The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 144

thnt we exa.~~crnte when we say that thoS(' who do not love solitt1dedo not love truth." I l I, is iu tbe secret pince with God that we renew nnr spiritual strength and are fit for rm-ther se, nee. And what perfect prn~·crs our Lord's must have been. No personal ~in to oonfcss, but simpl)• to confer with the Father about the salvntinn of the world ~nd how hc~t he could promote the welfare of men, The time of solitude l\ith God is the most fruitrul time. ,Vithout it how barren ell else proves 1 ~ Ill. C.0N8r_nE:R T8;E HEALIN<: OF THE PARALYTIC. (Vers. 17-26.) It was in l,~pernaum, 1t 1s believed, and m the honse or Peter, thll.t the miracle happened. The nud,cnce wa~ a c,·itical one with whom Jes~s was dealing, composed of Pharisees and doctors of th~ Law, out of every town of Galilee nnd Judree. and Jerusalem. They had come to pnss Jn<lgmcnt on the new movement undur JL·sus. And the Spirit was waiting there llS tbe A,:;,·1,t to 11p1°ly the healing Word of the Messiah to those not unwilling to be healed. But alas I these hard-hearted lawyers g11ve him no opportunity. But four friends bring along the street a paralytic neighbour, in the hope that he may be healed by Jesus. They cannot at first get near, and so they repair to the house-top, and pro- ceed to tear up the tiles in sufficient numbers to allow of their lowering their helpless friend to the feet of Jesus.• Here WRS the Spirit's opportunity. And here let us uotice the twofold paralysis under which the poor mRn laboured-the one was the paralysiti of the soul, the other the paraly.•is of the body. Doth appealed to tbe sym- pathy of Jesus. Besides, he is pleased to notice the faith of the bearers. We are not 1oid that the paralytic at this time had faith in Jesus, but his friends had for him. 'l'hey believed that if they could only get their friend before Jesus, they would not have to carry him home ngain. And disinterested faith for a blessing upon others Jesus respects and rewards. But which of the two paralyses will Jesus cure first? The more serious-the paralysis of soul through sin. Hence, in endearing accents lie mys, "Man, thy sins arc forgiven thee." It was a case of absolution, as Robertson h:oldJy puts it in his sermcu upon this passage. 3 And to absolution by one whom they , .. garded as a mere man the scribes and Pharisees secretly objected. '!'hey rightly s,tid that none but God alone could forgiTe sins as against God; they wrongly con- ci uc.led that Jesus was not Divine. There was no blasphemy, for this was God incar- nate. Their objection was not publicly taken. It was a mental note they took of the matter, Jems soon shows them that he can read their thoughts, by laying bare their objection, aud putting his prerogative to the proof. The demoustration he proposes is this: he has pr<,nouuce<l the absolution. It may be deemed easy to do this, since no one can tell tl:i.at it J,as not t"ken place. But he is willing to rest his claim to,absolv- ing power by saying tLe hard::r word, "Rise up and walk." According as this takes place or fails is he willing to be judged. And so, bcf<>re his enemies and to the palsied patient, he says, "Arise, and take up thy couch, am! go into thine house." Here was a demonstration of hie ability to for~ive sine as against God, for the paralysis departs and the powerless patient ~tarts to his feet and reaches home with his bed as Jesus commands him. In doing so, moreover, he glorifies God, doubtless, for tbe double blessing. Now, these miracles are signs and symbols of spiritual things. This healiug of the body is a si;;n of wl,atJesus is willing and waiting to do for our souls. Paralysis is what has seized on many. What a living death it is l It is only Jesus who can free our spirits from it. If we look to him he will give us his Spirit to strengthen us with all might in the inr,er man, and to help us to earnestness and action. And first we shall show to all about us that we are able to help ourselves, and will no longer be burdens upon others. The four burden-bearers here were spared their hard work ever afkr. Thi, is the first manifestation of spiritual strength in the carryi11g honestly our own share of life's n,spousiLilii.ies I Secondly, we shall glorify God through our spiritual 1,owers. We shall praise him for his loviug-kiodness and tender mercy towards us. And lastly, we shall lead others to fear and to glorify God too. Hence the great i•Tiportailce of get.ting rid of spiritual paralysis and of rising into the exercise of spiritual u wer. W c should al&o leam. distinctly from this miracle what possibilities lie await- • • Nouvellee Etudes Eve.ngeliques,' p. 228. • Cf. DelitzscL's • Ein Ta.gin Caperoaum,' ss. 40-4G; Geikie's' Life nnd Words of Chruf/ vol. ii. p. 23. "" 1 8£;rmons,' v,,l. Hi. p. G9. on. v. 1--30.] TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKF:. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------- ing interceRsory prayer and disinterested faith. We may do much in bringing he] pleas souls to J csus, that they may be healed by him. He is able to do much for our friends ns woll as for ourselves, nod the joy of bringing others to Christ is only exceeded by tl,e joy of coming ourselves. Let us keep coming to Jesus for oursdves and with others, and strange nod blessed experiences shall still be ours.-R. M. E. Vere. 27-39.-The call of Levi, and the subseqwmt banquet. We noticed how, at the healing of the pBralytic, there was a critical assemblage. Secretly did they impugn the absolution pronounced by the Master, and publicly were they refuted. Immediately after, it would seem from all the accounts, Jerns takeH the bold step of calling a publican to become his disciple. It was a throwing down of the gauntlet to his enemies. It was taking up a man whom they had excommunicated and despised, and so bringing the kiugdom of God into collision with the Jewish authorities. Let us, then, consider- I. THE CALL OF LEVI, AND ITS ACCEPTANCE. (Vers. 27, 28.) Levi was a leading "custom-house officer," as we should now call him, situated at Capernaum, where the caravans from Damascus to the Mediterranean regularly passed. His office was, we have reason to believe, a lucrative one, so that he had every worldly reason for remain- ing in it. Doubtless he had no position in the Jewish Church, but, considering the Sadducean scepticism which flourished within the Church pale, the worldly advantages of the tax-gathering would reconcile Levi to excommunication. When Jesus found him he was busy at his tax-gathering. The piles of money were possibly before him. He was never more prosperously occupied before. But lo! this itinerant Preacher, who has no settled home, has not where to lay his head, comes along, and calls Levi from his business to become his follower. "Follow me," says Christ; and for Levi it meant ihe surreuder of his worldly calling, and becoming an itinerant preacher of the kingdom of God. The step for Levi was most serious. And here notice what Jesus demanded. It may be expressed in three words: it was faith in himself. In no way could he better test Levi's confidence than by askiug him to surrender the comfort and certainty of his worl<lly calling for the uncertainty of the Christian ministry as carried on by the Master himself. It is the one demand which Jesus always makes, that men should trust him. And Levi surrenders at ouce. He leaves all, rises up, and literally follows him. It is a farewell to tax-gathering, that he may take service in the retinue of the Prince of peace. Such a surrender without reserve is what Christianity means. Jesus is put before every one and everything, and his command is our law. The following of Christ, moreover, includes the whole Christian morality. If we take his way and carry out bis will, and do, day by day, what we believe he woul,I in our circumstances, tl,en we shall fiud ourselves holy and useful in increasing rneas,1re. JI. CoNolDER LEV1 1S FIRST MISSIONARY EFFORT. (Ver. 29.) This was in the making of the great feast. Hospitality may be missiouary in character. If its design is tu briug friends into coutact with Jesus, as was literally the case here, then it is distinctly a missionary enterprise. Levi felt that the best thing he coul,l now do would be to get all his acquaintances together and to introduce them to Jesus. And onght not this to be the aim of hospitality still, apart from all cant and hypocrisy? Should not hosts inquire what their motives are in making feasts? Are banquets for display, fur the advancement of worldly ends, or for the Master's sake? Moreover, this banqL1~t of Levi shows us the limits of our work. All we can ever du for men is to introci.uce them to Jesus. We cannot do more for their salvation. It is the personal acquaint- 11nceship with Jesus into which they must enter if eternal life is tl> be theirs. •• This is life eternal, to know [i.e. to be acquainted with] thee the only true God, and Jesus Chnst, whom thou hast sent" (John xvii. 3). The missionary enterprise through hospit.ility is only beginning to be realized. Ro~pitality needs to be redeemed, like many another good thing, from worldly uses. A loving heart will enable a faithful Christian tu accomplish this. Ill. PHAlllSAIO OBJEOTIONB TO CIIRIBT's NEW ASSOCIATIONS. (Vers. 30-32.) Eating and driukiug in the East are the universal tokens of mutual confidence. After this, the parties will be true to each other until death. Hence the Pharisees with their scribes (so in Revised Version aud best authorities)-the legal experts they lia,l brought with tt,ern--objcct to Jesus and his disciplos goiug in "baud and glove" wtth excum- municatl!d men. From their standpoint it argued great laxity on the part of our  TI I E GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, LUKE. --- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lord. RcRlly it- only me.ant his freedom from Pharisaic pretence. And his dcfenco was complete. He took the Pharisees on their own ground. lle assumed that they were spirituE11ly whole, e.s they supposed themselves to be, Of course he knew how ~criously they were in this matter deceiving themselves. But assuming they were whole, he wo~1ld, as e. Phy~ician, have hee!l losing_his time and missing his opportunity had he assocrntcd only with them. It 1e the sick, these publicans and sinners who need the Physician's care. Hence he hesitated not to enter into Levi's house and mix wi_th_ Le,i's guests: Now,_association with othei:s m:'y, like _hospitality, be a form of m1ss1onary enterpnse. This should be our motive in assoclllting with others. Why not he propagandists in all our contact with men? It is not necessary we should be "puritanical;" for that was exactly what Jesus in this CREe and in every case declined to be. But we may in all our hearty fellowship with others keep their ~piritual good clear as a star in view. Our Lord's principle, too, as here stated is i rn pressive. He did not come to summon to his side the men of reputation, the n'.ien of f!OOO public character, the pharisaically righteous, but to call "sinners,n those who dl'spaired of themselves and needed help. In this he states bis grand policy. It is for us to realize its meaning and to imitate him. As self-despairing ones, let us rally ronnd the Saviour, as be calls us to him, and then let us vigorously publish the call to other sinners, that they too may be saved.I IV. Tim PHARISEES FURTHER OBJECTED TO CHRIST'S PRAOTICE, (Vers, 33--85.) Having defended bis association with publicans and sinners, he is next assailed because he did not teach the disciples to fast. The Baptist, in the spirit of the old regime, directed his disciples to fasr, but Jesus took a different course altogether. And here we must remember that the Law of Moses prescribed fasting only on the great Day of Atonement, when sin was brought so powerfully to remembrance. The fasting twice a week, in which the Pharisees indulged, arose out of those" traditions of the elders" which in many respects overlaid the precepts of the Law. Against these traditions onr Lord set himself firmly. N<>tioe that: 1. Fasting is a comparatively easy form of self-denial. As Robertson has said in a sermon on ver. 33, ".A.II can understand the self-denial of fasting, because hunger is a low want, known to all. But all cannot understand the self-denial of hard mental work, or that of associating with uncon- geuial minds, or that of honestly pursuing a disagreeable occupation or profession." 1 'l'be coarse minds which proposed to criticize Jesus, therefore, took up fasting as the form of self-denial which they found them~elves equal to, and sought to condemn Jesus for neglect of it. 2. There is no good in fasting for its own sake. The person who abstaitJS from food merely to be able to say be has fasted and so fulfilled B human tradition, is not living a noble life. Asceticism had, therefore, no countenance from Jesus. 3. The Divine life is essentially social. The Trinity of Persons in unity declares this fact. God bas been social from everlasting, and when he appearer! incarnate it was as an eminently social Saviour. Hence he represents himself on this very occasion as a Bridegroom, and life with him as a bridal feast. Mourning would be as impertinent at a marriage-party as fasting would be when Jesus was present with his people. The sociality of the Christian faith endorses the propriety of the policy of Jesus. 4. Fasting becomes appropriate when fellowship is interrupted. Our Lord refers to his own departure as a being taken away from them, B violent operation-a prophdic note about the crosi ! lo such days will the disciples fast. 'l'he felt absence of the Lord should so impress 1s that fasting would be only natural with us. Through fasting the soul regains its so\ ereignty over the body, and the gracious presence of the Master as an experience is regained. V. OuB LoBu's SPIRIT OF INNOVATION. (Vers. 36-39.) The Pharisees expected ho would c01,form to old customA, as unoriginal minds are wont to do. But they utterly mistook Lim. He came, as these twin paral,les tell us, with new cloth and new wine. This can only mean the Christian spirit, social and missionary in its very essence. Robertson is quite wrong, we believe, in making the new wine and new cloth "austere duties and doctri.Des," and the old bottles and old cloth as the weak novices in the 11hape of the new disciples (ut supra, p. 196). In what respect these "austere dutiea I Cf. f:0rok's • Evangelien-Predig-ten,' s. 6G9. 1 • 'l'1e li uman Hace, oud other Sermons,' a,. HJ2. on. v1. 1-40.) TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUR F:.