[A cloud rise out of the west.., a shower. '\ It should be re- membered that the Mediterranean sea lies on the West of the whole Jewish territory. It was from this quarter that rain
fenerally came. The " little cloud " rising out of the sea, which Uijah's servant saw from Mount Carmel, and which brought rain, is an illustration of oui Lord's words. (1 Kings xviii. 44.)
55, — [The south wind blew„,heat.] It should be remembered, that the great wilderness of Sinai and the hot deserts of Arabia, lie to the South of the Jewish territory. This accounts for winds from this quarter bringing heat. (Jerem. iv. 11, 12.)
56. — [ Ve hypocrites — ye can discern the face of the sky.] Our Lord's argument appears to be that the signs of His advent as the true Messiah, were so clear and intelligible, that it required no more discernment to see them, than it did to foretel heat or rain from observation of the heavens and the winds. If the Jews would honestly and impartially consider the signs of their times, they could not avoid the conclusion that Christ was the Messiah. The truth was that they were not honest in their inquiries, but prejudiced and unbelieving. He therefore calls them " hypocrites.
57. — [Why even of yourselves judge ye not. ..right.! We must be careful not to interpret this verse so as to maKO it contradict other Scriptures. Our Lord does not mean to say that the Jews could understand spiritual things, and see the kingdom of God by their own unassisted judgment, and without the teach- ing of the Holy Ghost. His meaning is, "why do ye not of yourselves, by simply observing what is going on around you, form a right judgment about my claim to be received as the Messiah, and a just decision upon the matters in dispute between me and your teachers, the Scribes and Pharisees."
The Greek word translated " right," is more commonly rend- ered "just" or "righteous."
58. — [ When thou goest with thine adversary y rfc] It is worthy of remark that the contents of this verse and the following, are found in the Sermon on the Mount, in an entirely diiSerent con- nection. It is evident that our Lord made use of the same iUustration on two different occasions, and with two entirely different applications. In the Sermon on the Mount, the words are used to enforce the great duty of forgiveness of injuries. In the passage before us, our Lord's object appears to be to enforce the solemn duty of seeking timely reconcihation with God. Life is the way. The law of God is the adversary. The magistrate represents the last judgment. The prison represents hell. This certainly appears to me the only satisfactory exposition of the passage. The other view, that it is onlv a repetition of the lesson in Matt. v. 25, is liable to this grave oojection, that it makes our Lord conclude a solemn discourse by a most abrupt Intro-
LUKSy CHAP. XIII. VBR. 1 — 5.
107
duction of a subject which has no connexion with the context On the other hand, to enforce on the multitude around him, the great duty of seeking reconciliation with God before it was too late, appears a natural termination of the whole address.
Stier remarks, " The mere reference to placability towards a brother with whom I may have matter of litigation, would not be a distinctive conclusion of this discouse, (although it was occasioned by the contention of brothers about an inheritance,) and would be an inexplicable subsidence of the stiain into a matter quite foreign to verses 65—67."
59. — [Not depart thence, tiU thou hast paid.] The meaning of this expression is, " Thou shalt never depart at all." Poole remarks, " It is a sign the Papists are at a woeful loss for arguments to prove purgatory, when they make use of this text, as if it spake of a pnson for souls, from which there is an outlet." Such an argument would prove many absurdities, if applied to other texts where the expression "imtil" is used. See Psalm Ixxii. 7,, and ex. 1 ; and Matt. i. 26.
Theophylact remarks, " If we shall remain in prison until we pay the uttermost farthing, and are never able to pa^ it, it is manifest that future punishment is eternal."
Euthymius says, ** This means, Thou shalt never come out from prison at all."
Stella, the Spanish commentator, says, ''The wicked shall be placed in hell until they pay their debt to the uttermost far- thing ; and as they never will pay it, it is certain that they will be there to aU eternity."
LUKE xni. 1-^.
1 There were present at that season ■ome that told him of the GalilsBans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilseans were sinners above all the Galilseans, because they suffered such things ?
3 I tell you, Kay : but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusa- lem
5 I tell you. Nay : but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise pensh.
The murder of the GalileanSi mentioned in the first verse of this passage, is an event of which we know nothing oertain. The motives of those who told our Lord of the event, we are left to conjecture. At any rate, they gave