The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 147

oountry, In one or tho corn-fields nenr the of kindness, done anywhere, there was M Loke of Gennesarot. 1'he second was se.bbatism. givon in a eynngogue possibly in the city Ver. 10.-Stretoh forth thy he.nd ! It of Caperuoum. St. Luke inserts thin sci:110, must have sounded a stran"e command to which may hBve tu.ken place soveral weeks the people in the syne.gogie. How could nrter the ono above related, because it com• he stretch out the.t withered, powerless limb? pletes in a wny the tencbing of the Lord on llut with the comma.11d went forth the power. this important point of the ceremonial law. In other words, " Stretch forth the.t poor Ver. 7.-And the soribes and Pharisees he.nd of thine; thou canst now, for lo I the watched him, whether he would he&1 on the disease is gone." And we rea<l th,;t he d icl sabbBth day; that they might find an aocu- so, and e.s he stretched on t the Ii m h, so Ion g sation against him. The Pharisee emis- powerless, the man diseovered rincl tl,e pcoplo saries from the capital were carefully watch- saw that the cure was already performed. ing him. The Master was perfectly aware Ver. 11.-And they were filled with mad- of their presence, and well knew the spirit ness; and oommuned one with another what in whioh they listened to bis words and they might do to J'esns. The storm was marked bis acts, and on this sabbath day already gathering. From this time we he was evidently ddcrmined to let them gather from the words of SS. l\Iatthew e.nd see clee.rly whe.t was in hie mind respect- Mark, that in the minds of others a.s well ing the present state of Jewish religious as in the mind of Jesus, the thought of his training. death we.e ever present. The thought- Ver. 8.-But he knew their thoughts, and leaders of the Jews-the men whose position said to the man which had the withered was secured as long as the rabbinic teach- hand, Bise up, and stand forth in the midst. ing held sway in the hearts of the people, And he arose and stood forth. When he but no longer-from this hour resolved upon perceived or was informed of the presence the dea.th of that strange mighty Reformer. of the afilicted sufferer in the l{yYlagogue, He was, said they, an impostor, a fanatic; who no doubt had come there with e. view ono who led men's miuds a&tre.y. Hud they of seeing Jesus and asking his help as a no doubts, we ask; no que.lme of conscience, physician, Jesus publicly be.de the sufferer no deep searchings of heart? Were these to ste.nd out in a prominent place in the great ones of earth really persuaded the.t he assembly, and then in the hush that followed was a deceiver? proceeded with hie public instruction, the Vera. 12-19.-The choice of the twelve. poor man with the withered hand standing Ver. 12.-And it came to pass in those before him. The Gospel which Jerome day9. That is to say, in the course of his found among the Ne.zarenes gives at length ministry in Galilee, especially in the thickly the prayer of this man with the withered populated district lying round the Lake of liailll. "I was a me.son earuing my live- Genessaret, and after the events related lihood with my own bands; I pray thee, in eh. v. and the first eleven verses of eh. Jesus, restore me to bee.Ith, in order that I vi., Jesus proceeded to choose, out of the may not with shamo beg my brea,1." This company of those who had especie.lly at- Nazarene Gospel was only used among a tached themselves to him, twelve who sect of early Jewish Christians, and has not ehonld henceforth be always with him. been preservod. It possibly was one of These he purposed to train up as the those alluded to by the compiler of the authorized exponents of his doctrine, an,! Third Gospel in his preface (eh. i. 1). as the future leaders of his Church. 'l'hinga Ver. 9.-1s it le.wful on the se.bbath de.ye had assumed a new aspect during the last to do good, or to do evil 1 to se.ve life, or few months. Jerusalem and the hiera.rchv, to destroy it? 'rhe sum and substo.nce of supported by the gree.t teachers of that forin the Me.eter's teaching here is-works of love of Judaism which for so long a period h:id done for tho bodies and souls of men never swayed the hearts of the people, he.d,althou~ll mo.r or in any way interfere with the holi- not yet openly, declared sga.inst the views ness of e. day of rest. St. Mo.tthew, in hie and tee.ching of Jesus. His acts-but for o.ccount of the plucking the ears of corn more his words-had ge.thered round him. on the snbbnth day (:s:ii. 5), tel18 us, on espeoially in Galilee, in the north and centrn.l that occasion Jesus asked how it was that districts of Palestine, a large and rapidly the priests on the sf\bbnth dnys profaned increasing following. It W8.Jl necessary tha.t the sabbatll e.nd were blameless? 'l'he Jews some steps should be taken at once to in- in later days used to deolo.re, perhe.ps in troduce among the people who had received a.newer to Josue Christ's famous question his words gladly, some ki11d of organization; here, "that in the temple was there no hence the formal choice of the twelve, who ijO.bbatism." Now, the Lord pressed home from henceforth stood nc·,uest to him. ·we to those who listened to his voioe the great possess the following four lists of the;o truth that in all labours of love, of pity, o.nd twclvo ruen;-  I 12 'l'ITE GOSPEL ACCOTinING 'l'O ST. LUKE. Len. vt, 1-40,