Luke xix. 12, 14. A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return — But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We tvill not have this man to reign over us.
THERE is scarcely any one to be found who does not imagine he loves God. Men form erroneous no- tions of the Deity, and then approve of him as cor- responding with their views of his character. But, if all his attributes were faithfully set before them, they would rather turn from him with hatred and disgust. The Jews conceived, that, when their Messiah should
come, they should all be ready to welcome his arrival. But, when he really did come, and declared that his kingdom was not of this world, they poured contempt upon him, and persecuted him unto death. To shew them this conduct of theirs was foreseen, our blessed Lord advertised them of it before it came to pass. And, to rectify their views, spake to them the parable before us.
" The nobleman who went into a far country to receive a kingdom," represented our Lord Jesus Christ—
[We are not to look for any hidden meaning in the title here given him : but it was well suited to the Lord Jesus as the only- begotten Son of Goda. His journey " to a far country to receive a kingdom," to us appears dark ; but to a Jew, it would be exceeding clear and apposite. The ecclesiastical and civil governors were at that time appointed by the Roman emperor; and were frequently sent for, either to be confirmed in their authority, or to answer for their abuse of it. This was well known to the Jewish nation ; so that, as applied to the Messiah, the allusion would appear both obvious and elegant. The Lord Jesus, though he was a king from the very hour of his birth (for he was "born King of the Jews"), never assumed any thing of royal dignity, but lived in so mean a condition, that sometimes " he had not even where to lay his head." But on his ascension to heaven, he was " exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour b," and was invested with authority over all the powers of heaven, earth, and hellc."]
The conduct of the citizens towards this nobleman marks the conduct which would be observed towards the Lord Jesus both by Jews and Gentiles —
[They " hated him," we are told, "and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us." Thus the Jews treated our blessed Lord whilst he was yet in the midst of them ; for they even put him to death for making himself a king, and declared, that they " had no king but Caesar." And after his ascension they strove to the uttermost to prevent the establishment of his kingdom upon earth, per- secuting to imprisonment and death all who called themselves his subjects.
And what is the treatment which he receives from us at this clay ? The conduct of those citizens, as expressed in their message, marked deliberation, union, virulence : and with these
a avOpioTTur ebytrrjc. b Acts v. 31. c Eph. i. 20 — 22.