Matt. xvii. we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. § 79. JESUS THE DISCIPLES CONTEND WHO SHOULD BE THE GREATEST. EXHORTS TO HUMILITY, FORBEarance, and BROTHERLY LOVE.—Capernaum. Markix.33-50. 33-And Luke ix. 46-50. 46 Then being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace for by the way Matt. xviii. 1-35. 1At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ? * 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of 3 there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest." 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. them, and said, Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoso ever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 38 And John answered him, not us and we forbad him, because he followeth Properly a stater, equal to a shekel, and exactly the tax for both Christ and Peter. Who is the greatest? The agitation of this question by the twelve was probably occasioned took a child, and set him by him, 48 and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. 43 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus by what had been said to Peter (Matt. 16. 17-19), and by the selection of the three (Matt. 17. 1) to accompany Christ to the mount of transfigura tion. Mark ix. there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Matt. xviii. 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone" were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come;" but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Luke ix. said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.' Mark ix. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone" were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Matt. xviii. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.s 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is Mark xviii. gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone:" if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. : 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents." 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. u Lev. 19. 17, 18. Deut. 19. 15; Heb. 10. 28. w1 Cor. 5. 11-13; 2 Thess. 3. 6, 14, 15. * Matt. 16. 19. y Ten thousand talents. This immense sum (reckoning a talent at £187 10s., or at £216 according to some) expresses the incalculable number of our sins against God; and teaches the impossibility of self-justification, and the freeness of the Divine forgiveness. a Lev. 25. 39; 2 Kings 4. 1. James 2. 13. § 80. JESUS GOES UP TO THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES. HIS FINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE. INCIDENTS IN SAMARIA. 5 John vii. 2-10. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand." 3 His d brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. 10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret Luke ix. 51-62. 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly 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 would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? h 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. 57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 And he said unto another, Follow But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. me. § 81. THE SEVENTY INSTRUCTED AND SENT OUT.-Samaria. Luke x. 1-16. After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither be himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, The feast of tabernacles, held in October, during eight days, and so called because the people then dwelt in tents or booths to commemorate the dwelling in the wilderness in tents, Lev. 23. 34-43; Neh. 8. 14-18. It was also the feast of the ingatherings (somewhat like our harvest home), and as such was a time of high rejoicing, Ex. 23. 16; Deut. 16. 13-15. Our Lord evades the urgency of his relatives: and afterwards goes up to the festival more privately. The journey mentioned in Luke 9. 51 was obviously his last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem; and ver. 53 shows that he was passing on without delay. See Introd. Note to Part VI. e Acts 1. 14. f In secret, that is, through Samaria instead of Peræa, which was the usual and most frequented though longer route from Galilee to Jerusalem, because the Jews did not like to pass through the country of the Samaritans (see Luke 9. 53; John 4. 9). See in § 83. 9 John 4. 9. h2 Kings 1. 9-14. This specification of time seems to forbid Robinson's order, who considers that the seventy Luke x. but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.' 12 § 82. TEN LEPERS CLEANSED.-Samaria? Luke xvii. 11-19. 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed 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 off: 13 and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests."" 15 And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 13 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." were sent out before, and not after, the things related in ch. 9. 51-56. He and Greswell suppose that Capernaum was the place, whereas the context, in ch. 9. 52, rather favours Samaria. In this transaction, which is recorded only by Luke, who wrote especially for Gentile Christians, the number. the place, and the time, are all significant. He sent forth seventy, to indicate that the gospel was to be preached to the heathen nations, which the Jews of that day set down at that number; just as he had before [see $62] sent forth the twelve to the tribes of Israel. The place is Samaria, representing the heathen world, to which the apostles were at first not allowed to go, Matt. 10. 5, 6. The time too is full of meaning: the twelve had been sent out about the season of the passover, that is, nearly six months before the sending of the seventy, which took place about the feast of tabernacles following; whereby our Lord indicated his pleasure to send the good news first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, Luke 24. 47; Acts 3. 26; Rom. 1. 16. See Wieseler's Synopse der 4 Evang. p. 326. * 2 Kings 4. 29. See in $ 89. n See in § 102. |