The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 3

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 the Jewish conception of Mcseinh's of the mighty inward traneform11tion which kingdom. They expected 11, rnpid nnd the kingdom of God will effect in the he11rte brilliant metamorphosis of the then un- of men and women. Chemie.ally speaking, happy ste.te of things. They never rlrcnmr(l leaven is a lump of sour dongh in which of the slow and quiet movement Messio.h's putrefaction h!IB begun, end, on being intro- coming WR.I! to inaugurate. One thing is d ue<'Cl in to a fe.r grl'ater me.ss of fresh dough, perfectly cloor-the Speaker of these two produces by contagion e. eimile.r condition parable-stories never contemplnterl e. speedy into the gr011ter bulk with which it comes mturn to ce.rth. With etro.nge ex11otncsa in oontact. The result of the contact, how- the Inst eighteen hundred nnd fifty years ever, ie the.t the me.ss of dough, e.cted upou have boen fulfilling the conditions of the by the little lump of leaven, becomes 11, two similes, and e.s yet, e.s far e.s man cou wholesome, agreeable food for men. It was see, they are not nee.rly complete. R sin,z:uhuly 11triking e.nd powerful simile, Ver. 22.-Antl. he went through the cities this little oommonplace comparison, e.nd and villages, teaohing, and journeying exe.ct!y imaged the future progress of "the toward Jerusalem. This note of the evan- kingdom." Quietly, 11ilently, the doctrine gelist simply ce,lls attention the.t the last of the Master me.de its way into the hearts solemn progress in the direction of the and homes of men. "He shall not strive, oapite.l was still going on. The question nor cry ; neither shall any rue.n hear his he.a been discussed at length above. St. voice in the streets" (Me.tt. :r:ii. 19). None Luke, by these little notes of time e.ud place, on earth would have de.red hint at the wishes to direct attention to the fact tho.t future sooeess of the doctrine of the Me.star all this part of the Gospel relates to one during the Me.ster'e life, and hie dee.th great division of the publio ministry-t.o seemed &B though it would eft'E"Ctue.lly crush the.t which immediately preceded the Insi out the last feeble spe.rk of life. The e.p- Passover. pe.rent result of his work W&B the devotion Vers. 23-30.-Je,m repliu to the question of e. few simple bee.rte, mostly of fishermen, of" Are there few that be sa-ved?" artisans, and the like, and yet, though men Ver. 23.-Then said one unto him, Lord, snspected it not, the 11ecret and powerful are there few that be se.ved ! The imme- influence we.s already at work e.mong men. diate circumstance which called out this The story of the yee.rs 11uooeeding the cross question is not recorded, but the general and the Resurrection, on a broader ste.ge e.nd tone of the Master's later teaching, especie,lly with more e.ctore, WR.I! a story of similar on the subject of his kingdom of the future, silent, quiet working. In a century and he,d disturbed the vi.siou of many in Iere,el, a half e.fter the strange leaven-pe.re.ble had who loved to dwell on the exclusion of e,ll been spoken, the whole civilized world knew se.ve the chosen rnce from the glories of the something of the Master's hi.story and world to come. The words of the Second doctrine. Hie disciples then were counted Ilook of Esdre.s, written perhaps forty or by tens of thouse.nde. No city, scarcely a fifty years after this time, well reflect this village, bat contained some into whose selfish spirit of harsh exclusiveness, pecu- hearts the tee.ching h11d sunk, whose Ii ves lie,rly a che,re.cteristic of the Jew in the the teaching he.d changed. In three days of our Lord. "The Most High bath measuru of meal. Perhe,ps referring here made this world for many, but the world t.o the well-known division of me,n into to come for few" (2 Esdr. viii. 1). "There body, soul, e,ud spirit. More likely, how- be many more of them which perish, than ever, the number 3 is used as the sym- of them which shall be aaved: like e.s 11 bol of completeness, signifying the.t the we,ve is greater the.n a drop " (2 Esdr. ix. Divine purpose we,s then influencing the 15, J 6). Other passe,ges breathing a similar whole mass of me.ukind. Till the whole waa spirit might be quoted. What relics we lear,ened. It would seem B.8 though the possess of Jewish literatnre of this period Me.ster looked on t.o II definite time when e,ll reflect the se.me stern, jealous, exclusive e,ll ne.tioill! should come e,nd woriihip him. spirit. The q ueetioner here either hoped to and e,cknowledge his glorious sovereignty. get from the popular l\Iaster some statement If this be tbe caae, then a very long period which might be construed into e.n approval still reme,ins t.o be lived through by the world; cf this national spirit of hatred of everything many kingdoms must rise and fall, new th&t WR.I! not Jewish, or, if JesllS chose to civilize,tions spring up, before that day of combat these selfish hopes, the Master's joy and gle.dness dawns upon the globe- words might then be quoted t.o the people. that i.J!, reasoning on the analogy of the past. &s unpatriotic. De this, however, B.8 it may, the drift of both Ver. 21:.-&trivo to enter iD at the strai11 err. :rnr. 1-35.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S1'. LUKE.