The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 86

rocension or St. Luke, read here, "It were necessary for a. perpetual loving j1Hlgment better for him that he had never been born, of others." The sycRmine tree h~re men- or that 11. millstone," etc. The awful sequel tioned in his comparison is not the syca- to e. life whioh apparently had given the more; he wits probably standing close by offence to which the Lord referred, endorses the tree in question e.s he spoke. The this terrible alterno.tive. Yes; better indeed syca.mine is the black mulherry. iJforns for him had that evil life been cut short nigra, still called sycamenea in Greece. oven by such a death of horror as the Mas- Vers. 7, 8.-llnt which of yon, havi;i~ a ter pictures here, when he epee.ks of the servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will ~ay living being cast into the sea bound to e. unto him by-and-by, when he is come fro:n millstone. the field, Go and sit down to meat l ::rnd Ver. 8.-Te.ke heed to yourselves: If thy will not rather say unto him, Make ready brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, e.nd and if he repent, forgive him. " But do you serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; take heed," the Lord went on to say, '' my and afterward thou shalt eat and drink 1 disciples; you too are in danger of commit- And here we have the Lord's answer to his ting deudly sin yourselves, and of doing my disciples' requ0.9t to increa.90 their faith. co.use irreparable injury. Soft living in They were asking for a boon he would not, selfish luxury, about which I have been nay, could not, grant them yet. A small speaking lately, is not the only wrong yon measure of real faith was sufficient to teach can commit; there is sore danger that men them that God would give them strength placed as you are will judge others harshly, enough to keep themselves from committing even cruelly, e.nd so offend in another we.y this offence against love e.nd charity of • the little ones' pressing into the kingdom: which he warned them so solemnly; but this is your especial snare." Things Jesus they prayed for more. "They were asking harl noticed, perhaps congratulatory, self- for faith, not only in 1.1 measure sufficient for sufficient comments he had heard them make obedience, but for a faith which woulcl ex- on the occasion of the lately spoken para.hie clude all uncertainty and doubt. They were of Dives, very likely had suggested this looking for the crown of labour before their grave warning. So here he tells them, the work we.s done, for the wreath of the con- future teachers of his Church, how they queror before they had fought the battle.... must e.ct; while ever the bold, untiring, In other worus, the 'increase of faith' for foarle.!!s rebukers of all vice, of every phase which the apostles prayed we.s only to come of selfishness, they must be never tired of through obedience to their Master's will" exercising forgiveness the moment the of- (Dean Plumptre). The little parable was fender is sorry. The repentant sinner must to teach them that they were not to look to never be repelled by them. accomplishing great things by a strong faith Ver. 5.-And the apostles ea.id ·unto the given to them in a moment of time. but tb.ey Lord, lnorease our faith. The disciples, were to labour on patiently and bravely, moved by the severe and cutting rebuke of and afterwards, as in the parable-story, they their Master-a rebuke they probably felt too should eat and drink. It we.s to show their harsh, self-congl'l.ltulatory state of mind them that in the end tllily should receive had well merited----ilome to him and ask him that higl:;er faith they prayed for, which was to give them such an increased measure of to be the reward for pe.tient, gallant toil. faith as would enable them to play better .And gird thyself, and serve me. It is scarcely the difficult and responsible part he had wise, as we have before remarked, to press assigned them. They evidently felt their ee.ch separate detail of the Lord's pn.mbles. weo.kness deeply, but a sb:onger faith would Zeller, quoted by Stier," mukes, however, an supply them with new strength ; they application of this to the 'inner world of would thus be guided to form a wiser, the heart,' in wbioh there is no going gentler judgment of others, a more severe stroightway to sit down e.t table when a opinion too of themselves. man comes from his externo.l calling e.nd Ver. 6.-And the Lord said, If ye had sphere of labour, but we must gird oursel,es faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might to serve the Lord, and so prepare ourselves say unto this syoamine tree, lie thou plucked for the time when he will receive us to his up by the root, and be thou planted in the supper." This is interesting, but it is doubt- sea ; and it should obey you. The Lord ful if the Lord intended these special appli- signifies that a very slight real faith, which cations. The general sense of the parabl..i he compares to the mustard seed, that is clear. It teaches two things to ull who smallest of grains, would be of power suffi- would be, then or in the e.ges to come, cient to acoomplish what seemed to them his disoiples-patience and humility. It impossible. In other words, he says, "If reminds men, too, that his service iB o.n you he.ve any real faith at all, you will be arduous one, and that for thoBe really en- able to win· the victory over yourselves gaged in it it not only brings haru toil ill  88 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [cH. xvn. 1-37.