The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 77

tents lhe duly or unselfishness, the berrnty of little moment whether they were legion- of quiet generosity in the sight of God. aries of Rome, or mercenaries in the PEif The whole tcnching of this eminent mnn of one of the tetrarchs or neighbouri11"' or God wns thorougllly pru.cticE1l. His pre- princeR. Tho leBBon is clenr. As above ~ decessor, Micah, centuries before h"d given the publicans, so here to the soldiers, John the luxurious nnd selfish lsre.el or his time says, "Remain in that profession of o.rms; the enme Divine lesson: "He hnlh showed you may, H you will, serve God in it, for it thee, 0 man, what is good; and whe.t doth is never the work which ennobles, but the the Lord require or thee, but to do justly, way in which the work is done." and to love mercy, and to walk humbly Ver. 15.-All men mused in their hearts with thy God?" ('Micah vi. 8). of 1ohn, whether he were the Christ, or not. Ver. 12.-Then oame also publicans to be There was general expectFttion at that time baptized, and said unto him, Master, what Rmong the JP,ws that Messiah's coming was she.ll we do t This is the first lime this at hand. This strange feeling that some- class of men, who on several occasions come thing momentous Wa.8 about to happen to before ns in the gospel story, is mentioned. mankind was ant confined to the ,Jews of The English rendering is most unhE1ppy, Palestine, it strangely influenced the Jews for to many of our people it either suggests who were dispersed in foreign countries- nothing, or else supplies a wrong chain of Egypt, Greece, Italy, etc., and through them reasoning. The -r,>..wva,, the Le.tin publi- it ha.d even reached many of the G,,ntiles ca.ni (whence our rendering), were men who who were brought into contact with the collected the Roman tai:es or imposts. These chosen people. This idea among the .Jews, imperial taxes, the most pa.info! and ever- that John was proba.bly the looked-for de- present reminder to the Jew of his subject liverer, is only mentioned by St. Lnke- and dependent position, were in the first another proof that the source of his informl!.- instance leased out to jobbers and specu- tion was quite distinct from that used by lators of the equestrian order; th~se were Matthew and Mark. properly the publicani Beneath them and Ver. 16.-I ind~ed baptize you with water; in their employ were a numerous staff who but One mightier than I cometh. To refute performed for these farmers of the imperial this growing conviction that he was the revenue the various disagreeable duties con- Messiah, John tells the people plainly tllat nected with the collection of the ta.xes. Another far greater than he WBB coming. Then, as now in the East, bribery, corrup- He, John, certainly washed (baptized) those tion, oppression, and unfair dealing, were who came to him, but his wllBhing was too common among all ranks of officials. merely symbolical-it could not purify them; First, then, the duty itself, the being con- his work had been to stir them np to re- cerned in the collection of a tribute-for pentance, to arouse them to change their that is what these taxes really were-for lives. But the One who was coming, before Gentile Rome, and, secondly, the various whom he (John) wu.s unworthy to stand iniquities conneoted with the gathering of and perform the humblest menial office, this tribute, made the ta.x or tribute col- that great One should baptize too, but his lectors of all ranks odious among the Jews baptism would be a very different thing. dwelling in Palestine. Many of the posts, He shall baptize yon with the Holy Ghost. espeoially the subordinate ones, in this de- There wu.s, indeed, a difference betweon partment of tribute and taxes, were held by John's baptism and the baptism of the Jews, in all ages singularly gifted in matters Messi!l.b who was to come 11fter him. John wbioh have to do with finance. The Jew, could do no more with his words and symbol however, in the do.ye of John the Baptist, baptism than rouse the people to struggle who could stoop to such an employment, after repentance and a change of heart and lucrative though it might be, was looked life, while Messiah would furnish to men upon by his stricter fellow-countrymen with the influence from above, that was really feelings of intense scorn. Yet even these needed in order to purity of heart nnd life. men are not bidden by this inspired prophet He would procure and pour out the influence of the Highest to change their way of life, of the Divine Spirit (see Dr. Morrison, on but only its mamwr. ",vould you," he Mark i. 8). And with fin. Not with pu- ea.ye to these men who belonged to the nitive fire, which interpretc,tion would be hated oalling, "indeed wnsh nnd be eleo.n quite alien from the context here. Those in the eyes of the All-Seeing? then in tho.t expositors who have adopted this meaning profession of yours, remember, be scrupulous, of the fire here have been most likely in- be honest." fluenced by the mention of the unquench- Ver. 14.-And the soldiers likewise de- able fire in the next sentence. 'l'ho fire manded of him, ao.ying, And what shall we which was to enter into Messiuh's baptism do 1 Commentators genera.Uy discuss here was rather ths fla'ITl.6 of purification. So "e who. these soldiers were. The question is read of t-he coal of fire ta.ken from off tht:1  TRE GO:;;rF.L A(n")RnTN'O TO RT. unrn. [<'TT. ITT. 1-:J8.