The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 235

sbkc. wl,en his enemies were triumphantly together to that sight, beholding the thing■ ;.:i1inc; ov<>r his soul to devil8, sai<i with no which were done, smote their b1·oaste, 11nd l0ss 1hPological aPcuracy t.hau with sure, returned. We must remember thnt the oon- ralm faith, "But I commit my spirit into demnation of the Christ was no spontnneous thy hand, 0 Lord Jesus Christ, who lrnst deed of tho multitude. 'fheir misomblo redeemed it." And hi.ving said thus, he shnro in the act wns suggested to them by gave up the ghost. This setting his spirit their rulers. In the multitude vory quickly free was his own voluntarv net. He had revulsion of feeling sets in, and they ofleu already told his disciples of his own inde- regret the past witl1 a bitter, useless regret. pendent power to lny down and take up his The wave of sorrow which seems to !uLve life (John x. 17, l S). The great teachers of swept noross those wavering, unstable hearts, the early Church evidently lay stress ou which induced them to smite their bre11sts t.his (see Tertullian, • Apo!.,' eh. 21). Au- in idle regret, was a dim and shadowy re- gustine's words are striking: "Qnis ita. hearsal of the mighty sorrow aml true dormit qnando voluerit,sicut Jesus mortuus penitence which will one day, as their rst quanJo volnit? Quis ita. vcstem ponit prophet told them, be the blessed lot of the quando voluerit, sicut se carne exuit quando once-loved people wheu "they shall look Ynlt? Quis ita cum ..-oluerit abit, quomodo upon me whom they h11ve pierced, and they ille cum vol nit obiit?" and he ends with shall mourn for him, as one monrueth for this practical conclnsiou: "Quanta spe- his only son" (Zech. xii. 10). randa ..-cl timenda potestas est judicantis, si Ver. 49.-Stood afar off'. Disciples open apparuit taut.a morientis?" "Under these and secret, friends and acquaintances among circumstances,'' writes Dr. Westcott, "it the J ernsalem citizens and Galil!lllLn pil- may not be fitting to speculate on the grims (with the exception of the little physical cause of the Lord's death, but it group of which Mary and John were the hRs been argued that the symptoms agree centre till the dying Lord bade them leave with a rupture of the heart, such as might him), all alike lacked courage and devotion, l.,e produced by intense mental agony." all feared to stand by their Master and Ver. 47.-liow when the centurion saw Friend at that awful season. He trod the whs.t was done, he glorified God, saying, winepress alone (see Isa. lxiii. 3). None Certainly this was a righteous JI/Ian. This possessed tho heroio faith which through was the Roman officer who was in command the sombre cloud of seeming failure could see of the detachment on gui.rd at the three the true glory of the Sun of Righteousness, crosses. St. Paul-who, if he did not abso- which so soon was to arise and shine. lntc::ly put together the Third Gospel and the Acts, had much to do with the com- Vere. 50--56.-The entombment. The pilation and arrangement of these writings- on his many journeys and frequent changes sequence of events which immedintely of residence in different parts of the em- followed the death of Christ appears to have pire, bad many opportunities of judging the been as follows. temper and spirit of the Roman army, and Our Lord expired apparontly soon after on several occasions speaks favourably of 3 p.m. The "even" alluded to by St. these officers (eh. vii 2; xxiii 47; Aets L I ; nii. 26; xxvii 43). Certainly t~ia was Matthew and St. Mark began at 3 p.m. and a righteous Man. The noble generosity, the lasted till sunset, about 6 p.m., when the brave patience, and the strange majesty of sabba.th commenced. Some time, then, be- the Sufferer; the awful portents which for tween 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Joseph of Arima- three hours had accompanied this scene- threa went to Pilate to ask for the body of portents which the centurion and many of Jesus. The governor was surprised, not at tbe bvstanders could not help associating with the crucifixion of him men ea.lied "the the request, but at hearing that Jesus Willi King of the Jews;" then the death, in which dead already (Mark xv. 44), and, to assure appeared no terror ;-all this drew forth the himself of the fact, sent to inquire of the exclamation of the Roman. In St. Matthew, centurion on duty at the crosses. Some- the words of the centurion which are re- where about the same time, probably a little ported are "the Son of God." Twice in those solemn hours had the centurion heard later in the" evening,'' but still beforo 6 p.m., the Crucified pray to bis Father. This may the Jews, i.e. the Sanhedrin leaders, came Lave sugo-ested 0 the words," Son of God;" to Pilate with a. request that the death of but this change in the later Gospel of St. tha threo crucified might be hastened by Luke to "a righteous Man" seems to point their legs being broken, in order thnt their to the sense in which the Roman used the lofty appellation. bodies hanging on the crosses might not V !lr, 48.-And all the people that ca:m.e polhite the very sacred day whtcli followei:\. ott. nm. 1-56.] Tl:lE GOSPEL ACCOilDING TO ST. LUK:E. 2'.:.i