The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 134

The Attic pound was in value somewhat Vere. 20, 21.-And another came, saying, less than £4 sterling. In the pamble of the Lord, behold, he:re is thy pound, which I talents (Matt. xxv. 14-30), where although have kept le.id up in e. napkin: for I feared very different lessons e.re inculcated, yet the thee, because thou art an austere man: thou imagery is somewhat similar, the amounts, takest up that thou layedet not down, and however, are vastly lo.rger, varying from reapest that thou didst not eow. This is five talents, which would represent about the third class into which the servantR who £1000. Here the very smallness of the knew their Lord's will are roaghly divided. sum entrusted to the servants has its deep We have, first, the devoted earnest toiler, meaning, The "nobly born" one who is whose whole soul was in his Master's work about to receive a kingdom, represents our -great, indeed, was his reward. And, Lord, who here is in a state of the deepest second, we have the servant who acquitted poverty and humiliation. The little sum himself fairly respectably, but not nobly, in one sense represents the work he was not a hero in the struggle of life; he, too, 11ble then to entrust to his own. Again, the is recompensed magnificently, far above his paltriness of the sum given them seems to most ardent hopes, but still his reward is suggest what a future lay before them. No infinitely below that which the first brave sharing in what they hoped for-the glories toiler received at his Lord's hands. The of a Messianic kingdom on earth. No rest third falls altogether into a different cata- in repose under the shadow of the mighty logue. He is a belie'l'er who has not found throne of King Messiah. The "very little" the state or grace offered by Jesus so brilliant (ver. 17) told them-if they wonld only as he hoped; a legal Christian, who has not listen-that their future as his servants tasted grace, and knows nothing of the would be a life of comparatively obscure gospel but its severe morality. It seems to inglorious activity, without rank or power, him that the Lord gives very little to exact landless, homeless, well-nigh friendless. But so much. "Surely," such a one argues, the sequel of the parable told more than "the Lord should be satisfied with us if we this. It proclaimed that their Master was abstain from doing ill, from squandering able to estimate the more.I worth of those our talent." The Master's answer is singu- who had been faithful and true in a "very larly to the point : "The more thou know est little; " ay, more, was in a position to re- that I am austere, the mo:re thou shoul<lest ward the faithful servant. .And the recom- ha.ve tried to satisfy me I " The Christian pense, a city for a pound, just hints at tile who lacks the experience of grace ought to magnificent possibilities of the heaven-life, be the most anxious of workers. The just suggests the splendour of its rewards. punishment here is very different from that Ver. 17.-Well, thou good servant. It is awarded to the enemies(ver. 27). We hear noticeable that, in the bestowal of the " five nothing of darkness and gnashing of teeth; cities" upon the servant who had with his it is simply deprivation. Still, even this one pound gained five, no expression of modified penalty seems to tell of an eternity praise like this " good servant " is used by of regret and loss. Instead of tile ten cities, the King on his return. Now, what does or even the five, there is not even the poor this omission teach us? Christ, we know, pound left to the hapless condemned one, was very careful and very sparing in his unworthy even to retain that little heritage. use of moral epithets. "Why callest thou Ver. 23.-Wherefore then gavestnot thou me good ? " was his stern address to the my money into the bank, that at my coming young ruler who used the expression, not I might have required mine own with usury l because he was convinced of its applicability, Many in "the bank" have seen mirrored but because he was desirous of paying a those .:Christian societies and religious or- flattering compliment to the wise Rabbi ganizations to which every believer n.ay from whom he desired information. We entrust the resources which he is uncertain may safely conclude that, from the second how best to use himself. Without pu.rticu- servant in the story, the one who had earned lo.rizing, however, it seems better to under- but five pounds, he withheld the noble stand the Lord here simply intending to appellation " good" because he felt he had teach, by his image of the bank, that no not deserved it. He had done well, it is man in this world is doomed to inactivity true, and was splendidly recompensed, but or uselessness, but that there will be oppor- he might h[l,ve done more. He had wou a tunity afforded to every one who is willing high and responsible place in the kingdom; to use his talent iu a bumble and obscure, he was appointed the ruler over five cities; if not in a heroic and conspicuous, way. but he had not earned the =hlt> tit)~ lt-ya9os, Ver. 27.-But those mine enemies, whioh "good." Very aoourately, indeed, it seems, would not that I should reign over them, will places and names and power be awarded bring hither, and slay them before me. .An in the heaven-life, exactly in proportion to obvious reference to thll Lord's dealings merits o.ud deserts. with the ohosen people, and an unmistalrnblo  138 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [cu. xrx. 1-48. ----------------------------------- refel'('n~e to the nwful ruin 11.nd disaster directions. It was evidrntly an ontlying which was so sonn to overwhelm the city suburb of Jerusalem. Bethphage, whiob 11.nd temple and the whole n11.tion11.lity. But lay between the city and Beth11ny, we.s by behind this ternpora.l reference there looms the rabbis legally counted as piut of J eru- in the background the VII.St shadow of 11. salem. Bethany signifies" House of D11tes," terrible eternal doom reserved for the ene- no doubt so called from its palm trees. mies of the Redeemer. Godet hll.B 11. beau- Beth phage, "House of Green Figs," from its tilul and suggestive note on the signification fig-orchards. The modern Bethany is known of the ten and five cities, the reward of the as El-A.zarieh or Lazarieh, the name attach• faithful toiler here. " They," the "cities," ing to its connection with the history of •· represent mortal beings in a lower state of Lazarus. development, bat whom the glorified faithful Ver. 30.-Ye shall find a. oolt tied, whereon are commissioned to raise to their Dinne yet never ma.n se.t : looae him, and bring destination." him hither. The account of this trans- Vers. 28-48.-.Tesu.s enters .Terusal,em as action is lees circumstantial in St. Luke than in the other evangelists. The reference King Messiah (vers. 29-44). His tDOTk in to the propbeoy of Zech. ix. 9 is here left the temple (vers. 45--48). St. Luke here out. This prophecy is, however, necessary pRBses over in silence the events which for the full understanding of the mystic act happened after the episode a.t the house of of riding upon an ass's colt. St. Luke, com- Zacchmus a.t Jericho a.nd the speaking the piling especially for Gentile readers, would feel tha.t such a. reference to the old Hebrew great pa.ra.ble of "the pounds." This story would scarcely interest a foreigner, a.nd parable ma.y ha.rn been spoken in the house would serve to distract such a one's inte- of Ze.ocbmns before leaving Jericho, but it rest in the progress of the great recital. seems better to place it somewhere in the For us, however, the meaning of the scene, conrse of the wa.lk from Jericho to Bethany, rea.d in the light of the Zecha.riah (ix. 9) words and of Hebrew story generally, is as a. distance of some twelve miles. follows: The disciples and multitude wished St. John fills up the gap left in the their Master to claim II kingdom. At this nan-ative of St. LnkP. moment in his eventful history, a.ware tha.t The ma.in body of pilgrims to the feast, death awaited him in the course of the next with whom Jesus a.nd his company were few days, he chose to gratify them; so he claimed his kingdom, but e. kingdom utterly travelling, left him on the Jericho road at unlike what they longed for. He came to Beth1my : they going on to their cara.van- his royal, sacred city in the strange guise sera.i in the holy city, he remaining for two foreshadowed by Zecharia.h, a.e a. Prince of nights with his friends at Bethany-the Peace not with chariot and horse, but next evening Je5UB was entertained a.t meekly riding on an nss'e colt, claiming, ~oo, a dominion from sea to sea, from the nver Bethany in the house of Simon the leper to the ends of the earth (Zech. ix. 10). (Matt. x.xvi. 6--13; Mark xiv. 3-9)-the Whereon yet ner,er man sat. For this reason feast at which Lazarus the risen sat a. guest specially adapted for ~ sacred use_ (see and Martha sened, and to which Mary Numb. xiL 2; Deut. xxi. 3; I Sa.m. v1. 7). brougllt her precious ointment and her con- Ver. 31.-A.nd if any man a.sk you, Why do ye loose him ? thus shall ye sa.y unto him, bition (John xi. 1-9). Because the Lord hath need of him, Had he Jesus must ha. ve arrived at Bethany before not right here? surely the cattle on a thou- sunset on Friday, -Nisan 7, and therefore sand hills were his I St. Matthew not only before the sabbath began. mentions the colt, but a.lso the a.as. This The sabbath was spent in quiet, The little detail is unnoticed by St. Luke. Prob- e.bly the colt, though not broken in, would supper probably took place directly after go the more quietly accompanied by its the end of the sabbatb. The next JUorning mother. But the reason of St. Matthew's (Palm Sunday) the Lord started for Jcru- special mention of the ass as well as of the se.lem, and entered the holy city in the colt was the reference to Gen. xlix. 11, in triumphant way as King Messie.h related by which Justin Martyr, in a curious chapter of the • Dialogue with Trypho.' fiudd e. St. Luke in onr Gospel. direct reference to the ass and the foal (see Ver. 29.-A.nd it co.me to pass, when he Justin Martyr, 'Dialogue with Trypho,' was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany. c. liii.). Bethpha.ge is never mentioned in the Old Ver. 35.-They ea.at their garments upon Testameut, but in the Tu.lmud we find it the colt, "An extemporized housing in specified in BOD.Je interesting ceremonial default of the purple trappings. Doubtless mr, xix.1-48.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 139