

Healing  (S.P.C.K.  1921)  :   65 
War-Laws  of  O.T.  :    145,  147 
Warschauer,  J.,  Am£r.  Journal  of  Theol. 

(April  1919)  :   206 
Watches  of  the  night :    183 
Watts,  G.  F.  :   210,  239 
'  We  '  passages  of  Acts  :   xiv 
Wealth:    xli,  101,  178,  182,  202,  217, 

238  sqq. 
Weiss,  B.  :   124,  216 
Weiszacker :  140 
Wellhausen:  226 
Wendt:  140 
Westcott,  Introd.  to  Study  of  the  Gospels : 

50,  52,  102 
—  and      Hort,      The     N^T.     in     the 

original  Greek   (2    vols.,    Macmillan 

1881)  :    xlii,  31,  278,  285,  299,  312, 

321 
'  Western    non-interpolations  '  :      312, 

318,  321 
'  Western  '  Text :   see  Bezae,  Codex 
Wetstein,  Nov.  Test.  Graec.  (1751)  :  xxx 


334 


INDEX 


Whitaker,  G.  H.,  Expositor  (Dec.  1919) : 

xvi,  90 
Whitham,  A.  R.,  The  Gospel  according 

to  St  Luke  (Rivington  1919) :    152 
Widow,  importunate  :   233  sqq. 
Widows'  houses,  261  sq. 
Widow's  son:  90-93 

—  mite :  262 
Wilderness  :  26,  54 

WiUiams,  N.  P.  (in  Oxford  Studies,  q.v.) : 

164 
Wine,  new  :   76 
Winnowing  :  48,  281 
Wisdom  :   96 

—  '  of  God  '  :  174,  198 
Withered  hand  :  77  sq. 
Woes  of  Great  Sermon  :   83 

—  on  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  :   172  sqq. 
Womanhood,  Gospel  of :    xli,   16,  99. 

100,  168,  193,  272 
Women,  ministering  :   xli,  100  sq. 

—  at  Cross:  304 

—  at  Tomb:  307  sqq. 


'  Word  of  God  '  :   16,  102 

Words  from  the  Cross  :  li,  106  sq.,  220, 

285,  298  sqq. 
Wotherspoon,     H.     J.,     in     Hastings' 

D.C.G.  (art.  '  Resurrection  ')  :   257 
Wright,    Dr   A.,   in  Hastings'    D.C.Q. 

(art.    '  Luke,    Gospel    of ') :     xxiv, 

VyiY 

Wycliffe  :   183,  201 


Yarmuk:  110 


Zacchaeus  :   198,  208 

Zachariah  (s.  of  Jehoiada) :   175 

Zacharias  :    8  sqq. 

—  Song  of  :  see  Benedictus 

Zahn,  Introd.  to  N.T.  (E.  Tr.,  T.  and 

T.  Clark  1909)  :   xx,  xxx,  66 
Zealot :   25,  273 
Zebedee,  sons  of  :   138,  144,  241 
Zechariah  (Prophet) :   46 


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