Vers. 40-44.-The lowliness and the greatness of Jesus Christ. This is the subject of these verses; but they are suggestive of minor truths. "\Ve have- I. A PROOF OF UTTER FALSITY. (Ver. 40.) How came these men to be afraid to ask questions of Christ? Others did not shrink from him, or fear to ask things of him. The children were not afraid of him ; nor were "the strangers "-those not of Israel; nor were the women who waited on him and learned of him; nor the simple- hearted and genuine inquirers. It was only the men who sought his overthrow, because they dreaded his exposure; it was only those who shrank from his heart-searching gaze and his truth-telling words, that dared not approach him and ask questions of him. No mau however ignorant, no child however young, need shrink from the Lord of love, from asking of him what he needs; it is only the false who are afraid. II. THE TIME FOR AGGRESSIVE A0TI0N. The successful general may act long on the defensive, but he waits and looks for the moment of attack. Jesus bore long with the queAtionings of his enemies, but the time had come for him to ask something o/ them. We may well bear long with the enemies of Christ, but the hour comes when we must bear down upon them with convincing and humbling power. III. THE O0OABI0NAL DUTY OF PUT'l'ING MEN INTO A DIFFICULTY. On this occasion our Lord placed his hearers in a difficulty from which he did not offer to extricate them. His prophetic function was to enlighten, to liberate, to relieve. But here was ~U~E.-Il, ~ 178 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [en. xx. l-'17.
nu occasion when he best served men by placing them in a difficulty from which they fot1nd I!O e~cape. Such service may be rare for a Christian teacher, but it does occur, '!'.here are t111;1es w~en we c1muot render a ~a~ a better service than that of humbling him. of showrng him that there are mysteries lll presence of which he is a little child. IV. 1:'HE WISDOM OF F~RTRER INQUIRY. These Pharisees imaginei'I that they knew everytbm~ about the Scriptures that could be known. 'l'hey were learned, but they were umnse; they had a large verbal and literal acquaintance with their sacred ~ks, but they had missed their deepest meaning. _'!'hey had not inquired humbly, mtelhgently, reverently enough. How much more 1s there in our New 'l'estalllent than we have yet found! What depth of wisdom in the words of Christ I What enlig~t.enment in the le_tters of his apostles I Though we may not have missed our way so grievously as the scribes bad done, yet may there be very much of Divine truth we have not yet discovereri, which patient and devout inquiry will disclose. V. THE LO\\-LINEss AND THE GREATNESS OF JEsus CHRIST. He is the Son of David and he is also his Lord. \Ve understand that better than the most advanced a11ti enlightened of his disciples could at that point. "As concerning the flesh" he was "born of a woman, made under Law;" yet is he" exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour;" Son of man and Son of God. Only thus could he be what he came to be: I. Our Mediator between God and man. 2. Our Divine Saviour, in whom we put our trust and find mercy unto eternal life; our Divine Friend, of whose perfect sympathy we can be assnrcd; our rightful Lord, to whom we can bring the offering of our hearts a.nd lives.-C.
Vers. 45--47.-Character and precept, etc. These verses snggest five truths of practical importance. I. THAT CHARACTER IS OF MORE CONSEQUENCE THAN PRECEPT, "Beware of the scribes;" they "sit in Moses' seat, a.nd teach things that you should do" (Matt. xxiii. 2); but their conduct is such that they a.re to be avoided rather than sought after. Beware of the bad man, though be be a good teacher; the influence of his life will be stronger than tbe effect of his doctrine; the one will do more harm than the other will do good. In a religious teacher, character is the principal thing; if that be unsound, proceed no further; seek some one else, one that you can respect, one that will raise you by the purity of his heart and the beauty of his behaviour. Il. THAT UNGODLY MEN FALL DITO A FOOLISHNESS THE DEPTH OF WHICH TCTEY DO NOT i:;usPECT. How childish a.nd even contemptible it is for men to find gratification in such display on their own part and in such obsequiousnesM on the part of others as is here described (ver. 46) ! To sink to such vanity is wholly unworthy of a man who fears God, and who professes to find his hope and his heritage in him and ill: his servi_c~. They who thus let themselves down do not know how poor and small 1s the _spmt they cherish and the behaviour in which they indulge; they do not suspect tbat, 111 the e.,;timate of wisdom, it is at the very bott.om of the scale of manliness. Ill THAT FAMILIARITY WITH DIVINE TRUTH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMISSIO~ oF THE WORST OFFENCES. 'l'he scribes themselves, familiar with every letter of the Law, could descend to heartless misappropriation in conjunction with a_ despic~ble hypocrisy (ver. 47). Guilt and condemnation could go no farther than this. It 1s a solemnizing thouzht that we may have the clearest view of the goodness and the fi,,hteousness of God, and yet may be very far on the road to perdition. P~u! felt the solemnity of this thought (1 Cor. ix. 27). It i.,; well that the children of prml~ge and the preachers of righteousness should take this truLh to heart and test their ow11 integrity. IV. THAT THE AFFECTATIO~ OF PIETY 1B A SERIOUS AGGRAVATION OF GU~LT. The "ma.king long prayer6" entailed a" greater condemnation." lnfin_itely offensive to the Pure and Holy One must be the use of bis Name and the affectat10n of devotedness to bis service aE a mere means of selfish acquisition. The fraud which wears the garb of piety is the ugliest guilt that shows its fac~ to hea'!'en. If me~ will ~e tr~n~gressors, let them, for their own sake, forbear to weight their wrong-domg with o. simulated piety. '.l'he converse of this thought may well be added; for it is truth on the positive sidP, viz.- V. TJ.IAT DEVOUT DENEVOLEJS'CE lS GOODNESS .A"r 1TB DEST. To serve our fc)low-meu orr. xx. 1-17.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUICK 179
because we Jove Christ, their Lord and ours, and because we believe that he wouhl have us succour them in their need, is to do the right thing under the purest and worthiest prompting; it is goodness at its best.-C.