The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 126

11.ncl 11. nobler one, suggested this enrnlment the recognized tea.chers of the .Jew8, a.n<l of the cleapisccl publican in tliat glorioue seum to have succeeded that great anrl in- company of apostles. The Lor,! was cleter- fluential class or orcler, the "sons of tho mined to show, by this choice of his, that in prophets," origine.lly founded by Samuel. his eyes all callings were equally hononr- These "sons of the Frophets" are repee.tedly able, all ways of life might lea.cl to the city mentioned in the books of the OlcJ Test11- of the bleesecl. Never would the work ment which treat of the kingdoms of Israel ennoble the mcm, but only the way in which e.nd J ude.h. The scribes were succeeded, in the work was done. The Baptist, as we the year 300 e..c., by the tana·tm (repeaters), have seen, first taught this Di vine libe- under which name the scribes were officially, ro.Hem. The Baptist's Lord placed his seal though e.pparently r.ot popularly, known of approval upon his servant's teaching by until A.D. 220, after which date these scrib~3 suoh acts as the calling of Matthew the were termed amoraim. The Talmud publican, and feasting in his house with (Mishna and Gemara) may be said to he.ve publicans and sinners. been the work of this great aud enduring Ver. 28.-He left all, rose up, and followed teacher order. The Talmud was finally him. No doubt a hard and difficult bit of closed in A.D. 490, by Rabbine. Abina, the self-renunciation. He, at the bidding of last of the amoraim. Why do ye aat and the homeless, landless Teacher, ge.ve up hie drink with publicans and 1U1J1era l lucrative employment, sacrificing all his life Vers. 31, 32.-And Jesus answering said of promotion, of future wealth and position, unto them, They that are whole need not a exposing himself, doubtless, to sneers and physioian ; but they that a.re siok. I came not calumny. With great trnth could he re-echo to oall the righteou, but siimera to re- hie friend Peter's words, "Lo, w, have left pentance. This we.e one of those sayings of all, and followed thee." the Lord which sank -rery deep int.o the Ver. 29.-And Levi made him a great hearts of the hearers. All the three, Matthew, feast in his own house. There is no doubt Mark, e.nd Luke, repeat it with very slight tha.t this Levi was the same person as variations; it we.a evidently a. favourite Matthew the publice.n (subsequently the theme with the great first teachers who evangelist), whose ce.lling under precisely followed Christ. It has borne rich fruit in simile.r circumstances is rela.ted in the First the Me.ster'e Church; for this vindication of Goepel (Matt. x.; e.nd see Me.rk ii.). The Jesus of his conduct in going so often into name Me.tthew, " gift of God," was probably the society of the more.I waifs e.nd strays of given to him, a.a tha.t of Peter (or Cephas, "a the population he.a been the real "founda- rock ") was bestowed on Simon, e.fter his tion of all those philanthropic movement.s e.eeooie.tion with Jesus. The worda used. which enlist the upper classes of 1ociety in "a great feast," a great company, plainly the blessed work of bending down to meet indicate the.t Levi (Ma.tthew) was a. person in love the lower classes, so that the ene.pped of considere.tion and position. And there was circle of humanity may be restored; it is a gree.t oompany of publice.ns and of others the philosophy in e. nutshell of all home e.nd that se.t down with them. The great com• missiooary operations'' (Dr. l'durrisou, on pany was owing to the fa.et tho.t the publi- Mark ii. 17). ce.ns and their friends, moved by the Vers. 33-39.-The teaching of the Lorci kindness e.nd friendship of the new Teacher, concerning fasting. e.ssembled a.t the feast in numbers out of re- Ver. 33.-And they said 11llto him, Why spect to him; or, more likely, the e.ssemblage do the disoiplea of John fast oftan, and was owing to the effort of Levi (Matthew) to make prayers, IIJld likewise the disciples of bring into friendly rele.tions his associates the Pharisees ; but thine eat e.nd drink l We e.nd friends and the new Master, for whose learn from the parallel passage in St. Mark sake he had given up everything. that "they " who e.sked the Lord thi:! Ver. 30.-But their soribes and Pha.risees question were the disciples of John the murmured against his disciples. Mo.ny of Baptist and the Phariseed, who united on the older authorities here omit " their" this occasion. These disciples of John do (a~rwv) before" scribes." The older a.uthori- not seem at first to have regarded Jesus ties vary slightly in the position of the words with altogether friendly feelings. Such a here. The best reading and tre.nslation jealousy was only too natural, aud th,; rigid, would give, "'fhe Pharisees a.nd the scribes unbending truthfulness of the 6\'ailgelists among them"-" among them,'' tho.t is, compelled them to tell the story of the way among the Capernt\'ites; in other words, the early foundations of the truth were laid " They among them who were Pharisees without oonoealmeut of error or mistake. and scribes." These scribes (Hebrew, ao- The Be.ptist himself practised the sternest pherim), under this appelle.tion, first appear asceticism, and required doubtless of his e.fter the Exile. Their oocupation we.s to nee.rest followers tl1at they should imite.te oopy e.nd to expound the Law. They were hi.3 exa.mple, The Lord' d way of life, his  li8 TilE GOSI'EL ACCOUDING TO ST. LUKE. [on. v. 1-30.