PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2
Henry Donald Maurice Spence [1836–1917] · 272,049 words · 292 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 1
THE PULPIT COMMENTARY, J<:DITED BY Tllli VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DIIAN OF GLOUCESTER i AND BY THE REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A. WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY THE VERY REV. F. W. FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S., DEAN OF CANTERBURY. RIGHT REV. H. COTTERILL, D.D., F.R.S.E. VERY REV. PRINCIPAL J. TULLOCH, D.D. REV. CANON G…
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in c,onnPCtion with the aqueduct to i:::? Ver. 7.-Behold, theae three yeara I aome rool of SiloRrn. Heking fruit on this fl.g tree, e.nd find none. Ver. 5.-Exoept ye repent, ye 1hBU all Some expositors see in this period of threo likewise perish. The words were indeed years an allusion to the storied pRst of propheti…
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the whole 'WIii leavened. The fir~t of these these p1\l'ablPs of the kingdom distinctly two little pRrRbles of the kingdom, "the points to e. elnw yet a progressive rlevolop• muet•rd seed," portm.yed ite strangely rapid mcnt of true religion. Very different., indeed, !il'Owth. The ,eoond, " the leaven," treats wn.s …
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gato : for many, I ■ ay nnto you, will aoek chilrlrcn of men. It hos been o.skecl-To to entor in, and shall not be able. 'fhe what time does the Master refer in th., Master, as woe frequently his custom, gave words" when once"? It cannot be the epoch no direct answer to his questioner, but his oC the ruin of Jerusale…
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in thiB Rnnonncement of comen to the gTMt and tell that fox; literelly, that she-fox. banquet of heRven from all the four qu!\rten Tho Lo1·d saw through the elmllow device, of the globe. This oompletes the e.nswer and, in reply to hie t'alee friends, bado them to the que~tion. It forbids any limitRtion go to that in…
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been loved like this. 'fhere the anoinlerl of her young and bc1ufog them on her wings; the Etomnl were to flx their home. There now it is slightly nltered to one if possible tho etntely shrine for the service of the more tender and loving, certainly more invisible King of Isrnel we.e to keep we.tch homely. How often…
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ON THE PART OF ALL. In contrast with hie audience, this wrui the application of the calamities related which he made. These were to him the prophecy of the doom awaiting every one who oontinued in his sins. Archbishop 'l'rench emphasizes the "likewise." "Ye shall all likewise perish, i.e. in a manner similar to that in…
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nnd enith, Deliver from going down into the pit: I have found a ransom." It is be who ever liveth, the God-Man, to make intercession. "Yet not," as has been remarked, "ne though the Father and the Son had different minds concerning sinners, not as though the counsels of the Father were wrath, and of the Son mercy: for …
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"Lord, what will this man and that man do? What is the extent to which the purpose ~ _uve will be realiz~?" He answers by not answering. 'l'he absence of a direot reply 1s itself a rep!:,,. It mtimates that speculations and inquiries in the line of the word a?dre~sed to him are not t.o be encouraged. 'l'here was th…
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response. Perhaps they intended, at some time, to enter; like Augustine, who prayed :lbr bis conversion, and added, "Hut not yet." .Anyhow, the hour is coming when the impotence of unfulfilled intentions will be made manifest. Jesus' language passes (ver. 25) into the familiar form of parable. He imagines the Master of…
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lntter Yiew .. nut it mny be better to accept the saying as an intimation that, delibe- rately and ":1thout hurry, be would Accomplish his task-" not to-day nor to-morrow, but on II third day be would be perfected, or finished." 2. The clause, "it cannot be that a. prophet pe1·ish out of Jerusrilem." Ah I there is a s…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-5.-The significance of suffering. What does it mean, that all men suffer? and what is signified by the great calamities which some men endure? The Jews of our Lord's time were drawing inferences which were common and natural enough ; but they were not the safest nor the wisest that…
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T"ers. 6-9.-Fatalfruitlessness. We have to consider-- I. Tm,: PRIMARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PARABLE. ,vhat did the great Teacher i1:tend hi~ hearer_s to understnnd by his words? It was t~is (as I read it): 1. 'l'he vineyard 1s the kingdom of God-that realm of truth and righteousness which he has been, from the beginn…
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wo.y wero clear, of Divine help. 2. We mark the ready ffl(}/Tl,ijestation of his sympathy. Ho instanHy spolce to her words of cheer and kindliness, awakening such hopes as she hnd not cherished for many a long year; and then he laid upon her a healing touch: "he laid hie hands on her." It means much when God "lays his …
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lI. THAT NOTHING BETTER BEFITS THE DAY OF THE LoRD than doina the distinctive work of the Lord. Jesus Christ completely disposed of the carping anll censorious criticism of the ruler. If it was right, on the sabbath day, to discharge a kindly offico of no very great value and at some considerable trouble to a brute …
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toward the goal of e. complete triumph; it has proved itself to be a benign anrl oleve.ting power wherever it has been planted; it is the refuge, the strength, the hope, of the human world. What are- 111, 1TB rnOBPEOTB? 1. It has numerouR enemies who predict that it will decline and die, They regard it as a spent forc…
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work within us? Clnist says, "Come to me;" he also says, "Leat"II, qf me." Are we diligently, meekly, devoutly learning of Christ, receiving more aud more of hie hallow- ing and transforming truth into our mind, to stir our feeling, to regulate our choice, to beautify and to ennoble our life ?-C. Yers. 23, 24.-Vain in…
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Ver. 30.-Firllt and last. There Bre mBny beside those to whom these words were first applied by Jesus Christ to whom they are applicable enough. They were originall:v intended to denote the positions of- I. 'l'm: JEW AND THE GENTILE. The" Jew, who prided himself on being the first favourite of Heaven, was to become th…
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t111ve us. At bow many times and in how many ways does our Saviour ecok us I Bow often. does be endeavour to gather us under the shadow of hie Jovel IJI. HUMAN FREEDOM. "How often would I I " "Ye would not I" It ie quite vain for us to attempt to reconcile God's omnipotence with our freedom 1 his ri.,.bt nnd power …
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'l'hrough long years the heavenly Husbaodman had given it every chance of bearing fruit, His long-suffering is nearly exhausted, and but for the dreseer of the vineyard- by whom Jesus means himself-it would have been cut down as a curuberer of the ground. His intercessions saved the,nation for other forty years. And wh…
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Ver~. '.l2-35.-Christ's farewell wo,·ds to the theocmcy. As Jcsue wae journeying steadily townrds Jerusalem, the people saw that a crieie was at hand. Hence their anxiety to know how many woulrl be saved in the new kingdom. They consequently iaquire if the number of the SRved shall be few. 'l'o this speculation the …
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EXPOSITION. the evangelist with dramatic clearness: CHAPTER XIV. "And, behold, there was a. certain man Vers. 1-6.-The Pharisee's feast on a before him which,'' etc. In an instant aabbath day. The healing of tl1e sick wit/, Jesus grasped the whole situation. It was dropsy, the sabbath, and there before him wa.s one …
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Which of you ehe.ll he.ve an aH or an ox and of the respect they oxocted from all fallen into e. pit, and will not stre.ightway classes of the community. Ono con well pull him ont on the se.bbath day 1 Most of imagine the grave displcRsnre witli whirh the old<>r nuthorities here, instead of" an RBS the Divine Teache…
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our ontertniniug those whom we love. He of the speaker's admiral ion of the r, nest so menne eimply, "In view of the lifo to come, hated und yet so wondere,1 at. There is, thou cnnet do better etill." no doubt, lurking in the words a. certain Vere. 13, 14.-Bnt when thou mnkest a Pharisaic self-congratulation-a somet…
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t.he puablc is easily found. The Jem=i were The invitations were distributed bro11<lco.st "solemn triflers in the matter of religion. Rmong a rougher and less cultured class, The, were under invitation to enter the but still the invitations to the bnnquet were ldngdom, e.nd they did not assume the atti- confined to …
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he.d e.ccepted the invitation and were gone rest to the Gentile miAsionari~s ,md tn the in to tho bcmquct, "yet there was room." rapidly growing Gentile congregations nf tho 'fhe mo.ater of the house, e.pproving his first Christian centuries. In time it ce"sed servo.nt's words, confirms them by repeating, to he used e.…
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erect in~ gr<'n t buildings, eRcred e.nd prof1me, the she.me of injuring a cnuse which we in the nri<'d citiC's under their ewny. They itdopted only to fo1"81\ke. The Swiss com- would doubtless be often imitated, and no menttttor Godet very uaturn.lly uses here doubt mnny an unfinished edifice tostified a simile ta.ken…
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HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-24.-The great supper. The feast of which Christ was part:iking bad been carefully prepared, and was e.n event of some consequ"'llce in the town. This may be inferred not only from the tone of the Lord's remarks, but also from the intima- tions of the evangelists. Thus from ver. 12 it appears that t…
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It is this hospitality that is declared in the Son of the Eternal Love. Christ is the Great Supper. In him God has "abounded towards us in wisdom and prudence." St. Paul speaks of" the love of Christ which passeth knowled"e," of Christ "the All in all;" and, more particularly defining the supper-making, h'°e says; "Chr…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vel'8. 7-11.-0hrist's word on modesty. The remark which the conduct of these guests called forth from Christ suggests to us-- 1. Otra LOBD'e INTEREST IN THE HUMBLER DETAILS 011' OUB DAILY LIFE. We might have imagined, judging antecedently, that the great Teacher would not concern him- s…
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their Father, in subjects that have been disloyal to their King; and when he sees it he is pn'pared to pardon and to restore. If we humble ourselves before him and plead hie pr,,ume of hie in Jesus Christ, he will exalt us; he will treat us as his children• he will make us his heirs; he will raise us up to" heavenly…
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plRce before his ow~ mind for postponing it. He easily discov~rs one. He could make better use of the time; he ought not to neglect an opportumty that offers of making a good ~argain-or anything else. What does it matter? Anything will serve; one pretext 1s as good as another. Here is a human soul that owes mnch to …
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T ers. 25-33.-The ti= and the room for calculation in religion. What room is there in the religion of Jesus Christ for calculation? What amount of reckoning before acting is permissible to the disciple of our Lord ? When and in what way should he ask of himself-Can I afford to do this ? Have I strength enough to undert…
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reverently inquire until they understand what it means to have a living faith in Jeeus Christ, to enter his spiritual kingdom, and become one of his subjects; let them under- stand, among other things, that it means the cheerful and full surrender of themselves to the Saviour himself, with all that such surrender invol…
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Vers. 34, 35.-0urselves as salt. It is hardly possible to mistake the meaning of Christ here. We know that salt is the great preservative of animal nature, the anti- dote of putrefaction and decay. We know also that the great Teacher intended that his disciples should be the salt of the earth, doing in the human the…
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wherewith shall it be eeosoned ?" That is an impossibility. Salt that bas lost its virtue is useless for all ordinary purposes, and is "cast out." It is not absolutely impos- sible for the soul that has lost its Christian spirit and character to regain its worth but it is very difficult and it is very rare. The recover…
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God's p!Rn in the attentions we bestow, 4. At the finA.l arrangement of God's kingdom, all ~uch disinterested nospitality shall be recompensed. How? Surely by opportun_ity ?ein~ affor~ed of ~oin_g the like again I 'l:he hospita?le heart, which keeps etermty m view m all its hosp1tahty, shall have eternity to be stil…
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m1miage only feebly illustrates the intensity of Christ's love. HuRband owes much to wire, and wife to husband. The marriage union is a close and intimate one; but Jesus comes closer to our hearts than husband or wife can. He is nearer, and should be deo.rer, than either. 3. The 'rising generation does not lay so much …
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EXPOSITION. Vers, 3-5.-And he spake this parable CHAPTER XV. unto them, saying, What m1LI1 of you, having Yore. 1-32.-The Lord spe,aka hi~ three an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, 7,arable-stories of the " lost," in which he doth not leave the ninety and nine in the explains his reason for lo"Oing and recei…
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not only declined their sympe.thy with the paths of righteousness to repento.nce, be- 1LOts of Jesus; they positively condemned his lieving that, though last, they might yet be works, hie efforts, his ieo.ching. first." Ver. 7.-I say unto you, that likewise Ver. 8.-Either what woman having ten joy shall be in heaven o…
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considerahlc city, or its immedi1tte vicinity, viously allotted portions to his othor sons. 88 the plaoe whe~ these fe.mous parables There was, however, no Jewish law which were> spokon. Tins pRrable, e.s it is termed required ~ny_ su~h bestowal of property in of the prodi!):Rl son completes the trilogy'. the parent…
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degro.datlon in which we speedily find him. conte.in e. proportion of sugar. The very Not an unusue.l flgore in the gree.t world- poorest of the population occasionally use dre.mo, this of the younger son-the man them e.s food. who he.d ee.criflced everything for selfish Ver. 17.-And when he came to himself. pleasure, …
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was the position of a eerve.nt to be filled in forth." Everything is dono by the father the home where onoe he hBd been a son, for to 11seure the wanderer of full ond entire tlmt wRB all he hoped t.o gain even from his forgiveness. Not only is a welcome given to father's pitying love. the tired, ragged son, but he i…
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Lord came and go.thered in that great har- duced the spirit, almost the very wordR, of vest of sinners, those firetfruite of hie the well-known a.Mwer of the young man mighty work-they too were "in the field" in the gospel story, who we.a no doubt a at work with their titbinge and obeervo.ncce, promising scion of the P…
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e.nd to them with reference to their cavil as expressed in ver. 2. Without minutely anRlyzing the three, the progress of the teaching may be indicated. Bengel has with bis usuRl felicitousness of touch, indicated this progress. The silly sheep repres~nte the ~inner in his foolishness. The sinner lying in the dust, y…
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not the eight of the old roof-tree, or the remembrance of the sweet life that lies behind. '!'bore is an eager "farewell;" he rushes forward- Whither 1 "To a far country." Yes ; yield to appetite, to fleshly lust, it will take the soul on and on away from the fences _of ~eligion, avya:v: to the far-off Nod, _bidding it…
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give him. He he.d rejected his father's hand, and there is no hand In all the world outstret.ched to him. In Oriental lands there grows a tree whose fruit is like the bean-pod, though larger than it, with a dull, sweet taste; the swine would take of it• and the l?nging eye of the swine\1erd is c~st on it. It is all …
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he1ut, and the eon len.ves himself to the father'e will. And how the expression of the welcome rises I The best robe is ordered out; a sonship higher than that of mere birth. "'l'he adoption of children by Jesus Christ to the FatheT" is the best robe. And the ring is to be put on the hand-the ring with the seal of t…
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toward" the sinner," filled them with astonishment as they saw him who claimed to be the Mes$iah himself, taking up a positively friendly attitude towa~d both of these intoler":hle chare.cters. 'l'heir error was, a~ error us11ally is, e. perversion of the truth. They did not understand the.t the same nemg who he.s t…
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o.nd (2) it is often found to be reduced to so low e. eta.te that it ca.n put forth no effort of its own, o.nd ca.n only be carried in the strong arms of love. III. Tmi: LOVE OF THE DIVINE SHEPHERD. 'fhe strong and keen interest ta.ken by the human shepherd in e. lost sheep is indicative of the tender interest which…
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Ver. 11.-The Father'11 Mme. By the Father's home we commonly mean the heavenly home, the sphere where the nearer and more immediate presence of God is realized. But heaven once included earth-earth was once a district of heaven. God meant this world to be a pa.rt of his own home; this, but for the separatin<> force …
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Vere. 12, 13.-Departure; the far country. We all know only too well that God's gracious purpose concerning us (see previous homily) bas been diverted by our sin; the holy and happy home-life which he designed and introduced bas been broken up by our unfilial attitude and action. From the Father's home we have wandered …
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what be bas] is taken away that [unused capacity] which he has." (2) Spiritual sensibility; the capacity of feeling the force of things Divine, of being sensibly and practically affected by them, of being moved and stirred by them to appropriate deci- sion and action. No man can live on in conscious sin without cont…
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II. A RESOLVE TO RETURN To Goo. This return on the part of the prodi"'al: 1, Aroee from a sense of the greatness of bis need. Z. Was based on a sound ion- fidence, viz. that the father, whose disposition be knew so well, would not reject but receive him. 3. Included a wise and right determination, viz. to make a fran…
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Ver. 31.-Ungrateful recipiency and ample heritage. The "elder brother" is by no means so unpopular out of the parable as he is in it. As he is seen in the picture every one is ready to throw a stone at him. In actual life there are many Christian people who pay him the high compliment of a very close imitation. We a…
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esta.te, and still and ever will H be true that what is bis is ours; for be Jives to share with his childreu the blessedness and the bounty of his heavenly home.-C. Vere. 1-10.-Murmurs on earth, and joy in heaven. Our blessed Lord, in his progress towards Jerusalem, had shown the same kindly interest in the outcast cl…
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tragedy added to the monotony of life. They hover over the lost ones with intense interest. They follow their career aurl study its issues, We must not regard the celestial world as walled out from the tragedies of this earth. All, according to Christ's idea, is open to the celestial side. We may not see with our du…
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Lord relRted in defence of his conduct are really but introductory to what has been with jusUce called "the pearl of parables," that of the prodigal son. To it we will now devote ourselves, under the title recently given to it e.s "From home, and back." It brings out in a most interesting way the attitude of God the Fa…
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as the swine satisfy their nature, npon husks. Sensuality is seen by the famished one to be as unsatisfying as work. And then the last experience is the utter helplessness of man. "No man gave nnto him;" no one could minister to his mental trouble. It is through a similar experience the soul comes. Self-recovery tur…
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disotplea. There is no doubt that this removed from office? To conceive such a importa.nt teaching belongs to the last case were to sacrifice probability to a moral portion of our Lord's life, and it is probable ~cruple." Roughly, then, two things all- that it is closely connected with the parable 1mporte.nt to us are …
1,034 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.