The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 261

dwolt e. short spnoe on tbe expressilln, "third Thus the Stranger led the "two" to see the doy," telling the Strnngor how their cleocl true meaning of the "prophets," whose Master, when a.live, bacl be.cle his friends burning wor<ls they had so often rend and wotoh for the third day from his death. hee.rd without gTasping their real deep The third doy, he had told them, would be signification. Thns he led them to see that the day of his triumphant return to them; the Christ must be a suffering before he cou lr\ and, strangely enough, on the eorly morning be a triumphing Messiah; that the cruci- of this third day, something did ho.ppen fixion of Jesus, over which they wailed with which had stirrecl, excited, and perplexed so bitter a wailing, was in fact an easential them. Certain women of their company, part of the counsels of God. Then he went who had been early to the grave of the on to show that, e.s his suffering is now ful- Moster, mea.nin"' to embo.lm the corpse, filled-for the Crucifixion and death were found the Aepulchro empty, ancl they co.me pe.st-nothing remains of that which is back reporting how they had seen a vision written in the prophets, but the entering of angels there, who told them their Master into his gJory. lived. What did it all mean? Ver. 27.-And beginning at Moses and all Ver. 24.-And certain of them which the prophets, he expounded unto them in all weie with us went to the sepulchre, and the Scriptures the things concerning him- found it even so as the women had said : but self. The three divioi.ons, the Pentateuch him they saw not. Tholuok writes, "Does (Moses), the prophets, and a.II the Scrip- not their word sound a.a the language of tures, cover the whole Old Testament 1·e- those in whose heart the smoking fie.x yet ceived then in the same words as we possess glimmers, though nigh to extinction?" them now. The Lord's proofs of what he Ver. 25.-Then he ea.id unto them, 0 e.sserted he drew from the whole series of fools, and slow of heart to believe all that writings, rapidly glancing over the long the prophets have spoken! better trans- many-coloured roll called the Ol<l Testa- lated, 0 foolish men, and slou, of heart to ment. "Jesus had before him a grnn<l believe in all that the prophets have spoken! field, from the Protevangelium, the first The Stranger now replies to the confused great Gospel of Genesis, down to :Malachi. story of sorrow and baffled hopes just lit up In studying the Scriptures for himself, he with one faint ray of hope, with " calm hoo. found himself in them everywhere reference to that holy book so well known (John v. 39, 40)" (Godet). The thing., to, so deeply treasured by every Jew. concerning himself. The Scriptures which "See," he seems to say, "in the pages of the Lord probably referred to specially were our prophets all this, over which you now so the promise to Eve (Gen. iii. 15); tho bitterly mourn, is plainly predicted: you promise to Abraham (Gen. xxii. IS); the must be blind and deaf not to ho.ve seen Pasche.I lamb (Exod. xii.); the scapegoat and heard this story of agony and pe.tient (Lev. xvi. 1-3!); the brazen serpent suffering in those well-known, well-loved (Numb. xxi. 9); the greater Prophet (Deut. pages I When those gree.t prophets epoke xviii. 15); the star and sceptre (Numb. of the roming of Messie.h, how came it xxiv. 17); the smitten rock (Numb. n. 11; about the.t you missed seeing that they 1 Cor. x. 4), etc.; Immanuel (Isa.. vii. H:); pointed to do.ys of suffering e.nd death to bo "Unto us o. Child is born," etc. (Isa. ix. 6, endured by him before his time of sovereignty 7); the good Shepherd (lee.. ;d. 10, 11); and triumph oould be entered on?" the meek Sufferer (Isa. I. 6); he who Ver. 26.-0ught not Christ to have bore our griefs (Isa. liii. 4, 5); the Branch suffered these things, nnd to enter into his (Jet. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 14, 15); the Heir of glory 1 better trnnsle.ted, ought not the De.vid (Ezek. xx.xiv. 23); the Ruler from Ch-rist, eto.? "St. Luke dwells on the Bethlehem (l\Iicah v. 2); the Branch Resurrection es a spiritual necessity; St. (Zech. vi. 12); the lowly King (Zech. ix. Ma.rk, e.s a great fact; St. Matthew, e.s e. !l); the pierced Victim (Zech. xii. 10); ~lorious e.nd majestio manifestation; e.nd the smitten Shepherd (Zech. xiii. 7); tLe St. John, in its effects on the members of messenger of the covene.nt (Mai. iii. l); the the Church. . . . If this suffering cmd Sun of Righteousness (Mai. iv. 2); e.nd no death ~ were a necessity (oux file,), if it doubt many other passages. Dr. Davi-son, was in accordance with the will of God in his book on prophecy, pp. 266-~S7, that the Christ should ruJ"er, and so en.Mr shows that there is not one of the prophets into his glory, and if we ce.n be enabled to without some distinct reference to Christ, see this necessity, and see also the noble except Ne.hum, Jonah (who was himself a issues which flow frnm it, then we can type I\Dd prophetic sign), and Habe.k1.--uk, understand how the same necessity must in who, however, uses the memorable words due measure be laid upon his brethren" quoted in Rom. i. 17. To these we must (Wesloott). And so we obtain a key to add references to several of the psalms, ~ome of the dl\lkest problems of humanity. notably to the sixteenth e.nd twenty-secon,1,  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [err. xxiv.1-53,