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14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (N)

[Omit, and pass to Chap. xix.]

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them : but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer 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 shall in no wise enter therein. 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, that is, 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 thy mother. 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing. sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he

CHAP. XVIII.

[and publican.

heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw hardly shall they that have riches enter into that he was very sorrowful, he said, How the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they that heard

it said, Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. 28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. 31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh uuto Jericho, a certain blind

EXPOSITION.

(N) Ver. 1-14. The parables of the unjust judge, and of the Pharisee and publican. The object of these parables, which appear to have been delivered in continuance of the preceding discourse, is stated to be that "men ought always to pray, and not to faint;" which certainly does not mean that men should be always employed in exercises of devotion, but that when they feel the want of any blessing from God, they ought never to give up praying for it (with proper submission to the divine will) till they obtain it. And this duty is enforced by the example of a poor widow, who applied to a judge or magistrate for justice between her and one who had injured her; and who pressed her cause upon the judge with so much perseverance, that, in the issue, she ob

tained judgment, though he neither re garded her nor her cause. Now, says our Lord, if this woman prevailed with such a man, merely through importunity, how much more shall you prevail with the Almighty, who waiteth only to be gracious, and delighteth in avenging, that is, in doing justice to the oppressed. Nor is there any inconsistency in saying, that, though God long bears with sinners, yet will he avenge his people speedily, or rather suddenly; for it is an old proverb, that "Justice has a leaden foot, but an iron hand:" that is, it advances slowly, but it strikes suddenly. So it was with the Jews: their punishment was long delayed, but struck them like a thunder-bolt when it came, and no one saw it coming; for they had no faith in the many warnings which our Lord gave them. This seems

NOTES.

Ver. 14. This man went down-i. e. from the temple-justified, rather than the other.-Camp. "more approved than the other."

Ver. 15-30. And they brought unto him, &c.-See the parallel passage, Matt. xix. 13-30.

Ver. 15. That he would touch them.-Matthew says, "that he should put his hands on them and

pray

Ver.31-35. Then he took unto him the twelve,

&c. The parallel to this is Matt. xx. 17-19. Ver. 35-43. A certain blind man.-Matthew mentions two blind men; Mark x. 46, one only; as also Luke here. The probable reason is given in our Notes on Mark,

Ver. 35. As he was come nigh.-See Note on Mark x. 46. Doddr." As he was (yet) nigh." So Grotius, which reconciles the three Evangelists. See his Note.

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man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it 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 which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, 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 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall 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 saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

CHAP. XIX.

[of Zaccheus.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, 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, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zaccheus stood, and said

AND Jesus entered and passed unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half

through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchens, which was the chief among the Publicans, and he was rich.

of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

EXPOSITION-Chap. XVIII. Continued.

to be the import of his question, "When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth ?”

The next parable represents the opposite characters of a haughty Pharisee and a penitent publican, in order to reprove the former, and to justify our Lord's attention to the latter. The Pharisee stood by himself, careful to receive no contamination from any publican or sinner that might approach him. He began his prayer with an affectation of piety, thanking God that he was not like other men, and especially the publican which he saw before him; and he concluded with boasting of his abstinence and charity. The former part of his assertion is in direct opposition to the character given of this sect by our Lord, Matt. xxiii. 14, and elsewhere; and, as for his good deeds, they amounted to an ostentatious abstinence on Mondays and Thursdays (their fast days), and a punctilious observance of paying tithes even in herbs: but, this excepted, they included not one moral or religious duty. Love to God, and even charity to the poor (unless when it

could be ostentatiously displayed), made no part of Pharisaic righteousness. (See ch. xi. 41, 42.) As to the spiritual intent of the divine law, as reaching to the secret imaginations of the heart; of this they appear to have had no idea, and consequently no humbling sense of their own depravity.

But we must glance at the character here placed in contrast: the humble-the dejected publican (or tax-collector), who, conscious of his numerous violations of the divine commands, stands afar off, perhaps upon the steps only of the temple, and, smiting his guilty breast, with downcast eyes, and in a suppressed tone of voice exclaims, "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" He who readeth the characters of men, not in their countenances, but in their hearts, accepts the publican and condemns the Pharisee.

NOTES.

CHAP. XIX. Ver. 2. Chief among the Publicans. -Zaccheus seems to have been what was called a promagister, or chief officer of the customs, who had the superintendance of the sub-receivers of taxes, who collected the tolls of harbours, bridges, &c. Orient. Lit. No. 1319.

Ver. 7. Gone to be a guest.-Camp. "Gone to be entertained by."

"The Lord their different language knows, "And different answers he bestows: "The humble soul with grace he crowns, "And on the proud his anger frowns! " Watts.

Ver. 8. By false accusation.-Doddr. " wrongfully." Camp. "If in aught I have wronged any man."-I restore him fourfold. See Exod. xxii. 1.; 2 Sam. xii. 6. Salmasius adds, that Publicans convicted of oppression were, by the Roman law, compelled to restore fourfold. See Doddr.

CHAP. XVIIL

and tig, he was very so

arable of]

CHAP. XIX. Jesus said unto him, This ration come to this house, s he also is a son of

on of man is come to at which was lost. (O) they heard these spake a parable, Jerusalem, and at the kingdom .ely appear. re, a certain noa far country to reself a kingdom, and to

And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when

CHAP. XIX.

[the ten pounds.

he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

19 And he said likewise to him, Be thow also over five cities.

20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin :

21 For I feared thee, because thou

EXPOSITION.

(0) Ver. 1-10. The conversion of Zaccheus, the chief publican-Many of the publicans appear to have been men of property; in gathering for the state they did not forget themselves. We need not wonder, therefore, to find the chief publicanthe head tax-gatherer of the district-characterised as rich. But, though rich, his mind was not wholly occupied in getting money. He had heard that a great Prophet had arisen in Israel, and had an earnest desire to see him-not merely from an idle curiosity, as we would hope, but probably from a desire to hear some of his discourses, and see some of his miracles; but, being short of stature, his only chance seemed to be in climbing a tree, which accordingly he did. Jesus, passing by, saw him also, and knowing his heart prepared to receive him, called him down, and desired him to hasten home, and prepare to receive both himself and his disciples. He did so, and received him heartily and joyfully; and frankly owned that, in the course of his profession, he had been guilty of extortion.

Where he was sensible of this, he restored four-fold, according to the law; and as there were, doubtless, many cases in the course of his office in which he had been guilty of oppression, he now devotes the half of his present income to the poor, as an evidence of his change of conduct and disposition. And he defers neither his justice nor liberality to his death-bed, as too many do, who desire to retain the whole as long as possible. "Those who defer their gifts to their death-bed (Bishop Hall remarks) do as good as say, Lord, I will give thee something when I can keep it no longer. Happy is the man that is his own executor!"

It was of the Pharisees and their adherents, doubtless, that the Evangelist says, that they all murmured (as they were wont to do) that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner." Such is the inconsistency of human nature, as if the Son of man were sent to save only those who had not been lost. Jesus, however, acted with perfect consistency. He came "not to call the righteous to repentance;"

NOTES.

Ver. 12. A certain nobleman, &c.-The similarity of this narrative to the case of Archelaus, who went to Rome to have his kingdom confirmed over his rebellious subjects, has been remarked; but, besides that, there is in other respects a great disparity, our Lord appears to us to have exercised a particular degree of caution in avoiding political allusions.

Ver. 13. lis ten servants.-Doddr. and Camp. "Ten of his servants."

Ibid. Ten pounds-or minas. The mina is ex

plained in our margins to be 31. 2s. 6d.; by Doddr. 71. 10s.; Prideaux, 91.; but in our table, taken from Dr. Arbuthnot, at 57. 14s. See p. 694, end of O. T.

Ver. 15. The money.-Gr. "the silver." So ver. 23. Ver. 17. Over ten cities.-This prince being now supposed to be established in his kingdom, distributes the subordinate governments among those of his servants who had proved themselves faithful to their trust, in proportion to their talents and assiduity.

Christ's entry]

S. LUKE.

art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.

22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

24 And he said unto them that stood

by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. (P)

[Omit, and pass to ver. 41.]

28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the

[into Jerusalem. mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose which at your entering ye shall find a colt him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? Lord hath need of him. thus shall ye say unto him, Because the 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners re thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the need of him. 34 And they said, 'The Lord hath

35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as they went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he the mount of Olives, the whole multitude was come nigh, even now at the descent of of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty Blessed be the King that cometh in the works that they had seen; 38 Saying, name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

41 T And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known,

that of the talents, Matt. xxv. 14-30. Yet as it differs in several interesting particu lars, we shall give it a distinct consider ation.

EXPOSITION-Chap. XIX. Continued. but when he entered the door of a penitent he proclaimed, "This day is salvation come to this house."-"Thrice happy Publican (says the pious prelate just quoted), It appears to have been delithat hast climbed from thy sycamore tree vered in the house of Zaccheus, in answer to heaven; and by a few worthless bags of to intimations, probably dropped by some of unrighteous mammon, hast purchased to the company, who expected, from the multhyself a kingdom incorruptible, undefiled, titude which followed our Saviour, that his and that fadeth not away.” Chap. xii. 32,33. kingdom was now about to be established. (Hall's Cont. Bk. iv. Con. 4.)

(P) Ver. 11-26. The parable of the ten pounds. This parable is very similar to

The parable is not so clear as many, having two aspects, if we may so express it, in one of which is exhibited the rebellious con

NOTES-Chap. XIX. Con.

Ver, 26. Unto every one that hath shall be given.— See Matt. xiii. 12, and Note.

Ver. 28. He went before-i. e. at the head of his company, to show the readiness with which he met his sufferings. Comp. ch. xii. 50.

Ver. 29-40. And it came to pass, &c.-Compare the parallel passage in Matt. xxi. 1-9. We shall mark the principal differences.

30. Ye shall find a colt tied.-Matt. xxi. 2, mentions an ass and a colt, but the other Evangelists a colt only; but from ver. 7, in Matthew, it seems both were employed. See our Note on ver. 5 there.

Ver. 38. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

--These words seem taken from the chorus of angels (ch. ii. 14), of which probably

some of the company

had heard, and here repeated incorrectly, for the

angels sang" Peace on earth."

Ver. 40. The stones would immediately cry out.Some of the Jews, as appears by the preceding verse, being shocked at what they thought biasreprove them; but he, instead of censuring, justifies phemy in the multitude, applied to the Lord Jesus to them as fully warranted by the occasion. This is a strong hyberbole, but quite in the Oriental stile.

See Hab. ii. 11.

He cleanses]

CHAP. XIX.

even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side;

44 And shall lay thee even with 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.

[the temple. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;

46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,

48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. (Q)

EXPOSITION.

duct of the Jews, who refused to have Jesus to reign over them, and the other, the negligent conduct of some of his own professed disciples, who took no care to improve the deposit which he had intrusted with them.

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John i. 11.) They hated him, and would by no means submit to his authority; and, therefore, after he had reckoned with his own confidential servants, he commanded-"Those, mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me"'—an allusion, perhaps, to some of the summary executions of which we read in the Old Testament; as for instance, Agag, whom Samuel slew. (1 Sam. xv. 2, 33.)

But to turn to the other part of the parable; it differs from that of the talents, which were bestowed in different proportions. Here they are supposed to be the same-a pound (or mina) intrusted with each servant for the purposes of trade; but which was variously improved, according to the care and industry of each possessor. And here we may remark, that though our temporal benefits, separately taken, as wisdom, riches, power, &c. are bestowed in great variety; yet, taken collectively, the blessings of Providence are distributed in more equal proportions than is commonly supposed. To one, God gives health and poverty; to another, riches and the gout: and even where sickness attends on poverty, and health on riches, another article may be thrown in, which more than balances the portion: thus the consolations of religion will more than counterpoise the combined evils in the former case; or,

in the latter case, an unhappy temper or a guilty conscience may render health and wealth altogether unavailing to confer hap piness, or even comfort.

The parable, however, appears to us to have a particular reference to the gospel ministry, which is described as treasure deposited in earthen vessels; and of which treasure the apostles, and their successors in the ministry, are appointed stewards, and respecting which the utmost fidelity is required. (See 2 Cor. iv. 7; 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2.)

Among these servants here is one who proves totally negligent, or unfaithful to his trust; who, instead of employing his pound like the others, wrapped it in a cloth or napkin; just as a like idle servant in another parable buried his talent in the earth. (Matt. xxv. 25.) And it is observable, that the misconduct in both cases arose from erroneous notions of the divine character; supposing that, as God is the author of alí our graces, and all our mercies come from him, that no duty remains with us, either to exercise the one or improve the other. Whatever notion reduces human nature to mere machinery, is alike injurious to the divine character, and hostile to prac tical religion.

(Q) Ver. 41-48. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem." We have here (says the excellent Mr. Howe) a compassionate lamentation in the midst of a solemn triumph. Our Lord's approach to Jerusalem at this time, and his entrance into it, as the foregoing history shows, carried with them some face of regal and triumphal pomp; but with such alloys as discovered a mind most remote from ostentation; and led by judgment, not vain glory, to transmit

NOTES.

Ver. 43. Cast a trench about thee.-Camp. says, "Surround thee with a rampart," which is thought to be the meaning of the Greek word rendered "trench," and which occurs only here in the New Testament. A military wall, or rampart,

however, always implies a trench or ditch without it.

Ver. 46. My house, &c.-See Isa. Ivi. 7; Jer. vii. 11. Ver. 48. Were very attentive,-Marg. "Hanged on him."

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