The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 214

bears long wHh us; he seeks to win us back through added pt·ivile"e and multiplied mercy; ho deals very patiently and gently with us; only when other and milder methods foil does he mercirully afflict us, that in some way and by &0me means be may redeem us from folly and from ruin, VI. WHITHER CamsT BEEKS To LEAD THE ERP.ING. (Ver. 62.) He seeks to lean u~, as by hi~ reproving glance he led bis fallen disciple, to a pure and saving penitence. Ho would have our hearts filled with a worthy and a clcnnsing shame, with a purifying sorrow; tbnt this may lead us into a condition of (1) abiding humility, of (2) livin~ 0 faith, of (3) thorough reconsecration to himself and to his cawe.-C. Vera. 35-38.-Misunderstanding Christ. There is no teacher who has been so well beard, and none that has been so much honoured and obeyed, as Jesus Christ. Yet there can have been few who have been so much misunderstood as he has been. \Ve have our attention drawn by the text to- I. CONTEMPORARY l\IlSUNDERSTANDING. 1. By the apostles themselves. (1) On thi~ occasion their Lord wished to intimate to them, in strong and forcible language, that to whatever perils and straits they had been exposed before, the time was now at han,l when, he himself being taken from their side and the saddest foreshadowings being fulfilled, they would be subjected to far severer tiials, and would be (in a sense) cast on their own defences. The apostles, mistaking his meaning, pnt a literal interpretation on bis words, and produced a couple of swords, as perhaps meeting the emergency ! (!:!) On a previous occasion (Matt. xvi. 5-8) the Lord warned them against " the leaven of the Pharisees;" and they supposed him to refer to their neglect in forgetting the bread I (3) They completely failed to apprehend his meaning when he foretold hi3 own sufferings and death (eh. xviii. 31-34). 2. By his disciples _qenerally. (1) They could not comprehend what he meant by "eating his flesh and drinking his blood (John vi. 60). (2) They completely misunderstood the end he had in view, the character of that "kingdom of heaven" of which he spoke so much. (3) They did not enter into the great redeeming purpose for which he came. 3. By his enemies. (1) In so small a matter as bis saying recorded in John ii 19; (2) in so great a matter as that recorded in John xviii. 37. II. SunsEQUENT :MISUNDERSTANDING. In how many ways has the Church of Christ, since apostolic days, misunderstood its Lord l It has done so in regard to the meaning of particular words; and in regard to the great end he had in view (the nature of bis kingdom); and in regard to the menns and methods he would have his friends employ. How pitifully and how painfully has it misunden;tood him when it has interpreted his reference to the sword of the text (ver. 36), and his use of the word "compel" (eh. xiv. 23) as justifying every conceivable cruelty in the furtherance of his cause I III. MODERN MISUNDERSTANDING. Judging from what we know has been, we con- clude that it is likely enough that we also misunderstand our Master. 1. We may fail to reach the true significance of his words; we may find out., further on, that they have another and a larger meaning than that we have been ascribing to them. 2. We may mistake his will as to the object wo should work for, or as to tho right and tho wise methods we should adopt to secure our end. 3. We may be wrong in our judgment of what Christ is doing with ourselves and with our life; we may misread his Divine purpose concerning us. There are three principles which we shall do well to keep in mind in our endeavour to understand the Divine Teacher. The thought of Christ is (1) profound rather than superficial: (2) spiritual rather than sensuous; (3) compre- hensive and far-seeing (reaching through time to immortRlity) rather than narrow aud time-bounded.-C. Vere. 39-45.-Gethsemane. As we enter" the plRce which is called Gethsemane," we pass into the "holy place," the nearest of all to " the holy of holies "-that is, to Calvary itself. '!'hither our Lord went on this most memorablo evening; ant\ "his disciples followed him "-the eleven who rcmaiued faithful to him. But even of these only three were counted worthy to attend him into the secret place of prnver and strucT<rle and to witness bis agony. Such sorrow as he was then to know seek■ the secr;t° place and chooses only the very closost and dearest friendship fur its ministry. 'fl!cn fell npon our Divine Lord a sorrow and a temptation; an agit~tion  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [cu. xxn. 1-71,